Premise/Parameters:
Premise:
- This was the final project for a level design course, in which I had to create an open-ended 3-5 minute level with clear objectives/goals.
- I had practically free reign over every aspect of the levels design, mechanics, and aesthetic.
- Similar to the sidescroller project, I took a similar approach to challenge myself even further except I prioritized the main gameplay mechanics over the levels out right design.
Project Parameters:
- Perspective: (My choice) 1st person
- Player mechanics: (Open-ended), except it could not be a walking sim or template.
- Environment mechanics: (Open-ended)
- Deadline: 3 weeks from July 11 to August 1 to finish the project.
Ideation/Reference Materials:
Ideation:
For this project, I used this as an opportunity to test my understanding and knowledge of horror for a game I have been doing research for. 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 initial ideation of the level was an open environment with a monster chasing the player which can only be seen by the night vision, however due to time constraints/scope concerns I pivoted to a more linear experience without a monster and instead having a lingering presence over the player. I then created a top-down map of the level to have a baseline idea of how the level will flow.
Reference Materials:
My process begins with gathering information on horror games that pertained to the kind of horror I wanted to exemplify in a future project. 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.
Gymnasium/Mechanics:
Gymnasium:
Before creating a blockout of the level itself, I needed to create a gym to establish level metrics, gameplay mechanics, and atmosphere (lighting/sound design/particle vfx). I created the gym to resemble narrow pathways with platforming elements to ensure that platforming was potentially possible given the conditions the player would be experiencing in the level to come.
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 sound design elements were acquired from my university's sound library/repository.
Mechanics:
- The player primarily interacts with the environment by walking, running, jumping, interacting with notes, using a flashlight and night vision binoculars.
- The primary mechanic in priority is the night vision binoculars that allows the player to see hidden blood trails. If the night vision did not work, the concept of the level itself would have needed to be entirely reworked since I had not really seen other horror games use night vision that can see hidden objects while combining puzzle and narrative elements.
- The second mechanic in priority is technically the combination of two mechanics being the walking and running. Due to the level's length, the space needed to feel appropriate for the movement because the player is a national park ranger going through the park. In addition, I implemented a head bob to further immerse the player as if they were walking or running as well.
- The third mechanic in priority is the flashlight. Even though the flashlight seems to be just a simple mechanic, in reality it needed to be solidified from a realistic standpoint in order for the player to not think it was just a spotlight that can be turned on and off.
First Iteration:
After creating the gym, I began constructing a national park environment in Unreal Engine 5 with the player character being a newly hired park ranger at Ichor National Park.
The use of the night vision was pivotal for the level to function since the purpose of the blood is meant to guide the player in the correct direction, however in this iteration it is not yet stated for it to serve this purpose. In turn, players could actively avoid the sections which have blood trails or players would deduce the function of the blood trails.
Feedback/Takeaways:
Player Feedback:
- Likes breathing foley, really likes atmosphere, and maze is too easy with blood trails.
- Duration bar for night vision is a little confusing, blood marks for guiding deters player, and likes atmosphere.
- Spellchecking notes and night vision for clues doesn't feel as intuitive.
Observational Feedback:
- Skips first note at start, note does not pick up for some reason, and follows blood trails through maze.
- Skips first note and flashlight at start, thus having trouble through the level due to skipping items.
- Fix collision box for notes, does not use night vision at first, goes away from blood trails, and make recharge rate faster for night vision.
Takeaways:
1. Players really enjoyed the atmosphere of the level, but the lighting needed to be fine tuned to further immerse the player.
2. Players skip the first note and even the flashlight which hinders experience.
3. Night vision duration bar needs to be more clear on it's duration and recharge rate needs to be faster.
4. Make it clear that blood trails aid the player through the level instead of deterring them and address spelling errors in notes.
5. Fix collision box on notes to ensure they function correctly and if they get stuck add a checkpoint reset input.
Second Iteration:
For the second iteration, I made sure to finish the rest of the level's map by adding more details to the level to make it feel more full and have the player feel they were in a national park. In addition to reinforcing this is 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.
