Here is me maintaining my once a week update on the project. Up to this date, all of the videos made demoing the project have been screen recorded through the Unreal Editor. From now on, I will try to create the videos from the actual builds created after finishing all the changes. This is to prevent any window dimension inconsistencies. Here we go with the project update:

• There is finally a main menu! The game will now open up to the Main Menu scene that contains a background from the screenshot of the castle, the version number in the bottom left corner, the title of the project on top, and 3 buttons to press:
  • The Play Button will open up a loading screen, where when it is finished loading, it will open up the Open World Level.
  • The Options Button is meant to open an options menu where you can adjust the settings of the game like resolution, frame rate, etc. As of right now, the button does not work
  • The Exit Button is meant to close the game when clicked.

• When in the Open World Level, you can now press Z to pause the game!
  • When the game is paused, the Player is unable to move or do any action other than navigate the pause menu that opens up.
  • Clicking The Unpause Game button will resume the game and return to regular play.
  • Clicking the Back To Main Menu button will instantly take you back to the Main Menu. There should be a loading screen that plays when this happens, but this will be implemented later.

Challenges faced implementing theses changes:

• Adjusting the new UI’s and changes between Levels. Before, I tried opening them in right away with just the name reference. I soon learned that this is not the right way, as it caused to main Open World Level to not load in properly. I have to unload the current level, load in the current level, and then open the loaded level.

What is next for the Project:

• Minor Fixes to Player controls and movement, as well as organizing the Blueprints better in game for more readability and understanding.
• Add more terrain and assets to the map, making it more whole and detailed while trying to balance performance optimization.

That is all for this week. Stay tuned!