What would be "Proper Jumpscares?"

[Traggey]

Go watch the alien moves, you'll be all set.

[TheIcyPickle]

Go watch the alien moves, you'll be all set.

hehe true XD, huh, I guess ill have to see where A Machine for Pigs goes for CS. Hopefully bring a lot more modders in.

It seems you can't do too much more, in jumps at least. But hey, I'm slightly noob, and there are amazing scirpters out there that can do some amazing things.

[Theforgot3n1]

Go watch the alien moves, you'll be all set.

hehe true XD, huh, I guess ill have to see where A Machine for Pigs goes for CS. Hopefully bring a lot more modders in.

It seems you can't do too much more, in jumps at least. But hey, I'm slightly noob, and there are amazing scirpters out there that can do some amazing things.

How do you do your jumpscares/normal scares?

[TheIcyPickle]

I normally try to create a great, eerie atmosphere, and for normal scares, try to screw with the players mind first.

As for pop outs, I don't know much more to do other than naked guys (sigh) loud screams, or poofers in your face. Thats the majority of pop outs I think.

Go watch the alien moves, you'll be all set.

hehe true XD, huh, I guess ill have to see where A Machine for Pigs goes for CS. Hopefully bring a lot more modders in.

It seems you can't do too much more, in jumps at least. But hey, I'm slightly noob, and there are amazing scirpters out there that can do some amazing things.

How do you do your jumpscares/normal scares?

[Theforgot3n1]

I normally try to create a great, eerie atmosphere, and for normal scares, try to screw with the players mind first.

Just do scares as you'd personally be scared. Like, before actual grunt encounters, have the player notice them walking at the end of the corridor. Or before slime(guardian) encounters, you can have the trademark sound of it play, and things rumbling. Super simple but yet atmospheric.

Methods like having the player gradually experience worse and worse scares, such as the rumbling being louder each and every time, or sounds from something - preferably not Grunt/Brutes, since it's a little overused- coming closer. It can help them imagine w.t.f will come the next time.
Thoroughly understanding what you're treading into , just like Frictional did in "the storage" (they wrote -SOMETHING- along the lines of "The Darkness in this area is ominious"), at least for me, freaked me out a lot more than any scare ever did... Forcing the player to enter areas they KNOW involves something wicked, is SUPER EFFECTIVE; knowing you will be gravely hurt from something makes it much worse than it just happening.

Anything else... Oh, I remember Frictional saying it helps emphasize horror if you have "safe zones", places whereas the player can rest, only to be more susceptible to more scares. When you're going through places such as the Prison, you often set yourself into the game, focus on surviving and walking cautiously through the area. When finally arriving in the Cistern you relieve of all that, and relax, but only knowing you have to go back out there. A lot (including myself), I think, are most likely to scare-quit at these safe-zones, or just before entering a new place, because of this.

Other, more general things you can reuse a couple of times, are perhaps things flying around, falling over, wind gusts, and random intentional noises (like from a room)/random particle systems in yo face (I recommend learning a bit about the particle editor). More sneaky scares, such as scares (rocks falling, Random Noises (like impact_wood); basically things behind the scene) without the normally used "GiveSanityDamage();" can be especially horror-inducing if the circumstances allow it.

One problem I've had is the area becoming stale in case the player wanders around. That is, all my scares being immediately used the first thorough walk. One way of preventing that, is making scares more random; for example having some scares require the player to walk at an area five times before it actually triggering. Or, having the scare require the player stand in one spot for a set amount of time, etc.
It might be slightly hard scripting, but it's useful!

Lastly, I want to mention "InsanityAreas".
Quick explanation: The areas are basically reusable uncomfortabilicious (XD) scares. They trigger based on your sanity whenever you step into one, and/or when you stand in one after some time. The minor scares are anything from bugs crawling over yo face, flies flying, insanity sounds, etc. The nice thing is their subtle nature, they contribute to a chilling atmosphere, since it really helps with randomness, making the area feel alive.
Though, since the areas were used for the game, they actually have lines that "Daniel" says which you should remove. If you take a quick look inside the file "main_sanity_events.cfg", you will notice that it says "Set = (Default, or Ch01/2/3)". What you want to do is exclude the sets that are specific to A:TDD, which you can do with this function:

Code: (Select All)

void OnStart()
{
SetInsanitySetEnabled(Ch01, false);
SetInsanitySetEnabled(Ch02, false);
SetInsanitySetEnabled(Ch03, false);
}

Try it out, and if you got any questions, I doubt I/wiki can't answer them.