Alterations/Solutions:
After analyzing the feedback/takeaways, I made alterations that correlated to them and refined the level's experience overall. Below are the problems with their solutions to the feedback/takeaways and how those solutions worked.
Problem(s): Lighting needed to be fine tuned to further immerse the player.
Solution(s): I altered the atmospheric fog to have less interaction with light since the flashlight was blinding the players in the fog rather than the light being a tool for navigating/traversal. God rays were occurring with the flashlight as well due to the angle of the directional light (Moon), so I moved the directional light to it being completely vertical for a quick solution since it was heavily interacting with fog and I didn't have the time to solve that particular problem.
Problem(s): Players were skipping the first note and flashlight.
Solution(s): Two-point lighting at the entrance caused the problem because this lighting psychologically indicates to the player that this is an axis that focuses the players on the area between the two lights. I then turned off one of the lights for it to become one-point lighting which illuminates anything of importance to the player, thus the one-point lighting drew more attention to the flashlight and the note itself.
Problem(s): Night vision duration bar needs to be more clear on it's duration and recharge rate needs to be faster.
Solution(s): Instead of the recharge rate being increased which would nullify the purpose of the flashlight, so I increased the duration of the night vision to give players more time to use it as a relatively limited resource. Also, I made sure to add in the second note where the night vision is located on how the night vision would recharge.
Problem(s): Make it clear that blood trails aid the player through the level instead of deterring them and address spelling errors in notes. Fix collision box on notes to ensure they function correctly and if they get stuck add a checkpoint reset input.
Solution(s): To make it more clear on the purpose of the blood trails I created a park motto that hints at the player that blood trails are meant to help in the second note where they acquire the night vision. To ensure players properly interacted with the notes correctly I increased the note interaction collision box to make it easier to interact. Then I created a checkpoint reset system to ensure if the player gets stuck on notes or if the player gets stuck in the environment that they can reset, which is hinted at in the first note.
Feedback/Takeaways:
Player Feedback:
- Less text in notes, make the notes more clear, and gamify the maze.
- The maze feels simple, see about line trace system fix, and likes atmosphere.
- Likes night vision blood mechanic, likes the notes, and likes the hints from notes.
Observational Feedback:
- Went to the note first, does not turn on flashlight after reading, and adjust light levels for level.
- Adjust lighting, reads through notes, figured out maze, and was able to get to the end.
- Adjust light levels and flashlight, figures out night vision mechanic, and got lost in maze.
Takeaways:
1. Players still enjoyed the atmosphere of the level, but the lighting needed to be fine tuned more to further immerse the player.
2. Players actively read through all notes and picked up the flashlight.
3. Night vision duration was understood by players.
4. Players understood the purpose of the blood trails through the level from the hints in notes and no spelling errors in notes.
5. Gamify the maze to make it more entertaining for the player since it appears to be too simple or too difficult.
Final Iteration:
For the final version, I added 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 version and the second iteration 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.
Alterations/Solutions:
After analyzing the feedback/takeaways, I made alterations that correlated to them and refined the level's experience overall. Below are the problems with their solutions to the feedback/takeaways and how those solutions worked.
Problem(s): Lighting needed to be fine tuned to further immerse the player.
Solution(s): I altered the flashlight to have less luminosity, so that it has less interaction with the atmospheric fog to ensure players are not just using the night vision over the flashlight. I slightly brightened the directional light (Moon) to make the environment slightly easier to see with or without the tools given to the player.
Problem(s): Gamify the maze to make it more entertaining for the player since it appears to be too simple or too difficult.
Solution(s): Due to time constraints, gamifying the maze would create interesting segments and yet would introduce problems with under polished mechanics within the deadline window. Adding collectables or inserting deterrents to indicate the player is going the wrong way would have made that section more entertaining for the player, but was not feasible for the time. Instead, I moved, adjusted the size, and changed decals of some of the blood trails to make it more clear on where to go for the players getting lost.
