Short Term Goals and Game Engine Research for Our Exciting New Project

Last week, our team came together to focus on short-term goals for our upcoming game project. The game concept was brainstormed by Kaenan, Varun, and Yashwardhan, and after reading the story, I was impressed with the creativity and detail they had put into it. While reviewing the story, I also helped fix some of the issues that they had encountered.

The following information is the characters and their roles in the story that they have created, and also I am ironing out the game loop by pointing out the issues.

The Characters and their roles:

• Miner - This is a playable character who is sent out to mine the element from the asteroids. The miner has to find five different mining spots and extract sufficient material from them as fast as possible.
• Engineer - This is a playable character who is responsible for fixing a series of broken pipes on the ship. The engineer is in charge of avoiding the alien stalking the halls while waiting for the miner to return to the ship.
• Navigator - This character is a playable character and is the only person who has a full view of what’s happening around the ship and who has instructions to the control system. The navigator has to instruct the Rookie how to maneuver the ship and avoid space patrol and other asteroids floating by.
• Rookie - This is a playable character who is put in charge of piloting the ship after the captain is killed by the alien. The Rookie has to use a crazy dashboard that only they understand to fly the ship while following the Navigator's instructions.
• Captain - This is an NPC who gets killed by the alien at the beginning of the game

Ironing out the game loop:

• For the physical controllers, it's important to make sure that they feel intuitive and not too complex for the player. We need to make sure to playtest with people who haven't seen the game before to see if they can figure out how to use the controllers without too much guidance. It may be helpful to provide visual instructions for each controller.
• For the VR headset and hand controllers, you'll want to make sure that the movements feel natural and realistic. This will require a lot of playtesting and tweaking to get just right. We need to test the game with people of varying skill levels to see if the VR mechanics feel too difficult or too easy.
• Regarding the Navigator's display, it may be helpful to have a few other interactive elements for them to use besides just directing the Rookie. Maybe they can use a scanner to detect incoming objects or they have to input coordinates for the Rookie to follow. We can experiment with different ideas to see what feels engaging and fun for the player.
• For the engineer, lets consider adding some kind of reward or benefit for completing the pipe maze, such as unlocking a new upgrade for the ship or giving the engineer some kind of special ability.
• As for the AI chatbot for the pilot NPC, this could be a great addition to the game. Make sure that the chatbot's dialogue feels natural and not too robotic, and consider adding some variety so that the player doesn't hear the same lines over and over again.
• Finally, for the monster AI pathing, it's important to make sure that the monster's movements feel unpredictable and challenging for the player. Maybe we can experiment with different pathing algorithms to see what feels the most engaging and scary.

As a part of my research, I looked into other game engines besides Unreal and Unity. Some of the game engines I found were Godot, CryEngine, and Amazon Lumberyard. However, I realized that Unreal and Unity were the best choices for our project since our team members already have experience and knowledge of these engines.

Unreal Engine offers Real-time rendering, which is a significant benefit for our project. With Real-time rendering, we can create photorealistic graphics and render high-quality images in real-time, allowing us to create an immersive experience for the player. Moreover, Unreal offers feature such as Blueprint visual scripting, which makes it easy to create complex gameplay mechanics without needing to write code.

Some of the benefits of Unreal are:

Real-time rendering: Unreal Engine offers real-time rendering, which means that game developers can immediately see the changes they make to the game environment and assets, making the game development process much faster and more efficient.

Powerful and flexible toolset: Unreal Engine provides a comprehensive set of tools that can be used to create high-quality games. The engine is highly customizable and can be modified to suit the needs of individual game developers.

Large community: Unreal Engine has a large community of developers who use the engine, so finding help and resources is relatively easy. There are many online tutorials, forums, and communities where developers can ask questions, get help, and share their work.

Cross-platform support: Unreal Engine supports multiple platforms, including PC, console, and mobile devices, making it a versatile engine that can be used to develop games for a wide range of devices.

High-quality visuals: Unreal Engine is known for its high-quality visuals, which can be achieved using the engine's advanced lighting and shading systems. This can help to create a more immersive game environment for players.

Unity is another game engine that we considered for our project, and it offers some excellent benefits too. Unity is known for being user-friendly and offers an extensive library of assets and plugins, making it easier to create a wide variety of game mechanics. Unity also has excellent cross-platform support, which means that we can develop our game for multiple platforms without much hassle.

Some of the benefits of Unity are:

Cross-platform development: Unity allows developers to create games for multiple platforms, including desktop, mobile, and consoles, with ease. This can save a lot of time and effort for developers who want to reach a wide audience.

Easy to learn: Unity uses C# as its scripting language, which is a popular language among developers. Additionally, Unity has a large and supportive community that offers many resources and tutorials for beginners.

Asset Store: Unity has a vast collection of assets in its Asset Store, including pre-made 3D models, animations, sound effects, and more. This can save a lot of time for developers who don't want to create everything from scratch.

