Barrels Game
Development
Overview
This project is a small interactive prototype developed in Unreal Engine that combines 3D asset production, UI interaction, and Blueprint based gameplay logic. I modeled the barrel in Autodesk Maya, textured it in Adobe Substance 3D Painter, and imported it into Unreal Engine as the main interactive object in the scene. The final prototype centers on a simple gameplay loop where the barrel drops into the scene, explodes when triggered by the player, and is then regenerated for repeated interaction.
Workflow
I began by building the barrel model in Maya with a clear and readable silhouette, then added color and surface detail in Substance 3D Painter before bringing it into Unreal. After the asset was imported, I constructed a simple scene around it and added a moving truck to give the environment more activity. I also built a UI with a Boom button to trigger the barrel explosion and a Leave button with a confirmation flow so the player could exit the prototype through the interface.
Blueprint Logic
The Blueprint system connects the interface to the gameplay loop. At the start of the level, the Level Blueprint gets the Game Mode reference, creates the UI widget, adds it to the viewport, and sets the input mode so the player can interact with the on screen controls. It also enables the mouse cursor, which supports the UI based interaction.
After the interface is initialized, the Level Blueprint continues by setting the input mode to UI only, showing the mouse cursor, and binding the Boom button event to a custom respawn event. This creates a clear connection between the interface and the gameplay system.
When the Boom button is triggered, the barrel system uses a respawn chain that includes a short delay before generating a new barrel actor in the scene. The spawn setup also includes randomized rotation values, which help repeated interactions feel less static.
The barrel actor Blueprint handles the explosion itself. Once the custom event is called, it spawns the explosion effect at the barrel’s world location and then destroys the current barrel actor. This provides immediate visual feedback and completes the interaction loop before the next barrel is spawned.
The UI layout was designed to support this interaction clearly and simply. The Boom button acts as the primary action, while the Leave button and confirmation options create a basic but complete user flow for entering and exiting the prototype.
Outcome
This project helped me practice a full real time workflow that moves from modeling and texturing into implementation, UI setup, and Blueprint based gameplay logic. Although the scope is intentionally small, it demonstrates how I connect asset creation with player input, visual feedback, and repeatable interaction inside Unreal Engine.