Which is scariest?

Etumretniw · Thu 19/12/2013 18:53:27

I'm contemplating doing a horror game. And I've wanted to do a widescreen Hi-res game for a while, but I'm not sure that this should be it. With horror much of the suspense lie in what is imagined by the viewer, and Lo-res is more accommodating to that. So I've tried out one of the characters as a Hi-res and a Lo-res version. Which is scariest? Or how to make either scarier.

EliasFrost · Thu 19/12/2013 19:55:43

I thought I was imagining that the guy was blinking but then I saw it blink again and it freaked me out!

I'm not really the one to ask if a character look scary, as I'm rarely scared by the appearance of character but rather their motives and backstory as to why they do what they do. That said, I don't think it has much to do with whether the character look scary but his personality, the way he moves and how he reasons that makes the character creepy and terrifying. BUT it's an interesting design that I think you should stick to, I like it.

Anian · Thu 19/12/2013 22:11:37

He doesn't really look scary either way. Not he's badly drawn or anything (except that the low res version might need some tweaks).

Horror is unknown which, when it's a character, translates to uncontrollable and unpredictable. So how to turn that to character design? I suggest clothes ripped in places, blood stains, bare, cut up, feet instead of shoes, not a hood with an eye hole (that's just kind of seems week), but a guy who doesn't see yet still sees (think Pyramidhead) -> scary. Either that or go completely "normal", which twists slowly into darkness...
Quick edit:

kaput · Thu 19/12/2013 23:49:01

Quick edit my arse

kconan · Fri 20/12/2013 02:26:15

Anian's edit is scary, though whatever style you go with don't lose that creepy eyehole.

Etumretniw · Fri 20/12/2013 15:46:53

Quote from: EliasFrost on Thu 19/12/2013 19:55:43
I thought I was imagining that the guy was blinking but then I saw it blink again and it freaked me out!

Mission accomplished

Etumretniw · Fri 20/12/2013 15:50:25

Quote from: Anian on Thu 19/12/2013 22:11:37
He doesn't really look scary either way. Not he's badly drawn or anything (except that the low res version might need some tweaks).

Horror is unknown which, when it's a character, translates to uncontrollable and unpredictable. So how to turn that to character design? I suggest clothes ripped in places, blood stains, bare, cut up, feet instead of shoes, not a hood with an eye hole (that's just kind of seems week), but a guy who doesn't see yet still sees (think Pyramidhead) -> scary. Either that or go completely "normal", which twists slowly into darkness...
Quick edit:

Thank you for your input

I'm trying to not go for monsters per say, but I can draw inspiration from the rest of your edit, which is very good.

(And yes, honing pixel art skills will also be part of the equation if I go that way)

StillInThe90s · Fri 20/12/2013 19:56:55

You have probably already thought about this, but since animation usually is quite a big part of adventure games, you should take this aspect into the equation as well imo. - What works best from a workload / your animation skills -point of view.

Daniel Eakins · Fri 20/12/2013 22:00:27

I like this one best. It reminds me of games like Alone in the Dark. Whereas the other one just reminds of darkish-but-no-scary cartoons like Batman: TAS and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003).

Etumretniw · Fri 20/12/2013 23:08:10

Quote from: StillInThe90s on Fri 20/12/2013 19:56:55
You have probably already thought about this, but since animation usually is quite a big part of adventure games, you should take this aspect into the equation as well imo. - What works best from a workload / your animation skills -point of view.

About the same time as doing good pixel art I imagine (not used to it). I used about 1,5-2 years on Breakage. I'm not on a schedule here, I just take my time

StillInThe90s · Sat 21/12/2013 23:33:51

Quote from: Etumretniw on Fri 20/12/2013 23:08:10
..I just take my time

Sounds like a good approach

HanaIndiana · Sat 04/01/2014 00:06:30

I found the low-res scarier, due to what you said... my own imagination. But some tweaks to either would be good. The eyehole is the best.

vertigoaddict · Sat 04/01/2014 02:48:23

To be honest, (as I agree with Anian) I feel like it'd be scarier if you didn't leave a hole in the sack to reveal a mouth or an eye, just put a sack on it and keep it to that, because then we'd still be wondering if the stalker really is human....

Heh, right now I'm imagining a scene where the protagonist hits the stalker in the head and there's a loud crack sound as the sack twists and his body falls to the ground, only for him to jaggedly get up and the sack twisting morbidly and unstably 360 and you can't really see what's happening under the sack but with the disturbing cracking sounds it makes, it kinda makes you wonder whether or not you really want to see whats under there.

Yeah, personally I'd go with no holes on the sack exposing any part of the stalker's face, but that's just my opinion.

I'd go with low-res simply because I feel it would be less tedious to animate etc, however since you said in the op "I've wanted to do a widescreen Hi-res game for a while" I say do what you feel would be right for yourself, you could put in an extreme amount of effort into this project so that it would be "the project", that's the whole beauty of going indie I'd say- do what you want.

Weston_Kaunk · Sun 12/01/2014 19:39:43

I feel like the low res version is best as it allows the player to imagine more of the details. I think that's just something inherent in pixel art, you're more suggesting details then stating them, and the player's imagination is the most important tool in developing horror games I'd go with that. The animation was creepy, did not notice it as first. But it's only creeping in the context that we all thought it was a stationary object, and I don't know if your game will have that same context of the monster standing still enough for the player to notice. I think it's a wonderfully designed monster, but honestly the effectiveness of a monster is determined on its environment and how it interacts in/with that. If this is a monster that hides in a cornfield, it hard to see in the shadows, or whatever to the effect that it can easily creep up on the player, then this is fantastic. Great design and I'm looking forward to see your movement animation.

Oh, low res to high res. Defiantly low res. Low res will make it infinitely easier to hide the monster in without requiring alot of detailed bits and result in a larger file size for your game as a high res would. I think you'll end up with much more bang for your buck.