Inspiration

[JohnCarver]

Marp is a nerd. This game needs more sci-fi.

[Xsardi]

I'd be glad to see more references to Alice in Wonderland. Maybe... hats? Or some character-related rare things, like blue caterpillar or 'Mock Turtle', anything.

[JohnCarver]

I'd be glad to see more references to Alice in Wonderland. Maybe... hats? Or some character-related rare things, like blue caterpillar or 'Mock Turtle', anything.

One day caterpillars will have tiny little hookahs! But first they need tobacco.

[Nictos]

Stuff like this?

[thais]

Stuff like this?

that looks like a butt plug.

[Ukhata]

Stuff like this?

that looks like a butt plug.

you would know?

[Potjeh]

Mark Twain.

[pistolshrimp]

I was under the assumption that Providence was picked as the server name as it represented the two main driving forces behind the tone/feel of this game; Lovecraft and Colonial New England. So yes, more Lovecraft but do it subtle. I like the Cthulul Mask, but at the same time I don't want to have to fight Lovecraftian horrors. If that distiction makes sense to anyone. I think a lot of empasis gets placed on the epicness of some of Lovecrafts stuff, sure that's important, but its much more about feel, the internal realities as opposed to external.

I love listening to Heritic Pride by The Mountain Goats playing Salem. It feels very fitting to Salem's tone.

I'm also a huge history nerd, in fact Colonial New England specifically, I've read scores of books, historcal documents, consulted maps, and visited the places. Like hard core nerd status. And this was way before I even found Salem. You can probably tell this by the fact that about half of my posts are probably arguing about vetting Salem the game against the real thing. I will yet again stress a desire for it to be a main inspiration to the game. I don't ask for complete reliance on it of course, just take it into account. It might be a boring back ground aspect to some, but I think it is the sinew that ties this game together.

I once read there were three types of horror in video games:

You walk by a cupboard and a monster jumps out and goes "A bloogy woogy woo!" (Jump Scare.)
You look at the cupboard and realize there's a monster behind you. And you just know he's going to go "A bloogy woogy woo!" at some point, but he doesn't, and you're terrified to turn around because what he'd do then would be even worse. (Here, your mind does most of the work: Nothing Is Scarier.)
The monster says "A bloogy woogy woo," but he's all the way across the room and coming very slowly toward you, giving you plenty of time to get away. (Not usually so scary, but on the other hand, there's always the Advancing Wall of Doom, where the monster acts as a visceral time limit on the actions you're taking to get away from it, and every little mistake or back-track makes it more intense.)

Salem is the second and pulls it off incredibly well. I'd like to see it continue down this road. In other words don't make the fear/horror, faciltate us making it for ourselves. Salem is so much about the Unknown. That's how it blends the goofiness of the Lumberwoods and the seriousness of Lovecraft with the new/vastness of European Colonial New England so seemlessly.

For contrast look at spiders. They are the opposite of everything I have just written about. They represent a jump scare, or a just a sort of bland creepyness you get used to and forget about. They aren't Lovecraftian in feel in any way, nor do they faciliate mental fear the same way bears and snakes, other players, can, and giant spiders aren't even really a New England thing. What are they doing in Salem?

Any way I better stop here. I could go on for far to long on this topic.

[alloin]

I wanna see more of this !

[Nictos]

Stuff like this?

that looks like a butt plug.

you would know?

+1

It is an artifice in which you slot in your ...well, you know.