{"id":73,"date":"2025-08-07T17:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/?p=73"},"modified":"2025-08-27T21:18:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:18:51","slug":"portfolio-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/portfolio-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Portfolio Progress Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>What I\u2019ve Been Working On:<\/strong>&nbsp;Over the past week, I\u2019ve focused on laying the groundwork for my \u201cmegadungeon\u201d project in Unreal Engine 5. My aim is to create a procedural dungeon reminiscent of classic TTRPG complexes, something sprawling, layered, and full of opportunities for emergent gameplay. To get comfortable with UE5\u2019s procedural content generation tools, I started by building out a procedural forest environment, scattering grass, bushes, and trees across rolling hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d2e7f52fe85&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69d2e7f52fe85\" class=\"wp-block-image wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1936\" height=\"1040\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug.png 1936w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug-1024x550.png 1024w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PCG_Forest_Aug-1536x825.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1936px) 100vw, 1936px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A \u201cfun\u201d challenge popped up when I ran into the infamous Texture Streaming Pool error as my terrain got more complex. Diagnosing that issue taught me a lot about optimizing textures and memory settings for large environments, a skill I know I\u2019ll need as the project scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69d2e7f53030e&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69d2e7f53030e\" class=\"wp-block-image wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"816\" height=\"258\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Issues1_Crop.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-74\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Issues1_Crop.png 816w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Issues1_Crop-300x95.png 300w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Issues1_Crop-768x243.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 816px) 100vw, 816px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the character side, I\u2019ve built a modern explorer character to navigate the ruins. Basic movement (walk, run, jump, crouch) and animation blueprints are functional. It\u2019s satisfying seeing the player controller come together, and it\u2019s a good test bed for dungeon traversal mechanics down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><video src=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GI_Week1.mp4\" controls=\"false\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\"><\/video><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Artwise, I had a productive meeting with Erica Henderson, the artist working with me \u2013 she\u2019s a Veteran too(Air Force, but I won\u2019t hold that against her lol). She\u2019s put together a really evocative style board, it walks a line between pulp adventure and eldritch decay, which is exactly the vibe I\u2019m after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1528\" src=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-76\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard.png 2560w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard-1024x611.png 1024w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard-768x458.png 768w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard-1536x917.png 1536w, https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/StyleBoard-2048x1222.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Current Status:<\/strong>&nbsp;With the foundation laid, I\u2019m starting on structural dungeon generation, aiming to get a first pass of the \u201cmegadungeon\u201d ready over the next week or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Next Steps:<\/strong>&nbsp;Short term, my goal is to get a functional dungeon prototype up and running, complete with entry\/exits, room layouts, and basic obstacles, enough to get early playtest feedback on layout and flow. Once that works, I\u2019ll iterate based on feedback and start layering in gameplay systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What I\u2019ve Been Working On:&nbsp;Over the past week, I\u2019ve focused on laying the groundwork for my \u201cmegadungeon\u201d project in Unreal Engine 5. My aim is to create a procedural dungeon reminiscent of classic TTRPG complexes, something sprawling, layered, and full of opportunities for emergent gameplay. To get comfortable with UE5\u2019s procedural content generation tools, I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-portfolio","category-school"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Portfolio Progress Week 1 - Chris Carlton<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/chriscarlton.net\/index.php\/2025\/08\/07\/portfolio-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Portfolio Progress Week 1 - Chris Carlton\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What I\u2019ve Been Working On:&nbsp;Over the past week, I\u2019ve focused on laying the groundwork for my \u201cmegadungeon\u201d project in Unreal Engine 5. 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