Neon Run
Mechanics Demonstration
Overview
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Role: Solo Developer & Designer
Focus: Gamepad-Optimized Traversal, Vector Mathematics, Metrics-Based Level Design, UX Affordance
Neon Run is a bespoke, Gamepad-optimized first-person parkour experience built entirely in Unreal Engine 5. The project investigates the critical tension between realistic physics simulation and psychological "Game Feel" within high-speed traversal systems.
Serving as the sole developer and designer, I constructed a highly fluid movement system featuring a montage-driven wall-run, kinetic sliding, deterministic grappling, and contextual multi-trace vaulting. By implementing custom background telemetry to capture spatial player data, the project serves as a comprehensive study in aligning mechanical Blueprint code with strict architectural level design metrics.
The Core Traversal Loop
Kinetic Flow & Momentum:
To establish a continuous "Flow State," I removed stamina limitations in favour of an unlimited kinetic sprint system. The traversal loop relies on continuous velocity manipulation, dynamically shifting the character's MaxWalkSpeed to a 600uu/s sprint threshold. Advanced mechanics like the wall-run and kinetic slide are mathematically gated, requiring players to maintain this specific velocity to execute combos.
Digital Embodiment:
Achieved a 'True First-Person' perspective by parenting the camera directly to the head bone socket of the character's skeletal mesh. This successfully induces "Visual Kinesthesis," capturing the rhythmic bobbing of the animation sequence to generate immediate kinaesthetic feedback without relying on artificial camera shakes.
Advanced Mechanics & Player Guidance
Contextual Vaulting (Multi-Trace Spatial Queries):
Developed a complex multi-trace sequence (utilizing Forward, Height, and Depth sphere traces) to mathematically differentiate between a thin barrier requiring a vault and a deep surface requiring a mantle.
Advanced Vector Mathematics:
Calculated precise reflection vectors for wall-jumping by utilizing Dot Products between the wall's normal and the player's forward vector. Designed a deterministic grappling hook by normalizing the vector between the player and the raycast impact point, utilizing a Physics Handle Component to generate a dynamic tension line that perfectly preserves kinetic velocity.
Visual Affordance & Cognitive Mapping:
At high traversal speeds, players require immediate cognitive clarity. I established a strict color-coding lexicon—utilizing highly saturated Neon Red to signal wall-runs and Icy Blue to denote slides. This acts as a passive tutorial that operationalizes the theory of Perceived Affordance.
Engineering Solutions & Game Feel
The Physics Collision vs. 'Game Feel'
The Challenge:
When utilizing a purely physics-based approach for the wall-run, the engine's attempt to continuously resolve collisions between the character's capsule and the wall geometry caused severe "Capsule Jitter," repeatedly breaking the animation state.
The Solution:
I architected a "Montage-Driven Architecture" that authoritatively overrides the Animation Blueprint. During complex transitions like vaulting, the system temporarily disables standard capsule collision, shifts the movement state to Flying, and drives the spatial translation entirely via baked Root Motion. This prioritizes psychological 'Game Feel' and deterministic smoothness over strict physical engine simulation.
Empirical Design & Takeaways
Empirical Level Design (The 'SlideGate' Anomaly):
The Challenge:
Relying solely on qualitative playtesting is prone to observer bias, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where level geometry is failing to support the traversal mechanics.
The Solution:
I built a custom GameInstance "Analytics Vault" to autonomously capture background spatial telemetry across level transitions without data being wiped by standard respawns. This system identified a massive architectural bottleneck at a checkpoint, recording 71 localized player deaths. The empirical data proved that while the kinetic slide code was functional, the level geometry did not provide enough physical runway to achieve the required 600uu/s velocity. This allowed me to iterate using hard, metrics-based level design adjustments rather than guesswork.
Takeaways:
Metrics-First Blockouts vs. Simultaneous Iteration:
Critically analysing my early development process, I fell into the trap of trying to build the level layout at the exact same time I was programming the core traversal mechanics. When I later tweaked the friction or gravity scales in the Character Movement Component to improve the 'Game Feel', it instantly broke the spatial metrics of the entire level, requiring massive, time-consuming geometric rebuilds.
Moving forward, I will strictly enforce a "Sterile Level" methodology. Level design cannot begin until the character metrics (exact jump apex, max velocity, slide distance) are 100% mathematically locked in a blank test environment. Once the character's spatial footprint is a mathematical constant, building the subsequent level geometry becomes drastically faster and requires significantly fewer revisions.
