What a Mess!!!

 Look at this mess. Its like a looping pattern of nodes.

In an effort to bring a dynamic and visually engaging experience to the game, I experimented with using blueprints to control the visibility of different data layers based on simulated lightning strikes. What you see in these screenshots is the complex network of nodes required to make geometry flash on and off in response to environmental cues.

Initially, the setup was orderly, but as the need for precise control increased, so did the complexity of the blueprint. The final result was this intricate web of logic, where every node had a crucial role in managing the scene's responsiveness.

Unfortunately, this method turned out to be too laggy for practical use. The constant loading and unloading of data layers created significant performance issues, making it impractical for real-time gameplay. We need to find a faster and more efficient way to toggle visibility without sacrificing the immersive quality of the game.

This experience has been a real eye-opener into the complexities of game development, especially in managing dynamic environments within Unreal Engine. It's back to the drawing board to devise a method that can deliver the visual impact we want without the performance cost.

Fortunately, we've been able to use the basics of this blueprint for other parts of the level to load and unload different areas when we need them.

Meshy Abominations

At the Game Developers Conference this year, we checked out some cool new tech that turns text and pictures into 3D models. We tried it out to see if it could help our 3D artists with our Crimson Knight capstone project. The idea was cool, but the results were a bit mixed.

The tech can create 3D models, but they ended up being way too detailed. Each model we made had way too many tiny parts (polygons), about 300,000 to 400,000, which is a lot more than we needed. We can fix these models to make them simpler without losing too much detail, though.

One problem with these models is that they have lots of tiny errors, like holes and random points that stick out. Fixing these could take a lot of time, which kind of beats the point of using this tech to save time in the first place.

However, the tech did a great job with textures and UV maps, which are the parts that make the models look good with colors and details. It even made a new Pokémon character look awesome by adding cool details to its feet, making them perfect for a dog-like creature.

Another good thing about this tech is that it gets the size of the models just right. We didn’t have to adjust the size at all, whether it was for characters, props, or big parts of the scene.

Even though there are some issues with the tech right now, it’s really good at making textures and getting the size right. It’s promising, and it could be super helpful for making video games in the future.

Flag Rise and Loot

 

I wanted to create a mechanic where a player can stand in one spot for a few seconds and a flag will rise up a flagpole, once the flag reaches the top, a bunch of loot will dop at the base of the flagpole. I used a variation of the door rise blueprint we learned in the first semester to have the flag rise.

For the ground loot, I wanted the loot to generate the loot type and rarity randomly using an array, similar to how loot is spawned in the game. Rarity is defined by color: Blue, Green, Purple, Gold, in this blueprint, they are not weighted so there is an equal chance of each showing up. There are four ammo types, Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun and Health.