Horror ideas?

[Potion Seller]

What do people actually want to see in a good horror game? More for RPG Maker VXA but in general as well. I would love to see what people ACTUALLY want. Sorry if this question is vague, or just bland, but I would love some feed back. Thank you in advance.

- FrostyTPM

[Kio Kurashi]

A good story that actually seems possible. the more realistic the scare the easier it is to scare someone. that and jump scares like a random bucket that when you walk over to it has an image flash over the screen and a sound effect.

[ERASERHEAD]

as in Hitchcock's films - absolutely frightening as ordinary things, and himself the human factor - anger, envy. No Screamer - it's too vulgar and banal. Given the limited graphical resources, RPG Maker, with due skill, you can scare even the phrase in the dialogue.

[tribes ascendant]

corpse party

[Mystix]

Zombies! It's gotta have Zooombies, moar Zoooombiiiies! ;) Heheh, just kidding.

But yeah, it depends on what you're going for.. But if it's more story-driven, then a good & suspenceful story. Having a good atmosphere with an appropriate choice of graphics, lighting, music and sound-effects can all certainly help too I think.

[Deimoose]

Build up lots of atmosphre with creepy music and small details

[Phelan]

Hmm.... it depends.... I guess

There are movies and games that are scary even without gore...

hmmm for example let's take a look at Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines... there is one episode that was scary as hell for me back when I was lil younger. Episode in ghost hotel. If you were playing late at night it was really great experiance.

On the other side there are wicked and ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up things.... hmmm.... for example (NSFW/18+/21+)Event Horizon... that can be a little too much for weak stomach :) Well... it's not great movie, it isn't as scary as I would want.... but all that gore..

btw. NSFW (I mean it if you don't have 18/21 -> depends on country <- do not check it)!!


And zombie movies.... meh... kinda overated for me, most of them are just like comedy for me.

[DevTech]

I don't want to sound mean, but it will no matter how I put it so don't take it as a hate comment...

Do some research. Just asking around people, getting their ideas of horror and putting them in a bowl to mix is a recipe for disaster. If you WANT to make a horror game, design the game and spend time doing research of horror. That's how you get some base and the outline of it. Plus the feel you want to go for.

[Shadow]

@FrostyTheProman hello.
I work on a horror game and by doing a lot of research on the genere, i can tell you for sure that Michael is correct when stating:

"Just asking around people, getting their ideas of horror and putting them in a bowl to mix is a recipe for disaster."

Actually mixing things up in a wrong way or amount, is a disaster.
Thus the more ingredients, the harder the mixture.

It is like cooking.
Meat is nice.
Fish is also nice.
Eggs are nice.
Mixing all of these though, into a blender, can become a disgusting goo.

But you can of course use meat with salt and pepper, without using a blender, but your bare hands and a peeper mill, and by applying correct quantities, you can create a delicious steak, if it will be cooked correctly.

Do you understand what i mean?

Plus most of the horror games i see on GreenLight, make me laugh. I saw a slender rip off, that you were able to throw tyres and gazoline and stuff to a slender-man-with-red-horns and actually damage him.

Was that horror? Hell no! I was watching the video with a sour taste of like "oh a rip off" and suddenly i laughed my @ss out! It was not a parody and it was tagged as horror... but i was watching a slender man with horns guy been @ss kicked by the user, who was throwing tyres like he was HULK or something... NO!

If the developer reads this... well dude i am very sorry for using your project as a DON'T example... but seriously, you blew it.


So story is essential, the flow of the story is also important.
You must also keep your audience into the game world with atmosphere.
Atmosphere means audio visual experience, thus it is REALLY hard to make it right, but when you do it, it is rewarding. Atmosphere can be compared to cooking a steak. Do not let it raw, do not overkook it. It is a very hard part, pay attention to that.

[Phelan]

And when did he exactly say that he will just take ideas and mix them together?

Asking people what they like about horrors is one of the basic forms of doing research (o.O) It's not wrong to ask for some tips, clues, good titles in genre worth watching/playing.

And let's not forget that he is asking in RPG Maker group... that means he is planning to use it. RPG maker is great tool but it has some limits... most probably you won't create another amnesia, limbo or slenderman... well you can.... but than again it would be just easier to use other programs...

