Comments on: The Dog’s Pollocks? The Unfinished Swan

By: will

will — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:56:17 +0000

I dig it. When the words came up, I laughed a nervous laugh. It was a very sweet touch. I’d really like to play this game. Primarily because in it’s full form, I’d think sound design would be such a large and important part of the game. With reduced visuals like this, sound becomes that much more important, and can almost take the focus. You’d hear things and desperately spin around blasting paint everywhere trying to find out what’s making the sound. The dark ambient music was great. Every time I see a new game messing with the way in which you interact with the world (portals, mirrors edge, this etc) I get more and more excited about where games are going. It’s games like THESE – not monster-fragging FPS – that will force non-game-players to admit that games are art.
God damn I want to be involved in the making of this game.

By: Crispy

Crispy — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:17:56 +0000

I had my speakers accidentally turned off while watching the vid and found absolutely nothing spooky about it. Watching it again with sound increases the spook-factor to some small, but non-zero, non-negative number – but it’s still not bone chilling.Horror the second time round is never as good as the first time. If horror films told you exactly what was coming most of the impact would be lost.

You didn’y find it scary because you knew what the words are so an aspect of the experience is lost. When the rest of us watched it we didn’t know what was being spelt out and the music suggested it was something scary, so even though it told us not to be afraid, we still were because the music was undermining the message.

Either that or you’re a grouch who can’t feel emotion. I’m usually very sceptical about so-called ‘fear’ in games because most of the time (Doom3 *cough*) it’s not fear but shock tactics. True ‘fear’ in narrative is to black humour what ‘things-that-make-you-jump’ mechanics are to slapstick. Regardless, in this trailer I think enough suspense and mood was built for a genuinely unsettling few moments when the words were revealed. Not *bone-chilling*, but definitely unheimlich. /ponce cap

By: Richard Beer

Richard Beer — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:25:00 +0000

This is a wonderful idea that could be really pushed into all sorts of great areas (invisible monsters, lobbing handfulls of luminous alien blood in a pitch black room etc… ohhh the possibilities).

Good line about the idea horse. And absolutely accurate too. I love the way this industry is going at the moment, allowing Indy developers to move the goalposts all the time.

By: Idle Threats and Bad Poetry

Idle Threats and Bad Poetry — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:39:29 +0000

@Oktember
They wouldn’t have to color it red. The black implies that it might be blood or something like blood, and that’s eerie enough, in my opinion.

This game could be really spooky if it could establish a sense of being hunted and vulnerability. If it would be possible, to give it a kind of hazy effect would be a nice addition instead of all the sharp lines. Maybe you could borrow a bit from the Left 4 Dead witch. In other words, if you splattered a certain something (or someone) by accident, you’re in big trouble.

Or imagine this. You’re walking. You can hear your footsteps. But then you hear something else behind you. You know you need to hurry. Then the footsteps gradually become faster. You’re being hunted, and the hunter is clearly playing with you, like some sadist.

What I’m worried about with this game is that it could really be incredible if it has strong writing behind it, but few independent developers really can do that. A little common sense should have indicated the paint sound is a really bad idea, so how’s he going to make it really creepy?

By: Lumberjack

Lumberjack — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:12:29 +0000

Imagine how freaky it’d be if you splatted something and found it was already moving towards you…

By: Mauthagra

Mauthagra — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:34:14 +0000

The story behind it is that you have been infected with Alien DNA and are gradually becoming an insectoid type of alien. You are losing your ability to discern colour and have to go by smell; the “paint” is your current method of olfactory “sense” – you vomit “paint” onto your surroundings to “see” the smell and thus, your surroundings. Your goal is to find the stabilising element that will return your DNA to human.

By: IvanHoeHo

IvanHoeHo — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:43:26 +0000

Reminds me of Jeux d’ombres, a far cry mod you guys posted about a while ago, which can only be good thing. Let’s just hope that they release a PC version eventually.

By: Matthew Craig

Matthew Craig — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:22:01 +0000

This is what it must be like to be Frank Miller.

//\Oo/\\

By: randomnine

randomnine — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:29:10 +0000

That’s brilliant! It could make an excellent horror game with a few active nasties, numerous traps and such. You have limited visibility, no real weapons and it doesn’t feel at all limited – it’s a great setup and I hope it’s taken further than travelling a maze.

By: Down Rodeo

Down Rodeo — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:40:43 +0000

This looks really interesting. It will be interesting to see how they can develop it – creatures perhaps? – but I think I’d still like it based on the possible creeping horror and feeling of discovery.

By: roBurky

roBurky — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:57:18 +0000

I like the look of this. That trailer suggests there’s a few ways to mix it up as well. Going into the unpaintable room was fairly unsettling.

By: Radiant

Radiant — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:46:32 +0000

@simon
There is a certain game coming out that begs to differ.
‘Cause you know…it actually uses hands to touch the environment.