Our team embarked on our first ambitious university project called Codename Steel. We wanted to create a first-person shooter game with unique abilities to give players an edge in combat. It was our first attempt at creating a game in the Unreal Engine, which presented challenges but also allowed us to learn and experiment with its features. Despite the steep learning curve, we created a fun and engaging game and developed skills in game and level design, asset creation, collaboration, communication and project management. "Codename Steel was a transformative experience that provided valuable knowledge for our future endeavours.
This project was my first encounter with the Unreal Engine and its Blueprint scripting language. As the main developer responsible for the project's AI behaviour, it was a huge challenge, especially since I had no prior knowledge of how AIs work in video games, such as behaviour trees, AI controllers, pathfinding, and more.
To overcome this challenge, I used the pre-production phase as efficiently as possible to learn the basics of blueprints and AIs within Unreal. The goal of the project was to create an AI that could dynamically find cover without having to manually place additional cover actors within the level. The AI also needed to be able to shoot from cover and react when flanked.
After much effort and dedication, I am quite proud of the final result. The AI I created successfully met all the project requirements and I was able to use the skills and knowledge I had gained to create a fully functional and engaging AI. This project was an excellent opportunity for me to learn Unreal.
At the end of the first level, the player will encounter an indestructible turret that must be turned off by pressing a button located beneath it. To reach the button, the player must use cover and their shield ability to avoid being harmed by the turret's high rate of fire.
The turret is constantly scanning for enemies, rotating its barrel along its line of sight. When an enemy enters its radius, the barrel begins to rotate and the turret unleashes bullets at a high rate of fire at its target. In order to rotate or aim at its target, the turret uses interpolation, resulting in a smooth transition between them.
