🧾 Relicborne DevLog: V0.1.0 → V0.2.0

Date Range: April 1 – April 30, 2025
Contributors: Kayman Colvin, Carlos Reid, Jacob Mosser

👤 Kayman Colvin – Level Design & Procedural Systems

Completed Work:

• Procedural Dungeon Generation:

  • Developed a custom procedural map generation system using a modified "Space Colonization Algorithm" for right-angle corridors and branching paths.

  • Added environmental detail to the dungeon such as noise, textures, and a switch from static meshes to landscape for vertical variation.

  • Converted floors and walls to custom meshes and began integrating terrain-based structures.

• NavMesh Optimization:

  • Addressed performance issues in large levels by using a Navigation Invoker system, which restricts pathfinding updates to a radius around the player.

• Encounter Zones:

  • Implemented early versions of encounter triggers placed randomly along path nodes with a 30% spawn rate.

  • Introduced visual markers for encounter areas, with plans for future improvements to make them appear more natural.

• Loading & Visibility Improvements:

  • Built a functional loading screen with an active progress bar synced to generation steps.

  • Implemented “Hiders” to occlude off-path areas from the minimap camera, enhancing visual clarity.

• Hub World Integration:

  • Created a basic hub area to serve as the player’s central space between dungeon runs, including initial models and navigation setup.

  • Connected the hub world with dungeon entrances and integrated it into the game start flow.

👤 Carlos Reid – UI, Inventory, and In-Game Economy

Completed Work:

• Minimap System:

  • Designed a live updating minimap using an orthographic scene capture, fixed visual clipping with procedural content.

  • Added icons for player and vendor using scene-visible planes.

  • Refined the minimap layout into a circular interface and added a dynamic compass that rotates based on player orientation.

• Inventory System:

  • Built a full-feature inventory system with item stacking, dragging, splitting, using, and inspecting.

  • Supported player and interactable containers (like treasure chests) using a shared Inventory Component.

  • Added an inventory progress bar that reflects slot usage and highlights when full or open.

• Loot Chests & Storage:

  • Implemented LootChest (random gold and item reward) and PlayerChest (safe item storage).

  • Random loot generation based on rarity tiers (Common to Legendary), with chests visually indicating highest contained rarity.

  • Created a basic animation and behavior system for chest opening/closing and despawning when emptied.

• Vendor & Economy System:

  • Established a Currency Component and integrated it into the player and vendors.

  • Designed a Vendor UI with transaction logic for buying and selling, tracking gold exchange and item stack management.

  • Implemented sell confirmation prompts and inventory slot checks for both buyer and seller.

  • Made vendor inventories instance-specific, eliminating shared inventories across world instances.

  • Added item detail previews, visual rarity indicators, and basic animations to vendor characters.

👤 Jacob Mosser – Combat Systems, Capture, and Backend Architecture

Completed Work:

• Combat Core Loop:

  • Designed and implemented turn-based combat with speed-based initiative, damage calculation, and status effects (Stun, Freeze, Sleep).

  • Built the full damage and status system using enums for attack types, struct-based skill definitions, and STAB bonuses.

  • Developed and stabilized win/loss conditions — battles end when either side’s party is fully depleted.

• Combat UI Enhancements:

  • Created a modular BattleHUD with toggling views between skill selection, item usage, and relic deployment.

  • Implemented skill execution, hit/miss feedback, and condition application via battle dialogue boxes.

  • Added UI logic for relic usage and ensured it properly ends the player’s turn.

• Item & Relic Integration:

  • Integrated item usage into battle, with proper turn-ending logic and dialogue display.

  • Created a dedicated struct and data table to manage which items can be used in combat and their effects.

• Capture System:

  • Developed a capture formula inspired by the Pokémon Gen I algorithm, modified to account for relic type, enemy HP, and status.

  • Implemented naming UI and Shadow Catalogue updates after successful captures.

  • Updated capture logic to function in live combat with turn-based sequencing.

• Shadow Catalogue & Persistence:

  • Created systems for tracking caught Shadows across runs and displaying them via an in-game catalogue.

  • Integrated new UI to name and confirm caught Shadows within the BattleHUD.

  • Linked the Shadow Catcher relic to the capture system and began catalog update hooks.

• Technical & Backend Updates:

  • Migrated legacy data from scattered Blueprint variables to organized C++ structs and data tables.

  • Refactored team and Shadow management systems for consistency and extensibility.

  • Integrated the minimap camera directly into the BasePlayer character class.