Project Overview
Role: Solo Producer & Developer
Timeline: September 2025 - January 2026 (4 months)
Tools: Jira, Agile/Scrum, Unreal Engine 5, Steamworks
Project Type: Tactical Multiplayer - FPS- Team Death Match.
Project Vision: Create a polished tactical multiplayer FPS prototype featuring team-based combat, advanced weapon systems, and responsive movement mechanics built in Unreal Engine 5.
My Role: As solo developer and producer, I managed the complete development lifecycle - from technical design of multiplayer systems through implementation of complex combat mechanics and final polish.
Production Artifacts
Backlog Structure & Sprint Planning:
Our development was guided by a structured backlog organized into Six key epics:
1. Project Foundation & Environment (UE5 setup, environment creation)
2. Core Player Systems (Movement, animations, aiming, crouching)
3. Weapon Systems & Animations (Weapon handling, inventory, switching)
4. Combat & Damage Systems (Shooting, health, armor, damage calculation)
5. Multiplayer & Game Systems (Spawning, death/respawn, team scoring)
6. Polish & Game Improvements (Optimization, UI/UX, bug fixing)
Key Insight: Implementing multiplayer systems early allowed for continuous network testing and reduced integration complexity in later sprints.
Sprint Execution & Tracking:
Burndown Chart Analysis:
- Consistent progress across 8 sprints with increasing complexity
- Early sprints established strong player movement foundation
- Mid-development maintained velocity despite technical challenges
- Final sprints focused on polish and multiplayer optimization
Sprint Breakdown:
Sprint 1-2: Foundation & core systems (13-18 points)
Sprint 3-4: Advanced features & weapons (18-24 points)
Sprint 5-6: Combat & multiplayer systems (26-18 points)
Sprint 7-8: Polish & final features (6-19 points)
Team Velocity & Forecasting:
Velocity Analysis:
- Strong start with 13-18 points in foundation sprints
- Peak velocity of 26 points during combat systems implementation
- Consistent delivery despite increasing technical complexity
- Final sprint demonstrated efficient polish work
Key Learning: Front-loading foundational systems created a stable base for complex multiplayer features, while dedicated polish sprints ensured professional quality.
Project Timeline & Milestones:
Development Phases:
- Pre-Production (2 weeks): Technical design, multiplayer architecture
- Alpha 1 (4 weeks): Core player systems and movement
- Alpha 2 (4 weeks): Weapon systems and inventory
- Beta (4 weeks): Combat mechanics and shooting
- Gold Prototype (4 weeks): Multiplayer systems and team features
- Release Candidate (2 weeks): Final polish and optimization
Key Insight: Overlapping weapon and combat system development created natural integration points and reduced rework.
Production Challenges & Solutions:
Challenge: Multiplayer Network Synchronization
Solution: Implemented authoritative server architecture from Sprint 1, with continuous network testing throughout development to ensure smooth replication of player states, animations, and combat actions.
Solution: Implemented authoritative server architecture from Sprint 1, with continuous network testing throughout development to ensure smooth replication of player states, animations, and combat actions.
Challenge: Complex Weapon System Integration
Solution: Developed weapon systems as modular components, allowing independent testing of equipping, dropping, switching, and shooting before full integration.
Solution: Developed weapon systems as modular components, allowing independent testing of equipping, dropping, switching, and shooting before full integration.
Challenge: Animation State Management
Solution: Created comprehensive animation blueprint with proper state transitions and network synchronization, ensuring smooth visual feedback across all clients.
Solution: Created comprehensive animation blueprint with proper state transitions and network synchronization, ensuring smooth visual feedback across all clients.
Key Production Metrics
- Total Development Time: 16 weeks
- Sprints Completed: 8
- Total Story Points Delivered: 140
- Major Systems Delivered: 6 epics, 18 stories, 71 tasks
- Multiplayer Features: Networked movement, weapon systems, team combat
Lessons Learned
- Modular architecture enables agility - Weapon systems benefited from component-based design
- Continuous network testing prevents issues - Regular multiplayer validation caught sync issues early
- Animation state machines require careful planning - Complex transitions needed thorough design upfront
- Dedicated polish sprints transform prototypes - Final optimization created portfolio-ready quality
Tools & Methodology
Project Management: Jira (Scrum)
Version Control: Git with feature branching
Development: Unreal Engine 5, C++, Steamworks SDK
Methodology: Agile/Scrum with 2-week sprints
Documentation: Technical design docs, network architecture, sprint reviews