Cloud Runner (unfinished)

Working on this game jam was an eye opening experience. Coupled with the sheer amount of work I had to do for another course as well getting to take a refresher with something I actually wanted to work on was great.  This three lane runner is a good example of something that's able to be cooked up in such a small time frame.

However fun it may be, anyone playing the game can see it's not at the most perfect capabilities. While I was making the HUD there were plenty of Variables I needed to call to update certain UI elements that just didn't exist by the time I was done. In doing such we ran out of time for fully finalized assets and as such we had to upload a barebones project.

I recently took part in a short game jam with classmates, contributing under 12 total hours while also finishing deliverables for another course. Given the constraints, we intentionally scoped the project down to a simple three-lane runner and focused on execution over experimentation.

My primary contribution was building the pickup base system and coin collection logic in Unreal. The system was designed to be reusable and data-driven, supporting multiple pickup types beyond coins. Due to a late miscommunication, the coin system wasn’t fully integrated into the final build, but the underlying framework is complete and easily extendable.

The biggest challenge wasn’t technical complexity, but time management and coordination under a tight window. Working across overlapping deadlines reinforced the importance of early alignment and frequent check-ins, especially when systems depend on downstream implementation.

Even with a small project, the jam highlighted how much value comes from disciplined scope control, clean systems, and shipping something playable on time.

I’d love feedback on the core loop and feel of the runner.