ARTIFACT #2: Survival
DESCRIPTION: Survival is a single-player, thriller FPS in which the player traverses a sparsely lit office space. I designed it for those who desire quick thrills and fast gameplay. The objective is to survive the enemy horde for as long as possible. The environment is intentionally confined to ensure that the player encounters enemies quickly and often.
The game is set in a generic office space like the lobby of a commercial building. There is a single open area the player can use to dodge enemies. Otherwise, the area is small.
TOOL(S): Unreal Engine 4, C++
HIGHLIGHTED SKILL(S): Game Engine Mastery, Graphic Interface Design, AI, Physics, Complex Logic Problem Solving
Gameplay:
Play Area:
Instant Kill: The player has the ability to destroy a single enemy immediately via the 'R' key. The ability uses Raycast to project a line down the middle of the player's line of sight. If the Raycast collides with an enemy, it is immediately destroyed.
Enemy Patrol: Enemies spawn at random points within the play area and patrol every few seconds. The AI selects a random waypoint and moves towards it. Upon reaching the waypoint, it waits 4 seconds choose another to move to.
If the enemy sights the player, they will instead chase the player. While patrolling, the enemy walks to each waypoint, but the enemy will run after sighting the player. The animation changes accordingly via a Blend Space 1D.
Enemy Spawner Code:
Enemy Patrol Code:
REFLECTION: I went into this artifact more prepared than the previous, but the process was more or less the same. I first constructed a sandbox play area to implement and test changes. I then began to develop the player's basic capabilities. This task was simple. I relied on the elements already present as starter content. I refactored and added some code to suit the vision. Once I had a solid player character to work with, I began constructing a basic enemy mob. It was an iterative process from there since both source files were interdependent. Lastly, I designed simple HUD and UI elements to navigate the game and its menus.
The original artifact was solid in most places, so polishing was simple. I focused on making gameplay more engaging and improving the quality of play. The two main aspects I targeted were the enemy spawn and AI sense. The original artifact was dull since enemies spawned in the center and did not move for several seconds. The player could rush to the spawn location and fire endlessly to defeat enemies as they spawned. The artifact was not engaging nor challenging. I implemented a random spawn feature to keep players on their toes. The player has to keep their head on a swivel lest the enemy creeps up unknowingly. I modified the AI's sensory capabilities because it inconsistently sighted the player. At times, it would patrol past the player, and others would sight the player from too great a distance. I balanced this aspect by reducing the visual depth and increasing the breadth. The player can hide just outside the enemy's vision. However, up close the enemy will consistently sight the player.
The challenges I faced were getting values just right and time. I intended to base the values on the real world, but I quickly realized it did not make sense in the game world. It took some trial and error, but I found values that made the project feel cohesive. As with any project, working with deadlines can be a struggle. I was working on initial enhancements for another project, and it ran longer than I expected. That project impacted polishing and uploading this artifact.
