Not asking for recruitment Just ideas for nightmares.

[Dualnames]

Well, my game is Lone Case. I am trying to make a nightmare scene yet I don't know how to make a good one. I am gonna put a maze definetely but the rest is beyond me.
So hit me with ideas.

[Captain Lexington]

Well, if by nightmare you mean nightmare for the player, then the maze is certainly the way to go. 

Well, from what I know of your game (which isn't a lot, I only skimmed the 'Games in Progress' thread) I'd say the nightmare would be pretty lighthearted, it is a light hearted game, yes?

I should assume it won't be a 'dungeon' type maze, as that doesn't seem to fit in with the story.

Quite frankly, we're just gonna need some specifics before we can help.

I do, however, eagerly await this game and would be glad to help.

[Dualnames]

Well, ok. The nightmare happens when the hero goes to sleep.
I was thinking of a nightmare(for the character) of weird or funny nature.  The next morning he wakes up to go to his boss office.
I was thinking something like:

The character is dreaming of a strange futuric maze when he finds the exit a lightsaber battle begins(more of an acting cutscene) something wakes him up and he sees the Star Wars movie ending credits.

[Captain Lexington]

Do we get some valuable exposition from this dream sequence?

Does it advance the story?

Rule Number One of fiction writing is never write a scene that doesn't advance the story.

This rule is infinitely more important for an Adventure Game because a player would be pretty cross if he came to the end of a puzzle--a maze, no less--and found out all his work had been for naught.

[nulluser]

-

[m0ds]

You could always try using some kind of "slow-motion" effect. Whether thats animations or simply the characters walking speed - effect elements like that might spruce up the scene you use. That would work in a nightmare, but a dream about a lightsabre fight would be a pretty appealing to me

[Radiant]

Being chased by fluffy pink bunnies?

[mkennedy]

Maybe the dreamer needs to get to a final exam, and when they arrive they discover they discover they are under dressed (undies). Two very common nightmares.

[joelphilippage]

I once had a dream that a giant hamburger was trying to eat me and I woke up screaming. I don't know if that could fit your game however.

[markbilly]

Chasing Your Dream.

You are running, chasing something, eternally, yet you know that the terror won't end unless you catch it. An anxiety builds as you realise the further away this teasing, figure-less presence becomes the darker it becomes and the weaker you feel. And as the more unable you are to pursue it, so then anxiety turns to fear and fear to peril. The presence becomes so far away you cannot breath, the world is black and a crushing darkness comes upon you. The presence escapes and you wake, breathing heavily, weasing and sweating. Relief hits you as the realise it was a dream.

[Mould Cheeze]

I once dreamed that i was chased by a white taurus. Then I ran into a shop and there was an angry bear. Then I went into a pub where I was secure. Cheers!
The really strange thing about this dream is: I don't work at the bourse

[deadsuperhero]

I once had a dream where I hit my head, and everything was in German. I forgot how to speak English, which is my native language. Stranger still was the fact that I was remembering everything from my German class lessons, and was conversing fluently with German folk in Hamburg.
Weird, huh?

[Mould Cheeze]

Weird, huh?

Maybe it would be more weird if you spoke a language which you never had learned
Prost!

[Babar]

Chasing Your Dream.

You are running, chasing something, eternally, yet you know that the terror won't end unless you catch it. An anxiety builds as you realise the further away this teasing, figure-less presence becomes the darker it becomes and the weaker you feel. And as the more unable you are to pursue it, so then anxiety turns to fear and fear to peril. The presence becomes so far away you cannot breath, the world is black and a crushing darkness comes upon you. The presence escapes and you wake, breathing heavily, weasing and sweating. Relief hits you as the realise it was a dream.

That's a weird take on a more common (being chased-type) dream. I wouldn't be able to comprehend being afraid of something, but being terrified of not being able to catch it. Some sort of "I can't achieve my goals" type subconcious desire?

[2ma2]

Do we get some valuable exposition from this dream sequence?

Does it advance the story?

Rule Number One of fiction writing is never write a scene that doesn't advance the story.

This rule is infinitely more important for an Adventure Game because a player would be pretty cross if he came to the end of a puzzle--a maze, no less--and found out all his work had been for naught.

It might suite as character development. Or a beginning tutorial on how the game plays such as in "Escape from Butcher Bay"

[Dualnames]

Rule number one of fiction

Sucks
Anyway I wanted to make a nightmare that is funny. and i think I did. It's pretty weird and of no sense at  least for the demo, but nightmares are this way. Weird and non sense. And no it doesn't  do anything with plot except that when you wake up you  have a star wars dvd case lying next to you.

just to let you know i'll explain the nightmare.
you go to the stairs then a dream sequence happens. the player finds himself in a maze. I'm not gonna reveal the way out.
Anyway in some of the maze rooms something happens then you hear a riddle if you respond correct you get an item when you get all the 3 items.(Indiana jones's whip, Luke's saber and sword of annihilation you move to a room where after a short yet kinda funny talk with a green eyed rat you have to escape the room upon escape you see a lightsaber sceen and you wake up at the bar with a star wars dvd case lying next to you.

[Magic]

I've had a similar idea for an adventure game and it's one I doubt I'll ever make since it would require fantastic visuals to do justice. It was partly inspired, naturally, by real life stress where I was having crazy dreams (Including dreams of dreams ) and was worried about what control I had over my subconscience and mental state. Iron Maiden's awesome "Dream of Mirrors" was something that I really related to at the time - the track itself is about a man too scared to sleep!

I think Lucas Kane from Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy) is a good reference for the style, though the adventure would be more puzzle based rather than mini-games.

The adventure would be about a normal person who has a series of harrowing nightmares that crack away at his sanity and soon cause all sorts of delusions and mistakes in the real world. Each series of dreams and nightmares would be a whole gameplay segment so there's a HUGE variety of locations and puzzles that could be implemented.

By the end, they're be turning into a half-mad, Fight Club-narrator style insomniac, convinced that they shouldn't sleep. I'd rather avoid the involvement of some paranormal\evil forces and focus on psychology but it may be a necessity for the plot (Just because "Yay I'm cured" is too easy of an ending  ).

There's a lot of potential in there and, it may sound cliche, I really do think that such an absorbing game, well-written and "directed", could really help the genre.

[zeblin]

Well, Max Payne comes to mind here.  There were many dream sequences where he would float or run in slow motion so that the player knew it was a dream. 

2ma2 has a good point that anything in a game can be thrown in for character development.  Still, I agree with many others who said the dream sequence should be relevant to the story and game play.  However, since it is Star Wars related and you wake up with the Star Wars DVD collection, which I assume is an inventory item, I'd say you meet that requirement.