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๐Ÿš€ Software Engineering Post-Mortem: Paragon Protectors ๐Ÿฐ๐ŸŽฏ

๐ŸŽฏ Project Overview

Paragon Protectors is a strategy-based tower defense game built for the One Game A Month #42 game jam using Unreal Engine 5.5. In this game, players must defend against 7 waves of relentless minions while protecting their 40 lives.

Key gameplay features include:

  • Elemental Upgrades: Towers gain experience and unlock powerful elemental damage as they level up. ๐Ÿ”ฅโ„๏ธโšก
  • Victory Conditions: Survive all waves to triumphโ€”or lose if all lives are depleted. ๐Ÿ†

Paragon Protectors delivers a blend of strategy, resource management, and skillful defense planning. ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ


๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Initial Project Goals

The primary objectives were:

  • Remake the Protectors tower defense game series in Unreal Engine. ๐Ÿ—๏ธ
  • Complete and submit the game for the One Game A Month #42 jam. ๐Ÿ•น๏ธ๐ŸŽฎ

โœ… How We Met Our Goals

Using Agile methodology, I:

  • Created actionable User Stories for the gameโ€™s features. ๐Ÿ“
  • Tracked progress with a Kanban Board in GitHub Projects. ๐Ÿ“‹

๐ŸŽ‰ Result: The game was completed on time, with functioning towers, tracks, and wave systems.


โœจ What Went Well

  1. Level Design:
    • Designed a visually clear and functional track for enemies and towers. ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ
  2. Programming:
    • Engineered tower mechanics, including targeting, attacking, and upgrading. ๐Ÿ’ป

โš ๏ธ What Went Wrong

  • Track Visuals:
    • Lacked distinct assets to differentiate the track from surrounding tiles. ๐ŸŽจ

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ How Challenges Were Addressed

  • Track Assets:
    • Used geometry brushes and starter content materials to create clear and distinguishable track visuals. ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

๐Ÿ’ก Lessons Learned

  1. Level Design:
    • Learned how to design effective tracks for a tower defense game. ๐Ÿ›ค๏ธ
  2. Programming:
    • Gained experience in programming towers with mechanics like targeting and leveling up. ๐Ÿ’ก

๐Ÿ”ฎ Future Recommendations

  1. Expand Tower Variety:
    • Add more towers with unique abilities and effects, such as slowing, poisoning, or stunning enemies. โš”๏ธ๐Ÿงช
  2. Enhanced Visuals:
    • Invest in better assets or custom artwork to improve visual clarity and polish. ๐ŸŽจโœจ

๐Ÿ† Conclusion

Paragon Protectors was a rewarding project for the One Game A Month #42 game jam. ๐ŸŽ‰ It helped sharpen my skills in level design and tower defense programming. Iโ€™m looking forward to expanding on these mechanics and creating even more engaging experiences in future games! ๐Ÿš€

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