Future plan?

Many things can be done to make this game good. For example, there are more gimmicks in the game, more enemies, better graphics, and a better game UI. In the future, this project may be done as written now because the game is not yet complete.

Polishing the game

The first thing that should be customized is the UI, especially the buttons. This project should have its custom UI because it is a horror game project. The horror should come from everything around the game, including the buttons. The Outlast Trials game UI has a rather creepy game entry button. The theme is black and white, giving it a gloomy feel. The background menu also reflects the game about an asylum. When enter the game, there is a loading screen that shows an X-ray of the player brain scan, suggesting that the player are a patient in a hospital somewhere. Another thing is that the game has dim lighting that matches the atmosphere. Especially the scene where the player uses a digital camera to take a night mode photo in black and white and green, making it twice as creepy.

Figure 1: The Outlast Trials UI features a dark, eerie design with dim lighting and monochrome tones, enhancing the horror atmosphere.

Lighting

In the game, we use real-time lighting, which is the most suitable for our game because we want the light to hit things that move quickly, and it is hard to add lighting effects like turning lights on and off. According to Unity's documentation on real-time lighting (n.d.), They can change in response to actions taken by the player, or events that take place in the Scene. For example, the player can set them to switch on and off (like a flickering light), change their Transforms (like a torch being carried through a dark room), or change their visual properties, like their color and intensity. The project wants to use mechanics in the game. If there is a little more time, this project will include a mechanic to turn the flashlight on and off.

Figure 2: Real-time lighting enhances immersion by reacting to player actions, like flickering lights and flashlight mechanics, creating a dynamic atmosphere.

More in-game mechanic

This project has already spoken about the mechanics of the flashlight, but there is still a lot that this project needs to accomplish to construct it as completely as possible.

For example, increasing enemy abilities, such as making enemies stop when the sun rises and continue when the sun sets. If there are such gimmicks, players will have more fun with the game and will feel more enjoyment in the game. The wall changes color, meaning that enemies near the wall will change the color of the wall to let the player know that it is not safe. Another necessary thing is another entity. Although the project only wants one enemy, if another one is added, the project wants it to be a model that helps the player. It could be an item like a flashlight when the player interacts with that character.

The last thing the project wanted to include was adjusting the size of the maze when entering the game. Do not forget that the preview window is adjusted to show the player how the maze works, which is inconsistent with not being able to adjust the size when entering the game.

Figure 3: Adjustable maze size and wall color changes notify players of nearby enemies, enhancing gameplay dynamics and player awareness.

Conclusion

There are many things that this project needs and many things that may not be included, but if included, the project will be more complete. For example, having a custom maze-size page before playing allows players to enjoy a maze that can be easier or harder depending on the player's preferences. However, if this project is redone, the project will consider all of these messages, take them back, improve them, and use them as carefully as possible.

Thank you,

Reference

Game UI Database (n.d.) The Outlast Trials Game Interface. Available at: https://www.gameuidatabase.com/gameData.php?id=1937 (Accessed: 10 December 2024).
Image from: Game UI Database (n.d.), The Outlast Trials Game Interface. Available at: https://www.gameuidatabase.com/gameData.php?id=1937 (Accessed: 10 December 2024).
Unity Technologies (n.d.) Light Mode: Realtime. Available at: https://docs.unity3d.com/560/Documentation/Manual/LightMode-Realtime.html (Accessed: 10 December 2024).
Juntasilp, J. (2024) CT7120 Procedural Generation Algorithms Project. Available at: https://github.com/jino1113/My-CT7120-Procedural-Generation-Algorithms-Project/tree/main (Accessed: Accessed: 10 December 2024).