Bit of a late reply, but thanks for the questions. Will answer your questions in reverse order.
Yes i am developing new project should be complete soon. Called the “The Outpost” is about -two space explorers crash land on planet and discover an abandoned outpost. Once inside they discover the evil hidden there.
I am hobbyist, many years ago i started modeling with Blender, then jumped into UE3 a bit. Took break for awhile and then got into iclone for character animation. These days spending more time trying to perfect my skills in UE4/5 environment for cinematics.
Regarding your questions on my story. Those are all good points that could have improved the story telling. But for me my main goal was just to see if i could pull it all together. Use it as learning experience to become better at the tools.
It did take several months to create for sure. I do have full time job, so was mainly on weekends. Some of those sets took awhile to create, even though i purchased most of the content. But yes its one person show.
I am a jack of all trades, master of none. But you should see slight improvement in my next project.