Ambient horror effects - what would you say?
Minkur
Join Date: 2002-04-16 Member: 455Members
Join Date: 2002-04-16 Member: 455Members
I have indeed read the mapping guidelines that follow the nstr 2.0, but yet I'd like to get an opinion from you...
In my map, I'm going for a rather standardized research station/military station for a first map.
As I understood it, the aliens are more of the predators, while the marines have to be cautious not to get seperated from the rest of their squad, lest they be molested alone and someplace dark...
So, are flickering lights, low ambient sounds and such effects really a big no-no in the maps? Or would the players tire too quickly of them?
-Minkur
In my map, I'm going for a rather standardized research station/military station for a first map.
As I understood it, the aliens are more of the predators, while the marines have to be cautious not to get seperated from the rest of their squad, lest they be molested alone and someplace dark...
So, are flickering lights, low ambient sounds and such effects really a big no-no in the maps? Or would the players tire too quickly of them?
-Minkur
Comments
Basically, if you've seen it used in a movie to heighten 'the experience' and it ain't gore, use it.
i wanted to make a ghostcolony with bloody beds and bloodtracks into ventilation systems. <!--emo&:angry:--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':angry:'><!--endemo-->
Exactly the opposite is true.
Constantly flickering lights may get a little old after a while, but other than that, the more ambient effects you can afford to put in, the better.
<b>Terror and Gore</b>
Natural Selection is about lush atmospheric sci-fi environments, social strategy and intense battles. It isn't about scaring the player or horror. That doesn't mean the aliens won't be scary, but very dark environments, flickering florescent lights, bodies slumped on rafters and horror don't help Natural Selection achieve it's goals. Additionally, the game avoid excessive gore. Don't place dead colonists anywhere (slumped against walls, in piles, etc.). Pools of blood and dimemberment is also to be avoided. The game doesn't avoid blood and gore completely, but avoids lingering dead bodies and excessive alien flesh. In particular, NS is less gory than Half-life. This may seem like a senseless guideline, but it will help the game appeal to more people and will hopefully mean fuller servers, more add-ons and a broader community.
main()
{
double _guts;
double _gore;
_guts = 0;
_gore = 0;
}
<!--c2--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--ec2-->
OR
<!--c1--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Code Sample</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE"><!--ec1-->
main()
{
_guts + _gore != NS;
}
<!--c2--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--ec2-->
<i>(There, my <b>doubles</b> will roX0rz your proposed <b>floats</b> any day, Molec! )</i> <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
But back onto the topic, Flickering and otherwise tension inducing lighting is defintely good. I just wouldn't overdo it. Flickering isn't scary if it's all over the place.
<!--EDIT|ken20banks|April 16 2002,11:48-->
I ask because i am thinking of putting a set of cryo-sleeper things, with one open and a skeleton in. This isnt going to include blood and you see tacky skeletons and ghouls on daytime tv so the kiddies wont get scared.
cheers.
Truthfully, there'd be pools of blood everywhere if the original inhabitants were slaughtered by the aliens... sort've like System Shock 1 and 2... but the Flayra has spoken.
(because the aliens erm, drink all the blood as soon as they create it and erm, aliens dont bleed =D)
<b>Terror and Gore</b>
Natural Selection is about lush atmospheric sci-fi environments, social strategy and intense battles. It isn't about scaring the player or horror. That doesn't mean the aliens won't be scary, but very dark environments, flickering florescent lights, bodies slumped on rafters and horror don't help Natural Selection achieve it's goals. Additionally, the game avoid excessive gore. Don't place dead colonists anywhere (slumped against walls, in piles, etc.). Pools of blood and dimemberment is also to be avoided. The game doesn't avoid blood and gore completely, but avoids lingering dead bodies and excessive alien flesh. In particular, NS is less gory than Half-life. This may seem like a senseless guideline, but it will help the game appeal to more people and will hopefully mean fuller servers, more add-ons and a broader community.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
As someone said ~ "There would be blood everywhere"
I didn't mean i was going for a splatter-blood2-ripof-map.
I don't know how you define horror but I would definitly call cluastrophobic-environments and flesh-eating-aliens-that-climb-walls-in-the-dark horror.
Besides. A LITTLE blood never hurt anyone!
p-p-pp-pllleaase?