[WIP] Amnesia - In a Heartbeat (Looking for Testers)

[MsHannerBananer]

My first Amnesia Full Conversion.



The Concept

It's 1991, and something is very wrong when Katelyn Montgomery wakes up. A bad dream has left her feeling uneasy about herself and the part of her recent past she can't remember. But her attempts to answer the questions she has about her memory loss only leads to more questions and certain danger.

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Trailer:

Screen Shots

Set 1

Spoiler below!

Set 2

Spoiler below!

Status

Concept - 99% completed
Level Design - 100% completed
Level Concepts - 100%
Script(s) - 95%

[daortir]

Glad to see there's a mod with new assets coming up !
Going to give you my opinion on the screenies so far : >.

First screenshot is cool because it's a bit original, but the lighting is weird and the snow is in strange places. The ground is a perfect plane so it is suprising that piles of snow remain : ). There might be snow still, but it'd have to be very thin "pools". Also, there's no detailing except a few shrubs : /. It lacks some pebbles/small rocks/planks/random stuff imho ^_^.

Second screen is a bit akward because everything is clean and there's no detailing ><. I mean, if the building is abandoned I'd expect dirt/dust/spiderwebs, and maybe some stuff in the corridor. I dont know, random crates, metal parts, anything that might help making the corridor look more dynamic : ).

Third screen lacks a boxlight. And pointlights around the lightsources, I think I will create a topic about generic lighting one day (i'm not really good at lighting but there are mistakes that are a bit too frequent :/ ).

Fourth screenshot lacks detailing once again. It's empty and way too clean like in the second screen ; /.

Good luck with your mod, hope my opinion might turn out being useful ! : )

[MsHannerBananer]

Glad to see there's a mod with new assets coming up !
Going to give you my opinion on the screenies so far : >.

First screenshot is cool because it's a bit original, but the lighting is weird and the snow is in strange places. The ground is a perfect plane so it is suprising that piles of snow remain : ). There might be snow still, but it'd have to be very thin "pools". Also, there's no detailing except a few shrubs : /. It lacks some pebbles/small rocks/planks/random stuff imho ^_^.

Second screen is a bit akward because everything is clean and there's no detailing ><. I mean, if the building is abandoned I'd expect dirt/dust/spiderwebs, and maybe some stuff in the corridor. I dont know, random crates, metal parts, anything that might help making the corridor look more dynamic : ).

Third screen lacks a boxlight. And pointlights around the lightsources, I think I will create a topic about generic lighting one day (i'm not really good at lighting but there are mistakes that are a bit too frequent :/ ).

Fourth screenshot lacks detailing once again. It's empty and way too clean like in the second screen ; /.

Good luck with your mod, hope my opinion might turn out being useful ! : )

Thank you! Any constructive criticism is welcomed!!

The snow I agree with, the lighting, I don't see how it's weird. They're street lights, and their light is only supposed to encompass a certain space. There isn't supposed to be random planks, but rocks, and other outside-related stuff will be added as per suggestion.

In the second screen shot, it's actually the menu map, so not much is going to be done to it from here on out, however if I happen to make a similar map, it would be an observation hallway, where scientists walk through to examine what experiments they are currently working on. So there wouldn't be much added to it anyway, because obstacles in an observation hallway wouldn't be very conducive to observation. It's hard to watch your experiments when you're trying to walk around boxes, among other kinds of clutter.

Third screen I SO AGREE. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?! xDDD I realized this morning how stupid it looked, so a box light has been added, I'll put a more updated screenshot as soon as I'm able. The light sources do have point lights. You just aren't close enough to see them. I've had mod-friends tell me I'm light-stupid, so I've worked extra hard to try and not forget lighting stuff.

Fourth screen is supposed to be empty. There isn't a lack of detail, it's a doctors wing for a hospital, once again, no need for random objects to occupy space when there are perfectly good other spots said clutter.

Thank you for your feedback! I really do appreciate it! :3

[BeartrixTheStrange]

I would love to be a voice actress for this! I will take any of the parts that are still available!

[MsHannerBananer]

I would love to be a voice actress for this! I will take any of the parts that are still available!

All the parts are still available. xD I tried contacting another woman, but she hasn't replied yet, so actively, all of the female parts are available. I'll send you a PM.

[daortir]

Hey ^^ Glad you thought some points of my feedback were useful !

