Open-ended discussion on creation and design

[Putmalk]

I want to elaborate a bit on the jump scares, because I feel like I didn't explain it right.

Jump scares, in my opinion, make the player jumpy and nervous, but only for a few seconds after they happen. Now, this can be good, if you integrate them into the story well, for example, in the Choir, there was the iron maiden jump scare that got everybody jumped. Now, this made sense, due to Daniel's psyche that messed him up, and it fit into the story well.

A bad jump scare, ones that I've seen in custom stories a lot, would be a random object flying at the player when he opens a door, or a monster right behind it for no reason, or an object appearing in a chair and then disappearing within a second, all for no reason other than to make the player jumpy. If there's no plot reason behind the scare, then it comes off as cheap, and it's especially bad if it's overdone like they usually are. Instead of jump scares, ambient noises that make the player uneasy, follow by tightly scripted events that make the player question whether or not what's happening is real would enhance the horror and the gameplay.

---

Double post, I'm sorry, but it's another topic for discussion.

What do you classify as a non-linear map, and how would you design such a map?

I guess if you double post it just tacks on at the end of the previous one? Hot damn.