Horror - what makes a game scary?

[Vallian88]

I've always been interested in making scary maps for HL1, WC3, and HL2. I'm trying to find out what makes a game scary, what makes you scared to look around the corner? I've always heard it's atmosphere, but no one gives me anything better. Is it the detail? Making you feel like you're really in the game. Is it the sounds & music that cause the fear Im looking for? Monster placement has a lot to do with it, Im sure. I always look to Resident Evil for what makes a game scary, but I can't do any better than putting zombies in the shadows. Can someone give me the theory behind horror maps?

[Caste]

It's interesting, a bit back there was a big convention for horror people. Anyway, there was this Q&A period where the crowd asked some prominent horror people (there were some filmmakers AND the makers of the Silent Hill games at the convention answering these questions). Anyway, they came to the conclusion that right turns are scarier than left turns, which I always found interesting.

anyway, the number 1 thing that can make people scared is not monster placement or textures, it's sound. Ambient or otherwise, sound (when implemented well) is the scariest thing there. It's the fear of something you can't see, but hear.

[Spartan]

Caste you hit the G-spot on that one. Sound is very important to make a scary atmopshere. So is lighting and the use of plot. You don't want to constantly barrage your player with enemies. In fact it might even be good to have more areas where the player does not encounter any enemies at all. Make the player feel like they are being stalked. Use certain signs to signal this scare factor such as blood, bodies, writings on the walls,ceilings,etc, noises, etc.

[Athlete{UK}]

cultivate the unknown. one of the scariest things about games i find is walking around with silence and it's all dark with plent of pontential hiding spots but not knowing where the what ever is.

Sound is good. having creaks coming from behind the player and windows rattling.

Shock tactics work like with doom 3 but not too often.

also just really horrific stuff can help cultivate dread. The mos feared monsters are always sort of humaniod or something. The idea that we could somehow become them.

[Caste]

also just really horrific stuff can help cultivate dread. The mos feared monsters are always sort of humaniod or something. The idea that we could somehow become them.

yeah, a lot of games/movies/writers try to go for the gross out effect with their monsters, which doesn't work at all I believe. The kind of stuff you see in silent hill (humanoid, yet completely FUBAR) is scary.

[Rovient]

Old ladies... that's horror right there.

[wiggle987]

Sound and atmosphere make games scary. Sound can be used to build up tension, and atmosphere is utmost important, I don't think a fast zombie jumping at you in a nice Green meadow would have the same effect as a fasty in a old broken down derilict building.

A good use of sound is to build up "false tension" where you have moments happen where the player is thinking "oh shit something is coming" and then nothing comes, do this several times and eventually the player will think "oh, that noise again, nothing happened the last few times, i doubt anything will happen this time" and at that moment, you send something crashing through a door. A guarunteed pant stainer.

[Vallian88]

Wow, so quickly I got such great replies! I do try to build up tension with long periods of no monsters but I never throught to put it to a signal with sounds. Great idea!

A guarunteed pant stainer.

Thats going in the siggy.

[Deadman]

things moving in the shadows, but nothing being there when you take a closer look, eerie sound fx all around you with everything going quiet all of the sudden.


PS might be a good Idea for the next map battle don't post screenies but just make a short map trying to freak people out as much as possible

[wiggle987]

about damned time I got back in a sig.

[slayera]

Well, I would like to add some input on the visuals. One thing to do is get the players attention, like a row of boxes, that slowly goes bump, like something is behind them or have something fall over. Have simi lit areas the lighting changes or dim alternating lights that fade in and out, then have a moster in show up in area that was once dark and now lit. Things like windows that break with limbs or boards that fall for no reason can be a tension builder. I always like the dead bodies in hard to see areas, you can never tell quite what happened, so the player is not sure what is in store for them. Have doors or path get blocked so the player is force to move into a scary area. Having the player in peril is good too, like slowly moving crush walls where the player is forced to think quickly to esape or push the player into a mob of zombies. Water can be very scare too, you never know what is underneath. Create disorder by having objects fly around like boards or garbage, so the player cannot focus in one area or on the monster. Another thing I like is something is like a car lot where you can just see mob of moster coming around the cars, give the player room to move, but have the mosters come from everywhere, encircling the player. A couple of other tricks would to force the player backward to a ledge that breaks off because the mob of mosters is to overwhelming or jumping to a cliff that breaks offs and sends the player plunging. And last but not least anything where the player has little or no control.

Damn, now I want to make a scary SP level. Hope you get a couple of ideas from this.

[Spartan]

This thread should be sticky.

[slayera]

This thread should be sticky.

I was thinking the same thing, all of great ideas, plus this is not the first time the subject has popped up on these boards.

[-|Dizmas|-]

PS might be a good Idea for the next map battle don't post screenies but just make a short map trying to freak people out as much as possible

That would be an awesome Idea.

[9f1062f623f9]

The ultimate tension tactic, which has yet to be mentioned is actually being starved of a ranged weapon/ammunition. Not being able to kill the things that are scaring the shite out of you is the ultimate tactic.