Let's Build The First Level For My Horror Game

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Music: Midnight Dancing - Hanna Lindgren.mp3

[@GamerFollower]

I think the path would be more realistic if it was lower than the surrounding forest, not raised. And being lower would make you feel more vulnerable not having the high ground.

[@bo2_435]

That's what I thought as well. Sometimes these passages get so low, you're literally walking among tree roots, that drape down on the sides. It'd be so awesome to see in the game imo!

[@mruniverse9500]

It should be lower or at least leveled scene people stomp on it all the time

[@Richard_E.]

it's so surreal to finally see you starting to make the levels!!!

[@Descendant404]

Been following this series since the beginning 🐐

[@bob-joe]

Same

[@nixantcreatives]

Same

[@Saerathra]

It's awesome seeing it come to life. Don't worry too much about it being perfect for your first game. I know it will be an awesome game regardless because of your really interesting insights into horror concepts. Been watching since SCP paintings and always thought you had a fasinating way of showing horror through an artist medium. It's gonna make your game sick no matter what!

[@MistaManlyGuy]

Yep. It was sick from the beginning lol

[@awkwardtaylor4725]

I really like your approach to the game! Like, being chill about not doing everything perfectly at your first attempt and focusing on the process and having fun. It’s really inspiring cause, well, i’m usually anxious about my projects every step of the way and I wanna build that kind of confidence. Keep up the great work! ❤️

[@AllExistence]

It would also be cool to have instances of the forest on all sides that are copies of real thing connected, and teleport player to other edge, making illusion of infinite looping forest.

[@xLainik]

Yes! I was about to suggest that. Very few players might be tempted to test the infiniteness of the place/dimension, but it's a nice touch if it's not super complicated.

[@Nejvyn]

For the tree with teeth growing out of it, I hope it will be a pine tree. That would be a pun in German lol

[@MythStarsYT]

Since its a park are you going to add like benches, lamps, park sign boards around the map? Either way I would recommend take a screenshot of the entire map and then draw and plan locations and set them in stone, I know from experience just an idea and no plan will make things more difficult imo. Edit: you mentioned later in the video lmao, but still even something general always helps.

[@Mechanoid]

you could make fog walls. or a white wall but obscured as dense fog in order to guide the player and stop nanite from rendering too much

[@artastic_friend]

Some tips: Maybe make the path lower to make the player feel smaller and more vulnerable- Also! Fog walls! Very good for forests too. Good do guide the player, I sure things that you don’t want to be seen- Adds to the feel of infinity without having to render that infinity

[@ThatTrueCJ201]

Fun fact: the original Silent Hill made use of thick fog extensively to improve performance, since they could drastically reduce the draw distance of objects

[@renzesparza6281]

I can’t get enough of this series, huge to see how far its come. I think someone earlier made a good point in having Johns path lower than the surrounding forest so it feels vulnerable, which will help with the player feeling like the path is where its safe. Maybe start with the path level or higher as you have it, and as it goes on you sink further like youre overwhelmed

[@gnarlybastard666]

Maybe make some NPC characters follow the main character along, as if they were on a trip to camping, and as they progressevely walk they get lost as well, like disappear in the bushes and trees... this would make an impression of 'getting lost' to the player even more impactful :D

[@josies.2932]

This is the most engaging video series I've seen in so long! Really enjoying the process. Thanks for taking us with you on this journey :)

[@itthumyir4569]

I always put one of your game dev videos on when I'm working on a creative project - something about the format of these videos and the way you approach new problems is very motivating and inspiring! Keep it up - can't wait til this game is released.

[@lavallion7471]

Your concept is so nice, I instantly have a thousand ideas how it could be fleshed out. But It's your game and I really want to see how you do it. Seeing you make this is truly inspiring, thank you!

[@dcbandit]

Here's someting interesting! You could make some high bushes that obscures the camera as the character goes through it, and when the camera can't see, warp the player to an identical bush on the opposite side, so the player feels lost. Or, flip the player arohnd so they exit the way they came, but seamlessly turning them around without them noticing. You could put it deep enough that they can't see the path, so they keep foing "straight" and end up where they started.

