UE4_Pong Notes

1. Import reference texture, drag from finder into content box.
2. Create material ( right click content box) and place reference texture onto material. (Left click and t)
3. Drag material onto one side of the box, make the box size of the image (900 x 1290)
4. Go into the material editor screen and create a bounding box based 0-1 UV W, then a component mask, then a custom rotator, hold down 1 and create a node and name it 0.75, plug it into the rotation angle, then plug the rotator into the texture sample (UV)
5. Create BSP Cube
6. Re-scale material reference to the size of the cube (Ball) (3.75,3.75,3.75)
7. Create static mesh from BSP cube.
8. Create another BSP Cube and scale it to the size of the paddle using the reference image (350, 100, 100)
9. Then create a static mesh for the paddle.
10. Create a new BSP cube for the boundary (150, 5100, 100)
11. Line it up to the edge of the image, and create static mesh for the boundary.
12. Create text render and scale the 0 to the 0 in the image.
13. Hold alt to copy the score across and rename both p1 score and p2 score.
14. Create folders to group everything together and stay organised. (In the content section of the screen)
15. Create a new blueprint class (Pawn) name this paddle right or left.
16. Double click on the blueprint to bring up the editor.
17. Add component > Static Mesh > Rename paddle mesh
18. Go to the static mesh tab in the editor (Right side) and click where it says none and change it to the paddle you made earlier, so now it should look like a paddle.
19. Go to collisions in the editor and click it at the top of the screen so it is highlighted, then go to the top of the screen and click mesh > simplified box collision and hit save then go back to the editor.
20. Turn off gravity and set the linear damping to 10.
21. Go project settings > Input > Axis mappings and create a key mapping called “P1_MoveUp” and bind up key to a positive value and down to a negative value.
22. Then go into the editor, and set it up like this:
23. Then we have to get a camera in, so go to search classes and find the camera and drag it into the scene.
24. Then position it above the image so it looks above the level like so:

  25. Then go to blueprints > level blueprints and setup the editor like this:

26.Then create a new material called unlit_white and double click on it to bring up the editor and then set it up so it looks like this: (Make sure the shading model is unlit)

27. Next apply this material to all of your static meshes in the game to make them white.

28. Next we must make the text white as we cannot see it very well in game. So click on the current material and go into the engine folders by clicking on the arrow next to the material.

29. Then make a copy of material and call it M_Pongtext.

30. Drag the duplicate into your materials folder and double click to get onto the editor and make sure it is setup as below.

31. Then apply this material to both of your letters by simply dragging it from the content folder into the material box of the text.
32. Create blueprints for the boundaries by going to the static mesh boundary right clicking > assets > create blueprint using this object.
33. Make sure collisions are enabled on the BP, then align it with the top and bottom of the level.
34. Make separate blueprints for goal left and goal right then align these too.

Unreal Engine

This is a screenshot from inside Unreal Engine 4. The box in the middle are the "blueprints" for my character in the game, essentially its code to make it do things.

This is an example of a node which is like a little block of code, this red node means that whatever is inside triggers an event in the game. In this case it means when the "T" key is pressed and released during my game an event will happen.

This blue node is an example of a function. It will make it so that event is attached to it using the pins, it will print out a string which says "Say Hello To My Little Friend". 

This is what the nodes look like when they are linked up by the pins. These nodes make it so that when the "T" key is pressed in my game it will print a string onto the screen, and when the key is released it will print another. 

All nodes are connected by exec pins which look like this.

One Tap Game Proof Of Concept

Aim of the game is to keep running for as long as possible while tapping the screen to jump over oncoming obstacles such as cars and traffic cones.

The further on in the level you get the more obstacles that will start to come and at a faster pace.

You will die if you land/hit an obstacle

Fallout 4 Draft review

Fallout 4 Review

Genre
Fallout 4 is an open world action role playing game which is rated 18 by PEGI due to the violence, blood, gore and bad language in the game.

Storyline

The player is a sole survivor of vault 111, who emerges 210 years after the great war which started and ended in 2077. There is a little prologue prior to this where the player creates their character and they are shown what pre-war living looks like along with their wife and kid before they are rushed to Vault 111 for protection from the nuclear warnings. The setting of the game takes places in Boston, Massachusetts. There are various landmarks in the game from Boston such as the Paul Revere Monument and the Massachusetts State House (Seen Below). Vault 111, where the player first emerges from is next to Sanctuary Hills, which is where the player lived with their family before the Great War. This is most likely the first place that the player will discover in the game and when they will begin to realise how bad the Great War was.

