Notes on Designing an Effective Horror Environment

 Today I have been looking at Create Horror and Bring Fear in Level Design - Part 1. Cliches (worldofleveldesign.com) to learn what goes into making an effective Horror Environment to help me how to bring my Game Proposal, "Night Security", to life. 

Here are my notes:

• "Everything must happen for a reason"; No random unexplained events.
• Slow build up of story and narrative.
• Keep the Environment interesting; avoid repetitive environments.
• The Player should "Witness the events".
• If the Environment (i.e. the Shopping Centre) had previous use, it could be textured several times to match the Environment's appearance at different time periods.

Clichés:

• The Dark Room with Flickering Lights
• The Abandoned Building
• The Ringing Telephone
• Sounds in a Dark Room

Clichés

 V 

Reaction and Anticipation 

 V 

Psychological Triggers  

 V

 "Why am I feeling like that?"

Three Elements Important To Horror Environments In Games:

• Anticipation and Pacing
• Relationships
• Story and the Environment

Anticipation and Pacing:

• Pacing = Tempo; the speed of the reveals.
• Anticipation = Waiting for things to happen.
• It is like an arc or rollercoaster, starting at a slow ascent of Rising Conflict before reaching a point of no return or the "Calm Before The Storm". This then is released for a powerful release in the form of a Climax or Final Showdown.
• Build anticipation around a focal point/s in the environment so there is something to draw the Player's eyes towards.
• Slow burn; Don't give away everything at the beginning.
• Be unpredictable.
• Pacing should be slow and meticulous.
• Introduce antagonists at relevant points, such as at the end.
• Use hints; Sound and noise can be used to build anticipation.
• DON'T GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY!
• Create enough space between events so the Player has time to breathe before the next one to make it more effective.
• Introduce events slowly in a meticulous and well-thought-out manner.
• Use Environmental Story-Telling where possible.
• Create a "Calm Before The Storm"...
• "...THEN ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!"

Relationships:

• Shared Experience, e.g. Sadness .etc., helps create a connection.
• Some of the strongest bonds come from highly emotional circumstances.
• Try to create emotional connection; do it early and effectively.
• Consider the Emotional Consequences of engineering certain scenarios; "How will this make the Player feel?"
• Losing people is more impactful than losing material or "stuff"; ("What if the Player doesn't know who the missing person is?").
• Using a recurring "something" (leitmotif) to elicit an emotional response will typically elicit that same response if it is used in the same way later.
• If something happens in a specific location, the Player will associate that location, and possibly similar locations, with that event/experience.
• Music can be used to add to highly impactful emotional moments.
• If the Player has a relationship to an area, this can be played off; The Player has been here before, but now it is different somehow.

Story-Telling and the Environment:

• "STORY IS KING"; This is what people will remember after the action is done and they have left the proverbial Cinema.
• What is important is the story of; The Environment, The Player Character and the relationship with each other.
• Level design requires a depth of story-telling that is powerful enough to come through in the visuals. If there is a story to something, the Player might not be told it directly, but may be able to figure it out through context clues or should otherwise be able to feel it has a story to it.
• Old locations are a Horror Cliché/Staple as they are a place with human history. A Past.
• The Environment has to complement the Story and the purpose in mind.
• Collect reference images to help get a feel for the desired mood/atmosphere.
• Familiarity breeds the uncanny when things start to change out of the norm.
• Make the Player relate to the location to create a physiological relationship, an emotional connection and identification with the Environment.
• The Player MUST relate to the Environment.

Important Questions: 

(Answers are in regards to the Environment of my Game Proposal; "Night Security")

1. What is the Location? A shopping centre/complex.
2. What is the Setting? Modern Day.
3. What is the Time of Day? Night (Unspecified time after it initially being 10PM at the start).
4. What is the Season (If applicable)? Autumn.
5. What is the Mood I'm trying to communicate? Melancholy, Dread, Discomfort, Perturbation, Fright, Distress, Pleasure, Enjoyment.
6. What was the Environment Used For? Retail and other purposes yet to be decided.
7. Why and How did it get like this? Tragic Happenings. Anymore would be Spoilers.
8. Where is everyone?  The location is deserted as it is under partial renovation and it is night. It is also severely rundown, so is not as popular, hence the renovation work and redevelopment of certain areas.
9. How was the Environment created? It was built and rebuilt and modified and remodified over many years. As such, it has a storied past.
10. What happened to it in the past? SPOILERS

• Think of emotional impact and how the story and location can be used to create more depth in my Environment and relate back to the Player and the Player Character.