Design Document

“Haunted, Inc.” is a first-person survival horror/mystery game set in the modern world. The player takes on the role of a hunter contracted to locate, identify, and exorcise various supernatural phenomena.

• Steam (PC/Mac/Linux)
• Xbox One/Series S/Series X
• Playstation 5

• Phasmophobia
• Demonologist
• Ghost Exile

You are an aspiring hunter in training by Haunted, Inc. to hunt supernatural phenomena. Haunted Inc. provides training, starter equipment, and contracts to hunt entities in various locations. Contracts consist of three goals: locating and identifying the entity, completing three optional objectives, and exorcising the entity. Completing a contract results in monetary reimbursement, and money is used to buy more or better equipment or upgrade your safehouse.

• Similar games in the genre have little to no character customization; we intend to launch with a complete character creation system in place.
• We intend to launch with a system allowing customization of the safehouse to truly “make it your own.”
• While all other games in the genre support 4-player cooperative play, we want to go beyond the “open lobby” concept and allow players to found their own in-world companies with a company safehouse, allowing players who regularly play together to show off their achievements.
  • Eventually, we’d like to see this evolve into a ladder system for inter-company competition.
• Currently, all other games in the genre are Windows only, though Phasmophobia is working on a console port. We want to support all PC platforms early, with support for consoles planned for the future.
• Most games in the genre tie gear progression to experience – we want to separate gear from the progression system, allowing players to buy what they want as soon as they can afford it. Instead, progression will unlock new maps and character customization options.

• Engine: Redot 4.3
• 2D Graphics: GIMP, Inkscape
• 3D Graphics: Blender
• Audio Mixing and Editing: Cakewalk
• Video Editing: DaVinci Resolve

Widgit Gaming cinematic

Black screen containing the following wording:

Photosensitivity Warning

A very small percentage of individuals may experience epileptic seizures when exposed to certain light patterns or flashing lights. Exposure to certain patterns or backgrounds on a computer screen, or while playing video games, may induce an epileptic seizure in these individuals. Certain conditions may induce previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in persons who have no history of prior seizures or epilepsy.

If you have an epileptic condition, consult your physician before playing. If you experience any of the following symptoms while playing — dizziness, altered vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of awareness, disorientation, any involuntary movement, or convulsions — IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your physician before resuming play.

To be determined

A simple 2D screen listing the following options:

• Enter Safehouse
• Options
• Credits
• Quit

An instanced, 3D space customizable to an extent by the player. The starting safehouse is a multi-room warehouse consisting of a main prep area (mission selection, shop, multiplayer connection), a locker room (character customization), an archive room (trophies, collectibles, photos, and video evidence) and a vehicle bay containing the players’ vehicle and a black sedan bearing the Haunted, Inc. logo which will take players to the training facility.

• Players interact with the safehouse computer or their tablet and open the email client to review possible contracts.
• Players select a contract and enter their vehicle to deploy to the location.
• Players use the available tools to determine the location of the entity.
• Players identify the entity type and complete any optional objectives for the contract.
  • Optional objectives consist of three from a pool of evidentiary, historical, and contract objectives.
    • Evidentiary objectives can be “get a picture of the ghost,” “capture the ghost on video,” etc.
    • Historical objectives consist of finding evidence of the entity’s identity or how it died.
    • Contract objectives are specific requests from the person requesting the mission and generally require retrieving a personal item from the scene.
• Players exorcise the entity dependent upon its type.
  • Exorcism is locked until all players have chosen an entity type.
  • Incorrect exorcism for the entity type is detrimental to the players.
  • Exorcisms are only possible while the limited resources are still available.
• Players enter their vehicle to return to the safehouse and collect rewards.
  • Only correct identification of the entity is required for a contract to be considered successful.
  • Completion of optional objectives increases the payout.
  • All the above objectives, in addition to the exorcism of the entity and obtaining ten pieces of media evidence (photo/video), are considered a perfect mission.

Each player has a sanity pool that starts at 100% and decreases depending on how long they spend in the dark and what they interact with or witness in the affected area. The lower a player’s sanity gets, the more impaired they become (audio/visual hallucinations).

