Help Me Make A Game... For Real! (Now Accepting Alpha Testers)

[MXRom]

wibble

While including time limits is very fear-inducing, it's also quite maddening in your average text adventure.

And since I'm probably going to go Satanic (since I know more about that than Lovecraftian horrors), the incomprehensibility probably won't stick (and is hard to describe in text anyhow).

An idea I DO like in there is loss of stability, though. Any ideas on how to implement that beyond "Here is your sanity bar, don't run out of sanity"?

Well as sanity declines, so does the character's grasp on reality. This ties in with using the senses to detect if the big bad monster(s) chasing you are nearby. Like for example when some demonic thing is 5 rooms away "You hear something faint. Pausing for a moment, you confirm footsteps. They seem far away, but still close enough to be wary about" and when they're 3 rooms away "A sudden stench of something metallic hits your nostrils." and when they are real close...I dunno, depends on how you want to deal with encounters.

Point being, as sanity decreases you leave the player wondering, is it really there? Is there an actual demon stalking you or are you just imagining this one? As it gets worse, the player may involuntarily lose control of his character, who goes to hide from something that may or may not be there. Solving puzzles, and imposing logic on the world again restores the sanity and makes the phantom monsters go away for a bit, but only temporary.

 

[lacktheknack]

All five senses, yes. I remember the best text adventures doing that.

And the monsters are only a danger to stupid players. Unless I can think of a fair way to threaten the players without frustrating the slow ones.

So will the monsters be tangible or not? Depending on what kind of monster we're talking about here there are several possible scenarios to heighten tension in-game.
I'm sorry for asking, I'm just so damn curious

No no, keep asking questions! The more you ask, the more I think about what I'm doing, which is the point of this thread.

I haven't decided on tangibility, but if I go with standard Satanism, then the demons would be intangible, but able to possess things. However, I haven't decided if this means the PCs can be possessed (this could be bloody terrifying) or if there's other... things... in the church that could be possessed.

 

[lacktheknack]

wibble

While including time limits is very fear-inducing, it's also quite maddening in your average text adventure.

And since I'm probably going to go Satanic (since I know more about that than Lovecraftian horrors), the incomprehensibility probably won't stick (and is hard to describe in text anyhow).

An idea I DO like in there is loss of stability, though. Any ideas on how to implement that beyond "Here is your sanity bar, don't run out of sanity"?

Well as sanity declines, so does the character's grasp on reality. This ties in with using the senses to detect if the big bad monster(s) chasing you are nearby. Like for example when some demonic thing is 5 rooms away "You hear something faint. Pausing for a moment, you confirm footsteps. They seem far away, but still close enough to be wary about" and when they're 3 rooms away "A sudden stench of something metallic hits your nostrils." and when they are real close...I dunno, depends on how you want to deal with encounters.

Point being, as sanity decreases you leave the player wondering, is it really there? Is there an actual demon stalking you or are you just imagining this one? As it gets worse, the player may involuntarily lose control of his character, who goes to hide from something that may or may not be there. Solving puzzles, and imposing logic on the world again restores the sanity and makes the phantom monsters go away for a bit, but only temporary.

That's kind of "here's your sanity bar, don't run out". Sanity bars are a bit cliche, if you ask me, and I'd like to avoid using one. Sliding bars of sanity are pretty irritating to program in a "digital" (ie. not analog) setting. I can't just say "At this level of sanity, this happens", I have to go to each individual room and make five or six different descriptions depending on the player sanity.

Also, it could easily lead to a "no-win" situation if insanity jacks the PC's actions, which I'm going out of my way to avoid.

I'm thinking I'd prefer a binary state of "You're not in your right mind" or "You're feeling mentally fit". Either you're doing good and all is well, or I can have "fun things" happening, but two states of mind is much easier than five or six.

This removes the "You're stuck in this state unless you move quickly" feel, which I find less scary and more annoying. The thing I'm stuck on is what kind of event should lower mental well-being.

 

[MXRom]

wibble

wibble wibble

wibble wibble wibble

I would think just encountering something that is unreal. The brain witnessing something that for so long it thought could not exist, will struggle for a while to reassess what is valid and what isn't. Sounds cliched but that's all I can think of. Especially for a text game.

