Level Design
Reflection:
The level design step of the game design process serves the purpose of laying out the fundamentals of how the game will transpire, what spaces the player will have access to, and what items can be used at the disposal of the player. I decided to create a simple plan of a 2-story post-modern family home which will serve as the totality of the play space. It is designed to confine the player, making them feel somewhat trapped with the monster that will be roaming the house over the course of the game. Below that is a legend that shown what all the symbols in the floor plan illustration are supposed to represent, including three items that will be findable in any of the desks, wardrobes, or searchable containers that will be distributed throughout the house. I want to randomize where these items can be found to make each play experience unique, and include a potential for RNG speedrunning. Finally I created a flow chart not dissimilar to the ones created for Catan, Coup, and Trizzle in the flow chart assignment completed earlier this year. This serves to illustrate in a simple and easy to understand way how I plan to have the events of the game play out. Overall the level design step is an important tool that I plan to use as a guide throughout whiteboxing, greyboxing, and eventually completing "The Butcher of the Flesh."
The level design step of the game design process serves the purpose of laying out the fundamentals of how the game will transpire, what spaces the player will have access to, and what items can be used at the disposal of the player. I decided to create a simple plan of a 2-story post-modern family home which will serve as the totality of the play space. It is designed to confine the player, making them feel somewhat trapped with the monster that will be roaming the house over the course of the game. Below that is a legend that shown what all the symbols in the floor plan illustration are supposed to represent, including three items that will be findable in any of the desks, wardrobes, or searchable containers that will be distributed throughout the house. I want to randomize where these items can be found to make each play experience unique, and include a potential for RNG speedrunning. Finally I created a flow chart not dissimilar to the ones created for Catan, Coup, and Trizzle in the flow chart assignment completed earlier this year. This serves to illustrate in a simple and easy to understand way how I plan to have the events of the game play out. Overall the level design step is an important tool that I plan to use as a guide throughout whiteboxing, greyboxing, and eventually completing "The Butcher of the Flesh."
Game Design Document
Imagine a world where filing your taxes or figuring out your next meal aren't the biggest issues on your mind. A world where humanity is forced to contend with a natural predator that dominates the food chain. This is the world imagined and formulated by one Darian Quilloy, who has perfectly encapsulated how a threat like that might behave through his analogue horror series called "Vita Carnis" which debuted in 2021. I was so inspired by this interesting concept that I decided to make it the focus of my game "The butcher of the flesh" based on the latin name "Trucidatum Carnis" that was given to the most frightening member of the Vita Carnis family.
"The Butcher of the Flesh" will include aspects and mechanics from the mystery and horror genres. I want for the player to be afraid of the monster not only because its trying to hunt and kill him/her, but also from the shroud of mystery that surrounds the players situation. I want to include aspects of realism as well, making the opening sequence feel similar to a break-in late at night. Only to reveal later that the thing that broke into the players house is far more threatening than say a burglar. I am taking some inspiration from the Horror multiplayer game "Lethal Company" which involves navigating abandoned facilities to collect scrap, while simultaneously evading a multitude of monstrous threats that are constantly trying to kill you. I like the idea of moving through a space with the understanding that you are not alone, but unable to see anything until it is too late.
The target audience of "The Butcher of the Flesh" is ideally teens-adults given the violent and frightening nature of the game. This allows me more creative freedom when it comes to designing a frightening monster and unnerving situations the player might encounter. Targeting an older audience also allows me to create a more mature game with aspects of gunplay, and a realistic break-in scenario.
I want to include mechanics that you could expect from any game in the Horror genre, particularly hiding mechanics. Although I want to put my own spin on these mechanics inspired my the found-footage sequence included in Darian Quilloy's video explaining the mimic and its features. I will have the mimic move past the player and not attack if these conditions are met: The player is hidden, the player is not producing any light source. If these conditions are not met it will initiate a jump-scare sort of sequence depending on where the player is hiding, which will result in a game-over and restart screen. I will also include simple loot mechanics and a limited inventory. The only items available to the player will be a house key, a rifle, and ammunition. Each of these Items can be used to initiate 2 potential victory sequences, one where the mimic is locked inside, and one where the player successfully immobilizes the threat.
The story is based on "Vita Carnis" as stated before. Taking place in the world described in the analogue horror series by Darian Quilloy. The main character wont be anyone particularly special, simply a victim of another mimic attack. The monster itself is called the mimic, and has been tracking the main character go through their daily life for some time. It was the night the game takes place that it finally decided to attack. The setting is a suburban home located somewhere along the east coast United States.
