Development Info

Role: Game Programmer

Genre: 2D Platform Shooter

Players: 1

Engine: Unreal Engine 5

Platform: PC(Steam)

Time on Team: January 2026 - Present

Game Overview

Tax Return is a game following Florida Man Swindling Steve in his quest to get revenge for his unreasonably high tax bill. It focuses on speed and combat as Steve races through the headquarters of the SRI using all the new skills and weapons he can get to his advantage.

Responsibilities

Programming:

  • All Sector 2 Enemies

  • All Sector 3 Enemies

  • Player Movement Upgrades

Design:

  • Assist with Sector 3 Enemies

Sector 2 - Ambush Enemy

This enemy is an ambush unit, designed to hide behind an object (not pictured) and jump out at the player once the player gets within a set range. This is accomplished with code that restricts movement until the player gets within a set collision box, which is provided beneath the video on the right.

Features

  • 30 Levels across 3 Sectors

  • Extra Challenges for Collectibles

  • Upgrading Mechanics and Weapon Systems

  • Strong Variety of Enemies In Each Sector

  • Demo Currently Playable On Steam

Sector 2 - Kamikaze Enemy

This enemy is a roaming flier which locks in on the player position once they have entered its sight-line. My programming included the sight-line detection, patrolling boundaries, and final launch at the player, the code for all of which is provided below.

Sector 3 - Assembly Arm

This enemy is modeled after a factory assembly arm. It is stationary for the first half of its health, throwing projectiles from a distance, before breaking off its rails and moving to attack the player once it goes below half health. I programmed the systems of immobility until the heath fell below a certain value using an event tick to check the health value and change behavior. The sprite is not currently implemented.

Sector 3 - Crane

This enemy is modeled after a ceiling crane in an industrial environment. It is a two part entity consisting of a base that spawns projectiles and the crane which restocks its projectiles there before returning to a left and right patrol, dropping its payload only on player detect.