SOMA (Bioshock meets Amnesia/Penumbra)

[BFG10K]

I'm replaying Penumbra EP2 so the upcoming SOMA caught my eye (it's the same developer). Merging this developer with underwater horror (a la Bioshock) should make for solid entertainment.

I'd rank their games as: Amnesia Dark Descent > Penumbra EP1 = Penumbra EP2 > Amnesia Pigs > Penumbra 3.

Amnesia Dark Descent was a good game and I liked the castle setting as there aren't many FPS adventure games like that. Penumbra EP1 / EP2 were pretty good too, though their setting wasn't quite as good.

Amnesia Pigs was okay but the lack of inventory restricted the puzzles compared to the other games (different developer but same IP). Penumbra EP3 was a total waste of time as solving all those physics puzzles achieved absolutely nothing.

http://www.gog.com/game/soma

 

[PliotronX]

I never really got into Penumbra past the concept demo, but Dark Descent was amazing and too scary to finish LOL. Pigs was not scary at all unforunately. Another good creepfest is Outlast. This looks very promising as just like the castle setting, there aren't many subaquatic games. Would be killer on an OR.

 

[BFG10K]

Don't all post now at once, ya hear? :awe:

 

[nitromullet]

I'm definitely interested in SOMA. I really like Dark Descent, but never got around to playing A Machine for Pigs.

SOMA looks like a much more polished game than Amnesia Dark Descent, and reminds me a bit of Alien: Isolation. Looks good, and I'm trying not to watch too many videos on it so it will be fresh when I get around to picking it up.

 

[ritditditdidoo]

I only played the first Amnesia. I was too scared to get very far, very creepy. I wish I played it when I was a kid, I didn't care about anything back then. Nowadays I get anxiety. I am currently playing Alien Isolation and it is hard going! I can only play for a few hours then have to take a break for a few days

 

[werepossum]

I've only played Dark Descent, although I think I may have also bought Machine for Pigs on a Steam sale. I didn't find it scary except in one way - it was so dark and indistinct that I would suddenly realize I had a massive headache after playing an hour or two.

The only games I can remember being scary were F.E.A.R and Monolith's Aliens versus Predator 2, which masterfully used sound and had me whirling around trying to watch every direction at once. F.E.A.R. in particular did an excellent job at moving things in my peripheral vision.

 

[xantub]

Of those I only played Amnesia for a few minutes so can't vote. But the scariest game I've ever played was Fatal Frame 1 (in the PS2, didn't play 2 or 3 so don't know if they were more scary).

 

[BFG10K]

Amnesia Dark Descent is currently free on Steam, and the rest are 80% off. This thread was great timing!

 

[toyota]

I went ahead and bought SOMA since I found it for just 10 bucks on one of those key sites. I sure hope it runs fine as Amnesia Pigs ran like stuttery crap.

 

[BFG10K]

I sure hope it runs fine as Amnesia Pigs ran like stuttery crap.

I had absolutely no problems with it.

 

[Dankk]

Frictional Games is my favorite indie studio. They're masters of horror, IMO. The Penumbra games are some of my favorite horror games of all time, and while Amnesia felt like it was watered down a bit for a more mainstream audience, it was still ridiculously scary. Have SOMA pre-ordered and I'm excited to play it.

 

[toyota]

I had absolutely no problems with it.

of course you didn't...

 

[BFG10K]

of course you didn't...

Yep, I sure didn't. Why would I lie and claim the game was problem free when it wasn't? That would be rather stupid, wouldn't you say?

Perhaps you should try elementary troubleshooting - like not running your hardware outside spec - before claiming the game has problems.

 

[toyota]

Yep, I sure didn't. Why would I lie and claim the game was problem free when it wasn't? That would be rather stupid, wouldn't you say?

