Turning Secret Neighbor into a Horror game

[cursive gorge]

First: When theres no lights it would be completely DARK, no light at all except for what you have (Flashlight, Threat Detector, Glowing objects, maybe even a TV remote) | Second: I'd add batteries to make the darkness more impactful and horror-like, So if the lights get turned off and your flashlight had 30 seconds left, you'd feel more panicked and scared | Third: Make the neighbor darker unless you have direct line of sight with him | Fourth: Make the neighbor's scarier with their design and powers | Fifth: Make more ways to split up the children so they can be isolated more, Isolation means the neighbor can pick them off easier making it more scary to be alone, AND the children will be more scared because they have to worry that the neighbor is actually lurking in that darkness for them.

[cursive gorge]

Random lighting removed, Now dull lights become more impactful.

Batteries, So looking for lamps, lights, batteries, or glowing objects becomes more necessary and so the dark is more impactful, For more horror. Who knows what might be lurking in the dark.

(I chose 2 minutes due to how many flashlights you can find on the map, you can pick them off of captured kids, and the Inventor can craft a helmet version that lasts for 5 minutes.)

Even the dullest lights become necessary for survival, even the threat detector's small bulb would be useful.

(The light would not actually be that bright, it would be way duller but it was a example to show how it would be needed)

The neighbor would become quieter so he could sneak up on children easier and there would be more ways to split up the kids so that way they are left alone for more horror effect.

Isolation is a scary thing.

possibly a horror ambience and distant noises, And being alone for too long would cause a effect that would make you hear a noise (Window smashing, Neighbor laughing, Neighbor breathing behind you, Running footsteps.), And maybe visual effects (lights flickering, screen flash, something running at you.).

Maybe even more darker or scarier neighbor textures, The clown might have running and grey makeup, Ghost would be a darker shade of blue but still glow and also make the ghost's eyes glow in the dark when not moving but when moving he'd light up (It would be scarier to see a pair of glowing blue eyes staring at you then all of a sudden he fades in in the dark and starts running at you.)

[cursive gorge]

And also, the night vision and Threat detector would become more useful, Since the night vision would allow you to see in the dark and the threat detector would let you know if something is hiding in the dark with you.

[bright crescent]

I dont think darkness helps the game to become scary, the thing that is missing, and is the main importance of the role of hello neighbor as a franchise, and secret neighbor as a game, is slow gameplay, and stealth mechanic

The way to slow down gameplay is to polish one of the overall jumping mechanic to be 2 seconds on reloading, the characters speed, and the overall item damages

Ik, this may get controversial, but we all know that darkness is the most generic part of horror gaming

And one of the many types that should be special to horror, is different variety encounters

[mossy berry]

I think the game should be a little bit darker without lights to make it harder to see other players in the dark but not too dark that you can't see without a light source

Also it would be cool if there where no light sources touching the player it would hide their username, as it does when crouching

I don't think a battery system would work in SN, but I think ways of sabotaging the flashlights would be cool

[cursive gorge]

pure darkness makes things a whole lot scarier

even if its cliché

To be in a blank void without a indication of what or who might be watching you

only relying on the noises around you

or surviving off of the minimal light source you have

even using something as simple as a TV remote because of the red light

a more survival aspect, the fear that at any moment you could die

the darkness taking whole

"The scariest monster is the monster of which you cannot see" - some weirdo

[mossy berry]

Yeah but having it pitch black just isn't great for game design

The way its set up

[bright crescent]

The total of darkness does not increase or benefits the game viewpoint, and neither does it increase the tense.

[cursive gorge]

eh

[bright crescent]

Thats just you who lacks real horror viewpoint

And that is a fact.

[cursive gorge]

first of all, no need to be so rude

second

Its not like this is ever gonna happen

[bright crescent]

First off, I am not being rude.
Second off, Find a way to make a creative horror move to the game

[paper trout]

They should also make movement more sluggish and slow like the neighbour

[knotty lynx]

EXACTLY WHAT I WAS ALSO THINKING ! but for the neighbor model it maybe should be the neighbor from HN2 or just a model that is more like the og one i think and for the light also ONE PROBLEM THAT HASN'T BEEN FIX at least for the update we have rn that is when we go far from a light the light disappear but the flashlight or whatever makes light stay on and it make it a bit weird to look "i think doing a LOD for that is dumb on a horror game"

and for the complete darkness when we are in the dark i would so much love that for the realism and the horror of the game

