While not overly complex, this system serves as a strong example of the approach I used for most HUD elements. I retrieved a reference to an object and utilized it to populate the widget’s display values. Specifically, in this instance, I referenced the weapon the player was currently holding and dynamically updated the displayed ammo count and weapon information to reflect the player’s current loadout.

To effectively communicate the player’s health status, we designed the helmet HUD to transition from its initial teal color to red as the player took damage. This created an unavoidable visual cue, ensuring the player was always aware of their health. To achieve this, I bound each HUD element’s color and opacity to a linear color variable (healthColor) within the player blueprint. The healthColor dynamically shifted toward red as the player lost health and returned toward teal as health was regained, with the transition scale directly linked to the amount of damage taken or health restored.

To ensure players are clearly notified when they take damage, I implemented a dedicated damage effect widget. While the HUD color shift provides a general indicator of health, this widget adds a more immediate and impactful visual cue. Designed to resemble a blood splatter, the widget spawns and plays an animation each time the player takes damage, similar to the feedback systems seen in AAA titles like Call of Duty.

To facilitate weapon pickups, I created a UI element that appears when the player is near a weapon lying on the ground. While displaying the UI itself was straightforward, the challenge lay in dynamically showing the keybind for picking up the weapon. To achieve this, I accessed the input settings mapping data, iterated through it to find the action associated with picking up items, retrieved the corresponding keybind, and integrated it into the display text alongside the weapon’s name. This ensured a seamless and intuitive experience for players.

I was responsible for managing tasks for both the design and programming teams. Initially, we utilized Jira, an excellent tool for agile task management; however, due to its cost, we transitioned to a custom spreadsheet solution better suited for a semester-long project. This spreadsheet allowed team members to log their tasks, assign ownership, set priorities, establish due dates, and track completion status. This approach proved highly effective in maintaining an overview of the team’s progress and setting realistic deadlines.

As mentioned earlier, I was responsible for ensuring clear communication and keeping the team aligned. Each week, I sent updates like the example above to discuss the project’s status, highlight any changes, and outline the next steps. Additionally, I facilitated cross-team communication by connecting team members to resolve issues, keeping everyone focused, and ensuring all contributions were seamlessly integrated into the project.

As a producer and programmer, I frequently managed the Git repository, which involved resolving merge conflicts in VS Code, repairing corrupted files, and checking out specific commits to identify and address errors.

Creating and managing a project’s scope is a significant challenge, and this semester taught me just how demanding it can be. Our original goal was to develop a single high-quality, AAA-style level, and we successfully achieved that. While the overarching scope remained consistent, we had to make difficult decisions along the way, such as cutting features like a boss encounter and adjusting gameplay design. These choices were necessary to keep the project within scope and ensure the team’s well-being, requiring careful prioritization and thoughtful leadership on my part.