102025

Figured out an even better way. First off I had to "Set Keyboard Focus" and not "Set Focus" in order to get Gamepad Focused on the default  button as soon as the menu posts. After that, and much trial and error, I found that the update logic can bypass the pause by putting it on an Event Tick instead of a Timer. That for some reason will bypass the pause, as I wanted it to. Also I cleaned up the pause code but could still do more to make it better. 

So Status is that I have Pause menu in there and it works with gamepad.  Several options in there are working, but are not done, will continue this today.

101925

I've hit a snag doing Menus. Gamepad won't work in the Pause Menu. For some reason the same code that worked in the game over screen is not working in the Pause menu. Mouse works fine. Traced the cause being that the control input is also essentially pause or even time dilated (I know because I tried using time dilation instead f pause to freeze the game and got the same results). Out of the many solutions I've come across, the cleanest might be to check "active when paused" option on the input action themselves, but I will have to see how that translates in terms of overlapping functionality. I also have to solve for the UI not updating the "Focus" button during pause. So essentially lots of pause problems. Might have to just pause the old fashioned way. Going to solve this before turning in this evening.

101725

Made the main menu and am fleshing out all the buttons functionality. Working on a new pause menu as well to include various options.

101625

Did a pass on the map. Various tasks like cleaning up and adding details. For example, electrical post, tv antenna, vines and more. 

101525

Map became an epic.  Lots of detail, and optimization. Working on Menus though. Getting that main menu back in there via widget to keep things surface level is what I'm going for.  Could take advantage of having a beautiful level for the menu background.

101125

External Update:

Latest endeavors is in PCG for the creation of Fences and level bounds walls. Also the Foliage was created using PCG, trees and grass.

In addition to that, I've used Niagara  to create this awesome  rain effect and each one also has a splash for every drop that collides with something.  The video 

082224

Worked on Creating Custom Clothes for the Metahuman Main Character.  Learned how to produce essentially any clothes I want and have it scale, and animate along wtih the Metahuman from the point of Metahuman creation. 

020825

Created Boss AI and animations. Went through retargeting and also swapping animations for one attack and then another. Spread out test area. Boss AI, Character model and animation swapping and retargeting, and AI Health Stats. Large enemy is now a Lava Monster and player is a Valkarie, both animated idle, motion, and attacks. Needs death. Boss now has AI chase player and 2 attacks. Also Boss health bar is a special health bar, that displays at the bottom center of screen with boss name. 

020825

Over the last month or so (sleepless nights del), I've picked up my third-person project and made significant progress. The animations are now more fluid, and I've implemented a new attack system with a light attack and a three-hit axe combo.

I've also added a new locking system that locks the player's orientation and camera onto the target, along with a target lock icon. The camera has been fine-tuned, and I'm currently replacing the placeholder art with something that better fits the desired aesthetic.

One of the major areas where I've grown is in my understanding of skeletal systems. I've also updated the enemy AI with state machines and blackboards. Additionally, I've focused on improving game organization through inheritance and object-oriented programming (OOP) principles.

The final goal is to create a solid foundation for this project and other similar games in pre-production, such as SE, BB, and MK. Once this foundation is complete, I can easily transition to asset generation for those projects.

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120524

The sorrow of a pure heart

A heart, vast and unguarded,
Swells with love for all who wander near.
Affection lingers, gentle and kind,
Yet devotion, steadfast, belongs to one alone.

A silken cord tightens at the throat,
Each breath a struggle, each thought a yearning.
The quiet of solitude beckons,
Yet greater still is the longing for understanding,
For the weight of the soul to be lifted by grace.

The camaraderie of friends, once cherished,
Now seeks a blessing—to drift apart in peace.
Within, a child stirs, forgotten but not lost,
Begging to be seen, to be fed, to be free.

120424

Catch-22: The Passion of Art
I’ve reached a point where belief flickers alive again: this time, creating from passion might truly work. Art, raw and personal like an entry in a journal, could finally regain the reverence it once held in the days of unguarded dreams.

But I’ve seen how the show goes. Symbols that once felt sacred get stripped down and fused with pop culture, reshaped for an audience eager to consume but slow to understand. That’s the work of performers—artists who perform to survive.

At its core, though, art is a language. It doesn’t aim to entertain; it exists to connect. It’s the soul speaking in its own tongue, one that few will ever learn. Something deep within longs to be heard, but its words are not of this world.

To create for the show isn’t just about selling out—it’s about losing something vital. It’s not the betrayal of pandering that wounds; it’s the hollowness that comes from creating without soul. What joy could there be in such a mechanical act? It would leave nothing behind but a faint echo of what was once alive.

120424

Tongue

Art speaks its own tongue,
Not to please but to connect—
Few will ever learn.