Frictional Games Forum (read-only)

Planning on starting a CS and wondering what I should work on first to make sure it gets lots of effort put into it

Can't there be both?

The whole structure of Amnesia is built in it's immersion and atmosphere. People mostly play the game to get scared, and then stick around for the story.
You could have a fantastic storyline, but if you pair it with bland and unrealistic environments with cheap scares then it'll seem forced and uninteresting.

(08-01-2014, 05:38 AM)Badcat5550 Wrote: [ -> ]Can't there be both?

I'm planning on giving it both but knowing me whatever I work on first is going to get the most attention so I'm wondering which of the two I should focus most of my time on

(08-01-2014, 06:55 AM)MrWhitticus Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-01-2014, 05:38 AM)Badcat5550 Wrote: [ -> ]Can't there be both?

I'm planning on giving it both but knowing me whatever I work on first is going to get the most attention so I'm wondering which of the two I should focus most of my time on

I think you should start at maps and scripts first, the story always comes at last. Cause to think of a really new creative story requires hard thinking and creativity so you can save that for later. I always start by mapping then scripting and then the story.

(08-01-2014, 07:05 AM)Badcat5550 Wrote: [ -> ]I think you should start at maps and scripts first, the story always comes at last. Cause to think of a really new creative story requires hard thinking and creativity so you can save that for later. I always start by mapping then scripting and then the story.

Thanks. I have a basic idea for the story and I think I'm going to base the maps on that

(08-01-2014, 07:05 AM)Badcat5550 Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-01-2014, 06:55 AM)MrWhitticus Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-01-2014, 05:38 AM)Badcat5550 Wrote: [ -> ]Can't there be both?

I'm planning on giving it both but knowing me whatever I work on first is going to get the most attention so I'm wondering which of the two I should focus most of my time on

I think you should start at maps and scripts first, the story always comes at last. Cause to think of a really new creative story requires hard thinking and creativity so you can save that for later. I always start by mapping then scripting and then the story.

........what?
How can you map for something that you don't understand yet?

Overall story would come first.
It's the things that make the story a story that come later, such as voice acting, sound effects, music, etc.

I voted story, but I ought to explain why.

There's a huge difference between writing and narrative. Narrative is the story you tell and how you tell it. You tell narrative through all aspects of the game/mod/CS: art, environments, sound (including music), events, puzzles, mechanics, UI, not just through the writing and voice over. Since we're talking about mods, you've got limited control of the mechanics and UI, so first and foremost your story should fit these. Then begin to tell the story by what the player sees, feels and experiences.

Don't separate it out. Thomas Grip wrote a really good article on this: http://frictionalgames.blogspot.se/2014/...roach.html

The difficulty with all this being that it's going to be sort of a mod about the afterlife, so the maps and scripting and stuff aren't going to be "typical" amnesia mod level

Story is ALWAYS FIRST.