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Backrooms

A horror game, but with full lights on! · By Esyverse

=Ideas= Sticky

A topic by Esyverse created Jun 01, 2019 Views: 2,603 Replies: 40
Viewing posts 1 to 20
Developer (11 edits)

Hello everyone!

Well, as you know, I make a "Bugs" and "Ideas" section in my games' community and this game is not any different... It is, however, a small horror game, but who knows what kind of bugs or ideas would be found for it?!


Also, I will update this post with the ideas you give so that no one would be reporting the same idea:


1- (Reporter: Generic Waffle) >Add a tutorial where some of the game elements like the Eye, Finish point and difficulty settings are explained.


2- (Reporter: HoudiniWiz) > Add fear and sanity mechanic effects (like sight reducer or walking effect)


3- (Reporter: Dacco) 

> *Maybe the creatures should be transparent shadow things implying that they're your madness becoming worse. Also weren't level 0 monsters humanoid? 

*You can't actually die in level 0, maybe your character will start sobbing and moaning out of insanity, the more you become and see creatures and at the end you hear footsteps screaming and whispers until your character kills his self? 

 *More wallpapers? and sometimes old furniture and old abandoned bases. 

 *Old coffee machines with coffee can numb your insanity for a 3-5 minutes? 

*Better carpet? Kinda looks like cork at the moment. 

*Human survivors who run away from you and attack if you come close 

*You sometimes hear little whispers of the real world on level 0, other levels won't have these small sounds of hope. 

 *You can find used bottles and cans what you can use to get water. You have to use someones old shirt or pants found from the floor to filter water leaks from the ceiling. If you drink unfiltered water you'll get nausea and headaches leading to more insanity. Filtered water wouldn't actually help your thirst, it'll make you faster and more sane. *In level 2 you have to take of your shirt if it's too hot. If you don't you'll pass out for 15 seconds and have a chance of living, or being killed. Also you can find a hoodie in level 0-1. Finding a hoodie at level 2 should be extremely bazinga monumentally rare. You can use a hoodie to stay warm at cold parts. 

*Old journals? 

*Sketches of level 1-2 monsters. Level 0 monsters wont be the same what you're seeing (due to every monster being in your brain) and will be similar but not the same.


4- (Reporter: Tan Cossin) > 

This looks like a great start! I’d love to see the final version eventually. I do have a few changes/comments, some influenced by architecture:

1.) I recommend adding moulding on the floor and ceiling (it’s that ornate wooden curved part on hardwood floors, runs all throughout the wall). It will add a significant amount of realism.

2.) also consider making some walls be two-tone. Like, bottom half is wood and top half is wallpaper. Or, could be a two-tone wallpaper with a rubber seal in the middle. Makes it feel more authentic as an empty office/hospital space.

3.) use tiled ceiling and floors. All textures need to be a little differently colored but still “warm” or yellow-tinted, so everything doesn’t just look like the same yellow.
4.) add random power outlets and light switches. Outlets are 5” from the floor and switches are around 5’ from the floor.

5.) the backroom “monsters” are not like SCP creatures but more like a product of your mind. You’re so unnerved that you start to imagine sounds and “something” being there. In order for it to still be a scary game but actually not have monsters that kill you:

5a.) add a heath bar. This is just for aesthetic purposes. Nothing’s actually going to kill you in the game, ever. But having that there tricks the player that “maybe something is in here”

5b.) use “shadow at the corner of my eye” type of monsters. Sometimes with an audio cue, sometimes without. They can just be like shadow or smoke person that just peeks out from outside a corner when you turn your camera. If the player notices it, it will really unnerve them.

6.) reduce the amount of fluorescent lights and increase the spacing. This way, it’s more realistic and creates corners on the room where it’s darker than the rest of the area, similar to the lore.


5- (Reporter: Wabadowa) > I think it is looking very good so far but there are things that need to be improved. Maybe flushing out the yellow more to make a more bland color will help make the atmosphere less colorful and more disturbing. Also leaving less open space by adding more walls and hall ways can make the play feel limited and stressed out. Remove the music, the game would be creepier with just the buzzing of the lights and the soft sounds of footsteps. Remove the enemies and just add the sounds of distant footsteps that can increase and decrease in volume to give a feeling of not being alone tho you never find the entity. If you want to add an enemy which isn’t a bad idea, make the enemy mysteries and quiet, it doesn’t need to shout out at you to be scary, just make it follow the player sometimes being noticeable for a split second peering around a corner. And just make the map huge Ig full of random turns and hallways that seem to stretch on forever. I hope this criticism helps you because I see a lot of potential here. Good luck! 


6- (Reporter: Chandler Ponders [via Backrooms' Online Reporter]) >

 Add Mouse lock feature (however, the mouse is already invisible but this might have caused problem for those who play the game windowed)


7- (Reporter: xidius) >

The guitar noises or banjo or whatever it is completely kill the mood imo. I think there should be no music aside from maybe dark ambient that can randomly start playing now and then. But it would need to fit the tone and not take you out of the immersion.


8- (Reporter: callowaysutton) >

I think it would be a lot better if the droning of the lights was lower pitched and just like more of a droning sound.

For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W1P7AvV17w


9- (Reporter: Daniel Gibson [via Backrooms' online reporter]) >

Backrooms suffers from a lack of tension in any way shape or form, the idea of a roguelike horror game in the Backrooms is brilliant, but spooky music and the occasional insta-death does not make for engaging gameplay. At the very least it needs to not be insta-kill and should engage the player. A sprint function would also be appreciated, however if the game is not intended to have such a mechanic as part of the game's artistic vision, then that makes sense too.


