Zoey and the magic paintbrush
Zoey and the magic paintbrush
Trailer
Escape
Project Overview
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Game Engine: Unreal Engine 4 (v. 4.20)
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Dev Time: 10 weeks (240 hours)
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Game: Hello Neighbor
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Genre: Stealth / Horror
Responsibilities
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Concept and Documentation
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Whiteboxing and scripting
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Gameplay Implementation and Iteration
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Aesthetics
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Playtesting and Communication with Lead
Design Goals
In developing "Escape!", I kept to a few key design goals that enabled me to make key decisions during the development process.
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Create a large interconnected space, with a non-linear solution.
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Focus heavily on player flow into and out of dangerous spaces, allowing for observation, planning, and quick execution.
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Provide a few key items with multiple uses within the space
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Convey puzzle mechanics, and sub-goals, without making changes to the user interface.
Level Summary
“Escape!” is an introductory single-player stealth-puzzle map for Hello Neighbor. This level is designed to introduce players to basic concepts in Hello Neighbor, as well as providing a nonlinear puzzle with an over-arching goal of escaping the yard. In “Escape!”, players must find a way out of the Neighbor’s yard by activating 5 pipe spigots and throwing a boiler lever, all while avoiding the Neighbor’s attention.
Development process and construction
Escape was developed as an open-world non-linear space, with multiple floors, and flow paths to support player movement and escape from the Neighbor.
The creation process moved from whiteboard space, into maps and documentation, and finally to full gameplay implementation.
Here we have the initial concepting and sequence diagramming.
Here you can see an initial take on the Backyard design.
Here we have the initial concepting and sequence diagramming.
Initial Designs
Overview maps were then made and edited as gameplay evolved.
Eventually I used in game pictures to represent my assets when I could.
By making my maps as close to the game as possible, I was able to keep so many disparate ideas cohesive in design.
Overview maps were then made and edited as gameplay evolved.
Maps
Gameplay Space Examples
Flow Options and Gameplay Spaces
As Hello Neighbor is a Survival Horror game, containing goals and a monster foil (The Neighbor), I provided safe spaces to observe the Neighbor, in addition to many ways into and out of spaces, with plenty of leading lines and loops should the player need to move around the Neighbor or escape from him. Additionally, I provided puzzle elements in places the Neighbor often paced, in order to challenge the player to distract and/or manage the Neighbor.
This Boiler Room, for example, has a pipe spigot right out in the open, but several side passages to move into other areas.
Keyholes provide an excellent means to observe the Neighbor’s activity, in addition to noting key elements beyond the door.
In the picture above, we can see an example of flow loops being placed in singular spaces, allowing players to always have some means to avoid the Neighbor should they be pursued.
This Boiler Room, for example, has a pipe spigot right out in the open, but several side passages to move into other areas.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Scripted conveyance
Hello Neighbor provided a unique opportunity to script my own conveyance for my puzzles and mechanics, as the toolset was embedded within Unreal 4 itself. With this freedom I was able to bring layered conveyance to multiple puzzle elements throughout my level, with a heavy focus on initial attraction and activation states.
Pipes: Hello Neighbor provided a unique opportunity to script my own conveyance for my puzzles and mechanics, as the toolset was embedded within Unreal 4 itself. With this freedom I was able to bring layered conveyance to multiple puzzle elements throughout my level, with a heavy focus on initial attraction and activation states.
Here is an inactive Pipe, with water shooting from the spigot, which can be heard from a distance.
Active pipes have steam and glowing joiners. Also note the pressure meter has gone up, matching the Boiler.
Here is an inactive Pipe, with water shooting from the spigot, which can be heard from a distance.
With the activated pipe, the steam and the glowing effect are accompanied by bursting noises and can be followed to the central boiler. The pressure meter ticks up based on the number of activated pipes in the level, with all of them causing the dial to touch the red. One can check on what specific pipes they have activated by visiting the boiler and looking at the activated pipes connecting to it, and tracing inactive ones to their source.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Wires: For activation of switches, I needed to ensure the player both knew that each switch was activated, and where to find what that switch activated. In order to achieve both ends, I added a panner effect to the wires attached to each switch, leading in the direction of the item that switch activated. For regular switches this panner effect was blue, while the main boiler wire had a white panner as it had a unique wire.
