I have a confession to make. I released the Shooter Sandbox 0.1.5 over three months ago and I just didn’t tell anyone about it.
With the release of the Inventory System earlier in the year, its inevitable (re)integration into the Sandbox has been well overdue. I was really excited to share some of the features I’d been working on, but when it came time to share I just couldn’t find the energy.
It’s the common techarthub release cycle, I’m afraid. I make something new, struggle to explain the how and the why, and so just make something else instead. I’m working on remedying this, but writing for the site has always been the hardest part for me!
On the bright side, this means that update 0.1.6 is almost finished so I hope I’ll be able to make it up to you very soon.
Famous last words, I know.
Download the Unreal project
If you’re already a Patron of mine in the Tutorial Content tier you can download Shooter Sandbox 0.1.5 as well as its source content right now via this downloads page. Let me know if you find it useful!
What’s new in version 0.1.5?
This iteration of the Sandbox is all about the integration of the new Inventory System, as well as the demonstration of its strengths and weaknesses in context. It’s my intent that this system will dovetail into a number of different features along the road to Duel Wielding.
By far the most interesting feature in 0.1.5 is the ability for players to switch Items between Inventory Slots. This isn’t just mirroring a pose, but an animated handover using two different containers.
Alongside an update to Unreal Engine 5.5, Shooter Sandbox 0.1.5 also includes a range of other interesting additions.
- Inventory System 1.0
- On-demand weapon switching
- Groundwork laid for future work on the Dual Wielding system
- With a renewed focus on modularity, Blueprint Interfaces have been utilized to decouple the Action and Attribute Systems from Sandbox content, making it far easier to copy these features out and use them in your own projects.
- Action System 1.1, including a new feature that lets you activate logic when an action is interrupted
- The shift from traditional Sound Cues to MetaSounds has begun with a new system for dynamic automatic gunfire audio at an arbitrary fire rate
0.1.5 comes with a range of new poses, animations, and blend spaces for use in the new Inventory System. These were authored in control rig so you have full access to the source files if you need to make adjustments.
Full ambi, bro
The animation setup for ambidextrous gunplay has been the result of a lot of trial and error, and at the moment only the Assault Rifle is supported. I’m looking forward to sharing more about my approach as more weapons are introduced to the Sandbox.
For now the Pistol and Shotgun still use the old animation system.
What’s next?
The obvious path forward is to forge on with the Inventory System towards Dual Wielding. I mean, I only mention the feature every 30 seconds. It’s a feature of the project that I’ve been looking forward to implementing for some time.
However, I definitely need a break from Inventory Systems and Animations Blueprints. I’m ready to switch things up a little bit, so for the next update I’ll be having a closer look at the Shooter aspect of the Shooter Sandbox.
Version 0.1.6 will be tightly focused on ballistics and gunplay, including:
- A choice of implementations between hitscan, projectile, and a hybrid of the two.
- Accurate to real-life projectile physics
- Surface-based bullet penetration
- Ricochets and other fun impact behaviors
The biggest consequence of how slow I have been to share this update with you all is that 0.1.6 is almost ready for prime time.
