AR Halloween vidcast featured image

Scenes from a Failed Experiment

Inspired by Dylan’s efforts to write something for Halloween, I decided to try something a little different: a Halloween vidcast!

I don’t do well with games that set out to make you jump or that ramp up the tension and fear. I enjoy them in short bursts, but I tend to get over-invested and overreact as a result. I have hurtled across rooms in response to scenes in the original Aliens vs Predator and Clive Barker’s Undying. Even Doom and Realms of the Haunting used to properly shit me up.

Given this I thought it would be funny to record myself playing authentic modern fearfest Amnesia: the Dark Descent so that AR readers could laugh at me shitting my pants.

Unfortunately, the whole thing was plagued by technical problems and the fact that I didn’t check the video light levels properly, meaning I was invisible a lot of the time. Also, when I’m narrating something solo, I sound like a tosser. There won’t be any solo podcasts any time soon, folks.

Anyway, here are the ‘highlights’ of what resulted.

I’m so sorry.


Posted

in

by

Comments

6 responses to “Scenes from a Failed Experiment”

  1. mwm474 Avatar

    A guy from the same internet community (this was a while back), did basically the same thing, but better. See, he did a live stream using screen capture. We managed to impart his… fear from a running commentary, and from his movements in-game. As a bonus, we commented on his performance as he played. When he got stuck, we bailed him out. When he freaked out, we distracted him and got him killed. When he hid in the closet, we made sure he regretted it. He really, really, liked that closet.

    So, in short: screen capture.

    1. ShaunCG Avatar

      I was kind of hoping that people would get to see me actually flying across the room in terror. If I'd had time I'd have done it in costume too. Alas…

      Yeah, screen capture would be cool. Not sure how to set up a live stream but am sure it would take me all of 5 minutes of googling.

      In an ideal world this wouldn't have been rubbish, and I'd have done simultaneous footage of me (where you could see me) overlaid onto a stream of the game. That would've been boss.

  2. @sw0llengoat Avatar

    In an ideal world, something would have moved in the background and then you'd have been all like "Wha?" and then been pulled up out of frame suddenly, accompanied by a loud noise that makes it more frightening but has no justifiable reason to exist and then we could have sold the rights of the footage to the makers of Paranormal Activity 5 and used the cash to turn Arcadian Rhythms into a Shaun Shrine/Online takeaway service.

    1. ShaunCG Avatar

      I had originally hoped to get a friend to stand in the background wearing a robe and lunge at me, and then use elite video editing skills to make the footage go static. Alas it was all a bit too short notice for the former and to learn the latter.

      1. badgercommander Avatar
        badgercommander

        For screen capture on PC, would FRAPS be sufficient? As console, we could use the Hodge Podge I have for that. Just have to find out if it is broken or if it is the USB cable that is knackered.

        1. ShaunCG Avatar

          FRAPS as a free tool is not good in my experience. I could buy it I suppose. Yeah, the Hodge Podge is an option for any future console stuff!