Unamed SH-Vatra

[Purramid_Head]

They posted this on Facebook. In english:

The second game, which is working studio Vatra is a very interesting and extremely focused on the story. Reveal only that You can expect it in early 2011 and is built on Unreal Engine 3 technology You have to really look forward to!

Discuss.

[Ratiocinator]

I really hope this won't be in first-person only because I play/played what seems like a million first-person games already. That, and it just wouldn't feel right for a SH title, in my opinion.

About it being on the Unreal engine: Some games, though very few, have thoroughly impressed me on this engine (namely Mirror's Edge) with its visual appeal. The problem is most games running on it look way too shiny all the time (jacked up materials and spec maps seem to be the Unreal engine's trademark).

Gears, Unreal Tournament, Lost Planet, etc all "look" the same. It's hard to explain, but the engine is very distinct with how it renders everything. Not that this is a problem except I fear SH will also adopt this everything-is-shiny look and first-person agenda (a good bulk of games on this engine are FPS).

I want to say some positive things but there's very little info so far and what's been rumored/announced isn't very exciting for me. :-/

[Fungo]

First person Silent Hill would just feel like F.E.A.R. and Condemned. The self-built engines gave a great uniqueness to the look and overall appeal of the graphics. It was artistic. I can't stand bloom and some next gen games, built with their own engines such as MGS4, look great without bloom. Silent Hill while first person could not really "feel" like a Silent Hill game unless under the right direction and supervision. The last time Konami trusted a team with a poor portfolio like this we got Homecoming. Not bashing Homecoming or anything, but the game really seemed to lack the visual appeal of the first games and never really "felt" like an authentic Silent Hill game - more like a American, fan-made spin-off.

I have little hope and I'm really interested in hearing how it turns out as a FPS. Let me tell you there is a lot of fan-uprising about this subject on various sites I've been to and a lot of people seem to think this is a horrible idea. I even got this picture from one of those sites:



Here's hoping to the next Silent Hill game! I know it won't be labeled as SH6, it'll be Silent Hill: Survivor or something like that XD

[Purramid_Head]

I believe SH4 was partially done in first person and no one complained that it didn't 'feel' like Silent Hill.

[Whitney]

I'm hoping it's not FPS because I'm just terrible at those! Well SHSM did make me less wiitarded so maybe if SH was a FPS I would actually become quite proficient at it

[Ratiocinator]

I believe SH4 was partially done in first person and no one complained that it didn't 'feel' like Silent Hill.

The partial part was very small and something I didn't mind as it helped convey the whole trapped-in-apartment vibe through that perspective. If done completely in first-person, I see it being FEAR but with less guns and no human enemies. I love FEAR and all, but that's not Silent Hill.

[Piece0fSheet666]

First let me say that I don't like the FPS thingy either. In general FPSs are too action-oriented and mostly include running around with a gun and killing. That is too simple for SH and not deep at all. They can have good atmosphere but other than that extremely different gameplay and lack of emotion. I can't picture it fitting SH... Also, 'shiny' graphics could be a problem for a "dark" game. But I couldn't exclude any 1st person element. I really hope they have something in their mind that will be fresh and that will suit SH. I can't elaborate too much on it as we lack news and info and I do think it's best to wait for E3...

So, what do we have 'till now?
> Q1 2011
> FPS or "psychological FPS" or 3rd person with 1st person elements
> X360, PS3, PC
> Unreal Engine
> Possible "re-imagining" of SH4 or "The Arcade"
> The clues 'till now do point at SH4...
> Yamaoka will return if asked - "I like Silent Hill, so if they ordered me to do some work for that, then I'm interested in doing that as well."
( http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/inter ... pper-jump/ )

REVEAL SPOILER

Here take a copy-paste of another post:

Hey guys, there is also another rumor circulating that it may be a 're-imagining' of SH4... (Other than the SH2 remake or FPS [generally or remake of The Arcade...]). So, I stumbled upon this article (Q&A) that seems to give some more details...They saw it in the teaser trailer: (Could you also imply it's a SH4 FPS remake???)

"The Teaser shows a blonde-haired man waking up on a bed. He sits up, holding his head only to reveal that he's not in his bedroom--the world around him changes into a single deserted road, in front of a rusting gate. Crows caw around him, and in front of him a street sign reads "Ashmond."

We hear something, and the man looks back, panicked. But there's nothing there. However when he turns back around, something attacks him. "

And move on to imply/say that:

Q: Alright, who's the guy in the trailer?

"It's hard to say. There's no shortage of blonde characters in the Silent Hill universe. Perhaps Vatra is going with a Shattered Memories 're-imagining' of a game we've already played before? At least that's how it appears at first blush, but looking deeper into the game it might be someone we're a little familiar with.

The lead character waking up in a bed is a bit reminescent of Silent Hill 4: The Room. Henry Townshend would wake up in his bed, back in his apartment. And you know, people 'do' dye their hair...Another, possibly incidental coincidence would be the name of the town, 'Ashmond.' Although highly unlikely, Ashmond sounds an awfully lot like Ashfield, also where Henry Townshend is from. Could they be the same place? What's more likely is that Ashmond is just yet another town in the very-messed up Toluca Lake area."

