Writer and Audio Designer

Dead on Arrival

The Project

A first-person horror game where you play as an astronaut sent to seal away an anomaly after it has massacred the staff aboard a spaceship.

The crew has been slaughtered, a relentless monster is afoot, and the government wants their ship back. Can you navigate the winding halls of the S.C. Curie and find a way to eliminate the beast before it eliminates you?

This project was developed by a 6 person team as part of the QU GDD program.

Writer

  • Created and implemented an interactive method for narrative delivery through randomized spawns for collectable ‘intel’ notes.

  • Wrote and revised introductory voice lines to guide player interaction and provide the player with surface level information on gameplay mechanics.

  • Developed upon pre-existing narrative foundation written by previous narrative team.

  • Wrote around 30 narrative ‘datalogs’ - which hinted at the story of the ship and crew- for the player to collect through multiple runs.

The Work

Audio Designer

  • Utilized an audio library to create dynamic ambience for the ship.

  • Created and implemented monster idle, alerted and attack sounds.

  • Created and implemented system for footsteps (monster and player).

  • Added several sound effects for immersion (door opening/closing, flashlight toggling, objective updating, artifact heartbeat).

The Lessons

This project began in Fall of 2023, although the concept was created by the project lead dating back to the beginning of 2023. At the time of me joining the project, another narrative designer had already done some work on worldbuilding before leaving the project due to personal reasons. I utilized the work they had already completed (a mission outline and some basic worldbuilding) to develop the narrative further.

I began work by assessing the world that the previous narrative designer had been creating, and drafting several missions that would fit alongside their tone and style. I then drafted and recorded an introductory recording (which you can hear in game), and began work defining the events that happen aboard the S.C. Curie leading up to the anomaly outbreak.

As the project continued, I was required to take on more audio work despite my lack of familiarity in the role. I did extensive research and consulted with various experienced audio engineers to guide my work on the right path.

By the end of the project, I moved away from narrative and audio (as work in those departments was feature-complete), and my work became focused on refining several mechanics and systems, and ensuring that the overall loop of gameplay felt smooth to play.

This project saw me wearing many different hats throughout development, and gave me a better understanding of the importance of collaboration across multiple disciplines in doing so. My knowledge of voiceover and audio would come in handy in future projects, and my willingness to adapt as needed proved an asset in many of my other works after DoA.