10- (Reporter: Max Harris [via Backrooms' online reporter]) >

Enemies change when not looking at it.


11- (Reporter: 343 Guilty spark [via Backrooms' online reporter]) > 

I know this go's against the idea of the backrooms being an endless loop but maybe do some silent hill type scares like the reentering the elevator only to find theirs another button.
So in the backrooms case maybe have a room that is vaguely off color and the wallpapers pattern is slightly different maybe have some extra mold in another room. I don't know just an idea.


12- (Reporter: DayQuil23) > 

Add the ability to run in free mode(s).

(+1)

Hi! I love what you're doing here with this.  But I was wondering if you could add an in-game instruction page that answers the questions of like "what does the eye do?" "why does the eye have rings sometimes?" "What exactly is the player looking for?" "What are the difficulty differences?" Things like that.  I think it has a lot of promise. 

Developer

Thanks for pointing that out! I will add a Tutorial part where all of those would be instructed. And also the player would be able to re-play that tutorial any time.

Sounds Great!

Developer

I added some instructions for now:
https://iep-esy.itch.io/backrooms/devlog/84686/tutorial

(+1)

can you please make levels 0-5 pls

Developer

Of course! I’m currently working on a new free Backrooms game which has several levels from the lore with online multiplayer.

You can support it here: https://itch.io/s/64067/help-with-backrooms-the-lore-development

You should consider adding some kind of sanity mechanic (Maybe something like amnesia) that creates hallucinations if it gets too low, so that aspect of the backrooms is also represented

Developer

That would be very nice! However that eye is kind of like that... 

But it can be shown by some image effects or walking effects.

i really like the game and the idea behind it, Maybe you could try to add some Things out of this Video: 

Developer

Thanks that's a good video! 

Developer

Check out new entries. Added from comments on a Game play video recorded by Gamers Nation: 

I think it would be a lot better if the droning of the lights was lower pitched and just like more of a droning sound.

For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W1P7AvV17w

Developer

Thanks for the idea! I'll edit the first post.

a nice update would be a graphics changer for android

Developer

Android build is on medium quality (based on windows version) and its effects are off by default. (even though you can enable it to burn your hands XD)

Do you still have low frame rate? What is your smartphone/tablet model?

(4 edits) (+1)

its perfect, and I get no warm hands, It would be cool to have this



Also isn't there a black skinny monster that appears anywhere,  the one that developer "pie on a plate productions" put in


Model is galaxy s10

Developer

Oh, I thought you had low fps. It’s good to hear that it runs smooth :D

My version of Backrooms doesn’t have that kind of monsters, they’re just ‘friends’ trying to hug you :3

(+1)

so if you saw my backrooms vid, you saw the looking camera was set to one sensitivity speed, but you can only look around with that speed, but in minecraft pe, you can set it to a sensitivity, but also look around slow or fast, I wish you could adjust it like minecraft pe. Here's a low framerate recording (battery was low so thats why) of what I mean

know what I mean?

Developer

Yeah, I used unity’s default look script for both Backrooms and Bit Jail’s android build; but I feel like is hard to control too.

I will change that if there is enough stuff for another update in the future.

(+1)

also there should be an option in free mode where you can run or not

Developer

Good idea, I’ll add that

anything else you're thinking to add 

(+1)

Make the vr version for oculus quest 

Developer(+1)

I don’t own oculus quest (no moneh) but I will make a version for it as soon as I get one!

Developer

You can now sideload Backrooms on your Quest 2 :)

(+1)

I've got an idea: what if it was like the infinite IKEA, in that you could find and call phones but they would just have static. Maybe the phones would make creepy noises if you were too insane? I don't know any uses for them, but it'd be a nice touch. Also, the game is unplayably laggy for me; do you know how to fix that? (I know it's a bit off-topic but I don't know where else to ask)

Developer

Have you tried to play the game with low quality or turned off the “effects” in settings?

Also tell me the platform you’re having lags on.

(+1)

add a framerate option? 20, 30, 60, or even 120 (android too, because I'm stuck on 30 and my phone can do 60)

Developer

Alright, I’ll add an FPS option in the next update.

(+1)

OH NO! I FELL INTO THE BACKROOMS, HELP!! Just Kidding, here's a fluorescent light buzz/hum sample I recorded if you want it: 

Developer

That’s a great sound effect! :D Can I use it in my new Backrooms game?

(+1)

Yes,  definitely, idc if you don't or do put credit, it's all yours 

(+1)

are you going to be working on Level 1 sometime? (The one you made is level 0)

Developer(+1)

Of course! I’m working on a new Backrooms game which will have several levels and monsters from the lore with online multiplayer!

You can support it here: https://itch.io/s/64067/help-with-backrooms-the-lore-development

(+1)

How about you update the game occasionally and add features like no-clipping or different levels and how to get to them like walking too far into level 0 will get to 0.1 or level 699.

Developer(+1)

I won’t add those as an update. Instead, I’m working on a new free Backrooms game which will have several levels and entities from the lore with online multiplayer!

You can support it here: https://itch.io/s/64067/help-with-backrooms-the-lore-development

I’ve explained this throughly in this video:

(+1)

oh ok

Xbox version?

Maybe just port it over to xbox from pc it should work fine.

Developer

Xbox, Playstation and other consoles need a Unity Pro license along with me being a certified developer which is a bit overkill for a short game like this.

I’m working on a new free Backrooms game which will have several levels and entities from the lore with online multiplayer! I might add this new game to those platforms in the future.

You can support it here: https://itch.io/s/64067/help-with-backrooms-the-lore-development