Call of Cthulhu
About this project
-
Solo Project
-
Unreal 4 and UE Blueprint
-
2 Weeks
A walking simulator that will guide player through a village that was attacked by some mysterious power. Third-party assets used in this project.
My Design Process
-
Design Goal and Experience Goal
The design goal of this project is to create a space that reveals narrative gradually when player go through the space.
The experience goal is letting players feel insecure and nervous while they are walking through the space.
-
Pacing and designing layout
I want the tension to increase as players are exploring. So my first step of designing the level is to draw a diagram as below.
The spikes before climax are small POIs/areas that will arouse players’ attention. The lower spike after the climax is a secret that rewards explorers.
Then the POIs(Point of Interests)/areas were planned out in a way that other POIs circle the climax POI.
-
Sculpting the terrain/Blockmeshing
I quickly sculpted out the basic shape of terrain and designed the level layout in detail based on it.
1. Hiding something is always a good way to create surprise.
I added an area of trees between the house and start point to block players’ view. It also lowers the tension at the beginning of the experience.
2. Putting the secret area near the starting point.
I want the player to have a glance of the secret area but couldn’t reach it at first. So I put a fence that can be looked through.
3. Breaking the slope
Breaking a slope into platforms can create a clearer sense of "hitting milestone" for players.
-
Building POIs/Areas
1. Adding more details to the terrain.
Never let an area be purely flat.
2. "Spreading" the ascetic of the climax POI out.
This method helps building up tension as players move towards the climax POI/area. The closer they get, the more tentacles they will see.
3. Don't let the interval between two POIs/Areas be too long
Making sure that when players leave one POI, they will see another almost immediately.
-
Polishing
1. Lighting
Heavy fog is used to blur the background and the sun is put at the back of the hill to create some “god ray”.
Fire is used to indicate places where player should go.
2. Sound Design
The sound design idea for this level is insecurity and danger. I created an ambient sound track with a weird wind sound and some distant creatures’ sound. The nest also has a special sound of sticky flesh and monstrous low roar.