Q&A with writer Tom Waltz;Get your Questions in!

[Pseudosapien]

We have the grand honour of announcing that Mr Tom Waltz shall be doing a little Q&A with us regarding Silent Hill: Downpour.

That is of course, if you lot can come up with some worthy questions to ask.

Use this thread to post all of your questions, and please remember to present them clearly, and with consideration to Mr Waltz' safety and sanity (ie, don't ask what happens at the end(/s) or if it will have online space battles).

We will gather them and sort through which are good, bad, or forbidden, and will post the full Q&A soonafter.

The closing date for getting your questions in will be Wednesday 23rd of March, at 11pm GMT
This thread will then be locked, and the questions compiled and sent off to Tom and his elves. There will be a general message sent out to let everyone know when the result shall be posted, as well as a notice on the Facebook group (should be within a week of closing, unless someone asks something truly dodgy and the police have to get involved.)

[chackan]

Since it's Tom Waltz I believe this is a Q&A about the books right?

[Pseudosapien]

Mar 7, 2011 21:19:18 GMT chackan said:

Since it's Tom Waltz I believe this is a Q&A about the books right?

Nope, this is a Q&A about Silent Hill: Downpour (/8), ze game.

Edit: He is writer for it, I thought it was well-established by now, sorry.XD Threads on the new game need more beefing, hopefully this Q&A will lend a hand eh.

[chackan]

Very nice iniciative! Love it when people of the industry communicate with us!

On to the questions:

1) Silent Hill: Downpour is supposed to be returning to previous SH's roots, more specifically SH2. In what aspects is this? Atmosphere, heavy storyline, etc?

2) Is SH: D going to use some of the previous titles graphic tricks, like the moving walls in SH3 or the dark and claustrophobic hallways in SH2, or is it going to have a more typical look, like in SH:Homecoming?

3) Speaking of the storyline, I won't ask for any spoilers of course, but can we expect lot's of twists and a more "adult" narrative?

4) SH2 was considered by many to be very...disturbing. From P-Head's infamous raping scenes to James guilt in killing is own wife. Can we expect this kind of atmosphere in SH: D?

5) Are there going to be many characters in the game? Or are we going to have a certain feeling of solitude?

Edit: Oh, and thank you VERY much for your time!

[dreggnog]

How linear/open-ended will the game be?

Will there be many/few endings?

[Vaco Deus]

I'll try to come up some Q's.
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Is this a standalone game ala SH2? (translation: none of that silly cult nonsense?)

What were some books/movies/(whatever else) that served for an inspiration for Downpour?

Are there incentives to replay the game? New weapons/costumes/new areas to explore/ endings only attained after completing the game once/ etc

What's your favorite Silent Hill game excluding the ones you worked on?
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That's all I got for now

EDIT

How do you prefer your Survival Horror games? Full-on action (Resident Evil 5/Dead Space 2) slower paced (Resident Evil 1-3/ Fatal Frame Series) or more psychological (Silent Hill 1-3)?

[Dwz]

How is Downpour going to stand out amongst the bigger titles and how is it different to previous Silent Hill games without coming off as a "seen it before" type of deal?

[AlexY]

How far is water going to be a gameplay element? Is it mostly visual (Otherworld transitions, soaked clothes, etc.) or does it have a gameplay purpose (weakening enemies or hazard to player)?

Do you believe there is a consistency (with lore and concepts) in SH titles so far and do you plan to follow it or are you focusing on a separate story that could stand on its own in the series, much like SH2 did?

Are you using the Cult bullshit like HC did? (I have to ask that so I can prepare my knife if necessary.)

Thanks!

[Pseudosapien]

Mar 8, 2011 23:23:13 GMT AlexY said:

Are you using the Cult bullshit like HC did? (I have to ask that so I can prepare my knife if necessary.)

Thanks!

Despite the wording, it wouldn't shock me if this gets asked a lot.XP


Nice questions so far folks, and very telling about peoples concerns I'd say.

Check out the opening post for the closing date, and remember; We are Silent Hill fans, no question is too trivial and no shit is too minor. Harder to please than unconcious eunuchs, we be!

[dreggnog]

Mar 8, 2011 22:11:54 GMT Dwz said:

How is Downpour going to stand out amongst the bigger titles and how is it different to previous Silent Hill games without coming off as a "seen it before" type of deal?

I think this is the best question so far.

[Lolli]

Is the camera going to be used innovatively or will it be a more traditional over-the-shoulder shot?

Will there be puzzles, and if so, will they have varying difficulties?

Will the music mirror that of Akira Yamaoka's or be a completely new style?

[Redemption]

What sort of Theme's will Downpour Explore?

With the more 'open world' and 'side missions' in the game, has this effected the way the story is delivered?

Will completing 'side missions/story's' have major effects on the story?

A Insane Cancer walks into a bar, what happens next?

[katran]

Will there be any unkillable enemies?

Will we see any cameo appearances by characters from previous games (such as Origin's Travis in Homecoming)?

Are monsters all new or will we see some familiar ones?

Since you can now only hold one weapon and weapons are breakable, will weapons be plentiful or will we mostly be running from monsters?

Will the music be available as a separate soundtrack?

[owlwaxer]

It's been mentioned that there will be side-quests in the game. How obvious will it be that these are side-quests (will something come up on screen or will Murphy indicate otherwise) and will there be a result in ignoring them (or a reward in completing them)?

Are there any typical elements of a Silent Hill game (such as the flashlight, radio, the need to visit a Hospital) that just didn't fit into Downpour?

Early Silent Hill games had many references to other great works of horror and their writers. Aside from references to previous Silent Hill games, can we expect more of this in Downpour?

[Pseudosapien]

Tis a mere thirty-somethin' hours left now, so anyone hesitating should just say "To heck with it!!" and post questions regardless of how mundane or silly they may seem.

What we have so far is a nice selection, well done mah bredren!