Prototype Entry

Hello everyone, this is the first Journal entry I have for my game Trepidation. I know the level itself is extremely early in design and lacking a lot of details / better prototyping, but I have been hard at work brainstorming on the game's main ideas / mechanics / sound design. With this early version of the map, I want to see how players react to the scale and freedom they have when traversing it, I know there isn't anything populating the map right now but imagine a dimly lit forest filled with trees and bushes. I think having the map be large like that adds to the horror feel as there is so much around you that isn't visible or within reach.  To make the level I used Unreal's landscape tools and played around with the map to give it some elevation and make barriers that give the player a rough idea of where they can and cannot go. I want my map to be flatter than it is currently since it's a forest but for this prototype I wanted to give clear and defined areas that can be marked with elevation as well as invisible barriers. The feedback I got based on my concept document has helped a lot when tinkering with my ideas. For example, I've decided that the monster is going to be a Skinwalker and essentially take the look of the player (Unreal's 1st person character) however the player will never actually get an up-close look of the monster. Making it a Skinwalker helps me decide what it should sound / act like as in most of the folklore surrounding these creatures, they usually try to sound human with voice cracks and obvious moans / groans that aren't exactly normal. The monster will try and talk to the player or even maybe steal some of their voice lines! I definitely have a better idea of what I want the monster to sound like now.  Because this is such an early prototype, I haven't really seen any potential issues so far which is good, but I do wish I budgeted more time for this and added more to the level to toy around with. Overall, the map layout is looking promising, and I can't wait to work on it some more!