Numinous is a first-person Player Horror Game where the player will be playing as an Investigator in search of a missing Person in an abandoned Kampong. But Little did he know that the more he explored the Kampong, there is darker Entity that lurked within the Kampong.
Inspiration behind Numinous
We were inspired by Horror Games made by Chilla's Art (Japanese Studio), who created games like Shinkansen, Convenient Store & Cursed Digicam. and Southeast Asian Folklore. We realise that Popular Horror Games such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Outlast, etc. all have their own Unique Characters. My team & I want to bring Southeast Asian Characters such as the Pocong, Pontianak, etc, to the game and have them depicted accurately as the Folklore.
For our first game, Numinous, we are planning to include "The Pontianak" as a general Horror with the look of "Long Hair, White Dress Women" to be a popular ghost, but in Southeast Asia, our version of that ghost has Long fingernails that she uses to hunt her Victims.
Role In Numinous:
In this Team, my role is both the Project Lead & the Game Designer
Project Lead: As the Project Lead, I plan the Sprints, future plans, Check ups, Company Direction, and Partnerships
Game Designer: As the Game Designer, I block out the Game levels & Scares, Planning of future levels, Paper maps, UI wireframes
Paper maps
1st House (Level 1)
Before Scanning: After Scanning:
Information for Team on the Papermap:
Before Scanning: All windows & Doors are Open, there are clothes in the house laying around.
Once player enters the Trigger Area (Grey Area), there will be a prompt ti hint player to scan the area, and then the Opened luggage (Yellow highlighted) in front of the 2 beds will be lighted up, and can be interacted.
Once interacted, Dialogue will play, All windows & Doors will be closed (added on with SFX of doors and windows shutting), all the clothes in the house will magically disappear.
The player can Open the Door by interacting with it, Once opened, the Objects outside the House will be covered in blood and there will be a pool of blood and an additional Key to unlock the 2nd House
Then a dialogue can be played after (5s, by the entity)
Level 1 (House 1)
Since this is the first house that the player sees and explores. I do not want to scare them off the bat but make them used to the uncomfortable environment.
Having this as the first House, it was meant to have a back story of a family leaving the house in a Hurry. Hence the house being messy and clothes all over the place.
In terms of the features. This house has 2 Clues and 1 Puzzle. Both Clues & Puzzles are related to the Family that lived in this house
2nd House (Level 2)
Paper Map Guide for 2nd Small House for disappeared person:
Once Player enters the house, the door will be closed from behind & Play SFX , afterwards can have a dialogue like "????" showing the mc being confused. Can add on if want to show the Camera looking back/player looking over the shoulder (Optional)
Explore the Areas
Clues must be Scanned in sequence
First Scan the clue on the Chair infront of the Table beside the Room Entrance (Highlighted in Yellow)
Second Clue, shows Fingerprints on the Wardrobe (Highlighted in Blue), once the Wardrobe is interacted, Body falls out (Can be skeleton), the body is the disappeared person
After 5 seconds, There will be knockings on the door.
When player turns around (Meaning, the field of vision is no longer on the Dead Body) the Body on the floor will despawn.
The player will then probably walk to the Main Door
When Opens the Door, a body will appear infront of the Door which is the same guy that was on the ground.
After Walking into the Tunnel, when the player looks back (1st time) it would look like it's very far away from the Main entrance, afterwards the player will look back and continue walking (The Tunnel will be endless) Until player looks back 1 more time at the door and once the player turns back to the tunnel, it will show the entrance of the Kampong.
Things to Note:
After Player exits the Tunnel that leads him to the Main Entrance, the Tunnel itself will disappear.
Once the Player Exits the Tunnel, Things in the house will be reverted back to normal, no more clues, but the Wardrobe will NOT be interactable & the door will be opened
Level 2 (House 2)
This is the 2nd House, where it has a backstory of a ghost boy & a grieving mother.
