PC Horror Stories

Let me tell you all a story. 

It was early A18 experimental, and I was planning on filling in the hole in the roof of my house that I had sheltered in for that day, like a parasite latching onto its host. After rummaging through my chests and realizing I had run out of wood, I made the decision to head outside in the dead of night without any kind of firearm - only my bow - to briefly collect resources. I had forgotten to bring any kind of arrows with me however, and on top of that, I had left the front door wide open...

Upon returning after my brief expedition and creeping through the house, trying not to start any trouble, I suddenly heard a zombie breathing down my neck. Daring not to turn around, I silently stepped away into the nearby bathroom on the ground floor and cowered beside the toilet as I heard a series of footsteps walking by, sometimes right outside the door itself. After a brief period of silence, I cautiously opened the door and peaked around both corners (the ground floor looped around with a staircase to one side), and in the darkened kitchen was a female zombie, lightly illuminated only by a flickering light by the stove. I shut myself back inside the bathroom for a good while longer, until I heard another zombie - outside or in, I did not know. I could not stay in that tiny room the whole night, and if I was found out...

I opened the door once again and crept behind the zombie, hoping it wouldn't turn around. I watched and waited as it made its way past the staircase, and then I made a run for it, knowing if I looked over my shoulder now, I would be a very dead man. Slamming the bedroom door behind me, I grabbed out my arrows, repaired my club, and slayed the female zombie that was now pounding on my door.

Checking the perimeter of the house one final time, I killed a second female zombie that was hanging out beside the backyard fence before retreating inside for the rest of the night.

Only once has a game terrified me as such, and that was Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Unlike Amnesia however, I find that 7D2D is only eerie and scary if you put yourself in that mindset. And it works beautifully, in both the best and worst ways possible...

 
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MechanicalLens said:
Let me tell you all a story.
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First of all, thank you for your story I really enjoyed it. Amnesia is, after all this time, still on my to-play list despite having been in my library, and my intense enjoyment of bits and pieces of the soundtrack. :) But I've read many such stories by people in regards to 7 days. And lived many such stories myself.

And no other game besides Egosoft's X series has ever done that for me.

We are blessed, in this day and age, with an abundance of games made with loving attention to detail by people passionate about their art. And some of those artists are writers who provide the "big story" that shapes whole games. Other artists are level designers, who makes us look at the outside of a POI and THINK we know what to expect, and then guide us through an experience that can not only enable our own plot twists and turns, but also reveal the backstory about how the POI came to be in the state we now find it. Character artists populate this world with zombies, and traders, and soon bandits! Each character lovingly crafted with blood, sweat, and tears to get every animation and texture just right. Environment artists make the wastelands, deserts, forests, etc come alive with detail. AI programmers whose art we see only in hindsight, too caught up in the moment of fear to think about the algorithms that make it happen, motivate us to craft stories of our own by forcing us out of any position that might be comfortable. :)

And so many others! I don't want to leave anyone out. And almost every game has some, most, or all of these components, yet only two games (counting the entire x series as one game for this purpose) have ever given me so many high quality memorable gameplay stories. I can't put my finger on what makes the magic happen, or whether it is the same in those two cases, but it is such a precious thing.

Thanks, Fun Pimps!

Edit: Actually, KSP has this particular bit of magic, too.

 
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MechanicalLens said:
To those that say that 7 Days to Die is not a horror game... I beg to differ.

View attachment 10148
But 7 Days to Die also has its times of beauty... The time of Alpha 18 is ending... I eagerly anticipate to see what is over the next horizon. 

View attachment 10150
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back when i played Xbox! i was scare to go out at night, i still remember the time that me and my friend got caught in the Bloodmoon and we where stuck in the power station! 

good times!

sadly i wished i can go back to those days! yes the game can be scary at times but it does not scare me as much anymore!

mainly cuz i went from being a little @%$*#! to a big @%$*#!!

but who knows. maybe that will change!

 
strask said:
First of all, thank you for your story I really enjoyed it. Amnesia is, after all this time, still on my to-play list despite having been in my library, and my intense enjoyment of bits and pieces of the soundtrack. :) But I've read many such stories by people in regards to 7 days. And lived many such stories myself.

And no other game besides Egosoft's X series has ever done that for me.

