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SOMA (Frictional Games)

Wirdschowerdn

Wirdschowerdn

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http://frictionalgames.blogspot.se/2014/12/soma-enters-pre-beta.html

SOMA enters pre-beta

Another major milestone is reached: SOMA is now in pre-Beta!

So what exactly does that mean? First of, it isn't the same as Alpha. SOMA was in Alpha mid-March this year, and since then we've made loads of additions, changes and fixes based on feedback and our own evaluation of the game's state. The pre-pre-Beta that happened a few weeks back was our final big test of that work. The game's current state, pre-Beta, is a milestone in preparation for the proper Beta, basically the full game without the final polish, which will happen a few months into next year. The pre-Beta marks final our chance for us to evaluate a number of crucial elements in the game.

First, we need to check if any dialog is missing or needs to be tweaked. We'll be doing our final recording a few weeks into next year, so it's important that everything's ready by then. In SOMA the voice-overs are a lot more significant compared to our previous titles. In Amnesia most of the voice-overs were background stories that had little relevance to the gameplay. In SOMA most of the voice-overs are directly connected to what the player is currently doing. This means that any changes we make to gameplay might require changes to voice-over and vice-versa. There's also a much greater need to make sure the two match up. For instance, we need to make sure that when a character describes a piece of scenery, it's accurate to what is actually in the game. We're also making a lot of tweaks to ensure that tone stays consistent and that exposition never gets too overwhelming.

The amount of voice required for SOMA is staggering. The games use more voice-overs than all of our previous games put together. The combined recording sessions total up to almost a month. Most of this is active content spoken by characters you encounter on your journey through the game.

The other big task is to check the final implementations of changes made after the pre-pre-Beta. After we went into pre-pre-Beta a few weeks back, the team met up for a few days of in-depth discussions. During this gathering we played through the entire game and made sure that everybody was in synch with what kind of game we were making. Over the years there have been lots of changes, and we needed to make sure that everyone grasped the sort of atmosphere, narrative and gameplay each part of the final game was supposed to have. We also decided on any last major changes to make and nailed down the feel we should be striving for in each part of the game . For example, we had long discussions on how the ending should play out and what sort of emotional pay-off we were going for.

Now that we're in pre-Beta all of these changes are in and tested. This means the game's final form is basically set. From now on we are not allowed to do any major changes and if something turns out not to work, we need to use smaller tweaks to fix it or just skip it entirely. This is a scary phase to enter, but also crucial. There are so many disciplines that are interconnected when making a narrative-heavy game; the underlying systems, the writing, the sound, the art and the overall gameplay flow all have very strong ties. In order to allow us to focus on polish and making sure what we've got works properly, there needs to come a time when the game's structure get locked down.

It is important to compare this lock-down to our previous games. In Amnesia and Penumbra, a level was considered locked pretty much done straight after the first implementation. But in SOMA we have had entire levels torn them down and rebuilt several times over. Partly due to the higher standard of polish we are after, and partly due to the game just being harder to make. From the get-go SOMA has been about immersing the player in certain thematics that takes place inside an active narrative. Figuring out how to do this properly turned out to be a herculean task, far harder than we first thought.

Next week, most of the team will go on Christmas leave, and then get back at the start of the next year for the final push. We are now closing in on a development period of five years and everybody is excited that the end is finally in sight. It is easily the most complex and difficult project we have ever undertaken and being able to release it next year, at a level of quality we are proud of, feels extremely satisfying.

Before we leave for vacation here is a little treat for you all: a brand new screenshot!
Click to expand...

exploration.jpg
 
Starwars

Starwars

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Really glad that they're seemingly not just opting to do "Amnesia 2, only prettier". Whether it will work remains to be seen but these guys are the ones that really seem to want to push the horror genre forward in games. Looking forward to this.
 
Kingston

Kingston

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While there will be eerie environments to explore and creepy monsters to encounter, what will really get to the player are the concepts of self and identity that are unraveled as you play. It is hard to reveal too many details without spoiling though. But basically we will take a deep-dive into what makes you feel like a unique person with a soul, and then twist that around in a really disturbing direction.
Click to expand...

Rashid Sayed: Amensia had a very simple inventory mechanic. What kind of changes will the inventory system have in SOMA given that the game has a certain sci-fi theme to it?
Click to expand...
Thomas Grip: It will actually be even simpler than in Amnesia: TDD. The reason is that we simply do not rely much on items in SOMA, and it did not make sense to have a full blown inventory for it. You can pick up items, but they will only become possible to use as you are near certain objects. I think this gives the game a better flow and also gets rid of that annoyance of not being able to use items on objects that feel perfectly reasonable.
Click to expand...

Game will be up its own ass and will probably has even shittier puzzles than Amnesia. Why do people insist on having to make "art".
 
Last edited:
Wirdschowerdn

Wirdschowerdn

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I don't think they try to re-create Amnesia here, Kingston. Learn to read.

I'll keep a close eye on it. Didn't personally like Penumbra or Amnesia much myself, but this sounds like intriguing sleeper hit material to me.
 
Starwars

Starwars

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I don't think it's a big loss. As long as there *is* gameplay of a sort, the last thing I need in these games is running back and forward like an idiot, finding items to "unlock" the next area. While I did enjoy some of the puzzling in Penumbra, it did absolutely nothing to further the horror parts of the game if you ask me. I'd say one of the things that make these games succesful is how you interact with the world, how you open doors and such, and very little with inventory management (excluding limited light sources). Different strokes I suppose.

What I'm mostly worried about is that they might go to far in providing an "experience", making it too easy and not feel dangerous enough. Alien Isolation is at the other end of the spectrum where it's so easy to die that the game loses its horror. I think Amnesia was pretty good at this balance, it was easy enough to keep a forward momentum going at all times but you could also die pretty easily if you were a dumbfuck. But I fear that SOMA might go the "too easy" route, but I certainly hope not.
 
Jaesun

Jaesun

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I just could never get into Amnesia. I LOVED the Penumbra series though. Cautiously fapping to however this will turn out.
 

bonescraper

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I just found out about this game. Is it going to be another glorified hide and seek game, or is it actually going to be exciting?
 
SerratedBiz

SerratedBiz

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Why would they go cinematic on this teaser instead of found footage like the earlier ones. Immersion ruined, 0/10, not even Doritos can save it.
 
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