 

[lacktheknack]

wibble

wibble wibble

wibble wibble wibble

I would think just encountering something that is unreal. The brain witnessing something that for so long it thought could not exist, will struggle for a while to reassess what is valid and what isn't. Sounds cliched but that's all I can think of. Especially for a text game.

Yes, that's fair. However, what about something they can write off as them imagining things (footsteps, for instance)? Or what if they've been in the church long enough that they've accepted the crazy things that happen to them by the end?

I'm not trying to grill you, I'm just asking myself questions out loud and will take input from anyone.

 

[Mako SOLDIER]

wibble

While including time limits is very fear-inducing, it's also quite maddening in your average text adventure.

And since I'm probably going to go Satanic (since I know more about that than Lovecraftian horrors), the incomprehensibility probably won't stick (and is hard to describe in text anyhow).

An idea I DO like in there is loss of stability, though. Any ideas on how to implement that beyond "Here is your sanity bar, don't run out of sanity"?

Well as sanity declines, so does the character's grasp on reality. This ties in with using the senses to detect if the big bad monster(s) chasing you are nearby. Like for example when some demonic thing is 5 rooms away "You hear something faint. Pausing for a moment, you confirm footsteps. They seem far away, but still close enough to be wary about" and when they're 3 rooms away "A sudden stench of something metallic hits your nostrils." and when they are real close...I dunno, depends on how you want to deal with encounters.

Point being, as sanity decreases you leave the player wondering, is it really there? Is there an actual demon stalking you or are you just imagining this one? As it gets worse, the player may involuntarily lose control of his character, who goes to hide from something that may or may not be there. Solving puzzles, and imposing logic on the world again restores the sanity and makes the phantom monsters go away for a bit, but only temporary.

That's kind of "here's your sanity bar, don't run out". Sanity bars are a bit cliche, if you ask me, and I'd like to avoid using one. Sliding bars of sanity are pretty irritating to program in a "digital" (ie. not analog) setting. I can't just say "At this level of sanity, this happens", I have to go to each individual room and make five or six different descriptions depending on the player sanity.

Also, it could easily lead to a "no-win" situation if insanity jacks the PC's actions, which I'm going out of my way to avoid.

I'm thinking I'd prefer a binary state of "You're not in your right mind" or "You're feeling mentally fit". Either you're doing good and all is well, or I can have "fun things" happening, but two states of mind is much easier than five or six.

This removes the "You're stuck in this state unless you move quickly" feel, which I find less scary and more annoying. The thing I'm stuck on is what kind of event should lower mental well-being.

Hi, just saw this thread and thought I'd jump in.

Perhaps you could solve two issues in one go. Let's say that (hypothetically) you cannot actually fight the demons (not until the very end of the game at least). Successful solving of a puzzle or running away and barricading a door etc gets you out of harms way. What if you started off generically, ie - the sanity effects kick in immediately after an encounter and then gradually fade away as time away from danger passes. Then, from that point on, you could use it as a 'proximity sensor' of sorts. If you limit it to things like 'Area A had a screwdriver in it. The player has picked up the screwdriver, but when they return to the area they find that there is another screwdriver there' or 'the player is in a cellar, several floors down, but for some reason the room contains a window looking out over the surrounding countryside', then you could use it as a means for canny players to figure out that something is nearby, increasing it in subtle ways as the demon/monster/whatever gets closer (measured in how many rooms away it is perhaps?). It keeps the effects unintrusive but makes the player question all the little things. Plus, you could end up with one of those games where people come to fear certain items or scenery (because, for example, usually if a room contains a mural depicting the crucifixion it means that the monster is RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR!) and then you can place them legitimately in more appropriate locations and trick the player into a fear response when they're actually quite safe.

Apologies if this post is a bit rambling and doesn't make much sense, I'm quite tired

 

[lacktheknack]

wibble

While including time limits is very fear-inducing, it's also quite maddening in your average text adventure.

And since I'm probably going to go Satanic (since I know more about that than Lovecraftian horrors), the incomprehensibility probably won't stick (and is hard to describe in text anyhow).

