STUDENT PROJECT
STRANDED
INTRODUCTION
Stranded core concept revolves around the profound principle of “Sensory Deprivation”. By deliberately constraining player’s vision, Stranded compel a heightened reliance on their auditory senses. This will be done through audio cues and feedback during key moments of the game
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Platform : PC
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Engine : Unity 2021.3.23f1
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Game Genre : Multi Player Side Scrolling Platform
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Game Theme : Fear, Isolation
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Game Mood : Lonely
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Art Style : Silhouette with Contrasting Background
PROJECT INFORMATION
For this project, we need to design a short demo for a game that provokes a certain kind of emotion. The emotion that I choose to provoke is fear and isolation.​​
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This project is a solo project and the total duration to complete the entire project is one week.
MARKET RESEARCH
GAME : SLENDER : THE EIGHT PAGES
Games such as “Slender : The Eight Pages” and “Outlast”. These games use techniques that often restrict the player’s field of view or vision to establishes an environment steeped in suspense.
GAME : OUTLAST
As visibility diminishes, players are prompted to heavily rely on their sense of hearing to navigate the game’s environment. Each distant sound becomes crucial information, fostering a heightened awareness of the auditory landscape. This interplay between limited vision and heightened auditory perception aims to evoke a palpable sense of vulnerability and tension
EMOTIONS EVOKED
FEAR AND ISOLATION
The limited vision also fosters a profound feeling of vulnerability, underscoring player’s reliance on their auditory senses to survive the obstacles and monsters presented in the unknown environment.
With the limitation of vision ques and enhances audio ques, player’s emotions can be manipulated through strategic placement of audio feedback
The deliberate limitation of player’s vision in ‘Stranded’ creates an atmosphere of suspense as they navigate the unknown with restricted visibility. A heightened sense of uncertainty and tension is also evoked as players must navigate and survive an unknown environment
COLLABORATION
In multiplayer, certain audio cues are only available to only one player.
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This collaborative dynamic not only enhances game play but also cultivates a sense of camaraderie as players rely on each other’s auditory sensory to overcome obstacles and challenges.
MECHANICS
DARKNESS
Players could only see their surrounding within a certain radius as the bulb on their head illuminates parts of the map
SOUND CUES
Sound cues will play when player is close to danger. This acts as a form of audio feedback to the player to warn the player that there is danger nearby.
LEVEL DESIGN
I have decided to keep the level design short as this is a demo to showcase the mechanics and emotions evoked. I designed the level to showcase two different kind of environmental enemies and two monster enemies. The terrain is also designed to be uneven so the world feels "less 2d".
ATMOSPHERE AND MOOD DESIGN
For this project, I played with various light settings and particle effects to convey my vision for the game. I also added in lots with different opacity to convey depth so there is a sense of "isolation in a big world".
NARRATIVE DESIGN
To bring more life into this unknown world, I have decided to add little tidbits of lore here and there. There are some props that showcase that there could be civilization in the world. There are also monsters that are of different sizes.
FINAL PRODUCT
Project Restropective
Here are the key takeaways that I have learnt from this project :
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Using particle effects and layering different lighting is very helpful in conveying the mood. Different props can also be stacked upon each other using different opacity to create more depth for the map.
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Having simple UI instead of complicated UI will sometimes make the UI stands out more.
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It is difficult for the player to have a grasp of things if the screen is totally black and only have a bit of light. By playing with the opacity, players are still able to have some visual cues instead of being completely blind in the game.
Moving On
Since this project is completed in a short period of time, here are some things that I would work on should I take this project further.
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Playtesting
I would love to conduct more playtesting session to ensure that the concept works well and is easy to understand. If possible, I would like to have a working multiplayer function as well. More playtesting is definitely needed to adjust timing and audio feedback for the demo.
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Better Sound Cues
Some sound cues are not properly timed with the animation and timing of the visual cues.
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Brightness Settings
Add in a brightness settings since the map is not completely black so player can get the best experience while playing the demo