ABSTRACT
Monsters Within is a fun 3D FPS horror survival game on the Windows platform that demands its players to have fast reflexes, quick thinking and deductive skills to survive in the game environment they have been thrust into; distorted humanoid creatures have overrun the city and continue to rapidly multiply. The player’s main objective is to circumvent this by destroying all nests in the vicinity.
The quantitative research methodology was used to analyse the feasibility for the success for such a project on the Steam platform (the online store that the project will be published on). Competitive benchmarking and Open Web research were conducted to observe the success of competitors on the platform; their success and failures, as well as pricing structures, game mechanics and customer reviews were analysed to discover the core problems that needed to be solved to create a contending project.
Quantitative research is a systematic investigation that makes use of quantifiable data and verifiable facts to measure variables (reviews, sales numbers, etc.) and form generalizations from a large population size. The goal of this type of research is to outline specific research patterns.
The reviews, pricing structures, genres, date of release and overall game quality of the following titles were observed. Among Us, Phasmophobia, Titanfall, Call of Duty, Little Nightmares.
Games that had excessive micro-transactions were frowned upon by the gaming community regardless of whether it had a price or was free-to-play. Games that were of relatively low quality that had a multiplayer functionality still found success. The results showed that gamers deeply appreciated games with detailed level design and ambience, games that portrayed a puzzle like story were critically acclaimed among the audience. Games with detailed, atmospheric environments greatly appeal to gamers of the horror genre.
✔ People who play FPS games enjoy challenging gameplay over other aspects of game mechanics
✔ Uniqueness is the main factor that helps games stand out from other titles on the platform
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE GAME HAS TO OFFER A FUN INTERACTIVE GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE THAT IS CHALLENGING IN BOTH TERMS OF REACTION TIMES AND QUICK DECISION MAKING. THE STORY NARRATIVE HAS TO VIVIDLY ILLUSTRATED FROM THE PLAYER’S SURROUNDINGS AND INTEGRATIONS OF IT; WITH THAT IN MIND, THE ENVIRONMENT MUST ALSO ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTUITIVE LEVEL DESIGNS (E.G., PLACING CERTAIN GAME OBJECTS IN A SPECIFIC MANNER TO
SUBTLY HINT TO THE PLAYER AT WHERE REWARDS AND NEW PIECES OF INFORMATION MAY LIE IN WAIT.). GAMES OF COMPETITORS OFTEN DO THIS BY PLACING A CAMERA FOCUS IN AREAS THEY WANT THE PLAYER TO EXPLORE, MAKING CERTAIN SOUNDS AUDIBLE FROM A CERTAIN DIRECTION OR LEAVING VISUAL CUES SUCH AS A BLOODIED TRAIL TO FOLLOW. THE GAMEPLAY MUST BE FUN TO REPEAT TO GRANT OVERALL SATISFACTION TO PLAYERS IN TERMS OF GAME MECHANICS 2
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5
CHAPTER 3: REQUIREMENTS, ANALYSIS, AND DESIGN 7
- OVERVIEW…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
- PROPOSED MODEL……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
- ITERATIVE METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
- TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
- ETHICAL CONSIDERATION………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
- REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
- REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATIONS………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
- SYSTEM DESIGN……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
3.8.6 User Interface Design 14
CHAPTER 4: IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING 21
- OVERVIEW…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 21
