Here is some help for horror makers!

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    • Here is some help for horror makers!

      So you are making a horror game/mod/video/music/picture/gif/story? Heres some tips for making one (Mainly focusing on games and mods)


      Environment:
      What are most horror games like? Dark. Why? Because sunshine and well light up places are not threatening (Because most dangerous predators were hunting at night when we used to use sticks as a weapon). Darkness gives the the right mood and can be used to improve the scare (red eyes in the dark are much scarier that just red eyes hangining around. Same applies to monsters). And most scares can be improved whit darkness. Nothing is more scary than seeing something moving in the darkness where you have to go ( Monsters or parts of it/them).
      You should still be careful about how you use lighting and shadows. If its too dark, player might miss some scares because its too dark to see. If its too bright the scare can lose its scarynes. And keep in mind that flashing lights can be scary too (Hospital whit blood on the walls and flickering lights) if timed right.


      Monsters:
      Making a monster isnt that hard. Take a human ad blood here and there and its done. But if you want to make it more advanced you have to do little more than that.
      Most horror monsters are ugly and look a little like humans. This is scary because human brain is developed to recognize other humans. If something looks and acts little bit like human but still isnt human (Bro, zombie,skeletons) its scary because we cant know if the thing is friendly or not and therefore brain does not know how to react.
      For an example the Bro would not be scary if it were beautiful. There are some beautiful and cute monsters in horror games but they usually act, move and speak strangely (Head shaking monsters from Afraid of monsters would not be so scary if they didnt shake their head). Good tactic is to make something look cute and then make it transfrom into something horrible.
      Heres an example: Image a kitten. Its sitting it back towards you. Suddenly it turns its head 180 degrees, it stares at you whit its red eyes and starts to drool maggots and worms from its mouth. Then it stands up on its back legs, turns and starts to walk towards you.


      Scare scenes and gameplay: Jumpscares. Every horror game has jumpscares. They are good for almost any purpose. But dont use them too much. Do something different. Be original.Just heavy breathing at the right time can scare the shit out of a player. Use mentally horrible stuff carefully because it can traumatize someone for a lifetime (As a example you force the player to kill babies.)
      Remember to leave something for the imagination too. Monsters dont look so scary if you see them all the time (Imagine the kitten take a dump or drink its morning coffee. Not so scary now.) If there is something whit red eyes hiding in the air vent let it be like that. Everything does not need an explanation.
      Sometimes removing the ability to fight against the monsters is a good thing (Amnesia). Puzzles are also good addition if they are used properly (Completing a puzzle can be harder when you are afraid that the monster can break the door that is between you and it). Removing the ability to run can make escaping the monster more intense but it can also be a bad thing. And remember to adjust the speed of running. There isnt anything scary about running scenes if you are so fast that you could have rocket boots on and you could hardly see the difference.
      Dont copy too much and be original. Monsters are less scary if they all are the same guy whit different haircut. And dont copy something from another game (Directly or non-directly) because monster and the game loses lot of potential because player has already seen the monster somewhere else.


      Sounds:
      Make monsters footsteps, breathing, ambiances, screams, punches etc. sound realistic. This gives the feeling that you are actually in the game. You can also make some unnatural voices to monster (Kitten roaring?)
      And what comes to music pick the right type for the right moments. Something fast for action scenes, scary for normal moments. And DONT use dubstep! Unless you use it as infinite loop to drive the player crazy. Whispering, howls, animal sounds, sound of stuff breaking as a ambiances.



      These are just a few examples to what you can do.


      Hopefully you liked this and it helped you and gave you some ideas! Btw can someone post a drawing from that kitten like you imagine it?


      Btw im looking for Portal 2 maps (any genre but i would like horror) and an intro for my youtube channel. Channel can be found by searching Mrpaska11 at youtube.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Mrpaska11 ().

    • Mrpaska11 wrote:

      Sometime removing the ability to fight against the monsters is a good thing (Amnesia).

      Come on please , I played such games before it became cool.

      Meet Fiona , a hot waifu who clearly only can think with her double D's , stuck within a mansion with her dog




      Ugh , monsters are so mainstream. Lets add a quasimodo looking retard with the down syndrome (not even kidding...)



