Samsara (Peacock Fan Mirror)

Project Summary

• Implemented an offhand weapon in Unreal Engine 5.
• Created functionality for a projectile-absorbing shield which accumulates charge based on received damage.
• Created dynamic ripple shader for shield which reacts to impacts.
• Developed AOE ability that heals allies and stuns enemies, using the built-up weapon charge.
• Integrated animations, audio, resource logic, and gameplay states into the item.

My Contributions

• Blueprint implementation of item functionality.
• Custom material shader development.
• Animation/Action integration.
• Audio event integration.
• Resource balancing and player feedback systems.

Projectile Collision With Shield

	flowchart LR
	A[Projectile Hits Shield] --> B[Destroy Projectile]
	B --> C[Damage Converted to Charge]
	C --> D[Shield Changes Colour]
	D --> E[Data Given to Ripple Material]
	A --> F[Player Performs Impact Animation]
	F --> G[Shield Impact Sound Played]
	

AOE Ability Used

	flowchart LR
	A[Player Activates Ability] --> B[AOE Effect Active]
	B --> C[Heal Allies]
	C --> D[Stun Enemies]
	D --> E{Exceeded Max Age?}
	E -- No --> B
	E -- Yes --> F[Destroy Effect]
	A --> G[Player Performs Ability Animation]
	G --> H[Ability Used Sound Played]
	

Energy Shield

• Activated by holding the parry button when offhand item is equipped.
• Disabled when using two-handed weapons.
• Consumes Focus Points¹ over time.
• Absorbs incoming projectiles.
• Projectile damage converted to weapon charge.
• Visual colour change to indicate charge level (blue → red).
• Includes sound cues for raising/lowering, projectile impact, and when the weapon becomes fully charged.

¹ Focus Points are a resource in the game that is generated by parrying, killing, and other player actions.

Shield Material

• Built a custom Unreal Engine material system, driven by projectile impact data.
• Impact position and timestamp are passed to the material to generate ripple effects at the correct point on the shield's surface.
• Ripple behaviour is fully parameterised, including: frequency, intensity, radius, colour, and lifetime.
• Ripple fade-out is implemented using an exponential falloff for smooth dissipation.
• Modular design so that (if necessary) multiple ripples could coexist simultaneously.