[cursive gorge]

finally

someone who understands

[wooden plank]

Don't want to be rude but dark lighting has already happened before and everybody hated it and its pretty generic anyways maybe for outside but not inside

trust me dark lighting would not fit in with the game and pitch black dosen't look good for game deisgn

the only time it would make sense for complete dark is a room with no windows but other then that it would make no sense

[cursive gorge]

yeah

but the horror

right?

if you can't see the danger you are more afraid of the danger

plus it would be more realistic

where is the green lighting coming from, theres no light on, theres no windows

and the survival aspect where you need batteries and any type of light source to survive

[wooden plank]

Darkness doesn't automatically make something scary

[cursive gorge]

i think it is more horror like and makes the gameplay slower and causes more tasks for children to complete

and some people say that the gameplay in secret neighbor is too fast

and i sort of agree sometimes

like litterally

10 seconds in and 5 keys are already found

only 2 or 3 more

[wooden plank]

how would darkness affect the speed just use a flashlight or a flashlight pan

[cursive gorge]

but the flashlight has a battery

[cursive gorge]

see

[wooden plank]

still

[cursive gorge]

so you'd need to find more batteries or a new flashlight to survive

and you can't see the keys if its dark

[wooden plank]

the game was to dark in summer 2021

and the game still went by fast

[cursive gorge]

was it as fast as it was now

[wooden plank]

yes

[cursive gorge]

OW

[wooden plank]

its always been this fast since like late 2019

[cursive gorge]

i bit my tounge 😭

[cursive gorge]

darn

But still

it would be more horror-like

right?

all i want is to see this game become a horror game again 😦

[wooden plank]

not if you're not scared of the dark

[cursive gorge]

do you have recommendation?

[wooden plank]

a more scary neighbor model

[cursive gorge]

that what i would have said but they dont seem to want to change the models or textures

[bright crescent]

Darkness doesn't create realism

[wooden plank]

and if the game wants to become a horror game having dance moves will make the game look like a joke

[cursive gorge]

they like the current art style

[cursive gorge]

explain to me something

[wooden plank]

they could make a better model with the hn1 style

[cursive gorge]

Where is the light coming from in the second photo

where is it

i don't see it

[bright crescent]

Darkness is not always people's fear, it can be their challenge, plus if you want a real good horror realism experience, its stealth

[wooden plank]

and the current art style is great besides the ugly hn2 trees and grass

[bright crescent]

Exactly, can't take the whole portion and point of what secret neighbor is meant to be, and what it is supposed to be

[knotty lynx]

because it wasn't well made at all

[knotty lynx]

(realism)

[knotty lynx]

idk but it's maybe just the fact that if you don't have a flashlight the neighbor could be anywhere and you wouldn't know

[dense wind]

Darkness doesn’t equal scary although yes it would add some sort of spookiness it wouldn’t make it scarier

[lyric plaza]

Dark doesn't equal scary, i was literally about to say taht

it just makes it harder to see, and thus less fun to play with how this game is currently

[dense wind]

Yeah I think this game is dark enough also

[lyric plaza]

a main step they can do to help it become actually scary is remove sillier things and tinker it so players have reason not to just attack the neighbor directly. in other terms, make the game what it was meant to be a stealth deduction game.

[knotty lynx]

not scary i mean stressful

[lyric plaza]

still. there's more that can be done. i like the idea of ambient lighting but making things darker won't do much

[bright crescent]

Thats not what would it make it work, removing the flashlight, and having the neighbor be unpredictable in the dark will make it frustrating for everyone

[bright crescent]

We can make a stressful horror game for secret neighbor, such as stealth

[knotty lynx]

why remove flashlight ?

[bright crescent]

You said "remove flashlight"

[knotty lynx]

uh ?

where ?

[bright crescent]

Go back and read what you said to me

[knotty lynx]

this ?

[bright crescent]

Yes

[knotty lynx]

i didn't say remove the flashlights

[bright crescent]

You said "maybe just the fact that if you don't have a flashlight"

[knotty lynx]

i said that imagine you're in a dark place without a flashlight and the neighbor is near with the fact that we don't see in the dark it would be pretty stressful ?

