Artifacts of Tir Na Nog: An Odyssey Through the Canvas of Imagination — Embark on a journey where the frontier between myth and technology blurs into a tapestry of adventure. 'Artifacts of Tir Na Nog' is a VR odyssey that propels players into the heart of human creativity, a place where the collective unconscious weaves every narrative thread of our ancestral myths into existence. Here, the birthplace of stories, Tir Na Nog, faces an existential wane. As a vanguard, you are bestowed with the arcane power to navigate these fragmenting realms, tasked to reclaim artifacts that are the crystallized dreams of humanity.
Game documents available: here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w87ecmJBDpI6czGtqAMZX5lc4AWaUrdP?usp=drive_link
Your journey into the mystical realm begins within the 'dungeon elevator' — a mystical nexus woven into the fabric of Tir Na Nog. More than a mere mode of transport, this elevator stands as a portal to countless realities, its operations intimately tied to the five crystals that adorn its structure. Grasping a crystal, you command the doors to dance to your will, opening to new worlds or sealing your sanctum. Adjusting the target floor is a mere flick away, with crystals dedicated to nudging the destination upward or downward. And with a firm touch on the final crystal, you set your course through the cosmos, serenaded by the hum of elevator music, your path illuminated by the visual symphony of magical space outside.
Venture into the mystical landscapes of 'Artifacts of Tir Na Nog,' where each level is a testament to the grandeur of imagination. Begin your journey at the Wizard's Tower, a celestial edifice rising from the ruins of knowledge, where the ancient stones whisper secrets of the arcane. The Tower, depicted in the first set of images, is a place of study and strength, its weathered battlements crowned with a sky that mirrors the infinite possibilities of magic.
Adjacent to the Tower lies the Practice Arena, an amphitheater of valor where fledgling wizards refine their craft. As shown in the next two images, this grand coliseum buzzes with the echoes of duels past, its every nook a narrative of triumph and trial. Here, champions are not born—they are forged in the crucible of relentless practice and unwavering determination.
Plunge into the depths of the Anime Dungeon level, where darkness reigns supreme. This labyrinthine abyss is a realm that demands the mastery of light through spells to unveil its secrets, as captured in the subsequent images. The darkness is punctuated by crystals that respond to the arcane, with the heart of illumination—the core object—waiting to be discovered to unleash a cascade of brilliance across the obsidian shadows. Activating this artifact bathes the enigmatic corridors in ethereal light, revealing hidden dangers and puzzles intertwined with the fabric of the level.
Enemies roam like phantoms in the gloom, and secrets cling to the darkness, accessible only to those brave enough to illuminate their path and solve the intricate enigmas that protect the sacred artifact of this domain. Here, strategy and timing are your allies, as the lights' fleeting nature adds a pulse of urgency to your quest.
The Engineered Wonders of the Hall of Artifacts
Within the hallowed Hall of Artifacts, the foundational pillars of 'Artifacts of Tir Na Nog' stand on display, marrying arcane magic with the precision of programming. This exhibit showcases the intricate blueprints and enigmatic objects that drive the core gameplay, each imbued with interactive magic brought to life through meticulous code craftsmanship.
Character Load Outs and UI: Here, you'll find the Character Load Out System, an intuitive interface allowing players to swap abilities and traits effortlessly. Ingeniously crafted to provide seamless transitions between different playstyles, this system uses a clever combination of UI elements and in-game objects to represent changes in character stats and skills, enabling players to curate their magical and combative identity in real time.
Spell Casting: This wizard's battle staff is a marvel of game design, translating player motions into a potent language of elemental magic. With an underlying algorithmic structure, it responds to the precision and intent behind each magical strike, allowing players to load elemental spells through gestures of striking up, down, left, or right. This dynamic system compensates for the ranged nature of spells, seamlessly blending melee combat with spell casting for a deeply immersive experience.
Guild Card: Discover the Guild Card, a crystalline record of each player's achievements and affiliations. Programmed to dynamically update, this card serves as a living testament to your journey, using an advanced data tracking system to reflect your progress and prestige within the arcane community.
