The Roaming
What kind of game is The Roaming ?
| The Roaming is a first-person horror game in a dark and empty hospital setting. The protagonist wakes up in a hospital bed not knowing why or how he got there. Quickly realizing the complete emptiness and darkness of the facility, the players objective is to then shed light onto his confusion by means of exploration. After a short while the player will notice that he is not alone, in that there is a terrifying humanoid-like creature lurking and roaming through the hallways. It is best to avoid it... |
What was the inspiration for The Roaming ?
| After having experimented with Unity Engine for a short while, this project started as a learning experience for game development and Unity Engine itself. We, a 3D- and Texture Artist and I, as the Programmer, wanted to create a horror game in which a horrifying creature was of central focus. The creature should roam around freely and have its own personality, diminishing its predictability to the player. We wanted the player to constantly be on edge, knowing that the creature could potentially be anywhere, e.g. behind the next door. Moreover, it was important to us that an encounter with it wouldn't necessarily lead to a Game Over, in that the players caution could pay off, or that the player could outsmart the creature. For example, a mechanic we decided to implement was the ability to blind the creature, but only under the conditions that the players flashlight was turned off prior to the encounter, but quickly turned on when the creature was chasing him and on the verge of touching him. With this in mind, we decided the setting to be an empty hospital with long hallways and many rooms. For the creature we decided on a tall and skinny but hunched humanoid-like body with dry and dead skin. With these concepts in place, we swiftly started working on making our idea a reality with the motto of learning by doing. |
What did I learn?
| As mentioned above, The Roaming is the result of my first Unity Engine project. I learned working with Unity's Interface and all of its different Components. I familiarized myself with Mono Behaviours and, with years of experience in programming, quickly mastered them. Moreover, due to working together with a 3D and Texture Artist, I learned a lot about the artists workflow and how they use the engine to accomplish their ideas, and realized the essence of Communication. Regarding the specifics, I built an Item Interaction and Pickup System, including a door and key system. Additionally I studied Enemy AI in order to develop the intelligent behaviour needed for the roaming creature. The result was a creature with different moods (aggressive, defensive, shy, ... , etc.) able to roam around the hallways, hearing noises, opening doors and of course interacting with the protagonist. |
Additional Information
| The Roaming is not available for download. I might release it in the future but for now I have no plans to do so. |