{"id":33,"date":"2026-02-23T23:46:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T23:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/?page_id=33"},"modified":"2026-05-13T22:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:03:03","slug":"harrys-journal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/harrys-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry’s Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technical Design Contribution<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For more weekly record details, please click <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Role in the Team<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early production role allocation slide from the team\u2019s initial vertical slice pitch presentation, outlining each member\u2019s primary responsibilities during pre-production. My role as Technical Designer focused on creating the gameplay loop and implementing gameplay systems in Unreal Engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My role in the team was Technical Designer<\/strong>. My main responsibility was to turn the team\u2019s design ideas into playable systems inside Unreal Engine 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this project, my work was not focused on presenting one isolated feature. Instead, I focused on helping the player complete a clear gameplay flow within the vertical slice: exploring the environment, picking up items, understanding feedback, solving puzzles, and progressing into new areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Technical Systems I Supported<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During development, I mainly worked on and supported the following systems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Object interaction<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Item pickup<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Item highlight and rotation feedback<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Inventory UI and slot switching<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Door UI and door unlocking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Puzzle logic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Climbing system<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Player guidance and interaction feedback<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Early camera-based observation prototype<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The camera-based observation mechanic was an early technical prototype. It was originally created to explore the possibility of allowing the player to discover hidden information through a special viewing mode. Although this mechanic was not included in the final version, it helped the team explore different interaction directions. It also allowed me to experiment technically with camera switching, field-of-view control, and special visibility logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These systems were designed to connect the team\u2019s design ideas into one playable experience, rather than existing as separate features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    My Technical Development Process and Iteration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    My technical development process progressed alongside the team\u2019s design direction. At the beginning of the project, I started with the basic interaction system, because the player needed to be able to interact with objects in the environment. This stage focused on object interaction, prompt display, and basic trigger logic, which created the technical foundation for later features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After the interaction system was functional, I developed the item pickup system and inventory UI. The focus of this stage was to make sure the player could clearly understand what they had collected and how those items supported progression. Instead of only making the pickup function work, I also considered whether the feedback was clear enough for the player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I then connected the item system with the puzzle and door progression systems. This allowed the player to use collection and puzzle-solving to move forward through the vertical slice. This was an important turning point in my technical work, because the features started to become part of a complete player experience rather than separate systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During early development, I also created a camera-based observation prototype. This mechanic was originally used to explore the possibility of allowing the player to discover hidden information through a special viewing mode. Although it was not included in the final version, it helped the team explore different interaction directions. It also allowed me to experiment with camera switching, field-of-view control, and special visibility logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the later stage of the project, my focus shifted toward organizing and stabilizing the core flow. Instead of adding too many new features, I prioritized making sure the player could complete a clear sequence: exploring, picking up items, solving the puzzle, and unlocking a new area. This iteration process helped the team turn the design ideas into a playable build that could be tested and presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How My Work Supported the Team<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    My technical work helped the team turn design ideas into a playable gameplay flow. For example, the item pickup and inventory systems allowed the player to collect key objects; the puzzle and door systems helped the player progress through the experience; and the interaction prompts and UI feedback helped the player understand what they could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Together, these systems supported the team\u2019s vertical slice by allowing the player to explore, understand objectives, interact with the environment, and complete a clear gameplay sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Collaboration and Adjustments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Throughout development, I adjusted my technical work based on the team\u2019s design needs. For example, when an interaction needed clearer feedback, I adjusted the UI prompts and Blueprint logic. When a mechanic needed to fit better into the overall flow, I modified the trigger conditions and progression logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This process helped me understand that technical design is not only about whether a feature works. It also needs to support the team\u2019s design direction and help the player understand the full gameplay flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Contribution Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Overall, my contribution was to provide the core playable systems for the team project and to explore early technical prototypes that helped the team evaluate different design directions for the vertical slice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the final version, my main work helped the player move through the intended experience: exploring, picking up items, solving puzzles, and unlocking new areas. Although the early camera mechanic was not included in the final build, it worked as a useful technical exploration and helped the team think about possible interaction methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Through these technical systems and prototype experiments, I supported the development of the team\u2019s vertical slice and helped move the project from concept into a playable build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Technical Design Contribution Role in the Team Early production role allocation slide from the team\u2019s initial vertical slice pitch presentation, outlining each member\u2019s primary responsibilities during pre-production. My role as Technical Designer focused on creating the gameplay loop and implementing gameplay systems in Unreal Engine. My role in the team was Technical Designer. My main […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-33","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/daydream\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}