OKAY:
If u haV REED MY RAMBL, I tank U! I HoPE I help u wid CASTUM STory. IT can has been vere FuN wrITE it ANYWAY. ^^^^___^^^^

TL;DR:
Use scares that scare YOU!

[TheIcyPickle]

Thanks for your thoughts, I will take them into account. See how insanity boxes work (lol) Thanks again, your message must have taken a while to formulate

I normally try to create a great, eerie atmosphere, and for normal scares, try to screw with the players mind first.

Try it out, and if you got any questions, I doubt I/wiki can't answer them.

OKAY:
If u haV REED MY RAMBL, I tank U! I HoPE I help u wid CASTUM STory. IT can has been vere FuN wrITE it ANYWAY. ^^^^___^^^^

TL;DR:
Use scares that scare YOU!

[Theforgot3n1]

Thanks for your thoughts, I will take them into account. See how insanity boxes work (lol) Thanks again, your message must have taken a while to formulate

No problem.


Oh, and one last thing I should've mentioned! Don't forget to utilize...

FadeRadialBlurTo(float afSize, float afSpeed);
SetRadialBlurStartDist(float afStartDist);
FadeSepiaColorTo(float afAmount, float afSpeed);
FadeImageTrailTo(float afAmount, float afSpeed);

...both at different events, and scares! They're REALLY good for it, and really help show that the scares have an impact on you, so that you'll fear them more the next time.
I've been going through my entire CS just adding these effects onto some of my scares, now that I discovered it.
GOOD LUCK!

[TheIcyPickle]

And thats awesome, adding a little bit each time to make it awesome! thanks for the advice, this topic sort of went from what makes a good pop out to scares in general, which is good... lol thanks everyone!

Thanks for your thoughts, I will take them into account. See how insanity boxes work (lol) Thanks again, your message must have taken a while to formulate

No problem.


Oh, and one last thing I should've mentioned! Don't forget to utilize...

FadeRadialBlurTo(float afSize, float afSpeed);
SetRadialBlurStartDist(float afStartDist);
FadeSepiaColorTo(float afAmount, float afSpeed);
FadeImageTrailTo(float afAmount, float afSpeed);

...both at different events, and scares! They're REALLY good for it, and really help show that the scares have an impact on you, so that you'll fear them more the next time.
I've been going through my entire CS just adding these effects onto some of my scares, now that I discovered it.
GOOD LUCK!

[failedALIAS]

Ah yes, what Forgot said is true; the stress of willfully abandoning sanctuary in place of dreaded and dreary darkness, daunting you into a despondent dynamic for doom.

[Alex Ros]

I'd try to formulate a simple laws-rules, I think that way it would be more practical and useful.

1. Do not link jump-scares close to any objective completion. For example, when the player found a key, solved a puzzle, read an important note, etc.

2. Do not make jump-scares that would lead to the player's death. In particular, do not place monsters at environments, where the player do not have a chance or too slight chances to hide, run away or stealthy carefully walk by. Basically, death and rebirth ruins the immersion.

3. Do not link jump-scares close to dynamical changes-transformations at levels. For example, when something ruins and blocks a way back or forward, when the player is teleported to some new space, etc.

4. Do not make jump-scares if some part of a gameplay feels boring while testing. Make that part atmospheric by adding level design details, that would work on the storyline; make a puzzle or make a couple of objectives, that would realistically force the player to explore the area; make anything that would come to mind to make a boring area interesting. But do not make jump-scares just in order to low boredom.

5. Do not make jump-scares without an explanation in terms of the story development. There's no need to immediately give an explanation to the player, because everything that is unexplained is building the intrigue. But simply for yourself you should always know why something do happen right here, right now.

I hope these laws-rules are simple enough to be easy to remember.