Trailer of Ornament Express
OVERVIEW
Investigate strange oddities in Ornament Express, where you’re hired to recover your client’s belongings from an eccentric thief and his train of stolen artifacts. Explore a cabinet of curiosities throughout the train, visit carts holding odd puzzles, odder objects, and find hidden away secrets in this mysterious VR game.
SOLVE THE MYSTERY
You've been hired by your client after a crime streak saw her valuable curio stolen. The trail this eccentric thief left behind leads you to a train, filled with stolen artefacts and mysterious items. Can you find the client's stolen goods?
MAKE A MESS
Find all the ways in which you can create chaos in the once pristine train cart, messing up the hideout of the thief as much as you can! Pull open drawers, scatter papers around and play with the many souvenirs the thief has collected. The train becomes a captivating playground of disorder, showcasing the aftermath of your relentless pursuit to recover the client's precious curio.
Narrative Designer
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Writing world-building documents.
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Creating Environmental Storytelling objects that reflect the world-building.
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Creating systems to showcase the narrative in the game.
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Designing the 'Ending Cart' and fitting this in the existing player journey.
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Recording voice-over sessions with both internal and external parties.
PROJECT ROLE
- ENV. STORYTELLING -
LETTERS
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Developed a user-friendly system in Unreal Engine's Widget system to facilitate the creation of new letters, including the ability to add scribbles, use various fonts, and write in different colors.
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Wrote letters within the game to provide clues for puzzles and enrich the narrative experience.
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Collaborated with visual artists to create the perfect model and texture for the letters.
NEWSPAPERS
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Wrote in-game newspapers to showcase the thief's backstory and stolen items, enriching the game's world-building and storytelling.
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Collaborated with visual artists to create an easy-to-use template for the newspapers.
Newspapers
One of the letters, meant to give a clue to the player
- WORLD-BUILDING -
NARRATIVE JOURNEY
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Developed a structured narrative journey that governs the pace at which players acquire new information about the game's story.
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Conducted play-testing sessions with fellow students to gauge their comprehension with the narrative, making necessary adjustments for clarity of the story.
Narrative Journey of Ornament Express
WORLD-BUILDING DOCUMENT
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Wrote a world-building document that serves as a reference. Describing the game's locations, characters, various narrative elements, and the overarching plot to provide a solid foundation for the game's development and storytelling.
Some slides of the First World-building Proposal
- THE ENDING -
LEVEL DESIGN
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Conducted research and brainstormed ideas for the final cart segment.
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Created concepts for the layout, considering its significance as the game's conclusion.
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Created the in-engine cart using previously-created props from the other carts, ensuring it matches the game's overall narrative and player experience.
The Ending Cart
THE PHONE
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Developed a narrative system for the phone-call ending sequence.
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Created a branching narrative based on whether the Detective found the 'Curio' in the puzzle area.
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Implemented two distinct endings with corresponding phone call events, enhancing player engagement and replay-ability. Additionally, I've created a hanging-up-the phone sequence. Here the caller reacts to you hanging up the phone, creating a realistic and comedic moment.
The Ending phone sequence
- SCRIPTWRITING -
DIALOGUE
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Crafted in-game dialogue using professional script-writing techniques.
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Mixed serious and funny lines to match the game's vibe. Kept the dialogue feeling real without going overboard, so players stay engaged.
The dialogue for the final section
ON-CAMPUS VOICE ACTING
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Directed voice over sessions with a fellow student who portrayed the thief.
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Utilized professional recording equipment for high-quality audio capture.
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Used audio editing software to refine and synchronize voice-overs within the game.
Voice overs recorded with Tudor Boneanu on Campus
OUTSOURCED VOICE ACTING
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Collaborated with an external platform to commission the voice recording of the collector character.
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Crafted a detailed message outlining specific intentions for line delivery and character portrayal to ensure alignment with the game's vision.
