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Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

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Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

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Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Masea
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28.04.19 12:12:46 pm

The title.

I couldn't stand without asking it to you CS2D veterans. I've tried this theme many times by modding CS2D. Some of them were presented to you, the rest was only on my own. I just thought that I need to get up and start making things from the very scratch instead of modding. However, since this is risky a bit at least, your mind is having questions like this.

Here (click it) I found my seduction. You better check this out, especially if you loved my horror mods and the ones others made.

If you think it is possible, then how so? The ideas, I need to frighten people.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Mami Tomoe
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28.04.19 01:07:09 pm

Don't use jump-scares, they suck. Literally only unskilled developers use them. Or at least don't make them the main point of attraction.

Scary background theme (song, high quality)

Scary random ambient noises (such as objects moving)

Fog of War +/or Light Engine (but not full on dark because that's stupid)

Stick to pistols for most of the game because it makes the player feel weak

Don't give too much ammo or health so it's more intense and the player has to play safe

Don't make it too easy to save your position, harder games can be scary even if they're not horror, just being too scared to lose your progress is enough.

Use special high quality gun sound effects and high quality tiles (not cubical because that's pretty old by now, make them round)

Now we have finished discussing the map and the player, let's discuss the enemies:

You could try making the AI using bots, I've never tried that I don't even know if it's possible but have at it!
Otherwise you'd need to use images which are annoying to say the least, but simple!

Make sure the AI isn't too predictable, because then the players can just laugh at it while trolling it by hiding behind a window and spraying on the ground, that's not scary.

Enemies should travel around the map but stick around to the player so they don't get too far away.

Add a difficulity option (Easy/Medium/Hard) so players can control how hard the mod is and you know, more stuff!

Have fun, you don't have to take everything into consideration, I just randomly threw in things that I feel like would make a high quality mod that is unique and never seen before.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Masea
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28.04.19 01:50:15 pm

Mami Tomoe: It is not gonna be a mod. If it's gonna be something, it is gonna be a game itself. Otherwise, it'd have been in the CS2D forum. Thank you.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Mami Tomoe
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28.04.19 03:28:37 pm

Some of the things still apply though, consider those.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

sayori
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28.04.19 09:13:27 pm

Corpse Party and The Witch's House are considered scariest 2D games by many (at least back in the day).
One really good "series" you should check out is FAITH (two chapters at the moment). It's something like The Oregon Trail combined with The Exorcist. It takes on retro graphics, but it delivers spooks and sets the atmosphere pretty well (maybe even too well). It's not everything in high-quality graphics. Minimal stuff makes things seem even less known, and the thing that humans are definitely afraid of is unknown.

Check them out and maybe take some notes.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Pagyra
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28.04.19 11:25:50 pm

edited 3×, last 30.04.19 03:46:01 pm

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Devil-Thanh
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29.04.19 02:45:44 pm

Many things which need to be considered will come after the game play ideas, like programing language, IDE or engine, 2d or 3d, sprites, sounds, and the fucking mess with openGL or working with graphics card for the effects,...

It isn't easy as you think it is, lmao.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Masea
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29.04.19 03:05:57 pm

Devil-Thanh has written

It isn't easy as you think it is, lmao.

I never thought and said anything about it in this thread.

This thread is for sharing ideas about the 2d horror to others if it is, in fact, possible. Rather than arguing about technical stuff.

Re: Is 2D Horror from Top-Down Possible?

Pagyra
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29.04.19 06:04:21 pm

In fact, everything is somewhat simpler than it seems, it is enough to divide any super task into stages as many times as necessary to understand the order of its implementation.
The second rather complicated procedure is the understanding of similarity - most of the stages one way or another someone has done before you. You just need to spy and understand his way.
And since each of us has creativity inherent in it, in performing this stage, we must look for ways to simplify, optimize and automate it.
Maybe it sounds complicated and seems useless. But reinventing the wheel - i.e. starting to write code from scratch, you often just lose the time and energy that you could use at later stages. It would be enough to use pieces of someone else's code that you understand and that already work as it should.
Horror is first of all just a game-story. So you need a story)