The Blackwood Enquiry

In this game, a murder has happened. It is the job of the detective to find items related to the case. Then it is the audience's job to find the murderer. The game was made in Pixotope (Unreal Engine fork for virual production) and the programming was done in C++, blueprint and Javascript. This was made in a team of 5.

The aim of the is to make a game that show people the features of a virtual production environment while also generating interest for the study.

For the game I was lead programmer. I was responsible to make sure that everything worked together well and that the programmer could easily collaborate. I was also in control of setting up source control (Perforce), the website (Remix (TS)), the API and Websocket (NodeJS and Express JS)

Role

Lead Programmer

Platform

PC/Windows - Virtual Production Environment

Website

For this project, I developed a website where players could vote for the murderer in a mystery game, using Remix (a React framework) and Tailwind CSS for design. It was my first experience with Remix and React, and I found Tailwind CSS particularly useful for quickly styling components without writing extensive CSS.

One of the exciting challenges was implementing real-time updates using WebSockets. This feature allowed voting results to update instantly, providing a dynamic and engaging experience for players. Initially, working with a framework that does serverside rendering was quite difficult, but eventually I got the hang of it.

At time of writing (03/09/2024) there is a demo that is viewable at https://play.motivatingpitbull.com. Room code: j8fz

WebSocket

I created an interactive murder mystery game using WebSockets to connect Unreal Engine with a website. This allowed the audience to vote on the murderer in real-time and see popups when items were found in the game. It was my first time using WebSockets, and despite some challenges, I made a fun and engaging experience where the audience could actively participate and influence the game.

It was also my first time writing some code in C++. Before this I had never written anything in C++, so creating the websocket and programming a client for Unreal Engine to connect to it was quite a learning experience.

Virtual Production Environment

I developed a game using Pixotope, a software built on Unreal Engine, within a virtual production studio. Leveraging Pixotope’s tools and Unreal Engine’s capabilities, we crafted an immersive experience with real-time visual effects and dynamic environments.

Despite challenges in performance optimization and platform compatibility, our project resulted in a playable prototype that showcased the potential of real-time technology in interactive storytelling. This experience not only enhanced my technical skills but also inspired future explorations in gaming and digital media.