We are blessed, in this day and age, with an abundance of games made with loving attention to detail by people passionate about their art. And some of those artists are writers who provide the "big story" that shapes whole games. Other artists are level designers, who makes us look at the outside of a POI and THINK we know what to expect, and then guide us through an experience that can not only enable our own plot twists and turns, but also reveal the backstory about how the POI came to be in the state we now find it. Character artists populate this world with zombies, and traders, and soon bandits! Each character lovingly crafted with blood, sweat, and tears to get every animation and texture just right. Environment artists make the wastelands, deserts, forests, etc come alive with detail. AI programmers whose art we see only in hindsight, too caught up in the moment of fear to think about the algorithms that make it happen, motivate us to craft stories of our own by forcing us out of any position that might be comfortable. :)

And so many others! I don't want to leave anyone out. And almost every game has some, most, or all of these components, yet only two games (counting the entire x series as one game for this purpose) have ever given me so many high quality memorable gameplay stories. I can't put my finger on what makes the magic happen, or whether it is the same in those two cases, but it is such a precious thing.

Thanks, Fun Pimps!

Edit: Actually, KSP has this particular bit of magic, too.
Click to expand...
I second this. Still, I do my part in this process, at least within my experience. I love making a backstory regarding the character I am currently playing in 7 Days to Die.

7_Days_To_Die_2020-06-15_2_18_08_PM.png

This one is Bertha, a bruiser in the ring. She loves getting up close and personal with those that she dispatches, so naturally her preferred weapons are knuckles or knives. Her name "Bruiser Bertha" is one that is known throughout much of the part of the wasteland where she lives, and any that face her head on know not to underestimate her. She isn't afraid of getting down and dirty with her opponents, and she always loves an excuse to bash someone's head in. Her father was a wrestler, but he died in the ring after a particularly gruesome brawl; Bertha chose her profession largely in tribute to him and continues his legacy. She was my latest and now final character in A18.

7_Days_To_Die_2020-06-15_2_28_53_PM.png

I based Grunduin here much from the greybeards from Skyrim (hoping that TFP add a gray dye in the future). A wizard without his magic is like a marksman without his rifle; nonetheless, he has artificially replaced his lost limb (metaphorical speaking) with a love for the stun baton, something that was unheard of until now. His preferred environment to live in is the winter biome.

7_Days_To_Die_2020-06-15_2_22_02_PM.png

And finally I played Gwenyth, former black ops mercenary and a master of handling assault rifles and any manner of explosives. She is a character driven by justice. As evidenced by her hate, she biome of choice is the desert.

I had two other characters but they have since been lost. (Or, to continue with the roleplaying, they have been since forgotten.)

 
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MechanicalLens said:
I second this. Still, I do my part in this process, at least within my experience. I love making a backstory regarding the character I am currently playing in 7 Days to Die.

View attachment 10153

This one is Bertha, a bruiser in the ring. She loves getting up close and personal with those that she dispatches, so naturally her preferred weapons are knuckles or knives. Her name "Bruiser Bertha" is one that is known throughout much of the part of the wasteland where she lives, and any that face her head on know not to underestimate her. She isn't afraid of getting down and dirty with her opponents, and always craves an excuse to bash someone's head in. Her father was a wrestler, but died in the ring after a particularly gruesome brawl; Bertha chose her profession largely in tribute to him and continues his legacy. She was my latest and now final character in A18.

View attachment 10154

I based Grunduin here much from the greybeards from Skyrim (hoping that TFP add a gray dye in the future). A wizard without his magic is like a marksman without his rifle; nonetheless, he has artificially replaced his lost limb (metaphorical speaking) with a love for the stun baton, something that was unheard of until now. His preferred environment to live in is the winter biome.

View attachment 10156

And finally I played Gwenyth, former black ops member and a master of handling assault rifles and any manner of explosives. She is a character driven by justice. As evidenced by her hate, she biome of choice is the desert.

I had two other characters but they have since been lost. (Or, to continue with the roleplaying, they have been since forgotten.)
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:) Yay backstories! Those are all fun!

I have tried on many occasions to make up backstories before play, and then stick to them during play, in 7 days to die.

And for some reason, that hasn't worked well and I think it is related to my play style in that I tend to react very strongly and circumstantially to the loot I find in the first couple game-days. If I get the book that lets me sneak-sprint with no stamina use? That's going to be a stealth build. If I find a cigar on day 1, and nerdy glasses day 2? Intellect. And so what I've ended up doing, in a somewhat fatalistic way, is given up on creating a backstory before play, and instead imposing a deadline where I must have the backstory solidified in my head by day 4 or 5 or first horde or whatever. :) It usually happens pretty quickly, just not in advance.

 
strask said:
:) Yay backstories! Those are all fun!

