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Well I can't imagine having any fun at all when you're running away from nearly every single fight. Scary, yes, but not fun.

Personally, I think the ideal "survivor horror" game would have to be one that meets these requirements:

1) Multiple people: if done right, having 3-4 people, all on seperate xboxes, would be amazing, because those scary moments would just be better if it was "HOLY gak DID YOU SEE THAT?!?" and "ok guys, lets go into this long dark tunnel *hears evil chuckling*...... DAVE! why don't you go first?" If they made it where it was Push to talk at distances over 50 in game feet, that would be awesome too, because it would make you want to stay together, or be helplessly chatting on your cell phone while creeps.... creep up on you.

2) Up close and personal: make us get right into spitting distance to the enemy, with close combat weapons, so when we are swarmed, we have to run away, but can easily take on groups of 2-4 enemies.

3) Memorable characters: Hell, even if their silent, they should at least look cool.

anywho, I was thinking about going into making games, and I thought of a Survival Horror game like that, it was going to be set in space, against aliens, but instead of being an enginneer, your characters would be tourists aboard a sort of Space Resort that got attacked by a mix of Aliens, Tyranids, and Zombies. The four tourists were: A young, fresh out of college Mechanic, A band manager, an ex-soldier, and a body building coward.

but then, this is about Deadspace, not some game I was going to make.

Slarg232 wrote:Personally, I think the ideal "survivor horror" game would have to be one that meets these requirements:

1) Multiple people: if done right, having 3-4 people, all on seperate xboxes, would be amazing, because those scary moments would just be better if it was "HOLY gak DID YOU SEE THAT?!?" and "ok guys, lets go into this long dark tunnel *hears evil chuckling*...... DAVE! why don't you go first?" If they made it where it was Push to talk at distances over 50 in game feet, that would be awesome too, because it would make you want to stay together, or be helplessly chatting on your cell phone while creeps.... creep up on you.

2) Up close and personal: make us get right into spitting distance to the enemy, with close combat weapons, so when we are swarmed, we have to run away, but can easily take on groups of 2-4 enemies.

3) Memorable characters: Hell, even if their silent, they should at least look cool.

anywho, I was thinking about going into making games, and I thought of a Survival Horror game like that, it was going to be set in space, against aliens, but instead of being an enginneer, your characters would be tourists aboard a sort of Space Resort that got attacked by a mix of Aliens, Tyranids, and Zombies. The four tourists were: A young, fresh out of college Mechanic, A band manager, an ex-soldier, and a body building coward.

but then, this is about Deadspace, not some game I was going to make.

Damn it, I wanna play your game! sounds like an awesome Left 4 Dead IN SPHESS

Cheese Elemental wrote:Well I can't imagine having any fun at all when you're running away from nearly every single fight. Scary, yes, but not fun.

Different people have different tastes. I can definately see a market for a game that focuses on trying to avoid contact as much as possible. In my mind, Survival Horror should be just that - Survival Horror. What Slarg suggested would be somewhere in that area. I just hate playing "Horror" games and being the all powerful dude killing dumptruck loads of enemies like it's just another day in the office. The latter should be seperated into a genre called "Shooter Horror", which would be more about wasting legions of uglies.

Honestly Slarg, if you ended up making something like that years in the future, I would totally be down for buying it. I wanted to make games myself (still do), and show the industry what they're missing still, but the courses for such a career require a lot of math proficiency. And... Well... Let's just say my dog is better at math than I am If you get the chance though, you should totally go for it. It seems like it would be a really awesome job.

Meh, I've tried programing, wasn't really my thing. I was thinking about writing it as a book, but I have way to many idea's, you know; have like 20 story ideas that haven't actually been thought through, so I have basic characters and plots. Can't decide if I want to work on this one thats got 4 super soldiers based of the Horsemen of the Appocalypse, another one on another planet with zombies and run down equipment, that one, and some others. The fact that my personal computer doesn't have Word, means "deciding" on which one to do doesn't really help me at all.

But back to DS, I can't wait to get my hands on that Harpoon Gun. Thing is gonna be wicked.

Man, I know the feeling when it comes to having too many ideas... Hell, the novel that serves as an introduction to my Guard Regiment is suffering from it. I keep coming up with new plots for each chapter, but I'm freakin' terrible at filler material to bulk things out. So my novel has been sitting idle for the.... *Ahem*... Last... um... two years or so...

metallifan, can you give an example of a good 'Survival Horror' in your books?