Massachusetts State House in Fallout 4

Gameplay
The gameplay of Fallout 4 is very similar to its predecessors, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. There is the option for the player to toggle freely between a first and third person view of their character, a split piece armour system which allows the player to pick and choose different armour pieces and wear them together, a very in depth crafting system which allows players to turn any lootable object in the game into raw material, players can also salvage materials from their loot such as weapons and then use those materials to improve their armour or weapons etc. , a dynamic character dialogue system which allows the player to chose their decisions which makes their own pathway through the story and a brand new base building system.

Weapons crafting/mod interface in Fallout 4

Early on in the game the player will acquire a Pip Boy which allows them to access a menu where they can view their statistics, mark locations on the map, see objectives/requirements for quests, manage their character’s appearance and items. Furthermore, a cool feature that Bethesda decided to add in is that throughout the game the player can find retro themed game cartridges that can be picked up and played on their Pip Boy.

                                    A Pip Boy in Fallout 4

Inventory in Fallout 4

Another returning feature in Fallout 4 is the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System or V.A.T.S system. This allows the player to slow down time when they are in combat to make the gameplay more tactical and immersive as the players decisions matter, they can choose to melee/shoot certain parts of enemy’s bodies which each have different outcomes. For example, shooting an enemy’s weapon has a chance to disarm them, shooting enemies legs can slow their movement and headshots can instantly kill enemies. However, only a certain amount of moves can be made each turn depending on the character's statistics. V.A.T.S System in Fallout 4

A new feature in Fallout 4 is the base building, which allows the player to make settlements run by NPC’s they meet in the story and build structures in certain areas which can have various uses such as storing the player’s power armour collection. The settlements have to be powered by electricity using a unique electricity mechanic with power generators which allow the settlements to have lighting, the use of vending machines etc. Settlements also have to have a steady income of food and drink using water pumps and various crops all of which the player will have to set up. The player can also choose to set up defences around their settlements such as turrets and fences to protect them as they can be raided/destroyed by AI.

Another new feature in Fallout 4 is that there is no level cap in the game. Which allows players to truly indulge themselves in the game. Even after the main story has finished players can continue playing as their are an endless amount of unique side quests.

Platforms
Fallout 4 is available on 3 different platforms which are; Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Microsoft Windows. The game is also the first Fallout to have Native Mod Support on consoles as During the E3 2015, at the Xbox Conference, Todd Howard went on stage to tell the audience that Xbox One will offer mod support following the release of the G.E.C.K for PC in 2016. Sony's PlayStation 4 will support mods sometime in the future. There have also been 3 DLCs announced for Fallout 4, Automaton, Wasteland Workshop and Far harbor which will be available on all platforms and are due to release early 2016.

Target Audience
Fallout 4 is rated PEGI 18 due to the violent nature, blood, gore and bad language in the game. So this means that the target audience for the game are young adults aged 18+ and people who have previously enjoyed Fallout games or enjoy open world action RPGS.

Personal Recommendation Of The Reviewer
Overall, I think Fallout 4 is one of the best open world RPGs out there. The graphics are amazing, the voice acting is great with tons of different dialogue and encounters, the combat is mostly good despite the hand to hand combat with enemies feeling a little sketchy and unfinished, the base building system is something fresh for the fans and I think it really allows players to truly immerse themselves in the Fallout world. The main storyline of the game is gripping and kept me on a cliffhanger the entire time always wondering what was going to happen next. Furthermore, the game itself is almost never ending with the sheer amount of side quests, endless character + weapon customisation and there is no level cap so the grind can't really ever stop for the player. Because of all this, i fully agree with all of the ratings for the game from big magazines such as Gamespot and IGN.

Improvements for text based game

Players felt that to improve the game i should...

• Make the story more interesting as at the moment it is quite long and boring.
• More images throughout the story to illustrate what is happening better to the player
• Make the story longer as the game feels a bit short.
• Take away "A,B,C" options from the interactive parts of the game as it makes it feel less immersive
• More choices within the story to make it more interesting.
• The ability to restart the game when you have finished.

Character Walk Cycle