I have tried on many occasions to make up backstories before play, and then stick to them during play, in 7 days to die.

And for some reason, that hasn't worked well and I think it is related to my play style in that I tend to react very strongly and circumstantially to the loot I find in the first couple game-days. If I get the book that lets me sneak-sprint with no stamina use? That's going to be a stealth build. If I find a cigar on day 1, and nerdy glasses day 2? Intellect. And so what I've ended up doing, in a somewhat fatalistic way, is given up on creating a backstory before play, and instead imposing a deadline where I must have the backstory solidified in my head by day 4 or 5 or first horde or whatever. :) It usually happens pretty quickly, just not in advance.
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An idea is have two worlds going on simultaneously, one at whatever default settings you have it on, and the other on 90 or 120 minute days. Literally take your time with almost everything (but at the same time, don't be sluggish). Don't sprint from your forges to your storage; walk there. Take time to get off your motorcycle. Carefully loot a kitchen, instead of diving through the POI like a fiend. Who knows, you might like it? You would have to be in the mood for that type of play though.

Relating more to what you said above though, I typically flesh out my character's backstory as I progress along in the story, and I have an idea in my head of what playstyle I want to go for in that particular world.

 
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MechanicalLens said:
An idea is have two worlds going on simultaneously, one at whatever default settings you have it on, and the other on 90 or 120 minute days. Literally take your time with almost everything (but at the same time, don't be sluggish). Don't sprint from your forges to your storage; walk there. Take time to get off your motorcycle. Carefully loot a kitchen, instead of diving through the POI like a fiend. Who knows, you might like it? You would have to be in the mood for that type of play though.

Relating more to what you said above though, I typically flesh out my character's backstory as I progress along in the story, and I have an idea in my head of what playstyle I want to go for in that particular world.
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Ah, but my default settings (in single player, not on my co-op server) are 120 minute cycles, 10th day hordes. :) Going slower almost isn't an option. Heh.

On your second point, it seems then we are almost equivalent in how we do that bit, then. :)

 
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We're currently playing a no 7-day horde game with friends, 2 hours per day. I can't say I didn't miss the challenge of the hordes at first (my friends are less fps-savvy), but I actually really like it. It lets us enjoy so many more things that the game has to offer, things we never tried in our past playthroughs because time was always the biggest ressource and every minute was spent with maximum efficiency in mind, in order not to "fall behind".  Sometimes we just log in with no plan in mind at all and we slowly get into doing something that leads to something else, and so on. It's a really different, way more relaxed experience. 

We're currently sitting on day 28, so quite some time has passed. At some point obviously there's less incentive to keep going, but close to 60 hours in a single playthrough has yet to be beaten for our group; we usually start over / have a break way sooner.

I know I'll have to compromise again with my friends regarding the hordes for A19, and it's funny you mentionned 2 hours / day with 10th hordes because that was exactly what I was thinking about. How's the experience been ?

(sorry for the off-topic, but the current discussion just matched)

 
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beHypE said:
We're currently playing a no 7-day horde game with friends, 2 hours per day. I can't say I didn't miss the challenge of the hordes at first (my friends are less fps-savvy), but I actually really like it. It lets us enjoy so many more things that the game has to offer, things we never tried in our past playthroughs because time was always the biggest ressource and every minute was spent with maximum efficiency in mind, in order not to "fall behind".  Sometimes we just log in with no plan in mind at all and we slowly get into doing something that leads to something else, and so on. It's a really different, way more relaxed experience. 
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That's why I'm honestly considering trying a 120 minute day world in A19, and enjoying some of the things that you wouldn't be able to experience otherwise due to "maximum efficiency, no wasted seconds" like you mentioned. You know, design my base a little, give it character, and get to know the place a little; may spend an entire evening and night there crafting some vegetable stew and red tea, and sitting on the balcony as I watch the swift sunset and a startling night sky... Making a mineshaft that goes deep into the Earth... Making a proper tree farm...

 
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beHypE said:
We're currently playing a no 7-day horde game with friends, 2 hours per day. I can't say I didn't miss the challenge of the hordes at first (my friends are less fps-savvy), but I actually really like it. It let us enjoy so many more things that the game has to offer, things we never tried in our past playthroughs because time was always the biggest ressource and every minute was spent with maximum efficiency in mind, in order not to fall behind.  Sometimes we just log in with no plan in mind at all and we slowly get into doing something that leads to something else, and so on. It's a really different, way more relaxed experience. 