Each type of entity may interact with the environment and/or players in a variety of ways. These may be throwing objects, turning lights on or off, appearing to the player, talking to the player, or any number of other things depending on the entity type.

Each type of entity has the potential to hunt players in their location. The hunt timing, circumstances, and behaviors depend on the entity. Players can hide from the entity in closets, behind bookcases, etc, presuming the entity did not see them enter the hiding spot. Players who fail to escape the entity are killed.

To be determined

The game has no traditional heads-up display, and all settings are available through the safehouse computer or the tablet carried by the player. The devices contain “apps” through which players can adjust settings, shop for gear, select contracts, etc.

The Settings app contains all the settings for the game.

• Game Options
  • Localization
  • Field of View
  • Toggle Sprint
  • Toggle Crouch
  • Degrees (Imperial/Metric)
  • Cursor Customization
• Video Options
  • Fullscreen Mode
  • Resolution
  • Brightness
  • VSync
  • Anti-Aliasing
  • Texture Quality
  • Fog Quality
  • Shadow Quality
  • FPS Limit
  • Gamma Correction
  • View Distance
  • Motion Blur
  • Head Bobbing
  • Color Vision Accessibility
• Audio Options
  • Input Device
  • Output Device
  • Master Volume
  • Effects Volume
  • Chat Volume
  • Voice Input Mode
  • Voice Recognition Mode
• Controls
  • Input Type (Keyboard/Controller)
  • Mouse Sensitivity
  • Invert Y Axis
  • Invert X Axis
  • Key Bindings
  • Move Forward (W)
  • Move Backward (S)
  • Strafe Left (A)
  • Strafe Right (D)
  • Run (Shift)
  • Crouch (Ctrl)
  • Jump/Climb (Space)
  • Primary Use (Left Click)
  • Secondary Use (Right Click)
  • Pick Up (E)
  • Place (F)
  • Drop (G)
  • Tablet (Tab)
  • Inventory Next (Scrollwheel Up)
  • Inventory Prev (Scrollwheel Down)
  • Local PTT (C)
  • Global PTT (V)

The email app is where players will receive contracts from Haunted, Inc. and interested third parties. It is accessible only while in a safehouse. Received emails will contain basic info about the location and what is already known about the haunting, at least one photo of the haunted location, and the value of the contract. We are choosing an email app instead of the board used by other games in the genre to facilitate the addition of future maps and potentially modded maps without redesigning the selection system.

The survival guide is the central location for information on gameplay mechanics, tools, and known entities.

The Case Notes app is a contract-specific app not accessible in the lobby. It contains information on the contract (who requested it, any information known about the entity, the case objectives, and found evidence).

The Media app connects to the in-game photo and video cameras. In mission, it displays saved media from the current contract. Saved pictures and videos are deletable, allowing players to retry if they miss a shot. In the safehouse, it displays highlights from the most recent contract.

The Social app contains a players’ friend list, recent players, and blocked players. It will also be the starting point for multiplayer content (finding other hunters to play with or starting your own company).

The Helpdesk app contains in-game troubleshooting, Discord information, and access to the official game help resources.

Each map is a self-contained location that the player can’t exit but may consist of interior and exterior spaces. If the haunting is in an interior location, the areas outside the building are considered “safe,” and the entity will not enter them. If the haunting is in an exterior location, there will be a gate or similar near which the player vehicle parks, and the area outside the gate will be considered safe.

Potential locations for maps:

• Ranch house
• Duplex
• Condo
• Apartment
• Manor
• Church/graveyard/mausoleum
• Farmhouse/barn
• School
• Factory
• Police station
• Prison
• Campground/forest
• Battlefield
• Hotel
• Hospital
• Sanitarium/asylum
• Military base/fort/airfield
• Shopping mall
• Western ghost town
• Lighthouse
• Castle/chateau
• Theater
• Plantation
• Shipyard/docks/ship
• Tavern
• Mine
• Parking garage
• Bunker