Unreal Game Development
Introduction
In this assignment you will individually design and develop components for a video game developed using the Unreal Engine 4 game engine. You will first need to complete the instructions for to create the base game covered in the Unreal development tasks in the practicals. The creation of this base game will take place during the first half of the trimester. You then need to design and develop chosen additional features as described below.
Base Game
If there is an issue creating your base game you can use this version (up to part 4), which is sufficient to complete your assignment. However, it is highly recommended that you create the base version of the game yourself using the available tutorials. This is because you need to gain an understating of how the game works in order to modify it. Also note, this version was created using the Unreal Engine 4.10, so there may be some minor conversion issues. If you're using this, please speak to your lecturer if there are any issues.
Tasks
For this assignment, you will need to choose 2 components from Components section below to add to your game, and complete all requirements for both components. You may choose to complete more than 2 components if you wish, at which point your marks will be awarded based on your best 2.
You are encouraged to be as creative as possible in your solutions, with higher marks awarded for interesting and innovative solutions that go beyond the features taught in practical tutorials. A great way to create interesting and creative implementations of the components is to think about how they can become more dynamic or reactive to other game objects and components in a way that will surprise the player or encourage more varied gameplay.
Your teacher will be happy to hear your ideas and provide guidance and feedback on your components. You are also encouraged to discuss your ideas and find solutions to development challenges with your peers. However, you should be the only one to have access to your individual game files and implement your solutions. Note that sharing game files with others or using someone else's work is regarded as plagiarism.
Submission
You must document the way in which your design meets the requirements of each feature. For each component, you must provide:
- Description of your design and implementation of the component.
- Reasoning for your choices and how your design fulfils the requirements in a creative or interesting way.
- Screenshots of the relevant blueprints used, together with an explanation of how they work. Additionally, you must also include in the submission:
- A short (<2 minute) screen-capture video demonstrating the components functioning. o Choice of screencapture recording software is up to you. We will provide some suggestions in class. o The video should be solely focused on demonstrating your new components. While you may wish to add voice-over, labels or timestamped caption remember this is not a promotional trailer and should only require minimal editing.
- An archive (zip file) of your project containing all files required to run your game in Unreal Engine 4. o Ensure you test this prior to submission to avoid any missing files.
Components
Choose 2 (or more) components, and fulfil all listed requirements listed for each those components.
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COMPONENT
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REQUIREMENTS
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NEW ENEMY
Add a new enemy to the game.
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1.
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Enemy must move in an interesting way different than the existing enemy.
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2.
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Enemy must react to being attacked by the player.
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SPECIAL WEAPON
Add a second weapon for the player.
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1. Special weapon must be able to attack and damage or destroy enemies in a unique way different from the standard weapon.
2. Special weapon must use limited or recharging ammo, preventing continuous use.
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POWER-UP Add a
collectible power-up.
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1.
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Power-up must be able to be collected by the player for use at a later time or in certain states.
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2.
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Power-up must enhance player abilities in an interesting way that adds variety to gameplay.
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ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD
Add an environmental hazard as an additional challenge.
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1. Environmental hazard must hinder the player in some way, encouraging the player to avoid it.
2. The environmental hazard must appear or start and disappear or end so it is not present for the entirety of play.
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ENEMY WAVES
Add a structured spawning system for enemies.
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1.
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Enemies must spawn in a wave-based system that waits until all enemies of a wave are destroyed before commencing the new wave.
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2.
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Enemy spawn points and behaviour must be varied and unique between waves.
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VICTORY CONDITION
Add a victory condition state for the player to win the game.
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1. The game must end when the player achieves a certain challenging game state (try and think creatively).
2. The player must have real-time feedback during player that provides an indication of how close they are to successfully achieving the victory condition.
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DYNAMIC DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT
Add a system to regulate challenge in the game.
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1.
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The game must evaluate player performance in real-time and judge whether the challenge is too easy, difficult or just right for the player.
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2.
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The game must adjust the sources of challenge in response to this evaluation to better balance challenge to player skill.
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