Sandbox Horror Games
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I think it could work. Maybe something with werewolves or vampires though. They tend to be sneakier than zombies, and would make traveling about in certain conditions quite scary.
It would certainly make travelling at night much more daunting.
It would certainly make travelling at night much more daunting.
Maybe, but I doubt it. Survival horror games tend to be rather structured in their progression, and there's a reason for that: building atmosphere and pacing. A sandbox horror game would be pretty hard to pull off if you ask me. Furthermore, they are often very story-driven, and in a lot of cases, the story greatly benefits from their linear gameplay (see: Silent Hill)Miumaru said:
You, sir, are a genius. Why the hell does this not exist right now? I'm seeing something like Assasin's Creed, only way better executed. A sandbox style medium sized town, where you, as slasher killer, are tasked with sneaking around the various houses on a homicidal rampage, without getting caught of course.J3llo said:
yeah but i woul want a more rpg,ish feeling and you coul maby play online wher you are the hero and got to try to stop the killer, and side quest wher you stalk your victims to creep em out, maby more than one town? AND YOU COULD KILL EM HOW EVER YOU WANTKpt._Rob said:
Fallout 3 to a degree, Dead Rising, Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl definatly.
Don't think and FPS can be scary?
MUTANTS. IN YOUR ASS.
Don't think and FPS can be scary?
MUTANTS. IN YOUR ASS.
I think it could work if it would let you make your own story. Like the plot would change depending on were you go and what you do.
Hello! Are Silent Hill and Resident Evil series horror or just "put in horror graphics"? Maybe we should ask HOW we could make better horror instead of hoping that those officials who failed again&again get it done?
Horror Sandboxes dont work. Part of the horror would be to keep you at a good pace with reasonable suspense. When you get to explore etc, the horror effect wears off. As people mentioned above, Fallout 3 is sort of horror to a small degree... Dead Rising is just plain hilarious but, then you go to real horror games (no, not Fuck.Everything.And.Run, FEAR is not scary imo) but, the Fatal Frame series which is scarier IMO.
On an unrelated note (because Im free): I just picked up a new game Singularity which got me fooled in the first minute thinking it would have an element of horror... then you get sick guns and even the fist of ironman with Freeman's grav gun attached to it (oh did I mention you can slow time down with blue spheres?).
Bottomline, no, I dont know any Horror Sandboxes (or any that are good).
On an unrelated note (because Im free): I just picked up a new game Singularity which got me fooled in the first minute thinking it would have an element of horror... then you get sick guns and even the fist of ironman with Freeman's grav gun attached to it (oh did I mention you can slow time down with blue spheres?).
Bottomline, no, I dont know any Horror Sandboxes (or any that are good).
The problem would be pacing. Horror games tends to rely on manipulating the player and creating a specific atmosphere, and thta works bets in a linear or linearish game, with scripted events. Making it work in a sandbox would be harder, although it could open the door to a new kind of horror. In particular, AI improvements could have you being hunted through the sandbox, with random unpredictable dangers.
Hi folks just joined. I think in terms of Action/Horror Sandbox Prototype 1 and 2 comes pretty close as it lets you play as a man-turned-monster who's out for revenge on those who made him the way he is. Essentially using the Frankenstien's Monster coming back to torment and kill his creator.
You could'nt really build up scares just atmosphere in a horror sandbox game I think and would have to maintain some element of action to keep things moving.
I have a couple of suggestions for ideas.
Blood Feud - You are a Vampire ,humanity are cattle-their blood is your commodity.There is an entire city out there to feed on. He who controls the Blood controls the city. You must battle other clans over feeding grounds unlocking vampire powers and evolving with every kill. Using your Blood Bank which doubles as both life energy and currency to use your vampire powers. If things are'nt bad enough now The Moonshiners a pack of Werewolves have moved into your city threatening your food supply. Then there's also specialist counter-vampire police task force H.U.N.T. - ( Hemophage Unit Neutralization and Tactics) to consider with their UV spotlights and specialist weaponry. Fight for power and supremacy. Fly , shape shift , control bats, use mind control and "turn" to recruit new members to your clan. Take over properties, choose and customize your Sanctum(s)your safe house(s) from the sun , go classic Gothic , Modern or Futuristic, picking furnishings and even your Coffin. All this as well as sun and silver proofing acquired vehicles in your garage.
Pandemonium - You are a lesser Demon sent to earth to earn your Horns. Possess human hosts, make them commit attrocities and sin as much as possible,swallowing their souls along the way. When they are captured or destroyed jump to the next one. Using projectile vomit, spider walk, levitation and pyrokeneis.
With each conquest you earn more power and unlock more demonic abilities, getting closer to earning your Horns. Avoid Police and the Elite Exorcists as they will send you back down below.
Think a little bit like Destroy all Humans but with a Demon instead of a Alien.
