NottInsonni
Valerio Aliberti
The project is a 3D psychological horror game set in a haunted house, where the player embodies a person suffering from psychological disorders that cause visual and auditory hallucinations. The goal is to survive the night by keeping heart and mind stable, interacting with objects and the environment to reduce stress. Hallucinations and unsettling events intensify as stress rises, creating constant tension. The gameplay focuses on exploration and managing mental and physical states rather than combat.
Given my limited experience with 3D modeling and game development, the project will focus on a manageable scope.The project will be developed using Unity, which will allow for easy implementation of 3D environments, interactions, and basic gameplay mechanics suitable for an indie project. The development plan follows a gradual and realistic approach: first, I will build a simplified environment, modeling basic rooms, corridors, and key objects to create an immersive atmosphere without overcomplicating the design. Then, I will implement basic game mechanics, such as stress management, simple object interaction, and hallucinations, integrating them into the environment. Lighting, textures, and sound will be added step by step to enhance the tension. The project will conclude with testing and refinement, keeping the focus on a small but cohesive and playable experience.
Screen of other game concept:
VISAGE
FNAF
Milestone 1 (07.10)
- House layout (4h) A(5h)
- Introductory story and gameplay instructions (2h) A(1h)
In the first week, the goal is to establish the foundation of the game without starting 3D modeling or programming. The house layout will outline the main structure, including rooms, corridors, doors, and key points for objects or events, providing a functional reference for future level design. At the same time, the introductory story will present the character, their psychological condition, and the setting, while explaining the basic rules and main objective: surviving the night by managing stress and interacting with the environment. These activities create a clear direction for both the narrative and the environment before moving on to technical development. This phase also includes documentation and research. I will study games like Visage and Five Nights at Freddy’s, as well as horror films such as The Haunting, Hush, and It Follows, to understand how atmosphere, pacing, and tension are created. These references will help guide decisions for level design, environmental storytelling, and the psychological impact of gameplay, providing inspiration and a clearer direction for the project.
Screen of board sketch ↓
Screen of the house from unity ↓
Milestone 2 (14.10)
- UI (6h) A(7h)
- Bathroom layout (4h) A(9h)
- Menu UI Implementation
The user interface allows the player to start the game, resume, or quit. It is designed for clarity, simplicity featuring a minimalist dark aesthetic consistent with the game's horror tone. ESC toggles the pause menu, while scene transitions are handled between *MainMenu* and *GamingScene*.
UI video: 
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- Bathroom Layout Design
The bathroom represents the opening environment of the game, created using *ProBuilder* and the *Abandoned Asylum* asset pack. The materials were chosen to evoke a decayed, claustrophobic atmosphere.
Bathroom layout video: 
Milestone 3 (04.11)
- Jorge and Daughter Room (6h) A(3h)
- Game Controllers(5h) A(6h)
The development of the game has progressed better than expected. Initially, the goal for this stage was to have two completed rooms with basic game controllers implemented. However, I managed to go beyond the original plan.
All rooms in the house layout are now fully implemented and functional. The core gameplay systems — including player movement, camera control, interaction mechanics (doors, items, etc.), UI elements, and basic stat systems — are all working across the entire environment, not just in two rooms.
This means that instead of only having partial functionality in a limited area, the entire house can now be explored with all essential game controllers already operational. This puts the project ahead of schedule and provides a solid foundation for upcoming features such as events, hallucinations, sound cues, and advanced gameplay logic.
Video of the house design: Attach:HomeResult.mp4
Milestone 4 (18.11)
- Pills interaction (4h)
- Rework stress and sleeping bar (5h)
Pill Interaction Update
The pill interaction system has been successfully implemented. Pills can now be picked up by the player, triggering a screen-flash effect and correctly restoring sanity while increasing the future decay rate. The interaction works through the same system used for doors and other objects, keeping everything consistent and modular.
Video of pill interaction: Attach:Pills.mp4
Stress & Sleep Management Update
The stress (sanity) and sleep systems are fully functional. Both stats now decrease over time, with adjustable decay rates and clean integration into the UI bars. The sanity system also supports future triggers from darkness and horror events. The logic is stable, expandable, and ready for upcoming gameplay mechanics.
Milestone 5 (02.12)
Lighting & Reflection Probes (6h) Horror Audio System (4h)
Lighting and Reflection Probes
During this milestone, the focus shifted toward improving visual realism and atmosphere through lighting. Reflection Probes were introduced to simulate indirect lighting and environmental reflections inside the house. This was particularly important for indoor scenes, where real-time reflections are too expensive and unnecessary.
The probes capture the surrounding environment and bake it into a cubemap, which is then sampled by reflective materials such as walls, floors, and mirrors. This results in more believable light behavior, darker corners, and smoother transitions between illuminated and shadowed areas.
A comparison between the environment with and without Reflection Probes clearly shows the improvement in depth, contrast, and immersion.
Reflection Probes comparison video: 
Horror Audio System
A dynamic audio system was implemented to enhance psychological tension. Random ambient sounds are triggered at irregular intervals, including whispers, distant noises, and unsettling effects. These sounds are spatialized and placed within the environment to disorient the player.
Each audio event contributes to the sanity decay system, reinforcing the connection between sound design and gameplay mechanics. The system is modular, allowing easy extension with additional sound events in the future.
Milestone 6 (16.12)
Hallucination System (8h) Zombie Events & Visual Glitches (7h)
Mirror Hallucination System
One of the core psychological horror features introduced in this milestone is the mirror hallucination.
The mirror is implemented using a Render Texture paired with a dedicated camera. Instead of reflecting the real environment, the mirror selectively renders specific layers, allowing hidden entities to appear only in reflections.
When the player’s sanity drops below a threshold and they stare at the mirror for a few seconds, a zombie appears exclusively inside the mirror reflection. The entity disappears as soon as the player looks away, reinforcing the idea of hallucination rather than physical presence.
This feature is achieved through:
Layer-based rendering
Raycasting from the player’s camera to detect mirror gaze
Time-based triggers linked to sanity level
Mirror hallucination video: 
Zombie Spawning & Visual Glitches
Additional hallucinations were implemented through dynamic zombie spawning. Zombies appear near the player based on sanity level, field of view, and line-of-sight checks. They remain visible only while being observed and despawn after the player looks away for a few seconds.
While visible, zombies:
Drain sanity over time
Trigger glitch effects
Play randomized horror audio
Visual glitches are implemented using UI overlays (noise and color tint) applied in screen space. No external assets were used: the effect relies on alpha modulation and randomized intensity to simulate mental instability.
Zombie spawn & glitch effects video: Attach:zombie_glitch.mp4
Other Features
The interaction system was expanded to support two types of interactions:
Instant interactions (doors, lights, pills)
Hold interactions (objects that help the player)
Display a circular progress indicator
Reward sanity and sleep
Crosshair flashes green
A cooldown system prevents spamming beneficial interactions, encouraging exploration and pacing.
Night Timer & Game Progression
A full night cycle was implemented, running from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Time progression is scaled to fit a 5–7 minute gameplay session.
Reaching 6:00 AM triggers the Victory Screen
Reaching 0 Sanity or 0 Sleep triggers Game Over
This system provides a clear objective and reinforces tension through time pressure.
Game Over & Victory Screens