What horror game settings do you feel are lacking?
How do you imagine an interesting horror game or is it the "zombie survival game" genre at this point?
I loved Alien Desolation. Sure it used some cheap tricks to scare you. But the most interesting mechanic that game used that actually made me shit my pants was the AI of the xeno learning your moves. I mean, I could see past the screamerfuckery and remain calm, use my flares, flamethrower, hide in vents, but when I first saw the fucker countering these I almost shat my pants.
I think this mechanic should be implemented in every run away from the big unkillable protagonist oneshotting guy horror game, instead of screamer after screamer.
Now about settings, I would love a new actually good Lovecraftian horror game, it's been a while since we had one of those
>>335783412
I never actually played the game. Did the Alien AI actually learn your moves? I mean how smart was it exactly? Did it behave differently during each new game or did it behave differently during the game depending on how much you used X move to escape it?
Sounds very interesting if so, I should really play it then.
>>335783056
Horror that's actually scary and isn't just a series of jumpscares.
>>335783543
The simplest example is the first time I encountered the thing, when it saw me I quickly ran inside some vents and I was safe, it would fuck off. Fast forward a chapter or two while I kept using vent-hiding, after an encounter with it I ran to a vent, feeling relief in my safezone I suddenly here thuds and the fucker crawled inside and murdered my ass.
When you use your flamethrower at it, at first it will run away immediately, but after some spam it's almost as if it knows your ammo is limited and just backs off and stares at you circling around making one or two lunges at you in order to burn some of your ammo.
>le jumpscares are bad!
t. reddit pussy
Good horror doesn't spam jumpscares, but jumpscares are one of the best ways to create heavy tension, especially as a failure state.
The horror atmosphere is nice, but the jumpscare is the climax
>>335783635
What is "horror that is actually scary"? Something that builds up on psychological queues and the imagination of the player, rather than throwing a monster in his face?
>>335784020
I know a horror game benefits from jumpscares when used properly. It just feels that alot of the horror games these days only rely on jumpscares as the sole source of horror.
>creepy noises all the time
>never any actual monster
>"ha ha this isn't so scary at all, it's all just spoopy noi"
>SUDDENLY A MONSTER OH JESUS FUCK
>>335784229
>It just feels that alot of the horror games these days only rely on jumpscares as the sole source of horror
I certainly agree
I just constantly see people saying that jumpscares are inherently bad or something, as if they're something to avoid rather than perfect
>>335783056
Few weeks ago in an armor thread some anon suggested that the first world war would make for a good survival horror game and I want it ever since.
>>335783056
Post apocalyptic setting where you don't know what caused it. Only a few NPCs, no populated cities or factions and spoops. Kinda like stalker but less people. And no fucking zombies.
>>335784691
I'm in the elephant's trunk.
I can't imagine a setting alone that would do it for me anymore. A game has to get in my head and the setting has to compliment that. Soma was pretty good.
Forcing players into a sense of danger in some sort of public transportation or a pedestrian-heavy environment would be a twist on the genre. I distinctly remember one scene from the Grudge where they were timidly chatting amongst themselves. One of them was staring through the window and that was where the jump scare happened with the Grudge staring back.
Luring people into a false sense of security with unconventional settings could be a possibility.
>>335783056
Domestic violence setting, where the player can't run away from home and ultimately needs the 'love' of his/her abuser to keep on living. Game over if the player kills the abuser.
There's a leaderboard to compare playtime.
>>335784957
You might be on to something anon.
I like horror through weirdness. Not giant monsters chasing you, but subtle things where you're not quite sure what's going on.
Silent Hill 2 was great at that. Everything had that odd dream-like quality to it - the environment, the npcs, the monsters.
When it comes to gameplay I like some randomness. You shouldn't be sure what to expect in an area. You should never feel like you've cleared a certain area and that it's totally safe now.