Inactive wires, such as the one above, lead the player neutrally to both the end point and the activation switch itself. These wires act as an excellent visual connector between important objectives within the level.
In the active state, each wire flows along its end to the powered objective. In this case the wire extends down the stairs and into the Green Room, activating a switch there. By using an emissive panner, I am able to both depict the active state of the wire, and the direction the player needs to travel to next.
Inactive wires, such as the one above, lead the player neutrally to both the end point and the activation switch itself. These wires act as an excellent visual connector between important objectives within the level.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Multiple Tool Use
As Hello Neighbor has a 4 item inventory limit, it was important to ensure that each item the player found had multiple uses. In “Escape!” the player will encounter four key items that they must use at least once: a Valve, a Wrench, a Key, and a Magnet Gun. All of other items encounters, such as the crow bar, and the rifle, are optional items that either unlock alternate flow paths, or obstruct the Neighbor in some way. Below I'll touch on uses of the Valve, the Wrench, and the Magnet Gun.
Valve: The Valve is the primary tool the player receives in the level, and is provided at the very beginning of play. This tool activates each pipe found in and around the house.
The Black Pipe can be found in the far corner of the kitchen. This is especially problematic, as the pipe is right along the Neighbor’s primary patrol path. This pipe requires observation and patience to execute without getting caught.
The Green Pipe is behind an unpowered gate at the start of the game. In order to access it, the player must flip the upstairs switch to power this gate, and activate the switch in this room, now light by a red standby light.
The Red Pipe spigot is placed on the North Side of the house, just outside the backdoor. This Pipe can be followed from within the Green Pipe room, or is in plain view should the player be escaping out the back door. Anytime the player runs by the North Side of the house, this Pipe spigot is spotlit to attract the players attention.
The Black Pipe can be found in the far corner of the kitchen. This is especially problematic, as the pipe is right along the Neighbor’s primary patrol path. This pipe requires observation and patience to execute without getting caught.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Wrench: In Escape, I use the wrench to manage unlock flow spaces. For example, the player can use the wrench to unlock the ladder gate, unlock an alternative flow path to the lift on the north side of the house, or unlock the gate on the side of the house near the car.
Here we see the primary use of the wrench, which is to unlock the ladder gate preventing access to the 2nd floor roof. This gate is placed directly outside of the area where the wrench can first be obtained, connecting the concepts through association and incentivizing immediate use of the wrench.
Once up the ladder, a second bolt is lit by candlelight leading off to the north side of the roof. Upon unbolting this gate, the player will have direct access to the lift area, and a clear shot of the crowbar optional item.
The final bolt is placed on an exterior gate, unlocking circular exterior flow if unlocked from the front yard. The Player encounters this gate through escape from the Neighbor.
Here we see the primary use of the wrench, which is to unlock the ladder gate preventing access to the 2nd floor roof. This gate is placed directly outside of the area where the wrench can first be obtained, connecting the concepts through association and incentivizing immediate use of the wrench.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Magnet Gun: In Escape, I use the Magnet Gun as a utility for obtaining puzzle elements. For example, the magnet gun is used to grab the yellow key through a hole in the wall, to grab the crowbar from an adjacent window, and to grab the rifle from the south side of the house.
The next use of the magnet gun is more hidden. The player has the opportunity to grab the crowbar early on if they look out of the exterior window to the Blue Switch room.
The final use-case for the magnet gun has the player grab the rifle from a tiny exterior window on the south side of the house.
Hover over each picture for more details!
Lessons Learned
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By layering on motion, light, sound, and geometry, one can guide many different kinds of players naturally to gameplay goals
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The best customized scripting takes advantage of, and supports, existing gameplay structures. (Don't reinvent the wheel).
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Ensure that there are always multiple uses for key items in a space, and ensure those uses share a common language in conveyance.
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Geometry can be used to funnel players into certain places, and guide them through a space.
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Never underestimate how variant color themed decorations can greatly assist in chunking a space.