Horror - what makes a game scary?

[Strider_07]

I'm reading through Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves, and I've noticed something else that helps. The book is scary, I'll admit. At least unsettling. But what makes it so is that the whole book occurs in a normal house to normal people. Take concepts that are comfortable and make them unsettling, it works.

[jgoodroad]

...what if... you set up a very scary area. maybe a hospital or a dark room with one big spotlight in the middle, something obvious. Something that makes the player say "Well this has to be a trap and something is going to pop out and try to scare me." then...have nothing happen. The reverse side is having a normal (somewhat cheery) area, like a field of flowers... and THEN scare the sh*t out of them.

But there is a high chance that either way the player is going to be a bit pissed off, and thus let their gaurd down (more the former then the latter).

[cz_squishy]

In Fallout 3 I try to avoid the sewers and metro stations. Why? Because some creepy ass ghoul pops out from nowhere and scares the crap out of me leaving me to wander around the dark sewers scared out of my mind fearing that more will come. So if you scare the player early on they will continue to be scared throughout the level trying to prepare himself for the next scare, even though there might not be another one or something different might happen

[krainert]

In Fallout 3 I try to avoid the sewers and metro stations. Why? Because some creepy ass ghoul pops out from nowhere and scares the crap out of me leaving me to wander around the dark sewers scared out of my mind fearing that more will come. So if you scare the player early on they will continue to be scared throughout the level trying to prepare himself for the next scare, even though there might not be another one or something different might happen

That reminds me! To successfully scare the player, take away all means of control; if he can "escape" the situation, he can avoid the scary elements. For instance, I found that VATS is a giant fear-killer since it allows you to instantly go into a paused mode that lets you tactically decide how to deal with the eerie freaks around you rather than force you to deal with them in real-time. F.E.A.R, too, lost a bit of it's tension because you could simply step into slo-mo's embrace and safely take out all enemies around you without taking a hit.

[Habboi]

Yeah I had that issue with Fallout 3 and I'd go into third person with the uh flaming kebab sword (it has been while since I played it, ah yeah Shishkebab or something?) and I'd feel much safer.

[krainert]

Yeah I had that issue with Fallout 3 and I'd go into third person with the uh flaming kebab sword (it has been while since I played it, ah yeah Shishkebab or something?) and I'd feel much safer.

Yup, I think that's the one

[Armageddon]

I think running away from mosters is scarey. It makes your mind jump when they pop out of nowhere holding a giant axe. And they are 2x taller than you. You also have to think fast so you don't run into a dead end and die. It really gets the player running. And when you get away. You go back and he's gone.

[TicTac]

I like what Strider's saying. Give them extremely normal circumstances, then start toying with the player (I'm talking psychological horror, which I find scarier than OHES NOES BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD)

[coder0xff]

You wanna know how to make a game scary? Simple. Have a bunch of loaded toasters and a bunch of pressurized biscuit cans ready to pop, and then BAM! They will not be able to resist jumping in their seats. looool

[Phott]

You wanna know how to make a game scary? Simple. Have a bunch of loaded toasters and a bunch of pressurized biscuit cans ready to pop, and then BAM! They will not be able to resist jumping in their seats. looool

So true dammit. >.<

It doesn't matter if I know exactly when that toaster pops, it gets me everytime!

[Armageddon]

Does anyone remeber awhile back in this thread. Afew of us were gonna get together and make a small horror mod? Like we come up with a story arc and we each make a level of someones life in that story?

[krainert]

Does anyone remeber awhile back in this thread. Afew of us were gonna get together and make a small horror mod? Like we come up with a story arc and we each make a level of someones life in that story?

Yeah, but I think it kind of got buried under other stuff. I'm probably still up for it, but someone would need to lead the project, and that's not gonna be me.

[Major Banter]

Does anyone remeber awhile back in this thread. Afew of us were gonna get together and make a small horror mod? Like we come up with a story arc and we each make a level of someones life in that story?

Yeah, but I think it kind of got buried under other stuff. I'm probably still up for it, but someone would need to lead the project, and that's not gonna be me.

Would always welcome atmospheric advice for my mod - and if it gets done and works well, I'll get some more 'lopers together for a crack at a 100% horror mod.

[coder0xff]

Ideas are never in short supply. Needed resources, however, are.

[krainert]

The siege has everything in short supply... except fools.