The Incredible Runner
Game Concept
Endless Runner Concept with MySQL API Database Integration.
Experience beloved The Incredibles adventure while competing against friends.
(I do not own the rights to The Incredibles and will not be publicly releasing any content pertaining to this game concept)
Roles
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Solo Developer
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Gameplay Programmer
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API Developer
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Database Manager
This entire game concept was created using Unreal 5.1.0, Spring initializer, and MySQL Workbench and utilized a combination of node based programming and C++/Kotlin scripting.
My Involvement
The purpose of this project was to expand upon my skills of Unreal Engine while working with database implementation.
Game Mechanics
The idea for this game came from my favorite scene of Disney's The Incredibles. I wanted to experiment with Unreal Engine's physics systems using projectile collision and attaching multiple physics bodies together for an effect similar to the movie scene. The turret projectiles needed to stick to the player and slow him down over time, and I was pleased with the final result.
I also worked with objected creation and destruction for productive performance in an endless runner. The map needed to generate progressively with randomized environment models for a more exciting game experience.
API and Database Implementation
One of my goals with this project was exploring API implementation with an external database. I wanted to create a game that I could share with my friends and create fun competition, but I also wanted to push my knowledge of Game Programming and stretch myself as a developer.
I chose to work with a MySQL database for its external support and due to the simplicity of information I needed to pass through it. I created a simple leaderboard which took in a player's name and calculated score. This information was store in a MySQL database and using C++ classes with coordination with my game mechanics blueprints, I was able to pass and retrieve data from the MySQL database via Get and Post requests.
I also implemented stored procedures to sort the data by player score so that I could display it as desired in my game. I also programmed ways of recognizing re-used player names to overwrite previous data instead of creating new profiles each time.
This project pushed me past gameplay mechanics and into the realm of software development. Going through this experience opened my eyes to some of the facets and roles within game development that I had not experienced yet. I am excited for what mechanics I can implement in future games with my new skills with API integration.
