After toying with the idea for a psychological horror based more on the users environment than a BBEG I am happy to announce production is almost complete for the first episode.
“The Apartment”
Below is screenshots of the map which I am looking for feedback on.
it is a single player experience to isolate the user, however as mentioned it is more psychological than the typical jump scares, I hope to make the user feel claustrophobic, and think that something is with them, the feeling of not being alone whilst also realising they may be alone, hopefully by using sound and the general ambiance of the unknown I can create a horror experience that exceeds expectations.
I have not heard of House of leaves - I will look into it.
The player will not have a flashlight, I should have mentioned that the player has just woken up in this apartment, with no recollection of how they got there.
It might be too dark to play. If people have to strain and struggle to just see they will get frustrated and leave. maybe make it so that things within a small distance will be lit.
I was struggling to see so I can definitely say that if you did leave it this dark (I did read you said you wouldn’t) then people would probably quit it…
I think that’s a great idea! Maybe make the character have a small glow around them Like how xXtroll_meisterXx mentioned:
I also was reading through what you were saying here:
and here:
I think the kitchen might be a bit too erratic (specifically the cupboards above the counters). I think that most things should be even and proportional (atleast as they can be). When looking at creepy locations (take liminal spaces) they often are desolate, and simple, not too complex.
Besides those darkness concerns, I think it looks pretty good. Can’t wait to see where it goes!
I’ve updated the pictures for now, to a lighter ambiance to see details more clearly, for release it will most likely be darker, however there will be ambient lighting as mentioned such as lamps/fridges etc.
I’m completely happy with the kitchen, the cupboards above also will house trinkets and such. There are still two rooms left to be complete.
The walls seem a little too bland in my opinion. Try using wall decorations such as shelves, hanging plants, pictures etc. Also I think the room itself is a little too empty. Again, utilizing plants and some other furniture should resolve the problem.
There will be a story, but I doubt cutscenes. The episode will finish. Episodes for different horror styles should come out frequently to keep the game interesting, eventually creating a lobby with different episodes.
If you need tips for realism, here it is. Make ambient darker but have a some lights (pointlights with shadow on) and make it a little dim. that way players will feel an uncertain feeling that something is lurking.
The room looks pretty plain, it looks like the room’s lights are just turned off. You could add some slight damage, wear & tear, and stains to the apartment (i.e. furniture, walls), alongside barely lit ceiling lights/lamps. Add some boards to the windows for a sense of insecurity.
This is the best I can do with the images you provided due to the low quality.