An idea I DO like in there is loss of stability, though. Any ideas on how to implement that beyond "Here is your sanity bar, don't run out of sanity"?

Well as sanity declines, so does the character's grasp on reality. This ties in with using the senses to detect if the big bad monster(s) chasing you are nearby. Like for example when some demonic thing is 5 rooms away "You hear something faint. Pausing for a moment, you confirm footsteps. They seem far away, but still close enough to be wary about" and when they're 3 rooms away "A sudden stench of something metallic hits your nostrils." and when they are real close...I dunno, depends on how you want to deal with encounters.

Point being, as sanity decreases you leave the player wondering, is it really there? Is there an actual demon stalking you or are you just imagining this one? As it gets worse, the player may involuntarily lose control of his character, who goes to hide from something that may or may not be there. Solving puzzles, and imposing logic on the world again restores the sanity and makes the phantom monsters go away for a bit, but only temporary.

That's kind of "here's your sanity bar, don't run out". Sanity bars are a bit cliche, if you ask me, and I'd like to avoid using one. Sliding bars of sanity are pretty irritating to program in a "digital" (ie. not analog) setting. I can't just say "At this level of sanity, this happens", I have to go to each individual room and make five or six different descriptions depending on the player sanity.

Also, it could easily lead to a "no-win" situation if insanity jacks the PC's actions, which I'm going out of my way to avoid.

I'm thinking I'd prefer a binary state of "You're not in your right mind" or "You're feeling mentally fit". Either you're doing good and all is well, or I can have "fun things" happening, but two states of mind is much easier than five or six.

This removes the "You're stuck in this state unless you move quickly" feel, which I find less scary and more annoying. The thing I'm stuck on is what kind of event should lower mental well-being.

Hi, just saw this thread and thought I'd jump in.

Perhaps you could solve two issues in one go. Let's say that (hypothetically) you cannot actually fight the demons (not until the very end of the game at least). Successful solving of a puzzle or running away and barricading a door etc gets you out of harms way. What if you started off generically, ie - the sanity effects kick in immediately after an encounter and then gradually fade away as time away from danger passes. Then, from that point on, you could use it as a 'proximity sensor' of sorts. If you limit it to things like 'Area A had a screwdriver in it. The player has picked up the screwdriver, but when they return to the area they find that there is another screwdriver there' or 'the player is in a cellar, several floors down, but for some reason the room contains a window looking out over the surrounding countryside', then you could use it as a means for canny players to figure out that something is nearby, increasing it in subtle ways as the demon/monster/whatever gets closer (measured in how many rooms away it is perhaps?). It keeps the effects unintrusive but makes the player question all the little things. Plus, you could end up with one of those games where people come to fear certain items or scenery (because, for example, usually if a room contains a mural depicting the crucifixion it means that the monster is RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR!) and then you can place them legitimately in more appropriate locations and trick the player into a fear response when they're actually quite safe.

Apologies if this post is a bit rambling and doesn't make much sense, I'm quite tired

It's BRILLIANT.

Things added to my list:
-learn how to make patrolling enemies (your post and others have more or less cemented this)
-think of some simple meaningful symbols for danger

Actually, after dinner, maybe I should just make up a list of planned features for people to comment on... it should help with this silly "one person bumps the thread every three hours" thing that's been going on...

EDIT: In retrospect, this is actually very similar to what MXRom was suggesting, which I turned down.

The difference is that my interpretation of Mako's suggestion is smaller in scope, before MXRom thinks I'm just being mean to him.

 

[Mako SOLDIER]

wibble

While including time limits is very fear-inducing, it's also quite maddening in your average text adventure.

And since I'm probably going to go Satanic (since I know more about that than Lovecraftian horrors), the incomprehensibility probably won't stick (and is hard to describe in text anyhow).

An idea I DO like in there is loss of stability, though. Any ideas on how to implement that beyond "Here is your sanity bar, don't run out of sanity"?