System Shock 2 did that well. You were never certain if the coast was clear, even though you had killed everything earlier.
real tangible existential dread
like letting the player know that even after going through a game and nearly getting PTSD he has go go back to his uninteresting life, his accomplishment fading in greatness because of everyone else who has completed the game. Any victory you have over the digital world is just a mere distraction from the true, totally benign and dreadfully mundane life you lead.
>>335784957
good old liverpool station.
One of those self-contained gated neighbourhoods that rich people live in. You've got like twenty houses to gain access to and explore, there's a legit reason to find keys, a reason you can't run away, a reason why you have a vague knowledge of the people who lived or used to live there. Could be p. scary and p. comfy I think.
I want a video game with an atmosphere akin to a Beksinski painting.
>>335785632
Fuck that is a great idea anon.
>>335785718
Fuck Beksinki art is amazing. I was never able to imagine a game in its setting, since it would involve having a barren wasteland. Then again, my imagination is shit.
>>335785632
As long as it's not Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.
A short silent-hillish detective game set in the post-soviet country from mid 90s to early 00s. Kinda like pic related.
Play as detective, solve puzzles, brawl with thugs like in condemned at the start and see more fucked up shit as the plot evolves.
First-sight view with no screamers, just subtle spooks tied with pov and darkness, and sound. For starters: you need to evade something in the total darkness when you can hear only its footsteps, some weird fucked up shit which cost you "sane points" (footprints on ceiling, moving toys, being followed by shady guy and so on) if you discover them and which can lead to gameover or to a premature ending or if you are carefull and keep it in balance, you'll get a true ending.
> tfw be a dev looking for a small project to do
> find this thread
I love it how people can come up with these ideas. It feels like finding an oasis with water in a desert.
>>335786309
Anyone can come up with a neat idea. It's executing them that's the hard part.
>>335783056
i find desolate areas like op picture and pic related sp00ky
i'd much rather feel unsettled the whole time without directly knowing whats out there or where i am
i like the whole suddenly in an area without knowing why, and big looming stuff that takes a moment to really process what you're looking at is also great
the silhouettes on the far away hill or eyes way far away that take a moment to notice are great too.
>>335786672
> Wanting a walking simulator
Why? Whenever I see someone mention Beksinki in these kind of threads its always just a walking simulator.
>>335786795
because
>le jump scare every 5 minutes heart bounding ackshun
isnt great
atmosphere is hard as fuck to get right i get that, but it must be so hard to get a good balance so id rather start with the base unsettling stuff and work that into the scares
so what other kind of vidya gameplay would tend itsself to horror?
>>335783056
ancient ruins of non-human civilizations
bottom of ocean
heaven
dreamlands
gaslamp fantasy
detroit
>>335787391
> gaslamp fantasy
what the hell is that?
>>335788278
you've heard of steam punk
bio punk
cyber punk
diesel punk
now get ready for
natural gas punk
ITT everyone shits on jumpscares but no one gives even a single example of an alternative that hasn't been used before in horror games
>>335789145
But everyone said it.
Fucking atmosphere. Atmosphere is king.
>Game is advertised as a generic call of battlefield FPS
>first hours of the game starts off just like any AAA cinematic experience
>after some time some subtle weird shit happens
>strange radio calls
>squadmates not remembering stuff you say happened
>weird noises
>at some point you lose all your weapons and you get separated from your team, the genre practically changes
>>335788724
You've just reminded me that stone punk is a thing.
Jumpscares aren't inherently bad. Please stop shitting on Jumpscares and start shitting on the over/bad-use of them.
>>335789738
>all review state this and the surprise is ruined
its a good idea but you know everyones going to know whats what before they buy
>>335788278
steampunk but with more supernatural elements and less gears on everything
>>335783056
There aren't enough psychological WWI and WWII horrors. I mean, trenches alone fucked with a man. You could have some interesting shit.
>alien is 75% off today
>anon says good thing about it
hmm
>>335790098
Hey, this game is pretty fun. Gotta get fast.
http://www.notdoppler.com/stonepunk.php
