Menagerie | Christoffer Persson

Project Info

4 Weeks

Unreal Engine

Menagerie

Introduction

This was my final game project at Futuregames, developed in Unreal Engine 5. With more experience in the engine, the development process went smoother, and together with my team, we created Menagerie.

Menagerie is a stealth-focused puzzle game where you must escape from a zookeeper’s lair while avoiding enemies and staying out of sight. To aid your escape, you can, throw rocks to distract enemies, use a petrifying gun to temporarily paralyze enemies if spotted and utilize a magnet at specific points to reach otherwise inaccessible areas.

Gameplay

Weapon Shader Update

I implemented a visual cooldown where the shader fades from unlighted to neon blue as the gun becomes ready. By tracking the cooldown, I calculated progress by dividing the remaining time by the max cooldown and used this percentage to adjust the shader’s glow dynamically.

Death Floor

I designed and implemented a death floor by extending a plane across the entire map. When collided with, it triggers the restart screen.

AI

Behaviour Tree

I developed the core AI using a Behavior Tree with three key tasks: Patrol, Pursue, and Attack. In Patrol the AI follows a predefined path, in Pursue it searches for the player within a general area and in Attack the enemy follows the player and attacks when within range. This logic was later integrated into our Fuzzy Brain system shaping the AI into its current state.

UI

Loading Screen

I implemented a loading screen to prevent hitches while assets load in the background.

Inventory

I developed the logic and UI updates for the inventory system tracking the amount of rocks and smoke bombs. When either item reaches its maximum capacity the corresponding text color changes to yellow to provide a clear visual cue to the player.

Player HUD

I designed the Player HUD and implemented it and the art assets for it into the game.

Crouch Stealth Effect

I created and implemented a crouching vignette effect to enhance immersion while in stealth mode. This effect dynamically adjusts when the player enters or exits crouch.

Fade Transitions

I implemented a fade-in and fade-out effect during scene transitions to prevent abrupt scene changes.

Sounds

Sound Effect Creation

I created and edited all the sounds in the game, excluding the music, using Audacity. Some examples include the magnet slam when traveling to it, gunfire, the whisper sound when entering stealth mode and the sound of the chandelier crashing.

VFX

Magnet Effect

I created a lightning effect for the magnets using the Niagara system in Unreal Engine. The effect was designed to grab the player's attention and it also increases when the magnet is interactable.

Muzzle Flash

I created a muzzle flash using the Niagara system which quickly flashes an image of a muzzle when the gun is fired, adding a visual effect to enhance the shooting experience.

Gun Trail

I created a gun laser trail using the Niagara system that activates when the player fires the weapon to add to the immersion of firing a laser weapon.

Thermal Bomb

I created a distortion effect for the thermal grenade to visually represent its purpose of releasing heat. This effect aligns with the grenade’s functionality helping players hide from snipers using thermal scopes.

Chandelier Crash Effect

I created a VFX using the Niagara system in Unreal Engine for the chandelier after it falls. Before this, there were no effects, and it looked odd when the chandelier simply despawned. The added VFX enhanced the visual impact of the fall.