Well as sanity declines, so does the character's grasp on reality. This ties in with using the senses to detect if the big bad monster(s) chasing you are nearby. Like for example when some demonic thing is 5 rooms away "You hear something faint. Pausing for a moment, you confirm footsteps. They seem far away, but still close enough to be wary about" and when they're 3 rooms away "A sudden stench of something metallic hits your nostrils." and when they are real close...I dunno, depends on how you want to deal with encounters.

Point being, as sanity decreases you leave the player wondering, is it really there? Is there an actual demon stalking you or are you just imagining this one? As it gets worse, the player may involuntarily lose control of his character, who goes to hide from something that may or may not be there. Solving puzzles, and imposing logic on the world again restores the sanity and makes the phantom monsters go away for a bit, but only temporary.

That's kind of "here's your sanity bar, don't run out". Sanity bars are a bit cliche, if you ask me, and I'd like to avoid using one. Sliding bars of sanity are pretty irritating to program in a "digital" (ie. not analog) setting. I can't just say "At this level of sanity, this happens", I have to go to each individual room and make five or six different descriptions depending on the player sanity.

Also, it could easily lead to a "no-win" situation if insanity jacks the PC's actions, which I'm going out of my way to avoid.

I'm thinking I'd prefer a binary state of "You're not in your right mind" or "You're feeling mentally fit". Either you're doing good and all is well, or I can have "fun things" happening, but two states of mind is much easier than five or six.

This removes the "You're stuck in this state unless you move quickly" feel, which I find less scary and more annoying. The thing I'm stuck on is what kind of event should lower mental well-being.

Hi, just saw this thread and thought I'd jump in.

Perhaps you could solve two issues in one go. Let's say that (hypothetically) you cannot actually fight the demons (not until the very end of the game at least). Successful solving of a puzzle or running away and barricading a door etc gets you out of harms way. What if you started off generically, ie - the sanity effects kick in immediately after an encounter and then gradually fade away as time away from danger passes. Then, from that point on, you could use it as a 'proximity sensor' of sorts. If you limit it to things like 'Area A had a screwdriver in it. The player has picked up the screwdriver, but when they return to the area they find that there is another screwdriver there' or 'the player is in a cellar, several floors down, but for some reason the room contains a window looking out over the surrounding countryside', then you could use it as a means for canny players to figure out that something is nearby, increasing it in subtle ways as the demon/monster/whatever gets closer (measured in how many rooms away it is perhaps?). It keeps the effects unintrusive but makes the player question all the little things. Plus, you could end up with one of those games where people come to fear certain items or scenery (because, for example, usually if a room contains a mural depicting the crucifixion it means that the monster is RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR!) and then you can place them legitimately in more appropriate locations and trick the player into a fear response when they're actually quite safe.

Apologies if this post is a bit rambling and doesn't make much sense, I'm quite tired

It's BRILLIANT.

Things added to my list:
-learn how to make patrolling enemies (your post and others have more or less cemented this)
-think of some simple meaningful symbols for danger

Actually, after dinner, maybe I should just make up a list of planned features for people to comment on... it should help with this silly "one person bumps the thread every three hours" thing that's been going on...

EDIT: In retrospect, this is actually very similar to what MXRom was suggesting, which I turned down.

The difference is that my interpretation of Mako's suggestion is smaller in scope, before MXRom thinks I'm just being mean to him.

Just went back and re-read MXRom's post. My bad, should have read the thread more carefully as they are in essence the same idea, just a different implementation using one system (where sanity essentially IS proximity) rather than two systems (perception of proximity which is then affected by a separate sanity level). Sorry MX, didn't mean to steal your idea.

 

[lacktheknack]

OK, so far...

Definitely will try:
-Patrolling enemies
-Subtle impossibilities to add unease
-Heavier on the horror vs. the mystery aspect
-Multiple PCs (need suggestions on the second PC!)
-Simple Stepford town
-Probably Satanic possession

Possibilities mentioned:
-Randomizing the layout of the church periodically (very maybe)
-Proximity-to-baddie insanity

Possibilities I've Come Up With That I Want Comments On:
-Music (anyone know of any free software?)
-Ambient sounds (anyone know of any good free sources/methods of making my own?)
-Basic visuals (what situations would call for a visual? Anyone wanna donate drawings?)
-Comprehensive everything (what are common commands you would imagine yourself using?)

