2017
Below is a video showcasing gameplay from a small prototype I made that showcases use of new UE4 mesh slicing tech:
(*VOLUME WARNING!* - the audio is pretty loud for headphone users)
OBJECTIVE
While I was working on Dark Shot, I was going through some patch notes for Unreal Engine 4. I noticed that mesh slicing was going to receive a huge update with lots of improvements and optimizations int he upcoming version release. Being swindled by the thought of blade based combat in VR, I started up a project after the patch dropped.
About 2 weeks later, I had a functional prototype for displaying wrist-blade mechanics and gameplay while putting mesh slicing to the test. My only objective was to get a functional blade cutting through enemies in an arena setting. This led to using some assets I had lying around from Dark Shot as well as some outsourced placeholder sound effects and what not to give the game some character. I threw together some wrist blades and had a friend make some shuriken and the rest just happened as I went along with the project.
INSIGHT
While the project was successful in accomplishing what I wanted to do with mesh slicing, I'm sad that it ended there. I had a ton of fun making this and spent many hours after school putting it together. Even going back through the footage now I wish I could turn this into a full fledged game.
One thing I learned very quickly is that mesh slicing requires a lot of careful handling. Much like a pesky memory leak, mesh slicing without proper cleanup causes HUGE frame rate drops. While working on it, I crashed Unreal on multiple occasions just trying to figure out how it works.
Below is alternate gameplay I recorded of the game:
(*VOLUME WARNING!* - the audio is loud for headphone users)