The Shardkeepers Stand
The Shardkeepers Stand is a fast-paced survival defense game where players must protect the “Eternal core” from waves of interdimensional enemies emerging from teleporters. The player must strategically defend the tower across multiple waves, . Survival is key, if the player or the tower falls, the world ends.
Project type: Personal project
Role: Game designer and solo developer
Genre: Action,Shooting ,Base defending
Platform: PC
Game Engine : Unreal Engine 5​​
Context
After familiarizing myself with Unity, I decided to take on the challenge of learning Unreal Engine, known for its incredible visual capabilities. This project allowed me to explore the engine’s AI systems and Blueprint structure, giving me a better understanding of how some of my favorite games were created.
My focus was on improving my gameplay design skills while adding a short, engaging lore to make the experience more interesting. This project was a great learning experience and helped me grow both technically and creatively.
Shoot and Reload
The shooting and reloading mechanics form a critical aspect of the gameplay, as the player’s primary objective is to protect the Eternal Core at all costs. Equipped with a pistol as the primary weapon, the player must strategically manage their ammunition
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To balance the challenge and aid the player, the AI is designed with a random chance to drop ammunition upon defeat.
Invader AI
The invader AI is at the heart of the gameplay experience, introducing dynamic challenges that keep the player engaged. There are two primary types of invaders: those that aggressively rush toward the player, creating immediate threats, and those that prioritize destroying the Eternal Core, forcing the player to make strategic decisions on whom to engage first.
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Wave system
The game has 7 waves in total that the player must survive. The invader spawning along wave system make the game more challenging and competitive by increasing enemy difficulty with each wave. To keep the gameplay balanced, short breaks between waves allow players to reload, reposition, and prepare for the next attack. This ensures a mix of intense action and strategic planning, keeping the experience engaging and dynamic.
My Role
I was solely responsible for the entire creation of the game, overseeing every aspect from gameplay mechanics to level design, AI behavior, and overall game functionality it allowed me to gain hands-on experience in all facets of game development, from conceptualizing ideas to implementing complex systems and ensuring a polished product. It was a challenging yet rewarding process .
Click here for Game design document
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Here are some in-game screenshots:
Gameplay
​Note: The gameplay footage may appear laggy due to recording software, but the game runs smoothly under normal conditions.
