Reflection:
The main challenge was managing state transitions and edge cases in the boss logic. Preventing repeated triggers and unintended phase resets required careful gating. Next, I would refine timing, feedback, and clarity to improve pacing and player understanding.

At 50% health, the boss transitions into Phase 2 and becomes invulnerable again. Shield generators spawn in the environment, and all must be destroyed before the boss becomes permanently vulnerable, shifting focus from DPS to spatial control.

In Phase 1, elite enemies act as gating mechanics. Defeating them temporarily allows the player to damage the boss. This creates short damage windows, encourages target prioritization, and prevents players from dealing constant boss damage.

The boss encounter is structured as a two-phase fight focused on mechanics rather than raw DPS. The boss starts invulnerable, requires specific player actions to unlock damage windows, and transitions into a second phase with environmental objectives.

Sprint Reflection

The weapon and ammo system went through several iterations this sprint, evolving from a traditional setup into a simplified structure through team feedback. Going forward, I plan to validate system ideas earlier to reduce revision time.

I conducted market research focusing on mechanic-driven FPS encounters and puzzle-oriented execution under pressure. This helped ground the project’s design direction and ensured our systems aligned with existing player expectations while remaining appropriate for a single-player experience.

Boss Encounter Design

I designed a two-phase, mechanic-driven boss encounter inspired by raid-style structures but adapted for a single-player experience. The fight emphasizes invulnerability phases, buff-gated damage windows, environmental objectives, and clear wipe conditions.

Weapon Roles & Combat Intent

I defined the roles and intended use cases for standard and heavy weapon modes, including time-to-kill expectations for normal enemies, elites, and bosses. These decisions help control combat pacing and reinforce the importance of situational weapon choice.

I designed the core weapon system, focusing on a simplified ammo economy and clear combat roles. The system balances unlimited standard weapons with limited high-impact heavy weapons, encouraging strategic decision-making rather than constant resource management.