Action Horror Game mechanics

[safe phoenix]

I'm not sure if anyone has suggested this yet, but I've thought of a way to make this game way scarier and more engaging. Here are some of my ideas:

1. Add a Basic Inventory
   A simple inventory system could enhance resource management and tension.

1.1 Healing Items
Two types: small and large.
Players can carry only one large and four small healing items. (Numbers can be adjusted for balance.)

1.2 Ammo Management
Four ammo slots, with each type of ammo taking up one slot.
Limit the amount of ammo per slot to simulate a magazine system without needing complex mechanics like Tarkov.

Why?
The more scarce ammo and healing items are, the more careful players have to be. This creates tension and keeps them engaged. Right now, since there’s no inventory, you have to place items everywhere, leading to an abundance of resources—which makes the game less scary.

Implementing an inventory system could also help with performance, since there wouldn't need to be as many items scattered around, and the number of enemies could be reduced to keep things balanced. Every bullet fired and every enemy killed would feel more meaningful.

2. More Aggressive but Telegraphed Enemies
   If the inventory system is added, you could make enemies more complex without overwhelming the player.

2.1) SCP Security Adjustments

Wider vision cone—they should be able to hear you if you're too close and instantly target you (not shoot immediately, just become aware).

Squad Awareness—if one guard spots you, all nearby guards should be alerted.

Anti-Camping Mechanics—if you hide in the same spot for too long, they throw a grenade to flush you out. Or start surrounding your position.

Callouts for Every Action—so the player knows what's happening.

Guards' aim starts inaccurate, but if you stay exposed for too long, it quickly becomes deadly accurate.
They should be able to walk in any direction while shooting and actively seek cover.

2.2) 3199 Adjustments
make them more accurate with their charge
+more

There are more about how to integrate the inventory with the current mag system but I'll have to dwell on it a little more.

[woven laurel]

I don't think an inventory mechanic or ammo management system would work for this game without significant changes

The game is designed to be more fast paced than other tactical shooters, and those systems wouldn't really increase tension, it would just make the game slower

This definitely wouldn't at all help with performance either, considering that items outside of the player's view aren't rendered or running any code

Pretty much everything except for the squad and grenade stuff for the guards is already implemented, it's just not clear to the player, which is something that they are working on

Also, they already have a system set up that procedurally places ammo and medical supplies depending on how much damage players take and how much ammo they use

[safe phoenix]

I mean the changes are pretty minor, and that what I'm trying to get at, currently there is plenty of stuff laying around you never felt like you are an any real danger unless there's a hell of a lot of enemies, slowing the game down and making players think more will make the game more suspenseful and you would not feel the difference in speed if you have to make the same amount of decision per sec.

[woven laurel]

These changes are definitely not as minor as you think they are

The game only has the first out of 9 chapters finished, so that's why it's not as suspenseful as you think it should be

[safe phoenix]

I'm not saying it's minor minor, but it's not gonna be that hard if they make the pivot now.

[woven laurel]

Adding an inventory wouldn't exactly make players slow down, it would just make the game overall slower

[safe phoenix]

ok the first 9 chapter is not "finished" btw

[woven laurel]

I was going to correct that

[heady nimbus]

I'm pretty sure it was talked about that an inventory system isn't something the team is looking to do

[safe phoenix]

I see

I mean this ain't much of a inventory

[heady nimbus]

As for ammo and health management, improvements to that are planned I believe, at least I know Anders mentioned in a stream he had ideas he wanted to pitch for ammo system

[safe phoenix]

that's good!

[woven laurel]

The ammo system was just that different weapon spawns would have different ammo variants IIRC

So guards would have AP, and ground weapons would have FMJ, or something like that

[safe phoenix]

you would need a sort of inventory for that

[heady nimbus]

Pretty sure there was also something on ammo transference, or an updated way to check ammo

[woven laurel]

That's different

[heady nimbus]

Yeah fair

[woven laurel]

That was just if you hold down R you can swap between any mag you want and throw away mags

[heady nimbus]

Ahhh

Right right

[heady nimbus]

As for this, not really, you wouldn't be able to pickup that ammo if you didn't have the gun for it

[woven laurel]

I'm pretty sure it was mostly aimed at being a like weapon levels system so that as you go further into the game you get more powerful stuff in a realistic way.