      And what does mister Debilitas want? (next to serving the owner of the land etc.) eat you RAPE YOU!!! (not even kidding) and what thing can you do? Hide! but will that be enough? Nope , since Debilitas is quite smart and can even sniff you out sometimes and then you need to run away again for him... but did I mention you have stamina + fear and that both drags you down and you dog runs off most sometimes and he can't buy you time then for you to run away...



      Ehm now back to the actual shizzle.

      I have to disagree with the Jumpscares part... Jumpscares don't make a horror game a horror game since I really know some good horror games without much or even without any Jumpscares while the story is darker then black. I personally think that story makes a bigger impact on the player if the player is not a rushing idiot and can "feel" what the protagonist feels (wow deep stuff there.)

      "What are most horror games like? Dark. Why? Because sunshine and well light up places are not threatening"
      I have to disagree with you about that , mostly if you strike with paranormal shit while it is day within a game, they will not expect it since they have all seen the movies where everything happens at night etc. this is one of the things where you can catch the player ofguard. but I'm almost sure that you can only apply paranormal scares (moving things , flinging stuff , sounds) at day , since when you show monsters at day , it wouldn't be that frightening (oh well , depends on the situation you are in)

      "And DONT use dubstep! Unless you use it as infinite loop to drive the player crazy. "
      I have to correct this , NEVER use dubstep in a horror game since it will take you out of a game and doesn't fit the genre, you are not some Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie in Tokyo.

      I have to fill in something in @ enviroment, not only darkness is important , but lighting also, since lighting can adjust the players mood andit can give a player a false sense of security etc.

      For example with colors :
      White : Normal , Safe
      Red : Caution , Stressful
      Blue : Calmness , Security
      Dark Yellowish / Brown : Moody

      Also my favorite rule : Don't make the game/map/story straight forward, make it make all twists and bends so it will confuse the player a lot , but not too much (because can make a game unplayable)



      The post was edited 1 time, last by PPP | FlameX ().

    • PPP | FlameX wrote:

      Mrpaska11 wrote:

      Sometime removing the ability to fight against the monsters is a good thing (Amnesia).

      Come on please , I played such games before it became cool.

      Meet Fiona , a hot waifu who clearly only can think with her double D's , stuck within a mansion with her dog




      Ugh , monsters are so mainstream. Lets add a quasimodo looking retard with the down syndrome (not even kidding...)



      And what does mister Debilitas want? (next to serving the owner of the land etc.) eat you RAPE YOU!!! (not even kidding) and what thing can you do? Hide! but will that be enough? Nope , since Debilitas is quite smart and can even sniff you out sometimes and then you need to run away again for him... but did I mention you have stamina + fear and that both drags you down and you dog runs off most sometimes and he can't buy you time then for you to run away...



      Ehm now back to the actual shizzle.

      I have to disagree with the Jumpscares part... Jumpscares don't make a horror game a horror game since I really know some good horror games without any or even without any Jumpscares while the story is darker then black. I personally think that story makes a bigger impact on the player if the player is not a rushing idiot and can "feel" what the protagonist feels (wow deep stuff there.)

      "What are most horror games like? Dark. Why? Because sunshine and well light up places are not threatening"
      I have to disagree with you about that , mostly if you strike with paranormal shit while it is day within a game, they will not expect it since they have all seen the movies where everything happens at night etc. this is one of the things where you can catch the player ofguard. but I'm almost sure that you can only apply paranormal scares (moving things , flinging stuff , sounds) at day , since when you show monsters at day , it wouldn't be that frightening (oh well , depends on the situation you are in)

      "And DONT use dubstep! Unless you use it as infinite loop to drive the player crazy. "
      I have to correct this , NEVER use dubstep in a horror game since it will take you out of a game and doesn't fit the genre, you are not some Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie in Tokyo.

      I have to fill in something in @ enviroment, not only darkness is important , but lighting also, since lighting can adjust the players mood andit can give a player a false sense of security etc.

      For example with colors :
      White : Normal , Safe
      Red : Caution , Stressful
      Blue : Calmness , Security
      Dark Yellowish / Brown : Moody

      Also my favorite rule : Don't make the game/map/story straight forward, make it make all twists and bends so it will confuse the player a lot , but not too much (because can make a game unplayable)

      Bro,exacly what i think
      jumpscares don't make it scary
      F.E.A.R. 1 was really scary and nope,no jumpscares in it,I enjoyed a well written story,with a lot of action and seriously,it scared the shit out of me.I couldn't sleep well for days.
      EDIT: and i have to add something
      YES NEVER USE DUBSTEP TO ANY FUCKING GAME not just horror but especially not to horror.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by DarkPoroner ().

