Over the last year of University.

What have I learned and what went well-

One of the main skills/tools which I have learnt over the course of this year as a games developer is the 3D modelling tool 3DSmax. Previously I only had experience using the tool Blender but after a year of completing assignments, workshops, and lessons on this piece of software I feel I have finally developed a better understanding of it and that it is something I could use in my personal projects along with in other work.

The model of my computer which I submitted for my 3D modelling assignment made in 3DSmax-

Another key thing I have learned over this year is Unreal Engine and C++. Previously I had only ever used and learnt the Unity engine with C# so this has been a major change for me. Im really happy with the work that I've done in Unreal Engine over this year and I think I've definitely progressed a lot with it. I am looking forward to using it for further projects throughout this course and being able to widen my skillset with it.

I also for the first time ever actually finished a game! The game Elysium's Holt is the first project I have ever actually fully completed and am happy with in every way. Alongside this it also includes some systems I made which are beyond anything I have ever made before in terms of complexity and efficiency, and it is just overall something im really proud of.

Finally one of the big things I learned this year is how to work as part of a team especially team leadership. I really learnt a lot about when to step in with group leadership when things start to go wrong and how to divide responsibilities between a full group rather than just doing everything myself.

What could've been better-

One of the key things I definitely could have done better on is really the entire art module. I have no experience with art both physical or digital so its been extremely hard to learn how to do it all over the space of a year. I would have definitely liked to spend more time on the art module though and regret not focusing more on it as I feel it could really improve my work as a games developer, I think in the future I will do some more art work to try and fill this gap in my skillset.

One of the art pieces which I submitted for my art assignment made in krita-

Another thing is definitely c++. Though I can use it to a limited extent I am nowhere near able to use it as well as I'd like to and C# is still by far my primary language. I think in hindsight I should have tried to do a large personal project using C++ to really teach myself a lot about it, but this would have been difficult with the various time constraints of other work. I think over this summer I will try and make a game engine with a 3D renderer as a challenge to myself. Even if I am unable to complete this project it would certainly teach me a lot about C++ and the various maths that goes with it.