What do you like or hate in a custom story?

[Radical Batz]

So I've created this thread for a reason.

I want to know what you hate or like about a custom story or what you don't want in one! I'll go first.

Now I've played tons of different custom stories and some of them just makes the player walk around rooms finding keys all the time and just open doors every time and just spawns monsters which are poofers all over the map. I don't like that at all not even teleporting naked guys. you all remember that? It was the most popular cheap jumpscare in the custom story history. I mean we want to see something new, something exciting, not just the same thing all over again, right?

So here's my hate list and like list about what I like or hate about a cs.

My Hate list of what I don't like to see in a cs.
1. Teleporting naked guys.
2. Cheap Jumpscares
3. Bad Mapping.
4. Wall Glitches
5. Empty rooms

My Like list of what I like to see in a cs.
1. Breath taking enviroment
2. A Really good story
3. Map detailing

Now it's your turn to tell me your opinion.

[daortir]

Not going to spend too much time bashing jumpscare stories or beginner ones, because I think this has been done way enough already.

What I hate :
1) Boring mapping. I don't really care about the quality of the overall mapping, to be honest. But when people didn't bother making at least ONE environment that wasn't in the original game, I am very disappointed most of the time. Or more importantly, when you enter a room and you can't say that you haven't seen this before.

2) Obvious scares. I hate to think "hey this is where a scare is gonna happen" and being right.

3) Unrealistic mapping. Sweet Jesus how many mods lack common sense in their mapping. No bathrooms, no kitchens, no gardens, no connection between levels/floors, illogical lighting coming from different angles, and overall all the incoherent lamp placement/furniture placement.

I appreciate :
1) ORIGINALITY. ALL THE WAY.
2) Creativity. Whether it's an original use of an entity, a big map with a lot of buildings, a new scare...

Basically I like anything that shows the creator spent time and attention in the mod.

I kind of feel a bit slightly just a little like the old amnesia cliche story was "you wake up and must get out". Now it feels more like "you wake up in a mansion and need to find out what happened". I mean seriously u.u"...

God I need A Coward's Debt.

TL;DR : I feel like the overall quality of mods has raised and I'm super happy about it : D. I kind of feel like we get a lot of " very dark complicated and twisted stories of people randomly waking up in a mansion *cough cough Mandus cough cough*"

[CarnivorousJelly]

I'm going to start with likes first since likes are happy
Likes

• Scenerygasms - attention to detail and composition, Everything just being sexy, and shiny new toys
  
• Anything I make (It's a joke, I'm not actually that full of myself D:)
  
• New things that I don't entirely understand but look friggin awesome anyways
  
• Decent story line
  
• At least a half-assed attempt at proof-reading
  
• Scripts that do cool things
  
• Games where I don't entirely understand what's going on until they're over (at which point I get seriously mind blown at how damn cool they are)
  
• Being scared to the point I'm trembling and hiding under a blanket - gives me TDD nostalgia
  
• Breaking all the rules
  

Dislikes

• Predictability
  
• Unnecessary randomness
  
• bda spealng wich wernt pruf red by n e 1
  
• Lack of closure (unless it's released in chapters - then it's acceptable)
  
• Immersion breakers
  
• Inappropriate uses of jump scares
  

Edit: Why does everyone else have shorter lists for likes than dislikes? o.o

[Daemian]

[*] Scenerygasms
[*] Unnecessary randomness

HHAHhhahh unnecessary randomness. Absolutely. xD

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What Daortir said, basically.

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Originality, creativity, effort.

[Traggey]

This does not belong in development articles, moved.

[physcostealth]

I really like a story that's unique and... well... good. Like the author had really put a lot of time into it. I think the best example of this is Key to Freedom. The author took so many ideas and twisted them around to make them his own

What I've found with most custom stories is they don't contain the golden three. Let me go into that:

The Golden Three
-Story
-Scenery
-Separation from other stories

Or the triple S's... yeah that last one was hard to relate with uniqueness. Just imagine a bubble map. There's either story and scenery, story and separation, or separation and scenery. I guess the golden three is just something only the original game can conquer.

[Nikson.]

I hate when every custom story is like: you wake up and you don't know where you are, let's just wander around and search for keys! That really annoys me, what I like is: originality, story and fear factor, jumpscares aren't bad if used good and not too often.

[Fortigurn]

I'm a player, not a modder. I realise how difficult it is to make a good mod, and I appreciate the efforts to which others go to do this. So please read this with that in mind; this is intended to be constructive comment.

