Final Documentation

Comparison:

Unfortunately, there are a lot of difference between the concept document and the final game. This is mainly due to running out of time with all the other assignments I had to focus on.

• Espionage and Stealth Mechanics: Firstly with this one, the stealth mechanic is there but only applies to guards. Things such as spotlights and cameras never got implemented. In addition, disguises were never implemented either. Again, the reason for this was simply running out of time to get this in before the submission date.
• Intelligence Gathering: Not at all implemented. This would have been a part of the second level and beyond, but it never got finished before the submission date.
• Radiation Mechanics: Same as above
• Puzzles and Sabotage Missions: Same as above
• Limited supplies: A basic inventory system was not even implemented nor any items that could be used as supplies.
• Escape Sequences & Random Events: Proper escape sequences were not implemented, though you may have to escape from the guards if they spot you. And the rest as laid out in the spec would have been in the second level and beyond.
• Story: While i had a good idea of what the story would end up being, it was not at all added into the game.

Feedback Gathered:

Because i missed the main testing day, not much feedback was gathered, however below is a short list of the feedback gathered and my observations from that feedback.

1. Guard range was too long: I suspected that this may be the case, especially during development but thought that i would keep it in for the testing phase anyway to gather some feedback on it. This one was a fairly simple fix as well, as it simply meant that I would have to reduce the range of the guards sight by a small amount.
2. Camera zoomed in too far: This is similar to the last one, mainly related to the difficulty of the game. With the camera zoomed in as far as it was, it was more difficult to see and then respond the the guards. This combined with the guards range being too long caused it to be very difficult, giving the player a little amount of time to respond to a guard coming into view and then detecting them. This was another simple fix, with the solution being slightly increasing camera range.
3. Very short game: This was about the length of the game and was because i only had one level. This one was not fixed by the end as i am out of time, despite having many of the assets gathered that i would need.
4. Movement Animation: This was related to the player and guard characters only having 4-way movement animations. This was not fixed by the end, as i prioritized improvements to the guard AI over developing more assets to improve the visuals a small amount. Again, I am not a graphic designer and am not experienced in asset design.
5. State Awareness: The final piece of feedback was that it could be difficult to tell what state guards are in. Essentially, players didn't receive enough feedback from the game as to whether or not they had been detected or the guards were still patrolling. To fix this, I added a feature that was already planned which was a visual indicator above the guards heads to show there state. If a guard has a question mark then they are suspicious, if they have an explanation mark then they have been alerted to your presence and if they have nothing then they are none the wiser.

Asset List:

• Alert.png (Used): Used to illustrate guard state
• Suspicious.png (used): Used to illustrate guard state
• 2dpixx_ccart_indoor_tiles.png (unused): Was potentially going to be used as the floor tiles for the indoor scenes.
• azul_tiles.png (unused): Could have been used as some outside decor.
• Cars.png  (unused): Potentially was goung to be used on outside map as decor, but didn't quite fit in.
• computer_spritesheet.png (unused): Was going to be used as a computer.
•  CosmicLegacy_PetricakeGamesPNG.png  (unused): Would have been used for some decor inside the facility for an industrial look.
• doodads_spritesheet.png (unused): Was going to be used in the radiation areas for decor and warning.
• Factory.png (used): Used as the outside look of the facility.
• factory_tileset.png (unused): Could have been used for the more industrial areas of the facility,
• fence_barbed.png (used): Used outside for barbed wire.
• grayscale.png (unused): Could have been used outside for extra decor.
• Level1WorldTileSheet-ipadhd.png (unused): Early idea for interior likely not to be used.
•  Room_Builder_free_32x32.png (unused): Could have been used in some office spaces inside the facility
• seasonal sample (winter).png  (used): used as the main outside tileset.
• tileset x3.png (unused): Could have been used as the walls for the interior.
• tileset.png (unused): Could have been used for the walls inside.
• walls_x.png (unused): Could have been used for the walls inside.
• Main Character.png (used): Used for the player character. Was going to be expanded later on for 8 way animation and disguises.
• Hooded Charatcer.png (unused): Was going to be included with the story, but not finished.
• Soviet Guard.png (used): Used as the main guards.

User Guide:

• Final Name: Northern Silence
• Basic Gameplay Description: The player must navigate to the entrance past the guards patrolling. They must do so ideally without being seen by the guards, but if they are seen then must avoid getting caught by the guards.
• Screenshots:

• Standard Controls: WASD for movement.

Referencing:

bleutailfly. “Barbed Wire Fence.” OpenGameArt.org, 27 June 2019, opengameart.org/content/barbed-wire-fence. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Hooded Character.” Itch.io, 2024, nocturndream.itch.io/hooded-character. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Free Pixel Art Tileset - Winter Forest.” Itch.io, 2023, seliel-the-shaper.itch.io/winter-forest.