Initial Research and Ideas Generation
Initially, I started thinking of the software I would like to use for my digital story. As I would primarily like to pursue game programming professionally, I would prefer to use a game engine in which I can showcase my programming ability. I would prefer to use a version of Unreal Engine as I have most recently been using the Unreal blueprinting system to program my games. However, I also have some experience in creating modifications for Bethesda games such as Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas in their respective creation kits which serve as a more restrictive version of a game engine.
Ideas Generation
Idea 1:
A small first person game experience set in a quarantined housing block infested with creatures reanimated by a manmade pathogen which the player character travels to in search of a missing student. The focus will be on environmental storytelling as I would prefer for the player to piece together an idea of what happened themselves but certain information will be given to the player to help this process. The player will at first be confused by the events inside the quarantined area so part of the story will include the player character struggling to survive. The game won’t be too gameplay intensive as the priority is on the story although I do intend to include combat with some enemies.
What If: What if a student went missing in a small neighborhood infested with zombies?
Controlling Idea: How does experiencing a horrific event change a person?
Idea 2:
A game modification for Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas that would aim to expand on a story or plot thread from the main game. The aim of the modification would be to add some further complexity to the lore of the game while the story is an original creation that would fit within the respective game’s universe. One idea I had of a potential story I could do in either of the games is expand upon an existing or create a new vault experiment with links to some of the characters from the main game. The player would have to make difficult choices to survive the vault experiment potentially having disastrous consequences for other people.
What If: What if the player is caught in a vault experiment?
Controlling Idea: What will a person do to survive at any cost?
Chosen Idea:
I decided on my first idea for this project as I was more passionate about it and it will help me to showcase the skills I have most recently developed. The idea was originally a much bigger game experience but in order to make it in the time I have I have adapted it to a much smaller scale.
Inspiration
One of my main inspirations for my project is the Resident Evil series as it originally started with quite a similar premise to my own as an abandoned town, Raccoon City, is overtaken by a virus that turns people and animals into mindless biological weapons due to unethical experimentation by a corporation known as Umbrella. The primary point of inspiration I am drawing from the series in terms of my story is how the company has complete control over the town allowing them to have a secret lab underneath it as well as allowing experimentation on employees and citizens without repercussions. The small housing block that my game is set in is to be a cover for a secret lab that is run by a corrupt organisation using artificial pathogens to try and augment human ability.
However, for the gameplay I am more inspired by the most recent non-remake titles in the series as they use a first person perspective instead of third person or fixed camera perspectives. The first person perspective will assist in creating the tense atmosphere I want for my game as well as it makes it feel a little more personal to the player.
The game Outlast also serves as an inspiration for certain aspects of my project. The game takes place in an asylum that the player is exploring as they were tipped off about terrible things happening there due to experiments by the Murkoff Corporation. The aspects of the game that inspired my project are the gameplay and the way the story is presented to the player. In Outlast, the player has no way to combat any threats and must run or hide from any enemies. I wish to incorporate this type of gameplay in the early part of my game to show the struggle the player initially has before they adapt to the situation.
The primary inspiration I take from this game though is the way the story is told to the player. Besides from some important plot points, a lot of the story is told to the player through the environment or through notes that the player can optionally pick up and read allowing the player to piece together the story rather than having it all explained in an exposition dump. I aim to include a similar storytelling method in my game experience as most of the game will be exploring the environment and putting together what happened.
Moodboard
References
Capcom (2017) Resident Evil 7 Key Art [Photograph]. Available online: https://www.slantmagazine.com/games/resident-evil-7-biohazard/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2017) Resident Evil 7 Gameplay Example 1 [Photograph]. Available online: https://www.polygon.com/resident-evil-7-guide/2017/1/26/14401532/walkthrough [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2017) Resident Evil 7 Gameplay Example 2 [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/418370/Resident_Evil_7_Biohazard/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2017) Resident Evil 7 Main Room Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/418370/Resident_Evil_7_Biohazard/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2017) Resident Evil 7 Table Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/418370/Resident_Evil_7_Biohazard/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2018) Resident Evil 2 Cover Art [Photograph]. Available online: https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3512261/cover-art-revealed-capcoms-upcoming-resident-evil-2-remake/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2019) Resident Evil 2 Hallway Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/883710/Resident_Evil_2/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2019) Resident Evil 2 RPD Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/883710/Resident_Evil_2/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Capcom (2019) Resident Evil 2 Zombie Attack Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/883710/Resident_Evil_2/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
copetherope8 (2020) Outlast Document Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://www.reddit.com/r/outlast/comments/hdyvzw/this_is_a_document_from_outlast_whistleblower/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Horror Games Community (2022) Outlast Blood Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://twitter.com/horrorvisuals/status/1496657368561721346 [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Petit, C. (2014) Outlast Gameplay Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/outlast-review/1900-6415664/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Red Barrels (2013) Outlast Environment Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://redbarrelsgames.com/games/outlast/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Red Barrels (2013) Outlast Impaled Man Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://redbarrelsgames.com/games/outlast/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Red Barrels (2022) The Outlast Trials Lab Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304930/The_Outlast_Trials/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].
Red Barrels (2022) The Outlast Trials Street Screenshot [Photograph]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304930/The_Outlast_Trials/ [Accessed 8/11/2022].