The built-in console debuggers in unity and the Visual Studio IDE were used to observe the operations that occurred in the game in each and every game test scenario to see what wasn’t done properly or wasn’t accounted for. Going through the documentation for the Unity game engine and its packages proved to be crucial in solving most of the errors that occurred during the game’s implantation. 26
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 30
LIST OF TABLES
| TABLE 1.1 | PROJECT RISK ASSESSMENT TABLE | 3 |
| TABLE 2.1 | FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS | 9 |
| TABLE 2.2 | NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS | 9-10 |
| TABLE 4.5 | TEST TRACEABILITY MATRIX | 25-26 |
| TABLE 4.51 | TEST REPORT SUMMARY | 26-27 |
| TABLE A.1 | TEST CASE TC-001(MENU UI INTERACTION) | 49 |
| TABLE A.2 | TEST CASE TC-002(FPS MECHANICS) | 50 |
| TABLE A.3 | TEST CASE TC-003(SAVING AND LOADING GAME DATA) | 51 |
| TABLE A.4 | TEST CASE TC-004(ENEMY AI BEHAVIOR) | 52-53 |
| TABLE A.5 | TEST CASE TC-005(ENEMY AI BEHAVIOR) | 53-54 |
LIST OF FIGURES
| FIGURE 3.1 | APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE | 10 |
| FIGURE 3.2 | USE CASE DIAGRAM | 11 |
| FIGURE 3.3 | ACTIVITY DIAGRAM | 12 |
| FIGURE 3.4 | ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM | 13 |
| FIGURE 3.5 | MAIN MENU | 14 |
| FIGURE 3.6 | LOAD SCREEN | 14 |
| FIGURE 3.7 | GAMEPLAY | 15 |
| FIGURE 3.8 | INVENTORY | 15 |
| FIGURE 3.9 | ENEMY | 16 |
| FIGURE 3.10 | PAUSE MENU | 16 |
| FIGURE 3.16 | LOAD/SAVE GAME FILE | 17 |
| FIGURE 3.16 | GENERAL SETTINGS | 17 |
| FIGURE 3.13 | GRAPHICS SETTINGS | 18 |
| FIGURE 3.14 | CONTROL SETTINGS | 18 |
| FIGURE 3.15 | GAME ENVIRONMENT | 19 |
| FIGURE 3.16 | BOSS NEST(OBJECTIVE) | 19 |
| FIGURE 4.1 | SCENE LOADER MANAGER | 21 |
| FIGURE 4.2 | SCENE BUILD SETTINGS | 21 |
| FIGURE 4.3 | POINT LIGHTS | 22 |
| FIGURE 4.4 | MESH COLLIDERS | 22 |
| FIGURE 21.0 | LITTLE NIGHTMARES OVERALL STEAM REVIEW CHART | 36 |
| FIGURE 21.1 | LITTLE NIGHTMARES POSITIVE REVIEW 1 | 37 |
| FIGURE 21.2 | LITTLE NIGHTMARES POSITIVE REVIEW 2 | 38 |
| FIGURE 21.3 | LITTLE NIGHTMARES POSITIVE REVIEW 3 | 39 |
| FIGURE 21.4 | LITTLE NIGHTMARES NEGATIVE REVIEW | 40 |
| FIGURE 22.0 | SEKIRO OVERALL STEAM REVIEW CHART | 41 |
| FIGURE 22.1 | SEKIRO POSITIVE REVIEW 1 | 42 |
| FIGURE 22.2 | SEKIRO POSITIVE REVIEW 2 | 43 |
| FIGURE 22.3 | SEKIRO NEGATIVE REVIEW | 44 |
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
| 3D | 3 Dimensional |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| AAA publishers | An informal classification used for games produced by major |
| ERD | Entity Relationship Diagram |
| FPS | First Person Shooter |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface |
| IK | Inverse Kinematics |
| IDE | Integrated Development Environment |
| LOD | Level of Detail |
| NES | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| PC | Personal Computer |
| UI | User Interface |
| UML | Unified Modelling Language |
| HUD | Heads Up Display |
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
The project is a 3D FPS game constructed with the 2019.4 version of Unity’s game engine along with the C# programming language. The project entitled Monsters Within, set to be released on the Microsoft Windows platform, is a game that has the player controlling a soldier that has been deployed to an outbreak site in the dark, bustling, overrun city of Kuzimu; the area has been overrun with hostile distorted humanoid creatures spawning heaps of biomass that the player has the task of destroying whilst defending themselves form such creatures.
In the gaming space, there is a lack of fast paced horror games that engage the players in a detailed enthralling environment while offering gameplay mechanics that require a certain degree of skill from the player in terms of reflexes. The aim of the game project is to offer a healthy mix of these genres into something the players can have fun with but also explore the scenery of the game and the dark story hidden within it.
