HEMO VORACITY
Genre:
Engine:
Team Size:
Duration:
Platform:
Third-person, Multiplayer, Asymmetrical Horror
Unreal Engine
5
12 Weeks
PC, Console
Hemo Voracity is a 1 vs. up to 9 player asymmetric survival horror game where the survivors have to run around the map completing tasks to obtain a Ritual Item to be used in a Ritual to escape the Nosferatu once they are all collected at the Ritual site. Throughout this survivors will have to run from the Killer, a Nosferatu that will attack and kill the survivors in its thirst for blood.
Our goals when creating Hemo Voracity were to create a multiplayer experience with a freemium monetisation model. With this our team worked to create a balanced asymmetrical horror experience that encourages survivors to work together.
ROLE(S) AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Game Design
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Created an asymmetrical horror multiplayer experience.
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Collaborated on designing Killer and Survivor mechanics.
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Added a freemium character skins monetisation model.
Level Design
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Designed the level from a molecular diagram to the layout.
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Greyboxed the base environment based on the created layout.
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Built the level using the in-engine tools and assets from the store.
UI Design
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Designed and made the layout of the various menus within the game.
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Made UI assets for the game including buttons, UI backgrounds and borders.
Logo Design
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Created the Logo for the game and the group.
Programming
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Programmed some of the menus including the Main Menu, How to Play and the Store Page.
GAME DESIGN
When designing Hemo Voracity our group took inspiration from the asymmetrical horror genre for not only visuals but for also how they handled the gameplay elements. With the restrictions on our scope we had to consider how to create a balanced game while ensuring that the game wasn’t a copy of an existing game with the limited time we had. With this we considered the killer’s abilities within the environment. As a group we came up with ideas for the killer’s abilities and from there we narrowed it down to what was doable within the set timeframe and what wouldn’t make the game unbalanced. In the end we had two abilities: a dash and a teleport where the vampire could move to some set points around the map with these having cooldown timers.
For the survivor abilities we also brainstormed various mechanics and again narrowed it down based on game balance and what could be completed. The players have one ability that stuns the vampire allowing players to escape. These abilities were balanced through testing along with other things including player speed.
For players to win they have to escape the map. This is achieved through performing a ritual once all living players have collected an item from a task. To encourage survivors to work together a system was created to speed up the task speed for the number of players helping. Each task drops one item so this was created to get survivors to work together along with the fact that survivors can only escape when all members are present to perform the ritual. Having this within the game is to foster teamwork rather than having all the survivors only care about themselves.
Hemo Voracity has a freemium monetisation model in which players can buy skins from an in-game store for real world currency. With this there are also bundles where players can get a set of skins for a cheaper cost with these skins being usable in game.
LEVEL DESIGN
For the level design of Hemo Voracity we were inspired by similar games for the feel of the level as we wanted to create a dark and creepy atmosphere with the forest environment which worked to make the terrain interesting. For this we started by considering the way the two different player types could move through the level particularly with the abilities of the killer while creating interesting environmental features that added depth to the level design while ensuring that the map didn't advantage either side. We started with a basic molecular diagram to figure out the pathing of the level that was used as a basis for the level layout. In this we considered the different heights of the terrain and site lines of the characters at various points in the map. We then moved into the greyboxing stage where a base of the level was created to give us a feel for the size of the level. From this we increased the level size as it was too small and went into texturing the terrain and adding the large rocks to add texture to the cliffs and steeper hills as well as act as the border on three sides for our game. Once the texturing was done foliage was added to the game based on the terrain shape and texturing. When creating the level we knew we wanted a heavy fog to limit player vision which allowed us to create the varying heights of the map without disadvantaging the survivors which was aided by the foliage. Our goal was to create a level that allowed the players to explore while also not being too large that it would disadvantage the killer and prolong the round time.
UI DESIGN
For the UI design we aimed to have a minimalistic design with a limited colour palette that mainly consisted of greyscale colours with red acting as an accent colour for our game. This was designed to add to the dark feel of the game and not distract the player from the gameplay but rather add to the experience with the red being used to draw players attention to UI elements when required. The background and border elements of the UI are partly transparent to ensure the game view isn’t blocked by solid UI elements. When considering the layout of the UI I wanted to ensure that it didn’t feel intrusive to the player and that elements of the various menus made sense and flowed into each other while ensuring all the important sections were easy to find and clearly labelled.
LOGO DESIGN
For the logo design of our game I wanted to incorporate the vampiric elements of our game in a way that is simple but immediately draws the players attention to it. I worked to make use of black and white to create contrast between the elements of the logo and the outline so they are clearly visible. The use of the teeth is symbolic of the vampire within our game and the larger scale of the teeth is to give a sense of oppression like the vampire is right over you. The use of the small bit of red within the blood drop highlights this particular element and adds to the overall teeth part of the logo giving it a more creepy feeling. The positioning of the text is deliberate to ensure that the blood drop is separate and stands out more within the overall logo. The choice of font was to give a gothic feel to the text with the dot of the eye giving the feeling that the person can be seen.
