Riptide is a space naval shooter, focused around the customization of the players cruiser. Every level starts off with the player customizing the ship to fit their playstyle or the missions parameters before they are sent on their mission. Ranging from eliminating all enemies in a location to keeping them at bay long enough for reinforcements to arrive. It is up for the player to decide how they face each challenge in Riptide.

Date of Project: September 2023 - May 2024

Developers: 16
Producer:
Flint Babineaux

Artists:
Cat Davey
Daniel van Duzer
Henry Foley
Lily McMurtie
Zach Navarro

Designers:
Alissa Liu
Benjamin House-Kelly
Gerrit Pottmeyer
Jacob Davis
Nicoletta Rothschild

Programmers:
Merle Roji
Nicolas Delbue
Nick Zasprzak
Tommy Wagner

Sound Designer:
Noah Cichowlas

Developer Role: Narrative Designer, UI Systems Designer

Development Engine: Unreal Engine 5.3

A primary concern is making the player feel like they are in control of a big hulking ship moving through space, firing massive guns that a man could crawl into. To achieve that, is has been important to make guns feel powerful through UI feedback such as the reticles jumping in size whenever they fire. As well as showing how slow their ship is when it comes to reaching it's max speed with a little speedometer on screen.

Throughout this project, I learned how to adapt and adjust to the needs of my team. This project was my first time working with UI and the Unreal blueprint system, both of which I picked up within the first few weeks very quickly. I managed to develop and come in with new UI elements each sprint that advanced my understanding of the engine and the capabilites of it that much more. One of my most proud creations being that of the bars throughout the HUD.

Some of these HUDs are custom made, such as the radial speedometer, where others I needed to learn Linear Color Curves to work with. Some of the more interesting ones involved figuring out how to use the same bar for different information such as the Reload and Fire Rate bar next to the Magazine Bars.

Throughout this project, I learned how to adapt and learn quickly from those around me. Not only from testing and the testers, but from other developers and sources I have access to. As well as through my own experimentation with the Engine.