This house will also include a traditional toy called the "Kendama," which the boy used to play with while he was still Alive. But then he died knowing that his Kendama's balls are displaced around the house. So the player has to explore the house, uncover the secrets and find the missing Kendama Balls, and return them to their original Slots.
This Level will include the relationship between the mother & Son and how capable the Pontianak is as a Threat. As the missing Youtuber will also make his appearance in this house too.
3rd House (Level 3)
Small House 3:
Green (Entrance)
Orange (Paintings)
Yellow (Windows)
Blue (Clues 1 & 2)
Clue 1:
Once player enters House, Phone starts Ringing
Telephone, Once Player interacted with the Telephone, there will be a complete Silence in the House . The Paintings on the Walls will be from a normal human face, to a distorted face.
Clue 2 (Optional):
Once Player scans and interacts with Clue 2. The door of Number 2 will open up, the player can proceed to walk inside. It will show a long Hallway of the Mansion (Teasing the Mansion), The player will be trying to find an exit from the endless Hallway, and its linear, so after the player moves 10m into the hallway, the hallway will add an exit which is just behind the player. But the player might not notice (It's just to mess with their brain). The exit will just lead back out to where the player came from.
Note:
When players enter the house for the first time, there will be paintings of portraits around the house (in orange). ONLY after the Telephone clue is interacted, it will change to distorted faces.
Can also add, after the player leaves the house, if the player is entering back to the house, the paintings will revert back to normal. However the eyes will be staring at the player whenever he enters the house
Level 3 (House 3)
This is the 3rd House where the Backstory is about a Painter and his Relationship with the Kampong's Religious Leader
This house will also include traditional artworks and Audio Clues related to the Religious Leader & and what he is like.
4th House (Level 4) [Re worked]
Big House 1:
Light Green (Door Entrance [Level 1])
Dark Green (Ladders to 2F)
Red (Blood)
Blue (Clues)
Brown (Windows)
Clue 1:
Mainly Blood on the walls, The Blood can write out words to break the fourth wall (such as, You don't know what you are doing. etc)
Followed by some pool of blood and scratches on the wall & Furniture.
Clue 2:
Broken Window with Glass Shards on the ground. Once the Shard is Scanned, the Entity wall spawn outside (On the Purple Area). The Entity will start off floating and staring down with her hair down. Then she starts to tweak out (Like Limbs moving and cracking around) after the animation is done. The Entity will Go towards the Player (As if she is chasing the player/she is going to strangle the player).
After Scanning Clue 2, can lead to 2 things.
The Entity just jumpscares like rushing towards the player and then just dissappears (Just scaring the player)
5th House (Level 5) [Removed]
Big House 2: 1F:
Orange (Windows, Normal Windows)
Green (Entrance)
-Dark Blue (Other Doors, Closed)
Light Blue (Clue 1)
Stairs, Chairs, Stage
2F:
Orange (Normal Windows)
Dark Blue (Shattered Windows)
Light Blue (Clue 2 & Skeleton & Holy Book)
Carpet
Red/Pink Area (Empty Space, Don't place anything there)
1F:
After Player Scan & Interacts with the Clue 1, the Door closes shut with the SFX of door closing.
The entire area will be quiet with no BGM except for foot steps.
2F:
After player scans & Interacts with Clue 2, The Entity will start Humming or screaming (Either one) Then the Windows on the 2F will revert back to normal.
Afterwards when player goes down the stairs
There will be a lady on the Stage probably Singing (Can ref to the Humming Above)
Then there will be a crowd on the Bench starrring the lady singing. Aferwards
When player walks pass the Stage (Can have a Trigger Box), The Entire Crowd's Heads and the Lady will look towards the Player's Direction.
Once Player leaves, the lady initially at the Stage will talk/have dialogue about the player leaving the House
Afterwards, She transforms into the Entity (Don't have to literally be 1 for 1 transformation, but can just have the lady chasing then some vfx then turns into the Entity and starts chasing the Player.