Background and Motivation
The video gaming industry has been prevalent in society as far back as the early 1970s with the release of the popular arcade game Pong on the Atari console. Years passed and soon, the NES console in 1985 popularized home consoles. 3D games came into play with the release of Sega’s Saturn system in 1995 and competitors such as Nintendo and PlayStation continued to follow suit. (History.com Editors, 2018)
Now, in the modern age of gaming, the industry is larger than before with a player base of 2.7 billion people worldwide and an estimated worth of $159.3 billion by the end of 2020. This makes the industry even bigger than the global movie production and distribution industry which is worth $136 billion. Revenue generated from these games tied into the country’s revenue with China, United States of America and Japan standing at the top three podium positions. Nigeria isn’t within the top 25 countries that take advantage of such a lucrative industry. (G, 2020)
Game development can also prove to be a prospect for a new way of earning a living. And for the consumers it is important not only for the mental health of Nigerians to
engage with fun interactive activities to cope with the stressful nature of the country but it also improves one’s cognitive abilities and memory. (Dr.Reed, 2017)
Statement of the Problem
The game has to offer a fun interactive gameplay experience that is challenging in both terms of reaction times and quick decision making. The story narrative has to vividly illustrated from the player’s surroundings and integrations of it; with that in mind, the environment must also encourage exploration through the implementation of intuitive level designs (e.g., placing certain game objects in a specific manner to subtly hint to the player at where rewards and new pieces of information may lie in wait.). Games of competitors often do this by placing a camera focus in areas they want the player to explore, making certain sounds audible from a certain direction or leaving visual cues such as a bloodied trail to follow. The gameplay must be fun to repeat to grant overall satisfaction to players in terms of game mechanics.
Aim and Objectives
Weapons pick up locations will be intentionally placed on street pavements to encourage players to explore buildings and alleyways; this also subtly hunts that buildings are somewhat safe havens in game. Enemies will spawn from the nest so players will instinctively follow the path that they come from to learn where the objective to destroy is located. This design was chosen to make it feel like the player found the correct path based on their own merit which in turn grants them satisfaction. Collectibles will be placed in specific tight spots that players can pick up/observe to feed into the overall lore of the story.
Significance of the Project
The implementation of this project will grant video game enthusiasts around Nigeria and the world at large a fresh source of interactive entertainment. This research encourages gamers to form new perspectives of how they think when approaching problems in the digital space as all good games should. A precise report on all phases of the
implementation of the project will be made available and the capacity for expanding upon the games structure will be set in place. This research project is currently set as a unique gaming experience in terms of its gameplay, and hence brings forth a fresh avenue for research and development in this genre. Monsters Within, the horror FPS game, has a unique experience to offer that will actively engage the way players think.
Due to the project being an Indie title (a video game crafted by individuals/small development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher), it will be marketed as free-to-play and have considerate pricing structure for in-game cosmetics. Upon the successful release of the game, it will be marked as “Fair Use” under Licensing so that players will have the choice to freely stream the game onto suitable platforms such as Twitch/YouTube as means to earn revenue for themselves if they so choose to.
Project Risks Assessment
RISKS
Table 1.1: Project Risk Assessment Table
| Inability to carry out research due to loss of time/budget constraints | Incorporate free-to-use assets, make use of pre-built packages to speed up the development process of the game |
| Loss of work due to equipment failure /loss | Version control set in place via Unity Hub’s collaboration functionality |
| Low quality final product | Post processing packs will be installed and LODs will be implemented to give the game the look of a modern AAA title |
| Game only running properly on high powered PCs | Optimize mesh data with LODs to make the game accessible to a wider audience |
Scope/Project Organization
The following sections of this project documentation describes the literature review of the technology and techniques used to develop the project in Chapter 2. The requirements, analysis and design implemented to make this project possible are outlined in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, the implementation and testing of the game was addressed. In the remaining chapters, the summary, conclusions, limitations, links to the source code/project file and suggested improvements for the system are included.
