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+-- Forum: SOMA (https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/forum-55.html)
+--- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/forum-56.html)
+--- Thread: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread (/thread-30110.html)
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RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Damascus Rose - 09-03-2015
(09-03-2015, 04:05 PM)TheTieMan Wrote: Finally! Some Delta station footage.
isn't it just of the outside of it though?
also googol, the argument is meaningless. Everyone interprets the game their own way and to be completely honest, nobody would play these games if they didn't enjoy them. If it were 'real horror' as you put it, nobody would play because real horror you feel threatened for your life. Real horror isn't fun. Games can only mimic that fear, and at the level they do it, it is enjoyable for some people. For me, horror is incredibly difficult to play because I'm very sensitive to it, but that is what makes it all the more rewarding.
Sad themes are also enjoyable in their own way. Maybe not in a 'fun' way, but in a 'wow this is making me feel emotions' kind of way. Many games have a 'sad' part which serves to add to the overarching story and emotional connection you feel. There's really no reason why the two should be compared, they're both serve different purposes.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Googolplex - 09-03-2015
(09-03-2015, 04:17 PM)MrSteve Wrote: Just to clarify your point, could you please show me where at any point Frictional have said that their games should not be fun?
Isn't this all about the individual experience?
Not "should" but they simply are not designed for fun. FG and Dan Pinchbeck said that in older posts and interviews.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Noisecode - 09-03-2015
(09-03-2015, 04:05 PM)TheTieMan Wrote:(09-03-2015, 01:17 PM)Kein Wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jQQAVMxbkA
Finally! Some Delta station footage.
That voice over sounds very much like Trin Miller, the actress who played Imogen Reed in the two shorts. She was supposed to be in the game as well, right?
I could be mistaken, but.............
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - MrSteve - 09-03-2015
Oke doke.
If you can show me where they said their games weren't designed so people can have fun playing them, then fair enough, your point about them not being 'designed' for fun is valid.
But It's just not as Black and white in the greater scheme of things.
Are you at least open to the notion that there are probably a lot of people out there who will have fun playing SOMA? I'm pretty sure Frictional probably had these same thoughts. I can't see them saying anyone is in the wrong for expecting to have fun playing this.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Damascus Rose - 09-03-2015
Pinchbeck is the one who talks about not designing his game for fun, in relation to his own studio and how they create games. This philosophy is probably the cause for machine for pigs disappointing so many people. However I cannot recall FG saying anything like that and it certainly doesn't reflect in their games. They've said their games are mainly designed to scare people, but nothing like 'this game is designed so that the player will not experience fun while playing.'
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Kreekakon - 09-03-2015
(09-03-2015, 04:47 PM)Damascus Rose Wrote: Pinchbeck is the one who talks about not designing his game for fun, in relation to his own studio and how they create games. This philosophy is probably the cause for machine for pigs disappointing so many people. However I cannot recall FG saying anything like that and it certainly doesn't reflect in their games. They've said their games are mainly designed to scare people, but nothing like 'this game is designed so that the player will not experience fun while playing.'
You sure about that?
http://frictionalgames.blogspot.tw/2012/03/unconventional-design-tips.html
Quote:Do not care about fun
First of, despite what some might say, fun is a very specific word and leaves out many type of experiences. For instance very few people would call "Schindler's List" fun. Hence you should not use fun, unless you are specifically after creating a "fun time". A better word to use is "engaging" which can be used to describe the quality of anything depressing dramas and lighthearted comedies.
Second, what you want to care about are your high-level goals. The most vital part is that anything you add to the videogame serve these. If making them fun help this purpose, then by all means make them fun. But if you want the player to be part of a dark and disturbing journey, then fun is most likely not what you want to aim for.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - MrSteve - 09-03-2015
Ok. Fair enough. This is a description of the kind of direction that Thomas is aiming for when making his games. Well, he doesn't specifically say that, but it's kind of implied.
Of course this was written in 2012 and may not entirely be directed at a game like SOMA.
I guess hearing from the horses mouth, would clear this up. Anyone at Frictional care to comment?
Regardless, I hopefully will have fun playing SOMA. Apologies to Frictional if that's not what they were aiming for, but regardless, that's how I hope it turns out for me.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Damascus Rose - 09-03-2015
(09-03-2015, 04:49 PM)Kreekakon Wrote: You sure about that?
http://frictionalgames.blogspot.tw/2012/03/unconventional-design-tips.html
Quote:Do not care about fun
First of, despite what some might say, fun is a very specific word and leaves out many type of experiences. For instance very few people would call "Schindler's List" fun. Hence you should not use fun, unless you are specifically after creating a "fun time". A better word to use is "engaging" which can be used to describe the quality of anything depressing dramas and lighthearted comedies.
Second, what you want to care about are your high-level goals. The most vital part is that anything you add to the videogame serve these. If making them fun help this purpose, then by all means make them fun. But if you want the player to be part of a dark and disturbing journey, then fun is most likely not what you want to aim for.
Good point, I'd forgotten about that article. I think a more fitting word as he puts it is 'engaging' or 'satisfying' as opposed to fun, fun is pretty ambiguous and could encompass many things. They design for satisfying and engaging horror, but enjoyment does come out of it, and if it didn't, there'd be no point making a horror game because everyone would hate it. Googol is making FG out to be anti-fun when this isn't the case.
And about the pinchbeck thing, I may have been thinking back to what he said about gameplay and how he and his studio try to get rid of it as much as possible.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Googolplex - 09-03-2015
Thank you Kreekakon for this post.
There are other games that are not designed to be fun. For example a racing simulator.
RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Radiance - 09-03-2015
Quoting everyone
I think I know what is this source of "fun" you talk about. It's on phycological level.
When a human senses he has control or when he's excited, the body produces hormons oxytocin and adrenaline. Oxytocin makes you feel good and adrenalin makes you in emotional rush with some physical effects also.
This can be triggered with the game. Some people play games because of that feel of control.
Two different examples: Dead space and Amnesia
In Dead space there is a feel of dread but you have control in gameplay as opposite of Amnesia.
When you experience fear and you're not in control, there is a feeling you can't overcome this. For some people this lack of control doesn't produce this sense of rush and makes them unnerving. It's all about how do people percieve it in their mind.
The environments trailer
Great athmosphere. I wonder what is life like on the surface if any or has everybody build underwater inhabitats.