I have, many times

I guess one more doesn't hurt though...

Basically, it has to be scary. I don't want to be running around popping heads and spraying Dakka all over the place. I want to be running for my life, not killing for joy. Combat should be present, but play a minor secondary role. The environment needs to play a big part, and players should have to take routes that really make them feel uncomfortable. There should also be a lot of -just- spotting something out of the corner of your eye before it darts from view. Something about knowing you're being watched that helps atmosphere a lot. Encounters shouldn't be overused as well. Some areas of a game might have several for the running-for-your-life scare, while some areas might have very few and rely more on you creating your own demons in your head as you sneak through empty rooms and halls until you do run into something.


If you put -too many- enemy encounters in a horror game, you kill their contribution to the overall sense of dread. If you put too few, there's just not enough to be scared of. Basically there has to be a balance - a 'zen' between mental and physical elements in the game. The game itself should do more to nurture the player's own fears of what they may or may not run into in an area than just throwing endless enemies at you and saying "Look! Scary monsters! Be scared! Rawr!". Don't get me wrong, enemies and combat are still both important elements, and need to be included. They just can't be overused like they were in Dead Space if you hope to -really- scare someone. If I actually had to shut a game off because I was too afraid to finish it, that would be great.

*le sigh*

I have been reading your posts y'know. I had to read that whole wall of text before I realised that you hadn't actually named a particular game. So you're telling me that there is not a single game out there that lives up to the 'Survival' part of 'Survival Horror'?

Not really. There've been some that startled me good or got a jump or two out of me, but nothing that's actually scared me yet :(

Put it up to me watching too many horror movies as a wee lad perhaps. I think it fethed with my brain

Meh, watch JAWS then go surfing in the morning.

Actually when I was down in Mexico with my family a few years ago, at one point I was swimming out a good distance from shore and I guess there was a shark about 500-600m away from me and I didn't even realize it until I went back to shore and my auntie told me. You'd think the resort would have trained lifeguards that call out these sort of things, but there was no such thing.

Bah, if you would have been in danger, you would have heard it before you got attacked.


du-dun....... du-dun........

Yea there was no ambient ominus music, and it didn't really come much closer than that, so I'm doubting it was after Human Hors d'œuvres, but hey - it was a Shark. And sharks are srs bizniz

I would like to thank everyone who has commented in this thread, you have been a large help to someone working on a survival horror game.

Though I must say I dont believe running away all the time would be a fun game you need a balence of firing everywhere to try and hit the monster you can hear but cant see, running for your life, creeping down dark and claustrophobic corridors as well as a little bit of beating the monsters to give you some hope before that is ripped from you.

What company are you working with, Corpses?

Slarg232 wrote:What company are you working with, Corpses?

Sorry if i seemed to be in a position of power, im just an ameature for the moment.

I do take it quite seriously though.

Bah, no reason to apologize, I jumped the gun with that, it's something I do.

Slarg232 wrote:Bah, no reason to apologize, I jumped the gun with that, it's something I do.

Dont worry mate, you were just a couple of years premature in your question

That is if im any good otherwise ive always got physics as a backup.

corpsesarefun wrote:

Slarg232 wrote:Bah, no reason to apologize, I jumped the gun with that, it's something I do.

Dont worry mate, you were just a couple of years premature in your question

That is if im any good otherwise ive always got physics as a backup.

Well, the good news is is that I have figured out what I want to do with my books, and I would (if they become popular enough) rather prefer if they became a series of video games rather than a series of movies. Though both would be preferable.

And it is going to take me a couple of years to get to that book, since, as I have it planned now, is going to be the third book in a series. That is to say, if what I said a few posts up piques your interest.

corpsesarefun wrote:I would like to thank everyone who has commented in this thread, you have been a large help to someone working on a survival horror game.

Though I must say I dont believe running away all the time would be a fun game you need a balence of firing everywhere to try and hit the monster you can hear but cant see, running for your life, creeping down dark and claustrophobic corridors as well as a little bit of beating the monsters to give you some hope before that is ripped from you.

Pretty much what I'm at, yea. Lots of running/crawling away to escape foes that want to turn your face into a skin-crépe, and a few "Oh my life" face-to-face fights against an enemy or enemies that is/are clearly superior to your abilities. People playing a survival horror should actully feel relieved and consider themselves lucky when they beat the game. There should -definately- be some points where most players shut off the game for a bit because it's freaking them out too much.