[bright crescent]

It wouldn't

It would be soulless

[knotty lynx]

like... you would be trying to find a way out than just waiting the neighbor to kill him

[bright crescent]

I dont agree with that

None of it makes it stressful

It would make everything feel soulless

[knotty lynx]

ok if you want ?

[bright crescent]

It will have no emotion

[knotty lynx]

or that would be an option in the setting so... you know ppl would be able to choose ?

[bright crescent]

No, that should not

[knotty lynx]

why ?

[bright crescent]

The option would be already useless

[knotty lynx]

there would be ppl that would like that not everyone but some ppl i guess

[bright crescent]

The people that like it are the people that are younger and don't realize a real great horror experience

[knotty lynx]

i do i play "real" horror games you know and in a "horror game" you normally don't see in the dark seems realistic and logic for a horror game

[bright crescent]

Yes, those are the parts of the realism, darkness doesn't make the game realistic, stressful, or creepy

Real horror games conveys the idea of what type of game they want to be terrifying for people

Such as stealth

[knotty lynx]

so you mean that irl you completely see in the dark ?

like without lights

bruh

it's just that secret neighbor have his style of game

[bright crescent]

Secret neighbor was meant to be a stealth horror game, thats why it introduces the crouching mechanic (which doesn't work for today, as the game is unbalanced)

[knotty lynx]

but you can don't like the idea but some ppl would like it "not kids i mean"

[knotty lynx]

bruh

[bright crescent]

Yes, I don't like the idea

It doesn't work

[knotty lynx]

so don't like it ?

[bright crescent]

You truly are young, are you?

[bright crescent]

Read, what i said

[knotty lynx]

you really said that because i said bruh ?

[bright crescent]

The whole franchise was MEANT to be a STEALTH horror game, even hello neighbor had the crouch style mechanic

[knotty lynx]

a lots of ppl say that ik

[knotty lynx]

ok ok but it's just an idea you know ?

[bright crescent]

Yes, because you really ignored about the idea that secret neighbor was focusing on

[bright crescent]

Ideas like these will sometimes not work in devs direction

[knotty lynx]

ik what it is i played it when it just came out

[bright crescent]

Yes, it was trying to be a stealth horror game

[knotty lynx]

yes but we can remove the "horror"

[bright crescent]

Not at all

I've said this before, and I will say it again

[knotty lynx]

i mean that "horror tag" is meant to be a "horror tag" i guess

[dense wind]

this game was meant to be a stealth horror game so we really can't

[bright crescent]

Secret neighbor was meant to be a stealth horror game, with its inclusion of the crouching mechanic, which was needed if trying to hide, which is something people misunderstood

[bright crescent]

⬆️

[knotty lynx]

like hello neighbor if not wrong uh ?

[bright crescent]

Yes, hn had the same style of stealth with its inclusion of the crouching mechanic

How can you not understand one simple answer

[dense wind]

are you saying we should remove the horror tag because its not scary

[knotty lynx]

yes... so... why in hn we less see in the dark than a multiplayer stealth horror game ?

[knotty lynx]

no but i'm just saying that it could be a bit more... idk stressful or something ?

[bright crescent]

Because, hn doesn't need darkness to be scary, it needs stealth to stress out players or even terrify them

[dense wind]

sn is kinda stressful when you are the last kid

[knotty lynx]

yes but they could do something like hn so ?

[bright crescent]

No, they don't need anything in hn

You are def young to understand

Like I swear

I gave you so many answers

And yet you ignore me everytime

[lyric plaza]

there are plenty of games where horror is executed perfectly when it's bright. SN definitely doesn't need to be bright but it doesn't need to be pitch black either

[knotty lynx]

this is a "SN" / "a game from the HN series" so it could be like HN i mean ?

[bright crescent]

Omg, yes

That's what I just told you

Sn is part of the hn franchise

[knotty lynx]

i said that in hello neighbor we the see less in the dark than sn

[bright crescent]

Not really, some can be bright, but can add some stealth to keep the player haunted or stressed out like the last of us

[bright crescent]

Thats because it doesn't need one

It needs stealth

How many times did I told you this

[knotty lynx]

yes but i mean that it could be more like hn ?

[bright crescent]

No

[knotty lynx]

this is a idea not a thing that is already in game

[bright crescent]

Not every game needs to be dark

Idea can't always be executed in devs directions

I've told you this so many times

[lyric plaza]

listen. sn is supposed to be a stealth horror game, not a search in darkness sort of deal.

