OMEN TO EMPATH

INTRODUCTION

Omen to Empath is a 3D third-person action adventure RPG. The game combines exciting melee combat and interesting boss encounters. This project shares the story of an unsung hero who must venture through a portal to restore his town back to its previous glory.

You play a town knight who seeks to restore the lives of the villagers who perished overnight in a storm. The Temple of Empath which has been closed for centuries has finally reopened. You will embark on an exciting journey through purgatory-like places and encounter challenging bosses. The fate of the village is in your hands.

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PROJECT GOALS

Create a game in Unreal that explores different aspects of an RPG such as a health bar, stamina bar, upgrades, interactive NPCs, and world-building.

Explore melee combat design and unique boss encounters.

Make an interactive level with functioning and purpose-driven rooms.

Create a functioning Shopkeeper and in-game currency.

GAMEPLAY

Role: Gameplay design, programmer, lighting, animation, sound design, dialog script

Platform: Windows

Engine: Unreal Engine 4.27

Tools: UE4, Synty Packs

Duration: 1 year, completed in 2024

Dialogue editor: Megan Rodriguez

Voice actors:

Knight: Michael Vilches
Slime: Inkyun (Twitch)
Duck: FGCDraft (Twitch)
Boulder: EmptyWasher (Twitch)

GAME FEATURES

The original purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of setting up and blending animations. Upon achieving skills in implementing animations, I made the decision to move forward and explore different elements of an RPG. This included various key features such as:

Gameplay Mechanics	Interactive Elements	User Interface	World-Building
Health and stamina system	Interactive level design	UI design	EQS events
Player and AI combat	Interactable NPCs	Tutorial	AI behavior trees
Boss encounters	Merchant inventory	Currency	Landscaping
Loot drops			Foliage
Consumables			Narrative design

SHOPKEEPER

Shopkeeper stand

Shopkeeper inventory

Shopkeeper UI code

Shopkeeper stand

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The primary purpose of the Shopkeeper is to sell player upgrades and access to a bonus level. Additionally, it gives a reason to collect and work towards unlocking those upgrades, thereby giving the in-game currency meaning and offering slaying monsters/bosses a meaningful reward. The secondary purpose of the Shopkeeper is to support world-building.

Scripts used to create the functionality of the Shopkeeper:

Data Table & Data Structure
UI widgets and clickable Widgets
Set input mode only on UI with mouse
Inventory

PLAYER COMBAT

I sourced from souls-like inspirations for player combat regarding quad-directional rolling, blocking, and stamina/health management by the use of potions. I consider this approach to gameplay to be intense, engaging, and strategic, aligning closely with one of the core pillars of the game.

Scripts used to create the functionality of the Player Combat:

Animation blueprints & Blendspaces
Multiple keys simultaneously pressed to roll in different directions
Tab-targeting
Player inventory
Blocking
Health & Stamina

INTERACTABLE NPCS

NPC Quacksalot

NPC code in editor

SlimeMerchant1

NPC Quacksalot

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Interactive NPCs were a key part of my design to bring the game's story to life and help players feel more engaged in the world.

I created a modular NPC where all dialogue and text can be altered from the viewport. This allowed the NPC to be placed in the world and for their text and voice lines to be swapped out without necessitating opening up their code. The dialogue and sound move to the next line as the player presses the interact key. To achieve this, I shared a common integer starting at -1 that rises every time it's called.

Scripts used to create the functionality of the Interactable NPCs:

Interactable interface
Voice lines & Text function
Giving quests
Starting events

BOSSES

Knight Boss

This is the first boss the player encounters in level 2

Knight Boss tree

This is the boss tree for the Knight, he has a move to branch, phase 1 attacks(Normal Attacks) and phase 2 (Desperate Attacks).

Duck Behavior tree

Duck Behavior tree the paths the AI follows.

Knight Boss

This is the first boss the player encounters in level 2

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Boss encounters are designed to provide players with a sense of achievement upon defeating them while offering a deeper insight into the game's story and world.

The game contains 3 enemy AI behavior trees. The first behavior tree has a patrol route with combat on sight, the second has direct melee combat, and the third has melee combat in range with two attack phases.

Scripts used to create the functionality of the Interactable NPCs:

Behavior trees
EQS
Enum states
AI controller
Using events in the level

WHAT I LEARNED

Developing an NPC interaction system that could display text and play sound in a specific sequence with a single keystroke was a challenging task. After spending approximately seven hours debugging and refining the logic, I achieved the desired outcome, albeit with one remaining bug. The issue arose from the way Unreal Engine 4.27 handles sound playback in relation to my function's setup. The final word in the sound queue wouldn't align perfectly with the closure of the text dialogue, leading to a mismatch where the audio either played awkwardly or cut off prematurely. To address this, I implemented a creative workaround: adding a short voice line at the end, humorously timed with a "QUACK" sound, followed by the duck exploding for comedic effect. This not only resolved the timing issue but also added an unexpected and whimsical element to the game, enhancing the overall experience in a way I hadn't initially planned.

Towards the end of the project, I had the gameplay completed and the levels conceptualized. When I brought my friend Megan on board to assist with script writing and grammar, our collaboration on the story significantly influenced the level design. I walked Megan through the prototypes, explaining each room’s design and purpose. Although the areas were still in the gray-box phase, our discussions led to several changes.Megan played a key role in refining the theme of each room and ensuring the story and level design were in sync. Once the script was finalized, we moved on to voice acting, inviting voice actors and pitching the characters to them.I provided them with guidance on their roles and the game's overall tone. The recording process went smoothly, with minimal retakes, as everyone clearly understood the character dynamics we aimed to achieve.

After releasing the game to friends and colleagues in the gaming industry, I received a lot of valuable feedback. While some pointed out game-breaking bugs, one of the most surprising—and humorous—suggestions was the demand for a jump button.

I had initially designed the game with traditional RPGs in mind, where jumping isn't typically a core mechanic. The level design didn’t require players to jump at any point, and I hadn’t planned on including it. However, the request for a jump action was unanimous, with players feeling it was a missing feature.

Ultimately, I decided to add a jump button, even though the game didn’t have any moments where it was necessary. It was a fun and unexpected addition, driven entirely by player desire rather than design necessity.

Originally, I created a platforming level that, despite my intentions, ended up confusing players. The feedback indicated that the pattern wasn’t consistent, and players struggled to figure out the correct path. After several iterations—introducing patterns and even false paths—I found myself frustrated as well.

The level seemed out of place, especially following a combat-focused level where players learned the basics of fighting. This platforming section didn’t require jumping but involved navigating different moving planes to reach the end.

Ultimately, I decided to revamp the level entirely. I shortened it, repurposed the moving platforms as background elements to enhance the theme, and made the pathing more linear to match the previous level’s focus on combat. With two melee enemies and a boss fight, the pacing now felt smoother and easier to follow, allowing players to progress naturally without needing additional explanations.

Joshua
Wilson

OMEN TO EMPATH

INTRODUCTION

PROJECT GOALS

GAMEPLAY

GAME FEATURES

SHOPKEEPER

PLAYER COMBAT

INTERACTABLE NPCS

BOSSES

WHAT I LEARNED

JW