LONG NGUYEN | Digital Artist & Game Designer

It’s nice to be above ground again! I’ve got an update for the Inlet (the name is a bit misleading since it’s a reimagining of 3 different maps from the original) Its about halfway done and still needs some fleshing out but I think it does an alright job of conveying the mood so far! I worked really hard to give each location its own “feel” which is in itself a separate challenge. For this, I played around with the overall color scheme by using different types of trees that had more vibrant autumn leaves. Even though I used some of the same assets from the Laughlin Lake map, this area feels totally different.

If anyone remembers the Grinwood Tree and playground from the mod, you’ll know exactly where this is supposed to be! I fixed the nonsensical designs of that old map, expanded upon it and incorporated other maps into this.

Speaking of the Grinwood Tree, I swear to you that this is a completely true story. When I made this tree in SpeedTree, I needed to add a face to it (to live up to its name, -GRIN-wood) like in the original Out Of Hell mod:

I was trying to figure out a way to do this because it’s not possible to model such a thing inside of SpeedTree itself (SpeedTree generates random trees based upon user settings but as far as I know, there isn’t a “Generate a goddamn scary human face on your tree” setting)

So I was brainstorming and just screwing around with my time of day system when all of a sudden a F*CKING FACE ACTUALLY APPEARED!!! Look!

Isn’t that just…weird?! It was fortunate, awesome and creepy all at the same time! At least now I don’t have to waste time hand-modelling a different tree and carving a face into it!

I also included a couple of screens with some familiar lore from the mod (I did change it up a little bit so that it didn’t seem as though a kid wrote it)

I do plan to have all notes/logs and such displayed the way they do in games like Silent Hill but in some cases like this, the text is large enough to be read as is (if you want)

The Maintenance Tunnels are complete! Here’s another small peek at the garbage-filled underbelly of Grinwood! Doesn’t this make you just want to live and work there?

I can’t wait for you all to get chased by demonic entities throughout this disgusting maze of filth! I’ll be starting the Industrial Zone level tomorrow since I’m still in the “concrete and rusted metal” mindset! I happen to live close to an industrial area and it has started to rain a lot lately. Looking at dark, silhouetted industrial buildings against bright overcast skies inspires the hell out of me!

With each update it’s getting harder and harder to contain my giddyness. If I can keep up this pace I’ll be done in no time.

I’m back with 2 videos of the Sewer level! The first video has audio to show you how I want to approach the soundtrack this time around. I bought this track a long time ago (originally it was going to be used for the first OoH) but I ended up not using it then so now I’ve included it with the visuals to give you an idea of where I’m going with the ambience.

These will be used for all the Hell levels and any other suitable settings to ramp up the creepiness factor. I’ll use them sparingly (if needed) during the daytime outdoor levels because I don’t want it drowning out the environmental sounds like the wind, rustling leaves, rain, thunderstorms etc. I think that’s an important factor to sell the feeling of desolation. It was always my intention to take this route for the audio as far back as the UDK project.

I hope that any old fans that see this can recognize some of the layout! Now that it’s all suitably “grimed up” I’ll be heading into the Maintenance Tunnel level!

Hello all! Just a bite-sized update today but I’ve got some screens of the Sewer level for you! I’m just putting in the finishing touches and details before I head into the Maintenance Tunnel level. Layout-wise, this was a really simple map and took me about 2 days to complete. I used the original OoH map as reference but I got rid of all the nonsensical architecture from it. This makes it appear less busy and a bit “plain” in comparison but that’s the point. It’s a sewer so it’s technically just a series of tunnels and corridors anyway! Any fans who played through the mod should recognize this area in the screenshots!

Speaking of which, these two actually remind me a lot of Silent Hill 4. I think it’s all the concrete and lighting that does it for me. I always liked the art style of that game the most in the series but this resemblance was completely unintentional.

While running through these tunnels (even without the sounds incorporated) I actually get some goosebumps which is a good sign! If it creeps me out and I know where everything is, hopefully it’ll be so much more scary for you!

After the Maintenance Tunnel map is done, all that remains is the Industrial Area, Meatplant, North Chester (the area around a certain Gunstore and Bookstore), the Slums and the final Hell level. Many of the maps from the mod have been merged into the levels described above (for instance, The Inlet is now part of the Industrial Area) because UE4 can handle huge swaths of terrain. Laughlin Lake is a good example:

Those are all the main story levels and everything else inbetween is a smaller, randomly generated play area.

I would just like to reiterate that this plays almost nothing like the linear mod version. It really is a different experience (more in line with what I originally wanted to make) and is an overall shorter game only because it was designed for multiple playthroughs.

After the maps are complete, I’ll get the monsters and weapons into the game and things will really heat up!