Perhaps you should try elementary troubleshooting - like not running your hardware outside spec - before claiming the game has problems.

yeah thats about the typical BS response I expected from you. always ignorantly blaming overclocking for any issue. the game stuttered for tons of people across various setups most of which where certainly at stock settings. heck there were even mods and video tutorials on how to help alleviate it but yeah blame all three comps I tried it on and all those other people's comps with the same issues...

and I can post link after link if you need more proof that it was common problem...

 

[BFG10K]

yeah thats about the typical BS response I expected from you.

Right back at ya.

always ignorantly blaming overclocking for any issue.

The only ignorant people are overclockers who think they're capable of testing for stability when in reality they aren't, and never will be.

the game stuttered for tons of people across various setups most of which where certainly at stock settings. heck there were even mods and video tutorials on how to help alleviate it but yeah blame all three comps I tried it on...

I bet all three were overclocked, right?

and I can post link after link if you need more proof that it was common problem...

Cool story, bro. But again, I had no problems with the game and I've finished it twice.

 

[toyota]

Right back at ya.


The only ignorant people are overclockers who think they're capable of testing for stability when in reality they aren't, and never will be.


I bet all three were overclocked, right?


Cool story, bro. But again, I had no problems with the game and I've finished it twice.

so again with more BS from you. and two of the systems I played the game on were completely stock so nice try. even some reviews of the game mentioned the stuttering but I guess something must have been overclocked...

well here are a few links. it is pretty clear this was a common issue on a game that did not even sell that many copies overall. there was even a 35 page thread right there on the official forums. too bad you cant go back in time and show them how to do some "elementary troubleshooting".

http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-22916.html
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3181222
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/558756255821358381/
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864978110244175071/
https://www.reddit.com/r/macgaming/comments/1mcnnj/trouble_with_amnesia_a_machine_for_pigs/
http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/130513/how-can-i-alleviate-intermittent-freezes
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864979008670751987/
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864978835566130342/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_liP41MFXiY


really I could post plenty more but since you claim the game runs fine then it must be everyone else's fault.


EDIT: and you probably ran the game without vsync as most stuttering in that game was caused from it.

 

[BFG10K]

so again with more BS from you. and two of the systems I played the game on were completely stock so nice try. even some reviews of the game mentioned the stuttering but I guess something must have been overclocked...

Uh-huh. So whatever happened to that 4.4GHz overclock of yours? It seems to have suspiciously dropped to 4.3GHz. Why is that?

well here are a few links. it is pretty clear this was a common issue on a game that did not even sell that many copies overall. there was even a 35 page thread right there on the official forums. too bad you cant go back in time and show them how to do some "elementary troubleshooting".

http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-22916.html
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3181222
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/558756255821358381/
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864978110244175071/
https://www.reddit.com/r/macgaming/comments/1mcnnj/trouble_with_amnesia_a_machine_for_pigs/
http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/130513/how-can-i-alleviate-intermittent-freezes
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864979008670751987/
http://steamcommunity.com/app/239200/discussions/0/864978835566130342/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_liP41MFXiY

Likewise, I can show examples of people not having problems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDrvLLJyCQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdutOPd7LTQ

really I could post plenty more but since you claim the game runs fine then it must be everyone else's fault.

It does run fine for me which is why I originally stated: I had absolutely no problems with it.

Your reply: of course you didn't...

Your reply implies that my statement wrong. My statement isn't but yours is, so you need to retract.

EDIT: and you probably ran the game without vsync as most stuttering in that game was caused from it.

Bravo. Next time think before you post and you might not embarrass yourself so much.

Also I read quite a few examples of people removing the framerate cap, and others were running SSAO settings too high. That's not a game problem.

Not saying it's impossible to have legitimate issues, but it's certainly quite possible for the game to run just fine, like it did for me.

 

[toyota]

Uh-huh. So whatever happened to that 4.4GHz overclock of yours? It seems to have suspiciously dropped to 4.3GHz. Why is that?


