Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Discussion Topic Part 1

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I'm not saying I dislike Amnesia, however I got sick of going through levels being close to blind. I liked how in Penumbra you always swap between the glow stick and the flashlight. However in Amnesia half the time I am out of the damn oil and I can't even enjoy the level design.

Naah, horror games need darkness... The point with the visual leveldesign I can understand of course, but alas, it is both blessing and curse of the game artist, that his work is best when it's supporting the game design. And if game design demands there be darkness, then that's how it has to be. The point being, of course, that no matter what gruesome things your game artists can create, it's still more effective to simply let the players imagination run wild by only hinting at, not showing things.

I think (and I may have mentioned that a few times already) instead of discussing how much light there should be or what contraption should emit it, the far more interesting question remains: How can we make light more valuable to the player? Because right now, having no light is an annoyance at best. So the game either needs more severe punishment for being in darkness or more reward for having a lightsource.

One of my "favourite" (read: most terrifying) levels of Black Plague was the one where you were hunted by that thing in the walls that would only come out in darkness. Before, I almost liked sitting around in the shadows because it made me feel safe, but then suddenly my "safe place" was invaded and being out in the uncomfortable lit zones was the only way to survive. I found it quite effective.