You could'nt really build up scares just atmosphere in a horror sandbox game I think and would have to maintain some element of action to keep things moving.
I have a couple of suggestions for ideas.
Blood Feud - You are a Vampire ,humanity are cattle-their blood is your commodity.There is an entire city out there to feed on. He who controls the Blood controls the city. You must battle other clans over feeding grounds unlocking vampire powers and evolving with every kill. Using your Blood Bank which doubles as both life energy and currency to use your vampire powers. If things are'nt bad enough now The Moonshiners a pack of Werewolves have moved into your city threatening your food supply. Then there's also specialist counter-vampire police task force H.U.N.T. - ( Hemophage Unit Neutralization and Tactics) to consider with their UV spotlights and specialist weaponry. Fight for power and supremacy. Fly , shape shift , control bats, use mind control and "turn" to recruit new members to your clan. Take over properties, choose and customize your Sanctum(s)your safe house(s) from the sun , go classic Gothic , Modern or Futuristic, picking furnishings and even your Coffin. All this as well as sun and silver proofing acquired vehicles in your garage.
Pandemonium - You are a lesser Demon sent to earth to earn your Horns. Possess human hosts, make them commit attrocities and sin as much as possible,swallowing their souls along the way. When they are captured or destroyed jump to the next one. Using projectile vomit, spider walk, levitation and pyrokeneis.
With each conquest you earn more power and unlock more demonic abilities, getting closer to earning your Horns. Avoid Police and the Elite Exorcists as they will send you back down below.
Think a little bit like Destroy all Humans but with a Demon instead of a Alien.
Hi folks just joined. I think in terms of Action/Horror Sandbox Prototype 1 and 2 comes pretty close as it lets you play as a man-turned-monster who's out for revenge on those who made him the way he is. Essentially using the Frankenstien's Monster coming back to torment and kill his creator.
You could'nt really build up scares just atmosphere in a horror sandbox game I think and would have to maintain some element of action to keep things moving.
I have a couple of suggestions for ideas.
Blood Feud - You are a Vampire ,humanity are cattle-their blood is your commodity.There is an entire city out there to feed on. He who controls the Blood controls the city. You must battle other clans over feeding grounds unlocking vampire powers and evolving with every kill. Using your Blood Bank which doubles as both life energy and currency to use your vampire powers. If things are'nt bad enough now The Moonshiners a pack of Werewolves have moved into your city threatening your food supply. Then there's also specialist counter-vampire police task force H.U.N.T. - ( Hemophage Unit Neutralization and Tactics) to consider with their UV spotlights and specialist weaponry. Fight for power and supremacy. Fly , shape shift , control bats, use mind control and "turn" to recruit new members to your clan. Take over properties, choose and customize your Sanctum(s)your safe house(s) from the sun , go classic Gothic , Modern or Futuristic, picking furnishings and even your Coffin. All this as well as sun and silver proofing acquired vehicles in your garage.
Pandemonium - You are a lesser Demon sent to earth to earn your Horns. Possess human hosts, make them commit attrocities and sin as much as possible,swallowing their souls along the way. When they are captured or destroyed jump to the next one. Using projectile vomit, spider walk, levitation and pyrokeneis.
With each conquest you earn more power and unlock more demonic abilities, getting closer to earning your Horns. Avoid Police and the Elite Exorcists as they will send you back down below.
Think a little bit like Destroy all Humans but with a Demon instead of a Alien.
You could'nt really build up scares just atmosphere in a horror sandbox game I think and would have to maintain some element of action to keep things moving.
I have a couple of suggestions for ideas.
Blood Feud - You are a Vampire ,humanity are cattle-their blood is your commodity.There is an entire city out there to feed on. He who controls the Blood controls the city. You must battle other clans over feeding grounds unlocking vampire powers and evolving with every kill. Using your Blood Bank which doubles as both life energy and currency to use your vampire powers. If things are'nt bad enough now The Moonshiners a pack of Werewolves have moved into your city threatening your food supply. Then there's also specialist counter-vampire police task force H.U.N.T. - ( Hemophage Unit Neutralization and Tactics) to consider with their UV spotlights and specialist weaponry. Fight for power and supremacy. Fly , shape shift , control bats, use mind control and "turn" to recruit new members to your clan. Take over properties, choose and customize your Sanctum(s)your safe house(s) from the sun , go classic Gothic , Modern or Futuristic, picking furnishings and even your Coffin. All this as well as sun and silver proofing acquired vehicles in your garage.
Pandemonium - You are a lesser Demon sent to earth to earn your Horns. Possess human hosts, make them commit attrocities and sin as much as possible,swallowing their souls along the way. When they are captured or destroyed jump to the next one. Using projectile vomit, spider walk, levitation and pyrokeneis.