I want to point something out about detailing, though : the detailing is not always something that is done to make maps more realistic. Sometimes it would be more realistic to leave areas empty (most of the abandoned places in mods should be completely emptied of furniture and items), but mappers don't do it. For a very simple reason : an empty map is boring. Small details related to the story are what makes maps feel alive.

It's your choice, but take a look at the mods with good mapping there. I'm tired of suggesting Eternium so i'll recommend The Four Horsemen, which has the same level of detailing as Eternium -or nearly- but a lighting of lower quality, also I think I can recommend Through the Portal, maybe some environments of mental memorial. Those mods have overwhelming detailing. Yes in Through the Portal some areas are messy and it's not realistic. In Eternium there might be some crates in the very first room that might not have a good reason to be here. In The Four Horsemen, there is a room with glasses and whine that might be unrealistic considering the story of the place, and so on : p.

BUT. Empty maps are not fun to walk through in a general way.

Played Bioshocks ? Lots of detailing and weird crates that shouldn't be abandoned in that position if you think about it ; ). And yet, they put crates, planks, random stuff everywhere because this is how places look like in real life ! In a clean hallway there is an abandoned broomstick. A chair that someone was moving and abandoned because he thought about something else. A table with some flowers to make the place look nice, doctors like pretty hallways too : D.

And if you REALLY don't want to detail, then there are looots of tricks to make levels look less boring. Decals and lighting are the best imho :3. Decals in the corners (basically in places that are hard to clean) make the places look less dull, and more dynamic. Think your map like a drawing or a photo, it needs to be dynamic to look appealing I think : /...

Don't like decals because the place is perfectly cleaned up every 5 minute ? Lighting and particles are your solution xD !

Secondary light sources will make the scene look more dynamic : ) ! Might be a window, an opened door with some light coming from it and making a bright spot on the floor... A player walking through a perfectly clean hallway with no detailing and 8 doors that look exactly alike without ANYTHING to grab his attention will most likely get confused and bored : /.

I am sorry for insisting so much on this >.<, but while the screenshots look like you are ready to spend a lot of time on this mod it would be really sad if mapping was repetitive and empty areas. I think you are creative and motivated, you are ready to listen to other people's opinion but I honestly believe you are doing a mistake if you don't make your areas more dynamic with detailing/lighting.

Hope I did not sound like a douche there, but if an area doesn't have to be filled with detailing to look good, it has to be dynamic. The perfect example is this map in Through the Portal :



It is nearly empty. The detailing level is very very close to being 0. And YET, it looks very very very very fucking good. Because the lighting is awesome and new, it makes the place look dynamic and the whole screenshot goes from what would have been a boring hallway to a mind-blowing new map ! That's my point. Find something to make your maps dynamic and appealing. Can be detailing, can be lighting, can be a good use of fog areas, can be all of this combined... But yeah, you gotta find something that will make people go like "shit that hallway looks mysterious/suspicious/cool/scary/whatever, I gotta investigate" !

[7heDubz]

Would be VERY happy to test. I try to be devoted and I'll try in great amounts to try and break your map =P

[MsHannerBananer]

Hey ^^ Glad you thought some points of my feedback were useful !

I want to point something out about detailing, though : the detailing is not always something that is done to make maps more realistic. Sometimes it would be more realistic to leave areas empty (most of the abandoned places in mods should be completely emptied of furniture and items), but mappers don't do it. For a very simple reason : an empty map is boring. Small details related to the story are what makes maps feel alive.

It's your choice, but take a look at the mods with good mapping there. I'm tired of suggesting Eternium so i'll recommend The Four Horsemen, which has the same level of detailing as Eternium -or nearly- but a lighting of lower quality, also I think I can recommend Through the Portal, maybe some environments of mental memorial. Those mods have overwhelming detailing. Yes in Through the Portal some areas are messy and it's not realistic. In Eternium there might be some crates in the very first room that might not have a good reason to be here. In The Four Horsemen, there is a room with glasses and whine that might be unrealistic considering the story of the place, and so on : p.

BUT. Empty maps are not fun to walk through in a general way.

Played Bioshocks ? Lots of detailing and weird crates that shouldn't be abandoned in that position if you think about it ; ). And yet, they put crates, planks, random stuff everywhere because this is how places look like in real life ! In a clean hallway there is an abandoned broomstick. A chair that someone was moving and abandoned because he thought about something else. A table with some flowers to make the place look nice, doctors like pretty hallways too : D.

