Fire Department Intership
Features
01.
General information
02.
My experience
03.
My contribution
General information
Team Size: 1
Platform: unreal engine
Genre: Serious Game/Simulator
My experience
In the second period of my third year, I took an internship position as a VR Unreal Developer at the Dutch Fire Department. For this project, I had access to a collection of assets from previous interns, which provided a solid foundation to build upon. At first, the project felt overwhelming and somewhat chaotic as I familiarized myself with the existing work and the overall structure. However, as I found my rhythm and gained a deeper understanding of the project, I began to truly enjoy the process of developing VR experiences. This internship not only strengthened my technical skills but also deepened my passion for VR development and problem-solving within complex systems.
My Contribution
I joined an existing project where a solid foundation had already been established. My role was to expand on this work by implementing several new features that enhanced the functionality of the fire truck. This included adding interactive buttons to activate various systems, such as turning on all the truck's essential functions. Additionally, I developed features like a deployable ladder and an integrated fuel system, ensuring a more immersive and realistic VR experience.
Rotating Crank
rotating crank
In this game, the player takes control of a standard Dutch fire truck, with the ability to adjust various pipes to regulate water flow. This includes opening and closing specific pipes to direct the water as needed. To enhance realism and interactivity, I developed a system that tracks the player's hand movements, allowing them to physically turn a crank to control the water distribution. This adds an immersive, hands-on element to the gameplay, making the firefighting experience more engaging and intuitive.
Fire WaterSprayer
Water Spayer
In the game, the player must be able to put out fires using a functional water gun system. I developed a system that allows the water gun to connect to a fire hydrant, enabling it to pump and spray water effectively. Additionally, the water gun can also be attached to the fire truck, allowing for a more versatile firefighting experience. This system ensures a realistic and dynamic interaction, making fire suppression both engaging and immersive for the player.
light button
LightButton
In both real life and games, fire trucks have powerful lights that help with visibility, especially in emergencies. These large lights shine brightly to ensure the truck can be seen and to light up the area during operations.
I’ve designed a simple light switch for this. Press the button once to turn the lights on, and press it again to turn them off. This mimics real-life usage, where the lights are easily controlled depending on the situation. It’s an intuitive system that adds realism and functionality, allowing quick adjustments in any scenario.
Ladder
Ladder
The fire truck is equipped with a ladder that can be easily controlled with the press of a button. When you press the button, the ladder moves up, extending to reach higher areas. Pressing the button again moves the ladder back down, allowing for quick adjustments. This simple control mechanism makes it easy to position the ladder as needed, adding convenience and realism to both the game and real-life operations.
Blinking Lights
Blinker Button
For the fire truck, blinking lights are essential for signaling during emergencies. To achieve this, I developed a system that controls the lights, turning them on and off in a realistic flashing pattern. The system ensures that every light follows a proper sequence, creating an authentic emergency effect. This feature plays a crucial role in alerting other road users and enhancing the overall realism of the game.
Alarm Siren
Alarm Button
I developed an alarm button that, when activated, changes the light to yellow and makes it blink on and off. This feature is designed to signal specific alerts or warnings within the game. By pressing the button, players can toggle the flashing yellow light, adding an extra layer of interactivity and realism to the fire truck's emergency systems.
FuelManagers
FuelManager
developed a fuel tracking system for the engine that gradually depletes over time. Every 20 seconds, a light turns off to indicate the decreasing fuel level. When the fuel gets low, a warning light turns on to alert the player. If the fuel runs out completely, the system automatically shuts down the engine, adding a realistic challenge to managing fuel consumption in the game.