So close...

And we're off to polish our game! In this and the next week we're focusing on tweaking the features we already have, as well as adding some minor things that would improve our game. This generally includes additional particle effects, sounds, texture ang light adjusting, etc. 

The Level

In our latest efforts, we've been dedicating time to truly refining the overall level. We've made modifications to the lighting and fog so that they further complement our original vision of a cool-toned atmosphere with multiple layers. Additionally, we've implemented a custom depth blur to ensure that the robot stands out crisply from its surroundings. The robot, too, has undergone a transformation with altered materials and the addition of moss and leakage for a more authentic look. Lastly, we've replaced the cables a spline.

Our level, though starting to look majestic, still feels a bit barren and boring. This is because we were still using the same super simple meshes that were supposed to be for the background in our foreground as well. The foreground also lacked a few smaller props and some overgrowth to communicate the story better (our city backdrop and the robot itself are supposed to be a bit old and run down).

So we cooked up a couple more assets and put them in to make the foreground look a bit more polished.

The Prize

We forgot to mention - our racing game does have a goal. We just didn't give it enough attention up until now.

The robot carries valuable parts, and one of these parts is the target of our raccoon characters. They want to obtain a rare power core at the top of the robot's head, and they want it for themselves. They will not hesitate to sabotage each other in order to get to it first. 

Needless to say, our power core required a nice detailed hero prop to visualize it, as well as some accompanying particles to give it some shine. 

Effects

For some player feedback there were a few effects added, these were already made by the artists but just needed to be implemented into the game itself. To this end, we added a few explosions to the end of the game (shown below) and steam when jumping on one of our jump pads

We also added an effect to the player while they are running. The player now has small dirt particles on their feet while the move.

Menu

Our main and end menu are now navigable by gamepad. This will make it easier for the player to start the game, and it removes the need for a mouse.

Sounds

We added some new SFX to the game, our menu now has a confirmation and navigation SFX. This will make it clear to the player that they started the game. We also added some SFX to the elevator to make it clear that they arrive and depart.

The player

To make it a bit easier on the eyes, the player now has a small cooldown when they respawn. There is also an effect that plays when the player respawns.

Bugs

Finally, those pesky bugs, most have been dealt with by now. The main one, the problem with the camera blueprint making it, so we can't load UE5, has been solved after a few more hours of tinkering and trying many different things.