Fatal Frame 2; Reimagination

After meeting with the group we have finally began to string together a rough structure for our re-imagining of Fatal Frame II. We have not yet decided on third or first person gameplay, but we are leaning toward third to keep the gameplay a little closer to the game that inspired ours. Although we have not settled on an exact location, we have decided that, like the original our game will take place in an abandoned village. Ours, however, will be European.We want to keep the focus on one character but have another character to drive the story along and give the players an emotional connection to what's happening in the game. This echoes back to fatal frame two where the story revolves around two twins. However, we want the game to include extra mechanics with this extra person, e.g. the other person can reach places the main character cannot.
After a meeting with one of the tutors, we came up with the idea of using a sort of early warning system for the presence of ghosts, much like the radio in the Silent Hill (Konami, 1999) games. Our idea is to use frost and icy breath based on reports of ghost encounters. The enemies will be made up entirely of AI controlled ghosts. The AI control will allow the ghosts to act independently, hopefully producing unpredictable and scarier experiences. The ghosts will not be visible most of the time, hiding in shadow only revealing itself just before attacking. There will, however, be clues as to where it is. The player will be armed with a Polaroid camera which will both repel ghosts from attacking and allow the player to solve puzzles by showing items and clues that are visible only on film, this could include items that belonged to the ghost which are no longer there. The game will take place over one long night in the village in which the main character and their companion is trapped. The player will move from location to location solving dynamic puzzles in order to resolve the dead's unfinished business. This will "exorcise" the ghost and open new doors to the player, allowing them to go deeper into the village.

First sketch

After the meeting we split the labor between us.Jack took settings and items, Juliette took game mechanics and I took enemies and characters. The image I had in my head was of a strong but perhaps emotionally vulnerable. We all knew we wanted to make her a reporter, so, I initially gave her a shirt and jeans. I wanted her to look interesting so gave her a rigid nose to make her a little less pretty. The reason for this being, if a character is too good looking I think it can take away from their character.I coloured the initial sketch in order to start a more active dialogue with the group about changes. The group told me that the hair was a little too "piratey" and the nose need to be fixed. They also told me the jeans were too flared and needed to be straightened. Juliette also gave the suggestion that I should give her a cardigan.

Final iteration

The final iteration took all of these suggestions into account. I have to say that I do prefer her after making the suggested changes. Despite this, I feel like I should have gotten a lot further with the design than I did. I had the intention of turning it into a full painting with no linework. However, I found that, due to my fairly low skill level, it took me way longer than I feel it should have to get this far. I am very eager to improve my drawing skills. Although I do not want to be a games designer, which does not necessarily require good drawing skills, I do enjoy getting my ideas out in this way. 

 

I am currently working on a personal profile for her. I have been trying to work out a history alongside her personality so I can almost let her flaws and qualities shape themselves. The current profile is as follows:

 

Name: Kate/Anne

Age: 23

Gender: F

Occupation: Journalist

 

History

• Born to a well off supportive family. Lost them in suspicious circumstances, drowning or similar (The disturbing past is important as it adds depth by giving meaning to her flaws). This will have happened at around 10 years old (too young without any consistent authority figures and/or caregivers and she is likely to develop psychopathic tendencies, this is not a good hero character)  She will have lived in the countryside.
• Upon the death of her parents she moved into an orphanage where she struggle with the death of her parents by turning to delinquency, even running away a few times (this is a good device to introduce new flaws or elements in her past like drugs and violence if required). In her mid teens she is given a new tutor who is both kind and commanding and gives her a new parent figure. Her tutor introduces her to literature.
• Inspired by the stories and writings she has recently been introduced to, she decides to become a recognized writer. Under the guidance of her tutor, her grade slowly increase and she gains her degree from a decent university. Her writings are found by a large, national newspaper and she takes a job as a small columnist. 
• After a lot of hard work she is given a big investigative piece to prove herself. The case of the lost village...

Personality Traits

• Outwardly resilient and strong
• Inwardly insecure 
• Driven (As a way of proving her insecurities false to herself) 
• Difficulty with attachment and trust
• A good but often dark/bitter sense of humour
• Slight tomboy