HOPE

Hope – Firefly RTS (In Development)

Technical Designer | Unreal Engine 5 · C++ · AI · RTS Systems

Hope is a real-time strategy game built fully in Unreal Engine 5 with C++, where players control a swarm of fireflies to push back an encroaching darkness. You manage light as a resource, command units in real time, and construct glowing structures to expand your influence. The game blends cozy aesthetics with tactical depth, letting players guide fragile creatures in a battle for survival against mysterious shadow figures.

Core Concept

You don’t control warriors — you lead light. Fireflies are your only defense against shadow monsters that emerge from the dark. Your role is to gather, protect, and guide them to build structures, defend zones, and explore the world before night consumes everything.

Highlights:

RTS Core Mechanics

  • Full unit control system built in C++ (no Blueprints).

  • Click-and-drag firefly selection, movement, follow, and action commands.

  • Units respond to terrain, pathfinding logic, and light-based visibility zones.

AI & Behavior Trees

  • Enemy shadow figures are driven by Behavior Trees, with modular states for patrolling, chasing, and reacting to player light.

  • Shadows avoid well-lit zones and coordinate attacks when fireflies scatter or overextend.

  • Built dynamic threat evaluation to increase intensity as the player expands light influence.

Structure Building & Light Economy

  • Fireflies can build lighthouses and light wells, creating safe zones and expanding territory.

  • Light is a limited but regenerating resource, managing its use is key to survival and expansion.

  • Structures dynamically affect AI behavior and open new strategy layers for defense and risk.

Visual Feedback & Feel

  • Implemented reactive VFX for light pulses, enemy vaporization, and low-health flickers.

  • Created ambient light systems that visually communicate territory control and danger.

  • Built smooth transitions and UI updates tied to player actions for tight feedback loops.

Systems Architecture

  • Fully coded in C++ with modular class hierarchies for units, structures, abilities, and light logic.

  • Data-driven setup for firefly behavior, structure costs, and AI variables for tuning.

  • Optimized tick usage and logic updates for scalable swarm behavior.

Atmosphere & Tone

The game is quiet but tense. A soft world filled with glowing life is under constant threat by silence and shadow. It’s designed to feel fragile, like you're keeping hope alive, one spark at a time.

Summary

Hope is an RTS where emotion and strategy meet. Built entirely in C++ and Unreal Engine 5, the game blends AI systems, dynamic resource management, and swarm control into a unique, atmospheric experience. I’m building this from the ground up, system by system, to make a world where light isn’t just a mechanic, it’s everything.

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