"Beautifully designed, atmospherically near-perfect, and flat out creepy, Into the Depths is an rpg/horror masterpiece, and deserves way more credit then it is currently getting."
- Excerpt from a review by Kmilley, creator of the highly rated "Levi's Nightmare"
New version up, featuring a good chunk of new content, story progress, custom sounds and music, and gameplay rebalancing. Still a beta though, so if you want to wait for the full map to avoid story spoilers and all of that, I understand.
This map is currently a beta. It's a lengthy one though that takes about 3 hours to complete and encompasses around 60 percent of the full game. The map will be finished soon. In the meantime, download the demo and let me know what you think of the story so far! Feedback and bug reports are welcome, and reviews and Let's Plays are highly encouraged!
Into the Depths is a project that looks to create a story and atmosphere that closely resembles classic horror games. Heavy inspiration is taken from the likes of Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and even newer games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I am hoping to create something that can be considered a game in itself as opposed to just another Minecraft custom map, hope you stick around to see it come to fruition.
In Into the Depths, you play as an escaped convict who, while running from the authorities, stumbles across a cobblestone path in the forest. Suddenly he's attacked by grotesque creatures and follows the path hoping it would take him to civilization. Instead he arrives at a castle owned by a man named King Arnold Schuster. There's only one problem, there isn't anyone inside. Layers of dust cover everything, the place seemingly abandoned for a long time.
Abandoned by people at least.
Through some exploration, you discover that King Schuster apparently opened a portal to the Underworld, and the only way to close it is to bring the four Golden Apples to God, or so they say. However, as you progress, you'll discover things are not what they seem, and darker twists than you could have imagined are inevitable.
FEATURES
1. Darkness
This map is heavily influenced by the silent hill games, so by setting the brightness to moody, you'll get pitch darkness. This is what makes torches absolutely critical in the map as it is a very limited light source and you must use them wisely, especially since you're not allowed to pick them back up once they're placed. This constant darkness is meant to make the player feel claustrophobic, and from what the people who've tested the beta said, it works.
2. Money system
Basically, throughout the map there will be gold bars a' plenty, and these gold bars will be what you use to buy yourself some nice new armor, food, torches, weapons, potions, and even snowballs in case you lack a weapon or money for one. You'll be buying these things from chests marked as "stores" and next to each store you'll find a price list of everything that's available at that store.
3. NO DIAMOND ANYTHING
This isn't completely true. There will be no diamond swords, they make it too easy, however, there will be one full set of diamond armor, with each piece of armor hidden separately throughout the map, but they will be extremely difficult and dangerous to find.
4. The Nest
Optional rooms where you'll find tons of cobwebs and enough spider and cave spider spawners to give you arachnaphobia. These rooms will be very difficult if not properly equipped, but the treasure inside these rooms will make it well worth it.
5. 4-6 hour gameplay
This is not just another minecraft custom map, i'm trying to create an experience that can be treated as a game in itself, and its going to be a huge map, with multiple areas you make your way through, all of them being sections of the castle. This isn't just all filler though. There is a deep and layered character-driven story backing it that will take some twists and turns throughout. And with all of the hidden goodies and rooms that were too hard to go into earlier, there's hopefully going to be reasons to go back to it.
6. Alternate World
Kind of like the Silent hill games, as you travel through certain areas, they will turn into the "nightmare" version of the area, which will be hellish, even darker, and filled with nether monsters. This is not done with mods.
Recommended resource packs: Use the Custom John Smith Resource Pack that is included in the download.
Featured Playthrough
DegenTP's playthrough is something special, and VERY entertaining. This one really shows off the map very well and gets freaked out plenty of times throughout, but he'll have you laughing all the way through as well!
Other Great Playthroughs:
Ducktaco48:
Kariocraft:
Screenshots:
FEATURED REVIEW
Review by Kmilley
Beautifully designed, atmospherically near-perfect, and flat out creepy, Into the Depths has proven to be a fantastic rpg experience. The best part of the map is it is still a W.I.P., meaning that the best is still to come. Before I get into the details, I must point out that I have been given a map version that has not been released yet. So think of this review and rating as a preview of what is to come in Into the Depths. At the moment, Into the Depths has about 750 downloads, and that really needs to change. The creator deserves substantially more credit then what he is getting currently.
