Like the second project, I took a similar approach to challenge myself even further except I prioritized the main gameplay mechanics over the levels out right design. The project requirements were to have the perspective be anything of my choice with me choosing 1st person, player mechanics were open-ended yet it could not be a walking sim or template, and environment mechanics were open-ended as well meaning I had true creative reign over the project.
I had 3 weeks from July 11 to August 1 to finish the project.
The first step in my process was to gather information on horror games. I gathered inspiration from 3 games being Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Outlast, and Escape the Backrooms.
I took the gameplay elements from Outlast like the night vision mechanic while repurposing its function and certain visuals from Escape the Backrooms to create a more tangible environment.
First Pass
The second step was to begin constructing a national park environment with the player character being a park ranger in Unreal Engine 5. To make the night vision relatively unique I made it the only way to view blood that is spread throughout the level.
I made sure atmospheric elements took precedent in the levels process such as the post process filter creating a VHS effect, rainfall with fog to add more environmental elements, and introducing sound design at the start to make the player feel like their are present in the location.
The third step was to add more details to the map to make it feel more full and like the player was in a national park. The lighting, certain details about the written narrative, and models for objects were changed.
Since this was meant to be a national park I took specific common landmark iconography like camp-grounds and watchtowers as segments for the player to go through as the story unveiled.
Second Pass
Final Product:
The last step was to add any final touch ups where it was needed and added more sound design to really bring the level together to produce the final product. The final product and the second pass are very similar due to the lack of time available yet it feels more complete as I was able to get enough details to be happy with.
Note: This was my first time doing any kind of horror as I have cultivated knowledge on the genre for a very long time with this case being more atmospheric to draw the player into the setting instead of relying on loud noises or jump scares that ruin tension rather than build it. The sound design elements were acquired from my university's sound library/repository. In addition, this was actually meant to be an open environment with a monster chasing the player which can only be seen by the night vision, however due to time constraints I pivoted to a more linear experience without a monster and instead having a lingering presence over the player.
