Hereford College — FMP Major Project
A final major project built in Unreal Engine 5.6, focused on procedural gameplay systems, level design, and polished weapon feel.
Institution
Hereford College
Role
Gameplay Programmer & Level Designer
Timeline
January – May 2026
Deliverables
Unreal Engine, WorldMachine, Blueprints
1
Polished FMP build delivered
16
Weeks of production
2
Gameplay systems implemented
4/5
Satisfaction Rate
The brief
The Hereford College FMP was a project built in Unreal Engine 5.6, designed to showcase procedural weapon mechanics, semi-realistic terrain using WorldMachine, and polished gameplay feel. The goal was to deliver a finished experience that could be presented at the final exhibition.
"This project needed to feel tight and responsive while still supporting an immersive feeling with the environment to maintain a systematic approach to level design."
Discovery & research
Playtests
I started experimenting with early prototypes of different level layouts using WorldMachine to try and create a more realistic landscape within a western theme.
- Originally the landscape was too sharp and could not be easily traversed
- Landscape was barren due to no vegetation or detail(buildings).
- Navmesh had too many unreachable areas due to the sharp inclines.
- Testing revealed that players struggled with navigation and spatial awareness.
Design review
I started experimenting with early prototypes of weapon mechanics to refine the combat experience. This involved iterating on damage values, fire rate, and weapon handling to ensure a satisfying and balanced gameplay loop.
Landscape and Modular Weapon UI from the Hereford College FMP.
Design strategy
For the FMP, I centred the design on three core principles: gameplay feel, modular environments, and visual clarity.
Gameplay feel first
Prioritise weapon responsiveness, recoil feedback, and player control before adding secondary systems.
Decorated environments
Using FAB Assets for quick environment iteration and testing for navmeshes and navigation.
Visual clarity
Use lighting, landmark geometry, and audio cues to make the environment feel intentional.
Process
Week 1–2 · Terrain Generation
I began with testing multiple iterations of WorldMachine for terrain generation to see what would be the best fit for the game's aesthetic and gameplay needs.
Prototype environments
Built and tuned the first environment prototype in Unreal Engine 5.6.
Iterate landscape material
Used a landscape material to create a cohesive visual language for the environment for immersion.
Refine traversable terrain
Tuned the terrain geometry to ensure smooth traversal and maintain visual coherence.
Polish visuals
Added lighting, post-process, and particle effects to strengthen mood and highlight important game moments.
Final polish
Performed final adjustments to the environment, ensuring all elements were cohesive and met the project's vision.
Gameplay environment polish and level iteration for the Hereford College FMP.
Landmark iterations for immersion within the Hereford College FMP.
Gameplay overview after iteration for the Hereford College FMP.
Key design decisions
Prioritise gameplay feel
The FMP's success relied on the environment, the combat and responsive controls. Everything else was built to support a strong core loop rather than distract from it.
Readable environments
I designed the environments with clear landmarks and lighting so each playthrough felt unique but not confusing. This kept the player's forward momentum through the experience.
Layered visual polish
Particles, lighting, and audio were added selectively to reinforce key experiences — weapon fire, enemy hits, and traversing within the level — without overwhelming performance.
Results
The completed FMP was delivered on schedule with a final animation sequence of the environment and tight gun mechanics.
- Final build delivered: on schedule for college assessment
- Gameplay systems implemented: 2 unique mechanics
- Player feedback: responsive combat and clear environment flow
- Stability: stable with minimal issues on tested hardware
"This FMP showed strong gameplay focus and technical depth. The environment felt immersive and the combat loop was engaging from the first playtest."
Reflections
The main lesson from this project was that a polished core loop transforms even a technically ambitious FMP into something enjoyable. Environments are valuable, but they must be grounded in clear player goals.
If I were to improve this project further, I would spend additional time on audio mix and performance tuning earlier in the schedule to leave more scope for final-level detail and would also continue development on environment detail.
Interested in a similar gameplay project? Get in touch — I’m available for new work now.
