A downloadable game for Windows and macOS

You're a medium investigating reports of spectral activity at an abandoned building. You quickly discover that something more than your usual haunting is going on and for the good of everyone you need to get to the bottom of it! The player will use their powers as a medium to fight ghosts and solve puzzles and save everyone!

Player Objective:

Solve puzzles and fight Ghosts to escape the abandoned building!

Core Mechanics

  • 3D Gameplay with Paper Mario-like aesthetics and movement
  • Ghosts drop ectoplasm and which is currency used to cast spells, open doors, etc.
  • Definitely puzzles and combat, maybe some platforming
  • Ghosts will track the player if seen. Then, if a Ghost catches the player, it will latch on and extract ectoplasm from the player to become more powerful
  • More powerful Ghosts require different, more powerful means of dispatching
  • Player starts with a chargeless wand that can trap Ghosts. They will use the wand to trap Ghosts and turn them into ectoplasm to use in spells that will then be used to trap other, more powerful Ghosts.

Environmental, Puzzles and Traps

  • Magic Mirror to find a Ghost puzzle
  • Rotted pathways return player to start of level
  • Potion mixing puzzle
  • Ectoplasm-opened door
  • Correct buttons/pressure plates
  • Hidden stairways

Enemies

  • Ghost: Can be trapped any way. Grants 1 ectoplasm when trapped.
  • Banshee: Can be trapped with two attacks from the wand, or with one spell to stun. Grants 2 ectoplasm when trapped.
  • Revenant: Must be hit with two spells before player can trap this level of Ghost. Grants 3 ectoplasm when trapped.

Things we are concerned about for Second Playtest:

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?
  • Would you prefer a HUD?
  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 
  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?
  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?


Known Issues:

- The character model we are using is ugly and will be replaced later

- Magic has yet to be implemented

- Magic portal nonfunctional

- Puzzles need to be added

- Falling through floors/Getting outside of the building

- Walking in between cracks, will detect uneven ground and jump.

- Camera will be fixed in next version

- Cubes not being destroyed upon hitting the player



Things that were thought of to be a bug but are indeed, not:

The flipping back to face you is indeed, not a bug. But I dislike it. Probably change later.


Solved Issues:

- Spiderman has been removed

- Monster AI implemented

-Dying to lava/fire


Solved issues not inside of build:

- Camera collides with wall

- Wall and floor are both thick

- No overlapping tiles

- Cubes are destroyed upon colliding with the player

- A majority of the lights have been removed to make the atmosphere more dark

- An exit menu upon hitting the escape key


Currently Working On:

- Debugging keys opening chests

- Functionality of Pressure plates


Created for FDMA 403-001: Advanced Game Development

Team Members:

Eric Hillmeyer -  Puzzle & 2D Asset Designer

Datenzing Tamang - Animator

Sergio Macias - Sound Designer

Alex Hill - Head Developer

Lourdes Osman - Project Manager,  Level Design,   3D Model Artist



VIDEO:



Download

Download
Windows_FInal.zip 60 MB
Download
Mac_Final.app.zip 60 MB

Comments

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  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

For the area that you can explore currently, I found the density of enemy(s) to be fine. It gave me space to breathe and explore.

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

I think I would. It would just give me a little bit of comfort knowing what I need to know about.

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

I wasn't too sure about how the enemy is currently attacking the player. It seems like the enemy is firing a cube at the player? I think if the cube took away a third or half of the player health, it would be fine.

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

I think I would like mouse click combat. I think there is something satisfying about using mouse clicks to fight, rather than exclusively keyboard inputs.

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

I think the jumping is fine. I did have trouble going up stairs though.

How many enemies is appropriate per level?

I think that is going to be dependent upon how hard is is to defeat enemy i.e. you probably don't want a lot of enemies if each one is incredibly tough. This might be something that you'll have to play with until it feels balanced. 

Would you prefer a HUD?

I think a HUD would be a good way to show how much ectoplasm you currently have. Additionally, since respawning was added I think a simple health system should be added and could be represented in the HUD. Everytime you get hit by a ghost or fall in lava, then you respawn at the last checkpoint. Once you lose all your lives, the game starts over. But this is just one example of implementation. 

How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

Again as in the first question. I don't think this is something that I'd be able to answer directly and is something that I feel would probably be left to more playtesting by the developers. However, I do think the enemies shouldn't be a one-hit kill or that it takes 1 minute to kill a single enemy. 

How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

A mouse click would probably be sufficient. Maybe one or two extra keyboard key presses could be dedicated to a special ability. 

How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

The jump feels appropriate. It could probably be utilized as a puzzle/challenge mechanic. In the sense that the player has to jump between pillars posted over lava while also trying to defeat ghosts. 

How many enemies is appropriate per level?

I am not sure but depending how powerful they are, three would be a good amount to test. 

Would you prefer a HUD?

I don't believe a HUD is necessary unless there is something that we would need to look into.

How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

I think they should be a minimum powerful where it can be dangerous with interaction and drop great items.

