https://bastianfanworks.dreamchaos.net/forums/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:36:06 +0000 MyBB https://bastianfanworks.dreamchaos.net/forums/showthread.php?tid=203 Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:35:42 +0000 Polyedit2000]]> https://bastianfanworks.dreamchaos.net/forums/showthread.php?tid=203
First up, Exit 8 and Cabin Factory.  Exit 8 is a horror game that works on a "spot the difference" gameplay where the player has to go down a hallway and either get to the other side or turn back to hopefully get to the next area.  The catch is that, while the hallway is technically repeating itself, there will be a slight difference that sharp-eyed players need to keep an eye out for, and while some are obvious to the point of getting a game over if you continue on, others require actually looking.  If you flee on a normal hallway or somehow get through a cursed hallway, you'll end up to the "start" of the sequence.

Now, the problem with making this kind of game into a RP is the setting as it is part of the gameplay loop.  For example, a scene starting with "posters on the left illuminated with the lights above, with a man walking down the hallway" will either have one of two results:  Either the player notices the difference in the next iteration immediately or the player needs to inspect each element carefully, leading to two different paces of the RP.  

There are also variants of this type of game, mainly ones where the player has to take a photo of the difference.  This can promote the player to actually look around the scene, but it would make the RP lean towards the slower search, and the gameplay loop would be monotonous.  And some games will put in other "modes" to mix up the gameplay; a game in a train added in a red-light-green-light minigame as well as a chase with shifting chairs.  Still, the issue remains that the setting other than the difference will always be the same and that the player can usually turn around after finding the difference...

Cabin Factory makes a significant change.  The setting is that you have to go inside and inspect "haunted houses" with wax dummies, ringing a button on the console to rule if the cabin is truly haunted or not.  The thing is, hauntings only count for elements that are actually moving.  This means that dummies and decorations that seem out of place or are turned on don't count as hauntings unless they actually move or pull a Weeping Angel.  This also guarantees two of their minigames can count as hauntings:  Being chased by ghosts is obvious while finding a diorama with moving pieces means evading invisible patrols on the way out.

I may be biased, but the Cabin Factory makes it so that investigating each cabin means that the player can't just depend on the scenery to make a judgement and that any actual differences you can confirm will scare you will why they are so obvious in the first place.

Example anomalies/not-anomalies from Cabin Factory:
-Family standing together.
-Son peeking over the stairs.
-Stuffed toys.
-Family having a meal.
-The mother standing outside the cabin.
-Daughter blocking the front door.

---

The gameplay loop for these games:

The base setting is the same. Generally, the first "level" is what the safe version should look like. Players must either confirm or reject the scene using the confirmed exit method. Players move one level closer to the exit when getting a right answer. In addition, there are some elements that can cause a game over if you make contact with them. Players will be sent back to the "first level" if they get a wrong answer. Players generally need 8 correct answers in a row to win the game. After that, the game tasks you with finding the rest of the differences.

Cabin Factory version: The base setting is the same. However, elements can be placed differently and it won't be counted as dangerous. It is only counted as danger if you see things move when it shouldn't.]]>
First up, Exit 8 and Cabin Factory.  Exit 8 is a horror game that works on a "spot the difference" gameplay where the player has to go down a hallway and either get to the other side or turn back to hopefully get to the next area.  The catch is that, while the hallway is technically repeating itself, there will be a slight difference that sharp-eyed players need to keep an eye out for, and while some are obvious to the point of getting a game over if you continue on, others require actually looking.  If you flee on a normal hallway or somehow get through a cursed hallway, you'll end up to the "start" of the sequence.

Now, the problem with making this kind of game into a RP is the setting as it is part of the gameplay loop.  For example, a scene starting with "posters on the left illuminated with the lights above, with a man walking down the hallway" will either have one of two results:  Either the player notices the difference in the next iteration immediately or the player needs to inspect each element carefully, leading to two different paces of the RP.  

There are also variants of this type of game, mainly ones where the player has to take a photo of the difference.  This can promote the player to actually look around the scene, but it would make the RP lean towards the slower search, and the gameplay loop would be monotonous.  And some games will put in other "modes" to mix up the gameplay; a game in a train added in a red-light-green-light minigame as well as a chase with shifting chairs.  Still, the issue remains that the setting other than the difference will always be the same and that the player can usually turn around after finding the difference...

Cabin Factory makes a significant change.  The setting is that you have to go inside and inspect "haunted houses" with wax dummies, ringing a button on the console to rule if the cabin is truly haunted or not.  The thing is, hauntings only count for elements that are actually moving.  This means that dummies and decorations that seem out of place or are turned on don't count as hauntings unless they actually move or pull a Weeping Angel.  This also guarantees two of their minigames can count as hauntings:  Being chased by ghosts is obvious while finding a diorama with moving pieces means evading invisible patrols on the way out.

I may be biased, but the Cabin Factory makes it so that investigating each cabin means that the player can't just depend on the scenery to make a judgement and that any actual differences you can confirm will scare you will why they are so obvious in the first place.

Example anomalies/not-anomalies from Cabin Factory:
-Family standing together.
-Son peeking over the stairs.
-Stuffed toys.
-Family having a meal.
-The mother standing outside the cabin.
-Daughter blocking the front door.

---

The gameplay loop for these games:

The base setting is the same. Generally, the first "level" is what the safe version should look like. Players must either confirm or reject the scene using the confirmed exit method. Players move one level closer to the exit when getting a right answer. In addition, there are some elements that can cause a game over if you make contact with them. Players will be sent back to the "first level" if they get a wrong answer. Players generally need 8 correct answers in a row to win the game. After that, the game tasks you with finding the rest of the differences.

Cabin Factory version: The base setting is the same. However, elements can be placed differently and it won't be counted as dangerous. It is only counted as danger if you see things move when it shouldn't.]]>