Zone C: The Long Lobby

The Long (Short) Lobby

 SIDENOTE: Zone C (The Short Lobby) on the diagram has been re-designated as the Long Lobby to more accurately reflect its characteristics.

Starting with a sharp turn on an irregular angle, a short dark corridor (of which, minor changes have been made since this screenshot) leads into...

…A large Liminal Lobby space. I designed it in such a way as to imply to the Player that this space is currently silent and empty whereas it would normally be full of movement and noise.

Although leading to nowhere at the moment, the passage above will lead onto another corridor that takes the Player into the Cluttered Restaurant space.

Within the Lobby there stands two lifts that do not function. Since this screenshot was taken, I have updated the lift door texture, making it a scratched steel texture, adding more realism to its appearance.

The Player can enter the lift on the Left, but the buttons are unresponsive. I intend to put an "Out of Order" sign by the controls when I have sourced one.

Through the doors of the other lift, ominously shrouded in shadow, is yet another mannequin. I hope to use this as a spot to add a jump-scare with the mannequin suddenly appearing from the shadows and then disappearing a shortly after the Player moves away for them to discover its disappearance some time later.

To give a sense of previous occupation to the Lobby, I have included vending machines and a claw game to make it feel as if it was fairly recently inhabited.

The inclusion of the claw machine allowed the creation of a point of interest as a visual draw to the Player. They should see the plushie on the bench and hopefully feel inclined to investigate.

This should hopefully lead to them discovering the poorly disposed of knife. I intend for this to be interactable by bringing up information on the object upon investigation. This mechanic I can use with various other props to give the Player something to do.

Zones L & N: The Short Lobby and the Zig-Zag Corridor

 The Short (Long) Lobby and the Zig-Zag Corridor

(Work in Progress)

SIDENOTE: Zone L (The Long Lobby) on the diagram has been re-designated as the Short Lobby to more accurately reflect its characteristics.

This Liminal, seemingly endless corridor on the Right side leads to the Long Lobby and Zig-Zag Corridor. 

Walking down the corridor reveals that, despite its Liminality, it does in fact have an end.

An end that leads to the Long Lobby; a large spacious room with an unidentifiable purpose other than to serve as a junction for the various branching corridors (to be completed). 

At the end of the corridor, cloaked in the darkness is the Zig-Zag Corridor (incomplete). This corridor, as the name suggests, snakes round. This should psychologically unsettle the Player, exacerbated by the darkness.  

Zone B: The T-Junction Hallway

 The T-Junction Hallway; the main shop floor for the Centre's Fourth floor.

(Please forgive a current lack of roof)

Exiting the comfort of the Security Office, the Player exits into the light...

…only to face the darkness beyond.

The floor's repeating tilework echoes the carpeted hallways of the Overlook Hotel in 'The Shining'.

A clock stuck at the 11-ish mark. Note, the clock's hands don't move. Is it broken or is the night eternal?  

Springing out on an unsettling angle, a bridge crosses the divide to the other side of the room. 

In the blackness below, the Player can see that there are further floors beneath them...

…but what's that in the darkness?

Along the Left passage (the side with the Security Office entrance) is a clothes store with it shutter up. 

Considering the otherwise emptiness of the Shopping Centre, isn't it odd that it seems to have lights in its windows?

In the windows are three ominous mannequins. I hope they all stay there!

A large open area with advertisement poster boards here conveys to the Player that this space is meant to allow numerous people to occupy this shop floor. Its current emptiness only adds to the Player's sense of loneliness.

Playing of Liminal Space, this long corridor on the Right side seems to almost go on forever as a result of how it has been lit.

The corridor on the opposite side (the Right) is equally Liminal, but is rather different in its approach. Rather than being seemingly endless, this corridor feels almost as if it is endless in that it is longer than the previous corridor. 

The journey down this corridor builds tension as the Player can see their objective, the window at the end, but must first pass through the light...

…and into the dark...

…and then back into the light.

…until they reach their goal. The passage from light to dark repeats itself several times, almost feeling to the Player as if they are passing through several micro-spaces rather than one singular game space; each patch of darkness rendering them almost blind and hopefully make them feel insecure.

 

Although impossible to see through a static image, by texturing the window with an animated texture, I have simulated rain. This implies to the Player that there is indeed an outside world and that the darkness without is that of night and not some empty void.

Zone A: The Security Office

 The Security Office; The Player's safe base.

The Entrance to the Security Office. Outside the Office is a bright light to serve as a beacon of safety for the Player; despite its gloom-filled interior, when they enter the Security Office they should feel a sense of relief and safety. Here they can take a moment to catch their breath and prepare for the next journey into the dark and the next scare. 

To give a sense of the passage of time and show that the Security Office is being used, I have put food on a table and waste on the floor. This also gives a clue as to the disregard the prior Security Guards have had for their post. Also, as an Easter Egg, I included a Freddy Fazbear's Pizza box. Additionally, as a subtle joke, I placed a watercooler with a wet floor sign...

despite the obvious lack of a water tank.

An office complete with vending machines. Graffiti on them suggest neglect and abuse. Who knows how long they've been there... and how fresh the contents are...

And a plant in a windowless office. Let's be honest. It's probably artificial.

Nice comfy (heavily worn) sofas for staff relaxation (stress-induced breakdowns). And who needs a window when you have such a calming painting to stare at?

 

A little Easter Egg... and perhaps foreshadowing this sofa's use?

The control centre. The Player will need to monitor the CCTV cameras from these screens and recharge their flashlight at this desk (this latter mechanic is dependant on the difficulty of the Blueprinting and Time Constraints).

To give the Player an idea as to how deep their character's interest is with the mystery of the Shopping Centre, I have placed a camera on the desk and shown how they have brought their own corkboard and attached it to the one already in the Security Office. Considering the amount of stuff already pinned to it, the character is clearly obsessed.

'Night Security' coming to life: Part 2

'Night Security' Progress

So far, I have built almost half of the Map for 'Night Security'. Ideally, the full game would have all floors to flesh out the game and expand the possibilities. However, for this proof-of-concept project, I intend to only have the one level. This is to be the top floor which will have the Security Office; the safe base for the Player and the floor with the least dynamic, more psychological scares.

Above: The Map so far as seen from a Bird's Eye View Perspective.

Below: The Map's intended design.

The next series of Blog posts will be on the spaces I have designed for my project. In separate posts, I shall describe the room and its purpose and go through the design choices I have made to bring it to life. I shall split the zones according to my spatial diagram from earlier in the project (See Below).