And if you REALLY don't want to detail, then there are looots of tricks to make levels look less boring. Decals and lighting are the best imho :3. Decals in the corners (basically in places that are hard to clean) make the places look less dull, and more dynamic. Think your map like a drawing or a photo, it needs to be dynamic to look appealing I think : /...

Don't like decals because the place is perfectly cleaned up every 5 minute ? Lighting and particles are your solution xD !

Secondary light sources will make the scene look more dynamic : ) ! Might be a window, an opened door with some light coming from it and making a bright spot on the floor... A player walking through a perfectly clean hallway with no detailing and 8 doors that look exactly alike without ANYTHING to grab his attention will most likely get confused and bored : /.

I am sorry for insisting so much on this >.<, but while the screenshots look like you are ready to spend a lot of time on this mod it would be really sad if mapping was repetitive and empty areas. I think you are creative and motivated, you are ready to listen to other people's opinion but I honestly believe you are doing a mistake if you don't make your areas more dynamic with detailing/lighting.

Hope I did not sound like a douche there, but if an area doesn't have to be filled with detailing to look good, it has to be dynamic. The perfect example is this map in Through the Portal :



It is nearly empty. The detailing level is very very close to being 0. And YET, it looks very very very very fucking good. Because the lighting is awesome and new, it makes the place look dynamic and the whole screenshot goes from what would have been a boring hallway to a mind-blowing new map ! That's my point. Find something to make your maps dynamic and appealing. Can be detailing, can be lighting, can be a good use of fog areas, can be all of this combined... But yeah, you gotta find something that will make people go like "shit that hallway looks mysterious/suspicious/cool/scary/whatever, I gotta investigate" !

I understand what you mean. I'm not lazy, and it's not like I don't want to put extra detailing, however I just don't see the point for the two particular screenshots in question.

After all, these maps are still under construction. They will always be under construction until I'm really done with everything, even when I'm working on the very last map, the first maps will still be under construction as I come across other entities to put in them, and get idea's to make my maps more unique. So the screenshots may change as I edit these maps.

I have roughly 4-5 hospitals in my city, and I visited each of them for a rough idea on how to create on of my maps. There are many things I could put in my map that just don't exist in the Amnesia engine, and seeing as I'm not a modeller, I work with what I'm able to get my hands on. The hallways in the hospitals in my city are usually plain-Jane, with a sign here or there for room numbers, and a sign for directions when reaching an upcoming fork. These will be added, and aren't present in the screenshots because they are still under construction. Screenshots are, after all, really just a quick preview on what's to come and what to expect.

I've played Through the Portal. I was very happy with the concept, and pleased with his level design. It was amazing, and sadly too short. But his concept was for something otherworldly looking. My hospital has no need to look otherworldly... yet.

This map is supposed to look clean, and well maintained, recently abandoned due to an evacuation protocol. Which is why it lacks cobwebs and general dirt/dust.

I know it seems like I'm fighting the system. LOL But I'm not. I really do appreciate your feedback, I'm simply trying to explain why the maps are the way they are. I'm really not being lazy, or undedicated to providing a realistic environment. The environment isn't supposed to get really spooky for another map or two. The first 2-3 maps are to set an environment and story, and gradually build up to the true terrors beyond.

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Would be VERY happy to test. I try to be devoted and I'll try in great amounts to try and break your map =P

PLEASE. PLEASE BREAK MY MAP!! xDD I'm going to put up a test-alpha for the first three levels within the next few days, and I'd love to have people try to break my map. Hehehe.

[daortir]

Whatever ^^ Your mod, you do what you want xD.

Good luck with it.

[MsHannerBananer]

So after some annoying problems with the level editor and my computer, I look to finish up the 3rd map by this weekend. I'll need some testers willing to go slow and check for grammar issues, breaks in the map, and problems with the entities (as in, two entities are colliding and it looks super ugly or is very noticeable). I'll also need decent feedback on map design/detailing, continuity, if the storyline is too easy to predict, if anything is too obscure or far-fetched, and how well the music fits the map.

There are no enemies or scares, the first few maps focus mostly on immersion and are story driven, leading up to the scares in future maps.

That being said, the FC will CRASH when you reach the end of the 3rd map. Please send me a PM or post here if you're serious about being a tester.

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More screen shots, whoop-da-loop... *mutters something about stupid 4 image limit in posts*

Here's a new screen shot, and an updated screenshot.

Spoiler below!