That means he is either going for some sort of VN or just typical RPG. It is very hard to make great gore game unless you have talent in drawing... and you would need a lot of graphics for gore horror type... so most probably he is going for thriller/horror type. Not so scary, not so gruesome but with gripping story.

So his main weapon in creating good game would be
- writing skills
- great library with diffrent kind of sounds (those are VERY IMPORTANT for horrors)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EwAq7tMWGI
btw. example I was talking about, watch it at night with headphones (dunno if I choose right version of clip... I'm too lazy to watch it and check it)

- skills in mapping... you need great locations... simple but with great details....
- sadly... you will need at least speck of skills in drawing... even for thriller/horror type it is important for creating climate.

[Ubiquity]

Some of the above comments are correct about how you should/shouldn't mash up everybody's expectations into one game. Nevertheless, I do have a few brief observations as to what works in (most) good RPG Maker Horror games. (Also, these are not listed in order of importance, just in order of when I thought of it)

Firstly, it should (probably) be short. When it draws on for too long, people learn about your scares and patterns. When they learn about your patterns, they come to expect the scares, and then it isn't scary any more. Scares aside, you need to keep people interested in the plot, and dragging it out without needing to and without building proper suspense wrecks the game.

Secondly, you need to make people CARE about your characters. This is one of the best mechanics I've ever seen, because it can easily build suspense and make people worried about what will happen next, for more then just scares. This also means that you shouldn't have your characters make irrational/unrealistic decisions. Seeing something terrible happen to a beloved character is one of the best ways to leave an imprint on someone’s memory, and in the case of multiple endings, you can make someone genuinely afraid to go down a certain path. Emotional connection is key.

Thirdly, mapping, story, music, and artwork must all work in tandem. This is just general advice, as this is the case for any game. Nevertheless, many games (including ones that I’ve seen on the steam workshop) are squashed by poor collaboration of the resources. You will definitely want to make your own graphics for a horror game. And if you can't make your graphics look like the default ones, then make all of the graphics, not just a few. Music is important as well, if you are actually interested in a horror atmosphere, you probably don't want any music with an electric guitar. (If any of you played the demo for my game, you may find it funny that I am giving this particular advice. I am well aware that the demo I had was of poor quality, and I recently took it down as it did not reflect the quality of the finished product.)

Fourth, (and this is an important one) action with gore is not the same as horror. Action sequences quickly destroy all horror atmosphere. I think someone mentioned this before, but one your main character is empowered, it removes from the suspense because hey, now you can stop the monster. It isn't scary anymore. This does not mean that chase scenes are bad, because your character is still powerless. So in general, a sense of innocence/vulnerability is typically what you want. (Unless, of course, you are making the climax for your game in which you no longer want it to be scary.)

Finally (and this one should be obvious), the plot must be compelling. This doesn't mean that it needs to be complicated, just try to bring out something that you know you can do well, and try to avoid clichés. Once again, this means your characters should make reasonable decisions, and act/build on what they know. Also, you don't necessarily need a tragic backstory to drive the plot, as the typical "once upon a time, I loved someone. But then they died" must be done carefully in order to work well; similarly, adding to much tragedy to a character's background makes it comical. The same general rules apply to the monster/villain, it doesn't need some complicated story behind it: sometimes simpler is better. Only attempt a complex story if you have a clear idea of how it should play out.

Anyhow, this is just speculation on what has worked before, but maybe it will help. Best of luck.

[Potion Seller]

Originally posted by Michael:

I don't want to sound mean, but it will no matter how I put it so don't take it as a hate comment...

Do some research. Just asking around people, getting their ideas of horror and putting them in a bowl to mix is a recipe for disaster. If you WANT to make a horror game, design the game and spend time doing research of horror. That's how you get some base and the outline of it. Plus the feel you want to go for.

I do do a lot of research actually. I did more research on what actually scares people, and the psyc effects that go on when someone is faced with such horror. My game, I feel will peek all of your interests ;) It is not yet out of alpha, but it is sooooo much further than when it began, and when I thought it was going good the last time. I don't want to give my player a heartattack, I just want you to know you are going to die, know you are going to be scared, but when?? when will it happen? when will you face your doom? The anticipation is far more scary then the actual part that scares people haha. But thank you guys for some feedback! I appreciate it.