Reason for Removal:
Was Not accurate to Kampongs & seems to modern, which might break Immersion
Was Not accurate to Kampongs & seems to modern, which might break Immersion
Mansion (Level 6) [Removed]
1F:
Green (Entrances)
Orange (Living Room Furniture) can have another Ustaz that tried to exorcise the Entity in the House but failed. However, he got closer compared to the other Ustaz in the Kampong, Henc,e he left a note/clue for player to use)
Purple (Stairs to 2F)
Yellow (Banana Tree)
Dark Blue (Trigger spots, when player turn the corner, Entity will spawn on the opposite side, TRIGGERS AI TO SPAWN THEN CHASE)
Cyan/Light Blue (Dining Table)
2F:
Orange (Windows)
Purple (Stairs from 1F)
Cyan/Light Blue (Stairs TO 3F)
Brother Room (Dead guy's Room, prob 1 bed, 1 table 1 chair 1 closet and some guy's stuff)
Master Bedroom (Bigger Bed, Can prob have 2 desks and 2 chairs)
Sister's Room (Similar to Brother's Room, but more girly ig? can add Makeup mirror etc)
Storage Room (For Iron Nails)
Painting Room (Just a bunch of portraits where the eyes stare at the player or just faceless portraits of the Family or can just Yoink it from the Kampong House)
Music Room (Have Traditional Instruments, Main Clue there will be a cassette Tape to lure the entity)
3F/Atic:
Orange (Small Windows that u normally see in the attic)
Purple (Stairs from the 2F)
Cyan (Middle Area where most stuff is)
Dark Green (Hammer)
Rectangle stuff (Can be like Furniture)
Grey (Empty Space; can't place anything there)
Reason for Removal:
Doesn't feel like it fits in a Kampong
Doesn't feel like it fits in a Kampong
Apartment (Tutorial Level)
Papermap for apartment:
Red- Cannot enter
Green- Doors
Orange - Windows
Cyan - Table with Photo frames
Purple - Bookshelf
Yellow - Work Desk in bedroom
Overall Map Design Layout (1st Iteration of Map Design was not done by me)
This is the Transition Layout from the First House to the Second House pathway.
White Arrows represent the Pathway that pthe layer takes
The Red Line is a collider that triggers a scare
The Brown square is a Lamp post
at the end of the Pathwa,y there is a white line is where the Tree falls to block the player's Pathway
In this pathway, the Player will get a glimpse of the Pontianak and make them realise they are not welcomed in the Kampong & serves as a warning that if they explore the Kampong more. There could be punishments
This is the Transition Layout from the Second House to the 3rd House
The Red Line is a trigger box for a scare
The Green lines are where the Crows will be
In this pathway, after the second house, players will be given a choice to return back home as he found the Dead Person's Body. But if he proceeds to go further, he will be shown that there if he goes further, there is a chance he can die as the Pontianak is already locked on to him & even the birds & Wildlife in the Kampong wants to leave the place.
This is the Transition Layout from the 3rd House to the Market
The White Arrows show the different pathways a player can take, and the black squares are the Market Stalls. This will let the player have freedom over their choice where they want to go after the 3rd House, whether they can find another house or another Clue is up to them.
Designing Level in game
Apart from Doing Blockouts & Papermaps.
I also do level design in the Unity Game Scene itself.
While designing the game, I have a few stuff open:
- Excel sheet with my events listed down respectively
- Excel sheet with my events listed down respectively
- Discord with the Instructions/feedback from playtesters & Teammates
- Locked Tabs such as Events Manager & UI Manager In the Unity Inspector
With these set up, I can start creating & listing down events that can create Scares the functionality of collection items in the game scene itself. Afterwards, I do some testing with my teammates as I get them to play the game Scene and record how they feel and how they play the game & get their feedback. Afterwards I would work on their feedback.
UI Wireframe