All guesses but it's rather interesting... I know we should wait 'till E3 but I can't. All this rumor thing is so exciting.

Source: http://www.relyonhorror.com/content/loo ... l-6-teaser

Also, today they got an answer from Vatra Games regarding the FPS rumor but nothing clear yet... http://www.relyonhorror.com/content/sil ... um=twitter

Looks like we have a lot to look forward to in E3...

Also, this gives the chance for another name but I wouldn't be very trusting towards it...: (I also think it's a lame name... They probably made it up but you never know...)
"Well, I hope Nightfall (or 6, We don’t know yet) comes soon giving us back what we want… A great game…"

> http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/0 ... future.htm

Also, they "predict" it's coming Q1 2011: http://www.relyonhorror.com/content/new ... l-game-fps And that it may be a "psychological FPS" or 3rd person with 1st person elements. You can also see the original Vatra flier http://www.gamegrep.com/showimage.php?p ... wsid=32217 . If the 1st is indeed an FPS (since Rush N' attack - the other one - is not an FPS) > Unreal Engine, + PC, Q1 2011. It could be delayed of course...

[Kabrelle]

Not confirmed yet, so I refuse to believe this will be an FPS. (Unless done in the way of SH4, I had no problem with it like that).

[Yaywalter]

First-person shooter? No thanks. First-person? Hell yes.

If SH6 is first-person, but very little emphasis on combat, then it won't be anything like FEAR or Condemned. I think a first-person viewpoint could be refreshing for the series and interesting if done right.

The question that remains is whether Vatra is capable of creating a game with the Silent Hill atmosphere.

Though I do agree with the sentiments that a lot of games using the Unreal Engine look strangely similar. Hopefully that's doesn't turn out to be the case with SH6.

[Caow]

As long as it isn't being developed by Double Helix I'm willing to give it a shot. We shouldn't freak out about the whole first-person idea seeing as it hasn't been confirmed yet, and I agree with Yaywalter that as long as it isn't too focused on combat it really wouldn't be that bad of an idea. As long as they capture the atmosphere right for all we know it could be a great addition to the series. And I don't quite understand why you guys are saying it might be first person, mind pointing it out?

[Lockler]

Are people assuming that since the game will be built on the Unreal engine that it has to be an FPV game? Sure, it's known for FPS', but the franchise that knocked Unreal out of the park, Gears of War, is a third-person title. The engine has nothing to do with perspective, more of what churns out the visuals effectively. The fact they are using a first tier engine, along with the price that goes with it, kinda bodes well on their dedication as the license costs upwards of $350,000. Let's hope that somehow translates to a good effort behind the scenes.

I have no idea what to expect from this company. Very little is known and a lot of what is out there has been hearsay or rumor, like with the James speculation and even Vatra being the developer. The PR ball has been dropped several times and that's a bit scary already.

[Caow]

If it is the engine that is making people think that then allow me to clarify for those of you that don't know how it works. A game's engine is basically a clean slate for a programmer to work on and depending on what purpose the engine was made for it could have different restrictions. I personally have only worked with the Source (Valve) and Unreal 2 & 3 (Epic) engines and they are both quite flexible. I assume that they are using Unreal 3 seeing as 4 is still in development to my knowledge. Unreal 3 is likely the most powerful and flexible engine on the market today and it does not mean that it will be used for a first person game, there are games and mods that are in the third person. If you want examples of what has used Unreal 3 then go here. Many of the games are first person but as you can see some are third person and over the shoulder games. Note that both Mass Effect games have used Unreal 3 and all of the Splinter Cell games have used either Unreal 2 or 2.5, do you guys feel better yet?

[Yaywalter]

If it is the engine that is making people think that then allow me to clarify for those of you that don't know how it works. A game's engine is basically a clean slate for a programmer to work on and depending on what purpose the engine was made for it could have different restrictions. I personally have only worked with the Source (Valve) and Unreal 2 & 3 (Epic) engines and they are both quite flexible. I assume that they are using Unreal 3 seeing as 4 is still in development to my knowledge. Unreal 3 is likely the most powerful and flexible engine on the market today and it does not mean that it will be used for a first person game, there are games and mods that are in the third person. If you want examples of what has used Unreal 3 then go here. Many of the games are first person but as you can see some are third person and over the shoulder games. Note that both Mass Effect games have used Unreal 3 and all of the Splinter Cell games have used either Unreal 2 or 2.5, do you guys feel better yet?

Thanks for the info, but I don't think anyone's said that they thought SH6 was going to be FPS because it's using the Unreal engine.

I believe the belief came about from this. That said, while not all Unreal engine games suffer from this problem, a lot of games using the engine looks strangely similar. Which is logical, unlike the belief that Unreal engine = FPS.

[Avarice]

I believe the belief came about from this.