Into the depths creates an amazing and intriguing rpg experience. In fact, it almost felt like I was in a completely new game. With almost 3 hours of content, there was a couple of cool features that helped to make Into the Depths as immersive as it was. One of those features was the gold and shop system. Throughout the map, observant players may find gold ingots. These ingots are usually found in tricky places, and reward those who take a good look around. At specific points in the map, players may come across a shop. Here they can put those gold ingots to use by buying new equipment, food, potions and armor. The shops were implemented with great care, as it was never easy to buy the best materials. In general, shops really made me look around, creating a greater appreciation for the stunning and realistic architecture.
Another interesting feature was some of the rules. In order to make for a creepier experience, the creator implemented some rules that I have never seen, nor thought of before. One addition was that you must turn your render distance down to tiny. Another is that you must turn you brightness down to moody. Now, I realize that these are only small additions to a very large map, but really, the difference were noticeable, and really made me think to myself "I wish I thought of that."
Now on to the story. Being such a vastly large map, exploring gave you two rewards, one being ingots, and the other being notes. Yes, finding notes is a reward, at least for me it was. The story was very compelling and constantly had me wondering what was going on in the castle. The notes were well written, and I was pleased to see that each character was written with its own personality in mind, each unique in their own way. My only complaint is that, despite having minimal spelling errors and typos, the creator seemed to inconsistently capitalize his "I's." But that is a minor trifle compared to the brilliantly formulated story that can be found consistently throughout the map.
So why an 8.2 and not higher? Well, for one, I found it quite confusing at times. It is understandable, as the map is so large and complex, but it really doesn't follow a clear linear path. With so many places to go and explore, and with such a large castle, it can sometimes be overwhelming. At minimum, my suggestion to the creator would be to create a walk through on his thread, to aid those who get lost or off track. And the only other other substantial reason why this map didn't get a higher score, is it's not done! At least in the version I played, there is no end, and many parts are still unfinished. If the creator finishes the map with a solid conclusion, I am sure the score will be even higher.
Overall, Into the Depths is a rpg/horror masterpiece, and deserves way more credit then it is currently getting. I would love to see this map go big, because it really has the potential to earn a spot amongst some of the best maps. I would recommend this map to anyone who is looking for a long, entertaining, and atmospherically creepy map.
8.2/10
This map is compatible with the latest version of minecraft.
This is now the official page for the map and the only one i'll be updating. Have fun, i love feedback
Support my map? Copy and Paste one of these codes into your signature!:
that sounds like a great map! make a short video to explain it instead of making a long post. people like that better. also i think that if you really want people to feel the claustriphobicness then you will have to make at least a few long nights in the desert with no weapons! . otherwise this looks great!
Also quite alot of photos. Put it in a album on tinypic or something (It's free). Or do better photos cause they just look like random spots :/
like i said, ill be updating this post frequently, these problems will be fixed, i just wanted to have it set and done fornow then start editing it after lol
Added a new feature to the map today, an otherworld, nightmare dimension (sound familiar? lolol) im using it in honor of one of my favorite game series, and it looks pretty scary so far :biggrin.gif:
Production of the full map has been paused due to certain issues, but you can get an updated version of the demo here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HV3EVIXG Lots of new things added and difficulty ramped up higher than ever. Test it out and make sure to give feedback :smile.gif:
In Into the Depths, you play as an escaped convict who, while running from the authorities, stumbles across a cobblestone path in the forest. Suddenly he's attacked by grotesque creatures and follows the path hoping it would take him to civilization. Instead he arrives at a castle owned by a man named King Arnold Schuster. There's only one problem, there isn't anyone inside. Layers of dust cover everything, the place seemingly abandoned for a long time.
Abandoned by people at least.
Through some exploration, you discover that King Schuster apparently opened a portal to the Underworld, and the only way to close it is to bring the four Golden Apples to God, or so they say. However, as you progress, you'll discover things are not what they seem, and darker twists than you could have imagined are inevitable.