How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

Mouse clicking would be better in my opinion.

How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

I believe the jump is good the way it is.

-Alejandro

* It’s hard to really be able to say how many enemies there should be without everything else being basically complete.

*I do think a HUD would help ‘orient’ the player better.

*I think the attacks should be pretty strong, I think the objective should feel more about not being hit than fighting.

*I prefer keyboard combat, but I think either would work well.

*I like the feel of the jump right now

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

Maybe 5ish depending on how powerful they are?  This is really just a guess

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

Yes I would like to know how much ectoplasm I have until it's all gone

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

I think they should be dangerous, whether in harming the player or stealing ectoplasm, but they should drop the stolen ectoplasm when dispatched

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

I'd go for mouse clicking 

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

I would like the jump to be a little higher and last a little bit longer

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

I personal Have no idea for this question. 

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

Yes, I would like to know the info that I should be worring about in a Hud.

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

I can't say off the top of my head but  enemy should get harder as levels progress. 

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

Because keyboard is movement I would like that combat is handled by the mouse.

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

The jump is too high. he jumps about 4/5 the hight of the roof. I think it should be around 1/5 or 2/5. 

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

Depends on the play style I guess, if you're just suppose to clear all that are in a level you could play around with the idea that they might be hidden in certain areas (thinking Luigi's Mansion) and so in that case it might be a puzzle in of itself to find them. If it's a wave thing then maybe several.

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

Similar to what others have said, it depends on the feel you're going for. The information should probably be displayed but whether that's a HUD thing or an environmental indicator like in Dead Space (maybe you glow red when damaged and glow a certain amount of blue based on your ectoplasm levels?).

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player?

Again, I'm still not quite so sure what the end goal is so it depends similarly to the first question. (Can you heal)?

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

I guess clicking would be reasonable.

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

For now it seems fine, but in what situations are you going to be using it (are you going to be platforming as well or can you dodge with it?)

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?
    I think I would need to see a level with many enemies to get a real feel for this question.
  • Would you prefer a HUD?
    If we have collectables or HP I would like a HUD
  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 
    Depending on how difficult you'd like the game I think enemies should be pretty strong though.
  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?
    I would prefer full keyboard combat. Maybe a ghost slaying sword?
  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?
    I am all about feeling fluid in the game and I feel like the jump may have been overly nerfed

-Jarek

How many enemies is appropriate per level?

I think it depends on how difficult or intensive to destroy the ghosts.

Would you prefer a HUD?

Do we have abilites that would be used. Or maybe items that we pick up and need to know about?

How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

If there are few enemies, they should be stronger and vice versa. 

How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

If I am firing a projectile I would prefer mouse clicking. If I am using melee it can be a combination of both.

How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

I like the jump, I dont think that needs to be changed too much at all.

  • General comments.

How do I play? I can see WSAD to move, mouse to look, and spacebar to jump. Any other controls?

The art looks great. I love the look of the 2D paper mario character in the 3D world. Lighting & particle fx look great.

Adding audio would be a great next step to make the come to life!

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

Too soon to tell without health for the player and a way to attack. If combat is a big part of the game, start with a few simple enemies in a sandbox environment to dial in the combat. Start with very simple enemies that are easy to beat, and serve to teach the player the basics of combat. After that start ramping up the difficulty! Try to add different types of enemies that encourage the player to learn new skills / new ways to play.

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

What info would be displayed on the HUD?

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player? 

Start out with easy enemies & build up to harder ones.

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

Jumping on enemies heads Mario-Style could work. Or maybe give the player a weapon of sorts and let them use it with mouse clicks.

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

I feel like the first half of the jump (rising up) feels great, very springy & responsive. The fall down seems to take too long. Feels floaty.

  • How many enemies is appropriate per level?

Hard to determine until there is more of a gameplay element with them involved. Also depends on what kind of gameplay you want. 

  • Would you prefer a HUD?

Some way of signaling important state to the player is important. Those can be ectoplasm or health from what I understand you are going for. However it's worth considering if there are ways to display that to a user without a HUD.

  • How strong should the enemy attack the player?

Similar answer to first question.

  • How should the player attack? Would you like mouse click combat or full keyboard combat?

Considering the mouse is used to control the camera, it makes sense to add combat to mouse-clicks. However this also feels like a game that could play well on gamepad.

  • How do you feel about the jump height/power? Should it be lowered?

Seems ok. But it depends on the usecase/game-feel.

(1 edit)

How does movement feel?

I think both the speed and movement are great.

How does the camera feel?

The camera is nice. I played on both my laptop and PC, but camera was super fast on my laptop and hard to maintain. On the PC, it worked perfect

How does the level feel so far?

It looks really nice. I enjoy the design, but I had issues with the colliders.

How do the controls feel?

I only found to move and jump. I think a controls hint or tutorial for them.

-Alejandro

  • How does movement feel?

Feels great! Jump is maybe a little low but also quite floaty.

  • How does the camera feel?

Also feels good.