Genres: FPS and Action

Considering SH:Homecoming was supposedly heading in the combat direction, wouldn't it be more plausible for us to assume- from the image- that they might be refining their Action/Combat direction?

Edit;
In fact, GoW was largely successful and it wasn't a FPS, it'd be interesting to see Silent Hill take on a similar action/combat perspective whilst still retaining and refining the core Silent Hill elements that Homecoming tried to... and sorta failed.

[Yaywalter]

I believe the belief came about from this.

Genres: FPS and Action

Considering SH:Homecoming was supposedly heading in the combat direction, wouldn't it be more plausible for us to assume- from the image- that they might be refining their Action/Combat direction?

Edit;
In fact, GoW was largely successful and it wasn't a FPS, it'd be interesting to see Silent Hill take on a similar action/combat perspective whilst still retaining and refining the core Silent Hill elements that Homecoming tried to... and sorta failed.

Right now, we have virtually no real information on Silent Hill 5. It would be most plausible that, like all previous Silent Hills, it is 3rd person.

I was just posting what started the belief that SH6 may be first-person. And it indeed might be. We don't know.

[knwlss]

http://www.zaparit.cz/magazin/i1581-vatra-games-aneb-bringing-light-into-darkness

Rough translation:

After playing the Rush 'N Attack, we got to do what we enjoy most. We saw the trailer, which saw only a few people behind closed doors, we're glad we got there we. The games are we talking about? Why, then, the most anticipated and certainly interesting. This is a new Silent Hill. Exciting trailer we fired indelibly into the brain turns and look forward to what will come Vatra guys at E3. Both games run on Unreal 3 engine technology. Often we see that there are opinions on the internet, what will the next Silent Hill, and which direction to take. We can see the positive views, but there are also those that do not seem enthusiastic. Bonfire to tell you: "Let us surprise you! We follow closely the various SH forums, read all your posts and wish and do our utmost to delight all fans of the cult favorite series ". Our view is that Silent Hill is still as good as ever. This game we'll see you next year. Konami has everything under control and certainly not let this spoil someone known title. Again emphasizing that the Vatra quality developers who have already completed a lot of behind-known game titles. Konami of Japan is very satisfied with the bonfire. The same was said from the mouth of developers Vatra Games, working with Konami greatly appreciate.

[Meltdown]

I really hope this won't be in first-person only because I play/played what seems like a million first-person games already. That, and it just wouldn't feel right for a SH title, in my opinion.

About it being on the Unreal engine: Some games, though very few, have thoroughly impressed me on this engine (namely Mirror's Edge) with its visual appeal. The problem is most games running on it look way too shiny all the time (jacked up materials and spec maps seem to be the Unreal engine's trademark).

Gears, Unreal Tournament, Lost Planet, etc all "look" the same. It's hard to explain, but the engine is very distinct with how it renders everything. Not that this is a problem except I fear SH will also adopt this everything-is-shiny look and first-person agenda (a good bulk of games on this engine are FPS).

I want to say some positive things but there's very little info so far and what's been rumored/announced isn't very exciting for me. :-/

You summed it up quite nicely.

I dunno. Its sad, but I ain't too excited for any new additions to the Silent Hill series. I mean I will buy it, but over the years they've just gotten too... Unloved? Unloved is the word. I mean, how many developers has the game had? Seems like since SH4 the franchise has just been sort of tossed around like a red headed step child. : /

[Lockler]

I see what you're saying, there. It's not so much the series is unloved for me. It's more akin to having an old friend, but losing touch for a long time. Then one gets back together and the face is scarcely recognizable. Climax, has more of an air of familiarity with it. I liked 0rigins and what they accomplished with it for a hand held game. I expected more from them and then it's Double Helix. Now, Vatra? I'm left going, "huh? ... Radio? What is going on with that radio?"

I'm left shrugging until E3 to see if they're good developers. But I also find myself not holding my breathe to really care until then, either.

[EzTerix]

I'm really excited that it's coming early next year. However I also hope this game turns out well. They'll have to change things to not make it feel like something we've already seen many times before. We need a few new things and changes to silent hill to get it more appealing and something that we don't really no much about which sort of creeps us out and wants to know more. But they shouldn't completely change the series. I'm not really sure of many horror FPS that aren't in some way a bit more action oriented. 3rd person still works, just look at Dead Space, it still works and works fine.

[dawnclover]

Hi I'm new here.

Back on topic, as it's been said before, First-Person Shooter? Please God, NO! First Person Adventure? Could be interesting. I love First Person Adventure games, although the majority of them are point & click. First Person perspective if used right and explored in the right direction could create an unbelievably creepy atmosphere, this is what I've been trying to achieve with my first indie game "Project Phasma" I'm trying to create a creepy / psychological First Person experience that will not have any combat what-so-ever. If they take this route it could actualy be interesting and if done right very creepy. Imagine playing it with surround sound, you're seeing stuff from the eyes of the player and... well... the world starts changing and strange noises are coming from the corridors around you.

But let's wait and see what E3 brings us.