[@danlap5697]

that would be REALY cool

[@qinzha627]

I have some ideas for your beginning :) John could hear a scream (maybe for help) so he runs towards it to help the person. But during his adrenaline kick he doesn't pay attention to his surrounding anymore. When he arrives I have optional ideas: 1. He finds the screaming person dead with weird injuries (infinite holes?) but there is no one else around 2. He finds the corpse but something drags it into the bushes 3. He finds the corpse but it gets swallowed by the ground (Daddy long arms drags it down - you told once, that his first appearance is out of a puddle so the ground thing could make sense) 4. He doesn't find any corpse but a neonate created this noise to attract him

[@qinzha627]

Oh another idea would be, that he has a daughter who saw something like an injured animal and follows it. John tries to catch up on her but she's gone. Showing that he has a child and how they interact which each other gives a bit more information about him as a person and his past. And it would be very stressful already to loose the child

[@prawnking6061]

(maybe you came up with this already by now since it's been two weeks) -- You could potentially cause the player to experience "hallucinations" or visual/audio impairment when they go into the woods in order to keep them on the paths? Maybe the impairment gets so intense that it is impossible to navigate the woods without the paths, so there would be a story reason why John wouldn't go off the path, as well as a game mechanic reason as to why the player probably wouldn't either. I am obviously not a game developer, so I don't know if that is even possible to implement...

[@AllExistence]

You know what would have been cool? To let player walk through the forest freely, but leave a pathway. And if player walks too far away from it, three new pathway will appear in front of their path, leading back on track, and old path will disappear. So it looks like no matter where you go, you will be forced back on track, but it feels like you are completely free. I would have pre-calculated grid of paths and covered them up, and uncovered only one at a time. Or, for smoothness, grid of big touching circles. I don't think this unreal thing works in runtime, but one could use blueprints to procedurally un-cover pre-generated paths from bushes and stuff.

[@antdog127]

Binged all the other episodes and it made me get back into game development thanks dude

[@AllExistence]

I suggest using the first minutes in the forest and gates as hidden tutorial.

[@brunoschreiber4371]

I'm started binging your content today :D now iam at second witness character, did you stopped with that idea? Cause in new thumbnails i see only new monsters.

[@zaickho8359]

no he didnt they just apear later in the game than the ones he is working on

[@BoroCG]

The Witnesses come later, I might only foreshadow them in the demo level

[@show_bob_and_do_vengeance]

​@@BoroCGwhat are your specs?

[@braveiorstudios]

You are a Genius !!.. Your narrative is Super cool... All the best for your game...

[@kathisaurus]

I don't know if this is already suggested but: How about making the border of the path is lined with stinging nettles? I googled, they are very wide spread on different parts of the world and it would make sense to the player because no one walks through that plant IRL :D

[@zennycool]

a great way to test out the puzzles to see if they work before you make the real deal is to prototype it with the least amount of effort and have people play it to see if it makes sense. it saves a lot of time so you dont have to redo the entire puzzle if it doesn't work as intended or isnt fun

[@AMOGUS_is_SUS696]

it would make more sense if you started like hallucinating when you start going through the bushes and at some point you see a cutscene from a news show saying a person named jhon jumped off a building since your phone is saying you are in the city and it cuts to jhon back in the forest being like how did i get sleepy in a situation like this

[@dino8008]

Working vlog like this was real nice to follow, Keep it up :)

[@AllExistence]

Look from above undermines the scale of the gate. You should try the low angle, from behind the character and close to the ground, gates in frame, character to the side. Alternatively, from the side, to compare the height of a player to the gate.

[@HaloXboxedition]

The trail looks unrealisticly raised above the surrounding ground. If this path wasn't made within the last year canonically, then I would suggest lowering it into the ground. Perhaps some tree roots and leaves covering particularly deep dips in the trail. Maybe have the path completely covered from time to time.

[@Mr.-M-Studio]

I have an idea you could make the gates and the fence look old and Rusty like it's been there for ages the reason why I think it should look old and Rusty is because if it looks brand new it will look kind of weird

[@waitingonamonabel]

This is so cool! I'm excited to play it when you've completed it ❤

[@3Diana]

This is so cool, it's going to look amazing!

[@mruniverse9500]

I have a note about the walking path, it's feels off I don't know if you are implying no one has ever been here before or not. It feels like just soil without trees but doesn't feel like a walking path. If the path is completely abounded then there is some grass and foliage growth and stuff. And if people use that path then it should be bit more pale less saturated.

[@mezozoltan1]

Im very interested about how the story is going to go, so far its very cool.

[@Faiyeoftheforest]

I feel like this game would work really well if it went for the same sort of look that those realistic shooters go for, mimicking a bodycamera footage in terms of look. I think it'd make it creepier

[@AllExistence]

Minimum budget solution: slow player speed to fifth of normal when off path. Realistic and annoying enough to keep the player leashed.

[@b00mtrap83]

It's so cool, it's shaping up to look almost like a triple A game, which is amazing for a solo developer!

[@_malfunction]

Interesting idea with the gate... it could have something ancient and organic to it for my taste... but as its work in progress anyways... i am really curious about further details! Some fern within the small and medium plants would add a lot more realism to the environment, also i could imagine plants with touch of inifinity near points of interest, what do you think?

