Reflections/thoughts on Amnesia

[Duskofdead]

I just think it's a very bizarre thing to even notice or criticize. Are there really people who try various games listening for audio occlusion or how much reverb there was or whatever else?

It's beyond anal nitpicking, imho. I could not begin to tell you what sort of audio tech was used for this game, nor could, I doubt, any non-audiophile. The sound was great and had the effect it was supposed to, it created a tense ambience, and it was much better done than in most games.

In most games sound is simply there, and you can turn it off or replace it with your own MP3's and it makes zero difference to the feel of the game whatsoever. This game is the complete opposite.

[dph314]

Does everyone play with headphones like the game suggests? I did the secluded in a dark room part (I'll admit I turned the lights on once or twice...), but not headphones, have a Bose surround sound setup. Headphones make a big difference from the surround sound turned up?

[NGW]

Headphones make a wonderful difference.

[hollowleviathan]

I didn't notice it didn't have occlusion, nor do I have much idea how different the experience would have been with it; a grunt's groan from around a corner would sound different how?

[gandalf91]

(04-28-2011 07:58 AM)hollowleviathan Wrote:  I didn't notice it didn't have occlusion, nor do I have much idea how different the experience would have been with it; a grunt's groan from around a corner would sound different how?

It wouldn't have the same type of decibel value through foot-thick stone wall obviously... []

Also the sounds could muffle and such. It would be more dynamic and really help in my opinion. I like good sound almost on par with pretty graphics.

[dph314]

I don't know much about the aspects of programming in the sound fx. How demanding/time-consuming is this sound occlusion? Would it be worth the trouble to include it in the game for the difference it would make?

[gandalf91]

I don't think it would be much harder than light occlusion...could be wrong though...

I think it would be much more worth it than EAX. EAX is garbage in almost every game I've played...all it does is make thing echoey nonstop like you're playing the entire game in a large sewer pipe!

[dph314]

Hmm. Well maybe for a game like Amnesia, that concentrates so much on environment, atmosphere, and sound, it might be worth incorporating the sound occlusion. If it's not incredibly time-consuming. I mean, being so small, the Frictional guys probably had a ton of work to do as it is.

[benvereen]

I agree about the triggers being predictable. I have to admit I was a little disappointed to find out that the monster encounters aren't random. (I was told by a friend that they were.) It would have added replay value as subsequent play-throughs are more or less exactly the same experience. (Still fun though! I just really enjoy the engine.)

Towards the end of the game I found that I was forcing my excitement a little, as after you die a few times you realize that there really is no consequence for doing so. Also, the insanity mechanic, while cool (I wouldn't remove it.), doesn't really affect you all that much. You can play the whole game without using your lantern once, and without using one tinderbox. And just like when you die, you won't suffer any real consequences. These are minor complaints as I thoroughly enjoyed the game and all of it's mechanics. There just could have been more of a point to the mechanics.

For me, the only thing I would remove or change about the game was the dead bodies and Aggripa. The castle looked great, really believable. But the dead bodies looked corny. (The severed body parts looked fine though.) There wasn't anything scary or even grotesque about piles of dead, naked men with their funny looking fellows exposed. The polygon count was just too low, especially on the faces. I'm sorry, but it broke the immersion a little for me.

And the way Aggripa was just standing there, being friendly and giving Daniel instuctions threw me for a loop. The game had a great sense of isolation right up until there was a mission-giving NPC before me. Minor complaint... but still.

EDIT: But I totally disagree about the puzzles being too random! I found the puzzles to be fairly logical and never too obscure to understand. When I got stuck, it was only long enough to make finally solving the puzzle that much more satisfying. (Perfect for a puzzle game IMO!) The only time I became stuck for too long was...

Spoiler below!

when I had to push that cog into place through the trap door by Aggripa. I thought I clicked all over the place in that thing! I spent a couple hours or so (spanning a few play-sessions) looking for something to use on the machinery I could see through the door. I finally found the solution while rage-clicking in the trap door!

[CoraNora]

How on Earth people managed to play this in the dark I do not know!!! I had the lights on and no headphones; yet it still scared me to death.

Also, how can people pick faults in the game? I thought all the sound was good, it added to the atmosphere greatly. The sounds in the game scared me alot of the time too. It messes with your head!

I was very sceptical when a friend recommended it to me. I didn't know what to make of it. I was sucked into the story line and game play quickly, always wanting to know what was going on and why Daniel was in the castle, etc. Being so sucked in only made it even more scary.

As for monster encounters.. I occasionally cheated and used a walkthrough because I couldn't bare to find anymore unexpected monsters running about and killing me.. I kept bumping into the odd monster in areas that they werent mentioned in, etc. I have no idea if they are just slightly random or the walkthrough was just a bit pants. Even when they appeared as expected they still scared me!

There were several occasions I just quit the game with no intention of ever finishing it, especially in the storage and prison areas. Good grief. I am glad I continued though... even if it meant being nagged into doing so by a friend!!

I would recommend this game to everyone... unless they have a heart condition. It was bloody fantastic all round and the developers should be really damn proud. Amnesia is by far the best game I have every played! I have also come to the conclusion that I am an epic wuss and should probably stick to games like Super Mario.