With each conquest you earn more power and unlock more demonic abilities, getting closer to earning your Horns. Avoid Police and the Elite Exorcists as they will send you back down below.
Think a little bit like Destroy all Humans but with a Demon instead of a Alien.
The problem here is there doesn't seem to be any consensus over what it means for a game to be horror to begin with.
Everyone is saying that pacing in a sandbox game is difficult to manipulate... but that makes it sound like we're talking about jump scares. What about atmosphere? A lot of atmosphere is created passively. Art design, background music and noises, ideas.
Here are a couple of examples off the top of my head:
-AVP2. Gives the player a motion detector that will go off all the time. Works both as a jump scare (oh shit they're coming for me RIGHT NOW) AND as atmosphere (oh shit I have no idea what's making that noise, it could be a broken door or it could be an evil alien that wants to eat me).
-Dishonored SPOILERS AHEAD YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. Big house. Lots of corpses inside. You have to explore the whole place. As you investigate, the rooms get weirder and weirder, and you find secret passageways to rooms that seem to exist for no purpose at all other than freaking you out. All just level design. Now, there was another cool element on top of that which would be tricky (but far from impossible!) to pace in a sandbox game, and that is that by this point in the game there have been a lot of subtle suggestions that there might be zombies in the city. You haven't seen any, you don't even know if they exist, but as you're exploring this scary ass place with its corpses and bizarro rooms, you start thinking... holy shit are they going to come for me here? Again, completely passive (they don't!). Even the hints are passive, just a couple of suggestive posters here and there and some suggestive dialogue between NPCs. Trickier when you can't be 100% sure players will visit this place or that... but not impossible. Few sandbox games are COMPLETELY sandbox, anyway. There's usually SOME linearity.
I don't think this is impossible. Tougher to make than your average sandbox, sure. But not impossible.
Everyone is saying that pacing in a sandbox game is difficult to manipulate... but that makes it sound like we're talking about jump scares. What about atmosphere? A lot of atmosphere is created passively. Art design, background music and noises, ideas.
Here are a couple of examples off the top of my head:
-AVP2. Gives the player a motion detector that will go off all the time. Works both as a jump scare (oh shit they're coming for me RIGHT NOW) AND as atmosphere (oh shit I have no idea what's making that noise, it could be a broken door or it could be an evil alien that wants to eat me).
-Dishonored SPOILERS AHEAD YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. Big house. Lots of corpses inside. You have to explore the whole place. As you investigate, the rooms get weirder and weirder, and you find secret passageways to rooms that seem to exist for no purpose at all other than freaking you out. All just level design. Now, there was another cool element on top of that which would be tricky (but far from impossible!) to pace in a sandbox game, and that is that by this point in the game there have been a lot of subtle suggestions that there might be zombies in the city. You haven't seen any, you don't even know if they exist, but as you're exploring this scary ass place with its corpses and bizarro rooms, you start thinking... holy shit are they going to come for me here? Again, completely passive (they don't!). Even the hints are passive, just a couple of suggestive posters here and there and some suggestive dialogue between NPCs. Trickier when you can't be 100% sure players will visit this place or that... but not impossible. Few sandbox games are COMPLETELY sandbox, anyway. There's usually SOME linearity.
I don't think this is impossible. Tougher to make than your average sandbox, sure. But not impossible.
Okay, so the main reason it's agreed that a sandbox would be incapable of correct pacing and atmosphere is because you need to be pushed down a certain scripted path, right?
Well how about this - You have several different versions of each event and place. I mean, lets say the pacing needs a series of events in a certain order, first creating a creepy atmosphere, building tension, throwing in a scare at a critical moment, and showing a slow descent into madness. Being a sandbox, the player can go anywhere and trigger the cues in the wrong order. But what if each of these cues triggered a counter? What if certain elements play out in any given area, but only if you've triggered the preceeding events?
I mean, say you build tension in one area and move on to another, at which point the new area continues exactly where the pacing left off. Surely that could work? I guess if you wanted the places and enemies to get more twisted and horrifying as you progress, it'd be a lot of work to create alternate versions of each area. But still, surely it would be possible in the right hands.
Well how about this - You have several different versions of each event and place. I mean, lets say the pacing needs a series of events in a certain order, first creating a creepy atmosphere, building tension, throwing in a scare at a critical moment, and showing a slow descent into madness. Being a sandbox, the player can go anywhere and trigger the cues in the wrong order. But what if each of these cues triggered a counter? What if certain elements play out in any given area, but only if you've triggered the preceeding events?
I mean, say you build tension in one area and move on to another, at which point the new area continues exactly where the pacing left off. Surely that could work? I guess if you wanted the places and enemies to get more twisted and horrifying as you progress, it'd be a lot of work to create alternate versions of each area. But still, surely it would be possible in the right hands.