New Horror-Game Mechanics

[molester jester]

Totally agreed, especially on the second 'paragraph' -- I really like some of Stephen King's work because there's sometimes just no explanation as to WHY the stuff is happening. Most explanations are usually a let-down anyway.

New mechanics... Random idea that could actually be very, very bad: The ability to commit suicide. And not "Ah, I'll just run at this thing and not fight back" or something, I mean like the character purposely kills themselves. Why? Because it coincides with the inventory/save system so that you get to keep something like... your items, but lose your actual progress back to a certain point (or vice-versa).

Or just have a sort of "stress" system, that sort of works like stamina, and if it runs out your guy kills themselves, and it works like a normal death.

They actually had a system very like this in Fahrenheit ( Indigo Prophecy, if you are from the states) Each character you play as has a Mental Health bar some actions cause it to rise and some for it to lower, if it gets to low your character commits suicide.

 

[lewism247]

How about the NPC's keep changing... No wait stay with me here. I've got an Idea for a demo. First person.

So you're in [insert horror setting here]. Some shits gone down and you've barricaded yourself and 2 others into creepy corridor no'1. the 2 NPC's begin discussing with you what the fuck happened as you walk through scary atmospheric rooms attempting to find an exit and to arm yourselves with planks and pipes, you know the whole condemned caboodle. Then as one of them is talking the voice randomly changes mid-sentence, distinctly enough to notice. In shock you turn and find a different NPC stood there who ask you what's the problem. The game continues as if nothings happened. You chalk it up to glitch or some shit. Then it happens with the other one. Only this time it changes gender and race. But the scary thing is the game continues as if nothings happening. Only these 2 new NPC's don't act exactly the same. Their body language is different. Instead of looking for exits and things they remain at your back and talk quietly. If you rush off it almost sounds like whispering. So quiet you almost think they're plotting something. Then to break you out of it you re-encounter whatever started this whole thing off. Short escape portion and you're barricaded even deeper into this bunker with your 2 companions. And are finding notes. At first they make no sense. Random garbled messages like half words and such. Then you find one which warns you about a door. And not to open it. if you choose to open the door you are attacked by something and have to defend yourself. Now you trust the notes. They begin giving you directions. You obviously follow them in hopes of getting out. But the more you follow the deeper you find yourself. And things just get weirder. The expressions of your companions are now quite frankly down rite freaky. A constant dead smile. And they have become increasingly less helpful as time has gone on. Now the notes get really strange. You find one which tells you 'not to trust your friends' and another note next to it saying 'you have to kill them.' If you try attack them at this stage you trip and knock yourself unconscious until your companions awake you, at which point your character says to himself 'no that's stupid' and will refuse to attack your companions even if you try to make him. So you attempt to continue. With all the atmosphere you hear noises and frankly things are getting a bit spooky at this point. And after and awfully long time with no help you finally run into another note which simply says. you should have listened to me [Insert name here]. Then hurried breathing behind you, you turn and one of your companions is gone, the other writhing in agony on the floor. Bits of another creature sprout sporadically from his body. ripping through the skin. Very slowly he gets much larger. You decided to run and barricade the nearest door. The only thing you can lock it with is the weapon you're carrying. So you do. Then banging and the door starts to buckle. you run for it down the corridor. The dim lights going out behind you. Scurrying noises coming from the dark. A creeping shadow seems to take over the still lit areas even in front of you. Then boom. Whatever it is has broken through. Cries and roars from something you really don't want to meet. Then loud hurried footsteps behind. The corridors become increasingly complex, with possible turns everywhere. Then the voice. 'I told you you should have listened to me.' The voice coming from nowhere is staying with you. All the time the thing behind you, gaining on you. The voice becomes more and more unintelligible. Spouting random equations and demanding answers. Everytime you turn a wrong corridor to find a dead end it laughs at you and slowly says. 'This is where you dieeee [insert name]. Then it starts saying. 'Don't you think you've been playing this game for far too long? It can't be healthy. Go on. Turn it off. I dare you.' Then dependant on your console. Ps3 an amber light begins to flash, on the xbox 3 red lights start flashing and an on screen message pops up that doesn't stop you from play. and can't be taken off that says 'vital system error, Console needs reboo...........' Then a red flashing light with a siren sound 'SYSTEM FAILURE SYSTEM FAILURE. Warning warning, catastrophic failure inevitable.................. you should have listened to me [insert name].' Then through all this commotion you've really lost yourway and suddenly BAM, you slam into a door and fall backwards. The noise from behind gets louder then the door creeks open. Stood in the doorway with a blank expression is the NPC who went missing earlier. They stretch out their hand as the thing behind gets closer and closer. You then choose to either take their hand as they help you up. Or you stay where you are and accept your fate, what ever you choose the screen blacks out and a message comes up and says. 'You should have listened'

End of demo.. whacha think. I'd play it.

