The original timeline variants (A/B) are good as "quick reference" — but the main landing page treatment needs bigger, bolder explanations that make the process feel exciting and tangible.
These are full-page-section treatments. Each phase gets real visual weight with space for illustration/imagery per phase.
Each phase gets a two-column block: bold number + title on one side, description + graphic zone on the other. Sides alternate for visual rhythm. Grouped into 3 acts to avoid a wall of 7 identical blocks. This is the "long-form explainer" — each phase feels important and has room for a supporting illustration.
Seven phases. One team. A resource that lasts.
A topic drops in the community. It's specific, scoped, and immediately interesting — something every UE developer has wondered about but never had time to properly investigate. The clock starts ticking.
Developers opt in and self-organize into a small squad. Each member brings different experience levels and perspectives. The diversity is the point — experts explain, newcomers ask the questions everyone else is afraid to.
The squad goes deep. Source code gets cracked open, test projects get spun up, assumptions get challenged. This is the core — hands-on collaborative research into how Unreal Engine actually works under the hood.
...continues through Returns, Conclave, Voyage, Chronicle
Seven phases. One team. A resource that lasts.
A topic drops in the community. Specific, scoped, and immediately interesting. The clock starts ticking.
Developers opt in and self-organize into a small squad. The diversity is the point.
The squad goes deep. Source code gets cracked open, assumptions get challenged.
...continues through all 7 phases
Each phase is a tall card with dark background, oversized number, bold title, and generous description. Cards are visually contained but stacked vertically with a connecting accent bar on the left edge. Grouped into 3 acts: "Gather" (1-2), "Research" (3-5), "Publish" (6-7). Each act gets its own section header. This adds narrative structure beyond just listing 7 steps.
Seven phases. One team. A resource that lasts.
Act 1 — Gather
A topic drops in the community. It's specific, scoped, and immediately interesting — something every UE developer has wondered about but never had time to properly investigate. The clock starts ticking.
Developers opt in and self-organize into a small squad. Each member brings different experience. The diversity is the point — experts explain, newcomers ask the questions everyone is afraid to.
Act 2 — Research
The squad goes deep. Source code gets cracked open, test projects get spun up, assumptions get challenged. Hands-on collaborative research into how Unreal Engine actually works.
Each member shares what they found — raw findings, code snippets, diagrams, insights. The unfiltered truth of what they discovered in the engine.
The squad meets to synthesize findings. Individual discoveries become shared understanding. Disagreements surface and get resolved with evidence.
Act 3 — Publish
Raw findings get distilled into a polished, permanent learning resource. Code examples get cleaned up, diagrams get refined, the narrative arc gets shaped.
Published to the archive. A lasting contribution to the Unreal Engine community — the kind of resource that didn't exist before and now always will.
Seven phases. One team. A resource that lasts.
Act 1 — Gather
A topic drops. Specific, scoped, immediately interesting. The clock starts.
Developers self-organize into a small squad. Diversity is the point.
Act 2 — Research
Source code cracked open. Assumptions challenged. Hands-on research.
Raw findings shared — code, diagrams, insights.
Squad synthesizes. Disagreements resolved with evidence.
Act 3 — Publish
Polished into a permanent learning resource.
Published to the archive. A lasting contribution.
Recommendation
Variant Y (Showcase Cards) for the landing page main treatment. The three-act structure (Gather → Research → Publish) gives the 7 phases a narrative shape instead of just a list. The dark cards create a strong visual band on the page. The accent border and oversized numbers provide scanability even if you don't read the descriptions.
Variant A or B from the original set can serve as a compact reference on the expedition detail page (showing where the current expedition is in the journey), but the landing page needs this larger treatment to actually sell the process.
Variant X (Alternating Blocks) is the better choice if/when you have illustrations per phase. Without imagery, the graphic zones feel empty. With strong visuals per phase, it would be the strongest option. Worth revisiting when illustration capability is added to the pipeline.