Hat Selection

In Soul Food, players pick hats to customize their appearance and differentiate themselves from other players.

The Hat Selection Screen evolved drastically from the beginning of the project. Initially, it was developed in UMG which laid the groundwork for a diegetic implementation. I created a modular UI system within UMG with blueprints for gamepad support. The original screen is made up of several custom "UI Components" that are customizable in real time. It also only updates when given input to keep the UI optimized.

Eventually, this screen was translated into a diegetic version which had a physical place in the main menu. The framework was still maintained, however instead of a UMG implementation, the Hat Select was transformed into a Hat Shelf, where players can optionally customize their appearance.

Hall of Famish

The Hall of Famish was originally a recipe book that stored all the dishes and recipes that have been discovered by the players.

Like the Hat Select, the Hall of Famish was changed to be a diegetic screen to improve player immersion in the game. Recipes are stored in a rolodex and can be viewed at any time. Players can also zoom in and study the dishes individually.