The game concept me and Izzy have chosen to move forward with is Archive 13! This idea will be presented in Southampton during week 11.
Tasks for week 11
To manage my time, I made a checklist of things I needed to complete by week 11. For this prototype me and Izzy wanted to show of the visuals as much as possible so the music students watching us present can have a very vivid idea of what the game will look like.
A lot of our time between now and week 11 will be used to make some concept art and create a narrative that introduces all 4 game loops in Archive 13.
Narrative design
To give Izzy a better understanding of this game concept (as it’s the one I worked on) I gave a rough outline on the narrative where she then went over it and added certain queues such as player monologue and visual aids we can include.
I also used my primary research conducted in phase 3 for this, to make it as realistic to the journalist industry as possible.
Find my primary research here: https://sites.wsagames.com/jr16g23/archive-13-research/
UI / Concept Art
Using the mood boards Izzy created to influence the art direction, I created some 2D concept art and UI. I started by drawing the beginning office scene with the computer loading up and then sketched the computer UI along with the emails and an image.
From the moodboards Izzy made, I was able to grasp the visual style and colour palette of the game more. It consisted of neon green and dark hues of purples and blues.
I created all of the above in Procreate. I also downloaded a font online called “VCR OSD mono” to give it that old, pixelated look.
Below are the moodboards for reference:
Audio
We would prefer to use sound effects only, with no background music, as this helps to build tension and unease throughout the game. Music can often guide the player’s emotions too directly, whereas silence broken by realistic, environmental sounds makes the experience feel more unsettling and immersive. This minimal approach encourages players to focus on smaller details, allowing each sound to feel sharper and more meaningful, which fits the psychological tone of our game.
However, if background music were to be included, we would want it to be subtle and noir-inspired. This style would use low, atmospheric tones rather than strong melodies, supporting the mood without overpowering the experience or reducing tension.
Izzy had already previously considered how audio would function in the game, so she kindly created a list of sound effects for me to follow when researching appropriate audio. This helped ensure that the sounds chosen supported the intended atmosphere rather than feeling unnecessary or distracting.
Audio list:
- Mouse clicks
- Police sirens
- Keyboard typing
- City noise
On FreeSounds I found four sound effects that fit and that I can include in the presentation, to give the music students and our class a rough idea of what audio we would need.
Sound Effects from Freesounds:
Keyboard Typing
Mouse clicks
Police sirens
City noises
Prototypes
Using the concept art, narrative and core game loops me and Izzy came up with, I created a prototype in both Twine and Renpy. Renpy shows the game loops, visuals and the story in play where as the Twine Prototype shows the story and the risk/reputation system.