What features do you want to see in a first person survival horror game?

[Macro Device]

I'm a part of a game developer team and my tasks involve screenplay, story, character design and such.

The game is technically a survival horror but it's definitely not a hardcore one. One might call it a non-GTA GTA. You're limited in weapons and their usefulness and your character isn't particularly healthy.

It's set in the US, features first person view, open game world.

What would you love to see in this game? I mean, seriously. Please don't dick around.

Just to make things clear: our budget isn't limitless, we can't implement everything. And that's an understatement.

 

[sepheronx]

what is it even about?

 

[alwayssts]

I don't have any desires in this regard, but just wanted to say this is a very cool thing (to ask the community).

Carry on, and good luck with your project.

 

[Macro Device]

what is it even about?

I can't tell you everything but you're playing as a cop woman who got infected with some nasty stuff and your goal is to find a cure for you and for others infected using clues, documents, and dialogues. This is a semi-cinema game with perhaps 50% gaming time spent on watching the cut-scenes and I can assure you we're working hard to make these cinematics worth watching. The game has more than one possible quest line. Not sure if I can tell you more, the rest seems to be NDAed.

 

[Assimilator]

Gore. Lots of gore. All the gore. Shooting an enemy to death and watching them slump over dead is boooooring; exploding them into little bits of meat that you can then kick around to complete their humiliation is cathartic. Too many games today try to be serious and realistic and dramatic and in the process forget that the primary purpose of a game is to be fun, and there is nothing funnier than bloody bits of a generic enemy that nobody gives a s**t about. Or, subvert expectations by building up a big bad then having them die in the most hilariously violent manner possible. Bonus points if the main character then takes their head and repeatedly uses it in a faux-serious manner like Shakespeare's Hamlet.

I can't tell you everything but you're playing as a cop woman who got infected with some nasty stuff and your goal is to find a cure for you and for others infected using clues, documents, and dialogues. This is a semi-cinema game with perhaps 50% gaming time spent on watching the cut-scenes and I can assure you we're working hard to make these cinematics worth watching. The game has more than one possible quest line. Not sure if I can tell you more, the rest seems to be NDAed.

Then you aren't making a game, you're making an interactive movie. And while there's nothing wrong in doing so, you need to appreciate that the Venn diagram of (people who like playing videogames) and (people who like watching movies) has a very small intersection. It also means that instead of being able to concentrate on making very good gameplay or cinematics, you have to excel at both.

 

[Macro Device]

Gore. Lots of gore. All the gore.

Yeah, we initially planned to make this game as ridiculous as possible in this regard. Absolutely fuck soyboy titles where you can't even chip the head off.

It also means that instead of being able to concentrate on making very good gameplay or cinematics, you have to excel at both.

What can I say. Challenge accepted.

 

[Macro Device]

Gore. Lots of gore. All the gore.

So far we only found a very CPU-expensive way to do so. Will take horribly long to optimize. It's also currently very far from realistic. But funny as hell.

Also it's stupid how few games allow you to kick the doors and open them this way. Not the case for my game.

 

[Ruru]

VR support out of the box. Sucks that RE7 and 8 supports natively VR only at Playstation, they need a mod for VR at PC.

 

[720p low]

Assuming the use of firearms in this game, I'd like a refreshing break from needing to unload the entire capacity of a revolver/pistol/SMG/rifle, etc. into an enemies dome and still have it be a roll of the dice if anything was accomplished. Personally, I don't need arterial spray or anything, just the depiction that there is a certain cause and effect with regard to bullets and buckshot. (Again, if anything like this is even in this game.)

Also, intelligent dialogue. Self-doubt. Fear. Panic. Emotions. You know, all those aspects of the human condition one rarely experiences in a game, and that would set this apart from pretty much everything else.

And, please no, "We need to get this door open. But wait, we need to start the generator to do that. But wait, we need to find gas to start the generator. But wait, 10,000 rabid honey badgers are roaming the fuel shed." See where I'm going with this?

