So, you may be wondering about the projects I’m working on at the moment, so here’s a breakdown of some of the various things I’m working on!
Most of these things are being developed in the free time I have around my job, or as a part of my university assignments. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Accessibility Features
Something that I personally believe is hugely important in all media, but especially in games, is the inclusion of accessibility features. Not only do these features allow more people to experience games, narratives and journeys, but they can also help bring people together in ways that may not have been previously possible. After seeing several modern games begin to focus on accessibility features (The Last of Us Part 2, God of War: Ragnarok, and Forza Horizon 5, for example) I decided it was a great idea to learn not only HOW to implement some of these features, but also to learn about WHY these features are important to players of all backgrounds.
Currently Implemented Features
– Expanded Subtitle Customisation (using the built-in Subtitles provided by Unreal Engine)
– High-Contrast/Actor Highlighting Mode
– Toggleable/Scalable Controller Vibration
– Toggleable/Scalable Camera Shake
– Colourblind Filter Support
– Data Management (Save & Load user settings, detect optimal system settings)
These features have been created using a combination of Blueprints and C++, and I am aiming to iterate upon and optimise as time goes on. I have designed the menus in a simplistic way, as I am focusing on the implementation/functionality of the systems. Additionally, I am aiming to provide these features to other developers for them to use for their projects. As they may want to use them in their own personal projects, the aesthetics of the menus are not currently as important as each developer is likely to want a different design.
Planned Future Features: (this list is likely to expand as time goes on)
– Controller Remapping
– Extended Colourblind Support
– Basic Language Localisation Support
– UI Scaling/Customisation
– Text-to-Speech Support
Once further testing & optimisations are done, I am planning to release this project as a plugin/template project on the Unreal Marketplace and/or on my GitHub.
Microsoft have a saying that is “When we all play, we all win”, and I am a firm believer in this.
Engine:
Development Time:
Unfinished, still ongoing
Links to Check out:
Game Accessibility Guidelines
Able Gamers – Accessible Games
SpecialEffect – GameAccess
Action-Adventure Template Project
This project is being designed to provide me (and other developers in future) the basic features they may want/need to begin developing an Action-Adventure style game.
By providing these features and functions, I am aiming to shorten the amount of time building the basic functionality of a project, in addition to allowing developers who may be unfamiliar with Unreal Engine to begin their development process more quickly.
Currently Implemented Features
– Inventory System compatible with Players, NPCs, and container objects.
– Functional UI, including Drag & Drop functionality for swapping between inventories.
– 2 different styles of ‘Shopkeeper’ NPCs. One as a simple shop, and one with a dialogue tree interaction.
– Modular Player Attribute, & Levelling Systems (with XP-Bar UI, and Level Up UI).
– Player Stats (Health, Stamina etc).
– Simple quest log (with simple objective tracking).
– Simple character customisation options.
– Data Management (Save & Load Player Data)
– Simple Crafting System.
All of these features have been implemented with a combination of Blueprints & C++. I am currently expanding upon all of these areas, for example, I would like to implement a weapons system into the project, but specifically, one that can work in tandem with the inventory, player attributes, and and potentially the crafting systems. I am currently iterating on the existing features, refining and rewriting my code as my skills have developed since I first implemented these features.
Chris Sawyer 