IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Oct 14, 2008 13:05:57 GMT -8
This is not an Outbreak suggestion thread but rather a place to discus what you find frightening.Try to think of a game that you have played that was creepy, scary, jumpy exc. and then try to piece together the elements that made those feelings genuine. Don’t be afraid to give details, what kinds of monsters (zombies, ghosts, Dick Cheney exc.) do you think are the most frightening? What were some of your favorite sounds in games you have played that really helped to set the mood. What are some of the scariest environments (houses, buildings, underground facilities exc.)? What makes those environments scary? Things like lighting, materials, (stuff that makes up the building wood, brick metal exc.) and current state (occupied, abandoned, rundown exc.) Anything related to the topic. This stuff is not only fun to talk about but helps give vet and the rest of us some helpful hints on how to better scare the living shit out of you. Please feel free to add to this.
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IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Oct 14, 2008 13:15:04 GMT -8
I think that isolation is one of the most frightening feelings that a game can produce.
Humans are naturally pack animals; we spend most of our lives trying not to be alone and I think this is why the thought of being the last one left alive in an empty city of animal like creatures is so frightening.
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Post by Sickle on Oct 14, 2008 13:58:51 GMT -8
Afraid of Monsters was pretty fucking scary, mostly for the atmosphere.
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ClaneLord
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Post by ClaneLord on Oct 14, 2008 15:59:38 GMT -8
AoMDC(Afraid Of Monsters: Directors Cut)was a very scary game, but i can tell that abandoned or something like that, buildings are always not scary, cause you know that there is something or someone to try to get you.
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Post by Blubbles on Oct 15, 2008 0:14:58 GMT -8
Well when It comes to Environments, A really Dark Mood Atmosphere is succesfully made thru Claustraphobic Areas .eg Underground, Tight Corridors And Lack of Light always has the player tense on his toes. Players are always attracted to the light in a Big Room and sometimes that lay's down the trap for us. Here's an Example of Good Scary Moment au.youtube.com/watch?v=i1wGhLpXQT0
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Post by veteran_gamer on Oct 15, 2008 10:46:41 GMT -8
i never gave bioshock a chance, i played it for about 30 minutes and uninstalled, but ill tell you what, that dentist scene looked pretty cool
and i agree with you inept, the thought of isolation itself is what freaks people out the most i think
think of dead cities, or abandoned civilization structures, i always catch myself looking around for signs of life, or thinking of what it was like during the last moments before what ever chaos struck
in doom 3, which is probably the most stressful game ive played to date, i always found myself wishing to find a living soldier, or a civilian to chill with.
and the lack of light is always stressful, especially if you know the game has a handful of surprising moments like something waiting for you in a dark room, or enemy spawns behind the player
again in doom 3, in dark areas, without the "flashlight weapon mods", you could only have one or the other, a flashlight, or a weapon drawn
and of course, who could deny the ambient sounds, from flesh rips to dog-like "grrrrs". heavy breathing or plain undead moans n groans. lots of things can contribute.
half life 2 and source really suffer in the lighting part. although its improved in orange box, i'd say thats the engines weakest link
good topic :]
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Post by tom on Oct 15, 2008 12:50:20 GMT -8
I remember playing the very first "Alone in the dark" game years ago - I absolutely shat myself. The music, the concept and the weird camera angles (that often made it hard to see what was about to attack you) were brilliant and properly got me.
When HL1 first came out me and my mate were playing at the same time - although I loved it I didn't find it scary at all but my mate would often tell me he couldn't play it for too long 'cos he got too scared!
I found parts of F.E.A.R quite scary too - the anticipation of something about to jump out at you once that "unknown transmission" (or whatever it is called) radio chatter starts was great at making it a pretty tense game to play.
Defo agree lighting and isolation are major factors but I think it is often the sound effects and music that really clinch it for me.
T...
