The Goal & Design Pillar
To create a tense, atmospheric survival horror experience where the core loop is based on stealth and evasion, forcing the player to use their environment to survive against an unstoppable threat. The feeling of being hunted and powerless was paramount.
Vulnerability: The player is powerless and cannot fight back.
Atmosphere: The environment is a key source of dread and narrative.
AI-Driven Tension: The enemy is a persistent, intelligent threat.
Aesthatic: Dark and scary subway station.
Key Mechanics & Iteration
The Pursuer AI: Creating Relentless Tension
The Goal: Design an enemy that feels intelligent and inescapable, forcing the player to rely on hiding and evasion rather than confrontation.
The Solution & Iteration:
Vision Cone & Patrols: The AI uses a visible vision cone and set patrol routes, establishing predictable yet threatening patterns.
The "Hiding" Dilemma: Initially, lockers were a safe haven. Through self-playtesting, I identified this broke the tension. The AI was iterated to remember the player's last known location. If it sees you enter a locker, it will wait outside, creating a terrifying "trapped" scenario and forcing the player to think ahead.
Challenge: Tuning the "catch" mechanic to feel fair was difficult. The initial implementation had inconsistent collision detection. I learned to use Unreal's event-driven logic more effectively, ensuring the "Game Over" state triggered reliably only on a valid catch, which was crucial for maintaining player immersion and fairness.
.Environmental Storytelling & Interaction
The Goal: Use the environment and interactive objects to build dread and guide the player without intrusive UI.
The Solution:
Atmosphere: Custom SFX (distant trains, buzzing bees) and visual effects (height fog, dust particles) were added to create a lived-in, decaying subway station that feels actively hostile.
Systemic Gameplay: The security camera system serves as a risk/reward mechanic—allowing the player to survey the area from safety but potentially distracting them from immediate threats.
Paced Progression: The initial quest to find and recharge the flashlight gates the player's progress, forcing them to navigate a dark, dangerous environment with limited resources, immediately establishing the core loop.
Foundational Systems for Expansion
The Goal: Build robust, modular systems that mimic AAA horror game structures, providing a solid base for future content.
The Solution:
Inventory System: The 8-slot grid with 'Use', 'Examine', and 'Drop' functionalities was designed to be easily expanded with new item types, inspired by the system depth of Resident Evil.
Objective & HUD Design: The dynamic task list on the HUD provides clear short-term goals without hand-holding, a principle learned from analyzing games like Amnesia.
