PROTOTYPING PHASE

Programming

After our brainstorm sessions and some feedback from our leads, we started working out the basic gameplay mechanics of the game. Our programmers decided to start by creating the movement and shooting mechanics first, as they are the most important things the players will be doing. This would be the first prototype that was actually playable.

Core mechanics

The core mechanics prototyped for the game are the movement and shooting from the players. This was to determine and see if the movement felt good enough or feels like what the game should be and see how it is combined with the shooting and pushing of other  players and objects. 

Movements

First we tried making the movement system with a physics object. The main problem was when the object was moved over 2 intersecting planes it would make a random jump due to unknown reasons. The feel in friction difference however works like a charm. Then we made a movement system with a character. Its easy to build onto, work with rigid bodies and a whole bunch of other stuff thats already premade by unreal engine. The only thing we didnt get to work yet with the character is the friction.

Shooting

The main problem found while prototyping shooting was determining how to do an area of effect when blasting the gun instead of just a straight line. Because of implemented unreal functions, you can do a Raycast that takes in either a capsule, line or box as a shape, allowing us to make a shooting mechanic that fits into what are envisioning.

Plans for Next Week

- Improve movement and test out with 4 players, check for any bugs.

- Balance shooting, how much force is needed to push off.

- Create a deck object that holds various planks which are destroyed over time.

- Implement power ups.

- Include barrels

Art

Meanwhile, the art team was busy searching for a general look and feel for the game. We created the beginnings of our art bible document, searching for inspirations and images that would fit our style. We also created some early concept art for the characters and environment/arena. 

Screen layout

A prototype laying out the screen space was also created during this week (see attached images). We decided to go for a somewhat top down camera angle. This will make sure the players can see all the tiles, and the other players at all times.

Technical 

Our shader and RFX artists also put some thought into how they would tackle different effects in the game like fire, smoke, impacts and water, and figuring out the technical part of how we would create these effects as efficiently as possible.

We also researched the texturing process. We decided to address the textures using a gradient based technique, which will limit the time the artist have to spend on unwrapping and texturing.

Plans for following week

-Iterate on mechanics

-add more mechanics

-finish tech doc and art bible

-create ship model and some props