My main focus for this senior project is the User Interface. Personally, I feel it can be hard to show off a project when interacting with said project is clunky and confusing. Since our project does not have a specific style, I decided I wanted to make a dark, simple interface that anyone could understand. I might end up stylizing it somehow, but the built-in UI tools with the game engine we are using are somewhat limited. Who knows? Our game engine, Bevy, gets significant releases every few months, and I know they plan on overhauling their UI system at some point.
I have implemented a few UI areas. There is a main menu one can use to join the world or exit the game. A simple pause menu gives the user a few options while the game is running. Since our game has a vehicle, I added a speedometer overlay that will eventually update the car’s speed in real-time. I also added a secondary camera view that will ultimately be used by the car’s AI for self-driving. There have been no significant breakthroughs in the project, but that is understandable since the project is just starting out.
On the work side, applying for internships is still the season. Last year, I did not hear back from many places, so I decided to redo my portfolio website. I am a fan of Blizzard games, so I decided to make an interactive version of their battle.net launcher on my website.
Link to portfolio: https://johnklucinec.vercel.app/
I look forward to seeing what my team will create in the upcoming semesters.
2 replies on “Blog Post #3 – Off to a great start”
This is such a well-thought-out approach to your senior project! Focusing on the User Interface is a fantastic choice since it’s often the first thing users interact with and can significantly impact how they perceive the entire project. A dark, simple interface is a great starting point—it aligns well with accessibility and ease of use. It’s exciting to hear about Bevy’s planned UI system overhaul, and it’s smart that you’re designing with adaptability in mind.
The specific UI elements you’ve implemented, like the main menu, pause menu, and speedometer overlay, sound like they’re already adding a lot of functionality to your project. The secondary camera view for AI self-driving is particularly intriguing and shows great forward-thinking for integrating advanced features into your game.
It’s also great to hear about your portfolio website update. Using Blizzard’s battle.net launcher as inspiration is an awesome idea—it’s not only interactive but also shows off your creativity and passion for gaming. I hope this new portfolio opens doors for you during internship season!
Looking forward to seeing how both your project and your career grow in the coming semesters. Best of luck to you and your team!
This is such a well-thought-out approach to your senior project! Focusing on the User Interface is a fantastic choice since it’s often the first thing users interact with and can significantly impact how they perceive the entire project. A dark, simple interface is a great starting point—it aligns well with accessibility and ease of use. It’s exciting to hear about Bevy’s planned UI system overhaul, and it’s smart that you’re designing with adaptability in mind.
The specific UI elements you’ve implemented, like the main menu, pause menu, and speedometer overlay, sound like they’re already adding a lot of functionality to your project. The secondary camera view for AI self-driving is particularly intriguing and shows great forward-thinking for integrating advanced features into your game.
Looking forward to seeing how both your project and your career grow in the coming semesters. Best of luck to you and your team!