This is my first 3D game made in Unity C# over a 4 month period, I am responsible for all aspects of it's design and scripting .

3D, First Person, Puzzle/Escape

Concept

Single player puzzle game with that sees the player step into the shoes of a Russian hiker in the siberian wilderness who is foced to seek shelter from a storm. Finding an abandoned bunker he comes trapped inside, the player then takes over and must find a way out. The game utilises a variety of puzzle systems to achieve this creating a fun and Interactive experiene. 

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My Role: Solo Developer

The purpose of this project was to develop my skills regarding Puzzle and Level Design, whilst also gaining the experience of taking a project from pre to post-production. The project forced me to develop my understanding of puzzle design and how players can be guided using lighting and environmental hints. 

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The first challenge in this project was deciding how the level would flow, then designing puzzles to both fit thematically, whilst also presenting a constant challenge throughout the game. I also wanted to maximise the content that I could fit within the level and each room. 

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My solution for this level was to have it work in two phases, utilising two sections. Firstly the two phases worked with the player needing to power the bunker, as it was abandoned. This revolved around a central generator that needed to be turned on. It allowed me to create puzzles that needed power, and those that did not, with those that did only being accessible in the second phase of the level (Power On) this meant I could place some of the more complex/final puzzles in the entrance areas of the level without the player being able to complete them to the end of the game, this also allowed me to give them hints and tips when the player tried to interact with something that needed power. 

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The two sections of the level worked to build the player up and give them something to overcome before they could access the more challenging puzzles and turn the generator on. It also prevents them from instantly running to the generator puzzle and bypassing half of the level. To implement this I created two puzzles that block the player's path, one being a jammed door, and the other a moveable bookcase, fairly simple to solve they require the player to look around and spot clues or find items that can assist them in passing them.  Completing one puzzle allows the player to access the other from the other side, allowing them to open the map up fully rather than them needing to solve the second puzzle pointlessly. 

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The most enjoyable part of development on this project was implementing a morse code puzzle, working out how to teach players that didn't already know morse how to solve it, whilst providing a brute force method for those who couldn't learn. My solution to this was to give them a morse codebook that they could use, whilst also having the protagonist character slowly decipher the code himself, giving them hints as he did so.

Click "See the GDD" view the entire GDD for this project.