🚀 Software Engineering Post-Mortem: Paragon Protectors 🏰🎯

🎯 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. 🔥❄️⚡
• Victory Conditions: Survive all waves to triumph—or lose if all lives are depleted. 🏆

Paragon Protectors delivers a blend of strategy, resource management, and skillful defense planning. 🛡️

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🛠️ Initial Project Goals

The primary objectives were:

• Remake the Protectors tower defense game series in Unreal Engine. 🏗️
• Complete and submit the game for the One Game A Month #42 jam. 🕹️🎮

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✅ How We Met Our Goals

Using Agile methodology, I:

• Created actionable User Stories for the game’s features. 📝
• Tracked progress with a Kanban Board in GitHub Projects. 📋

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

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✨ What Went Well

1. Level Design:
   • Designed a visually clear and functional track for enemies and towers. 🗺️
2. Programming:
   • Engineered tower mechanics, including targeting, attacking, and upgrading. 💻

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⚠️ What Went Wrong

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

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🛠️ How Challenges Were Addressed

• Track Assets:
  • Used geometry brushes and starter content materials to create clear and distinguishable track visuals. 🛠️

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💡 Lessons Learned

1. Level Design:
   • Learned how to design effective tracks for a tower defense game. 🛤️
2. Programming:
   • Gained experience in programming towers with mechanics like targeting and leveling up. 💡

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🔮 Future Recommendations

1. Expand Tower Variety:
   • Add more towers with unique abilities and effects, such as slowing, poisoning, or stunning enemies. ⚔️🧪
2. Enhanced Visuals:
   • Invest in better assets or custom artwork to improve visual clarity and polish. 🎨✨

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🏆 Conclusion

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