iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

It's estimated between 20-25% of people dislike mayonnaise yet nearly all premade sandwiches have mayo. This is why I often go for a meal deal but end up leaving empty handed. My local shop only ever gets one 'just ham' delivered a day. Who decided nearly all sandwiches should have mayo?

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I often feel like I should post more but social media fatigue is real. I don't even have the energy to read other people's posts. 😕

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Bugs, bugs and more bugs. The worst part about adding a new mechanic is getting it to mesh nicely with the other systems. 🥲 #GameDev #SoloDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Open for freelance work 👋 I bring 15+ years of experience with Unreal Engine, specialising in system design using Blueprints. If you need robust gameplay systems, clean architecture, or help turning ideas into reality, let’s talk. Drop me a DM. #GameDev #UE5 #Freelance #IndieDev #GameJobs

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Perhaps it's time to start taxing capital that is borrowed against... After all it's just a way to avoid paying tax... Just saying.

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I think this will be the final mechanic I add to Hexion. Surrounding a pentagon tile with the same elements will result in them being pulled together preventing them from being interacted with by the player. Use an ability or hope the board shifts in your favor. #UE5 #IndieDev #SoloDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I'm available for freelance work. I have over 15+ years working with unreal. My main area is system design using blueprints. Drop me a message to see how I might be able to help bring your vision to life. #GamesJobs #UE5

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Starting to feel fatigue making my game. So many little bits to finish off and lots of balancing. Play testing is starting to take up a lot of time. 😭 #IndieDev #SoloDev #Fatigue

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I have a squirrel living in my loft. The kids have named them 'Nutty' as we see them frequently. Nutty however thinks they're a gecko clinging to the walls of the house. #Nature #Squirrel

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I'm glad I learnt how to make gameplay systems instead of just scripting gameplay. Two new upgrades and one new ability setup pretty quickly. I only had to fix some UI stuff which was due to me being lazy the first time I set it up. 😅 #UE5 #IndieDev #GameDev #Hexion

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I'm currently working on the palettes for colour blindness. I need help to see if the picked colours are distinguishable enough. There's 5 colours in each of the palettes. If you are colour blind or know someone that is, your help would be greatly appreciated. #GameDev #IndieDev #ColourBlind

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Its not really procrastination though is it... I call it strategic reflection time. 😁 Is any one else buying it? #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

How important are descriptions in games? How many people actually read them? I feel like its a nice to have but I'm ashamed to say I often don't read them. 😅 This makes me wonder if I'm wasting my time adding them. 🫣 #GameDev #IndieDev #Hexion

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

A while ago I had the idea to use blender to create icons and design UI for my game. I still feel like it was an amazing decision. Is this something anyone else would try? #GameDev #IndieDev #Blender

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

I had some feedback that the colours for some of the tiles can be difficult to distinguish... There for you can now select a colour palette. I just need to create palettes tailored for colour blindness. 💪 (lots of research ahead of me) #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #Accessibility

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

So... I set up a fiverr page and damn! The number of spam messages in just a few hours is wild. Easily over 20 messages trying to phish for my bank details with bogus orders. #fiverr

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

I'd be procrastinating on how I wanted to handle the various tutorial prompts but i think I happy with this. Still need some work but it feels better than what I had previously. #UE5 #IndieDev #GameDev #Hexion #Tutorials

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Its been a while but I've finally started working on radioactive tiles. After X amount of moves, the time will decay to a lower level element. Still lots to do. #UE5 #IndieDev #GameDev #Hexion

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Part 1 of my new tutorial series is now live. We'll take the Combat Template and rebuild some of it into a scalable, reusable attribute system. youtu.be/uc609OIJr_8 #UE5 #GameDev #Tutorial

youtu.be

From Basic to PRO: Attribute System | UE5 | Pt1

YouTube video by Michael Pattison

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

So I've been getting rather frustrated today. It's been a while since I've edited a video and normally use Clip Champ for some of the final assembly. Bug after bug or just terrible design choices that make no sense. Then there's the push to try get me on the cloud. #Clipchamp #Microsoft #Frustrated

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

When using UE5, there might be times you only want something to happen at runtime. There's no dedicated method to distinguish this in BP but... You can just do an 'Is Valid' check on the game mode. As this only gets created at runtime, it'll be invalid during editor calculations. #UE5 #UETips

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

So it didn't take a long to turn my mock-up into some functional UI. It definitely looks and feels better than the old design. Is there anything you might change? #GameDev #IndieDev #UE5 #UI

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I've not shared anything in a while so this is what I'm currently working on. I've opted to remake the compound group UI. This is where you select the individual compounds to build/complete. With the mock-up done, i just need to make it work. #GameDev #IndieDev #UE5 #UI

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

In preparation for setting up some tutorial prompts I'll need to explain some of my game rules, I got my kids (6 & 8) to play my compounds mini game. I was surprised when they go it and bashed 20 levels out. I just need to remember how I explained it to them. 😅 #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Enhanced inputs can seem scary at first but its simpler than you'd first think. For example, if you want two possible events happen using the same key (E) but when it's pressed or held, this can be achieved using the 'Tap' and 'Hold' triggers and two input actions. #UE5 #GameDev #EnhancedInputs

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

I've been going through some things that have left me completely emotionally drained. I've been reading 'The Body Keeps the Score' which has made me realise I should probably talk about it more. #mentalhealth

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

The feeling I get from gaming isn't the same as when I was younger. Even when playing some of the older classics. It's hard to say why but it makes me wonder if it's something to do with not really being able to 'complete' games these days.

