Fear is
different for everyone. I'll try to break this down first...
Types:
1. Gore - People who have a weak constitution often fall victim to this cheap cinematic trick. Gore alone is not actually scary but causing a "revolting" sensation which many incorrectly associate with fear.
2. Bang - (As mentioned before in this thread) A form of false fear that is caused when we are startled (Go on Youtube and digg up some "Maze Prank" videos). You could have a happy sunflower leap out and a person playing would get "a fright" (startled) if the timing was right.
3. Gamer's Fear - The fear born from many things:
a) The possibly losing x hours/minuttes of gameplay. This can be
created by disabling/limitting the ability to save (More prevelant
on console games.
b) Fear of losing something that can't be reclaimed by simply reloading.
In games like Diablo (in a net game) where item drops are random, this
can occur if the player has attained a rare item and been foxholed.
c) Fear of losing face...! This applies to multi-player games (including
2 - 4 player console games) where a player runs into an enemy he is not
that skilled at dispatching. Nothing burns like losing to a monster that
any anyone can kill. Or worse, losing to a n00b friend in Tekken :o
d) The cost of the battle. Many gamers (myself included) are STINGY! I
hate using health or ammo and my supplies are generally 90%-100% full at
any given time. I'll snipe from a distance and walk around with my health
on less than 50% (A theory that I'll be more careful if my health looks
low) if I have to. In other words, nothing scares a stingy gamer more
than using health and ammo - and G* forbid wasting a rocket/missile!
4. Psychological. Ah. Complicated. This is about ambience. I'm glad a lot of people mentioned this and cited Silent Hill - One of me favourite games ever (Not for obvious reasons but more because there's something seriously wrong with me). Psychological horror is about atmosphere:
Sound FX, Music, Visuals, Storyline and Composition. These elements must work well together or it will fail. Sound is
very important here because there are many subtleties that the player doesn't
consciously notice. Now we get to the real crux: Harming the player's subconscious mind. Here's some pointers:
Disclaimer: By reading this you agree that you are of the legal age to
be classified as an adult in your country. I take no responsibility for
any loss or damages arising from the use of this information.
1. Layering strange sound frequencies into you tracks (ref: Silent Hill).
2. Use of instruments a little out of tune.
3. String instruments are creepy (if not overdone).
4. Be wise about using percussion instruments. Tension is best created
without much percussion where as a horrifying scene can be complimented
with overbearing percussion. But be careful, it's tricky to get this
technique right.
5. Black & White, Grainy Film, Scratches and Sepia: These are very good
effects for setting a mood. Old-fashioned things are creepy.
6. Better the monster you know than you don't. The scariest monster in
Silent hill was that thing in "Nowhere" where you get the Dagger of
Melchior (IMHO). Yet you never see it. The human imagination is easy to
exploit.
7. No enemies. Like "the monster you don't know", no enemies can be a
terrifying experience if everything else in the atmosphere is screaming
"enemies o=are coming". Susp... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ence is
a killer.
8. Muted Cry. A repetitive scream of the victim being munched by a zombie
does little but eventually annoy the player into shooting the victim
along with the zombie. But one feint, muted scream can go a long way. The
player has to wonder if he heard that. Build in a random trigger on
specific areas and when the player reloads his saved game, he doesn't get
to hear it the second time. Is he going mad.
9. "Fear of the dark, fear of the dark, I have a constant fear that
something's always near" - Iron Maiden, Fear of the Dark. It's true
though. Poor visibility annoys players, but limiting their view range
may create a feeling of apprehension.
10. Isolation. The problem with too many NPCs is they have a tenancy to
make people feel safe (sheep mentality). Problem with no NPCs is nothing
can bind the player to the reality. Having one or two aloof NPCs is
usually perfect. "Yes, this is real. But yes I'm alone".
11. Worry. On the note of NPCs, making one or two likeable may help cause
the player to fear for their safety if sufficiently immersed.
12. Loneliness. Nothing beats a nice long segment without any
communication from a comrade AND no battles. Yes, I said it. Just take
care not to let your player get bored.
13. Despair. The player must reach a point of despair. Killing off a love
interest is one way although a little blunt. However it's a given you
must kill off a comrade of sorts - love interest or otherwise. Play on
emotions here, really milk it.
14. More Despair. Once you've created some despair, layer on more. Hint
at a bad ending on an inescapable fate.
15. Mystery. Horror should not be explained too much. One of the things
that made SH shine was the fact that the plot left open many unanswered
questions (Unless you saved the doc AND got the red stuff in the
hospital). Although even then, you had to pay careful attention to the
subtleties.
16. Nobody likes a cluster-****. If it's not essential to the plot, then
don't just bombard the player with enemies. It kills the atmosphere.
Rather have them come at the player from behind in dribs and drabs or
pop up (undramatically) from unexpected places.
17. Appearance. Get some art/imagery of children's nightamres.
18. Invasion. The game/setting must contain elements that feel invasive.
For example, would be more freaked by an image of a pencil through a
guy's hand or a needle in someone's eye?
19. No escape: The scenario has to be one which not only puts the player
in a position of no-way-out but also in a situation that no technology
and no amount of weaponry or martial arts training could be of much assistance in.
20. Lose the b-grad stuff: Nothing is more mood-killing than a lame
rhyme, a silly puzzle, a bad setting or a stupid intro. Same goes for
storyline. Less is often more. You don't always need to explain why the
character is there. This can often be achieved by adding byte-sized
chunks of info throughout the game (flashbacks, references, character
dialogue).
21. (Last hint "for the road"). Fire & Ice: A cold, dark, wet place is
more scary than the fieriest pits of hell.
Okay, I'm spent now. I feel like I just typed a walk-through. There's a lot more but I gotta take a breather. Anyhow, it boils down to what kind of fear you're trying to cause and what your target audience is. Good luck with your game!
