08 - The Door Problem

I was tasked with creating a project in Unreal Engine 4 which includes a door. The rest was entirely up to me. I was also permitted to use asset packs in this brief, but much of my focus went into gameplay and continuing to explore how light can aid it.

I produced two videos showcasing my design; one with pure gameplay:

And one where I develop my design choices through commentary:

I really appreciated the freedom afforded in this brief, and when I set out, I wanted to achieve several things. The principle was continuing in developing my Blueprinting skills. I also wanted to continue experimenting with light in my projects. Initially, I wanted to have a game in which the player must run UP a giant door, but alas, I could not get the blueprinting to work. Instead, I focused on a working wall-run and basic climbing mechanic. I must admit, I also had a camera tilt developed in relation to the wall-run, but it was just too buggy with all the raucous parkour. Even still, I am content with my growth in blueprinting, getting a working respawn function and timer. I am also happy with the level of Character Movement that I was able to develop. The Door acts purely as a goal for the Player to reach – and when reached, the Player is transported to the next level. There are no enemies involved; except for the cruel mistress of time, which is a constant in the Player’s journey through the level. At the start I afforded the Player time to gain familiarity with the mechanics with a healthy hour to get comfortable. In the subsequent levels, I was not nearly as gracious, with only a small margin for error. The Door also has a flashing arrow pointing at it - giving the Player a sense of urgency as the Door appears so close, yet time is running out! The Door also looks visually distinct with its animated material (which is a pool floor material actually!). In regard to lighting, I am happy with how it turned out. It gives off quite an energetic feel and especially in the final section, crucial signposting of where to go! With the asset packs, I found them interesting and it feels good to have a nice-looking game that doesn’t SOLELY include ugly blocks (even if there were a lot of them in my level). I was able to use the levels function and load them effectively. I purposefully added a 1 second delay to give the level time to load.

In conclusion, I am happy with what I produced; it was a nice change of pace. I considered the Door in relation to the Player’s gameplay and goals and ensured that it was present in Player’s mind.