Skip to main content

CAGD 370 Blog Post 1

 In CAGD 370, my new group and I have just started working on a new project currently titled Thunder Vault! It’s a 3D Platformer where the player has to rely on their pole vaulting skills and momentum-based physics to clear levels as quickly as possible! Andrew Kostlan is the Lead Designer, Anish Neupane is the Producer, and I am the Programmer of this project. In our first 2 week sprint, We’ve set up our backlog, developed and tested our paper prototype, and created our Unreal Project File and set up Github Version Control from within the project!



As the Programmer, I was the one to set up the Unreal Project this week. I chose Unreal Engine version 5.5.3 since it’s the latest release, so that we’ll have access to all the latest features during development.



The next thing I did was set up Git Version Control within Unreal. I recently purchased a new computer, and didn’t move over anything from my old machine so that I could have a fresh, uncluttered start. A consequence of this though, was that I had no Git software installed on my computer. So I started by first creating our github repository in the web browser, adding the UnrealEngine .gitignore file. Next, I downloaded Github Desktop to clone the repository on my computer. With the repository on my machine. I then tried to link Unreal to Git by giving it the path to my Github Desktop .exe, but that wasn’t working. That’s when I remembered that I had to install Git itself onto my computer. So after doing that, and giving Unreal the correct path to my git.exe, my version control was up and running!




I was hoping to have gotten started on the player character’s movement mechanics this week, but sadly prior time commitments as well as a monstrous couple weeks of homework prevented me from doing so. However, with the Project now set up and available for my group mates and me to work on, I’ll easily be able to start adding in the fun stuff next sprint! And hopefully I’ll have a more interesting blog post next time because of it. I’ve spoken with the lead designer about his vision for the player’s movement, and I’m very excited to start implementing our ideas!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

3D Level 1 V2 Changes and Feedback

  My level underwent some drastic changes between v1 and v2, I ended up scrapping my v1 and starting over as I believed it didn’t provide a good foundation for me to build upon, but that some of the encounters I made could be reused. Overall I think my changes made a significant positive impact on my level. For starters, I separated individual mechanics into their own sections where they could be introduced and interacted with at a steady pace, so as to not overwhelm the player. This structure was fun to work with because it was very modular and I could easily design short but fun challenges for the player to overcome with breaks and checkpoints in the middle. This also made the critical path of the level extremely easy to follow, as the Player was always looking for the exit door in every room. Some mechanics I thought were implemented well were textboxes, Chompers, Switches, and Doors. I implemented some text boxes that helped the player know what to expect, as well as provid...

Treats and Trials: Postmortem!

  Game Info Group Number 2 In Treats and Trials, Players build their own haunted houses out of trap and candy cards. Then, the exploration phase begins and players explore each other’s haunted houses by turning over cards! Candy cards give you candy pieces, but trap cards raise your fear level and can force you to leave without collecting all the candy! The Player with the most candy after three rounds is the winner! Target Audience: Director, Explorer, Competitor, Achiever The Pitch This time around, we were pitching our own original game ideas to the class! This assignment was due on halloween night, and since halloween was fresh in my mind I was thinking about halloween games that I could create. I recalled how when I was very young, my grandparents liked to set up a haunted house in their front yard for trick or treaters to explore. (It terrified me when I was 3!) With this on my mind, I thought of how I could bring the experience of exploring a haunted maze to a card game, o...

Mega Man Levels 1 and 2

Adding Keys Adding keys and doors had a great effect on my level in the transition from V1 to V2! Since my level was already laid out along a linear path, I had to make a detour that branched off from the midsection of my level in which the player acquired a key to reach the ending. I added a lava cave beneath my jungle that I themed around a mining site, with Drill enemies and lots of breakable blocks. It ended up being probably my favorite section of the whole level!! Adding Weapons Adding Weapons was really fun, because the new movement abilities allowed me to design new platforming challenges! The Weapons I chose for my 2nd level were Oil Slider and Charge Kick! I really liked the Charge Kick because the double jump both tested the player's timing and spacing skills as well as allowed me to design new kinds of platforming challenges! I chose the O Slider because I thought the surfing was so cool and that a surfing section would be super fun!! In the actual design of the level...