Tactile Effects and Particles

Tactile Effects

Tactile effects were another major thing i learned about in this module they help the player feel more in control but really the game designer is just giving the player the tools to be able to see more horrible nightmares in the dark. From the research of my dissertation i looked into games such as Alan Wake, Outlast and Silent Hill 3, these games all use tactile effects in a very good way too mixing it with complimenting lighting to set the scene in a very dark but interactive way. Here's some gameplay from the games showing how the effects are used such as torch lights and camcorder equipment used to see in the dark more. 

Outlast - 2013

Alan Wake - 2010

Silent Hill 3 - 2003

The above examples show the play on effect horror games use when mixing effects and light, a lot of people are afraid of the dark and even more so what can be seen or lives in it. I will be using the darkness in my game level to exploit this feeling of fear and show i understand how it is used. 

At first i thought about using a camcorder like in Outlast but then i realised that as the scene has a victorian style room in it there wouldn't have been cam corders invented so to keep the tone and the realism of the level (which horror games always do) i decided to go with the torch option. 

Here's some screenshots i took and a talk through of what i did. 

So it turned out all i had to do was model a torch in maya import it, attach a light source to it and then parent it to the first person controller. I then discovered that the camera didn't move with the torch and it looked a little buggy and unrealistic i found an easy fix for this by parenting it to the main camera so as the player moved the screen the camera moved to which then the player and torch moved also. 

See above the difference of having no light source attached and just the torch it does give a spooky feel to the level however the fact that you can't see any textures takes away the feel of the game and you sit there wondering why you can't really see much. 

See above again how the scene looks much better now with the tactile effect it creates a sense of mystery and exploration while the player is put on edge as everything is in the dark and they must shine their torch on the scene to see properly. 

I learnt a lot on tactile effects this module and found that they are a very good effect to place in a horror game giving the player 'control' and a tool to explore horror.

Particles

I also used particles in my horror scene, originally i was going to use fog like in the film silent hill - 

This film plays on the vulnerability you feel when you cannot see it effects people very much like the dark, you don't know what lurks in the fog plus the fact that your visibility is compromised just means theres going to be something there waiting for you. I had a little trouble in unity with particles this time they didn't seem to do what i wanted them too so after trying for a while to create a realistic fog i was happy with i randomly came across a surprise as i was experimenting with them. Just as a joke i attached the texture i had made for the illusion corridor and weirdly enough it really freaked me out. They were squares of illusion dotting around the screen and disappearing coming closer to me and then moving away, i thought to myself if this freaks me out then it is sure to freak others out. 

I tested this theory on Jeff and Tim and they seemed to agree that it was very strange, Tim even went 'WOAH.' Which was a really nice reaction to see as thats what i was going for.  

Here's some screenshots of my particles created and a little bit about what i did - 

I had a lot of torches at the beginning of my level but later on in the game from testing again from Jeff and Tim i realised that the torches took away the spot light from the Illusion corridor and you focused more on them instead of the walls behind them. I did however keep two in the fog room to create an orange glow effect on the room along with a nice crackling sound of fire and a touch of smoke to make the fire particles look more realistic. I like the overall result i got and am glad with the decision i made to get rid of the vast amount of torches i had in the first place. 

See below - this is the effect I got from experimenting with the textures and particles, i know its hard to see in this picture but in the game level you feel as if they are all just looking at you even though they have no eyes, its a really weird thing to see coming towards the screen. 

I also tried to create a sort of mist on the ceiling like evil was trying to break through it i got this inspiration from the television show Lost as i remember watching it one of the things that really scared me and got to me was the black mist i think it was down to the fact that it had a mind of its own and because you can't psychically grab mist if it got a hold of you then that was it. I really tried construct a realistic mist but i haven't been able to do so yet, i had better luck with the smoke under the bed but with Anna's help i may be able to incorporate it in before hand in. 

Lost - 'Black Mist' 

And here are my screenshots of black particles effects

See above and below my smoke particles coming from under the bed as if something were under there trying to get out or suggesting there is somewhere else to go...

Particles are an effect that create more realism in horror and an all around sense of uncanny and ease i think this shows my understanding from research and experimentation with the particle systems.