GAM-495
Artifact 1:
Sword Animation: This artifact showcases a project where I was tasked with creating a 3D object and animating it. This artifact demonstrates 3D design skills, basic motion design, ability to create high and low poly demo items for games, and basic animation ability.
Reflection: The process of creating this was to first create a very basic outline of the sword, then to make a more complex version with more polys to get a smoother, more detailed, and more realistic design. One challenge I faced was relearning the process for animating in 3Ds Max since it has been awhile since I had last used it. I learned how to use different shapes to my advantage when creating this and the value of keeping things as simple as possible because of the amount of detail and time.
Artifact 2:
Treasure Hunt Game: This artifact showcases a simple treasure hunting game were the player must find buried treasure by digging around the level. This artifact demonstrates player-object interaction (picking up the treasure), effective use of spawners and procedural generated terrain, and utilizes HUD timers with game end parameters.
Reflection: For this artifact I started by creating the procedural terrain that would be required for the digging functionality. Then I worked on creating spawners for the treasure items and implementing them into the terrain so they would be random each time. One challenge that I faced during this was an issue that made it so that player could not dig into the terrain which was caused by a value on the digging mechanic in Blueprints being incorrect. I was able to improve the digging mechanic and add obstacles to the environment to slow players down.
Artifact 3:
Tag Game: This artifact showcases a simple tag game were the player must avoid roaming AI which were created through C++. This artifact demonstrates AI programing, effective use of C++ to create and program actors, and basic HUD elements, and AI pathing programing.
Reflection: For this artifact I started by creating the AI controller in C++ which would handle the AI's pathing and functionality. Then I created the character actor for the AI and created a HUD element. One of the challenges that I faced was the issue of the HUD element not updating and the AI not applying the appropriate damage to the player. I was able to improve both the pathing of the AI and the environment.
Artifact 4:
Graphic API and Plugin Showcase: This artifact showcases various applications of different API's and plugins in a showcase format. Specifically it showcases my use of runtime APIs to create a toon shader effect, a paint splatter effect when projectiles hit objects and fogs effects that can be tied to materials.
Reflection: For this artifact I started by creating the fog effect but had trouble implementing it correctly. Next I created the toon shader using a plugin and the created the paint splatter effect using a combination of C++ coding and photoshop to create that splatter design. One problem I ran into was properly showcasing the fog effect with the toon shader active. The mix of colors made it hard to see the fog. I fixed this by changing the fog materials and the toon shaders colors and adding colors to the outlines of objects so that they would stand out more.
