Graveyard Shift [Halloween]

AI was used for mesh generation and dialogue.
Custom UI world shop for unlocking weapons.
Basic commerce shop implementation, learnt about SKU use. That's not toilet paper!
Daily claims, functional, yet not very useful.
Gate to the final area.
The second area.
Avatar items, quest board, and a leaderboard that tracks vanquished undead.
Gate to the second area, ashes are obtained from quests and loot.
The final area, would be better if there had been a boss here.

Inspiration

After watching the 2025 Meta Connect keynote and learning about this hackathon from a friend, I saw a great opportunity to build something using the editor. The Chop 'n' Pop template was leveraged as a starting point. With prior experience in shooter & tycoon projects, I chose the shooter template because it suited the Halloween theme and felt less risky than a tycoon.

What it does

It's primarily a single-player game where you quest for items to fight the undead. I've attempted to support up to four players and all platforms. I features an advanced weapon system and a store for purchasing weapons and upgrading them. An AI NPC acts as quest giver. Data persists between sessions, and both quests and a leaderboard are implemented.

How I built it

Starting with the template, I developed a more complex weapon system using public assets as a foundation. I then integrated this into the existing zombie combat logic. The guns now include VFX such as casing ejection, muzzle smoke, and hit effects to enhance fidelity. Throughout development, I aimed to utilize as many gizmos as possible, gating weapons behind a store. I leveraged AI and Krita to customise UI graphics and extensively leveraged Gen AI tools to create 3D models, sound effects, and request coding assistance.

Challenges I ran into

I began the project late in the submission period, having never used the engine before - I've only had about 20 days. I also don't own a VR headset for playtesting, and overall had very limited time to test anything. I could have done with a few of those days for a slower pace, and for final polish, such as navmesh validation.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

This my first time releasing a game on any platform. I managed to submit on time with an "almost" complete implementation of the planned scope. There are likely still bugs related to multiplayer replication and VR, and the game definitely needs polish. Still, I believe I've created an immersive experience that builds meaningfully on the template, and I am fond of the NPC character implementation.

What I learned

I now have a solid understanding of the platform’s capabilities, as well as its current limitations.

What's next for Graveyard Shift [Halloween]

If I choose to continue the project, it will require revision. There's a lot of tight coupling, duplication, and unnecessary events. For now, it will serve as reference material. I look forward to implementing more sophisticated AI NPCs in future projects.