Hermes 5 is the major update to a fairly old project called Undoctrination, which was my first attempt at developing a game solo after spending some time as a 3D artist/tech artist.  I was passionate about the storyline but I lacked knowledge of game development and the Unreal Engine so it went on the back burner while I made other games and learned more about systems I wanted to implement.  

I was motivated to revisit the project recently and decided to make it my submission to the IMGJ this time to see if it is running well so far and discover if there are any major bugs or issues.  Please note that this game uses Lumen lighting and Metahuman NPC characters and may not work well on some older hardware.

Major Updates (All)

• A save system that will keep your progress in the storyline has been implemented
  • This will also keep track of ammunition stores
  • pickups the player has already acquired
  • and a weapon inventory
• Introductory voice acting/storyline contextual tutorial
  • I attempted to add voice acting that would explain the core mechanics of the game without feeling too expositional.
  • In addition this will hopefully help to clarify the scenario and establish stakes.
  • Metahuman characters were added for detailed NPC characters to provide the dialogue.
  • Very early attempts at face mapping to add a lip sync animation to the voice lines were added (still work in progress)
• Intro scene to establish the main storyline was added
  • This will only play when starting a new game and will autosave after the first playable level has loaded.
  • It will clarify the nature of the situation the player is in, further establishing stakes.
• Enemy AI has been reworked, ranged enemies were added
• A new weapon type was added to the game (Railgun) on Level 6\

Major Updates (During jam week)

• Additional voice acting and story elements added
• Signage and clarifying indicators have been added to the puzzle segments (especially early game) to help the player discover the solution.
• New enemy artwork and logic added (Vurmin alien type, small and melee) 
• Environmental art updated, modeled, and added to the project:
  • Energy Amplifier
    
  • Robotic Welder
    
  • Lifter Robot
    
  • Decorations/Elements for Intro sequence
  • Permanent emitters  designed to add damaged look to environments (Leaks, Sparks, etc.)