At least from what I remember

[safe phoenix]

I think you guys are looking at inventory from a player perspective, I meant like from a game Dev perspective.

we have an inventory currenly it's just tied to a gun

[woven laurel]

I'm just looking at inventory from the perspective of what an inventory is

[woven laurel]

And that's how it appears that it will continue to be

[heady nimbus]

If the devs feel the need to add an inventory, they will add it, but at the moment as far as we know it is not planned

[safe phoenix]

All I'm asking is make it tied to a player

[woven laurel]

That would require a lot of rebalancing of existing systems for no real purpose

[safe phoenix]

I mean they said they want this to be a tactical horror experience not a COD run 'n gun experience so...

[woven laurel]

Most tactical shooters do not have an inventory

[heady nimbus]

Yes but it's also not a looter shooter or extraction shooter type game, so an inventory isn't really needed

[safe phoenix]

Did you guys see the picture I made?

it's not a big inventory a very very simplistic "inventory"

more akin to a loadout

[safe phoenix]

Oh one more thing I'd like to add to this, I think they should make the crowbar take up the melee weapon slot.

reason: it's cool

[woven laurel]

Having a choice between having one melee weapon or the crowbar, which is required to get through certain areas, is not a good idea

It could very easily lead to having to backtrack a lot

[woven laurel]

I did

That is more akin to a battle royale game style inventory than anything in a tactical shooter

Just having it be a small thing does not necessarily make it better or easier to implement

[safe phoenix]

tell me, what point does the jammed door have currently?

[woven laurel]

There used to be a lot more of a use for the crowbar

If they remove all of the use for the crowbar, then it can become a melee weapon

Until then, no

[safe phoenix]

what was the use? I don't recall any.

[woven laurel]

There were a bunch of doors you had to open, including one that was required to progress

[safe phoenix]

Why does it need crowbar?

from a game design perspctive

[woven laurel]

They were broken doors that you had to backtrack to open for more supplies

I'm not trying to defend the use for them, I'm saying if they have any use other than melee, they shouldn't be a weapon

[safe phoenix]

And what I'm saying is there's no actual need for you to actually have a crowbar to be the main tool to progress in the level, they are basically reskinned ID cards, if you make it a melee weapon it can be used as a bonus loot opener if you choose to carry it, which will change the melee making it slower, risk + reward.

[woven laurel]

Okay, that's fine, I don't care

I don't agree with the risk + reward loot opener thing though

Everyone is going to take the crowbar if they know it can open things

[safe phoenix]

why though they already doing that in the game?

[woven laurel]

Not many people actually use the melee weapons

[woven laurel]

Because it's not a melee weapon in the game

It's not risk + reward, it's just an item

[woven laurel]

And for sure it is not worth it to make melee a substantial part of a tactical shooter specifically for the purpose of getting a risk + reward crowbar item

[safe phoenix]

And that leads into my next point, why would you need more loot if it's randomly generated, it's pretty annoying to open a shutter door with the valve or opening a container with a crowbar and there being nothing to get or worse the same thing you can get everywhere else.

[woven laurel]

I don't care

Again, I'm not defending the use of it as an item, I'm just saying it should not be an item if it is a melee weapon

how long have you been typing for bro

[safe phoenix]

I thought you don't care

I was just thinking of how to make the inventory connects with the current mag system

[woven laurel]

I don't care what you think about the crowbar being used as an item

[safe phoenix]

oh ok

[safe phoenix]

say, how do you think they could make the game more horrifying or more challenging without slowing the game down like my suggestion?

