Evaluation and future development.

At the start of this unit we were given the task of creating a Cutscene with interactive elements.

I feel I have met this criteria and learned some lessons along the way.

I feel I am better at using the Sequencer for animating both scene objects and cinematic cameras and I hope this will come in useful for later projects.

I have learned a lot about using post process materials to create outline effects and how to control where they appear.

I learned a lot about how to use the particle system creator, and used it to make several effects in this project, including rain, clouds and the vision persistence effect on the bike light. I will definitely be using this knowledge to create effects later in the year.

I have created several technical blueprint objects to perform specific required tasks in the scene, which had furthered my UE4 blueprinting skills.

One negative thing I feel is that due to time constraints, we were not able to make high quality models, which I think would have enhanced the look of the scene.

For future development, I don't think I will be taking this scene any further with developing it, but I would like to explore the styles further and implement the technical knowledge I have gained further down the line.

Original Storyboard vs. In-game

Below I will compare my initial storyboard sketches with the final scenes which were completed in the project.

Original Storyboard Sketch

The overhead driving section and the zoomed driver view both translated well into the final piece and appear not too different to how I imagined. There was less zoom used on the second shot because you lost the sense of speed when the camera was too close to the character, so I pulled it back slightly in the final version.

As you can see above, there was originally only a short city driving section before the character arrived at the destination. This section was extended with several shots of the character driving through the city streets before arrival. This allowed for some dynamic camera work and to show off the particles used in the bike light.

I kept the two external shots of in front and behind the character because I think they worked quite well and have a dynamic feel.

The explore the arcade section has been extended with interactive player choice elements and a quick time event. This satisfies the interactivity part of the criteria and gives the player more investment in the scene.

Final Production Shots in Storyboard Layout