  • How does the level feel so far?

Seems awesome, like the level design.

  • How do the controls feel?

I couldn't figure out how to do anything besides moving and jump. If there was supposed to be more a small paragraph would be helpful for controls.

  • How does movement feel?

Movement is speed is and the drection are fine. It just seems that you can run through all Items/walls and fall off the map?

  • How does the camera feel?

 I would like to see rotation arround the person.

  • How does the level feel so far?

It looks really nice.

  • How do the controls feel?

I don't think I understand the IO yet, I did not know you could jump untill reading other reviews. May be a little section on what all the keybindings are.

  • How does movement feel?

So far I like the movement.  Maybe the jumping could be higher.

  • How does the camera feel?

The camera is very nice

  • How does the level feel so far?

It looks really nice.  It's a little like Bowser's castles  The ghost looks cool too.

  • How do the controls feel?

They feel good.  I did notice that I was sliding off of the slightly tilted chunks of debris, so maybe more friction is needed?

  • How does movement feel?

I like the movement and speed.

  • How does the camera feel?

The camera is a little tough to control. I think I would like it better if it followed where the player is going.

  • How does the level feel so far?

I really enjoy the aesthetic of it! And I think the layout is nice. I did have some issues where colliders were off (I walked through walls and fell endlessly, the table makes me bounce backwards if I walk into it, I have to jump to get up the stairs).

  • How do the controls feel?

They were pretty standard. But if there were any other than WASD and space bar, then I think we should have a tutorial for the controls.

How does the movement feel?

* Movement feels good enough. Feels a bit odd that if you stop moving the player flips back to face towards the camera. (Pretty sure it's a bug that will be fixed). Jump feels a bit too floaty, maybe a bit stronger gravity would be more comfortable.

How does the camera feel?

*Camera feels fine. Again I think the player should face in the direction that the player is moving.

How does the level feel so far?

* Atmosphere is more or less consistent, playful and spooky. I was able to fall and clip through a wall. The fire floor I'm not sure if you'll just be blocked off from falling on or if you'll die on landing on it.

How do the controls feel?

* I was able to assume that it's the standard movement buttons, but I'm not sure if you have any attack or pick up buttons (maybe that's automatic).

How does movement feel?

The movement feels great. The speed is solid and I look forward to seeing what you guys do with it.

How does the camera feel?

The camera seems like it goes through the walls a bit easily. I don't think that is a bad problem but I was able to see through the entire map when that happened. 

How does the level feel so far?

The level seems great. I can't wait to see the interactions with the environment.

How do the controls feel?

I mean pretty standard controls so they feel good.

How does movement feel?

I like the movement. It feels smooth, I think the jump animation is nice. 

How does the camera feel?

I really like it, I think it pairs well with how the character moves. 

How does the level feel so far?

Visually it looks cool. I feel like it'd be to your advantage to make levels linear. In that there's different areas to pass through or waves of ghosts. As well as utilizing with the jump mechanic to have puzzles based around the terrain, maybe you can jump higher by spewing out ectoplasm from the wand, or you need certain amounts of ectoplasm to trigger certain parts of the puzzle (there could even be specific types of ectoplasm that do different things, like some ghosts give a green ectoplasm that increases speed and a blue one increases jump height. 

(2 edits)

How does movement feel?

It feels very nice.

How does the camera feel?

The camera is great.

How does the level feel so far?

Good job on building the level. It looks great. The lightings looks amazing.

How do the controls feel?

It feels good, however, mouse's movement seems to be quite too sensitive. 

  • How does movement feel?
    The movement feels very fluid maybe a bit too fluid in the air though.
  • How does the camera feel?
    As I am sure you have already heard the camera can see through walls, but otherwise I think its perfect.
  • How does the level feel so far?
    I like the level so far, but as of right now I am not really getting a ghost vibe as described above. I think it needs to be much darker.
  • How do the controls feel?
    The controls all felt natural

    Bug if you flip yourself towards the camera and then flip the camera to your backside and jump both sides of you will only have the backward-facing jump animation.

    -Jarek
  • How does movement feel?

Pretty good, might be a tad fast/sensitive but not a huge deal. The flippy animation is great on the character..... stairs you gotta mash jump to get up, which not a huge deal, but might be something to tinker with.

  • How does the camera feel?

No terrible issues, just some breaking through the walls and being able to see things we probs should not see- might wanna check camera to make sure it can't phase through solid wall

  • How does the level feel so far?

It looks great, lost of stuff to it- especially for such a short time! Not really sure what the objective was, but it was cool to run around

  • How do the controls feel?

Were there like intractable things? I didn't find any, so this is mostly just how movement was for now (for me at least)

  • How does movement feel?
    • It feels good, i like the flippy thing when changing directions.  Going up the stairs could use some work
  • How does the camera feel?
    • no major issues, although i could climb walls and that let me see outside the building
  • How does the level feel so far?
    • it's a good looking space
  • How do the controls feel?
    • i'm not sure how this is different than movement