Semester 3 Design Documentation: Part 1

18th April 2025

I have begun this project by experimenting with first person shooter mechanics and creating a weapon that can fire hitscan bullets (hit the target instantly) and projectiles (travel to the target then hit). The hitscan shots take a specific trajectory from the muzzle of the weapon to the crosshair in the player's eyeline, so the bullets hit locations that feel consistent for the player. Projectiles consist of a collision actor to determine what is hit, and an effect actor, that creates a visual of the projectile moving for the player to see. The collider moves along the crosshair, while the visual moves from the muzzle of the weapon to the destination.

The hitscan shots output the hit object in the top left corner so the player can see what they have hit with the shot, as my intention is to add damage functionality. The projectiles move more slowly and explode upon impact.

1st May 2025

Once I had the basic shooting mechanics in place, I could focus on some interesting gameplay elements to create. The first one I had in mind was a device the player could throw into the air while hiding behind cover that would allow them to shoot at enemies out of sight. In terms of gameplay, this works very similarly to other games that allow firing from cover such as Gears of War, it only creates a more unique method of achieving that gameplay. The player's bullets and grenades bounce off the device in the direction the device is currently facing. There is currently a problem with the character model's arms facing in the wrong direction as organising the body animations separate to the arm animations is quite a challenge.

6th May 2025

I decided that the first person shooter project was a good demonstration of mechanics and I could happily leave it where it was. Therefore, I decided to move onto a new project: a top down strategy RPG style game. I have made characters that the player can select and change between. The player can drag and release to fling a character in a direction. They can also shoot bullets in a straight line or rockets that take an arcing path to the destination.

8th May 2025

I added extra camera controls to allow the player to look around the extra area, as well as zoom in and out and rotate the camera. I took inspiration from the control system used in Baldur's Gate 3 for this. I also added a camera follow function, to make the launching of a rocket more cinematic for the player to watch.

12th May 2025

I added energy costs for each of the player's abilities. The player's current energy is shown in the bottom corner of the screen. When they select and ability, they are shown how much energy it would take to use. When they use it, that energy is deducted from their total. 

14th May 2025

Here is a demonstration of the gameplay so far. I have added a grenade to the list of ability options the player has.

15th May 2025

I have created destructible objects that fracture and crumble when hit with explosives.

I have implemented a turn system. Each robot has an initiative, which determines how early their turn is in the turn order. Robots with higher initiative will move first. This will be modifiable through upgrades in the game.

I have made a gravitational field that pulls characters and objects into its centre. This could be ability characters can deploy or maybe it appears randomly on the battlefield sometimes.

19th May 2025

I have made a level for the game. It explore the idea of the characters being small in an environment that makes ordinary object look large to them. 

22nd May 2025

I have changed the UI to be an openable menu to choose a weapon to use rather than buttons on the screen at all times. I originally put the buttons on the screen because the intention for the game was to be PvE and the player would have only a few abilities for each robot. However, regardless of the direction of the game, it makes development and presentation easier if I can simply add weapons to the menu as I make them. This is also the way Worms presents its weapon choices.

I have also added different types of grenades with different effects, and changed the way they are thrown to have the camera remain in its current position while aiming.

• Regular grenade
• Cluster grenade explodes into smaller grenades, which then explode
• Vortex grenade spawns a vortex, pulling robots and projectiles toward the centre
• Incendiary grenade spawns fire around the detonation

There could be some interactions between different weapons to create synergy. For example, fire and a vortex in the same place could create a fire tornado, dealing extra damage to robots caught within.

I also plan to add a throw power system, allowing the player to hold the action button to add power to the grenade throw, determining its travel distance.

24th May 2025

I created a flamethrower weapon that spawns fire actors in front of the player, dealing damage over time to anyone within its range.

3rd June 2025

I improved the movement system in my game to work from the player's current perspective, rather than a quick camera camera angle change to accommodate for it. This version works from which angle the player is viewing their character from.

5th June 2025

To communicate to the player(s) the fact that the characters are miniature and the game takes place in a miniature world, I looked into tilt-shift photography, which is a method of making regular object appear smaller. After some research, I found that the way to do this in Unreal Engine is to alter the focal length and field of view, creating a blurred effect that makes the world look miniature.

7th June 2025

I created a level that uses an uneven ground to allow players to take advantage of different elevations. There is water in the level that kills any characters that all into it. I thought at some point the hose on the wall could spray water if hit with a projectile or at the end of a round.

I experimented with voxels to create a system that allows the player to make craters in the ground with explosions. This makes the environment more reactive and realistic, as well as contributing to the fun of each level by making it more changeable as the battle goes on. 

11th June 2025

I made a sandpit level to demonstrate the dynamic terrain.

I also created end of round events. Once all the players have have their turn in a round, a map-specific event occurs. In the toy room, the train sets off round the track, hitting all players in its way. In the garden level, a mole pops out of the ground in a random location and launches players away.

12th June 2025

I created flammable objects that react when they come into contact with flames, lighting the object on fire too.

I used the concept of the tether tool from Just Cause to create a weapon that pulls two objects toward each other. If either of the objects cannot be moved, it simply pulls the other toward it.

16th June 2025

I created a weapon unlock system, in which each weapon has a number of round until they become available to the players appearing as locked until that point.

17th June 2025

I improved the tether system, so the player can only throw the anchor for the tether so far, eliminating the possibility for displacing an enemy on the other side of a map. After throwing the anchor, the player chooses on object for the other end to attach to.

19th June 2025

I created a main menu and a pause menu for the game.

2nd July 2025

I updated the UI from the placeholders I started with. Now, the character's available movement is in a radial slider around the movement button, the same colour as the movement arrows to make it clear they are linked.

I also updated the visuals of the energy slots. Now they have an electrical texture to better communicate that they are energy. Also, the cost of a weapon darkens energy orbs when hovered over in the menu, and selected ready for use.