Global Games Jam

This year again, I entered the Global Games Jam to try to challenge myself. not only blueprinting wise but with team management. every game jam I have don't for or at UCLAN, I have been a team leader. I do enjoy it and I help better my skills.

this time, we made something awesome. packaged and in on time!! takes a few years practice haha

Here is a Direct link to the Game on the Global Games Jam website :

https://globalgamejam.org/2019/games/homester

Here is quick gameplay of our finished game: https://youtu.be/YRDmQVMN0bc

I am still trying to get my VR shooter game to allow all of my players to server travel into the next Map. I don't think it will be too hard, many naff steam games have multiplayer working.

Drone Flying Game

last year, another student created a drone racing game for PC, I wanted to see how it would work on Mobile and how difficult it would be for me to create.

This is a quick development that I did over 2 days. -   https://youtu.be/98XT3m-vPfA

when I launched to mobile, the AI stopped working so that is something I would need to look at.

I created this for a bit of fun.

Week 13 - Finishing of my Research into Replication

What I have been doing the Past week is looking into getting Servers and Clients to talk through the use of blueprints, I have set up a Player versus Player Tower Defence Game Mode that the user is able to Host, Find and Join sessions within a Local Wifi game.

Achievements over this week -

Building Towers for player 1 and they can be seen in player 2's game.
https://youtu.be/4Z4xvvspYLs

Building towers in Client to be seen by the Server :
https://youtu.be/U6ws0IH8NIo


Sending Units from Each player
Stage 1  - https://youtu.be/DmpvIJyEV4E
Stage 2 - https://youtu.be/XDkALR9Kh-g


Joining a Local Game through Wifi on PC

Optimized the blueprints for easy access to adding countless types of towers with different effects, damage, and ranges.
Upgrading individual towers, Structure data for Units, Towers and Projectiles.


Here is a Link to me showing the controls on my Mobile: https://youtu.be/uivsYfhpXVA


Here is a link to playing 2 players on PC: https://youtu.be/ArTukAktEOs



I want to look into joining games from mobile to mobile this next week

Week 14 - VR Shooter Design

From what I have seen over the last few weeks on the Steam market, many indie studios are masking a mark on the Marketplace with VR shooter games. I wanted to look into creating my own.


Made an AK47 reload mechanic for Virtual Reality: https://youtu.be/GpqOT8RCz6U

Here's another link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUtBIMn9Hac

also got full body meshes with moveable hands working in VR  : https://youtu.be/LmHCfvbW5bU



I have some AI Spawners and pathfinding AI.

managed to get a basic zombie shooter game running

I wanted to look with this multiplayer project to include the use of Advanced Sessions and SteamWorks Plugins to allow easier access to connecting my games through steam. I am still in the course of implementing these plugins.

Joining Lobby through Steam Servers : https://youtu.be/FWS6kk8YgYA

I have now tested through these plugins to get 3 players into my game world Lobby,  with their steam names and players with replicated movement, Health, and shooting. we are able to join the game map but all players are frozen at world 0,0,0 without a Player controller. this is great progress and the players can atlest get inside the correct game

VR Twisty Grenades :  https://youtu.be/KWqw5G9BvgE

Week 12 - Christmas - PVP tower Defence Game

What I have been doing?:

I decided to not take a Break over Christmas for developing my ideas, instead, I have started to create a Player Vs Player Tower defense Game to better understand multiplayer replication and Server/Client relationships.

What I am hoping to achieve is to get 2 phones connecting through local wifi into the same game world.

The theory and practice of replication within UE4 are the same regardless of creating 2 Virtual reality games or 2 mobile phone games. I just have easier access to 2 mobile phones than 2 Vive headsets and 2 PC's over Christmas.

The Development of the Game was a enjoy over time, once I managed to set the grid in place with hex tiles without getting any out of line (I did originally consider making a grid creator but I wanted to leave that till after I had a game going) i wanted to create the path that the Units each player would send would actually travel down. I created 1 spawn grid tile and 1 end grid tile. I then set up a line trace to create a spline that would go from one to the other, I was able to create the Units from a Button Click on the HUD and move along the spline using a navigation volume, but the spline wasn't able to be moved by blocking towers. i had to create a system that makes a line down from the spline checks for the closest grid square, makes an actor, then makes another spline along the actors to give a great navigation pathing, just took a few days to figure out.

i want each of the players to be able to send units and Build towers that can be seen from the Other player next and i will spend the next few days getting that going, here are some links to me progressing with the spline that makes a spline.


Stage 1 : https://youtu.be/Uo5_6hPZB7c
Stage 2 : https://youtu.be/I_J1DaFAOcQ
Stage 3 : https://youtu.be/mH_pnosfcbY
Stage 4 : https://youtu.be/zxR7re8Xu8Y

Learning about 2 player Replication : https://youtu.be/FZXr3QeYVZk

Week 8-11 Written Assignment

What I have been doing?:

Over the past 3 weeks, I have been trying to gather the motivation to write my assignment on understanding the future of VR games...

The paper was on the future of Virtual reality and development for players but really, the main focus is where is the money coming from and what are the small market of current consumers going to want that I can make before the Virtual market really starts to kick off. Angry birds is not the best game on mobile. it was just one of the first.

I learned from Media, Indie development teams, business insiders and of the new surge of investment for "virtual Arcades or experiences" across the globe. I do feel my MA focus is the correct direction.

the paper now completed and handed in, I feel I have spent as much time writing as I have designing games over the last 2 months and with no other written assignments before, during the degree, it took longer than expected to write.

I do now look forward to getting back into Unreal and starting a new project.

I really want to start looking at how to get a project running through Local Wifi connection then get stuck into the Problems.

Creating Mars Rover showed me Virtual Reality is all about playing with people, regardless of how difficult it is to get 2 vives in the same place at the same time.


What will I be Doing Next? :

Taking a week or 2 breaks from work and trying to get some development time for new ideas and get round to recording my videos from MarsRover