Expanding on the whole idea of a ''horror'' game, it would have to follow a good storyline, with lots of suspense and plot twists like the whole Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal/Red Dragon saga, not one of those stupid monster movies where you end up leading all the monsters into a house and blowing it up in the end. You want something that has real-life type stuff, like in The Ring, where after you see the movie you''d probably be scared shitless if someone called you on a payphone and said "Seven Days." Something like those funny little things online where there''s a picture of a room or something that they say someone killed themself in and if you look hard enough you can see their ghost, and all of a sudden they play a shrieking noise and pop up a full-size ghost image. Just stuff like that.

Again, movie-like games are hard to implement properly. What you have to do is get the player caring, and then shock his senses. You can''t get touch or taste or smell, so you have to assult his eyes and his ears with the most juxtaposed things one can dream up. A murder scene is nothing new. A murder scene where the killer is the couple''s daughter is wicked freaky.
Things popping out of windows and closets won''t work anymore either. We need fear that is imagined as much as it is real.

Example: AvP2, Marine Missions. The very first mission you get a glimpse of the aftermath of an Alien attack, and even see a Predator blow shit up, but you never actually get into any real danger, but the entire level, you sit with an itchy trigger finger waiting for trouble. And even in the next mission, still with no real combat, you''re so creeped out by the dark shadows and hissing steam, that it''s hard to continue forward without occasionally popping a fear-shot off at a pipe or corner because you think it moved.
I had to take a break in the middle of my AvP2-a-thon the first time around because I was getting *much* too creeped out by the Marine missions, and needed to let the adrenaline in my system settle.

-Ryan "Run_The_Shadows"
-Run_The_Shadows@excite.com
-The Navidson Record! The best film you''ll never see!

It''s kind of funny that you guys mentioned a Shadowrun mod, since I''m actually working on one right now.....I''m modding it for deus ex....wow, I wasn''t going to make it public to anyone for a bit because I had no idea that there was such a fan base for it (i thought I was the only one). Well....it''s coming....


-randomatic

Has there been ANY really good DX mods made? Ever?

-Ryan "Run_The_Shadows"
-Run_The_Shadows@excite.com
-The Navidson Record! The best film you''ll never see!

As of right now, there''s only a couple, but they are more like just a couple of extra levels, or an added augmentation, but no full mods. There''s a couple that should be coming out soon (or they/I hope), but the deus ex modding communtity is basically dead. It''s kind of sad, because it''s a great game, and it''s an easy engine to mod for, and there''s already a lot to work with. All I''m really doing making all new models (gotta have orks and elves (damn pig faces) ), adding a couple of skills, and changing all the augs to cyberware, plus the weapons which in it''s own is a lot, but no compared to some augs that have been made for half life, for instance (ex. HLRally Racing, Natural Selection, etc.), so I think if I can pull it off, it could be a big boost to the community, especially if those other mods come out as well. The problem is, most of the modders are waiting for Deus Ex 2, but probably half of those modders started thier mods (or at least announced that they were making them) before DX2 was even announced. So it basically comes down to lack of ambition, and the hopes that someone else will do the work for them.


Well, I think I''ve said my peace about the deus ex modding community.......


Yeah, so anyway, I should have a tech demo ready by January, I''m hoping, so if you really want, I''ll keep you posted.


-randomatic

I''d probably download it and give it a spin, just like I do with any mod that intrigues me.

-Ryan "Run_The_Shadows"
-Run_The_Shadows@excite.com
-The Navidson Record! The best film you''ll never see!

Hexagonal Bomberman.

Also, an RPG where you can "auto-adventure" as well as "auto-combat". That is, you enter a city, set the party to "gather information" or "seek a rest" or "go shopping" or "get drunk" and just watch them do it. When in a tavern, for example, you may optionally command to "harass the waitress". Also, you may set your party to "raise money", and the bard will sing on street corners, the mage will show tricks, the warrior will wrestle and so on. How's it?


[edited by - Chentzilla on November 13, 2002 7:27:05 AM]

What''s fun about that, dude?
Maybe if it was an integrated design feature of an amazingly epic game, yeah. But for me, at least, FF7 would not be FF7 if I could just hit a "Follow Sephiroth and kill all enemies in the way" feature and watch them do it for hours on end. RPGs are meant to be interactive to the max, giving you control, not taking it away.

-Ryan "Run_The_Shadows"
-Run_The_Shadows@excite.com
-The Navidson Record! The best film you''ll never see!

I''ve always thought this would be a cool idea for a game. There was a similar concept game called Virus a while back, but I never played it, so I don''t know how similar to my idea it would be.

Essentially, you have a FPS engine and you run around in your computer looking to attack the viruses that have attacked it. Depending on the CPU type you have, how much memory and hard disk space you have, the maps would be completely different. You and a friend might have the exact same system specs, but if your video card is different, when you enter the ''video card'' area, you encounter entirely different levels and creatures.

Your goal is to rid the computer of all viruses. Of course, generating those levels based on hardware info is one problem, as is generating balanced levels that are still random.

And how do you deal with networked computers? Well, it was a thought. If anyone implements it, I''d buy a copy.

Looking for an honest video game publisher? Visit www.gamethoughts.com

@Ryan: Well, it depends on how many choices you have, and how complex the orders can be... I wrote just a few examples.
Suppose you can write the following order "Locate and occupy a tavern. Drink=low. Money waste=high. Try to befriend everyone. Retreat when attacked."
Or, you can set the party to "cheat" mode, so it can cheat on every person it meets for money or just for fun.

cheater - "Have you slayed the dragon?"
king - "Yes, here''s his head?"
c. - "Looks suspiciously wooden."
k. - "Like you ever knew what dragon heads are made from. Where''s my reward?"

or

random adventurer - "I seek the princess stolen by the brigands."
cheateress - "Well, I AM the princess, fair knight. Seek no more."
r. a. - "Ok then, follow me, I''ll take you to the king."
c. - (follows him, therefore distracting him from the real princess. Leaves him in impassable forest and returns to party.)

or

brigand - "Your money or your life!"
cheater - "Well, I left my purse in the other armor. Will you wait here till I go fetch it? I''ll leave you this ring as a bail." (gives him the worthless/cursed ring and leaves)


Then again, you''re right - it''s better to be done not automatically.

How''s the bomberman idea, then?