Week 04

Welcome to our fourth devlog and we have officialy started production! We have divided all the work and made a finished planning for the coming production sprint. Here is a sneak peek at our progress this week!

Art

Concept Art

We’ve made more progress on our player character designs! We’re really excited about our rat-pirate mashup, as the name of our game suggests. Each rat has a distinct personality, which we aim to express clearly to our players through their design. 

A base model has also been created, which will be customized to reflect different personalities. This serves as the foundation for the little pirate rat.

Alongside character refinements, important props are also in development. The treasure chest, a key objective in the game, has undergone several design iterations to balance visual appeal and functionality.

Level Blockout 

The level is fully blocked out! We settled on having our islands split into layers, connected by wooden planks. We hope this will bring out the competitive spirit in players as they will have to push each other out of the way to claim their treasures! but make sure to get off the islands in time before the thunderous tsunami washes over them, destroying everything in its path, and taking a few coins away in the process.

Code

Prototype Overhaul & Core Systems

We have officially moved past the prototyping phase! This time, we’ve built a solid foundation with proper C++ implementation in Unreal Engine. Our new project fully adheres to Unreal Engine 5's coding standards and naming conventions, ensuring cleaner, more maintainable code.

Boat Movement

Boat movement is now fully implemented! Our system delivers smooth and responsive controls while maintaining the feel of navigating treacherous waters. The movement mechanics account for momentum, turning speed, and player interactions, making boat navigation an essential skill in the game.

Respawn System

We’ve also finalized our respawn system. When players get knocked out by opponents, hazards, or their own recklessness, they will now properly respawn. This keeps the action in the game fast-paced without having long downtimes. This also gives the game a seamless gameplay experience and keeps the competition fierce too!

What's Next?

- Implementing boat disembarking

- A proper inventory system

- Player wacking each other

- Designing more player attributes

- More particles

 ...

That is all for this week! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue developing PiRat Plunder!