Parisa Nabiyouni - Outlast trials

Case Study:

The Outlast Trials

Overview
Developed and published by Red Barrels, The Outlast Trials is a first-person psychological horror survival game, serving as the third installment and prequel in the Outlast series. Set in a mysterious Cold War experiment, players can experience the game solo or in four-player cooperative multiplayer mode. Players, in the first-person perspective, navigate tasks while evading enemies in The Outlast Trials. The game introduces four character classes with unique abilities such as seeing through walls, healing teammates, placing mines, and temporarily incapacitating adversaries through a device. However, if you're seeking a compelling story, The Outlast Trials may not meet expectations. While lore exists through scattered documents, the prequel lacks a strong narrative, providing minimal reasoning through opening and closing cutscenes. The absence of a more developed plot may disappoint fans accustomed to Red Barrels' eerie storytelling in previous games. The focus lies on radio messages between missions and encounters with formidable monsters, rather than additional interactions with the facility's director or context between cutscenes.

Problem Discovery

While the menu design in OUTLAST TRIAL prioritizes usability and maintains consistency, some areas pose potential problems. The decision to keep the interface simple sacrifices information depth, creating a trade-off between simplicity and comprehensive details for players. The lack of detailed information, especially in the store where items are purchased and upgraded, may hinder players who seek more detailed insights.

The store menu is designed neatly with clear contrast and no extra decorations, making it easier for players with low vision. They aim to keep the menu simple, but sometimes this simplicity sacrifices information. Icons and text are a good size with high contrast but there's an issue when trying to buy outfits.

Even when players have enough money, some outfits remain locked. Each outfit has a title and description, but these details are not helpful and can be confusing. For example, the "Good Doctor" outfit looks it can improves health, but it doesn't do anything. Also Users only can buy it after completing a specific challenge with the same name. This can be frustrating for players and Improving clarity and accuracy in outfit descriptions would enhance the overall user experience.

Proposed design

I rearranged the position of the outfit titles and after that provided descriptions which explaining how players unlock each outfit. Additionally, I detailed that each outfit do not add any benefits.

Problem Discovery

The game doesn't have a captivating narrative or immersive elements, which might have been intentional, but I can't help feeling that they should be there. The introduction seemed promising, but the focus shifted abruptly to the trials. Most of the story is told through evidence, requiring players to read lengthy texts and descriptions. It would improve the experience if players could explore the facility's secrets and delve deeper into the narrative.

Proposed design

In today's fast-paced world, it's no secret that many individuals have shorter attention spans, making it challenging to engage with lengthy textual content. Recognizing this trend, I believe it's essential to ensure that players can easily follow the storyline of our game. To address this, I propose integrating a video component with narration into the evidence section.

My design concept involves incorporating videos alongside the textual documents within the game interface. Each section would feature a corresponding video that provides a dynamic narrative of the storyline. By presenting information in both visual and auditory formats, players can engage with the storyline more effectively and efficiently. This multimedia approach not only caters to different learning styles but also enhances immersion and engagement.

Through this design feature, players have the option to watch videos to obtain key information and delve deeper into the narrative. This not only simplifies the process of following the storyline but also enriches the player experience by offering an additional layer of storytelling.

To make it easier for players to understand the story and follow along, I suggest adding a feature that highlights the important parts of the text. This means picking out the most important information and making it stand out. It helps players focus on what's essential without having to read through everything in detail. This way, players can understand the story better and enjoy the game more.