Timeline: March - May 2023
My Role: Independent Producer & Developer
Tools and Methodology: Agile/Scrum | Tools: Jira, Unreal Engine 5
Project Vision: A tense, atmospheric horror prototype built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, emphasizing stealth mechanics and environmental storytelling through 6 iterative sprints.
Production Approach: Managed full development lifecycle from backlog creation through final polish, implementing all game systems while maintaining consistent velocity and scope discipline across 96 story points of work.
Production Artifacts & Process
Backlog Architecture & Work Breakdown
The Process: Structured the project into 5 Epics containing 19 User Stories and 47 technical Tasks, creating a clear roadmap from high-level vision to daily work.
Key Insight: Breaking down the complex AI behavior into discrete, testable stories ("Patrol Behavior," "Chase Behavior," "Detection System") made the feature manageable and allowed for incremental validation.
Sprint Execution and Progress Tracking
Sprint Analysis:
Sprint 1-2 (Foundation): 22 story points - Established core loop
Sprint 3-4 (Systems): 31 story points - Built complex interconnected systems
Sprint 5-6 (Polish): 43 story points - Accelerated velocity through established foundations
Production Insight: The burndown shows a healthy pattern - initial conservative estimates, followed by increased accuracy and efficiency as systems stabilized and technical debt was minimized
Velocity & Forecasting
Metric Analysis: Velocity increased from 8 to 27 points per sprint (237% growth) while maintaining quality, demonstrating:
-> Improved estimation skills through the project
-> Efficiency gains from established technical foundations
-> Effective management of technical complexity
Project Timeline & Phase Management
Phase Management:
Pre-Production: Dedicated planning phase prevented mid-project scope changes
Staggered System Development: AI before Interaction, Core before Polish
Buffer Integration: Final sprint dedicated to polishing and bug-fixing
Key Decision: Prototyping the enemy AI in Sprint 2 de-risked the core horror mechanic early, ensuring the project vision was achievable.
Production Metrics & Outcomes
Total Story Points Delivered: 96
Sprints Completed: 6/6 (100%)
Epics Delivered: 5/5 (Core Player, AI, World, Interaction, UI/Polish)
Velocity Growth: 237% increase while maintaining quality
Final Deliverable: A fully functional, polished horror prototype demonstrating core gameplay loop, advanced AI systems, and professional production values.