Map design (spoilers) (Patreon)

Don't read if you want to figure things out on your own!

As I said last post, map design is extremely important in a survival horror game. The rewards (or fun) of playing the game comes from not only solving puzzles or defeating enemies but unlocking new parts of the map to explore.

There'd be little mystery if every door was unlocked and every area was accessible from the beginning. You could basically just run to the last boss fight and skip everything else.

Figuring out what puzzles to include and where to place them is probably the hardest part of game design for me. Babysitter Bloodbath was relatively straight forward. I divided the map into 4 sections: 1st floor, 2nd, Outside, Basement. The first and second floors are accessible from the beginning apart from a few rooms. The backyard unlocks automatically once you reach a certain point in the game and the basement is unlocked with an item.

Most of this game takes place inside a house but the layout isn't so straight forward. It's kind of designed like a carnival fun house (just wait until I add the final art). So I split it up into 6 different sections. I wanted to limit the game to 1 key since finding keys to unlock each section isn't very exciting.

Section 1 is where you start and where the party takes place. It's closed off by several locked doors. You can go upstairs but everything is locked up. You have to spend some time at the party before you can progress.

Section 2 opens automatically once you and your date get bored of the party. Section 2 is probably the largest, leading to several new rooms, items and some documents. Some of those items aren't useful right away. Eventually you come around the loop and unlock a door from the opposite side leading back to section 1. The map is starting to open up as the party guests have disappeared.

Section 3: This section and the item that allows you to access it are hidden in section 2. You really have to pay attention and look for secret rooms. When you figure it out, you drop down into a crawl space. Section 3 is completely sealed off from the main part of the house. The crawl space is the only way in, which unfortunately means your stuck in there to deal with any danger that arises. But section 3 has a gun (the first weapon in the game) and some new items. Again, their usage is not immediately apparent

Section 5: Probably the most isolated part of the house on the second floor, accessed through the ceiling of section 3. There are two puzzles here but they can't be solved during this part of the game. You can only keep going deeper into the house: section 6

Section 6: This is the left wing of the 2nd story and the first boss fight of the game. The killer drops a key when he's defeated. This section also has a third stairway leading into the basement and your only escape from the house. All the puzzles should be starting to make sense at this point and you have most of the items needed to solve them. Unlocking a doorway leads back to section 2, opening up most of the house.

Section 4: Now that the house has been mostly explored 2>3>5>6, you come back to where you started and unlock the final door using the key. These items allow you to solve the remaining puzzles and exit the house for good through the basement.

Here is a map so you can get a sense of the layout. I used this to plan things out and adjust item and puzzle placement. I've also had to edit the house in the mean time so things fit something (this is before I actually added the crawl space)