[@lorenzobenini7031]

Don't worry about the rocks in the middle of the path, they look short enougth to just jump on top of, really. btw at 19:25 , tecnically all birds are "meat bird(s)" but i see what you mean and i guess it fits

[@thisincarnation3735]

Great taste in music! Amenra is amazing!

[@TheOddInfluencer]

It’s not stupid! >:{ It’s your first project! Think of it more as a memory in the future.

[@AllExistence]

Don't raise path. In the forests paths are usually lower than ground.

[@aureliopennica2658]

Wold be cool if when the player decides to walk throw the trees if he wold find himself back at the start of the path. Per aps by spawning another forest in front of the player when he gets to far away from the path?

[@HUNCHOJOSHI]

Your guys walk cycle still needs work. Walks like me when I’m trying to hold in a 💩 when I’m rushing to the toilet 😂😂

[@EE-hk7if]

Maybe if you stray from the path the character starts to get dizzy and sick and collapses eventually? Like the screen starts twisting up and darkening and seeing the infinity lines?

[@kmz-mh2js]

i love your videos you should probabbly put that camera showing gate somewhere else, because player would probabbly like to look closer at the vase thing

[@MistaManlyGuy]

9:20 kind of like a plateau. That's the closest word I know lol

[@KARTOONZpdx]

Piece of land like that is called a plateau 10:00

[@dotslashlalle4402]

god that's a really DENSE blueprint iykwim, anyway good luck! looking great

[@gigapuddi]

I feel like you should be careful with cutscenes. And even having the game in 3rd person. The player shouldn't really need to have their attention directly drawn to the gate since its the only point of interest there. Both 3rd person and cutscenes or changes in angles really pull the player out of the experience/immersion, unless its stylised like forced perspective only almost like a 2nd person view, similar to early Resident Evil. The most successful horror games recently have been in first person with set pieces that dont pull you away with cutscenes. Except when youre restrained or stuck. Whether you want to set yourself apart from this trend or emulate it, it's worth considering.

[@nesphra1094]

Let’s go!

[@yoyoopie]

I want this game really bad!

[@WassupFromMEDIC84]

WOOOOOOO!!!

[@bob-joe]

I have so many questions, like will it have music? Will it have voice acting? Will it have chases? Will it have jumpscares? Will it have many endings? Is all the character models final or in work? Is it in another dimention or no?

[@show_bob_and_do_vengeance]

How old are you

[@bob-joe]

@@show_bob_and_do_vengeance why?

[@MistaManlyGuy]

28:32 The canopy if you want to know :)

[@BoroCG]

Oh yeah I remember that word. Oh, already forgot it again

[@danlap5697]

a platau is a raised flat area

[@Silen1t]

is there a tutorial how you make this beautiful forest? Thx

[@zaickho8359]

i have actualy been wondering why you chose to make it a third person game rather than a first person one, is there any specific reason for this choice

[@AllExistence]

I'm not sure how do you plan to have big trees behind the gates, and not see them from afar unless you load them when passing through the gates, and tree level is obscured.

[@AllExistence]

I think "camera slides from the character" animations for cutscenes look really low old-school. Crash bandicoot age old-school. Sharp cut to new position, like a movie, would look much better.

[@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii]

good luck with the spaghetti

[@Ihatepe50]

Damn after I finish my first game I’ll have to switch to unity the tools seem much better

[@AllExistence]

Dirt floor ruins the vibe. You should make ground around the gate made from gravel.

[@Wilson_Chin]

Have you look at how ff7 remake make their background? it's like a sphere image

[@lavallion7471]

Do you mean HDRIs? aka Skyboxes? The standard UE skybox is very usefull as it changes colors when you rotate the sun :)

[@sadanvague5728]

Amenra)

[@Cowpoke1911]

I’d have a monster in the trees that will kill you if you got to far in

[@MistaManlyGuy]

Yep that's how you say undulating lol And I would say it's almost a common word. Particularly in these modern times

[@mendeleev_9H2PDsgXu7NmphCUEH]

I never noticed you had earrings.

[@hatray4540]

correcting walk and run animation when?

[@infinitelyeternal3366]

Як ви вивчили англійську до такого рівня?

[@BoroCG]

10 сезонiв Друзiв, декiлька разiв :)

[@infinitelyeternal3366]

@@BoroCG Ахах, добре, дякую!

[@jawxart]

i miss your overpaint days

[@Clybielike]

I have to say, i personality think the gate is too big

[@serg10xm.69]

I know where this is going, John ate the mushroom and all these weird stuff happen but you dont find out that he did until the very end of the game 😊

[@maikeru01]

I'm happy that you are happy but I do miss overpain.

[@AllExistence]

Just walking for two minutes sounds crazy boring. You will need to break it up somehow.

[@Clybielike]

Not with the right mood

[@WaltMarkson]

🤩👍🏼👏🏼