Game Synopsis

Each guest has been invited to an intriguing dinner in a secluded manor but unfortunately, the relaxing getaway turns into a real-life murder mystery. After the murderer’s intentions are cryptically revealed during dinner, panic ensues among all the guests. The murderer announces that he/she will strike when alone in a room with one of you. To make matters worse, the murderer is someone at the dinner table!  Use your investigation skills to figure out who the wretched murderer is and to escape his/her manor.

Goals:

• Explore the rooms in the manor, analyze clues and determine the code that will lead you to freedom!
• Interrogate fellow guests to rule out suspects.
• Avoid being alone in a room with the murderer.
  • Running away is a safe option when you are in a room with a single guest.
  • Choosing to stay and interrogate or investigate is risky, but can give you more information.
• Escape the manor without falling victim to the psycho.
  • Guests can fall victim to the murderer while you are exploring the manor.

Start Screen

 

Instructions Page

 

Game Progression

Creation Process

MakeHuman was used to create the characters, PhotoShop was used to edit/crop/combine images and InkScape was used for the finishing touches of each of the screens shown above.

1. Start Screen
   1.  The image was created in Photoshop by overlaying an image of a modern manor over the spooky moon background of the Count’s Manor. I changed the hues and brightness on the layers to create an ominous feeling.
   2.  Most start screens in games will have a button to view instructions, a start button (restarts the game from the beginning), a continue button (resumes from the most recent save point) and an exit button to close the game.
   3.  Fonts: “CF Nightmare PERSONAL” for the game title and “Friday13” for the main menu buttons.
2.  Instructions Page
   1.  I originally imagined a fancy dining table that is neatly set up. On the plate would be a name card where the game instructions would be written. Unfortunately, when I tried to incorporate this first idea, the screen looked too cluttered and the name card was too small in relation to the whole screen real estate. Therefore, I settled on a murder mystery dinner invitation with candles in the background to maintain the atmosphere that I was aiming for. When the red arrow is pressed, the next page of instructions will appear.
   2.  Like most instruction screens in video games, the instructions page will include a button that will navigate back to the main menu and another to begin playing the game.
   3.  Fonts: “Friday13” for the page title, “October Crow” for the buttons on the bottom right-hand side of the screen and “Notepad” for the page counter on the instructions card.
3.  Game Progression (main lobby example)
   1.  The game should be randomized. Every time it is played, the killer is randomly chosen, the other guests are randomly generated between rooms and the final code to exit the manor is randomly decided. Players have the options to interrogate guests in the same room as them, search for clues in their room and run from potential murder suspects. The first option allows the players to get to know the different characters in the game which will improve their chances of survival. The second option allows the players to piece together the code that is necessary to escape the manor. Both of these options will provide the players with more information but the third option to run is the safest choice when alone with a guest that has not been proven innocent.
   2.  Organizing the in game screen was the most complicated because there were too many components of the game that I wanted to showcase. The room name is clearly displayed at the top of the screen. The three room actions (interrogate, search and run) are shown simultaneously until the player chooses to perform one of them. When an action is chosen, the chosen action is emphasized while the others disappear. The current screenshot of the game represents a prototype of what an interrogation would look like. As you can see, Ms. Jhene Monet is being interrogated so her character is reacting to accusations and providing an alibi. In this case, the search and run actions would not be on the screen but I chose to cross them out instead to clarify where these other actions would have been located. Moreover, there is a notification button and a view clues button on the top right-hand corner of the screen where players can keep track of character deaths and discovered clues as they progress through the game. Lastly, the exit button is semi visible unless the player hovers his or her mouse over this button.
   3.  Fonts: “Friday13” for every button except for the three actions, “October Crow” for the three room action buttons and “Notepad” for the dialogue and character names.