Likewise, I can show examples of people not having problems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lDrvLLJyCQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdutOPd7LTQ


It does run fine for me which is why I originally stated: I had absolutely no problems with it.

Your reply: of course you didn't...

Your reply implies that my statement wrong. My statement isn't but yours is, so you need to retract.


Bravo. Next time think before you post and you might not embarrass yourself so much.

Also I read quite a few examples of people removing the framerate cap, and others were running SSAO settings too high. That's not a game problem.

Not saying it's impossible to have legitimate issues, but it's certainly quite possible for the game to run just fine, like it did for me.

nice try but the ONLY reason I am at 4.3 is because that 980 Ti is dumping lots more heat in my case and I dont like the noise of my cpu cooler if I run the fans on high. the fans on the A70 are not PWM and the high setting is whiny. at 4.3 it can use less volts and keeps my temps from going above 70 even in cpu intensive games. any other smarmy questions?

I tried every fix for the game and nothing fully worked but having vsync helped a lot as it made any hiccups much less noticeable. I dont like screen tearing so I play every game with vsync on though. and if a game is not working properly with vsync then YES it is a game problem. I should not have to choose between hitching or screen tearing.

 

[Zanovar]

Soma looks very interesting.definitely on my radar.

 

[blake0812]

Hopefully the game will be better than a Machine for Pig Sh*t

 

[tviceman]

I didn't particularly enjoy Machine for Pigs, but Frictional wasn't the main developer for it. I liked Penumbra Requiem (3) for what it was - a standalone puzzle game. Penumbra 1 & 2 were both great an Amnesia was excellent.

I can't wait to play SOMA!

 

[blake0812]

I didn't particularly enjoy Machine for Pigs, but Frictional wasn't the main developer for it. I liked Penumbra Requiem (3) for what it was - a standalone puzzle game. Penumbra 1 & 2 were both great an Amnesia was excellent.

I can't wait to play SOMA!

Frictional Games oversaw the development and had some input I believe. I have no doubt SOMA will be great but AMFP left a bad taste in my mouth that I can still taste today.

 

[tviceman]

Reviews are in: SOMA isn't quite the jump-scare fest other horror games are (although it is still scary), but it's psychological twists and turns are horrifying in their own right. Most reviews (Kotaku, gamespot, RPS, IGN, Eurogamer) are very positive.

 

[BFG10K]

nice try but the ONLY reason I am at 4.3 is because that 980 Ti is dumping lots more heat in my case and I dont like the noise of my cpu cooler if I run the fans on high. the fans on the A70 are not PWM and the high setting is whiny. at 4.3 it can use less volts and keeps my temps from going above 70 even in cpu intensive games. any other smarmy questions?

It's hilarious that you expend so much effort on overclocking when you could invest in a gsync/freesync monitor (or even a regular 144Hz monitor) which will eliminate tearing.

I tried every fix for the game and nothing fully worked but having vsync helped a lot as it made any hiccups much less noticeable. I dont like screen tearing so I play every game with vsync on though. and if a game is not working properly with vsync then YES it is a game problem. I should not have to choose between hitching or screen tearing.

And I don't like mouse lag from vsync (it's especially horrific in OpenGL). I guess that means vsync is broken given I have to choose between mouse lag or tearing?

Like I said three times already, I had no stuttering problems with the game both times I played through it.

Next time don't troll my replies and you won't get called out on it.

 

[toyota]

It's hilarious that you expend so much effort on overclocking when you could invest in a gsync/freesync monitor (or even a regular 144Hz monitor) which will eliminate tearing.


And I don't like mouse lag from vsync (it's especially horrific in OpenGL). I guess that means vsync is broken given I have to choose between mouse lag or tearing?

Like I said three times already, I had no stuttering problems with the game both times I played through it.

Next time don't troll my replies and you won't get called out on it.

of course I will get a gsync monitor when I find an IPS model that I like.

and really get the heck over yourself.