High School Nightmare is a narrative-focused horror survival game, drawing inspiration from iconic titles like Alan Wake and GYLT. Crafted to commemorate Halloween 2022, the game offers an immersive experience that delves into storytelling elements to amplify the horror genre.
Note: This game was initially hosted on Crayta, a platform that has since been discontinued. The following sections provide detailed information and media to showcase the project.
In this collaborative two-person project, I held the distinguished role of being the sole developer, responsible for orchestrating the comprehensive development of game mechanics and the user interface. My responsibilities encompassed the meticulous crafting of game mechanics utilizing Lua, ensuring the seamless execution of envisioned gameplay dynamics. Concurrently, I spearheaded the development of the user interface, employing a harmonious integration of Lua, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to achieve intuitive and visually engaging user interactions. My holistic approach to development ensured the realization of a cohesive and immersive gaming experience, demonstrating a seamless blend of technical acumen and creative vision.
Progression in High School Nightmare is intricately tied to solving a series of puzzles that engage players in various forms of interactivity. Lever manipulation, clue discovery, and the identification of concealed objects throughout the game world are essential tasks that contribute to both challenge and immersion.
To enhance the narrative depth of High School Nightmare, I designed a modular cutscene system from the ground up, as the platform lacked a built-in solution. This easily configurable system listens for specific in-game events to trigger cinematic sequences. Additionally, it offers customizable transitions, such as fade-ins and fade-outs, that can be adjusted effortlessly through script properties.
One of the limitations of the Crayta platform was its lack of a built-in cutscene tool, a vital component for delivering a compelling story-driven horror experience. To overcome this, I engineered a comprehensive cutscene system with a range of customizable parameters, including camera speed, fade effects, and cinematic bars. This custom solution not only met the game’s specific needs but also offered a level of configurability that could easily be adapted for other projects.
Recognizing the need for intuitive player guidance on control mechanics, I designed a sophisticated in-game controls tutorial system. This system not only showcases popup messages on the HUD to instruct players on which keys to press for specific actions but also provides real-time feedback on whether the correct keys are being pressed when multiple keys are involved. This adds an extra layer of interactivity and educational value to the player experience. Given its substantial impact and utility, the tutorial system was later released as a free resource to the broader Crayta community, testifying to its versatility and broad applicability across various game types.
Puzzle Design: Designed and implemented engaging puzzles that required players to interact with various in-game elements, demonstrating a keen understanding of player psychology and engagement.
Customized Game Systems Development: Built game-specific tools and systems from scratch, such as a modular cutscene system and in-game controls tutorial, showcasing adaptability and an innovative approach to problem-solving.
Real-Time Feedback Systems: Designed systems that offer real-time feedback on player actions, emphasizing an understanding of the importance of immediate player response in game mechanics.
Modular System Design: Developed systems with modularity in mind, ensuring easy adaptability and scalability for future game iterations or expansions.
Community Contributions: Contributed valuable resources back to the platform’s community, indicating a collaborative spirit and a commitment to fostering shared growth.
Attention to Detail: Developed customizable parameters for tools like the cutscene system, illustrating meticulous attention to detail and the ability to consider and cater to varied developer and player preferences.
UI Development: Extensive experience with Coherent Gameface for UI design, a tool also compatible with Unity, illustrates the direct applicability of my UI/UX skills to Unity projects.
Cross-language Implementation: Managed gameplay mechanics and UI through the use of Lua, HTML, JavaScript & CSS. Experience in multi-language development is readily transferable to Unity.
