Project: Horror

Welcome to my blog where I'll be discussing the development process of our group-based project, a thrilling horror game that challenges players to work together to overcome the terrors that lurk in the shadows. My role in this project is lead game designer, my primary focus has been implementing mechanics and systems that will create a cohesive and immersive gameplay experience.

However, my main passion comes from crafting a compelling narrative and showing story through multiple mediums, such as voice lines, environment details, and cinematics.

January

Initial Concept Phase

Entry 1

25/01/2023

In the first week of our group task we started early conceptual designs of our game.

Firstly we chose a theme and brainstormed different ideas based around it.

Our chosen theme was horror.

Here you can see our early ideas and the general direction we considered.

After we had our initial idea we set ourselves a research task to further develop the concept

Week 1

Entry 2

31/01/2023

Research

I went away and created multiple mood boards to create a general colour palate and how the scenes would ideally look.

Mood Boards

Example Puzzle

This is a quick example puzzle to help brainstorm more ideas

February

Systems & Mechanics Development

Entry 1

7/02/2023

After forming a clear idea of the direction we wanted to head in we decided to focus on the micro elements and start forming a game loop that we would base our mechanics on.

We distributed tasks between programmers and designers so we could efficiently create the prototype.

We took advantage of Trello to manage our workload

Entry 2

21/02/2023

I created a concept map to outline the playable space in the prototype.

During my time of creating the map I also use my mood boards to draw inspiration for character stories and an overall game story.

I used the arcweave tool to help organise my story & character ideas.

We also settled on the core mechanic which would be an old fashioned noise detector that all players would see somewhere at the bottom of their screen.

This adds another element to the game giving players the opportunity to play more tactically in certain situations. However it is also another resource the players have to manage would should create tension and stress in difficult situations.

March

Worldbuilding, Story & Characters

Entry 1

14/03/2023

After creating the map I then focused on the systems and mechanics of the games. I started by detailing the game flow.

Since I had ideas for puzzles in mind what came next were the characters who would tackle these puzzles.

I asked myself:

• What kind of situations would they find themselves in?

• What typical abilities do exorcist have?

• How can I ensure cooperation between players is smooth and enjoyable?

To answer these questions I worked with my other design to brainstorm more exciting puzzles and sections that could be completed in groups.

We drew a lot of our inspiration from popular escape rooms.

Entry 2

17/03/2023

During this time I went back and forth with the other designer in our group to development an engaging map for our players.

We started off with this basic version but after bouncing ideas between each other we developed this map further.

This version of the map focused on there being multiple floors which the main game would feature.

Entry 3

24/03/2023

These are the main roles we settled on for our characters.

After more research I had settled on how I would create the characters.

All the characters would have a specific school of exorcism Clairvoyance, Devotee, and Unaligned each of these would grant characters different abilities based on their school.

Players would also have access to items in game to give them a fighting chance against the spirits roaming the mansion.

I also decided to create playable characters instead of giving the player to create their own.

This decision was made to reinforce the story elements of the game.

By creating characters I am now able to give them their own personal backstories and reasons for existing reinforcing the story telling being done in the universe of Project Horror.

We also prepared ourselves for our presentation in which we would show our current development progress.

Here is a video showing our current progress.

April

Refinement & Documenting

Entry 1

1/04/2023

I started creating the GDD to keep a better more succinct record of our project.

At this point I had created the character abilities based on the schools of exorcism.

I now began to flesh out their stories and how they fit into the universe.

I had also completed the story overview and the mechanics of the game.

I presented my Ideas to our programmer to see what was feasible and adjusted things as required.

With most of the systems in place in was time to start working on the enemies and reward systems in the game.

Core Objectives

Entry 2

07/04/2023

I decided to simplify the objectives and create a diagram to help show the game flow in its simplest form.

Enemies

I also created the enemies and designed their features.

For the prototype I created two enemy types Kravens and Hollows.

Kravens are small crow like spirits which move quickly and harass players, when they attack they generate noise alerting contributing to players noise meters.

Hollows are huge deadly spirits which guard key rooms and specific locations.

I then refined and tweaked character abilities to further match the theme and promote teamwork. I also changed them to properly be able to combat the enemy's types and avoid detection.

I added passive abilities for each character to give them a fighting edge in the mansion against their new enemies.

Ability Overview

After completing the first version of the GDD it was time to revisit my initial ideas and themes to create revisions and improve upon the information being provided, whilst ensuring the game was enjoyable.

Entry 3

11/04/2023

I also spent this month communicating with our programmer to see what was possible for our prototype considering one of our members had left the group.

I started planning out the level flow for the part of the playable prototype and creating a storyboard which would outline the main events.

The players would enter the Mansion and have to solve 3-4 rooms before being able to enter the main building.

When creating the puzzles I kept in mind the theme of horror and tried to make challenging but satisfying puzzles.

Entry 3

15/04/2023

I researched into live ops and the best ways to sustain a multiplayer game.

I also revamped the rewards and the in game currency providing a more detailed description of how players would attain them and what it would be used for.

May

Live ops

Entry 1

01/05/2023

To complete the Design Document I focused on the live ops section of the game.

I had many ideas when it came to this section.

The general Idea was to give a reason for players to keep attempting to complete the game.

I wanted to make the base game difficult and almost impossible to complete on a first run through to give players a chance to develop their exorcism skills.

To increase longevity of the game I decided to give players the opportunity to enhance and customise their skills.

In the first few weeks of release after players have tried and failed to exorcise the powerful entity I would release more skills the player could purchase to increase their exorcism prowess.

I like to think of the game as a continuous raid that players will keep coming back to in order to find new secrets and ways of completion.

Entry 2

04/05/2023

Finalised the planning of the live ops systems creating a streamlined timeline of resources that would be released after the the games initial release.

The Final Prototype Video

Conclusion

In conclusion, the development process of this game has been a challenging and rewarding experience.

From initial ideation to the implementation of mechanics and systems, every step has required a significant amount of effort and collaboration from the team.

As a game designer, my focus has been on the implementation of mechanics and systems, with a particular emphasis on narrative being conveyed through multiple mediums.

Our team has drawn inspiration from various sources, including research papers and successful horror games, to create a game that combines stealth, problem-solving, and cooperative gameplay mechanics to provide players with an immersive and thrilling experience.

We hope that players will enjoy playing the game as much as we have enjoyed creating it. The journey from idea to prototype has been a long one, but with the support of the team, we are confident that this game will provide players with a unique and memorable gaming experience.