ULTOR
Final, rerendered Exhibition Edition of the project.
University graded "Gold" deadline: May 4th 2023.
University Exhibition deadline: May 22nd 2023.
Rookies submission deadline: June 1st 2023.
Ultor is set in a Greco-Roman inspired Fantasy world where the 5 gods once ruled. As time has passed mortals have forgotten them. Peace, War, Rapture, Love, and Justice the mother figure affectionately known as 'The Goddess'.
This is a real-time combination of gameplay and interactive cinematic elements. Originally we were aiming to create a fully functional game level, however, as the submission requirements were in a MP4 format the quality and presentation of the recorded content took priority.
Learning from Kulaors and other previous projects, I decided that it would be best to render prerecorded gameplay as opposed to screen capturing. This would aid in retaining a stable framerate and overall higher image quality, as well as allowing me more editorial freedom.
"GOLD"
Gold Submission, a significant and notable leap over Beta. With my finalised FX for the Emporer, gem shader, tarot card renders, post-processing, and grading.
I also imported and debugged all of the updated animations and characters, creating suitable Unreal Level Sequences for each scene, then combining them into a Master Sequence for previewing and rendering.
After a test render, I created custom eye adaptation settings and a lighting grade so that the environment and characters were visible.
As the updated Characters and Animations were delayed, it greatly reduced my available setup and render time. I therefore, had to use the fastest render preset that I made, creating some visual anomalies due to the lower sample count, lack of burn in time, and lack of anti-aliasing, as well as other features.
UltorBeta.mp4"BETA"
Our updated and streamlined idea, featuring gameplay interaction with NPCs and an ending cutscene which would be given in-engine Quick Time events.
Repurposed PostProcessing
Separate to this I was also beginning tests into render quality and creating suitable render presets for our work, as the default settings were not to a quality or speed that I was happy with.
I also had begun creating FX for the Emporer's attack.
360° Render Test
As we focused more and more on the final video, I realised that we would have to sacrifice much of the interactivity in order to produce a higher quality video.
However, I still wanted to attempt to maintain at least partial interactivity with the audience, as opposed to being completely noninteractive.
Hence this 360° render test. Which after much troubleshooting, shows promise as a potential option for future projects. However, as the Environment artist is already making use of Lumen the lighting would need to be completley redone for a 360° video.
Something which would sadly not be an option.
GrayKaliszMooneyOgarkovaReesVladimirovaULTOR.mp4"ALPHA"
After deciding to focus on a more Narrative and Story-Driven game we came up with the idea to include a short 2D-style introduction. I proposed that instead of getting a 2D artist to create this, I could create a suitable PostProcess which would allow for transitions and easier cinematic adjustment.
This is what I mainly focused on for "Alpha" alongside polishing the UIS system.
In the Alpha video, we showcase a variety of different mechanics, which would have ideally created a highly replayable level where you select the god or mechanic that you want to use to complete the level. However, after Alpha, it became apparent that we would need to narrow down the mechanics to a single and more achievable design.
ULTOR_Print.pdf
Project Research and Development
Project development document can be seen to the left.
During the initial research and development stage, I focused firstly on the technical limitations and restrictions that our team would face with our chosen software set. To prevent any significant issues from arising, I developed a project pipeline, designed to be intuitive and compatible with our software.
I created a website that the team could refer back to for any project or pipeline information.
I then proceeded to develop two key systems, the Universal Interaction System and the Material Override System.
UIS, allowed any model in the level to be given a simple data asset containing interaction presets. The player would then be able to interact in a set way with said model. Presets included pickup, kick, throw, and drop.
[Players were given a blueprint component to accomplish this]
The Material Override System, used a Material Function applied to the Master Materials which allowed for global control and manipulation of all materials. Including giving all materials matching individually controllable variables or debugging options.
Alongside this, I also completed research into Audio and Visual standards for presentation including testing and creating a functional HDR pipeline, from raw footage to a functional H265 file. As well as Publication research, for if we managed to complete a more polished and functional level.