Hexball is a fast-paced 5v5 multiplayer game that reimagines the soccer genre with high-flying, physics-based action. Players join either the Crimson Corsairs or the Cobalt Cavaliers and use explosive projectiles to launch the ball or themselves into the air, creating frenzied yet skillful plays. The objective is simple: score more than the opposing team. The first team to reach 5 points wins!
Designed and iterated on core multiplayer systems, including team scoring, spawn logic, and rocket jumping movement mechanics. Tuned game mechanics for fairness, pacing, and competitive balance in a 5v5 setting.
Implemented multiplayer gameplay mechanics using Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints, including replication, character movement, ball physics, projectile-based movement, scoring logic, and game state management.
Created and integrated UI elements such as scoreboards, team indicators, scoring states, pre-lobby views, and in-game feedback to enhance clarity and user experience. Currently implementing future elements such as win/loss states.
Currently executing frequent in-editor and multiplayer playtests to identify gameplay issues, bugs, and edge cases; using feedback to refine core systems and improve moment-to-moment gameplay.
Players score by launching the ball into the opposing team’s goal using projectiles or physical movement (such as bumping into the ball). The system tracks goals per team, handles game state transitions (ongoing, scored, win), and resets player positions and the ball after each goal. First team to 5 points wins the match.
Each player has a mana resource that regenerates over time and is consumed when shooting projectiles and rocket-jumping, thus encouraging players to manage mobility with intention. This creates a dynamic tension between movement, offense, positioning, and resource management.
Fire an arcane missile from your Hexgun that displaces yourself, opposing Hex Jumpers, and the Hexball. Each shot consumes mana.
Fire at your feet, creating a magical force to propel you in the direction you're facing.
Initially, shooting projectiles in a multiplayer environment caused noticeable desync and lag-related issues. On high latency connections, players would see projectiles spawn late, miss entirely, or spawn duplicates, breaking the fast-paced, competitive feel of the game.
The solution was to switch from fully client-side spawning to a server-authoritative system using Unreal’s replicated projectile logic. I also added client prediction and visual feedback for immediate responsiveness, while preserving server trust for hit validation.
Continuously testing whether replicated actions (especially projectiles, scoring, and player displacement) are reliable and synchronized on all clients under varying network conditions.
Consistently valuating whether current movement and shooting systems and values support thoughtful, skill-based decision making rather than chaotic button-mashing; looking for emergent strategies in positioning, timing, and team coordination.
Constantly analyzing whether the mana system properly limits overuse of jumping and rocket jumping, while still allowing players to feel agile and expressive. Also tweaking regen rates and costs to find the right balance between freedom and restraint.
Testing different ball physics settings to find the right balance between control and chaos. Higher bounciness makes plays feel energetic but harder to predict, while lower values improve precision at the cost of excitement. Also evaluating how ball size affects visibility, hit detection, and gameplay pacing.
As an enjoyer of TF2's movement mechanics, I wanted to explore how it could potentially shape player expression in a competitive, "sports with a ball" setting. Combining rocket jumping with a team-based scoring objective gave me a unique space to experiment with physics, momentum, and the thrill of the freedom of movement while still encouraging teamwork and strategy. More importantly, I wanted to gain multiplayer experience.
Building Hexball sharpened my understanding of multiplayer systems, replication, and Unreal Engine 5’s Blueprint workflow (notably WAY cleaner Blueprint setups). I also gained experience designing around player feedback loops, balancing resource systems, and troubleshooting complex bugs across networked sessions. In particular, it helped me grow as a systems thinker, where I balanced gameplay feel, fairness, and fun.
Hexball has been one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve worked on so far. Designing a multiplayer game forced me to think carefully about how systems like movement, scoring, and replication all connect. Making projectiles feel responsive across the network was especially tricky, but it taught me how much small technical details can affect the overall feel of a game.
I also realized how important it is to test constantly, especially with physics-based mechanics. Some ideas seemed great on paper but needed serious tuning to feel balanced in play. The process made me more confident in debugging, problem-solving, and designing around player feedback, not just what sounds cool in theory.
Most of all, Hexball reminded me why I love working on systems and mechanics that reward creativity and skill. I’m excited to keep pushing this further and bring it to a more polished state! Stay tuned...