[dense wind]

many games are scary without darkness

[bright crescent]

Exactly

Thats what I told him so many times

[knotty lynx]

i mean that it "Could Be..." like hello neighbor ?

[bright crescent]

To where it starting to get the point where it annoys me

[dense wind]

darkness would be just frustrating for the kids and neighbor

[lyric plaza]

there's no need to drag this out

[bright crescent]

⬆️

[lyric plaza]

comeplete darkness is not good for gameplay

for neither the neighbor or the kids

[bright crescent]

It can't be like hn, hn can be what the game wants to be, not what it means to be

[lyric plaza]

besides, the neighbor would like to keep his house well lit

[bright crescent]

Ikr

Ted would want things clean

[dense wind]

yeah you wouldn't be buying a house with no lights at all

[lyric plaza]

i get what you want to say, but it wouldn't work

we're not trying to be mean

it's just how the game is

[knotty lynx]

in hn it's not complete darkness but it's more scary for a horror game you know so for a game from the series it's a bit strange that "A LOTS OF THINGS" don't looks like hn at some point

[knotty lynx]

i mean you can turn on the lights but when they are off they are off

[bright crescent]

You are just young, I can see how you are ignoring our ideas on how the game should work like how it was markettrd

[knotty lynx]

that's sure that complete darkness everywhere would be just annoying but i didn't said that

[bright crescent]

And whenever we give you an answer, you would just want darkness in everything

I can call the mods if you keep answering the same questions just to annoy us

[lyric plaza]

with me being a helper, im going to say that we should just relax with this alright. it feels like we're going in circles

[knotty lynx]

you are ignoring the idea completely so you say that i'm a kid because i'm talking to you i guess i shoudn't continue this disscution as you and me don't understand i think.

[knotty lynx]

we do

[knotty lynx]

i didn't said that but ok if you want

[bright crescent]

Yes, you are a literal kid who does not understand the main point of the idea of the game, you keep ignoring ideas, you keep on adding on what you have said multiple times, and like I said, I can call the mods if you keep continuing to repeat the same questions like what you've said over and over again

[bright crescent]

You did ok 🙂

[dense wind]

this is slowly becoming the "not to be rude but you could be sued" post

[knotty lynx]

also one last thing i understand that it would not be cool for everyone and the devs will surely not do that "BUT. THIS. IS. JUST. A. IDEA." so yeah.

[bright crescent]

I agree

[lyric plaza]

alright, please. calm down

[bright crescent]

IDC, an Idea can't be IMPLEMENTED in the devs request, and neither of it can be replicated, UNLESS if you add in an idea that WORKS on the game, ENTIRELY.

[knotty lynx]

you say that to me ? i will never understand that's sure

[lyric plaza]

this whole thing needs to calm down, i want to take a nap but wan tto resolve this first

[bright crescent]

May I call the mods?

[knotty lynx]

if you wouldn't be a kid you would have stop the disscution but as i see you didn't

[dense wind]

i dont think you should lets just stop

[knotty lynx]

i was just saying so bye i will not annoy ppl with ideas anymore goodbye

[bright crescent]

Oh, you really want to cause drama, ok heres the thing, you are an underaged person who doesn't understand our message to you or anyone, and all you do is spoil the whole thing and wishing on something to actually happen, if you want to keep annoying people, do that in the server. Ok?

[bright crescent]

right

[knotty lynx]

yeah def a kid bye

[bright crescent]

Yep, you sure are a kid

[lyric plaza]

[bright crescent]

Anyways, moving on

[lyric plaza]

oh my god.

anyways. if anythign else rises, please contact the mods, i need to rest for a moment.

i wish tihs argument didn't have to break out

[bright crescent]

Thats what I said before 🤦

[lyric plaza]

im just saying it now, it should be settled and stay that way

[bright crescent]

Hopefully

[modest mortar]

The purpose of feedback posts is to share your ideas with the developers. Engaging in fights is not productive. It's essential to communicate clearly to easily understand our ideas. I will close the post since the discussion has deviated from its original purpose. This will allow us to collect the information more effectively.

[bright crescent]

Have you done it? Its not closed apparently

[modest mortar]

I am waiting to see if you need to add any ideas beforehand