My vision for the game aesthetics of "The Butcher of the Flesh" is to create a dark, sterile environment that requires a light source of some kind to navigate. As mentioned before I am taking inspiration from "Lethal Company" to create the game environment. I want the monster to stand out in some way, so very little of the game space besides the monster will feature dark red fleshy tones. More regarding the aesthetic of the game can be found below under "Game Aesthetics"
To complete this project I am planning on creating the architecture and surrounding world space of the house the player will traverse all in UE5 using its landscape and architectural tools. To create assets such as the monster, rifle, ammo, and keys I will use Blender, a 3D modelling software and import the assets into the game. The biggest challenge I am anticipating to face is the programming and blueprint work that is required to achieve my vision for the game I'm trying to create. I plan to gather sounds using Adobe audition and sound editing tools, as well as utilizing sounds made by Darian Quilloy, of which I have recieved permission to use via instagram.
"The Butcher of the Flesh" will include aspects and mechanics from the mystery and horror genres. I want for the player to be afraid of the monster not only because its trying to hunt and kill him/her, but also from the shroud of mystery that surrounds the players situation. I want to include aspects of realism as well, making the opening sequence feel similar to a break-in late at night. Only to reveal later that the thing that broke into the players house is far more threatening than say a burglar. I am taking some inspiration from the Horror multiplayer game "Lethal Company" which involves navigating abandoned facilities to collect scrap, while simultaneously evading a multitude of monstrous threats that are constantly trying to kill you. I like the idea of moving through a space with the understanding that you are not alone, but unable to see anything until it is too late.
The target audience of "The Butcher of the Flesh" is ideally teens-adults given the violent and frightening nature of the game. This allows me more creative freedom when it comes to designing a frightening monster and unnerving situations the player might encounter. Targeting an older audience also allows me to create a more mature game with aspects of gunplay, and a realistic break-in scenario.
I want to include mechanics that you could expect from any game in the Horror genre, particularly hiding mechanics. Although I want to put my own spin on these mechanics inspired my the found-footage sequence included in Darian Quilloy's video explaining the mimic and its features. I will have the mimic move past the player and not attack if these conditions are met: The player is hidden, the player is not producing any light source. If these conditions are not met it will initiate a jump-scare sort of sequence depending on where the player is hiding, which will result in a game-over and restart screen. I will also include simple loot mechanics and a limited inventory. The only items available to the player will be a house key, a rifle, and ammunition. Each of these Items can be used to initiate 2 potential victory sequences, one where the mimic is locked inside, and one where the player successfully immobilizes the threat.
The story is based on "Vita Carnis" as stated before. Taking place in the world described in the analogue horror series by Darian Quilloy. The main character wont be anyone particularly special, simply a victim of another mimic attack. The monster itself is called the mimic, and has been tracking the main character go through their daily life for some time. It was the night the game takes place that it finally decided to attack. The setting is a suburban home located somewhere along the east coast United States.
My vision for the game aesthetics of "The Butcher of the Flesh" is to create a dark, sterile environment that requires a light source of some kind to navigate. As mentioned before I am taking inspiration from "Lethal Company" to create the game environment. I want the monster to stand out in some way, so very little of the game space besides the monster will feature dark red fleshy tones. More regarding the aesthetic of the game can be found below under "Game Aesthetics"
To complete this project I am planning on creating the architecture and surrounding world space of the house the player will traverse all in UE5 using its landscape and architectural tools. To create assets such as the monster, rifle, ammo, and keys I will use Blender, a 3D modelling software and import the assets into the game. The biggest challenge I am anticipating to face is the programming and blueprint work that is required to achieve my vision for the game I'm trying to create. I plan to gather sounds using Adobe audition and sound editing tools, as well as utilizing sounds made by Darian Quilloy, of which I have recieved permission to use via instagram.
Game Working Title Name Pitch
Game Aesthetics
Reflection:
I found many images from Darian Quilloy's Instagram, as well as images from other horror games that include a color pallet and general aesthetic that I would like to incorporate into my game. The aesthetic is somewhat dark, including colors that represent blank, white and grey walls, which the fleshy red of the monster will starkly contrast with.
I found many images from Darian Quilloy's Instagram, as well as images from other horror games that include a color pallet and general aesthetic that I would like to incorporate into my game. The aesthetic is somewhat dark, including colors that represent blank, white and grey walls, which the fleshy red of the monster will starkly contrast with.
Character Design
Storyline
Butcher of the Flesh Storyline
World & Background:
Sometime in the early 1930s, trace examples of new species and organisms began to crop up in more remote areas of the world before spreading to encompass the entire globe. The species received the designation “Vita Carnis” and by the 1940s had been incorporated into almost every environment. A subspecies of Vita Carnis was given the name “Trucidatum Carnis” although many refer to it as the “Mimic” due to its biological tendency to mimic the form of a human. This bipedal creature resides around human populated metropolitan and suburban areas and once matured, consumes exclusively human flesh. The game “Butcher of the Flesh” attempts to illustrate what an encounter with such a predator would look like.
