Started work on the fifth and second to the last stage for the game. Current level title is Grave Garden. It probably won’t change from that. I am a sucker for alliteration. Started off by creating the data file for it and then creating a new level copied from the base level.
I used the landscape tool to create the ground. After that I started adding scenery and lighting to see what kind of blocking and aesthetic I wanted for the level. A free asset I got had a giant volcano, so I thought why not. It has clearly low poly, but the fog veils most of it. I added a bright light temporarily while I still sculpt and add more to the stage.
There was a great procedural wall asset free from the marketplace last month that I started using here. It helps save a lot of time with adding any boundaries. Before I actually start building I laid out the objects and themes of each section of the level. As always I try to keep the stages very distinct from one another. This one is going to have the most to explore. Whenever I create a new level I have a lot more knowledge to work with then the previous levels. Which is why I tend to go back to improve a lot of what I made. I’m limiting myself to six stages because when I’m done with the final one I can go over it all again and again until I am satisfied with them.
Once I figured out what I wanted around the stage I started working on the core puzzle. I recall early on when I first started Unreal, I had no idea how to implement picking up objects. It seems to simple now, maybe I can even do it more often throughout the game. I created child classes from my main interactable objects to make things more efficient for me. I probably didn’t need to make another child from that child, but it felt right to me to sort it this way. I have lots of great ideas for this and it’s going to be a lot of fun to work with. There’s gonna be a lot more to think about compared to previous puzzles. At least that’s what I hope for.
Since I was testing a lot of interactive elements I realized how annoying it can get for text to cover the center of the screen. I moved the “descriptions” lower. Now it doesn’t block the view of the character.
I also have been putting off creating a new power from the fourth stage because I hadn’t figured it out. I have thought about it for weeks but I just landed on one today. Maybe it’s not the best idea to spoil what it is on the blog. But know that I am working on it, and it is another passive ability. I don’t think I’ll be adding more lantern modes. It’s more simple that way.
GoldenGratus Games 