The henchmen showed up to work. Suits, attitude, and bad decisions. My solo arcade shooter is starting to feel like a real firefight. #indiegame #gamedev #UE5

Player can take damage from grenades if they're exposed now. I'm going to work on an alert indicator when there's an incoming "lethal" hit / projectile on the HUD next. #Grenade #Alert #UE5 #Unreal #GameDev #Arcade #Art #BlueSky #SoloDev #Shooter #VideoGames #Reload #TimeCrisis #verticalslice

I wanted to sketch again and plan out level design for my game. I need to close some gaps when choosing objectives in random order. Feels therapeutic especially since I'm back on the job market. #Art #sketch #games #design #drawing #pencil #figure #layout #level #map #gamedev #indiedev #bluesky

Weekend at Bernie's (1989) #gamedev #indiegame #WishlistWednesday

Bad news is I found out I'm about to be let go from my job, currently applying for new opportunities. www.brett-tipul.com is my portfolio. The Good news is I have a working vertical slice with my game. #VerticalSlice #Art #GameDev #UE5 #IndieDev #Gameover #Unreal #Arcade #VideoGames #Shooter

Tuned up the lethal hit system today. Peek out of cover too long and you've got under a second to slam back behind the wall before enemies punish the mistake. Feels mean. Feels right for a retro arcade shooter #gamedev #indiedev #UE5 #indiegame #madewithunreal #fps #retrogaming #Art

Took a break to play #Expedition33 and finally back at #GameDev. I started working on lethal hits to pop up randomly on all enemies. If you're not in cover these will trigger. Once this is done invite others to test it out. Interested? #Unreal #Art #IndeDev #UE5 #Tester #VideoGame #FPS #Arcade

Introducing quick mini game events and mini bosses like the Armored Vans that will spawn enemies if you don't taken them out in time. #UE5 #Arcade #VideoGame #Indie #IndieDev #SoloStudio #Maya #UnrealEngine #Unreal #Art #BlueSky #Physics #Explosion #Reload #Grenade #Movies #Action #Shooter #GameDev

Revisited the grenade deaths with #ragdoll #physics. Added angular impulses to randomize rotations on the blast. Had to throw in a #MichaelBay #Explosion reference and #SteveJablansky to top music off from #Transformers3 #Unreal #UE5 #Art #Boom #Grenade #GameDev #Indie #IndieDev #SoloDev #Bluesky

Quick video showing an objective completion / boss fight concept. It's tempting to add more art now as I progress. #Unreal #UE5 #EpicGames #Art #BlueSky #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #Indie #Developer #Animator #Artist #3D #VideoGames #80s #ParkingGarage #Arcade #Shooter #HighScore #UnrealEngine

Lately I've been working on one #Objective which is to destroy the enemies "Weapons Cache". Here's a small playthrough. This is a good area to introduce #Grenades to the #Player. #UE5 #Unreal #GameDev #SoloDev #IndieDev #Reload #HighScore #Shoot #Shooter #Arcade #CoinUp

I wish knew about #Sequencer sooner. This is going to be a blast to work with. #Unreal #UE5 #EpicGames #Art #BlueSky #GameDev #IndieDev #SoloDev #Indie #Developer #Animator #Artist #3D #VideoGames #80s #DieHard #ParkingGarage #Arcade #Shooter #HighScore #TimeCrisis #VirtuaCop #UnrealEngine

#ResisentEvil9 on the #Switch2 is incredible. #re9 #requiem

It's an absolute shame #Firefly TV show was cancelled after one season. The show still holds up to any modern TV / Sci Fi series.

#Navigation points were next to learn. I also did a few more artwork on the elevator spawns with the green light to trigger enemy spawns. #VerticalSlice is nearly complete. #Art #DigitalArt #Artist #Animation #MotionGraphics #CharacterAnimation #BlueSkyArt #GameDev #Unreal #UE5 #IndieDev #SoloDev

I started working on a #verticalslice. You take on a few waves before reaching an objective. Shoot a keypad to gain access and trigger story cutscene. 3 shootable objective panels will pop up for the player to choose / shoot #UE5 #Art #bluesky #GameDev #IndieDev #Animator #followme #Arist #wip

Elevator spawners are working now during an enemy wave. I can customize how many enemies can spawn during phases and will randomize every time you play. #Spawn #Elevator #Shooter #Arcade #Unreal #UE5 #Bluesky #Art #Animation #Reload #GameDev #IndieDev #Action #VirtuaCop #TimeCrisis #Maya #Aiming

#Score #Points working great so far. I also added in camera shake from enemies hit locations for some extra #Immersion. This could also factor in with #Difficulty settings. #Bluesky #Art #GameDev #Unreal #UE5 #HighScore #VideoGames #Arcade #Nostalgic #ActionMovie #DieHard #Shootout #Grenade #Reload