[heady nimbus]

Personally I'd say let em cook with what they got going on, chapter 1 was an improvement, and those improvements will be brought to chapter 2 and 3 at some point. Thats all I got

[woven laurel]

Putting the player in more enclosed spaces, putting the player in more dark spaces, taking power away from the player occasionally

[safe phoenix]

as someone from the isle community letting devs cook isn't really my thing Lmao

[heady nimbus]

Speaking of, I'd like to see a section that makes nightvision semi mandatory, maybe flashlights not working in sections, just an idea

[woven laurel]

All of those things would have to be intentional, though, having that stuff happen randomly by, for example, running out of ammo, would just be frustrating rather than scary

[woven laurel]

It's not always going to go well, but I'd go out on a limb and say that even in the case of The Isle you wouldn't have had any better ideas

Leave specifics up to the people who know the most

[heady nimbus]

Obviously it's not a problem making suggestions, but researching into the community and how the devs do things if probably a good idea

[safe phoenix]

I mean yeah, that's why I put this in suggestion and not asking them to do whhat I want lol

[woven laurel]

I mean, that is what a suggestion is

You're asking them to do something that you want

[safe phoenix]

Although I did study gametheory and social and human psychology but yeah I don't exactly have the best idea.

[woven laurel]

Game theory doesn't apply to a vast vast majority of games

[safe phoenix]

I'm suggesting, they don't have to do this exactly just the idea, gametheory should be applied to most games though

[woven laurel]

It specifically refers to the study of strategical interactions between competing players

So, no, it should not be applied to most games

[safe phoenix]

Well you don't need the whole thing to be applied, just the player psychology part, why people makes certain decision and the like

[woven laurel]

Either way, most game designers don't study game theory

It's useful in statistical fields and psychology, not so much in actual game design

[safe phoenix]

A game is just manipulating the brain to make certain decision, it's very useful for devs, I mean you gotta know what type of game you are making first ofc

not every game is gonna need it

[woven laurel]

That's the game theory definition of a game

That is an entirely seperate definition from the actual definition of a game

[safe phoenix]

if you really break it down that's what most thing is

[woven laurel]

Bro just give up on trying to sound smart

smh

[safe phoenix]

Lol what?

[woven laurel]

Game theory has very little to do with game design

They just have similar words in them

[safe phoenix]

you know what, sure

[safe phoenix]

Ohh that's a cool Idea

[safe phoenix]

btw this would be incorrect, the only reason you would run out of ammo is that you didn't think about it, that or you missed a lot. and I mean if the devs think this is somewhat good idea they'll use it, if not then oh well.

[woven laurel]

More accurately, the devs can't control when that happens

If a person is bad at the game they should not just die

[safe phoenix]

that's the thing they should

[woven laurel]

Games need to have a balance of challenge and fun, even to people who aren't good

[safe phoenix]

I don't like when games just let you do whatever

[woven laurel]

Additionally, running out of ammo because you fired too many times could just be because you were bad, or because your teammates were bad

[woven laurel]

Yeah, me neither

[safe phoenix]

then it wouldn't be random, it's in the players control

[woven laurel]

The point isn't if it's random or not, its if the devs have control over it

[safe phoenix]

they do with a fixed item placement

[woven laurel]

They have no control over when people will run out of ammo

Meaning, they have no control over how players react to running out of ammo

It could make it more tense, but it could just as well make it more frustrating

It's much more likely that it would be frustrating, though

[safe phoenix]

how are you sure?

[woven laurel]

You're most likely to run out of ammo nearby a lot of enemies

If you're in a big fight and you run out of ammo, that's not exactly scary

[safe phoenix]

then melee will now be useful

[woven laurel]

It's a tactical shooter.

No.

[safe phoenix]

it's also a Zombie horde shooter so what's your point?

[woven laurel]

It's not supposed to be

They have said numerous times that the zombies are going to become less and less signifigant as the game develops

[safe phoenix]

and yet they are planning to add a new zombie horde type as 610

[woven laurel]

Okay?

