Developed as a group project for a Game Development curriculum, Hop Off is a 3D stealth-puzzle game where players control an experimental test subject attempting to navigate a high-security laboratory. The goal was to create a tense, dialogue-free narrative where the mechanics, hiding, timing, and problem-solving convey the stakes of the escape.

Building a functional stealth environment required coordinating several interconnected systems to manage game state and enemy awareness.

Stealth & Vision Logic: We implemented line-of-sight mechanics for guards and security cameras. This involved calculating vision cones and using raycasting to determine if the player was hidden by environmental obstacles.

State-Based AI: The security forces operated on a state machine, transitioning between "Patrol," "Suspicious," and "Alert" modes. Balancing these transitions was key to making the gameplay feel challenging and responsive.

Inventory & Gating: To manage progression, we built a "fetch and carry" item system. This required logic to track keycards and tools, ensuring that environmental gates, like locked doors or powered-down elevators, reacted correctly to the player's inventory state.

The suspense element relied on the synchronization of lighting and sound triggers with player movement. The team studied classic horror and stealth titles to understand how to use low-visibility environments to mask AI paths. Using Unity’s physics and trigger systems, we coordinated environmental puzzles, such as connecting cables to restore power, that directly influenced the security systems the player had to bypass.

The primary challenge of this project was the complexity of managing a real-time environment. Ensuring that the inventory system, the AI detection logic, and the physical puzzles communicated without conflict required a structured approach to script architecture. It served as an exercise in building a cohesive experience where multiple disparate systems work in sync to maintain the game's atmosphere.