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

This might be a controversial opinion but... any game with in app purchases should have an option to disable all prompts for in app purchases by law. Nothing worse than having to help an 8 year old navigate them.

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Deciding you need to move a BP class to C++ can be difficult as it is but you can get help creating the header using the header preview option from the right click menu. #UE5 #UETips

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

As a project grows and ideas change, old (early) systems can become unfit for purpose. It's important to make this assessment early so you can decide whether you want to use some band aids or rebuild and refactor. So... yes, I think i'll be remaking the upgrade system. 😅 #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I'm a part of the group that hasn't watched the #GameAwards. Anything worth checking out? I'm going to assume there was nothing regarding: ES6, FO5, Portal 3 or Half-Life 3

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Here's a little update of what I've been working on. Sometimes the little things can make a difference. #GameDev #UE5 #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

After some testing, I've decided to combine assembling compounds and upgrades in Hexion. So today I've worked on a mock-up for the new compounds menu. The idea is when you complete a compound group, you get the upgrade. 5 (maybe 7) compounds per group. #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #Hexion

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

It still baffles me that console gamers still pay just to get online. If they tried this on PC, there'd be an uproar. The idea should have been stomped out from the beginning.

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Do I really want to deal with drag and drop behavior from the UI to the world? That is today's question and that's because I know how much of a farse it is to setup. 😅 Like, I will but that doesn't mean I want to. 😂 #UE5 #GameDev

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Reposted by Michael Pattison

Bench (Ben Frenchman) @benfrenchman.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

One of my mainstay ongoing freelance projects is sadly coming to an end this month, so I'm on the lookout for narrative design/writing opportunities! I mean, I already was, but now I'm looking harder

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Reposted by Michael Pattison

Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

I've recently uploaded a few parts of a new series where I rebuilt the inventory system in someone's project. If you want to watch the journey, check it out. youtu.be/st6DfJauZro #UE5 #GameDev #Hybris

youtu.be

UE5 | Hybris Inventory Remake - Pt1

YouTube video by Michael Pattison

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Slowly getting there with the new UI design. All the menu stuff is working. What are peoples thoughts? Any changes you'd make? #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #UI

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Having buttons with a button tag and a payload object is surprisingly useful. 🤔 I keep alternating between which one is used for the button click events. #UE5 #GameDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Remember to keep things tidy! It'll save you a keyboard when you have to revisit in a few months. #UE5 #Blueprints #GameDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

youtu.be

UE5 | Hybris Inventory Remake - Pt1

YouTube video by Michael Pattison

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

I've been giving the main menu some TLC. I think this looks a lot better! Just got to redo some of the other UI stuff. And yes, Hexion Protocol is the name I've decided to call this game. :) #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev #HexionProtocol *Gradients & Compression 😅

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Which one looks better? Also open to suggestions. :) This is for my hexagon game where you swap/merge tiles to collect elements. You'll eventually use these to create compounds. (puzzle) #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Naming things is always hard but after a few months of pondering I think I finally know what I want to call my game. Not sure I'm ready to share though. I need to sit on it for atleast a week to see if I feel the same way. 😅 #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Editor Utility Widgets are very useful! I might do a tutorial on how to use them for creating game icons for all your items in a single click. What are peoples thoughts? Would this be useful? #UE5 #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

So I've been spending some time separating some aspects of my game into their own levels. This also meant I needed to actually start looking at saving some of the data off. It's slow going but getting there. This is what my compound puzzle is looking like at the moment. #UE5 #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

I wonder what would happen if all original content creators did an upload blackout. Where would all the people using AI to effectively steal someone's work get their source from?

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

So last week I did some prep work on a new direction for a secondary gameplay loop. As part of this I was working with some Editor Utility Widgets in #UE5 to help generate the data required more easily. Has anyone else created some custom editor utility widgets? If so, what for? #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

When you've been working on stuff but it's all over the place and you feel its too messy to show. 😅 [Insert awesome screenshot] #GameDev #IndieDev

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Michael Pattison @mpattym.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Spent some time working on my current project. I added a mechanic where you can fuse 3 tiles together. Still needs some work but I'm happy with it at the moment. However, this game needs a name, any suggestions? #UE5 #IndieDev #GameDev

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