I need information and thoughts, guys!

 

[Thomas Barnsley]

In regards to the companion you want to have, I reckon someone fairly like able. I know that doesn't sound like it fits with the horror theme, but I find companions so much more interesting if I like them.

Also, maybe you could make it nonhuman? Maybe I kind of living instrument to help with puzzles and background knowledge. That would be interesting.

Seeing how they're going to be a PC, they more or less have to be likable... and human. An AI partner in a text adventure is going on my "for next time" list, though... unless I can find a feasible and non-crowded way of integrating both...

Sorry I forgot the character was a pc. Assumed it would be an npc that just adds another factor to the story.
But while I'm thinking about the other playable human character, and noticing you still wanted suggestions on one, I'll try to help out again with some ideas.

So it would be a local of the village right? As you said, a resident who is willing to help you while everyone else refuses. He's different from the rest. This makes me think of a pariah of sorts; someone who does not conform with the other superstitious inhabitants and is generally mistrusted.
Considering the 'bizarre superstitious behavior' of the townspeople, I imagine the other pc to be be a strange but intellectual kind of guy, maybe an old professor of some kind? Yes, here's an idea based on the above reasoning:

An eccentric old man, called Theodore or some fancy old name like that, who is a distinguished professor in cultist theology. Something like that, the background is mostly irrelivent. He came to the town on an expedition to study and investigate the church, but was abandoned by his colleagues when they pussied out. Then he couldn't enter (maybe two people are needed to unlock the entrance, doesn't matter), but remained for years in the hope that an opportunity would arise. The arrival of your girl character is this opportunity.
In terms of gameplay, there could be different abilities and stats for the two characters. Maybe Theodore has higher sanity than the girl, or vice versa, or they can use different tools to help with puzzles. For example: maybe there's an inscription on the wall of the upper story of a courtyard, but the stairs are in ruins. The spritely girl can climb up fairly easily, but cannot understand the inscription, whereas the professor has a degree in obscure languages but is also too old to reach it. Solution: either the girl finds some way of making the climb easier or she finds some way to copy the inscription.
That may not be the puzzle type you have in mind, but you see what I'm getting at right?
Also, his interest of superstition would clash well with the girls cynicism.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

-Basic visuals (what situations would call for a visual? Anyone wanna donate drawings?)

I think you should only use any visuals to enhance your puzzles, maybe the visual gives clues to how to solve the puzzle, vital information or the visual itself is the puzzle, use them where trying to explain something in words becomes very awkward and convoluted.

Apart from that, the beauty of a text based game is that the imagination, given a poke in the right direction, will conjure up scarier images than anyone could ever draw, so my opinion would be to keep the horror aspect unseen and stick to text and sound to evoke fear in players.

-Comprehensive everything (what are common commands you would imagine yourself using?)

It would probably help to organize different functions for your game into headings and then come up with synonyms for them.

For example:

Examine - look at/inspect/investigate

Pick up - grab/take

Use 'x' on 'y' - Use 'x' with 'y'/Combine 'x' with 'y'

Walk - go/run/travel

I think that Quest lets you display a list of possible commands, which makes this less of an issue.


I don't have much to say in terms of music, sounds etc but my advice would be to keep it simple and atmospheric.

 

[Terratina.]

I need information and thoughts, guys!

I think there's some room for an interface screw or two, say when the girl finds herself trapped in the basement of the church and the demonic entities want to play around with her a bit. For example, with a text adventure, you could possibly do something like when a player enters in an everyday command, e.g. 'walk left', just pull a HAL and output 'YOU CAN'T DO THAT'. Another thing you could possibly do is 'corrupted' text. One effective way to do is, I think, is to present the player with a list of options but the text is scrambled and the player can hardly make out what the options are. I dunno if these ideas are any good or not, just throwing them out there. Sorry if these aren't comments on music, ambient sounds or visuals but the whole Quest thing in the previous post tiggered this set of ideas.

 

[SweetShark]

A suggestion I have to give, without reading the other posts [I will read them later], do something similar like the text game "Corruption of Champions". For interface I mean.

