Human spacebase or hellmap?

[Pete The Padre]

In your oppinion, what gives the most creepy feeling. an over-runned space station with that empty, quiet, something-is-wrong feeling or that crazy spray'n pray run-for-your-life-shoot-for-your-life-spawning mayhem.

personally i'd go with that quiet atmophere in those empty(almost) space stations, that really gets under the skin.

Feel free to post comments/thoughts about this

[Dutch Doomer]

Its the mapper behind it who has the skills to create an creepy map, I don't think an theme has got anything to do with it.

[Lutz]

dutch devil said:

Its the mapper behind it who has the skills to create an creepy map, I don't think an theme has got anything to do with it.

I second that -- basically, ANYTHING can be creepy if the right person does it the right way.

That said, I think that "Hell where it shouldn't be" is generally more creepy since it opens up the possibility of surprise. When a level opens up in a red-brick room with lava and dead bodies all around, he/she knows what's going to come next (the only question is how bad it's going to be); with a more human environment, you never really *know* what's up ahead. Though this isn't a great similie, it's like comparing "Event Horizon" to "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" -- in the former, you don't know when or how the evil is going to get you.

[printz]

I agree, the hellish red looks too cozy to be even disturbing, so I choose Pete the Padre's first choice: space stations.

Play KDiZD (if you like it, that is) for a progressing spookiness, E1M8 being the peak.

[Pete The Padre]

dutch devil said:

Its the mapper behind it who has the skills to create an creepy map, I don't think an theme has got anything to do with it.

I'd say its 50% mapper knowledge and 50% map theme

[doom2day]

printz said:

I agree, the hellish red looks too cozy to be even disturbing, so I choose Pete the Padre's first choice: space stations.

Play KDiZD (if you like it, that is) for a progressing spookiness, E1M8 being the peak.

If E1M8 is the peak, then why do you need KDiZD? (KDiZD had a seperate numbering system for it's levels)

[printz]

Sorry, mere mistake, I meant Z1M8... Yeah, that's that "peak".

[VileSlay]

I prefer the creepy space station. hell levels usually are too cheesy. base levels have tend to have better atmosphere since they have a kinda familiar human element to them. I agree, though, that a great mapper can make any type (base, hell, city, cave, etc.) in to a creepy fun time.

[printz]

Hell maps can also be suspenseful. Less red, more ambushes...

What about comparing Doom 1 with Doom 2. Doom 1 is more suspenseful than Doom 2. Because of the monsters, of the bosses...

[Searcher]

It is the mapper that controls the creepy factor. Theme plays a very small part of it.

For example, an old mansion or abandoned warehouse can easily be as creepy as a space station given the right mapper.

[BoldEnglishman]

I have to agree that it is the skill of the mapper over the theme. Hell, I got that creepy atmosphere from a circus-themed WAD (can't remember its name, Happy Time Circus it might of been). I got really bad creeps on that level, but as soon as the monsters appeared the atmosphere was totally broken and the only thing I worried about is where the closest source of ammo is.

If you want some examples of building up atmosphere, please please please play the Thief Series. I know Doom is quite different from Thief (namely in that you can't sneak past monsters unnoticed alot of the time), but Thief had the best atmosphere.

Thief 3 is one of these games where a single building is split into sections (different loading areas). There is one level (well, section of a level) that has no enemies in it what-so-ever. Yet the player does not know this. That single level freaked me out so much, I literally heard some footsteps around me and just ran outside the house and hid in a corner for like 10 minutes.

I voted Hell just because I saw the poll "station v hell" and I like Hell, but ACTUALLY reading the topic, I would go with station. In Hell, you know there's demons about. It's where the demons call home for god's sake. Yet in a previously-human-populated environment, you don't know what things are awaiting you.

Personally, best ways of building tension are sounds (i.e. hearing a sound through a wall, perhaps a machine or perhaps a firefight, knowing it is the ONLY way forward so you will find SOMETHING ahead), having the storyline so that you are in fact being chased by something, (The feeling that something is following me is just creepy) OR
Finally, poltergeist-activity is just spine-chilling. Usually in-animate objects seemingly with a mind of their own, or flying objects are just total fear factor. Doom 3 was good at this.

[boomlala]

The creepyness depends on the mapper, if he's skillful in building up the suspense, he can create a creepy map with any kind of theme. Personally, I go with the space station. I find an empty station with a dead marine here and there and flickering lights creepier than a Hell map with monsters all over the place. But again, the mapper decides if the map is creepy or not.

[Pete The Padre]

boomlala said:

The creepyness depends on the mapper, if he's skillful in building up the suspense, he can create a creepy map with any kind of theme.

Now if that was true, you could take textures of pink flowers posted all over your map, with little teletubbies running around trying to hug you... no wait, that is kinda creepy :D

[YMB]

What about a dually-themed level... hell on one half, base on the other? Oh, I can only imagine the crappy story to go with that...

[myk]

yomoneyboat said:
What about a dually-themed level...

DOOM in one map. You have to use one of those engines that let you use more than one sky, or make the hellish part underground (which isn't unreasonable).

[printz]

What about NONE? No space station, no hades, no dungeon, just a level to test the Doomer? I'm tired of this theme undecidedness and detail hunger. I like KDiZD but it's enough. Doom is a game not a movie and as such, has to test the player. Give the challenges!

[YMB]

printz said:

Give the challenges!

Is that a console command?

Player got THE CHALLENGES.

[Jethro]

yomoneyboat said:

Is that a console command?

Player got THE CHALLENGES.

I don't know why, but I laughed my head off.

On topic, I think a hellish map could be very scary if done right.

[Pete The Padre]

When i think 'Creepy level' my mind instantly wanders to E1M7.
that in my oppinion in the most terrifying techbaselevel i've seen.

The large spaces, the lights, and most of all the music. That creepy feeling is just crawling up on your back when your playing it (or it used to atleast, back in the days)

[daimonreloaded]

Lutz said:

That said, I think that "Hell where it shouldn't be" is generally more creepy since it opens up the possibility of surprise. When a level opens up in a red-brick room with lava and dead bodies all around, he/she knows what's going to come next (the only question is how bad it's going to be); with a more human environment, you never really *know* what's up ahead. Though this isn't a great similie, it's like comparing "Event Horizon" to "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" -- in the former, you don't know when or how the evil is going to get you.