[DevTech]

I suggest reading this: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/172168/fight_or_flight_the_neuroscience_.php

[Potion Seller]

Originally posted by Ubiquity:

Some of the above comments are correct about how you should/shouldn't mash up everybody's expectations into one game. Nevertheless, I do have a few brief observations as to what works in (most) good RPG Maker Horror games. (Also, these are not listed in order of importance, just in order of when I thought of it)

Firstly, it should (probably) be short. When it draws on for too long, people learn about your scares and patterns. When they learn about your patterns, they come to expect the scares, and then it isn't scary any more. Scares aside, you need to keep people interested in the plot, and dragging it out without needing to and without building proper suspense wrecks the game.

Secondly, you need to make people CARE about your characters. This is one of the best mechanics I've ever seen, because it can easily build suspense and make people worried about what will happen next, for more then just scares. This also means that you shouldn't have your characters make irrational/unrealistic decisions. Seeing something terrible happen to a beloved character is one of the best ways to leave an imprint on someone’s memory, and in the case of multiple endings, you can make someone genuinely afraid to go down a certain path. Emotional connection is key.

Thirdly, mapping, story, music, and artwork must all work in tandem. This is just general advice, as this is the case for any game. Nevertheless, many games (including ones that I’ve seen on the steam workshop) are squashed by poor collaboration of the resources. You will definitely want to make your own graphics for a horror game. And if you can't make your graphics look like the default ones, then make all of the graphics, not just a few. Music is important as well, if you are actually interested in a horror atmosphere, you probably don't want any music with an electric guitar. (If any of you played the demo for my game, you may find it funny that I am giving this particular advice. I am well aware that the demo I had was of poor quality, and I recently took it down as it did not reflect the quality of the finished product.)

Fourth, (and this is an important one) action with gore is not the same as horror. Action sequences quickly destroy all horror atmosphere. I think someone mentioned this before, but one your main character is empowered, it removes from the suspense because hey, now you can stop the monster. It isn't scary anymore. This does not mean that chase scenes are bad, because your character is still powerless. So in general, a sense of innocence/vulnerability is typically what you want. (Unless, of course, you are making the climax for your game in which you no longer want it to be scary.)

Finally (and this one should be obvious), the plot must be compelling. This doesn't mean that it needs to be complicated, just try to bring out something that you know you can do well, and try to avoid clichés. Once again, this means your characters should make reasonable decisions, and act/build on what they know. Also, you don't necessarily need a tragic backstory to drive the plot, as the typical "once upon a time, I loved someone. But then they died" must be done carefully in order to work well; similarly, adding to much tragedy to a character's background makes it comical. The same general rules apply to the monster/villain, it doesn't need some complicated story behind it: sometimes simpler is better. Only attempt a complex story if you have a clear idea of how it should play out.

Anyhow, this is just speculation on what has worked before, but maybe it will help. Best of luck.

The story for my game is a boy and a girl. They both go to the same highschool. Girl dissapears. They search for her for a while, and eventually call it a loss. The boy however, decides he wants to take matters into his own hands. He arrives at here house on a day where Emma's parents wouldnt be there. Breaks in, and the game begins. Upon looking for clues, the boy (the player) stumbles upon a room. A room in which links you to a different realm. In this realm it is identical to the real world, only this world is completely filled to the brim with odd situations, music, etc...

The player finds a letter that Emma wrote in the alternate realm. By touching this letter, he links himself with her. So they can now keep in communication with each other via letters. The player finds letters that let him know about where Emma would be held, and what he may be facing. Once the player finds out that the others in this realm now know he is here, that's when things get a bit odd. The player will have a wide variety of exploration options. The player may soon realize, this place is closing the doors behind him, pushing him further and further in to the heart of the problem. With this ever-changing world around him, he is now faced with rescuing Emma before she is killed, and making sure he stays alive himself. I have told you all of that without telling you anything about my game. It will be very in depth, and there will be moments when you think you are safe. But how do you know if you are safe, if you cant even see 3 centimeters infront of you? Do you have a flashlight? I hope so. If not, you may not have a fun time with what lurks in the shadows. Or is there anything in the shadows at all?? I can neither confirm nor deny :)

- FrostyTPM

[Deimoose]

sounds a bit like Corraline.

[DevTech]

Honestly, it sounds more like a story than a game...