Here how the game look while you play:

Spoiler: NSFW Dialog in the video

You could simple have the game in a text format, but the decisions the heroes must make to be variant selection they can choose.
With this way, it will be more easier and freindly for the user to play the game.
However you must test the game properly to see if all the choices you will have in the game make sense to the player.

 

[SweetShark]

I read the most of the posts.
I think by selecting the most obvious kind of Horror element [demons,ghosts], it will hurt the game in my opinion.
I know that, because I already played MANY horror titles and honestly I get little sick with the same concept over and over again...

I have two different suggestion to make for what kind of Horror element you will present in your game:

(1) Search for an interesting Urban legend or made up one:

It can be any kind of urban legend, even if it is for ghosts/demons.
A very good recent example of a interesting urban Legend in a game is "Bunny Man: Lost Souls"

I good try I must say from the developers, but VERY hard to win.

"The Bunny Man is an urban legend that probably originated from two incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1970, but has been spread throughout the Washington D.C. area. There are many variations to the legend, but most involve a man wearing a rabbit costume ("bunny suit") who attacks people with an axe. Many variations occur around Colchester Overpass, a Southern Railway overpass spanning Colchester Road near Clifton.[1] Colchester Overpass is commonly referred to as "Bunny Man Bridge". Story variations include the origin of the Bunny Man, names, motives, weapons, victims, description of the bunny suit or lack there of, and the possible death of the Bunny Man. In some accounts the Bunny Man's ghost or aging spectre is said to come out of his place of death each year on Halloween to commemorate his death. In some accounts, victims' bodies are mutilated"

In other words, you can take an a legend and change it to fix for your game.



I will continue later, because I leaving my workplace bye

 

[lacktheknack]

snip

I'm not sure about the old professor specifically (I'm not acquainted with enough people of the type to do it realistically), but keeping the PCs inherently different is a good thing to keep in mind. Thanks!

snip

I'll still need donations either way, though. The reason I chose a text adventure is because I cannot draw.

Also, those actions are a given. I mean, can you think of things you would often try in a text adventure that aren't the standard move/grab/look/talk?

Also, I think I found a MIDI composer, I'll play with it and see what happens.

snip

Interface screws are hard to do right. Got examples of them working well (besides Eternal Darkness)?

sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!!!!

Quest doesn't support that very well, I don't think. I also straight up don't like the format.

Also, could you please look for less soul-scarring examples in the future? Thanks!

snip again

I know what you're going for with that, but aren't horror concepts exactly as original as you make them? I mean, if I have a possessed guy running around trying to murder the protagonists, then yeah, that's unoriginal, but only because I played the demon aspect entirely straight. What's stopping me from making a demon-controlled swarm of cockroaches, or something similar? By the same token, what's stopping your Bunny Man example from being a demonically possessed guy?

I don't want to rework the setting I've already got partially written down from scratch, you understand.

EDIT: Fixed quote failure.

 

[SweetShark]

I know what you're going for with that, but aren't horror concepts exactly as original as you make them? I mean, if I have a possessed guy running around trying to murder the protagonists, then yeah, that's unoriginal, but only because I played the demon aspect entirely straight. What's stopping me from making a demon-controlled swarm of cockroaches, or something similar? By the same token, what's stopping your Bunny Man example from being a demonically possessed guy?

I don't want to rework the setting I've already got partially written down from scratch, you understand.

EDIT: Fixed quote failure.

Aaa, I see.
So you have a story to tell, but it is heavily about only for life of the protagonists, but no for "the horror" will hunt them down.
I am correct?

Anyway, my other suggestion I had is somehow similar with the cockroaches.

(2) Unknown Horror:

With this I mean in the whole game none will know what kind of "horror" the protagonists have to face.
In the most indie horror games I play there is always a ghosts or a demons and you quickly get tired of it if it is a long game.

However if you manage somehow to hide he identity of the "danger" the heroes have to face in many different forms, it would be much more interesting.

For example us you said, you can have a demon using many kind of different "tricks" to succeed kill the heroes.
Some examples:

-Your example is a good one. In a specific room a swarm of cockroaches appear suddenly from a black hole to the floor to cover the exit.