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Post by wells119 on Oct 15, 2008 14:25:35 GMT -8
helplessness is a good factor, i remeber play re4 on mercinaries mini game, when i saw the super chainsaw man(whats his name, doctor slalvador or somethng) i thought how am i gonna kill him, when your low on ammo theres a really strong enemy, you don't know where he is, this can cause even more panic
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ClaneLord
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Post by ClaneLord on Oct 15, 2008 17:34:12 GMT -8
In my opinion there is no scary games at all, everyone get their own "scary games", for me, Doom3 is not scary, neither is FEAR or most of the horror games(EVEN SH3).Only thing that scared me at all was simpliest thing ever, in AoMDC in hospital, there is many sounds, screeches, footsteps of unknown people or monsters, odd shadows, blood and all that, mixed up really scared the shit out of me and made me nervous.
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IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Oct 16, 2008 13:18:12 GMT -8
ClaneLord, I didn’t find fear that scary either and it wasn’t very jumpy but I don’t think that was what the developers where going for. I found the game to be very stressful but in a good way such as when you encountered enemy soldiers it was always a gamble on how many there where and if you could take them (on the higher difficulty settings) and the paranormal visions where either jumpy or just plain stressful because you where always waiting for something to happen. So I think the over all goal wasn’t so much to scare the player but rather to stress them out. : )
Doom 3 didn’t do it for me either. If you’re looking for a good game try out Condemned: criminal origins the first of the 2. That game really got my adrenalin going. I think it was do to the overall lack of guns in the game. The few guns that where available where few and far in between and when you finally did find one you couldn’t reload it as the ammo already in the clip is all your going to get. Normally this sounds pretty stupid but this forces you to use hand to hand combat most of the time and with the luxury of a fire arm gone. The combat with the half dead drugged out loonies of the under world became really personal. Not to mention some of the paranormal visions you have are really fucked up.
I don’t think that Source’s lighting is all that bad. I just think it hasn’t been used properly. HL2 and its episodes aren’t the best example. I mean there just not set up for a low lighting style of play. There are a lot of useful tools that you can use to create really unique light sources. There are even dust particles that can be added to beams of light through hammer. Although I see what you’re saying as dynamic lighting and shadows aren’t exactly strong points of Source. Shit, just a few dynamic lights can crash the whole dam thing which is why I am baffled at how you managed to get 15 flaming zombies on screen at the same time. Although I think if we where working with the EP2 engine things would probably work much smother in the lighting department. : )
BTW Vet, I am glad you enjoyed the Easter egg I left you.
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IneptGuard
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NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM
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Post by IneptGuard on Oct 27, 2008 13:57:22 GMT -8
In messing with the source hammer I’ve com to a conclusion. In my opinion the worst feeling you could get from a game is that of being hunted. Remember in Gears of War when you first encounter the berserker? The feeling only lasted a few seconds but I felt it.
Did any of you ever play Alien vs. Predator the first one for PC? Playing as the marine and having to fight the aliens really sucked. Those things would make me climb out of my fucking chair and the motion sensor was what made the whole experience. That thing was like a mini sonar system pulsing every second or so like a heartbeat and whenever it detected motion you would get this sonar like ping and as the contact got closer the pulses and the pings would speed up like an accelerating heartbeat. Very low lighting and the aliens would frequently use the air ducts to move around. It seemed like they where always in different places. And the face huggers used to kill you instantly, I hated those things.
The whole game always made you feel like you where the hunted.
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ClaneLord
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Post by ClaneLord on Oct 27, 2008 16:11:02 GMT -8
i played second part.Pretty good game.
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IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Oct 31, 2008 12:43:42 GMT -8
Yeh, I always felt it was one of those under appreciated, forgotten games. Really good design even the multiplayer was awesome.
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Post by tom on Nov 1, 2008 2:24:47 GMT -8
Damn I forgot about Alien vs. Predator - that's a great game, playing as the marine scared the shit out of me! Playing the alien was great fun - I loved the control system to go pretty much anywhere you wanted. Never played the second one though.
T...
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Post by wells119 on Nov 3, 2008 13:00:42 GMT -8
I played dead space, i like the atmosphere in the game, which brings me to another thin fucked up stuff one of the doctors is freakin insane stufff like that gives me the creeps one of the most fucked up games is condemned
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ClaneLord
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Post by ClaneLord on Nov 3, 2008 22:19:49 GMT -8
Can someone say system requirements for Dead Space?
