About

Originally designed for an App and Game Making Contest at a tech conference, Harbinger of Truth is a 3D action platformer built on the Unreal Engine 4. We only had a few months to create the first release, which consisted of 4 levels and a tutorial, which we presented at the conference.

My Contributions

Movement and Environment Interaction

There are several components that make up the core of the gameplay. The player moves by way of virtual joysticks, which were mostly provided by the engine. Actions are controlled by a custom directional swipe detection system. Swiping up, for example, will jump if you're on the ground. In the air, swiping up will initiate a high jump, while swiping down will trigger a distance dive. Swiping left and right will cause attacks, and swiping down on the ground will guard. The environments are populated with a handful of actors, starting with collectables and the required exit gate, and finishing with enemies, switches, push-able blocks, and other such puzzle elements.

AI and Enemies

In the Development build there are currently two types of enemies. Each enemy is configured with its own AI decision tree, allowing them to wander the level, and hunt down the player.

Customizations

As part of the core aesthetics, the player character is highly customizable. Players can select Skin Color, Hair Color, and Eye Color from a fully functional custom color wheel. Additionally, Outfits and Swords can be unlocked and selected as well, allowing for quite the systematic variety of looks.

Collectables, Unlockables, and Achievements

Each level contains three "fragments of truth" which are hidden in various nooks and crannies. By collecting all the fragments in a world, or set of levels, the player will unlock a new outfit based on the theme of that world. Additionally, "converting" all the enemies throughout the world will unlock a new sword for customization. Finally, these tasks unlock achievements through the Google Play Achievement system.

User Interfaces

Harbinger of Truth runs a handful of custom interfaces. The main menu provides access to the level select screen, achievements screen, and the customize screen. The customize screen can also be accessed from the in-game pause menu, which also displays the current status of the level, showing how many lives the player has, how many enemies have been converted, and how many collectables have been found. The tutorial also uses a specialized message system used to convey the symbolisms, themes, and controls that govern the game.