Grimm Dreams
‘Don’t be afraid of the Big Bad Wolf’
The
game will be developed in unity. It is a 3d survival horror game.
Core game mechanics
Player
Players
will use the WASD keys and the mouse to move the avatar. It is important for
players to walk at a slow speed as they will need to take their time moving
around the level to avoid the AI. Players will also have the ability to run. This gives them a chance when they are
spotted by the AI to get away quickly as the AI will begin to chase them.
There are 3 different types of
objects the player can interact with in the game. The first is a puzzle object which the player must
click on to access the puzzle they need to complete, in order to progress. The
second is a cupboard object; these
are the objects the player can hide within to keep out of sight of the
wolf. The third are door objects. Players will be responsible of opening and closing
doors themselves in the game. This is so that they can choose to leave a door
open for a quick escape from the wolf or close the door to put space between
them and the wolf. The player has no health and no way to defend themselves against an attack. The only chance they have is to avoid the AI. If they are caught by the wolf they die instantly. There will be a checkpoint in each of the puzzle rooms so that the players’ progress through the game is not lost.
AI
The AI will chase the player. This will force the player to move through the level and into the puzzle rooms. The most AIs in the level at one time will be two. This is so that the player will not become overwhelmed and trapped in a part of the level with no way to safely get past.
AIs attack with a charge. Once the player has been spotted they will howl and begin to sprint towards them, this is the charge attack. The AI will roam the hallways in search of the player moving slowly from room to room. Once the player is spotted they begin the charge attack.
Progression mechanics
In the level there will be 3 chess based puzzles. Players must solve these puzzles to unlock the door that leads to the next section of the level.
‘Chess
puzzle in ‘Alice Madness Returns’
The
puzzle will be set on a chess board. The player will control one piece on the
board. Two types of AI pieces will also be on the board. One AI piece will
simply take up a square blocking the player’s path. The other will move across
the board after the player has made their move. If the player is on a square
the AI is about to move on and the two pieces collide the puzzle will
reset. Players will have a limited
amount of steps they can use to get from the start position to the goal position
marked on the board
Scare mechanics
To create the atmosphere needed for a horror game I am going to use two things to my advantage. The first thing that I am going to use is creepy bass heavy music track that will build the suspense in the level. I will use sounds such as wolf howls, stormy winds and crashes every now and then to make the player jump.
The second thing that I am going to use is trigger events. An example of this used within the game would be:
1. Player is in a long corridor
2. At the end of the corridor is a light that
is slightly flickering
3. Once the player is a few feet away the
light quickly flickers off
4. After a few moments the light turns back on
and a shadow that wasn’t on the wall before is now on the wall.
5. The shadow quickly darts around the corner.
Environment Research
To
add realism to the environment I decided to look on Google at abandoned
asylums. This was because due to their history, asylums instantly have that
unsettling factor that a good survival horror game requires to be successful.
If the environment is spooky and unnerving the mechanics was thrive creating a successful game experience.
The rubble and peeling wallpaper really spoke
to me. It shows age and intensifies the sense of abandonment in the once active
building. Long corridors and the fact of not knowing what room branches off
this corridor really would add to the atmosphere when walking around a building
like this.
Lone objects placed in large
rooms allow the environment to tell the story of it history. The way the assets
are place, ready to be used yet decayed due to abandonment adds to the creepy
atmosphere.
Random scribbles across the walls and children’s toys thrown about get me asking
questions. Who was once here? What was this placed used for? Does this eerie
environment have a sense of innocence that I’m yet to discover? If I can get the player asking these
questions in my environment then I would have created an immersive game.
The Hows and Whys of Level Design
By Sjoerd De Jong
Now that I’m at the stage to start designing my
level i re read ‘the how’s and whys of
level design by sjoerd de jong’. Here is a breakdown of the notes I took
whilst reading this book
Notes
Now that I’m at the stage to start designing my
level i re read ‘the how’s and whys of
level design by sjoerd de jong’. Here is a breakdown of the notes I took
whilst reading this book
Notes
‘A
world where event take place’
Give reason to exist.
Think about the story
Think about the goal and how the player
achieves this.
Rules to the world
How will the environment award the player?
When
designing…
- Don’t
break the law
- Get
permission
- Be
careful!
Colour affects mood + emotions
Colours give a sense of identity to the environment
THINK VISUALLY!!!
Colour and mood can help convey info to the
player
How do you want the player to feel?
Lighting
can affect mood
Use complimentary colours to draw player’s eye
Use tricks of colour/light to draw player to part of the environment
Believability
comes from research.
An object can be many things (cover from gun
fire etc)
- Plan environment
- think of
story
- gather
resources/research
- think
about mood
- aim to
immerse player into the world
When
designing my level i will keep these notes in mind in order to design the best
level I can for the player.
Level design
1.
The player starts here. They
encounter the wolf and escape via the unlocked door
2. The player encounters their first chess
based puzzle that they must solve it to unlock the next door
3. The player discovers a riddle, the solution
is in room 6 (point 4).
4. The player finds a switch which they pull
to unlock door 5.
5. The
player encounters a riddle ‘The Key to freedom always lies in the heart’. The
answer is located in the chest of a torn open teddy bear.
6. The player encounters their second chess
based puzzle, once completed the door behind them swings open as the wolf
bursts through and they must run to the next door.
7. Once in library the player must find and
collect 3 fairy tale books; three little
pigs, the wolf and the seven young kids and finally little red riding hood. They will be provided clues to where the
books are located within the library.
8. The player must place the books into the
allotted square engraved into the door. Once this is done they escape the
building.
In the first section of the game that I
will refer to as ‘Hallway’, the
player will experience the constant pressure to move forward. This is because
in this section of the game they will be confronted more by the enemy (The Wolf). The atmosphere created will
make the player feel pressured to move forward to avoid The Wolf as I will use sounds to give the illusion that the wolf is
right behind them. I want the player to become fully immersed in the game
almost instantly, and adding this pressure on them will achieve that as they
will have to be alert. Hallway will
have a haunting but abstract feel as the player progresses through this
environment. I indent for this atmosphere to continue throughout the entirety
of the game. 
Appendix
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/most-incredible-abandoned-mental-asylums/19808?image=7