 

[Macro Device]

VR support out of the box

No one on the team knows how to do it and we have no one on QA team with VR equipment so it's very unlikely to happen. Maybe will do that as a DLC if box office allows for it.

just the depiction that there is a certain cause and effect with regard to bullets and buckshot

Guro and movement penalties will happen. Also it'll not take much to kill a man there, just a couple shots and they're done for. The problem is that you can't leave any evidence, or you face "Game over" because your character goes to jail. That's why shooting is VERY limited in actual use.

Also, intelligent dialogue. Self-doubt. Fear. Panic. Emotions. You know, all those aspects of the human condition one rarely experiences in a game, and that would set this apart from pretty much everything else.

Not sure how intelligent my dialogues are but they sure as hell raise pain levels. Some characters don't even need lines to give you chills. The whole screenwriting is my top priority, I want this game to have dangerous amounts of various feelings.

And, please no, "We need to get this door open. But wait, we need to start the generator to do that. But wait, we need to find gas to start the generator. But wait, 10,000 rabid honey badgers are roaming the fuel shed." See where I'm going with this?

Yeah, this won't be yet another dependency clusterfuck.

 

[Ruru]

One thing which comes to mind is that if the game isn't that much firearms dependant, so you don't have the bullet count visible. Like in Condemned, you have to manually check how many bullets you have left in your magazine.

And, please no, "We need to get this door open. But wait, we need to start the generator to do that. But wait, we need to find gas to start the generator. But wait, 10,000 rabid honey badgers are roaming the fuel shed." See where I'm going with this?

Sounds so much like a classic Resident Evil thing

 

[Macro Device]

so you don't have the bullet count visible.

It will be visible by default but gamers can disable/re-enable any HUD element at any point. The HUD will be limited: HP count, illness meter, current time, current task, ammo count, and a speedometer (if driving a car). Nothing else. Even crosshair will not be implemented.

Sounds so much like a classic Resident Evil thing

Resident Evil games aren't really similar to what we're doing there. It's closer to Max Payne 3 in one things and to Cyberpunk 2077 in other things than to any of RE.

 

[Hyderz]

1. Don’t overuse jump scares as that gets old fast…
2. Make safe zone less safe when you use it often
3. If there is a torchlight in the game, make it bright but has a cooldown if it’s overused

I’ll let you know if I can think of anymore

 

[skizzo]

But wait, 10,000 rabid honey badgers are roaming the fuel shed." See where I'm going with this?

badger badger badger?

now for actual feedback. make saving limited for harder difficulties and unlimited for the easiest difficulty. assuming there are going to be difficult levels

 

[JWNoctis]

By the sound of it, I assume it's close to a first-person Cataclysm or Project Zomboid?

Could only think of one thing: Don't push it overboard. Too much of that stuff would limit distribution options, when mainstream stores refuse to carry. I assume there are people taking care of that. Concur with the comment about good writing and dialogue.

Last good psychological - but not survival - horror I could think of is Martha is Dead. Even that had its hammy moments.

 

[Denver]

God, some people here seriously give me the creeps, it’s like you can sense the psychopathy from a mile away. That eerie vibe could inspire a great villain.

Anyway, speaking of unsettling things, it feels like there haven't been any recent games that truly deserve the title of "horror-survival."
They’ve turned into formulaic shooters with zombies and generic monsters, throwing in resource management as an afterthought.
The last game that genuinely made me feel tense was "Penumbra". Despite its simplicity, it captures the psychological strain of being helpless. You’re forced to think like a survivor, and the immersion makes you feel like you're right there in the nightmare.
Another gem from back in the day is "The Suffering" It’s dynamic and packed with personality: each monster has a story that adds depth, paired with creative designs and attacks.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TopCharacterDesigns/comments/17krpp6

Honestly, there’s a treasure trove of older games that did it right. These games deserved remakes.

 

[Macro Device]

1. Don’t overuse jump scares as that gets old fast…

I won't use them whatsoever. Maybe once for shits and giggles. This game uses a vastly different way of being a horror.

2. Make safe zone less safe when you use it often

Probably won't be such a thing at all. So far the whole town is safe if you're stealthy/diplomatic enough.

3. If there is a torchlight in the game, make it bright but has a cooldown if it’s overused

Flashlight, yes, you will need to buy batteries for it.

I assume it's close to a first-person Cataclysm or Project Zomboid?

I'm afraid I'm only now become aware of these titles. How do I word it...

