The initial concept for the crossbow was a magnet based weapon that could launch a drill bit at enemies then be recalled. There was only going to be one drill bit, and the player was going to have to carefully plan each shot. I got this system set up within the first two weeks of the project, but it didn't fit what we were going for. While the shoot and return system was really fun to play with, having to plan and line up your shots didn't fit with the face-paced gameplay we wanted.
We eventually settled on a charge based weapon. The player holds down the shoot button which starts the charge as seen, and the drill bit fires once they release the button. The higher the charge the farther the drill bit will launch. I also animated the drill bit to rotate while being charge, and the animation speeds up the more it charges. This prototype also has the ammo pick-up system, a dash slide, and a very early version of the first AI.
The main effect for the game is the shattering of crystal enemies. I used Unreal 5's fracture system to unique shatter every time an is enemy is killed. However, Unreal's system doesn't allow for skeletal meshes to be fractured, so I programmed the enemies to detect the player's attack right before they hit them, and spawn in a static mesh version of the character that has the fracture system applied to it.
I create the electricity effect for the player character's grappling hook. That same effect is also used for the crossbow's draw strings. Then I made a brighter and recolored version of the effect for the turret enemy's attack.
Abigail Blevins | 3D Artist & Concept Artist
Hayden Harsh | Lead Character Artist & UI Artist
Joshua Hart | Lead Game Designer & 3D Artist
Ethan Laird | Lead 3D Artist
Kirby Key | Production Manager & UI Developer
Macey McCuller | Lead Technical Artist & 3D Artist
Cason Quisenberry | Lead Developer & Technical Artist