Main Character:
The main character of the game “Butcher of the Flesh” is a young adult living alone in a 3 story house in a suburban neighborhood. They are an unnamed male of whom the player knows very little, though it can be assumed that there is nothing particularly special about this person. The main character is the potential victim of a newly discovered species known as “Vita Carnis” (conceptualized by Darian Quilloy) and is meant to be an average person who has been targeted by a sub-species of Vita Carnis known as Trucidatum Carnis.
Setting:
As mentioned above, the play area will be a 3 story, average sized suburban home in an east coast suburban neighborhood. This setting was chosen because it is a familiar location to the target audience of the game. There is nothing particularly different or special about the chosen location which makes the circumstances of the game more frightening, because it feels like such a threat could happen upon anyone in this hypothetical universe. The game is based in the Universe of “Vita Carnis” created by Darian Quilloy which introduces a new species to emerge on earth that challenges humans at the top of the food chain. It accomplishes this through the use of many sub-species which all thrive in different environments.
Conflict:
The main character awoken suddenly by something lurking outside, he remembers hearing about mimic sightings in his area on the T.V. and peers out the window to see a red leg disappear behind the corner of his house. A few seconds later he hears his door shaken open, the threat is inside. At this point the player is in control of the main character. The player must navigate the house, changing locations to throw off the threat, and hiding where possible when the mimic is nearby. The player has 2 choices: escape the house and lock the mimic inside, or immobilize the mimic with a weapon. If the player fails to do this within a certain time frame, the mimic will lock onto the player and there will be no chance of escape.
Character Interactions & Dynamics:
The main character has a variety of objects and items at his disposal in the house, the only problem is to get to these items. The player must hide and evade the mimic to get to other rooms in the house where they may find weapons, consumables, or items that can aid in escaping the property. In the most dire of circumstances, the main character can use tables, wardrobes, and closets to conceal themselves from the mimic. Remember to turn off your flashlight though, as the mimic is sensitive to light. The winning conditions of the game are immobilizing the threat and escaping, or sneaking around the threat and locking it inside.
Resolution:
Ending 1: The main character has hidden from the mimic and has located all the items necessary to escape the house. He slowly creeps downstairs and into the foyer when he hears creaking of the floorboards in the study room nearby. The main character quickly dives into a coat locker near the front door and frantically clicks off the flashlight and listens to the soft footsteps of the creature right outside the door. The character waits for a moment until he’s sure the threat is clear. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and bursts out of the closet and rushes for the front door. He can hear the creature change pace behind him. He manages the door open, and as he’s closing the door behind him he briefly gets a good look at the creature that has been stalking him before slamming the door shut and hearing the lock click. Looking through the window he sees the creature standing completely still in a docile state. He takes a step back, pulls out his phone to dial 911, and the game ends.
Ending 2: The main character found his 12 gauge shotgun in a locker in the garage. To attain it he had to evade and hide from the monster lurking in his house and locate the locker key and ammunition. Finally, he has 3 rounds to fight off the creature with. He pulls out his ammo, loads three rounds into the chamber, and racks the first slug. He hears the creature in the floor above him shift and start moving towards him. The character exits the garage, and looks up the stairs as the creature looks down at him. He levels his aim, and the moment the creature moves. He fires. 1… 2… 3… shots. The creature collapses down onto the ground. The character pauses for a moment, turns, and finally pulls out his phone to dial 911, then the game ends.
The game can have other endings with different weapons or other methods of escape. But for now these 2 cover the overall methods of which a player can use to either evade, or immobilize the mimic and alert authorities to the potential threat. I have also considered an ending where the player dials police and hides until they can arrive, but I’m not sure if that's possible in the time frame we have to develop the game.
Reflection:
The chosen story reflects the concept of the game which attempts to illustrate how an encounter with a natural predator in an urban setting would play out. The chosen worldspace of Vita Carnis serves as a baseline for the background lore of the universe in which the game resides, but the primary focus of the game is to recreate the encounter of an unfortunate individual and the mimic that hunted him as shown in a found footage segment of the analogue horror series. The elements present in the game share similar elements to that of the series as well as some other games in the horror genre which I took inspiration from such as iron lung. An image from which can be seen in my inspiration board. I wanted to create an environment that feels familiar, but also incorporates elements of horror such as darkness illuminated by just the player’s flashlight, and the sounds of the creature ever reminding the player that they are not safe. The way the story is described above is how I envision a playthrough of my game to be carried out, and I plan to include some subtle information about the external universe of Vita Carnis to further the player's interest in the setting.