Picture your Grand Theft Auto IV or V game. Remove about 90% area size. Remove gunfight as a de-facto dialogue system. Remove ridiculous inventory size. Remove the ability of losing wanted level. Add a main character that's not as simple as you could initially think about them. Add a medical condition in the main character that makes your gaming experience worse over time and pushes you into zugzwang. Add a town that doesn't wanna give you obvious answers. Add a partner in crime that gives you some hope. But does he give enough hope..?

some people here seriously give me the creeps, it’s like you can sense the psychopathy from a mile away

Hope that's about me! Aww, you look ludicrous!

formulaic shooters with zombies and generic monsters

That's definitely not what's gonna happen.

 

[mechtech]

So far we only found a very CPU-expensive way to do so. Will take horribly long to optimize. It's also currently very far from realistic. But funny as hell.

Also it's stupid how few games allow you to kick the doors and open them this way. Not the case for my game.

Interesting, never ever thought of that. Which game engine are you using? (guessing you meant CPU-intensive - but got the point)

 

[Macro Device]

guessing you meant CPU-intensive

I did.

It's Unreal Engine 5.5.4. I lost my coding virginity 20 years ago but 18 years ago was the last time I've written lines o'code so I decided I'd rather pick an engine for idiots rather than coming up with something more elaborate. So far it's easier than expected.

If you're smarter than a rock then you can make a video game. However, it's not enough to make a good video game.

 

[mechtech]

I did.

It's Unreal Engine 5.5.4. I lost my coding virginity 20 years ago but 18 years ago was the last time I've written lines o'code so I decided I'd rather pick an engine for idiots rather than coming up with something more elaborate. So far it's easier than expected.

I'm no coder, or game dev, but I am curious why the steam source engine doesn't get used more often? It appears that even low end PCs can drive good frame-rates with that game engine and it has had some horror games like left for dead 1/2.

 

[Macro Device]

why the steam source engine doesn't get used more often?

Maybe it's a pain to work with? Not enough Q&A? Doesn't have necessary arsenal for specific games? I personally am as in the dark as you are, these are just my assumptions.

I don't mind UE5's performance quirks anyway. By the time I release the game 4090 will prolly go for below a grand... in beaver pesos.

Also I sport an RX 6700 XT. This is RDNA2 actively hated by the engine we're talking about. If I can make it run on my GPU at least at 30ish FPS (1080p max settings; non-PT) then I'm golden as GPUs from the future will crunch that with ease.

 

[Shihab]

I'm no coder, or game dev, but I am curious why the steam source engine doesn't get used more often?

Documentation and training.
People pick engines because they won't something they don't want to spend manhours learning/experimenting with implementing the infrastructure. And UE is only rivalled by Unity in this regard.

That said, for those willing to go under the hood, they can probably make UE work on a potato.

So far we only found a very CPU-expensive way to do so. Will take horribly long to optimize. It's also currently very far from realistic. But funny as hell.

Lemme guess: Shatter the mesh, treat each segment as a rigid body on which you add a force away from body center?

 

[Assimilator]

God, some people here seriously give me the creeps, it’s like you can sense the psychopathy from a mile away. That eerie vibe could inspire a great villain.

Series like Doom, Quake and Unreal Tournament are defined by their gore which is part and parcel of what makes them fun. People who claim to have a problem with gore in videogames are people who have difficulty telling apart real from virtual worlds, and that's far closer to psychopathy than people who enjoy mindless cathartic virtual violence.

The last game that genuinely made me feel tense was "Penumbra". Despite its simplicity, it captures the psychological strain of being helpless. You’re forced to think like a survivor, and the immersion makes you feel like you're right there in the nightmare.

The Penumbra series really deserves a remaster but likely will never get it, due to the fact that games today have to be dumbed-down to get greenlit.

 

[freeagent]

I want to see stuff that will traumatize me, like Ogrish.com did in the early 2000s

 

[Macro Device]

Lemme guess: Shatter the mesh, treat each segment as a rigid body on which you add a force away from body center?

This plus creating new entities such as bloedfonteins and bloody colons. Nasty performance tanking.

I want to see stuff that will traumatize me

We, Russians, are good at traumatizing people. Consider it done.