bobbygarzagames.com
+ Fire For Effect +
Prototyping, Design, Iteration, Playtesting
Unreal Engine 5 | Blueprint
Project Summary
Built in Unreal Engine 5, Fire For Effect is a tactical first-person shooter prototype focused on increasing player immersion through tactile weapon handling and physical interaction systems. Inspired by the natural interactions found in virtual reality, the project explores how traditional flat-screen games can create a stronger sense of physical presence through direct player input.
Rather than relying on traditional button-based interactions, I designed, play-tested, and implemented systems that allow players to manipulate objects directly within the game world. Firearms require manual handling, including loading ammunition, inserting magazines, and chambering rounds before firing. Environmental objects and inventory items can also be physically manipulated through drag-based interactions, creating a more tangible relationship between the player and the game world.
Documentation video with sound!
Designing Tactile Interaction Systems
Prototype Walkthrough
Many first-person games abstract physical interactions into simple button presses. While this creates accessibility and efficiency, I also find it to be an untapped source of direct connection between the player and the game world!
Inspired by immersive titles such as System Shock, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Receiver 2, I wanted to explore whether traditional first-person controls could provide a similar sense of physical presence to that of virtual reality.
For Fire For Effect, I designed a tactile interaction system where players manipulate weapons, inventory items, and world objects directly through mouse-based interactions, as if it was the player's hand. The goal was not to add complexity for its own sake, but to determine whether more physical interactions could create stronger player agency and immersion.
One key challenge was ensuring that interaction remained intuitive rather than becoming a test of memorizing individual controls. Games such as Receiver 2 successfully simulate detailed weapon handling, but many actions rely on dedicated key bindings. I wanted Fire For Effect's interactions to feel less like executing commands and more like physically performing actions.
To achieve this, I created a unified interaction mode that combined inventory management, object manipulation, and weapon handling. With one keybind, the player's camera would lock, instead controlling a cursor which allowed for direct manipulation of objects. In this "Interact Mode", players could move items between their inventory, move physics objects in the game-world, and manually operate firearms through a consistent interaction system.
Original sketches planning original systems & mechanics