-The demon have some worshipers in the village and because the heroes didn't listen to the warning they gave, they want to find them and kill them. Of course the heroes will never learn why these people want them dead, but only very late in the game.

-Many different walls,statues,etc inside the church, suddenly out of nowhere will start to break and fall to the heads of the heroes.

-Now this idea is a good one. The devil use the 7 sins to manipulate the heroes. For example a treasure room full of gold and many different kind of riches can be a deadly trap for them. This room symbolized Greed.
In Another room they see a full room with food of any kind. All the foods sadly are poisoned. However here is the trick: You will never learn that because the poison will kill you later in the game, not immidiadly.
This room is Gluttony. You get the idea.


So in other words, as the Amnesia did, don't show the "real danger" right away. Keep it hidden as long as possible you can. Make the player guessing what all the obstacles he/she meet means.

That all for now.

 

[Thetwistedendgame]

My suggestion is trying to flip the game upside-down. First, you get stuck in the church and have to make your way to the exit. Turns out you can't use the exit for reason [x] and you have to backtrack all the way through the church to the lowest point. But it isn't backtracking. The previous floors have mysteriously changed...

At least, if the game engine can do that.

 

[go-10]

religious horror?

both books of Solomon can be your best friends for demons and probably what the game is about. You could have the player be a modern day Solomon working his way to capturing all the demons in his modern time incarnation

 

[Captain Billy]

If it's "religious horror" you're looking for, have you ever heard of Lilith? It's the name for a beautiful Babylonian she-demon, and while there are some pretty nebulous mentions of her in the Bible, the idea I find far more interesting is the subsequent Jewish folk tale idea. God created Lilith as Adam's first wife, and after she refused to obey God's commands and even married Samael, one of the Lord's own fallen angels, she was cast out of the Garden of Eden. Through a bunch of interpretations, she eventually became a seductive and powerful archdemon. There's a lot of great stuff like this in Kabbalistic Judaism.

So, an extremely rough idea based off this kind of pseudo-Judeo-Christian horror: the villagers are "more than friendly" to her, and in fact, treat her with great respect, but refuse to let her out of the village and the surrounding area. She manages to form an alliance with one of the farmhands, a middle-aged man who was similarly trapped in the valley twenty years earlier. To contrast with her (let's call her Maria) cynicism, he could be still optimistic, hoping that one day he'll find a way out of the village. He's already tried to escape several times, so he'll have a better knowledge of the rigorous defenses, and he'll know everything in the village besides whatever's in the church in the meadow. They could be forced into the building during a brutal thunderstorm, and maybe Maria could notice the carvings on the inner altar, and their striking similarity to her own image... That's right, plot twist. Just as Christ was the earthly incarnation of the new Adam, Maria herself is the new human form of the first demon, Lilith. The villagers are not in any way a malicious or dangerous cult; they're just trying to keep the world from discovering the identity of the archdemon. The forced quarantine was simply in effect to keep any rescuers attracting attention. Or something like that. If you've ever seen the Last Temptation of Christ, you'll know exactly the kind of narrative fun that can be had with an unwilling god. Let's say Maria and Jonas are now forced to defend themselves from the villagers, all of whom, now aware of the threat, are trying to capture or kill Maria and thereby prevent Lilith's rebirth. Maria's unwitting nature could present some more interesting supernatural puzzle sequences. Let's say she's put in a cage in the center of the village square, so she can't move or try to escape without attracting attention and triggering an execution sequence. The player would have to figure out how to use a blue-black butterfly, Lilith's familiar/alternate form in Kabbalistic literature, to direct Jonas to free her.

Hopefully there's something usable in that mess of text. Good luck with the game, and if you'd like any more ideas spewed at you, hit me up, yeah?

 

[Terratina.]

Interface screws are hard to do right. Got examples of them working well (besides Eternal Darkness)?

I don't really know any really good examples besides Eternal Darkness. :/

The only other thing I can think of are the Data Bugs and the Phases off the .hack games, mainly because their HP is displayed as something like :£20^/-%21*.

Spoiler

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