That doesn't make it into a zombie horde shooter

What was your point anyways?

Zombie horde SHOOTERS that I have played usually don't focus on the melee

[safe phoenix]

Every mechanic should have significance

[woven laurel]

Every mechanic should have some use

Melee is there for when you run out of ammo and need to quickly attack enemies to get to more

[safe phoenix]

Did I say to focus on melee?

[woven laurel]

Dude

[woven laurel]

You said this in response to me saying that you would run out of ammo in a horde of enemies more frequently

[safe phoenix]

wait ain't that what I'm saying??

[woven laurel]

How would you kill a horde of enemies without a focus on melee

[woven laurel]

No, it's not

You said that melee would be useful to go against actual hordes of enemies

[safe phoenix]

I did not say that btw

[safe phoenix]

"melee will now be useful"

[woven laurel]

You're saying that melee will NOW be useful, indicating change from the current system

You said that in response to me saying that people would run out of ammo in a horde of enemies

[safe phoenix]

"indicating" I think you misinterpret my point

[woven laurel]

If you're going with just saying that melee should be the same as it already is then this is not a rebuttal to what I said

"melee will now be useful" to do the exact same thing its already used to do

[safe phoenix]

the difference is the context

[woven laurel]

Yes, I agree

That's why I'm arguing from the context

[safe phoenix]

there is no way you would runout of ammo currently

[woven laurel]

There for sure is

[safe phoenix]

I have never see It happen myself tbh

[woven laurel]

A vast majority of playthroughs that I have seen have had someone run out of ammo at least once, usually multiple times

They usually get ammo pretty quickly afterwards though, which is good, since that means it isn't frustrating and it actually builds tension

Running out of ammo in the middle of a fight, and then having to wait until the end of the fight since you were expected to pick up ammo before hand doesn't build any tension

[safe phoenix]

now why would the devs not put the ammo inside?

[woven laurel]

They do currently

[safe phoenix]

It's random

[woven laurel]

It's not random

It's based on how much ammo you use

[safe phoenix]

I mean the placement

[woven laurel]

That's for sure not random

That never changes

It's just the amount that changes

[safe phoenix]

Oh did they updated that?

[woven laurel]

It was always that way

[safe phoenix]

wait or was it the gun placement that was random?

well some of them are

[woven laurel]

None of the placements of anything except for codes are random

It's just the types of guns and the amount of ammo and health that change

[safe phoenix]

pretty sure when I played it last the two times I started some of the placement wasn't the same, or am I having a flash back to a very old version

[woven laurel]

Definitely not to an older version

Less stuff was random back then

[safe phoenix]

you sure?

[woven laurel]

Yes

[safe phoenix]

wasn't the fuel thing random also the valve and the crowbar

?

[woven laurel]

I was thinking further back

[woven laurel]

That stuff was random, but all of the weapon and ammo spawns haven't changed since that update as far as i know

[safe phoenix]

man that too far, nothing was really there backthen

Anyway my point still stands I think less overall but more in the large combat area is still good,

instead of value being random which confused some of the new people, now devs have more control where you get alot of ammo and where you get less

also the only times I really see people runout of or low on ammo was during the beginning and parking

Wait minute, My point was with a sort of inventory you can have less ammo lying around since you can keep some of them reducing the need to backtrack, but still need to be mindful of it since you can only carry 4 stack of ammo and each ammo type doesn't stack together so you'll have to chose whether to carry a lot of 1 ammo type or a lot of type but not as many.

why would running out in the middle of the fight be a problem?

you have plenty on you

and instead of having to immediately find health when you are low you can find a place out of sight and take a second to heal, so it's forgiving, and..., holy, I've been yanked around again haven't I.

These conversations got derailed so fast 🥲

[woven laurel]

So either it's removing tension, then

You seemed to be arguing this entire time that scarcity would help with the tension of the game

[safe phoenix]

scarcity while you still have control over some of it, I kinda lost track while arguing