The Build
Hey everyone! Parker here with another development log! This week we presented our first build for UAT's production studio program. Most of the programming team pulled an all-nighter last night to prepare for the build today. The team was able to pull through though, and we're proud to present the first official iteration of Firebreak! (Props to Ian, Ian, and Dave for putting in the hours for this one).
We ended up migrating the original prototype level over to the current build. While it looks the same on the surface, there are a number of changes that we've done under the hood.
By far, the most significant change that we've made is migrating our scripting over from Unreal 4's Blueprint system over to C++. This is an important change, since Blueprint is a very CPU-intensive method of scripting. We've already seen a noticeable jump in performance since we switched over to C++. Progress is a bit slower, but it's going to result in a more stable and efficient program in the long run.
Not only that, but we have a few assets for this build! Now that our workflow has been established, the art department has been steadily creating assets. While we didn't have a place for all of them, we'll be able to show off a few of them in this iteration.
On the far left, we have an untextured shelving unit. On the right, we have a section of pipe running from the wall to the floor. Both are courtesy of Brittany, one of our artist interns.
A cot, also courtesy of Brittany.
As far as art is concerned, several of our artists have been shifted over to working on environments. Trent is still making the floor plan of the player's ship, as well as creating the wall and floor textures. Tuesday is switching over to modeling for environment objects for our first level. We're hoping to have both the ship (which functions as the player's menu) and the first level white boxed by the time our next build rolls around, in about three weeks.
Developer Focus: Dave Engleman
The man himself
Who are you?
Dave is our Lead Programmer, a graduate of UAT with a degree in Game Programming and Design.
What have you been doing on the project?
He's been with fireBreak from the beginning, having come up with the original concept alongside Ian Goldsmith back in early 2017. Since then he's been working on the project, having co-written the original design document. After working on the code for the prototype, he's been leading the programming department since production started.
Anything else you'd like us to know about you?
Aside from playing video games, one of Dave's favorite hobbies is playing D&D. He has a pit bull mix named Mason and a hog-nosed snake named Clarice. He'll also be getting married this April!
Lore Corner: The Miner's Coalition
A ragtag paramilitary force formed from an alliance of former labor unions and rebellious miners. The Miner's Coalition is lashing out against the oppressive conditions enforced by the Hoelian Syndicate, leaving the planet in a state of open war.
When Hoelia was peaceful, a number of miner's labor unions arose to advocate for the rights of the many civilians employed by the Stratum Mining Corporation. For the most part, the relationship between the corporation and these unions was civil.
After the Corporation suffered through a period of financial loss, it was forced to cut wages for many of the planetary miner. While many of them understood, a few of these groups began to organize strikes against the company. The protests began peacefully, with labor strikes and protests against civil centers. However, as the years went on with no solution in sight, the protests became more violent.
The creation of the Syndicate escalated the conflict even further. The miners felt that their freedom was under attack-- as such, they felt compelled to fight for it. The less scrupulous among the union members began to contact gun runners. The arms dealers were able to traffic large volumes of war materiel to the planet before the Syndicate was able to crack down on the imports, but it was too little, too late. The localized unions reached out to one another to form the Miner's Coalition. The newly unified group attacked in force, seizing several large metropolitan center.
In response, the Syndicate began to arrest any civilians that held strong ties to the unions. Citizens fled en masse, seeking protection from the Coalition. Dozens of refugee camps sprung up overnight, offering a place that civilians could go to avoid the ever-mounting war.