1. Immerse me: This is the premium feature of Amnesia, which cannot be over-emphasized. Appropriate lighting (most mods I've played so far are too well lit; don't give me so much oil, give me fewer tinderboxes, and force me to move into the corners of the rooms if I want to know what's there), good use of ambient sounds, carefully planned and well executed environments, all make me feel like I'm in the middle of a real experience. Don't overwork the jump scares (slammed doors, blowing wind, shaky camera), it's much more realistic if you just focus on making me believe I am really there. My mind will then do most of the work for you; I will fear the shadow in the corner because I can't see what's there and I'm afraid of what might be.

2. Make me afraid, and keep me afraid: Amnesia worked so well because it introduced a sense of dread very early, and maintained the tension by making the player anticipate and expect frightening events, even though the events themselves were typically far apart. Please use the atmosphere, environment, and narrative techniques, to make me feel constantly on edge. I strongly recommend reading this thread.

3. Give me a reason to continue: I should have a clear reason for being where I am, and I should be motivated to continue by wanting to find out what is happening. I don't want to be motivated to explore a room just to find a key so I can get into another room and start looking for the next key. I want to be motivated to explore a room to discover more about the backstory, to escape a real or imagined threat, or to find something which can help me feel more in control (even if that control is only illusory). Use narrative breadcrumbs, but use notes sparingly, better if I enter a room with a communicative environment, like the animal dissection room in Amnesia or the dining room in the Cannibalism mod. A map could really give me a sense of purpose, and even better if the map is inaccurate or misleading.

4. Give me choices: The best part of playing Overture, Black Plague, and Amnesia, were those moments when I thought 'I wonder if that's the way the devs intended me to get around that obstacle/complete that task?'. Providing a branch of choices really heightens the sense of immersion. I like the fact that in 'Cannibalism' you can reach the second floor through unorthodox means, regardless of whether or not the editor had that in mind. This kind of experience is far more satisfying than the feeling that I'm moving on rails. Include as many interactive items as possible; I hate standing in front of a bookshelf without being able to move 90% of the books, and I hate the fact that I can't pick up a candlestick on a desk. Use many breakable windows, even if they don't lead anywhere (not only does it heighten the immersion, it makes me feel that I have more options, even if those options turn out to be dead ends). I would really love to see someone make good use of breakable windows, and indulge in a little rooftop exploration. Use outdoor scenes; if I can see a world through the window, it makes me feel like I'm really there (opaque windows remind me I'm in a tiny virtual sandbox). I was delighted to see this effect used in 'Cannibalism', it really enhanced the experience.

5. Give me puzzles: Puzzles are great for three reasons; they make me work for information (increasing gameplay time), they encourage me to continue (prolonging interest), and they enhance immersion (making the game seem more realistic). The good old 'pull-the-books-in-the-bookshelf-to-open-the-door' puzzle has probably been done enough already; try to think of something more subtle. Make traps as well, it's even better if I think I'm working on a puzzle which will help me out, when in reality I'm about to kill myself.

I hope someone finds this useful. I apologize that I'm not a modder so I can't put these suggestions into practice myself, and I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing others. The mods I've played so far have impressed me as much for the boldness of the modders in making the difficult effort to get their hands dirty with the level editor, and I admire that. I'd just like to contribute some ideas which might help them develop their work to the next level.

[Hauken]

What everyone above me wrote is basically what my criterias are too, I often end up just exiting the mod without finishing the first map because of it.

As one above me mentions, originality.

I often end up completing mods that i know the developer enjoyed creating, I can see if a developer have had a cool time making this or if he was really bored and did it because length of the mod.

And keyhunt is my number 1 dislike, sometimes it just breaks immersion and makes me think "I have to find a key to continue the game"

People are using less naked guys, which pleases me.

I also dislike in certain events that people tend to use a orchestra of a stinger on a scare, I like when others instead try to build it up and have it at you in a suitable way.

People that likes to add jumpscares should watch the movie "Sinister" it is a perfect example of what not to do.

I like:

- Effort put into mapping that relates to story
- Voice Acting /without no static sounds and 13 year old voice *unless it fits character*
- Intresting story, I am pretty one sided of what kind of story I desire.
*i fell asleep at the machine for pigs story, but thats just me anyway.*
- Puzzles /with correct guidance and assist. *I hate puzzles that makes no sense in how as to solve, like getting 10 levers that has to be in a correct position to work*
- Time spent/ I really dont like where i wake up and have 10 locked doors and 1 locked that I have to open by exploring a giant hub of nothing until i suddenly find something silly as a key ontop of a *closet stashed behind boxes*

There is probably more but the things i mentioned is my criterias for finishing a mod.

[7heDubz]

I like.
- effort. simple and plain I just want to feel like the Creator actually put time, blood, sweat, and tears. into the mod.

I don't like
- Not putting your entire soul into your mod.