Hello and good day to you!
I am in charge of a Halo Infinite Machinima project Along with two others and we need a Unreal Engine expert script writer.
As to why Unreal Engine Scripting mastery/expertise is needed. I will explain.
First of all Halo Infinite’s visual node scripting bears a close resemblance to Unreal Engine’s blueprints as it uses the SlipSpace engine. SlipSpace was designed specifically for the Halo franchise but is a visual node scripting style. With traditional Unreal Scripting you have to get your syntax exactly perfect in ever single character and then spend weeks, months, or even years hunting down every single tiny possible error and quadruple checking every single character to make sure it works. With infinite’s visual nodes all the syntax and commands are self contained items that you simply connect correctly. You can even have multiple completely separate scripts executing at the same time, reference other scripts, create custom nodes, commands, conditions and events, reference specific ID’s, etc etc. Slipspace is capable of every single thing that traditional scripting is capable of but in fact is far more powerful, but only within Halo Infinite as it’s design is tailored for it alone. This means errors are exceptionally easy to find visually if you are an expert script writer and it also has a debug mode/command to isolate any you yourself missed. This makes the work and time to create extremely low.
As an example lets take a very simple scene walking down a very long straight stretch with multiple doors of multiple kinds and light bridges. None of the “doors” need to be animated no matter how complex. By using area triggers to play audio events, plus camera angles that NEVER show the door itself, or are a close up on a spot on the other side of the closed “door” where the character is standing before a audio event plays causing the object to simply de-spawn as the character walks through the “door” towards the camera, the viewer is convinced the door did in fact open and/or close. Same goes for light bridges. By using audio events with scripting of this kind with almost infinite options plus camera angles the viewer is convinced the bridge or what would have been animated has happened without it being animated. This core principle can be used to film sequences that would normally be impossible to do because there is no way the graph could handle the ridiculous number of nodes that would be necessary for the insane amount of animation that would be required and the simulation would not be capable of handling that level of massive load either. If it is something that is a new animation not before seen in the world then you only need to do it a few times to establish its audio cues in the viewers mind so that later when you are using it far more but only show it here and there a little the viewer fully believes it actually happened every time. If one of the light-bridges is a trap then you play an audio event of it deactivating before the object they are standing on de-spawns and they plummet out of view as they walk. You can also use dialogue in subtle ways with the words spoken to convince the viewer that events that are not animated are happening. Because in TV and movies, what is not seen is FAR more important than what IS seen. But again, this could not be done without scripting.
no. i understand that moving an item is animation. but what i don’t think is being understood is that we are going to use scripting without moving things to create exceptionally complex, long sequences of events that normally would be impossible for a map with scripting to accommodate in terms of number of nodes. This is doable because we will be using shifts in camera perspective, and camera cuts in combination with small set pieces that are only exactly the length/section for a smaller segment of time to create that feeling of things moving or having changed.
Combine that with in essence creating small set piece stages for specific sections and camera cuts and you create the same effect of a TV show where they do exactly the same thing. By using these principles a full animated TV show with multiple seasons and similar length episodes can be created with nothing but in-game footage. Also with scripting you can control the movement, perspective, and location of the “camera”, the player recording everything. This ensures the camera shots are correct in their movement. Scripting is what makes all of it possible. if it wasn’t for that it wouldn’t be possible.
Animation will still be there but far less than traditional with the vast majority done in this style. Also the scripting necessary would be much more complex than a single map could hold for the full sequence in terms of number of nodes with all the animation and load it would apply, but its accomplished using the set piece segment principle used in actual TV shows by overlapping the start and end of those segments in terms of the script, set piece used, and the “actor” (player) run through when performing those segments so is there is no feeling of things being stitched together from segments. Appearing to the viewer as if it’s a single long continuous shot while also being cinematic and pleasing like a Halo in-game cut-scene using in-game footage. We will also use halo 5 or 4 forge when appropriate as those have other functions that Infinite does not and the visuals are almost exactly the same style. Without the Infinite style of scripting though this goal is not achievable.
This is only a fleck of what is possible with scripting. Unfortunately we have received a vast amount of push-back and scorn from the halo forging community to this concept as they believe they are the experts on how to use scripting and have zero interest in the project. Even leading member of the community, streamers and you-tubers i have personally talked to have treated it with derision and scorn. I am new to scripting and have barely attempted it but even I can see the truth of what can be done.
As I and the other directors are in charge of other aspects of the project however and this is a passion project with no pay or money involved, we do not have the time or resources to learn how to script with visual scripting. I am asking, no, imploring anyone who loves Halo, or is interested in the franchise to join us in “Halo Infinite: Project Zero.” Together we can create something truly amazing never before seen, that will never be seen again.
Because the first one to attain Infinity will be the only one to ever do so.
Zero fear, Infinite success.
This…is Halo Infinite: Project Zero
If you are interested in or have more questions about Project Zero, contact me on Discord.
My name is Frozenaxe and my profile icon is that of the Daedalus from Stargate SG-1.
Frozenaxe…Director of Project Zero of the Office Of Naval Intelligence (ONI) …signing off.
Good luck Spartan,… you’re going to need it.