Target Audience:
My target audience will be mainly passive. My game project will help entertain my target audience by creating objectives whilst having to be stealthy otherwise the character will die as he is unarmed. The audiences who enjoy a wide range of genres of games and especially small games are those who wouldn't mind giving a go at my game. The detail of the game can also help draw in attention to my target audience by creating an atmospheric feel of the game when listening. This can also give interest to those who are interested in creating games themselves and could borrow ideas from it. The location and characters will also guide the players on the type of genre it will be which helps engage and helps to excite the player when playing. This also will help target the 18+ audiences as the detail and the use of minimal violence can show interest on the type of gameplay they could have encountered in passed games and the type of game I'll be creating will be a Sci-fi genre with a stealth theme.
What is manageable:
In order for my initial idea to be manageable, I'll need to make sure the whole building process is doable as well as getting ideas on how the AI's will act when the player gets detected, how the use of background sounds will help engage the player, how having objectives and interactive objects will interest the player and lastly how to defeat the mini boss and making it interesting. All this will be done on Unity to give me a better understanding on the whole creating games aspect before I move onto Unreal Engine. I'm hoping to do the game project work to be done at home as I do not know if transferring my current game project to another computer constantly would corrupt it which I may need to discuss.
Initial ideas:
As of my initial ideas, I would like to create a 3D game based on stealth with a Sci-Fi genre. I'll be using simple tasks for the player to interactive with in game such as switching off lasers and enabling a trap. I'll be using two scenes, first one will be you getting an understanding on how to interact with certain objects (the computers) in order to switch the lasers off. It will also consist of interactive doors that open up themselves when close except for one that which will lead you to the next scene but you'll need to pick up a key card for it in order to proceed. There will also be cameras scattered around with additional armed AI's roaming around the place. The player will have the ability to crouch, walk, run and staying idle with additional of him falling over when he dies. The second scene is where a mini boss will be there roaming around the area with additional lasers that need to be switched off be proceeding. The location of that scene will be a scrap metal place where there will be these "traps" that you can enable by going towards a button which will enable and drop the scrap metal from the claw machine. These traps can only be used for is against the mini boss so that you can exit out of the place by getting the key card when you eliminate the mini boss. You still must stay as stealthy as you can until the mini boss stands underneath the trap which is where you can enable it. This overall will help entertain my target audience as the detail and sound helps bring their attention more and more when playing the game and especially for only being a short game. The locations and character will also guide the player on the type of genre it will be which helps to engage and helps to excite the player.
Game examples and how this can be implemented in my own game:
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Example 1: Invisible Inc.
This first example of a game that I've researched on is by how the mechanics are used and how its played from a players perspective. The game is a tactical stealth video game in which you incorporate elements of roguelike gameplay. What I mean by roguelike is a subgenre of role-playing video games. The player acts as the remote operator for an espionage agency that has come under attack from multinational corporations, and directs agents in covert missions, acquiring resources and support in order to enable relocation of the agency's computer system to a safe haven within a limited amount of time.
Example screen shot:
In this screen shot the camera view is a birds eye view type angle with the roof of the game cut off to see the inside of the building. This is something that I would like to implement towards my idea when it comes to playing with a certain camera angle. The use of interactive objects is a game mechanic that I would like to use similarly on how it is used here.
Example 2: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
For this example of a game that I've researched on is by how the mechanics are used and how it reacts towards the players perspective when playing. The game is an action role-playing video game which does consist of stealth. The game's environments, ranging from open-world hubs to more scripted environments, are explored in first person; actions such as hiding behind cover, conversing with NPCs and some attack animations switch to a third-person view.
Example screen shot:
In this screen shot we see a game mechanic being used which is the use of a camera rotating with its field of view being shown to show how close you are by being detected and where it can alarm the enemies around the player when detected. This is a mechanic that I'll be adding towards my game as it is a way to make the game feel more challenging.
Example 3: Alien: Isolation.
Alien: Isolation is a first person shooter game which is a survival horror game and also an emphasis of stealth. In this game the player is required to avoid and outsmart a single Alien creature with tools such as a motion tracker and flamethrower whilst exploring the space station and completing objectives. The objectives consists of activating computers to collecting certain items or reaching a specific area in the game.
Example screen shot:
In this screen shot, we see a game mechanic being used where the player is having to hide from the NPC which in this case the Alien roaming around the place. The game mechanic that's been used is by the use of stealth by hiding behind objects and walls ect. This is a game mechanic that I would like to include in my own game where the player must be stealth and to net get detected by the NPC whilst roaming around the map.
Example 4: Hitman 2 Haven Island.
The second DLC map for Hitman 2 (2018) sends Agent 47 to the Maldives where three unsuspecting targets are waiting. Despite the sunny environment and welcoming staff, this is actually one of the trickier maps in the game. There are three targets, and they each have personal bodyguards that follow them through the densely populated resort area.
Example screen shot:
In this screen shot we see a mechanic that has been used by the player in which the player
placing a trap for one of its targets to trigger it and die from it. This is a similar mechanic I
would like to implement towards my boss section of the map in my game where once the
the boss stands underneath the trap, the player will then be able to interact with a button press with the trap and therefore killing the boss.
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What will "success" look like to you:
In order for my work to be successful, it will have to follow my planning as well as creating multiple of tests and seeing what can I improve upon and what doesn't need to be improved on and how this can relate towards my target audience. Overall this will help me achieve the success of my finished project as I am able to show skills I've managed to follow along with my planning and how it targets my target audience.
Research:
As of research, I have found many tutorials that help me create a stealth game in Unity but not just in Unity, but also how to create your own objects in Blender.
First example of research that I managed to find is a tutorial guide by Unity themselves in creating in depth on creating a stealth game your self. It goes heavily in detail to make it as good as possible such as how the AI's will react when the player is noticed.
I'll be making it my own version but with the help of the coding's on how to create a good stealth game of my own.
The next part of my research I managed to find is how to create objects by using images as the template. This is a perfect way for beginners like me using Blender to create objects and then implementing it in Unity.
Tutorial Blender by using images as templates link.
The next part of my research I managed to find is by interacting with a button that a player has to do when activating the trap to eliminate the boss. The button will be only "pressed" when the player gets close enough to the collider which will help the claw of the crane to drop objects and those objects will eliminate the mini boss instantly. The claw will be done in Blender and also animated to make sure it works as I want it to.
Links:
Kill enemy upon collision with object.
Collider box for the button to interact with the claw.
Blender tutorial on how to create a simple and animated claw.
Drafts/ showcase examples of creations:
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Unity rough map build idea:
Click here for time lapse build.
There will be two map levels, first one being more
of an understanding on how the game works and
what the objective is. The second level of the map will
be different consisting a mini boss which will be in a
scrap metal area.
Blender work for my project (more will be done):
(Textures will be added)
I decided to work on the most complex design of objects and to get the better understanding of the knowledge in modelling so that when I start to create on simple objects, I'll be able to create them much faster.
Feedback
Thursday 4th March 2021:
After receiving my feedback for my presentation, I have been told that I am missing information on the players perspective as I talk too much about the developers perspective. I should use examples from other stealth based games and talk about how you could borrow those ideas into your game and also how it can be implemented towards your game.
Find a few game examples.