Started working on more #UI #Interface animations. I got a #Score ticker working like a #BulletSponge. Anything you shoot and is #destructible will populate the score just like in a classic #Arcade #Shooter. #Unreal #GameDev #IndieDev #UE5 #Art #SoloDev #HighScore #VideoGame #Developer #Animation

Little help with #AfterEffects to show the widgets rendering behind the grenade to stand out more. Still tweaking what type of alert widget animation this shoot be when a #grenade is thrown at the player. #UE5 #UnrealEngine #GameDev #IndieDev #Art #BlueSky #Arcade #PlayStation #Develop #Shooter

Enemies now #Shoot and throw #Grenades at the player. You can also shoot them out of the air as you should in a typical #Arcade #Shooter. The target widgets are temporary for now. Should the grenades explode when shot at? #Unreal #GameDev #Indie #Art #Bluesky #UE5 #Projectile #Mechanic #Feature

Here's a quick #Grenadier #Animation in #Maya took me an hour to block out. This new #Enemy type will throw more than just #Grenades down the road like Molotov's or Knives that the player can shoot at once thrown just in an #ArcadeGame. #UE5 #Autodesk #Manny #Projectile #Throw #BlueSky #Art #GameDev

First look after a year of learning UE5 - bringing back the arcade shooter glory days! 🎮 This is my homage to Virtua Cop and Time Crisis. I fed those arcade cabinets way too many quarters growing up. #gamedev #indiedev #unrealengine #arcadegames #madewithunreal #wip #retrogaming #gaming #BlueSky#Art

Enemies are peeking left & right with #reload #animations. I need to look at the IK Foot Trace since they are hovering above the concrete slab when #Peeking. I also want to add offsets for the arms to aim at the player eventually but it's working. #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #Art #BlueSky #Arcade

A year ago I started learning #UnrealEngine with an idea for a game influenced by 80s and 90s action movies. It's definitely been a journey to learn and create in this engine. More to share in 2026. #Art #Arcade #Shooter #reload #UE5 #Gamedev #IndieDev #Animator #Maya #Bluesky #Deadzone #Target #car

I got the Enemy Peeking logic working. I'm excited how this looks because as an #Animator, I can make a bunch of random peek behaviors and #Unreal can choose a new montage instead of the same #Peek #Animation over. #UE5 #GameDev #Arcade #Shooter #ActionMovie #DieHard #VirtuaCop #TimeCrisis #Art

Started working on the Enemy Peek and Shoot. #BehaviorTree does not like multiple montages I learned so I'm using Animation Composites. I'll add notifies down the road but this opens up to have multiple variations of peeking animations and logic. #Peek #Unreal #UE5 #Aim #GameDev #Art #BlueSky #Shoot

Started looking into movable objects on #splines. I want to get guys spawning out from the windows shooting at you eventually since this is my main focus now. #BabySteps #art #ShootOut #UnrealEngine #UE5 #GameDev #Bluesky #VideoGames #Photography #Cinematography #followme #fiction #digitalart #

More #Optimization. Learned a lot of how incredible this technique is absolutely needed. #Performance is still my priority. I also redid the #Car #Explosion with matching fire color from 80's #Action #Movies. #UE5 #Unreal #UnrealEngine #GameDev #IndieDev #Art #Bluesky #VideoGames #Physics

#screenShotSaturday #Art #GameDev #UnrealEngine #UE5 #Epic

#HappyThanksgiving! I've been busy learning #optimization. I've pooled a ton of #Niagara #Particles, got rid of collision boxes on #Tracers and did #Camera culling on all particles. #Performance is getting better. Also #Puddles on the sprinklers. #BlueSky #Development #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #Art

I keep testing the hell out of this system and I still find input gaps to plug so nothing breaks. I added a focus lerp on the pistol while #Reloading to give more immersion while you're #peeking around the pillar. #GameDev #IndieDev #Development #Art #BlueSky #VideoGames #HighScore #Unreal #UE5

Added more dynamic impact effects on enemies just like in #VirtuaCop. Still working on closing the gaps on button spamming between all behavior states. #Unreal #UnrealEngine #UE5 #Cover #Arcade #Shooter #Reload #BlueSky #IndieDev #GameDev #VFX #Animation #VideoGames #Reload #BlueSky #Art

I smoothed out #Peeking blends with rotation yaw enabling gradually. I also been experimenting with some score #niagara particle impacts to give off that #Arcade feeling. I also added a different camera shake when firing while peeking. #Unreal #UnrealEngine5 #GameDev #Art #BlueSky #Indie #Shooter

