The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread

[Kein]

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[Ghieri]

Don't get too excited... he said he blotted out the spoilers and those plans were from a year ago. Literally everything on there could have changed.

[Paddy™]

New blog post about the latest lighting tech:

http://frictionalgames.blogspot.com/2013...hting.html

[Macgyverthehero]

I find it hard to pick which kind of new lighting render I like in that article.

[Mehis]

I hope SOMA will not be like AMFP. I believe AMFP was a good example how the gameplay should not be executed in Amnesia game. While the story was awesome, it didn't have the core elements of Amnesia.

Because you didn't have to find any resources to keep the light on, you couldn't say: "I need to find this resource in order to stay alive and progress in the game."

Because you didn't have any sanity meter, you couldn't say: "I need to light this torch in order to regain my sanity and progress in the game."

That said, I hope SOMA will have some kind of "metagame" like in TDD (light sources, etc.) and adapt the story side of AMFP. I know I'm just rehashing the same things people have been saying but it just occured to me... for some reason...

[Cuyir]

ohthisagain

[WALP]

I hope SOMA will not be like AMFP. I believe AMFP was a good example how the gameplay should not be executed in Amnesia game. While the story was awesome, it didn't have the core elements of Amnesia.

Because you didn't have to find any resources to keep the light on, you couldn't say: "I need to find this resource in order to stay alive and progress in the game."

Because you didn't have any sanity meter, you couldn't say: "I need to light this torch in order to regain my sanity and progress in the game."

That said, I hope SOMA will have some kind of "metagame" like in TDD (light sources, etc.) and adapt the story side of AMFP. I know I'm just rehashing the same things people have been saying but it just occured to me... for some reason...

I think you're kinda talking against yourself in your argumentation. It is my impression(based on what I have read of blogs,interviews and in-game amnesia comments) that Frictional Games aims to (warning fancy words) immerse you in the game's world(setting) and story and have you focus on/thinking about that. Your examples both have "progress in the game" in them and that's something you never want happening, because that means the player is in a competitive/challenge focused mindset, taking away from the story and horror.
The word "game" should ideally never cross the player's mind unless it is a game within the game's world.

[Mehis]

I think you're kinda talking against yourself in your argumentation. It is my impression(based on what I have read of blogs,interviews and in-game amnesia comments) that Frictional Games aims to (warning fancy words) immerse you in the game's world(setting) and story and have you focus on/thinking about that. Your examples both have "progress in the game" in them and that's something you never want happening, because that means the player is in a competitive/challenge focused mindset, taking away from the story and horror.
The word "game" should ideally never cross the player's mind unless it is a game within the game's world.

Fair point. Though, I still believe that the player should be "tangled" to these gameplay mechanics. Whether it's to progress in the game or to survive, etc. It might be just me but I feel a lot more immersed when I have a challenge. Finding lamp oil, for an example. There's a thin line somewhere. I believe FG hit close with Amnesia. Let's hope they'll hit it dead on with SOMA.

[Alardem]

Obsessing over hunting down and stockpiling collectibles like a mad squirrel detract from the experience of being scared. Part of it was the sheer ineffectiveness and arbitrary nature of Daniel's "insanity" - Mandus' distorted perspective of the world was, personally, more effective because the player does not have control over what he hallucinates.

I do wonder how the health system of Soma will work. If healing items are to be featured, then there should not be any form of automatically regenerating health as that renders the aforementioned items redundant. If regenerating health does get featured, then it should be extremely slow and debilitating to the player. A Machine For Pigs featured health that regenerated so fast that you could be hit about half a dozen times in a chase and still survive.

[MyRedNeptune]

So I know I've said this before multiple times already, but MIKKO BETTER USE HIS BASSOON FOR THE SCORE, GODDAMMIT.