Game Development and Storytelling Journey

We embarked on a journey to create an immersive game world with dynamic and configurable elements:

Configurable Enemy Framework:

Developed a system for configuring enemy attributes.Included models, animations, attack behaviors, chase abilities, and health parameters.Enabled the introduction of new enemies and abilities with ease.

Level Design:

Added the chase ability to enemies.Incorporated assets from the Epic Marketplace for testing.Started building the first level based on the Game Design Document (GDD).

Interactive Gameplay:

Implemented animated objects with proximity triggers.Gates now open when the player approaches.Introduced a basic player inventory system for item collection.Configured gates to require specific items from the player's inventory.

Mobile Deployment:

Progressed towards deploying the game on iOS.Integrated one-touch controls for mobile devices.Addressed shader, texture, and camera adjustments for mobile optimization.

Skeletal Tracking:

Implemented skeletal tracking using Unreal Engine demo code.Adapted it for head tracking, enabling perspective-correct gameplay.Faced challenges related to video memory usage.

Web Interface and Story Development:

Initiated the prototype with an interface to share work.Addressed bugs and issues with the web client.Improved the user experience and text justification.Developed a system to reconstruct the full story from a given hash and enable sharing via URLs.

Generalization of Systems:

Expanded the system with a second story.Enhanced goals by incorporating facts into scene prompts.Introduced mutators for goal completion and dynamic changes in the story.Supported multiple goals at the same Point of Interest (POI).

Story Progression and Tooling:

Developed mutator support to modify story elements upon goal completion.Implemented dynamic descriptions for characters, locations, and items.Worked on validation tools and system version display.Addressed bugs related to mutators and POIs.

Unreal Integration:

Integrated the StoryEngine with Unreal Engine.Implemented text pop-ups over Unreal scenes.Enabled dialogue triggers via code.Tracked state and player interactions between Unreal and StoryEngine.Incorporated POIs and character actions into the storytelling process.

In-Editor Authoring:

Introduced support for in-editor authoring of POI, character, item, and goal details.Enabled the export of story JSON from Unreal to StoryEngine.

Throughout this journey, we've encountered challenges and made continuous improvements to create a seamless and engaging game world.