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I am going to create a 3D environment with the focus on a puzzle, which will be completely solvable by visual clues. The player will be able to navigate in my 3D environment to seek out the way to solve the puzzle.
I am going to create a 3D environment with the focus on a puzzle, which will be completely solvable by visual clues. The player will be able to navigate in my 3D environment to seek out the way to solve the puzzle.
The world of SOMA
The world of SOMA
SOMA takes place in an underwater research facility known as Pathos II in the year 2103, located on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. Originally this facility started as a thermal mining operation in the 2060s, but the facility’s primary purpose shifted to space technology to launch satellites. All operations and maintenance on Pathos II are overseen by the Warden Unit (WAU), an AI that is intergrated in all computer systems in the facility and became a station-wide presence.
The crew of Pathos II unexpectedly became the last people to exist on Earth after a major extinction event caused by a comet that crashed into the Pacific Ocean. There, the last humans survived on a day-to-day basis, attempting to fight the negative effects of their collective isolation, as well as other issues that began to pose a credible threat to their well-being. The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are human. The WAU has started to grow and consume all surrounding technologies, controlling and manipulating them. After the comet took out the surface the WAU got a range of assignments that sprang from one single idea: "preserve humanity." But it is doing it in the wrong way:
“The WAU is reaching out to every machine, every life form, to manipulate, to control. It's trying to help, save its creators from all this, just like the protocol demands. But really, what is good enough? Where is the line drawn for what is human and what is not? Would walking corpses do? Would a group of machines thinking they're human be acceptable? We can't trust a machine to know, to understand what it means to be.”
―Dr Johan Ross (overseer and operator of the WAU) , on the WAU's intelligence and methods.
The WAU will become a part of the main challenge of the puzzle that I am going to create.
Inspirational Moodboard
Inspirational Moodboard
Most of the pictures are screenshots or concept artworks from SOMA environments.
See the link to my full moodboard on Pinterest:
https://pin.it/4zyqqc7dysue4f
SOMA enviroments and soundscapes
SOMA enviroments and soundscapes
I made a overview video where the ambience of SOMA is captured really aesthetically. Here you can experience the atmosphere of SOMA to get a good feeling for the environment that Frictional Games created. The soundscapes are an immens important part of their atmosphere.
SOMA mechanics
SOMA mechanics
The world of SOMA and the puzzles within it are designed for a non atletic person, who moves around in a very heavy robotic suit under water.
move, & look around (first person)
jump
crouch
pulling / pressing / turning
interact with robots
interact with computers / terminals / devices
running & hiding from enemies
The puzzles in SOMA are mainly focused on repairing, restoring or gathering broken elements within the disintegrated technology systems. To get to do those actions you often need to face or evade a monster too. Sometimes outrunning them is not an option, so then there is a second puzzle element coming in: distraction.
Puzzle inspiration idea
Puzzle inspiration idea
On the bottom two pictures you can see screenshots of puzzle scenes from Tomb Raider and SOMA. I came up with my puzzle by combining the main challenge from the Tomb Raider scene, and the mechanic used in the SOMA scene.
"Something is blocking the way to your destination, you need to get it out of the way, with some level of brutal force."
Tomb Raider Underworld - "the octopus blocks the doorway, Lara makes it perish by letting the spiky hanging ornament fall on its head."
SOMA - "the WAU is keeping the ship in lockdown by consuming its power, so Simon (main character) pulls the WAU tentacles out of the energy sources."
Narrative
Narrative
I came up with a new small station for SOMA that could fit into the story as an additional level. Throughout the original game you play as Simon, a young confident man, that suddenly woke up in a deserted and apocalyptic underwater facility, after having a brain scan. You have no idea where you are and what year it is, so you are desperate to find other people. My scene starts when Simon is outside, in the open sea for the first time, and trying to look for other people. Rho is a small station that operates mainly as a research haven. When you enter my scene you spawn close to a glowing data buffer, which stores radio conversations with a person next to the data buffer and a person at a station nearby. From the data buffer comes a voice from inside station Rho who is calling for help. The voice tells that they are locked in and cannot operate the station anymore, since the WAU (the A.I. antagonist) is consuming their power. When you approach station Rho you can see the WAU in front of the main entrance, with tentacles spreading across the walls. You will have to explore the area and seek out a solution to get the WAU out of the way.
The complete puzzle (told in form of a story)
The complete puzzle (told in form of a story)
On your left is a glowing device visible. It is a data buffer. When you interact with the data buffer, you can hear a voice that is in need of help at station Rho. In the distance you can see lights and shapes of a building, which could be station Rho, so you walk towards that. On your path you encounter a mysterious robot with red glowing eyes and a deep and unpleasant voice. You choose to take an alternative path around this creature. When arriving close to the station there is a glowing terminal which is showing static. There is clearly a artificial tentacle wrapped around this terminal. This tentacle is a part of the WAU, who has sucked himself on the entrance door. Three of his tentacles are stuck into machines, which are part of the station. Blue glowing material is flowing from the tentacles to the body. It is feeding itself. Touching those tentacles will cause a great electrical shock. There is a small path leading to a shelter, which is also connected to the station. Here you can find a big switch which will turn off all electricity, when being pulled. Now the tentacles are save to eject from the machine. Once you pull the tentacle, in the shelter, out of the source, the WAU shrieks and flings with his losen tentacle around. This results into breaking a rock above the shelter, which blocks your way out. By pushing those rocks you can slowly manage to free yourself. Now the last two tentacles, which are closer to the entrance of the station, can be pulled out. By turning the lever in the shelter back on again, the station has gained it's power back. The WAU has losen itself from the door and is now laying in front of it, weak and motionless. More lights from the building begin to enlight the environment. The entrance door opens by itself and you hear a voice...
Level Flow and concept art
Level Flow and concept art
Main challenge = getting into station Rho.
Player goal Why does the player want to get into the station?:
"There is a call for help"
• when interacting with the data buffer in the beginning, you can hear a voice from inside station Rho calling for help. The voice tells that they are locked in
and cannot operate the station anymore, since the WAU is consuming their power.
Character goal Why does Simon want to get into the station?:
"There could be survivors inside"
• Simon has a desperate need to find other people, since the world is most likely deserted.
1. The data buffer
2. Patrolling enemy
3. Static terminal
4. Small shelter / energy source
5. Energy source
5. Energy source
6. the WAU / entrance
Research SOMA visual props
Research SOMA visual props
Here I collected a few references from SOMA, for the models I will create in the scene.
Data buffer
Scavenger (enemy)
Terminal
Theta station entrance
Research SOMA station names
Research SOMA station names
On the left picture you see the collection of names of all the stations that the player visits in SOMA. All stations of SOMA are named after letters of the Greek alphabet. On the right picture I made a analysis of all the letters that the game already used and made some remarks. Since I have played the game multiple times I know all of the stations. I noticed that the stations that have a last letter ending with an -a, are the main operating stations and the stations that have different ending letters are the more remote and independent ones. Since I want to design a part of a station that does not exist in the original game, I think that it would fit best between the more remote and independent ones. So I had to chose a letter that would not end with an -a. I finally chose the letter Rho because it sounds, in my opinion, the most mysterious.
Created a simple logo for Station Rho.
Inspiration Links
Inspiration Links
SOMA art:
https://somainfoportal.weebly.com/media-screenshots--concept-art.html
SOMA website (narrative explanation):
http://www.somagame.com/info.html
SOMA "the WAU project" (concept explanation):
https://soma.fandom.com/wiki/WAU
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