The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread

**Ghieri** · 12-13-2013, 05:41 AM

(12-13-2013, 01:07 AM)EnDash Wrote:
Quote:This means that we will let players do stupid things even if they might break the experience a bit. For instance, if they skip talking to a character with important information then they are on their own after that. And if they get hints that a dangerous creature is approaching, they need to figure out that hiding is the best course of action by themselves.

interesting choice, if it goes as far as we are not giving you any more hints it might be hard for casual players, even in amnesia if you died they had a text with hints on what to do. i wonder if they will go as far as realisticly hard puzzles or if they will make characters "remind" you to do something if you are stuck or give you hints if you die too much.

I'd wager that almost every puzzle could be solved by just paying attention to the immediate area. None of the lights are on and there's a rectangular shaped hole in this wall? I thought I saw a car battery back there so I think I'll try that.

Being unsure isn't necessarily a bad thing in horror, but I mostly trust Frictional to find a proper balance. Dying will probably just be a consequence of a set of actions that didn't go well, and they'll probably give you another test of skill- another chance to prove yourself- without sacrificing the experience. Either they come up with something new or use a heavily modified version of what they know works.

**Paddy™** · 12-13-2013, 07:42 PM

New interview with Tommy Boy:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/12/13/soma-i...fi-horror/

**samueljustice00** · 12-13-2013, 09:51 PM

Glad you folks are liking it! Smile

**Macgyverthehero** · 12-13-2013, 09:58 PM

We're enjoying the progress so far Sam!

**Ghieri** · 12-14-2013, 01:09 AM

If they do with this game what they did with Guild War 2 I will love them forever.

**lemonsplash** · 12-14-2013, 03:40 AM

A Machine for Pig was the outcome of all things that are going wrong in the gamer community.

Only thing that would have made that complete are achievements. Or... were there any? Don't remember, tbh. - But the unlimited torch and stuff are just casual elements.

Every game does get way easier over the time... Assumed they'll live long enough...

I know this is a bad example, but a famous one... Look at World of Warcraft. It was hardcore sometimes and over the years it has adapted to the majority and they said : "I just don't wanna spend that much time to progress, i want to do my job and after that i want to spend the rest of the day with some fun and easy elements, just to relax"

I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, but the way where this is going... i'm feeling kind of sad about it. Do anyone of you know the movie : Idiocracy? - Don't let that happen guys! People tend to get lazy if they have a butler like this.

And really, the last next thing i need about Soma is a gameplay trailer, recorded from some console, which tells you, which button to press (mostly its X Big Grin

) to get over this "exciting" Quicktime Event.

I watched a lot of gameplay trailers (from other games ofc) and that's the thing they have the most in common. I could puke about the developers which are intending to sell me a game - First Person / Horror - and they are trolling around with stupid slow movements (thanks to their unprecise analog-sticks), turn their heads and i don't know, they just have to think "Wow, that looks really.... cinematic... or something.." - Yeah, its something!! - Okay, ragemode=off - sorry.

(At least i want a hardcore mode, with such things like limited Torch, or whatever you'll be using there. Rare potions and stuff like that.)

- Sure, the majority wants some new inventions, but a big mistake would be to forget the roots of all that. Amnesia was and it is oldschool! - The controls are working flawless, it's kind of fast paced.. just direct...
Take Doom for example, the modder community is still alive, just because the game is "responsive" - Or look at Counter-Strike 1.6 - It was and it still is (kind of) alive after all this years. Why? It's responsive and does exactly what you want.

Sure, it's mostly based on nowaways computers, but at some games, no matter how good and extreme the specs are... it just feels as if your mouse is made of soup.

Okay, i drifted off, kind of... - But, never forget your roots!
SOMA will be something new, yes, but at the moment it just seems that someone with the right design skills could make this happen as a total conversion.

I love the idea! Totally! The teasers were like a wet dream and i'm still squirting, but i'm being honest, the visuals look like Amnesia1 and Machine for Pigs did have a baby and that baby is still too young too see.

I'll get it, it's too early in the development, but what will you do at the end? Put some AA and Motion Blur on it? Hell, that may even work, but sorry, i just can't feel it right at the moment, there are just dark textures from what i've seen so far. The idea you've got there is brilliant and yeah, this will be a true successor to the first Amnesia, because i know you've still got in you. It never left, but just don't please adapt too much.

To be honest, you SHOULD be totally unpredictable. In Amnesia it was kind of usual / predictable, that you were being hunted and it was kind of lame for me after a while, because it was JUST the scare "Oh, shhhh, ... okay, he did see me, now run and hide..." - And that all over and over again. It became boring very fast. To clearify this: The scare is a scare. Sometimes very well done, but the rush after that, it left me very fast while hiding, because i knew how the enemy would react.

Same as for Outlast. At the End i wasn't even scary anymore, the game was just so successful because of it's good marketing, fresh look and brave ideas which wasn't seen in this quality before.

I think the point, what i'm trying to tell is: I'm a person, who is usually really scared while playing this games, and i don't know if this could may help you, but i tell you one thing: "When i'm playing some Indiegames" (most of the times, they are available for free) - I'm really afraid what they're going do to me! Because most of the times, as shitty as they may be, i can't predict, because they don't comply with the rules!

For example, in a hollywood movie you can tell most of the times, when a scare does happen. The entire music and all of it do adjust you to that. It's very very rare, that you can't expect it.
Japanese / Asian movies doesn't have that. They're most of the times soo quiet that you'll tend to lower your guard and then BANG without a warning. Smile

Yeah, there are some rules! Where is the horrorgame which sends me me right into another dimension, where no rules apply anymore?

And yeah, i'm quite sure that not anybody does like that post, or that someone would think that this is way too long. "This guy doesn't even put some more ideas into his speech" - Or that my english grammar sucks. Smile

- But i just want to see a really fucked-up game. In a good way! So this may be some kick in developers asses? Or at least to think open minded about some new ideas which they think, should be / shouldn't be in their game?

That's what we all want. Deep in our hearts, we know, that we don't want another System Shock or another Amnesia. We want SOMA and we want that this scares the shit out of us. Why? Because we have to wait til 2015? - And then it will get delayed. 2015 Christmas which is like 2016. ^^

(Edit: I'm just thinking about the moment, where the picture of the guy changed, if you're on low sanity. That was freaking... good! Subtle... but rare... )

**MyRedNeptune** · 12-14-2013, 10:53 PM

Man... honestly, all I'm worried about is that there are no bassoons in the new teaser.

Oh, you still have a chance to redeem yourself, Mikko. Heart

**Traggey** · 12-15-2013, 12:11 AM

^- Googolplex, is that you...?

**Gunslingerjh** · 12-15-2013, 12:56 PM

The new music reminds me of a little of the indie game Primordia. I personally liked the penumbra soundtracks much more than amnesia's, but SOMA might just beat Penumbra! (At least that's what i hope)

**LiamNeesons** · 12-15-2013, 05:29 PM

(12-15-2013, 12:56 PM)Gunslingerjh Wrote: The new music reminds me of a little of the indie game Primordia. I personally liked the penumbra soundtracks much more than amnesia's, but SOMA might just beat Penumbra! (At least that's what i hope)

I don't know - it might be too early to tell what type of theme the soundtrack might have. But the slow and melodramatic piano notes definitely maintain the 'Penumbra' style, which I fell in love with.

It really could make or break a game. The music, if used correctly, is half the experience for me.

Mikko, please. I trust you... Heart