Visual Scripting: Unity offers a visual scripting tool called Bolt, which allows developers to create game logic using a node-based system. This can be a great way for non-programmers to create game mechanics and functionality.

Performance: Unity is known for its excellent performance, which is crucial for games that require real-time rendering and physics simulations.

Going Forward with Unreal Engine 5.1.1

Unreal Engine is a robust and versatile game development system created by Epic Games. It provides developers with a comprehensive suite of tools, systems, and features to build high-quality games for a variety of platforms. Let's explore some key aspects of the Unreal system:

1. Game Engine Architecture:

Unreal Engine follows a modular architecture, consisting of several key systems that work together to create a cohesive game development environment. These systems include the rendering system, physics simulation, animation, audio, networking, and more. Each system is designed to be highly customizable and optimized for performance.

2. Blueprint Visual Scripting:

Unreal Engine incorporates a visual scripting system called Blueprints. It allows developers to create game logic and behavior using a node-based interface, making it accessible to those without extensive programming knowledge. Blueprints offer a powerful and intuitive way to prototype and implement gameplay mechanics, AI, UI, and more.

3. Content Creation and Management:

Unreal Engine provides a comprehensive content creation pipeline, enabling artists and designers to create and import assets such as 3D models, textures, animations, audio files, and particle effects. The engine supports a wide range of file formats and offers tools for organizing, managing, and optimizing assets within the editor.

4. Real-Time Rendering:

Unreal Engine is renowned for its advanced real-time rendering capabilities. It employs a physically based rendering (PBR) system that simulates light interactions and materials accurately. This results in visually stunning graphics, realistic lighting, dynamic shadows, and immersive environments. The engine supports features like global illumination, volumetric fog, post-processing effects, and high-fidelity materials.

5. Blueprint-C++ Integration:

Unreal Engine offers a seamless integration between Blueprint visual scripting and C++ programming. Developers can use Blueprints for rapid prototyping and high-level logic while leveraging the power of C++ for performance-critical tasks, custom systems, and deep engine modifications. This hybrid approach allows for flexibility and collaboration between programmers and designers.

6. Cross-Platform Development:

Unreal Engine provides extensive cross-platform support, allowing developers to create games for various platforms, including PC, consoles (such as PlayStation and Xbox), mobile devices (iOS and Android), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and more. It offers robust tools and workflows for targeting different platforms and optimizing performance.

7. Marketplace and Community:

The Unreal Engine ecosystem includes a vibrant community of developers, artists, and enthusiasts. The Unreal Marketplace offers a wide range of assets, plugins, and tools that can be used to enhance game development. Additionally, the Unreal Engine community actively shares knowledge, resources, and tutorials, making it a valuable resource for learning and problem-solving.

8. Powerful Tools and Editor:

Unreal Engine provides a feature-rich and user-friendly editor that streamlines the game development process. It includes visual scripting, animation tools, material editors, level design tools, a powerful debugging system, profiling tools, and much more. The engine's tools are designed to boost productivity and enable developers to iterate quickly on their projects.

Unreal Engine 5, introduced by Epic Games, is the latest version of their game development engine. It aims to revolutionize the industry with advancements in real-time rendering, content creation workflows, and artist-friendly tools. Here are some anticipated features that Unreal Engine 5 may offer:

1. Nanite: Unreal Engine 5 introduces Nanite, a virtualized micropolygon system. Nanite enables developers to create highly detailed and realistic environments by handling an immense number of polygons efficiently. It allows artists to import film-quality assets directly into the engine, eliminating the need for time-consuming optimization processes.

2. Lumen: Lumen is a fully dynamic global illumination solution in Unreal Engine 5. It provides real-time lighting and global illumination, enhancing visual fidelity by accurately simulating indirect lighting effects. With Lumen, developers can achieve dynamic lighting scenarios, responsive environments, and realistic lighting interactions.

3. Enhanced Animation System: Unreal Engine 5 may introduce an improved animation system with enhanced capabilities. This could include advancements in character animation, facial animation, retargeting, and animation blending, making it easier for developers to create lifelike and expressive characters.

4. Unreal Insights: Unreal Engine 5 might enhance the Unreal Insights system, which provides developers with performance profiling and optimization tools. This allows for efficient debugging and optimization of projects, helping developers achieve better performance and identify bottlenecks in their games.

5. Improved Workflow and Productivity: Unreal Engine 5 could introduce various enhancements to improve workflow and productivity for developers. This might include improvements to the Blueprint visual scripting system, editor usability, asset management, and collaboration tools.

6. Continued Platform Support: Unreal Engine 5 is expected to continue its support for multiple platforms, including PC, consoles, mobile devices, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR). Developers can leverage the engine's cross-platform capabilities to reach a wide audience.

Conclusion:

The Unreal system offers a comprehensive and versatile game development environment. With its modular architecture, powerful rendering capabilities, flexible scripting options, and extensive community support, Unreal Engine empowers developers to create stunning and immersive games across various platforms. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, Unreal Engine provides the tools and resources to bring your creative visions to life.