What to use in horror

[Jamos' Old Account]

I'm planning on making a survival horror once I'm done with the whole Nomed Legna saga (which could be a while, but I like to plan ahead.) It is based on a short story I wrote a while back, I didn't post it on the internet. The name of the game is Sin (working title), it is pretty much a supernatural game which your main problem happens to be ghosts. Well, the point is, what could I do to make a horror game... scary? I will be using RPGM2 for this and I want to try my best to actually make the game scare people. What are the best things I could do to scare people? Thanks in advance.

[Splitter]

Re: What to use in horror

Making an Rpg maker2 game scary is going to be hard work.
I would suggest making it dark, rainy and, stormy. (A bit cliche' but oh well)
Oh, use lots of creepy sound effects, like "Breath" at -12 pitch.
I can't think of much, sorry
My hat goes off to you for trying this.

[Hedrum]

Re: What to use in horror

Things that are gruesome.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: What to use in horror

Everything premade in RPGM2 is going to be too cutesy and super-deformed to fit the horror scene with any kind of efficacy. It'll take a lot of customization to get the required effects. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do anything in RPGM2, so I can't help you.

[ChaosKnightXD]

Re: What to use in horror

You will need to be efficent at using camera angles. Like showing people being slaughtered by ghosts from a side view with blood squirting out of them or something.

I dont know if that would actually be scary though because that sounds pretty cool to me. Or am i just demented?

Or like have no music playing while your walking through a creepy dark place and have ghosts walk in front of you sometimes really fast and when they do play some really loud quick sound effect if you know what I'm talking about.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: What to use in horror

A loud crash or other loud sounds that pop out when something happens are cheap scares. Too many movies have begun relying on this sound to get their thrills; it's lazy and only provides a momentary fright that never scares you again after seeing it the first time.

[Rodak]

Re: What to use in horror

It is easy to startle people with sounds and VFX in a game, but actually scare...?

I don't know.

Try putting George Bush in there.

He scares people.

Good Luck with it.

Peace.

[Jamos' Old Account]

Re: What to use in horror

I dont know if that would actually be scary though because that sounds pretty cool to me. Or am i just demented?

Yes you are, but I have good news for you. So am I. That does sound like a good idea, though. I'm not too sure if I will use that, the ghosts are mostly after the main character (for reasons I don't feel like mentioning yet.)

Hedrum, how about this for gruesome. A ghost that has his rib cage ripped out with a beating heart having blood splirt out. Its a start.

Big Rick Cook, your right. Relying on loud sounds are cheap. Unfortunately, I may have to use some seeing how hard it is to make things scary in RPGM2. I will try to avoid doing that as much as I can.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: What to use in horror

Scary sounds and ambience are perfectly acceptable. Silent Hill manages ambience and creepy sounds perfectly.

[Jamos' Old Account]

Re: What to use in horror

Very good point. I love doing that kind of thing... thank you Silent Hill.

[tjoris9]

Re: What to use in horror

Random, infrequent, use of the effects described above is probably a pretty good way to go.

Just imagine going down the same corridor ten times and nothing happens, then suddenly upon entering the corridor you hear a loud crash and scream, then something runs in front of you. It's even better if there's some real danger for the PC. Keep 'em guessing.

[Jugem]

Re: What to use in horror

A horror project sounds like a fun thing to do. Perhaps I'll add it to my "RPGM2 projects I want to do but never seem to get around to starting anymore." Or maybe I'll toss my other projects aside for now and get to doing a horror game. But to add to the horror ideas, things get scarier if what can happen as a result of being scared can cause a game over, or kill you, or do serious damage, etc...

Perhaps have a giant George Bush head as a final boss.

[neobi]

Re: What to use in horror

All I know is that little kids can creep the hell outta me in scary movies more so than anything. So innocent, yet so evil....

[El Mastodon]

Re: What to use in horror

you should definitly incorporate the vibration function...

maybe a slight shake after everystep in an area or scene you want to be really suspensful... maybe using and indirect effect?... or just when the player hits the d-pad...

or a heart beat... which if an event triggers would quicken and increase the power of the vibration... and a slight thumping sound in the background that would get louder and faster...

[Jamos' Old Account]

Re: What to use in horror

Those are very great ideas guys. I will probably use all of those ones (expect for Bush... or maybe use him for a comedy ending.) El Mastodon, I love your idea about using the vibrations. I would like to use the heart beat thing, but all my attempts to do that in other games didn't work. I just couldn't make the right sound. Jugem, I actually intent to do something similar to the scared thing doing damage. Except it is more of a Sanity meter. For some reason, though, I can't seem to get the ghosts to hurt the main character... it is a real pain. I tried using Neonash777's ACBS, I can't really get that to work. I think that I may have misunderstood which variables or switches that you use. At some point I'm not sure if you have to use one that you created or one that was already in the game. Sorry, if that sounds confusing.