Horror - what makes a game scary?

[Em][n3m]

My ideas aren't as original as yours but I will speak some things I've been thinking about lately, after being sparked by a friend. It's a mod (or just a map) for HL2. You start in a house. You can hear some baby/good-night music (you know that smooth ding dang ding music) you walk out of the room you're in and you see a nice and warm environment, a living room with lively colours, much light in the whole house, maybe a fireplace too etc. Then you try to go out . The second you open the door and see outside, you hear a freaky sound from behind (there were the music was and where the warm environment was) but you also see in front of you a cemetary. And you wonder, "where the fuck do I go now". You'll most probably go to the cemetary since you have no proof that there's actually enemies in the cemetary. However, there doesnt have to be an enemy from behind, it was just a sound So you continue walking to the cemetary (which is your only way btw). If it's a cool mod, you could also make an intro. "Welcome to "blabla" Gordon Freeman. It's 2005. You are 35 years old (which means you were born in 1970) etc etc". Then you walk to the cemetary and see all the graves saying on them "Gordon Feeman, 1970-2004" or something Anyways you continue to a path leading somewhere where you can't see. You walk up a small hill, and see...................................................

I yet have to think of the rest. I believe that is a quite scary beginning for a game

[ZenMunky]

Not a bad start. Little confused over the whole birthday thing (how old is gordon?).

I think that could be better if you open the door, hear the sound, turn around and the whole warm friendly room is decayed and rotten...

[MowtenDoo]

a silent ambience, ie water dripping or far away screams. objects emerging from dark to light. unexoected things, ie: traps, a monster behind a door, a monster hidden in a confined space ie a vent.

i know alot of little tricks to make a map scary. kinda makes me wonder why i never made a horror map.

[Em][n3m]

Not a bad start. Little confused over the whole birthday thing (how old is gordon?).

I think that could be better if you open the door, hear the sound, turn around and the whole warm friendly room is decayed and rotten...

It was an example. In a mod, you don't have to be Gordon Or you could be 20 years old. I mean, you go to the graves, and you see they're all yours. Like.. you're dead, in a coffin, so you get all confused (like you did:D). Well confusion leads to fear I believe. There's two ways to be afraid. Being aware of what's dangerous, and feeling in danger by what you're not aware of

[Dead-Inside]

Wow, interesting. You'll need to make sure the player knows who the fuck he is first though.

[Rustvaar]

Confusion can be good for fear if it's done right, however it can be really screwed up badly and make people think 'Was the supposed to happen?' and that can really detract from a gaming experience cause it takes you right out of the mood of the game.

As MowtenDoo said there are some things that never fail - The old headcrab in the vent was sure to have gotten a lot of people a bit jumpy - Mainly because it's so unexpected.

Another one, throwing my mind back to Office Complex' is seeing nasty things happening to others; when you first got through the vents [at the very beginning] and into the small room where you turn off the power you see a scientist being grabbed and gobbled up - This, also, if timed right can be effective, a lot of the horror mood is down to timing. If you just throw nasties in every corner, people begin to get very aware of what's coming next.

If you can get force the player to run somewhere its always good - especially with enemies closing in when they have little ammo and must complete puzzle to get elsewhere, it can put people in a frenzy and get them really panicking about pulling a lever.

Having NPCs be picked off is always good; friendlies work best; if someone is giving you some advice as to where to head when a zombie grabs them from their feet and drags them kicking and screaming into a cramped room
it will usually make the player think 'I don't want that to be me'.

All the best to anyone creating a horror themed game; but please leave the lights on for me

[ZenMunky]

If you just throw nasties in every corner, people begin to get very aware of what's coming next.

Doom 3 anyone?

[Vallian88]

Yeah, I've gotten a bit bored of the ol' zombie around a corner. It really isn't scary, it's just a little unexpected. I like the idea of having a NPC_maker spawning zombies as you run around trying to do a puzzle. Then when you get back, your like "WTF?! I just killed this guy!" What I need though, is for the corpses to fade out, and that doesn't seem to be working.

[Em][n3m]

Wow, interesting. You'll need to make sure the player knows who the fuck he is first though.

Well that's my I said there's this intro that tells you who you are; even how old you are. Then you know who the fuck you are. Except if you're you, then you might not understand.

[Vallian88]

No reason to get angry guys...

[Rustvaar]

I didn't even notice the anger. I thought they were merely getting carried away with using the word 'fuck' at innapropriate times.

[Dead-Inside]

I used "fuck" to emphesize that it was important.

If you don't make sure the player knows who he is, and feels with the character he's playing, any horror involved with the character will have no effect.

[Em][n3m]

Good, then I'll let the player know who he is

[Charron]

Another premise, which works best if you have your own boss creatures, is pre-battles. Not the boss battles themselves, but encountering the boss creature before you fight it, in a way that makes you afraid to go and fight it. Like El Gigante in Resident Evil 4. You go to the area where you battle it before you fight it, and it's holed up behind a gate. You know something's there, but you don't know what. So you're afraid to go back, because you know you're gonna have to fight it. And after fighting him the first time, you wind up meeting 3 more over the course of the game. You know how to battle him at that point, but the room makes your old strategies impossible- either the place is too small, or there's another Gigante there. So, you see something you've seen before, and fought before, but you're afraid again since you can't fight the same way again.

So, basically, the enemies and the environment can be a considerable factor when used properly.

[Vallian88]

I remember that bodygaurd thing with the giant tale. That thing scared the crap out of me when he tried to skewer you. I was afraid to fight him so much, and with good reason. That guy took forever for me to beat.