Awarded: best game and placed 2nd in best design and best audio of year 2 IGAD
as well as the audience favorite during the “industry showcase day”

Project Information:

Caught on tape is a first-person horror game in which you play as an urban explorer investigating the ruins of an abandoned bunker

  • Role: Level design

    Engine: Unreal Engine 4

    Genre: 1st person, Non-combat stealth, horror

    Project duration: 24 weeks

    Project size: 12 (during production & release phase)

    Team size: 12 developers during my time in the project (21 total)

    Release status: Released on Itch.io

  • No combat stealth gameplay

    confined spaces

    Bunker / fort inspired architecture

what did I work on?

During this project I took the role of level designer. But took tasks relating to system design, vfx and audio design/recording tasks on the side.

I worked on 2 levels, the thermal camera vfx and functionality and recorded and implemented the monster sfx.

one of the first sketches I made during the research and ideation phase

one of the first sketches I made during the research and ideation phase

slide from the level design document breaking down the intended experience of a scene

slide from the level design document breaking down the intended experience of a scene

first iteration of the thermal camera and hot pipes. These were intended to be used in puzzles

first iteration of the thermal camera and hot pipes. These were intended to be used in puzzles

first iteration of the thermal camera mechanic and "hotspots" on the floor, these were meant to give the player an idea of the monster's path

first iteration of the thermal camera mechanic and "hotspots" on the floor, these were meant to give the player an idea of the monster's path

second iteration of level blockout, next to the inspiration

second iteration of level blockout, next to the inspiration

Scene1.1.png
Scene1.2.png
Scene1.3.png
Scene2.1.png
Scene2.2.png
Scene2.3.png
Scene2.4.png
Scene2.5.png
Scene3.png
Scene5.1.png
Scene4.1.png
Scene4.2.png
Scene5.2.png

Puzzle design

for the final level I made a puzzle in which the player had to escape the monster by causing a nuclear meltdown in the bunker.

The player barely escaped the monster and locked themselves in this room, it is evident the player doesn’t have much time before the monster can break through the door. The player has to figure out in what sequence they can cause the machine to go into meltdown. The Thermal camera can be used to check if they’re on the right track, by looking at the cooling-fluid-pipes, these turn hot when the machine will go into meltdown.

Either after 1 minute and 30 seconds, or when the player figured out the puzzle, the monster will break through the door. If the player has figured out the puzzle, they’ll be able to escape the monster through the escape hatch, if not, they meet their demise.

Research

  • Bunker interior inspired by black mesa (Half life 1)

    The interior of the black mesa facility in half life 1 had a preferable layout that would fit the bunker for caught on tape. The many windows combined with the enviormental story telling could make the level feel larger in both volume and story.

  • Bunker interior

    as seen in this screenshot the interior of the bunker was heavily inspired by the interior of the black mesa facility from half life.

  • Using the UUU to research different horror games

    With the Universal unreal unlocker, I was able to use a freecam in different horror games made in unreal engine. I used this to study the level design.