We're currently sitting on day 28, so quite some time has passed. At some point obviously there's less incentive to keep going, but close to 60 hours in a single playthrough has yet to be beaten for our group; we usually start over / have a break way sooner.

I know I'll have to compromise again with my friends regarding the hordes for A19, and it's funny you mentionned 2 hours / day with 10th hordes because that was exactly what I was thinking about. How's the experience been ?

(sorry for the off-topic, but the current discussion just matched)
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If you think that is off-topic, here, you haven't been reading this thread too terribly long. 😛

My experience with 2 hour cycles and 10 day weeks has been good for me. I have not been sharing that game with any friends so I can't comment on co-op dynamics. Most of my other settings are vanilla and it's been just... good. I like it. I can't recall what gamestage I was at for my first horde or things like that at this moment. Sorry so vague.

 
Yes, there's so many things to do once you just have the time for it. It obviously makes some aspects way too easy (you're typically never out of brass), and others a bit useless (hello there blade traps and shotgun/smg turrets), but I highly encourage anyone trying it, especially if you feel there's so many things you've never done, like we did.

We play it as a 4-man group aswell, so we have absolutely everything covered. Food, vehicles, crops, etc. Everyone kind of has his things to do and we've just explored POIs and travelled the map with all of the available vehicles. And hey, we finally used paint !

 
Also, who else here is interested in settling in the burnt biome in A19?

beHypE said:
Yes, there's so many things to do once you just have the time for it. It obviously makes some aspects way too easy (you're typically never out of brass), and others a bit useless (hello there blade traps and shotgun/smg turrets), but I highly encourage anyone trying it, especially if you feel there's so many things you've never done, like we did.

We play it as a 4-man group aswell, so we have absolutely everything covered. Food, vehicles, crops, etc. Everyone kind of has his things to do and we've just explored POIs and travelled the map with all of the available vehicles. And hey, we finally used paint !
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Exactly. Now I don't want all challenge and purpose removed - no blood moons means no reason to craft ammo, build a base, mine resources... I would just be playing a glorified version of Minecraft at that point. But I do enjoy my 90 minute days.

 
MechanicalLens said:
Also, who else here is interested in settling in the burnt biome in A19?
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I would really like that, my current desktop background is essentially a burnt/snow boundary area. :) Will depend on my ability to tolerate the ambient noises, though, not sure if any changes have been made but some past alphas have included small, brief, but intollerable-anyway bits of noise in some biomes. It's always something I consider when selecting where to live. :) Burnt and Wasteland were the culprits in that respect in the past.

7dburntsnow halfsize.png

 
Here's a suggestion to y'all when A19 hits: try some nighttime raiding, sneaking only unless you need to run back. Turn your brightness down to 15, and only equip a flashlight, a torch, a pistol with a weapon flashlight mod attached, a shotgun with a sawed off mod attached, only a small handful of rounds, and your bare fists. Go sneaking throughout the POI with your torch out or unequipped, only use your guns when necessary, and try to melee fist the zombies to death after you place your torch on a wall or on the floor; set zombies to walk at night when you do this. If there's too many, try to temporarily hide in a zombie closet or in a dark corner. It creates a very... horror-esque atmosphere.

 
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MechanicalLens said:
Here's a suggestion to y'all when A19 hits: try some nighttime raiding. Turn your gamma brightness down to 15, and only equip a flashlight, a torch, a pistol, a shotgun with a sawed off mod attached, only a small handful of rounds, and your bare fists. Go sneaking throughout the POI with your torch out or unequipped, only use you guns when necessary, and try to melee fist the zombies to death; set zombies to walk at night when you do this. It create a very... horror-esque atmosphere.
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Fixed that for you (new lighting system yay!) and yeah, I should  try zombies walking at night some time. And by torchlight. Fun suggestions!

 
strask said:
Fixed that for you (new lighting system yay!) and yeah, I should  try zombies walking at night some time. And by torchlight. Fun suggestions!
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What fix? I don't know what you're talking about. Look up above again. I think you're seeing things...

And meanwhile, try listening to this track, unless you want the game to be completely silent except for you and the zombies...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Rkxi-GdH8

 
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