Current Project

This project is my first solo, in-development game.
It is a first-person anomaly horror game set on a looping bus route, where the player takes on the role of a bus driver responsible for inspecting passengers as they board, using limited information to decide whether to let them on the bus.
Design Goals

Create horror through observation and memory, not jump scares
Ensure anomalies feel fair and learnable, not random
Keep UI intentionally minimal to shift responsibility to the player
Focus on delayed consequences instead of instant failure states

Key Systems Implemented
Passenger Inspection System

Passengers can be inspected using a simple interaction system that deliberately avoids giving explicit hints. The inspection UI displays only allowed information, ensuring that correct decisions rely on player observation rather than UI feedback.

Seat-Based Teleport Movement

Passengers move between seats using teleportation instead of traditional navigation. Each passenger is parented to a seat anchor, and seat occupancy is tracked through hierarchy relationships rather than distance checks. This ensures consistent and deterministic behaviour in the confined bus environment.

Anomaly Stalking Behaviour

Anomalies select a single target passenger and stalk them by moving between adjacent seats. They are restricted from taking the target’s seat and prioritise nearby positions to maintain readable tension. Anomalies only move or act when the player is not observing them, reinforcing the project’s attention-driven design.

Head-Look and Reaction System

Passengers continuously perform subtle head-look behaviours and can react to events such as anomalies or disappearances. These reactions provide indirect feedback to the player without explicitly explaining what is wrong.

Modular Appearance System

Passengers are constructed from modular visual components (clothing, hair, skin, eyes). This system supports subtle anomaly behaviours such as appearance inconsistencies or copying another passenger when unobserved.

Current State

Implemented
First-person camera with peeking
Spline-based bus movement and stops
Passenger spawning and queueing
Inspection UI with seat/dismiss decisions
Seat teleport system with adjacency rules
Anomaly target selection and stalking
Head-look reactions

Modular passenger appearance system

Planned / In Progress
Anomaly appearance copying while unobserved
Expanded consequence and scoring systems
Audio and visual polish pass