    • I'm not a fan of Dubstep but it's been used in a few futuristic trailers and it fitted the genre quite well. In a horror game, well... I might throw my controller/keyboard and mouse at the screen.

      I don't think a horror game has to be dark all the time. It's WAY overdone, especially since even a lighted environment can be just as frightening if done right.

      And jumpscares aren't the only way to scare people. Think of asian movies and games, for example, where the bizarre, creepy ambiance creates a suspense that keeps you on your toes.

      But I will agree that giving some human traits to 'monsters' is indeed a good way to scare the hell out of someone's brain.

      And using sounds properly can make all the difference between two horror games (just think of SCP and how it uses mainly sounds to create sorts of hallucinations and paranoia).

    • PPP | FlameX wrote:

      Mrpaska11 wrote:

      Sometime removing the ability to fight against the monsters is a good thing (Amnesia).

      Come on please , I played such games before it became cool.

      Meet Fiona , a hot waifu who clearly only can think with her double D's , stuck within a mansion with her dog




      Ugh , monsters are so mainstream. Lets add a quasimodo looking retard with the down syndrome (not even kidding...)



      And what does mister Debilitas want? (next to serving the owner of the land etc.) eat you RAPE YOU!!! (not even kidding) and what thing can you do? Hide! but will that be enough? Nope , since Debilitas is quite smart and can even sniff you out sometimes and then you need to run away again for him... but did I mention you have stamina + fear and that both drags you down and you dog runs off most sometimes and he can't buy you time then for you to run away...



      Ehm now back to the actual shizzle.

      I have to disagree with the Jumpscares part... Jumpscares don't make a horror game a horror game since I really know some good horror games without much or even without any Jumpscares while the story is darker then black. I personally think that story makes a bigger impact on the player if the player is not a rushing idiot and can "feel" what the protagonist feels (wow deep stuff there.)

      "What are most horror games like? Dark. Why? Because sunshine and well light up places are not threatening"
      I have to disagree with you about that , mostly if you strike with paranormal shit while it is day within a game, they will not expect it since they have all seen the movies where everything happens at night etc. this is one of the things where you can catch the player ofguard. but I'm almost sure that you can only apply paranormal scares (moving things , flinging stuff , sounds) at day , since when you show monsters at day , it wouldn't be that frightening (oh well , depends on the situation you are in)

      "And DONT use dubstep! Unless you use it as infinite loop to drive the player crazy. "
      I have to correct this , NEVER use dubstep in a horror game since it will take you out of a game and doesn't fit the genre, you are not some Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie in Tokyo.

      I have to fill in something in @ enviroment, not only darkness is important , but lighting also, since lighting can adjust the players mood andit can give a player a false sense of security etc.

      For example with colors :
      White : Normal , Safe
      Red : Caution , Stressful
      Blue : Calmness , Security
      Dark Yellowish / Brown : Moody

      Also my favorite rule : Don't make the game/map/story straight forward, make it make all twists and bends so it will confuse the player a lot , but not too much (because can make a game unplayable)
      Amnesia was just an example. Dupsteps was just a joke but it could be used in some rooms where you have to do a puzzle and there the annoying wub wub can make you literally crazy. I dont know why you disagree that sunlight isnt threatening. It can and SHOULD be used for scary stuff and thats because it isnt threatening. Just like you said then you catch the player of guard. And what comes to the jumpscares they dont make horror games but they are effective way to make player paranoid and prepare them for other scary stuff. Dam i frogot the colors (and much other stuff too like the story). Thanks for the critique! *bro fist*

    • I think the best advice I have heard/seen for horror makers of any type, be they writers, game mod makers or anything else.. the greatest fear is fear itself. The scariest part of any horror game, movie, or book is the part leading up to seeing the monster/enemy. That build up is always scarier then the monster it self. Everything after that is a let down. The scariest monster is the one you never get to see, because the human mind is capable of far scarier things then you, the creator, will ever be able of. All you have to do is provide a environment for the mind to work it's magic.
      A good example of this is the game Dark Fall.