Life Shards: Gaze upon the Life Shards, crystalized essences of defeated foes. Not mere collectibles, these shards are engineered with a multifaceted system that records the essence of the objects and creatures they came from. A record of their life and value that can be used for currency, crafting and as the mechanism for player experience gains.
Self-Customizing Spellbook: The Self-Customizing Spellbook stands as a beacon of personal magic. Through an adaptive algorithm, the book updates its contents to match the player's learning curve and spell mastery, providing a tailored experience that grows with the player. It exemplifies the game's commitment to creating a personalized magical journey for every player. Observe the Spell Casting Pedestal, where a cascade of holographic gestures unlocks the vast lexicon of spells showing only what the player is capable of casting.
Shrinking Rucksack: Lastly, the Shrinking Rucksack exhibits the pinnacle of inventory management. Objects placed within are scaled down through a sophisticated spatial algorithm, allowing for an expansive inventory that defies space without burdening the player. This rucksack ensures that the adventurers can carry a trove of items, with the objects rendered only when needed to ensure optimal performance and immersion.
These artifacts of ingenuity form the heartbeat of 'Artifacts of Tir Na Nog,' each element a fusion of magic and technology brought to life through the power of Unreal Engine's Blueprints. Together, they create a gameplay experience that is as intuitive as it is enchanting, beckoning players to delve deeper into the mysteries of Tir Na Nog.
Part of the major design theory behind AOT is the concept of immersion and doing away with conventional HUDs. In a virtual environment, having a bunch of icons and meters floating in space detracts from the realism. The same can be said for text and health bars floating above npcs and enemies. Having all of those things constantly displaying and updating can also be a huge drain on performance which is a major concern in designing for VR. To combat this and add a bit of magical flare if you want to know what an enemy or objects health is you need to cast a spell that will attach this health meter to them. As the actor loses health the orb will change color and lose brightness. This spell will also eventually give a clue as to the level difference between the caster and the recipient of the spell.
Reflection:
The journey for this game has gone through many iterations since the first failed prototype I made during christmas break 2022. While I applaud my work a crucial acknowledgment is due: the distinction between the elements birthed from my own ingenuity and those adopted from the bountiful resources available to a developer. The assemblage of this VR odyssey was much like orchestrating a symphony, where each note, while not individually composed by the conductor, is vital to the harmonious performance.
The static and skeletal meshes that breathe life into the environments, the materials that give lustre to the world—these components were not of my own creation but rather carefully curated from the wellsprings of free and paid assets. They are the instruments in this symphony, each contributing to the melody, but not the melody itself.
My craft lies in the alchemy of integration, the weaving of these disparate elements into cohesive objects that pulse with thematic consistency. The spellbook pedestal, the ever-shrinking rucksack, the mystical elevator—these are the innovations born of my design, each a testament to my ability to mold existing components into something new and wondrous. Through them, I have realized a vision of a world where technology and fantasy are interlaced, creating objects that are as functional as they are enchanting.
While I have harnessed plugins to breathe life into the gameplay tag system, animate the full-body IK character, and empower the gesture recognition, the essence of "Artifacts of Tir Na Nog"—the code that makes it more than a collection of assets—is mine. This code is the melody of the symphony, the creative force that transforms static assets into dynamic actors within the game's universe.
Every line of code penned, every blueprint devised, every puzzle's logic, and the arc of every spell cast—their genesis is my own. The scripts are the lifeblood of the game, scripting not just the actions within it but the experiences it evokes. They represent my voice within the game, a voice that has grown in confidence and capability through the Game Programming and Development program.
Reflecting upon this journey, it is clear that my role has been both that of a curator and a creator. My task was to blend the tangible with the imagined, the given with the new. In doing so, I have not only shaped a world but also sharpened my craft, proving that the art of game development is as much about selection and synthesis as it is about creation.
"Artifacts of Tir Na Nog" is thus a tapestry of my learning—a fusion of acquired assets and original code, woven into a cohesive whole. It is a world that invites players to experience the fruits of my labor, to delve into a realm where every element, no matter its origin, is touched by my design ethos.
