quitequiet.dev

Starting something new, again - Devlog 1

Back in 2021 the world of indie games was being enveloped by something different, co-op horror games. Phasmophobia was at the helm of all of this, quickly followed by other similar projects. “Forwarned” was one of these. A humble, janky, and yet still very enjoyable co-op horror game. I’ve always loved horror games and the jankiness of this wave of indie games made me feel inspired to join in. After all, if jank is part of the experience, perhaps I too stand a chance.

I wasn’t new to the world of programming, or even game development, but I had never undertaken something quite like this. I hopped into Unity and did my very best to put something together. It might come as no surprise than that I didn’t have all the parts that were needed, and my first attempt resulted in faiilure. I wanted to do too much. Create immersive environments, tell compelling stories, continously frighten the player, all while building a multiplayer game. I didn’t have the skills or the capacity to learn just yet, and eventually my motivation fizzled out and I moved onto other projects.

Now several unfinished (not yet forgotten) projects later, I feel like it is time to finish something, by creating yet another project. The goal of this project is simple (yet we all know it won’t remain so): create a tiny game with a tiny scope and put it out there for others to see. Define the game early, stick to it, and let scope creep make an appointment for another day.

With all my previous projects I worked towards something that I felt might make me learn in order to fill in the short comings from previous projects. One aspect that previously had been a motivation killer was the lack of game assets that filled my needs. I was reliant on several asset stores, but this always felt frustrating and lacking. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, had to make compromises, and of course I had to spend money on something that ultimately went unused. But more so than anything it lacked a certain feeling of pride. I was proud of what I build, the skills I learned, the systems I made, the environments I cobbled together, but I felt entirely disillusioned and fraudulent when I saw the same assets used in other games. So that’s something to work towards, make a short game I can proudly call my own, even if it is nothing groundbreaking.

The game, then

The game has to be something I care about, a genre I want to play, and a setting I admire. This part is easy: sci-fi horror. The indie horror genre is terribly saturated and I wish for nothing more but to sature it more. The shortcomings of many indie developers fit the genre well. You don’t need realistic graphics, intricate systems, or even well told stories. As long as the setting is compelling the rest is secondary.

Setting a mood

Here is the setting: Something happened to the world some time ago that caused the near extinction of every living being. As far as you are concerned you are the last thing with a conscience left on this planet. What, how, and when this happened is not relevant. In fact, you do not remember. Not because of some event or some case of amnesia, it has simply been too long. All you have left are memories of memories, and you do not wish to share what may be make believe. What you do know is that the darkness is to blame. The darkness must be kept at bay.

That’s where the gameplay starts. You are in a forest at night, you goal is simply to keep a campfire going. You must collect firewood, feed the fire, and avoid whatever darkness lurks. That’s all there is to do, nothing more, this is not meant to be a survival game. The range of the campfire serves as your play area, wander off too far and the darkness quickly finds you. Think of some mix between Slenderman (being out in a forest in the dark, looking for a needle in a haystack) and Five Nights at Freddy’s (being comfined to a limited play area). Those are big names to live up to and I won’t achieve what those names have achieved, but it’s something to strive for.

Being scared is not scary

In my eyes horror is at its best when you feel dread, when you feel like there’s no hope, when you are overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness. Horror is at its worst when you purely afraid that something might happen. Jumpscares, if you will. I want to immerserve a player into a world, I don’t want to create tension purely because something might jump out and scream in your face. It’s funny than that I mentioned taking inspiration from Five Nights at Freddy’s, a game where taking away the jumpscares would wildly transform it into something lesser. The opposit may also occur, where jumpscares are cheap and taking them away would improve the experience. Silence interrupted by a loud clattering of pots, a kettle reaching its climax, or an unexpected phone call. That’s not to say jumpscares have no place in horror at all. Take Alien: Isolation, a game with an atmosphere like no other and certainly not without its jumpscares, but a game that is decidedly more fair in their use. You are scared of the Xenomorph not because it is loud and unexpected, but because it is a constant presence that you will see coming and if you don’t it’s your own mistake. The fear is in overcoming this beast, not in trying to anticipate the unknown.

How I would replicate this feeling is hard to say, dread is a difficult thing to feel when it’s a setting of your own making, when you know the rules of your own game. For now the plan is to make the threat silent, unmoving, and perhaps even obvious. If the game is not scary while you can actively see and anticipate the threat, I have failed in creating a compelling atmosphere.

Working around my weaknesses

Having an idea is great and all, but what will prevent this project from being yet another addition to the unfinished and abandoned heap of burned out projects that already sit on my harddrive? To be honest, I don’t know. From previous projects I have learned what I am good at and what not, what I enjoy and what I do not. What I do know:

So with that in mind I will be created my own art assets in a time efficient manner. Low detail works well in horror games and is within reach, realistic graphics are out of the question. Art needs to be quick to develop and iterate on. Levels need to stay short and compact in order to avoid it feeling like an unsurmountable amount of work. Gameplay needs to stay simple, the game is about conveying a feeling more than anything else. Let the setting do the work.

A 15 minute experience is all I will strive for. Something I can put out there and call my own, something that might fuel the fire that might lead to something more. But before there is something more, something less will do.

That’s enough for now

We have a setting, an idea of what the gameplay might look like, and the vague blurry outlines of a plan seen through a foggy window. I started this project over a month ago and have made good progress, just about none of which is visible in this very first devlog. The ramblings you just read are the start, in the next instalment I hope to show something substantial, something that proves (to myself) that I can do this.

Thank you for reading <3