Game Design Summary
PLATFORM: Windows PC, WebGL
ENGINE: Unity SCRIPT: C# TOOLS USED: ProBuilder, Photoshop, Trello DURATION: Three Weeks COMPLETION: June 21, 2019 TEAM SIZE: 6 ROLES: Level Designer, Lighting, Narrative Designer, Graphic Artist, Character Developer |
The job of a damage assessor can be very mundane... until you get trapped in a creepy, haunted hotel. To escape you must overcome your fear of ghosts and follow the footsteps of a more friendly spirit to solve the puzzle. Once completed it opens a secret passageway that leads to a tunnel and your freedom.
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My Contribution
- I worked beside Kathryn Keller and together created a narrative about an insurance inspector entering a crumbling hotel for inspection.
- Kathryn and I worked out a floor plan for how the level would look and decided to form the level in the shape of an L.
- I worked on the low lighting in the game back when the original version was that the game would be dimly lit, however the lighting did not make it into the final feature. When we began to discuss the level being pitch black we considered using a flashlight, but I considered a flashlight in a horror game to be overdone. I suggested the idea of using a camera after being inspired by the use of camera flashes in the horror movie Saw.
- I helped create the phone and picture frame puzzle in the game.
- Character designed the ghost to be friendly and appear only as footprints on the floor
- Created graphics for the main menu.
- Photographed reference art from hotels in Chicago to give to the artists for realistic quality.
- Helped direct the sound designer on what sound effects to use.
Design Process
I was really inspired by indie games such as Close Your Eyes and Fran Bow where you could quite literally change your perspective. I still remember the chilling moment where your vision changed in Close Your Eyes and the footsteps came towards you. This is what inspired me to go in the direction of the horror genre. I became highly proficient at working the UI to create a main menu and texturing the level. Along the way I learned how to work the Unity camera to actively appear in the background at a certain view. I also got a better understanding on how to design a level such as the exterior walls of the hotel.
One of the bigger challenges was the designing phase. We knew we wanted a spooky hotel, but it was expressing to the artists what we wanted that was tricky. I solved this by going to an actual hotel and taking pictures of the hallways, textures that I found matched what I was going for. This allowed the artists a better view into what we were looking for. From there it was figuring out what could realistically work. The team and I remedied this situation by drawing out the game step by step visually and seeing any flaws in the plan before implementing the game.
In the end we successfully made the game we wanted to make in three weeks. On the first day of publishing the game we have nearly 190 views and 74 downloads. I couldn't be prouder!
One of the bigger challenges was the designing phase. We knew we wanted a spooky hotel, but it was expressing to the artists what we wanted that was tricky. I solved this by going to an actual hotel and taking pictures of the hallways, textures that I found matched what I was going for. This allowed the artists a better view into what we were looking for. From there it was figuring out what could realistically work. The team and I remedied this situation by drawing out the game step by step visually and seeing any flaws in the plan before implementing the game.
In the end we successfully made the game we wanted to make in three weeks. On the first day of publishing the game we have nearly 190 views and 74 downloads. I couldn't be prouder!
Skills Learned
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Project Goals
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