My First Game Dev Journey: Week 9

This week I’ve definitely had a bit more of a spring in my step. After feeling stuck for a while, between being unwell and realising my computer wasn’t powerful enough to run certain tools like MetaHuman, I’ve finally managed to work my way over a hurdle that had been slowing me down. I’ve also been rejigging my Gantt chart and adjusting my schedule after being ill, moving things around to make sure I can still fit everything in realistically without putting too much pressure on myself. 

As you’ll know from previous posts, I was really hoping to use MetaHuman for character creation. Unfortunately, due to hardware limitations, it just wasn’t a viable option for me this time around. After stepping back, doing some research, and reassessing what was realistic within the time I have, I came across MakeHuman. 

MakeHuman feels like a lighter alternative to MetaHuman. While it doesn’t offer the same ultra-realistic facial detail, it’s far less demanding on system resources, which makes it a much better fit for my setup. Although I was initially disappointed about not being able to use MetaHuman, I’m relieved to have found a tool that allows me to keep moving forward rather than staying stuck. 

Using the character sheet I created earlier, I began building one of my characters in MakeHuman, guided by the mood boards and colour palettes I’d already curated. Once everything was downloaded and set up, the creation process itself was surprisingly straightforward and didn’t take long at all. Seeing the character take shape, even in this early form, felt like a small but meaningful win after a few slower weeks. 

Alongside character creation, I’ve also been focusing on finalising the dialogue for the game. This week I’ve been refining the script so it’s ready to send over to my voice actor. Hopefully, we’ll be able to squeeze in a production walk-through before Christmas, giving us the chance to read through the script together, check that everything flows naturally, and identify any amendments that might need to be made before recording begins. 

Over the next stage, I’ll be setting up basic rigging for the character and play-testing how they behave and interact once imported into Unreal Engine. This will help me better understand movement, scale, and interaction within the game world. I’ll also be repeating this process for the main playable character so both characters follow the same workflow and remain consistent throughout development.