Ondaadad - Unreal Engine 5
Project Summary
Worked as a game development intern for Research & Innovation at Lambton College on a game project. In association with the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, developed an educational, historically informed exploration and learning game. The player aids their father, Young Gull (a historical figure), as he prepares for a journey by gathering equipment and materials from band members and the local area. Players engage with and learn about local flora, fauna, natural resources, the ancestors of the Aamjiwnaang people, how they live, and the stories they passed along.
Working on the project involved studying Aamjiwnaang historical literature, collaborating with other First Nation team members, and frequent check-ins with the Aamjiwnaang leadership.
Directly responsible for historical/cultural research and engineering systems within Unreal Engine 5. Contributed to the GDD, TDD, and system documentation.
- Role: Game Dev Intern
- Skills: Unreal Engine 5, MetaHuman, C++, Blueprints
Dialogue & Conversation System
A key system I worked on was the dialogue and conversation system. I developed the backend logic in Unreal Engine blueprints and scoped a fully-featured demo conversation for the team writer to reference. The system was fully documented to support modification and expansion by other team members.
I also developed the game data system, which included the conversation data. This was open to other team members on a shared Google Drive file. I developed an AppScript system that checked the data for invalid keys, broken references, and missing data.
The dialogue system supported:
- Branching conversation paths
- Conversation options that are gated by requirements (items, completed quests, etc)
- Rewards (items, completed quests, etc)
- Cinematic/conversation camera control
I also developed the frontend and UI using Unreal Engine 5's widgets, maintaining an overall project design language and theme.
Player Character
Using Epic's MetaHuman creator, I designed and implemented the player character. To allow any player to view themself as the main character, I designed an adrogynous character. Additionally, I collaborated with other team members and referenced Aamjiwnaang photographic data to make the character visually accurate.
I imported the MetaHuman character and added 3rd person control.
Pedia/Journal System
A second key system I worked on was the pedia system. This system unlocks text entries about characters, locations, items, etc as the player progresses. I developed the backend logic in Unreal Engine blueprints and scoped a fully-featured demo conversation for the team writer to reference. The system was fully documented to support modification and expansion by other team members.
This system was integrated into the game data system. This was open to other team members on a shared Google Drive file and leveraged my AppScript verification system.
The pedia system supported:
- Entry categories
- Embedded links to related entries
- Associated image
I also developed the frontend and UI using Unreal Engine 5's widgets, maintaining an overall project design language and theme.
Quest System
The third key system I worked on was the quest system. This system tracks tasks that involve speaking to characters, finding items, or visiting locations. I developed the backend logic in Unreal Engine blueprints and scoped a fully-featured demo conversation for the team writer to reference. The system was fully documented to support modification and expansion by other team members.
This system was integrated into the game data system. This was open to other team members on a shared Google Drive file and leveraged my AppScript verification system.
The quest system supported:
- Completion trigger(s) (items, locations, conversations, etc)
- Reward(s) on quest completion (items, pedia entries, etc)
- Links to useful/related pedia entries
I also developed the frontend and UI using Unreal Engine 5's widgets, maintaining an overall project design language and theme.
Rewards and Pop-Ups
To complement my work on the dialogue, pedia, and quest system, I developed peripheral systems like unlock popups. I developed the backend logic in blueprints and integrated it with the other systems. I also developed the frontend and UI using Unreal Engine 5's widgets, maintaining an overall project design language and theme.