Artifact Four - Rise of the Cryptids

Rise of the Cryptids is a combination of three of my greatest passions: creating video games, mythology, and fighting games like NetherRealm's' Mortal Kombat and Capcom's Street Fighter. It is a 1-on-1 fighting game featuring characters from mythologies, folklores, and legends will rage intense epic battles. This game has been a dream of mine since starting my journey in video game programming and development. It finally saw it first steps of becoming a reality during my GAM 465: Digital Multimedia Development class. 

Despite starting out as only a proof-of-concept plan during that class it quickly turned into the game video you see above. I am very proud of what this dream-game has become and look forward to evolving further. I plan to one day releasing Rise of the Cryptids on Stream and possibly the PlayStation 5. 

Coding Rise of the Cryptids or RotC, has been a unique and challenging journey so far. I have had no experience coding fighting games or multiplayer games as most project a SNHU were shooter game. One of the biggest challenges was learning how to get two fully playable characters on the same screen and keyboard. Huge thank you to Unreal Engine Tutorial's Fireboy and Watergirl video. While the games are totally different the ideas used in the tutorial was a life saver 

The above code shows how a single player controller was used to create two players at the start of a single player game. By creating a second player controller to possess the second player, the game when from single player to a local multiplayer game with one keyboard. I also have the player controller create the HUD screen as both playable characters were already referenced during the possession process.

While using possession process allowed for two players with just one keyboard. Each character had to have their own code to do actions like jumping, moving, and attacking. The proof of concept created in GAM465 stated RotC was going use a simple 6 button layout. After looking at the keyboard and tried to find a 6-button layout that would work for two players on a single keyboard, I realized the keyboard was in a way already set up for it as the letters and numpad was already separated. So, the letter keys became player one and the arrows and numpad became player 2.   

This is the first official reveal of the stage Hall of Valhalla. I got the inspiration for this stage from the 1995 movie Mortal Kombat's Dinning Hall screen as well the Yu-Gi-Oh! card: Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. The stage was created using blueprints for the fires, the Epic Marketplace's free assets, and two spotlights. Movement is resisted to just the right and left directions. The stage camera is centered to Odin's Throne.

I would like to reveal the first two characters in Rise of the Cryptids roster: Medusa and the Yeti. Rught now they are Daz3D characters olny, but I plan on work getting them game ready during my Game Art and Design degree