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Post by ak100z on Feb 16, 2009 23:43:02 GMT -8
dead space is pretty scary cause theres always something behind you and you know its gonna come for you
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Post by wells119 on Feb 17, 2009 9:39:44 GMT -8
fatal frame (sorry if i said this already i can't remember ) scariest game ever for me, the ghost in the game pop up randomly, and its not scripted so you can't expect it, barely ever play it
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Post by amf357 on Feb 17, 2009 16:44:30 GMT -8
I'd have to say Dead Space. There are monsters everywhere, even when you think that its just some dismembered guy. And also, you know that if you get caught, you're going to die in the most agonizing way humanly possible, and that you will be a mutilated pile of flesh that no one will mourn for, and then you will become a zombie.
Also, everyone on the Ishimura (space ship the game happens on) are experiencing dementia so you don't know what to believe or when you're hallucinating.
And I'm not sure of the System requirements I have it for the Xbox 360.
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Post by keptron on Feb 19, 2009 15:52:57 GMT -8
Something like this ( I never saw really like this in any game, maybe it's rare ) would made me shit: Pass by a suspicious place waiting to something scary come out ( in most games, when a suspicious place appear something scary really come out ) but then .... nothing appear. After some minutes in the less scary place ( or at least the player thought ) become the worst ever scenery: upper part breaks, lights get off and then something begin to attack you in a intense way
I think most games these days make the "scary part" obvious, this make somehow the games year by year loose their scary scenario
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Post by corkymcchubbles on Feb 19, 2009 17:26:16 GMT -8
Okay if you have a short attention span then don't read this....
There are many things that make a game scary such as darkness, condition of your self and what's around you but it's all mind games intended to push you out of your comfort zone of sitting in a chair into the wastes of D.C. or the hell scape of a mars base or a creepy town called silent hill.
Here's a list of what goes on in your brain even if you're happy or being protected....
---------- Do I know who or what is around me?
---------- Are they friendly?
---------- Can I sense anything?
---------- Anyone out there?
---------- Am I protected by someone? Or am I alone?
---------- Am I armed?
---------- How many Hostiles? How strong? Where can I hurt them?
---------- Is what I'm seeing real or an Illusion?
---------- How do I get out?
There's allot more but I'll leave it at that. Basically, It's not what you find scary in general but what am I naturally scarred shitless of? 8 legged creatures that can fit in my hand? Or Tall people in funny clothes w/ creepy smiles? Or is it just the simple thought of uncertainty? I hope you learned from this but also know this..
FEAR SAVES US, IT'S NATURAL TO BE SCARED SO WE STAY AWAY FROM DEATH, DON'T SCARE US AWAY FROM YOUR GAME BECAUSE YOU WENT SO FAR THAT BETA TESTERS SHIT THEIR PANTS!
- Excuse my french.......
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Post by veteran_gamer on Feb 20, 2009 9:15:48 GMT -8
dead space was very fun to play, and although the environments were done pretty damn good, i think it was the camera's point of view that caused the most "panic". the entire game is played through "tunnel vision" if you will, which makes turning around 180 degrees to check for an enemy or if it was just ambient sound fx a bit stressful.
i agree with the point keptron made, in regards to predictable thriller cutscenes/scripted events are usually placed right where you'd expect them. they probably do that because everyones tolerance for suspense or jumping out of their seat is different. For example I might be scared shitless in dark rooms by nature, and having to fight freaky things in dark rooms might overwhelm me, but IneptGaurd might actually enjoy dark spaces, low light and intense combat (and ass raping), so they just place stuff as best as they can to appeal to a larger audience.
to be honest, if a game had way too many "jump outta your chair scenes", i probably wouldnt enjoy it as much, mainly because i'd be annoyed at the fact that i know pants shitting is guaranteed constantly.
but honestly, when doom 3 -first- came out, that shit had me stressed out, even though IMPS spawned in numbers of 2-3, one behind and one in front, i had never experienced that kind of enemy system before. also having to use either the weapon or flashlight added a bit of tension. if i had played through it (or any other game) on normal, then it probably wouldnt be a big deal.
