Assignment 2-Game concept

Concept statement:

Imagine waking up alone at night trapped inside a mansion that you have never been in before. Then trying to find the key to get out of the building whilst you are only able to defend yourself with a flashlight from the ghosts that plan to keep you inside the haunted mansion.

Category:

One category Ghost Escape fits into is action, this is because in the game you are fighting off ghosts. Another possible genre that ghosts escape fits into is shooter. Due to the player defending themselves against ghost by shooting them with light.

Concept creation process/area:

When coming up for the main goal of the game, finding a key in the building to get out. I was constantly looking on the internet and in real life. I didn’t get an idea till I saw the puzzle escape rooms, the rooms you are locked in with most things hidden and you must solve puzzles to get out. This gave me the idea to have a hidden object in the room the player needed to find, but a lot simpler than an actual escape room.

When thinking of ways to make the game more enjoyable, due to easily finding a key not being very exciting. I decided to add enemies into the game to try and stop the player, making it harder to escape. When not sure what to make the enemies, I started looking at other video games. When looking through multiple games such as Pac-man ( Bandai Namco Entertainment, 1980), phasmophobia (Kinetic Games, 2020), labyrinthine (Valko Game Studios, 2020), etc, I decided to make the enemies ghosts. Having the enemies as ghost also allows me to make different types that act in different ways. With enemies in the game, I started to think of ways to make the player be able to defend themselves. I thought of this by using a flashlight to shoot the ghosts with light.

After having an idea of what type of enemies and the way I wanted the game to run I started thinking of the type of location/environment the game was to be played in. Thinking of an environment not to get trapped in and where ghosts would be I thought of a mansion. Watching most tv shows and movies, ghosts are also located within abandoned houses or mansions. 

Audience and competitive analysis:

The target audience for Ghost Escape has multiple different factors, the first one being the age range. The targeted and expected audience of the game ranges from 13 to 18+. The main reason for this is because of the simplicity to completing/playing the game. With no complex puzzles to solve or hard challenges between the enemy and the player, low age ranges can easily play the game. The ghost Escape also provides no horror within the game that restricts low age players being removed from the target audience.  Ghost Escapes target audience is mainly towards people who like ghosts and supernatural topics. This is due to the player being in a haunted mansion and the main enemy in the game being ghosts. The game also targets people interested arcade shooting games as the main player defends themselves from the ghosts in the mansion by shooting them.

Comparing my game to others, the biggest similarity is pixel graphics. Other similarities include having to eliminate enemies, exploring an area, and working towards a goal. Video games also fail due to not having enough planning for the game, showing that planning needs to be put into Escapes Ghosts for it to be properly finished.  

Game treatment and concept art: Game treatment:

You wake up in an what looks to be an old mansion that doesn’t look like anyone has visited in ages, you yell out to see if anyone else is there, but no answer, your alone. You try and open the front door, but it doesn’t budge. You then try turning the lights on, but nothing happens. You can only see a certain distance due to the darkness. At the entrance you find a flashlight, but it only stays on for less than a second. As you start looking around the mansion searching for a key, you start to hear strange noises. Unaware of what it is you get closer. You start to see something floating; you realise its coming for you. You try and run but it stays with you. Without thinking you turn the flashlight on and point it at the ghost, you hear a scream, and it turns to dust. As you continue you release there are more, ones that stay where they are, some that follow you, and others that throw a strange substance at you. knowing that if you get hit three times you lose. You continue in the dark in the mysterious mansion and find a secret passage. You go down and find a key, hoping that it’s to the front door. As you run trying to the entrance the ghosts get more aggressive. You make it to the front door and leave, knowing you are safe from wherever it was you just were.   

In Ghost Escape you play the character who has woken up in a haunted mansion trying to find your way out, as stated above.  The mansion is filled with three types of ghosts, the first one being a basic ghost that guard a certain area. They continuously turn visible and invisible as they watch over the area. The second type of ghost is one that spawns when in a certain area and continuously follows you around until it has been destroyed by the player.  The third type stay in certain spots in the map that shoot objects at you until they have also been destroyed.

In Ghost Escape you have three lives, when hit by a ghost or been shot at you lose one life. To defend yourself you are given a flashlight, that due to its faulty operation only flashes for a second. When the flashlight releases light and a ghost is nearby, they a destroyed by the light emitted from the torch.

Concept art:

Ghost Escape is to have a main menu, the game scenes, a display for winning and a display for losing the game. The overall design of the game is to be a two-dimensional pixel appearance with a dark tone in terms of colours.  

The main menu design is to have a mansion at night in the background, as this is to give the general aesthetic to the game. Figure 1 and 2 shows the general type of image and tone that is for the main menu.  The buttons throughout the game are so far implemented to be yellow writing and boarder within a black background. The title of the game is to also have this same type of writing.

In the actual game the viewpoint of the camera is at the side of the character. This is demonstrated with figure 3. For the images in the game, a dark, night-time aesthetic is wanted. Figure 4 shows the sort of image design for the inside of the mansion but made to be a little bit darker.

In terms of enemies, each type of ghost is to have their own type of image but to still be pixeled. The ghosts are also to look evil, so they blend in with the desired image of the mansion. Each type is to also have a different design to be easily able to differentiate between the enemies. Figures 5 and 6 show the ideal type of design for at least two of the different ghosts. 

References: 

Bandai Namco Entertainment, 1980. Pac-Man. s.l.:s.n.

chuckchee, n.d. Pixel art game scene with ground, grass, trees, sky, clouds, character, coins, treasure chests and 8-bit heart. [Online] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/pixel-art-game-scene-ground-grass-6014...

Gassman, K., n.d. Haunted House. [Online] Available at: https://dribbble.com/shots/5711627-Haunted-House

Kinetic Games, 2020. Phasmophobia. [Online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/739630/Phasmophobia/

Miroshnichen, M., n.d. Pixel character ghost for games and applications. [Online] Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/search?filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aphoto%5D=1&filters%5Bcon...

owncham, n.d. Pixel mansion with moon. [Online] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/pixel-mansion-moon-493261954

Patunya_P_ang, n.d. Pixel art cartoon haunted house. [Online] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/pixel-art-cartoon-haunted-house-181427...

Pipat33, n.d. Scary Ghost Pixel. [Online] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/scary-ghost-pixel-1337391212

Valko Game Studios, 2020. Labyrinthine. [Online] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1302240/Labyrinthine/