Last update before #ArcRaiders takes over my time. I added #FOV & #Vignette effects while you're peeking in #FPS mode. There will be more hand sway since the next step is diving into #AnimBlueprint. #Unreal #UE5 #GameDev #Art #Indie #Development #VideoGames #Arcade #Shooter #Action #Bluesky

Cleaning up the cover system by closing controller gaps to make everything is fast and smooth. I've been having loads of fun with #timelines and #camera #lerps. #DepthOfField has also been added seamlessly between #states. #Unreal #GameDev #Art #Arcade #VideoGames #Indie #Peek #Art #BlueSky

I've been working on #player controls while peeking. Holding A/D while in cover will let you #Peek and releasing will return to #Cover. RMB toggles FPS mode while in cover. I'm still working on #Camera #animations and #transitions. #Unreal #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #Development #Art #BlueSky #Arcade

I've been focusing on the cover system still. It will be more #cinematic as I progress but it's coming along nicely. Need to clean up a few things but it's looking great ! #UnrealEngine #UE5 #IndieDev #GameDev #FirstPerson #POV #Game #VideoGame #Reload #Art #BlueSky #FPS #3rdPerson #Movies #Action

Experimenting with a directional #camera tilt while #peeking. Also I'm still mapping out the #controls while you're in #cover. A mixture of toggle and hold keys / mouse will be used instead of holding a bunch of keys. #Unreal #UE5 #Art #Bluesky #Arcade #Animation #VirtuaCop #Reload #80s

#CoverSystem Update. I got the pillars working on all sides to exit and re-entry. I'll need to add a cooldown and smoother transitions but the #Logic is working. Time to do make it look better! #UE5 #Art #Unreal #IndieDev #GameDev #VideoGames #Arcade #80sMovies #Bluesky #Artist #Animator #Shooter

Seamless Cover System Update: Cover points are pushed out a bit in order to trigger all 4 sides appropriately but will address that later. Glad I got it working, now it's time to start the #Peek logic. #Cover #CoverSystem #Art #Unreal #UE5 #Seamless #VideoGame #Arcade #Shooter #BlueSky #Animation

Started to implement a seamless cover system on the pillars. It's going well as you can tell (LOL). It's progress so I'll take it! This is a major gameplay mechanic I want to be close to perfect. #UE5 #Unreal #GameDev #Bug #SoloStudio #Cover #Peek #Arcade #Shooter #Art #BlueSky

Still optimizing the lighting for performance, I added blob shadows to the characters and assets. I added an extra #NiagaraParticle to the #NPCs for a #Damage points deducting from them as you shoot them. #UE5 #Unreal #Particles #Shooter #BlueSky #Arcade #GameDev #IndieDev #VideoGames #SoloDev #Art

Optimized the #lighting, got some #opticalflares and an #HDRI map. Performance is almost where it needs to be. Very Satisfied so far! #Arcade #Shooter #BlueSky #Art #Unreal #UE5 #Animator #GameDev #IndieDev #Developer #ActionHero #ShootEmUp #VirtuaCop #DieHard #Explosion #ParkingGarage #80s #90s

Installed the #RTX5090 last week and productivity has skyrocketed. I optimized the lighting and post processing materials. The #SoundFX has been updated with the #Explosions. I still want to optimize the lighting more for the best #performance possible. #UE5 #Indie #Unreal #GameDev #Art #BlueSky

Time for an upgrade. I've heard good things while game developing in Unreal using a #RTX5090. #UE5 #unreal #gamedev #nvidia #upgrade #geforce #computer #battlestation

Started adding #SoundEffects with random cues. The #vocals are temporary since it doesn't match the garage environment but the #Impacts I'm happy with so far. Much to learn! #GameDev #UnrealEngine5 #Sounds #Art #VideoGame #ActionMovie #DieHard #Nostalgia #80s #BlueSky #IndieDev

After a few weeks I figured out how to get the player to render on top of #UI widgets. I want the weapon to be the #Hero like in the #PS2 game #BLACK but #Arcade style. Need to cleanup the blueprints but it's working! I also updated the enemy hits to be a tad more bloody. #UE5 #Unreal #Widget #Art

I was ready to give up, but the fab store had a scene texture plugin to help me out with getting just the players mesh to render in front of UI widgets. I set up a Master Widget blueprint with proper canvas panels and retaining boxes. #Unreal #Material #GameDev #IndieDev #Art #UI #Bluesky #Arcade

I'm working on getting the hands / pistol to render on top of the UI #Widget. I have a material working from a render target but if I put this material on a widget, the white still renders on top but the masking works. Im almost positive the #material needs work. #UE5 #Unreal #Gamedev #IndieDev #Art