the key to these scary games is to fear taking damage.
i think thats what i like about outbreak, it has a few hundred zombies everywhere, but they only add to the environment, theres no real scaryness to it, but the element of monsters is there. it adds variety.
what i thought was a very, very cool effect in dead space, was the malfunctioning metal doors and slam shut every second. Clank clank clank clank clank. it's very effective for creepiness and also reminds of an old movie called Event Horizon with laurence fishbourn.
also keep in mind when i mentioned doom 3, we're talking about the most state-of-the-art engine aside from Far Cry, and it also had the most impressive lighting and shadow casting system at the time. nowadays we've seen better and mimics of that, but -at that time-, it was the most tense campaign i had experienced
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IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Feb 20, 2009 14:21:52 GMT -8
The jumpiest game for me was AvP (the first one). Playing as the marine, the aliens used to make me crawl out of my fucking chair half the time.
Condemned: Criminal Origins was just plain wrong. There was nothing like walking through an old abandon department store decked out in Christmas decorations. Walking by all of these creepy ass manikins dressed in Xmass attire with fucked up locking faces and then reaching a dead end and turning around only to notice that all of the manikins are gone and then the one next to you slowly turns and looks at you with this muffled scream and then attacks you… that game was fucked.
FEAR 1 was a pretty good game but the concept of an evil little girl is just to cliché for me to take seriously. The soldiers scared me more then the paranormal stuff did (I was playing on hard with no slowmo).
FEAR 2 is more of an action game then a scary game. To be honest I felt the first one was more intense. I really think the little girl kills the whole experience. Still a good game though, worth a play through for the action.
I liked Doom 3 as well it gave me a good rush but the enemies got to repetitive and I never did finish the game.
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Post by corkymcchubbles on Feb 20, 2009 15:35:38 GMT -8
Personally I nearly peed my pants playing FEAR 1, but then again I'm just "vierd".......
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IneptGuard
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Post by IneptGuard on Feb 20, 2009 16:56:32 GMT -8
A lot of people seem to find the Fear franchize to be frightening. In all honesty I think if they dumped the little girl thing and went for an unseen evil force kind of deal (like doom 3) it would have had a greater "fear" effect on me. I mainly play them for the action and the badass AI.
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Post by Sickle on Feb 20, 2009 18:37:20 GMT -8
halfway through FEAR 2 Alma gets too hot to be scary
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Post by corkymcchubbles on Feb 21, 2009 14:43:31 GMT -8
I still don't know this because the garage door that I'm supposed to crawl under in the chapter "RUINS" fucking lowers after I move a table out of the way!
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Post by zombiegoast on Apr 9, 2009 16:07:18 GMT -8
Knowing something bad's gonna happen but not knowing when or how. I.E. Anxiety.
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Post by veteran_gamer on Apr 9, 2009 19:37:11 GMT -8
There's this game called...penumbra...black plague....i only played it for about 15 minutes..and here's why
while i knew like all horror games eventually it gets more mellow as you get farther...the intro sequence and situation was so god damn stressful, i simply uninstalled it, and try not to think of it this day.
you cant fight for shit, no weapons, all you start off with is a flare i think
then you hear this disgusting...horrendous...just morbid voice saying some shit like "SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE" or something similar. the voice itself is aggressive, and disturbing...
you can only do one thing, hide in the dark behind this...rusty old file cabinet...
then, some disgusting, dirty, deformed but still human, fully nude ...monster...thing comes in the room, and he hears any movement you make, you can only stand still....
as if looking at the mesh's tiny nutsack and willy wasnt bad enough, if he does hear you, he fuckin beats you to death, or chases you extremely fast and then beats you to death
i said No thank you, this isnt a game anymore. yeah im a big pussy, but jesus christ that game should be illegal.
fuckin ....hobbit-like creature.....
*looking behind me nervously*
im outta here!
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Post by Sickle on Apr 10, 2009 12:17:46 GMT -8
vg all you had to do was run out, close the door, run into the next room, hide behind the open door, and go into sneak mode..
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