Design Change

You may have noticed that the entries on this blog have been written close together.  This is because I haven't had a chance to update it until recently, however they still show the order in which things happened.

I say this because this post is about a design change, which happened about a week after the initial design was made, and it would probably seem strange otherwise having a change so quickly after the other.

The new design was an attempt to reduce the workload and length yet keep some of the fundamental concepts.  I really liked the idea of having the Demeter crash and definitely wanted to include the abbey, given that the theme is gothic horror.  The idea came to me when I was lying on my bed thinking about the design, and I quickly storyboarded it.

(Storyboard for new game concept)

Given the lack of detail in the storyboard, I'll explain what is going on.  The introduction would remain the same but cut short as the ship crashes (relying mainly on a strong sound effect), at which point the player character would wake up from a dream (first-person perspective).  The character could then look around their bedroom, where they would find the book of Bram Stoker's Dracula on the bedside table (hinting as to why they were dreaming of it).  If they tried to leave the room the door would shut on its own and a light would shine from the cupboard (indicating that they may still be dreaming).  After approaching the cupboard the player would be engulfed in light and would be transported to Whitby Abbey (removing the town section from the previous design), where they could explore an eerie environment until finally being attacked by a shadow.

Initial Ideas, Concepts and Dracula

(very, very quick concept for game intro)

My first idea was for a game where the player is chasing shadows around Whitby, following a trail of death all the way up to the abbey.  Players would glimpse and subsequently follow a shadow, which would lead them to bodies or clues, working towards the horror aspect of the brief.

Having watched the library video again I felt inspired and realised that I could do an extended version of this, right from when the Demeter crashes on the beach.  This extended version would have a menu screen showing the ship off the coast waiting (see 10 min concept sketch above).  When the game starts the ship will crash on the coastline.

At this point I realised I didn't actually know what happened next, having never read Bram Stoker's Dracula.  The problem with this is that I'm quite dyslexic and my reading speed is atrocious.  In fact the chances of me finishing the book before the deadline of the competition were slim at best.  As a result I hunted for an audiobook version, which was difficult to find because they all used LibriVox (I found it impossible to listen to something that sounded so lifeless).  Thankfully I managed to find one that was actually quite well read by a human and so proceeded with that one (Dracula Audiobook Playlist).  I also took the opportunity to watch the film, which I quite enjoyed.

Most of the information I needed was in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7, however, all of the story up to that point had given little ideas that I could include in my game.  For example, the crates from the crashed ship containing earth.  Another idea I liked was to place the book that was in Dracula's library with the map of England and circled locations on the beach to indicate to players who or what the shadow might be.

The path the extended design takes would be shorter then the original idea, given the additional assets that would need to be made, with a structured path that again leads to the abbey.

Choosing to do something based on Dracula has meant that I actually got to know the story, thanks to the audiobook and film, which I may never have done had it not been for the research conducted on this project.

Whitby

(Picture of the seaside town of Whitby, in North Yorkshire)

As stated in my previous post, I have chosen to create something in CryEngine based on the Whitby asset pack provided by The British Library.  Ideally I would like to visit the town to conduct some primary research of my own; however I don't have the funds available to make this possible.  As a result I have been conducting extensive research online to make up for it.

All of the research had to be quite specific to my needs to make sure I didn't spend too much time researching rather than actually making the final piece.  This means that future blog entries will contain some of the research related to it's topic, making this entry a general overview.  My sources will include:

• The library asset packs.
• Photos taken during the visit to The British Library.
• Online searches for types of stone and vegetation in the area.
• Online image searches for reference materials.
• Google Maps and Street View to aid with world scale and to act as a substitute for visiting the town.
• Other source materials (e.g. The book, Bram Stoker's Dracula).