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Part 2:
In Part 1 I talked about how a game designed to mimic a good movie works well, of course provided that movie was an action movie. Now I am going to make a comparison to something else, mostly because it is much like designing an action game.
1995's "Scream" haunted house attraction in St. Louis
Here I want to address the game design issues that seem to be too often overlook, that is the "fear element" in games.
I was faced with much of the same elements in designing and building this project as I am now with level design. Both are forms of entertainment, both often try to mimic favorite/effective movie scenes many, many similarities.
Starting on paper:
I jotted down good idea's and cheesy sketches accompanied these idea's as well, as I put together the basic layout of the floor plan of this haunted project. This was before I even build the scenes. I had to next decide what scenes I wanted to use, and in what order I would put them in. This was important in another way because even here I wanted to tell a story..and have all scenes fit together logically. Placing a dungeon scene right before my "Nightmare on elm street" scene, wouldn't make for a good flow, not unless I put in a transition hallway...this hallway would be a dark corridor with nothing to look at that would smoothly buffer the two worlds/time periods...you couldn't see the other scene from one end to the other, or in another case I had to make the maze go around a corner. This was to give more of a feeling of "interdimensional travel" or "time travel", as though you are caught up in some sort of ride through Hell's vortex.
On my demo level, which is a ship, I carefully thought out the scenes here two....logically connecting all of them to keep the realism and the "feel" of a real ship more intact. Look at Unreal's first level for example aboard the Vortex Rikers:
Scenes:
1) cell block
2) alternate a: The execution chamber
3) The Green foggy vent passage
3) the main bridge..etc
Build the scenes:
Now that all is laid out with the maze even designed. Now it's time to build! Now it was time to create the most realistic scenes we can, even before placing the lights and actors. This process is self explanatory, maybe somewhere else I'll give tips for making a realistic level. But that isn't my point here.
Lights:
I remember being up in that 1/2 acre of floor and mazes till 2 am just changing and adjusting lights. Some were too bright, and I feared that the scene needed to be in the dark more.. Some were the wrong color, when say an eerie red tone would be better. Some were made to "flash" to add to the mood effect. (Remember the ALIEN in the movies the way they always have a "strobe" light on it to add to the mood?) yes we had strobe lights also. I ran the sound effects to get an overall "feel" of the place as I changed the lights. At this point I was even nervous about being in this place..and this was before the props and actors were in. This says alot here...make it effective before the actors, and electric props are there...silence can be golden just like a darkened room can make you insecure. These elements work well in games too. Remember the 3rd level? Where the lights shut down one by one, until: "total darkness..and a growl.."? see what I mean?
Props:
In Level design props are object meshes or non moving actors, (unreal calls all of these "actors"),much of the same in Our "House of horrors" here, we added them solely for the realism, else we would leave them out just because of the budget alone. Just as in level design, you want to keep it to a minimum allowable amount, where frame rate will suffer with too many "props" in your level.
Effects:
Triggered events in unreal are well placed for realism, again with our house project, we use them the same way...finding it a challenge to try to make Patrons "jump" also was our goal. Anything to make them more unnerved! (heh heh!), and with props it is cheaper than an actor, (Budget again), that's with no cigarette breaks, no bathroom trips, no bitchin' and moaning about wanting to do a different scene, and they are always there open to close doing their job.
The Budget factor here is compared to game lag and slow frame rates. As We in the House wanted to keep the budget down, the related situation applies to level design where you'll want to do the same to keep the frame rate up. Odd the way the two fit so well. :) I can't say to place effects in spite of a scenes need for it, because broke that rule. Sometimes just to scare someone in there we carefully placed an unexpected event, this may throw your realism in a level off a bit if now carefully thought out, but anytime you can un-Nerve a player during the game with a surprise "Jump" I say more power to ya!
People too much forget that in level design you can't keep it entertaining by realism alone. And they forget to try to "Shake" the player a bit with things like this, which adds to the entertainment, much as it works in movies or Haunted house attractions. So are you seeing the similarities? I am addressing this aspect more so because I think it is lacking in most games. I don't know how many times I would have jumped if when I triggered an elevator to walk onto and it shows with a monster on it! Rarely seen that at all...
Elements of fear
I'll use Stephen Kings Ten bears of Horror and add my own to it:
1) fear of the Unknown
2) Fear for others lives
3) Fear of insects
4) fear of darkness
5) fear of Closed in places/ being trapped
6) Fear of death
7) fear hideously Deformed humanoids
8) fear of evil
9) fear of falling from great heights
10) fear of squishy things
11) Fear of being surprised/ caught off guard
Some of these you can't use in a game, unless your designing a creature on that premise. Others can be used well, to add to the entertainment value of your level and keep the players playing' as well as want to play it again.
This where well placed actors come in....note that my brief discussion of events that "surprise" a player has been vague for a reason. You'll place events of that sort much like you do a monster.
Hidden monsters Bears # 11,#1: that can't be seen until it's to late. This is where the elevator thing I mentioned earlier comes in. The elevator moves up quick to unexpectedly conjure up an un-welcome adversary. Place actors in a recess in the wall that blends in so that you can't see it when you look. From the ceiling is often forgotten, Jediknight used this. You could make a recess in the ceiling and place the monster there, and you won't see him until your right under him. I was got a chance a few times to Be an actor in my own Haunted House, As Freddy Kruger mostly, but one day we had no costumes left and needed one more actor, so I put on a "Jim carrey as the mask" face. And applied these above techniques. Yes, I just hid in the shadows and jumped up with Noise, light, and action, these three elements work well together arousing all of there senses. Even the biggest men fell backwards in surprise like they seen a ghost! The light was a flash light to the face, though when you think about it a real monster wouldn't do this, but it added to the sensory of fear and surprise of my victims. Whatever works right? All of the "yellow water" in that hallway from some unnerved bladders was there for a reason. (yuuuk!) Well placed pawn point can work here as well provided they don't occur in the players view. Monster behind the opening door is good too, provided you can get him to stand quietly there until you open the door. (AI)
Too many is ineffective One to three can provided the same or better effectiveness that an ambush squad can, and at a better frame rate. Two-Three monsters blocking a hall is plenty. Spread them out better.
Staged Kills: Bears#2,#6: seeing the monster kill a victim is also a good element of realism, and well done in Unreals level one, later the NAli often get bumped off in front of you as they are humbly bowing in the path of the creature. As Freddy Krueger in The Haunted House, I had two extra actors just for my scene. They would come through the maze like everyone else, and even sometimes wait in line with them. But when they got to me, it was time for some serious acting! Yes I killed them, in front of the other spectators. This was extremely effective, no one ever thought those two, who in line with them, would be actors. And so if to that point they weren't convince there was something to be afraid of, now they at leats believed that one of the actors has gone nuts and killed two people. Good-bye security, hello to fear! Getting touched by a monster is not allowed in these places, and they all know that when entering. But after that incident they suddenly wonder if any of the actors will do the same.
...more to come..unfinished.