Contextual Animator

CONTROLS: WASD to move. 

Inspired by The Last of Us Part 2 and the Unreal Engine 5 demo, this experimental demo tries to take a deeper look at how contextual animations can be used in gameplay.

While most animations are time-based, contextual animations depend on the distance of a player to an object. 

Although contextual animations require much more time and effort to develop than traditional animations, they have gameplay value without ripping the player out of immersion via a cutscene. It allows the player (or any NPC) to connect with their environment in a more organic-looking way. 

An example of this seamless integration between player and environment is when, in almost any Assassin's Creed game, the player can blend or hide seamlessly into their environment, such as a bar or a group of people talking. However, these situations are specifically placed throughout the world, whereas this takes a more systems-based approach. 

While this is definitely not a game (yet), it does explore the potential advantages of using contextual animations as a core game mechanic. 

Currently all you will see is a character in a scene with various blue geometric objects. The character picks up the cylinder using a contextual animation. Animations for the character and other objects (such as the wall or NPC) will come later. 

For a more detailed understanding of the coding structure and potential applications, please see my devlog.