Caoineadh

Prototype 1

by SqueakB05

For this prototype, we wanted to experiment with the idea of the environment controlling where you go within the game. Our plan is to make a horror game inspired by Irish folklore, so we wanted to use this to steer the player through the experience without being too restricting. One way we thought of doing this was to have the sounds of banshees crying or wailing to draw the players attention to certain directions. This should get the player to face the direction the noise is coming from and hopefully help them notice what's around them. 

Another idea we had was to have a creature move or be seen in a certain area to either steer the player away from that direction or get them to move towards it out of curiosity. This should help move the player through certain areas and help create suspense throughout the game. It should also give the player a taste of what they're up against.

We also had the idea of giving the player information that will let them know where to go. We can do this by using letters or notes that they can find around the environment that give more insight into the story of the area while also informing them of certain areas which they can explore. For example, we could give them an opportunity to gain something that might help them later on by mentioning where it is in the note. This could also be used to lead the player to a trap, which would add to the risk of the game. 

The last idea we had was to physically guide the player through the environment by using lighting and paths for the player to follow. I'm thinking of using different kinds of lighting to draw the player's attention to certain rooms and objects. I'm also going to create paths that the player will naturally want to follow by using a mix of lighting and overall layout of the forest and the castle. If we lay the environment out right we should be able to show the player that they can explore different areas before they even get to them.  

I've tried to implement these techniques to this prototype, some of which I am yet to add, to see how they might play out in the final version of our game. I've also added a few features which could come in handy later to create options for environment building and gameplay, such as crouching and sprinting. After the playtests, I'm going to try and refine the prototype and maybe try some different techniques that we haven't thought of yet.