Bit of an essay I know but I got a bit carried away with the idea really. I'd love a horror game like that.

That sounds awesome, also DUN DUN DUN.

OP: To unnerve them, as with the quoted post. Change things, sometimes subtly, other times drastically. Make them doubt what they saw. Or maybe have something constant, a door for example. As time goes on everything warps and becomes grotesque, apart from the constant object. At the end there could be knocking at the door, steadily getting open. The game could end with it opening and......

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

snip

My god man hit the enter key once and awhile.

I usually do. in-fact I usually do it too much. Like I said though. I got a bit too into that. I typed it all out faster than usual and it's probably got a lot of spelling mistakes and crap in it because I was doing it so damn fast. I was only planning on writing a little snippet of text. By the time I'd finished I really couldn't be bothered sifting through it and finding where paragraphs should have gone.

I suppose but even semi proper paragraphs would be fine like every 4-7 lines hit the enter key that is what I do when I am not bothered about proper paragraphs.

Nah I'm a man of extremes. I'm of the 'all or nothing' variety.

Ah ok fair enough I can understand that. That's just want I like to do and if you like to do it that way fair enough.

 

[troth]

Snip-tastic!

I would play that game for about three minutes and then shit myself.

OT: How about also having yourself change? Maybe your voice changes, or your arms are suddenly muscular. Or you lose abilities, like climbing. Or your jumping height/walking speed is lowered.

 

[PatrickXD]

Alone in the Dark had good ideas, just poor execution. I think if that could be done better then it would've been an excellent and genuinely scary game.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

I have some ideas:

The character is running down a hall from the entrance, opens a door and walks through. They walk back out and the hall changes so that the entrance is now the kitchen. Lets say you walk down this hall a ways trying to find out where you are, and you see a ghost and you avoid it by going through a door which leads back to the hall you were just in. When you try to open that door, it's jammed. You take out a weapon to defend yourself, but can't find it, and when you do your aim becomes more and more erratic as the ghost approaches nearer to you. As you finally do get your aim straight, the ghost disappears and the musical cues signaling are gone. You continue down the hall when the music returns. You search for the ghost and a door slams. The music fades. You walk further down the hall, and stop to look around, but the sound of footsteps doesn't stop until a second after you do. There is no music. In it's place, the sound picks up slowly as whisper that becomes louder. Suddenly there's a musical cue for the enemy, and you prepare your weapon. You look for it, but it's not there. It suddenly goes quiet again, and all you can hear is one final whisper before fading back to normal.

As you continue to explore the house, you occasionally hear doors open and close in the distance. You see indistinct shadows move around corners. Under the cracks of doors are bright lights. There are voices of many people. You step through, and you find an empty and desolate room. You explore the room. There's a dining table set with plates. You turn to leave, and one of the plates crashes to the ground. You turn, and see a shadow fading away with a face of a child looking up at you. The eyes close and the shadow is gone.

 

[soapninja]

I have some ideas:

The character is running down a hall from the entrance, opens a door and walks through. They walk back out and the hall changes so that the entrance is now the kitchen. Lets say you walk down this hall a ways trying to find out where you are, and you see a ghost and you avoid it by going through a door which leads back to the hall you were just in. When you try to open that door, it's jammed. You take out a weapon to defend yourself, but can't find it, and when you do your aim becomes more and more erratic as the ghost approaches nearer to you. As you finally do get your aim straight, the ghost disappears and the musical cues signaling are gone. You continue down the hall when the music returns. You search for the ghost and a door slams. The music fades. You walk further down the hall, and stop to look around, but the sound of footsteps doesn't stop until a second after you do. There is no music. In it's place, the sound picks up slowly as whisper that becomes louder. Suddenly there's a musical cue for the enemy, and you prepare your weapon. You look for it, but it's not there. It suddenly goes quiet again, and all you can hear is one final whisper before fading back to normal.

As you continue to explore the house, you occasionally hear doors open and close in the distance. You see indistinct shadows move around corners. Under the cracks of doors are bright lights. There are voices of many people. You step through, and you find an empty and desolate room. You explore the room. There's a dining table set with plates. You turn to leave, and one of the plates crashes to the ground. You turn, and see a shadow fading away with a face of a child looking up at you. The eyes close and the shadow is gone.

thats a good idea^ but the health thing i mean its good but unfair...