Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Discussion Topic Part 1

[skyhawk02]

But if you own a pair of headphones (doesn't matter what spec, any will do!) find a binaural recording online to listen to. Ambiences work well, you can close your eyes and it feels as though you have been transported to the place you're listening to.

http://jaxov.com/2009/09/top-10-binaural...illusions/

I found this website that has several Binaural recordings, I have only done the matchbox rattle so far, but it was actually kind of scary because of how real it sounded, I think it would be cool to play a game that did the audio like this.

Edit: Having listened to them all now, it seems like only the first two relate to what Samuel Justice was talking about, but the rest are still interesting audio illusions.

[Potato]

I just listened to one of the binary illusions online, the virtual barber.

Got damn chills when he turned on the electric razor.

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Got damn chills when he turned on the electric razor.

Yeah that one made me flinch too. His slightly psychotic voice doesn't help either *shudder*

[Deep One]

I hope that enemies in MFP won't disappear so quickly as they did in TDD. Black Plague did that job perfectly - enemies didn't disappear, they kept patrolling the hallways. You didn't know when there was a monster behind the next corner, scaring the crap out of you. That built immersion.
In TDD, usually the monster just spawned, searched the place where Daniel was hiding, and then disappeared.

[Oswald Mandus]

I hope that enemies in MFP won't disappear so quickly as they did in TDD. Black Plague did that job perfectly - enemies didn't disappear, they kept patrolling the hallways. You didn't know when there was a monster behind the next corner, scaring the crap out of you. That built immersion.
In TDD, usually the monster just spawned, searched the place where Daniel was hiding, and then disappeared.

Yep thats the reason i cant play Black Plague to this day. too scared to leave the room cuz the monster never disappears

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Oh yes, please make most of the monsters stay again I found Black Plague to be slightly scarier at times than Amnesia for the same reason too. Well, except for that one scene were the game would not only force you to confront the monster, but actually required you to exploit its flawed AI in order to kill it. You know which one I mean, I don't want to spoil too much for those who haven't played the game yet. I'm still confused by that moment - it just doesn't seem to fit Frictionals usual philosophy when it comes to monster encounters. o.O

[GraphicsKid]

I'm wondering what it is they're adding and removing to/from the game. Honestly though, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if the sanity system went away. It got annoying after a while having the mouse lag and the vision blurry.


I hope the enemy AI is better. I mean, if you can effectively hide from a monster behind a cabinet THAT YOU'RE HOLDING, then it probably could stand to be improved.

I'm curious if this is going to feel more like a new game, or if it's going to feel like one massive custom story that you have to pay for.

[Zaari]

I'm wondering what it is they're adding and removing to/from the game. Honestly though, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if the sanity system went away. It got annoying after a while having the mouse lag and the vision blurry.


I hope the enemy AI is better. I mean, if you can effectively hide from a monster behind a cabinet THAT YOU'RE HOLDING, then it probably could stand to be improved.

I'm curious if this is going to feel more like a new game, or if it's going to feel like one massive custom story that you have to pay for.

I agree and disagree. I agree because it really isn't a big aspect of the game and is mainly there to annoy us, but it also adds a sense of urgency in terms of continuing onward and staying in the light where you can be caught by monsters. It seems that they won't be removing or adding any gameplay mechanics, but will be focusing more on the environments.

I definitely agree with this one. The monsters were obviously not meant to be screwed around with by players, and when players learn to prevent the monsters from making them wet their pants, shit happens. (In terms of gameplay issues and learning how idiotic the monsters really are.)

I think that, with thechineseroom on their side, Frictional Games will present us with something that is different than The Dark Descent, but still feels familiar. By the looks of the trailer it won't feel like a massive custom story, but more of a combination of Amnesia and Dear Esther, hopefully the best pieces of each.

Spoiler below!

As for my own views, I really hope that they do a better job on the atmosphere on this one. I'm definitely not saying that the atmosphere in TTD wasn't scary, because it was. It was very, very terrifying. However in my opinion, after the elevator crash, the atmosphere pretty much falls bland. Scary, mind you, but at the same time just...boring. I think that there are two reasons for this.

The first one is that, after the encounter in the storage, you pretty much know how the monsters work and are no longer as afraid of them as you were, say, in the Refinery or the Archives, which will lead me into another thought later.

The second reason is that the game is no longer as colorful, I guess is the best word to use, as it was before. I believe that the lighting in maps is a very important part of creating a good atmosphere, and it needs just as much detail as the actual map. The lighting's detail really decreases in the prison. It comes back a bit in the sewers, but then decreases to a level somewhat higher than the prison's again for the rest of the game. So, I really want the devs to focus much more on the lighting and background sounds as well as the map details this time around.

Here's my next thought. After playing for a while in TDD, it becomes extremely obvious to the player whether a monster is around or not. Casual custom story/full conversion players most likely have a strong knowledge of knowing when to come out of hiding. The biggest giveaway, in my opinion, is the soundtrack that plays when a monster is near. The player knows that danger is totally gone when the OST stops, and is able to come out of hiding without worry, at least until another monster comes out. It only worked in TDD because players had no idea that the OST was related to the monsters until after many encounters. It worked in Justine because Justine's focus is more of the fact that the monsters are there, rather than whether they might or might not be there, and Justine's focus is really only possible to do in shorter games. Along with that, there are also other ways to tell if an enemy is gone, but that's by far the most prominent. Also, all the weird sounds become completely pointless to care about, as the player knows that they are just background noises.

Since many players understand this now, it could be a very big problem in making AMFP as scary as TDD. I'm sure that FG has already thought ahead and has done something about it, but if they haven't, then I highly recommend that they alter the OST's relation to the enemies.

No matter what, I'm still very excited about AMFP and can't wait to get another trailer/screenshot.

The part with my views is a quite a wordwall, and I didn't want to use up too much of the page for my own opinions. :V

[Kein]

Will Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs run better on low-end computers (eg. ones with integrated graphics) or is it being specifically designed for higher-end ones?



I only ask because I love playing The Dark Descent, but it's more frustrating (and a tad more scary) when your framerate is in the single digits for most of the game!

Just like with TDD you will be able to tweak the game good enough to run on low-end system, but your hardware must be compatible. Were you able to play original game? What is your system specifications?

[BrooksyFC]

Just thought I'd post the artwork from the article to brighten the place up

Great artwork as always