Hi Guys. I’ve been watching and learning from the Roblox dev forums and I really appreciate all of the help and support that you provide, thank you. This is my first time posting and any feedback, suggestions and responses are incredibly welcome.
I have just launched my third game (I feel that I’m improving but you can be the judges!) called Forest (Forest Horror - Roblox).
I received some feedback through the Feedback Gui that’s in the game, with varying messages. Some of the players would like the game to feel more scary (darker, force first person, less visibility) and some would like it to be less (have a chance of running away if you see one of the monsters, make the game lighter, less jump scares). I was hoping to get your thoughts on this if possible?
I don’t know if I should be trying to cater for all styles of game play, for example, making a toggle option for a more scary experience and a toggle for less scary, to please a wider audience. Or would you stick with one side? Or stay in the middle?
There was also feedback on changing the torch for a flashlight and a solution could be to add both to the game and make it so that only one can be carried, so that the player has a choice. What do you think?
The game is targeted at tablet and PC players because it struggles on mobile, so I apologise for any lag if you are looking at the game on mobile.
Thanks for reading and if I have missed any of the details that you need to be able to provide feedback then please let me know. Feedback on any other aspects of the game that you see will also be very helpful.
Maybe you could compensate. I have a few ideas.
a) Less jump scares but more fear that one will happen (fear of the unknown)
b) The toggle is a good idea, but keep in mind that unless you’re willing to create separate sub-games, players will need to be able to be on the same page.
Thanks for the ideas man. So I could reduce the detection zones so that players can stray further from the pathways and the shock will be more fearful when they do meet one of the ‘monsters’.
I see what you mean with the toggle. Maybe I should wait to see what the majority of players want. Or a simpler toggle where they can choose a darker or lighter mode, where I would just update the game lighting/atmosphere for the player. The problem with that would still be similar to what I think you were highlighting, because things like the leaderboard would be unfair if it’s not separated between the harder mode and easier modes.
First of all, your game is not only extremely promising but extremely fun. I congratulate you on your future success. I have played outlast, resident evil and amnesia but never have I actually jumped because of a simple jumpscare. Your game is pretty nice how it is now but the issue I found to be annoying was that you get a single jumpscare and die. No story, no background, no mission and no escape or chance of survival.
You should make it a choice for it to be less/more scary as you can cater to the younger audiences who want to play something alike to piggy but also older audiences who enjoy your game.
I think you should dump both torch and light for a lantern…
The green trees weren’t too scary but it does fit in with the overall style and the yeti enemies.
The only feedback I could really suggest is adding a background/mission, adding small things along the road or helpful items or some type of knowledge as to where you’re going so you know you wont meet your fate, somehow add in a not 1 jumpscare kill because it’s really annoying walking down a long road and losing your progress. Also. dying in general with no way to escape. When the trees become barren, the game looks much more empty. To combat this you should make them taller and also add a type of fog… this would make your game more scary. Definitely mess around with the lighting a bit more.
Overall great job and great game. I wish you the best on your success and will be seeing your game on the front page soon
You want to know if it should be more or less scary?
If you ask me, that really depends on what you want out of this game. Personally, I can’t think of any true horror game that was designed to be a cash-grab game, or even pay-to-win. Horror games, in my opinion, are typically made for the experience: that is, to get scared. If you’re trying to make a buck out of this game, I’d recommend turning down the “scare factor” and making it more of a pay-to-win kind of game.
That being said, I can also see there being a scare setting that modifies the level of scare in the game. Beware, however, lest the gameplay at the two ends of the spectrum are so far apart, that they might as well be separate games.
Here are some final thoughts on your game:
On my first run, I chose the flashlight (which, by the way, is called a torch in the UK), because the future is now thanks to science . After my first run, however, I skipped choosing a light source altogether, because I realized that I could still see enough without the light to know where I was going;
When I first entered the game, the music had an adventurous vibe to it, and the lighting of the cabin and such gave it a more comforting first impression. Which is why, when the music switched to the “spooky tunes,” I thought to myself: oh crap. A very nice transition, I would say;
The yeti jump scare did indeed make me jump from scaredom;
On my first run, I noticed that there was no invisible barrier preventing me from just beelining it down the forest, so on my second run I did just that. When I saw that yeti coming at me at Mach 5 through the darkness, I knew it was the end.
On that note, I’d agree with @Luxorz on the small frustration of “dying in general with no way to escape;”
I also agree with @Luxorz in regards to the concept of not knowing whether you’ve made the right turn, or are about to get “Yeti’d.” In other horror games where you are attempting to reach a point on the map, there is no consequence for taking a longer course or making a wrong turn (though it can make matters worse). For your third game, this is very well done, but in the long run, I’d suggest changing the gameplay. For example, what if the Yeti is just patrolling the forest, and will only approach you if it sees you or hears you, and you have to navigate the forest as quietly as possible?
The first objective isn’t immediately evident. The how to play gui is readily available, so that’s good, but upon opening it I get a sense of dread that I’ll need to read a long paragraph to dissect a couple details that could have just been bullet points.
The distribution of items in the cabin is also a bit confusing. I’m assuming the intention is for everyone to grab a key, and to pick whether they want a torch or flashlight. If this is the case, why not have everyone start with the key and use a gui to choose between torch and flashlight? One issue with the current setup is that first-time players can miss out on the items. Another issue is having to backtrack to the cabin after respawning.
Am assuming that players are supposed to get to the end by trial and error. If this is the case, it would be nice to have a way to mark areas. I tried to do this by throwing torches on the ground but other people picked them up.
. After my first run, however, I skipped choosing a light source altogether, because I realized that I could still see enough without the light to know where I was going;