The week started with a dedicated Mocap Shooting Day to capture the performance data we need for our MetaHuman characters.
The entire shoot was structured around a series of Questions (Q-takes) and Transitional/Setup Actions (T-takes), designed to cover both normal and high-stress scenarios.
I imported and arranged the assets to create a mid-20th-century Taiwanese bedroom:
Custom Static Meshes: The scene is built using imported furniture models, including the Bed, a dark wooden Desk, and a Bookshelf.
Atmospheric Clutter: The desk is intentionally cluttered with specific props that ground the setting in the era, such as the stack of Books/Magazines, an enamel Mug, and the Newspaper spread out under the desk lamp.
The lighting is the most crucial element for setting the pre-abduction mood:
High Contrast: The room is dominated by darkness, with two main light sources: the focused, warm glow of the Desk Lamp and the cool, faint light of the moon visible through the Window.
Vulnerability: This moody, low-key lighting scheme enhances the feeling of late night and solitude, which is essential to underscore the player’s vulnerability when the attack begins.
The environment is laid out to support the 3-minute opening sequence:
The Approach: The layout features the door and the initial corridor, setting the stage for the narrative: “Late one night, you hear frantic knocking outside your door.”
The Threat: The presence of the dark figures standing near the door in the gloom suggests the immediate and overwhelming threat.
The Climax: The player’s final action—walking forward to open the door—will trigger the cinematic event where the masked men seize the player
I started by setting up the main Blueprint for the VR player character.
The Blueprint structure includes components for the camera, motion controllers (left and right), and likely the VR root component for managing scale and height.
In the Interrogation Scene, we are implementing key changes to the player’s VR Pawn to enhance narrative immersion and visual feedback.
This visual change serves a critical narrative purpose, signifying that the player’s character is now under surveillance or control within the scene’s context.
Hand Mesh Modification: We are preparing a separate mesh for the player’s hands that includes the 3D model of the sensor device.
Material Swap/Override: The existing hand material on the VR Pawn needs to be replaced or overridden when the player enters this level. This change can be executed by:
Swapping the Static Mesh: Replacing the basic VR hand mesh with the new mesh that has the sensor built-in.
Applying a New Material Instance: Applying a new material to the hand mesh, which includes a texture of the sensor or a special shader effect (like a glowing overlay) to represent the device.
The goal is to dynamically load and play the correct video content based on the player’s previously recorded choices, which will then set up the narrative for the next act.
The Blueprint is designed to retrieve the player’s saved choice (the string variable stored earlier).
Based on the value of that choice, the graph utilizes branching logic to select which video sequence to play next.
Media Player A and Media Player B).I set up the Level Blueprint (L0_Title or similar) to handle the game’s start sequence. The Blueprint logic initiates the game flow, likely playing an introductory cinematic or sound cue, and then prepares to load the next level (like the Introduction).
This UI presents two distinct buttons for the player to make their selection.
Character Dev: Spent the day customizing MetaHuman bodies and faces.
Uniform Test: Drafted a military-style character. The belt and tunic physics are behaving reasonably well.
Civilian Look: Created a white-shirt variation.
Props: Attached a rusted pipe asset to test the hand grip and overall silhouette.
Grooming: Swapped out a few hairstyles. Still deciding between the thinning hair and the buzz cut look.