Open-ended discussion on creation and design

[Khyrpa]

Use verticality in maps!
It just spices things up to instead of a straight corridor, its a stairway going up or down.
If you have a door that leads to a scary dark place. Make the player descend towards that door, lower the lighting near it and dirty the area up.

Details...

Use contrast.
Light intesity, color, soundvolume.

Details... No immersion without a real looking place to immerse oneself into.

Test your maps well. Get betatesters and whatnot, its surprising how much new set of eyes can see. Playing a buggy story leaves the player with a bad impression.

I'm sure these have been discussed about before somewhere...