This map is heavily influenced by the silent hill games, so by setting the brightness to moody, you'll get pitch darkness. This is what makes torches absolutely critical in the map as it is a very limited light source and you must use them wisely, especially since you're not allowed to pick them back up once they're placed. This constant darkness is meant to make the player feel claustrophobic, and from what the people who've tested the beta said, it works.
2. Money system
Basically, throughout the map there will be gold bars a' plenty, and these gold bars will be what you use to buy yourself some nice new armor, food, torches, weapons, potions, and even snowballs in case you lack a weapon or money for one. You'll be buying these things from chests marked as "stores" and next to each store you'll find a price list of everything that's available at that store.
3. NO DIAMOND ANYTHING
This isn't completely true. There will be no diamond swords, they make it too easy, however, there will be one full set of diamond armor, with each piece of armor hidden separately throughout the map, but they will be extremely difficult and dangerous to find.
4. The Nest
Optional rooms where you'll find tons of cobwebs and enough spider and cave spider spawners to give you arachnaphobia. These rooms will be very difficult if not properly equipped, but the treasure inside these rooms will make it well worth it.
5. 4-6 hour gameplay
This is not just another minecraft custom map, i'm trying to create an experience that can be treated as a game in itself, and its going to be a huge map, with multiple areas you make your way through, all of them being sections of the castle. This isn't just all filler though. There is a deep and layered character-driven story backing it that will take some twists and turns throughout. And with all of the hidden goodies and rooms that were too hard to go into earlier, there's hopefully going to be reasons to go back to it.
6. Alternate World
Kind of like the Silent hill games, as you travel through certain areas, they will turn into the "nightmare" version of the area, which will be hellish, even darker, and filled with nether monsters. This is not done with mods.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DegenTP's playthrough is something special, and VERY entertaining. This one really shows off the map very well and gets freaked out plenty of times throughout, but he'll have you laughing all the way through as well!
Kariocraft:
Beautifully designed, atmospherically near-perfect, and flat out creepy, Into the Depths has proven to be a fantastic rpg experience. The best part of the map is it is still a W.I.P., meaning that the best is still to come. Before I get into the details, I must point out that I have been given a map version that has not been released yet. So think of this review and rating as a preview of what is to come in Into the Depths. At the moment, Into the Depths has about 750 downloads, and that really needs to change. The creator deserves substantially more credit then what he is getting currently.
Into the depths creates an amazing and intriguing rpg experience. In fact, it almost felt like I was in a completely new game. With almost 3 hours of content, there was a couple of cool features that helped to make Into the Depths as immersive as it was. One of those features was the gold and shop system. Throughout the map, observant players may find gold ingots. These ingots are usually found in tricky places, and reward those who take a good look around. At specific points in the map, players may come across a shop. Here they can put those gold ingots to use by buying new equipment, food, potions and armor. The shops were implemented with great care, as it was never easy to buy the best materials. In general, shops really made me look around, creating a greater appreciation for the stunning and realistic architecture.
Another interesting feature was some of the rules. In order to make for a creepier experience, the creator implemented some rules that I have never seen, nor thought of before. One addition was that you must turn your render distance down to tiny. Another is that you must turn you brightness down to moody. Now, I realize that these are only small additions to a very large map, but really, the difference were noticeable, and really made me think to myself "I wish I thought of that."
Now on to the story. Being such a vastly large map, exploring gave you two rewards, one being ingots, and the other being notes. Yes, finding notes is a reward, at least for me it was. The story was very compelling and constantly had me wondering what was going on in the castle. The notes were well written, and I was pleased to see that each character was written with its own personality in mind, each unique in their own way. My only complaint is that, despite having minimal spelling errors and typos, the creator seemed to inconsistently capitalize his "I's." But that is a minor trifle compared to the brilliantly formulated story that can be found consistently throughout the map.
So why an 8.2 and not higher? Well, for one, I found it quite confusing at times. It is understandable, as the map is so large and complex, but it really doesn't follow a clear linear path. With so many places to go and explore, and with such a large castle, it can sometimes be overwhelming. At minimum, my suggestion to the creator would be to create a walk through on his thread, to aid those who get lost or off track. And the only other other substantial reason why this map didn't get a higher score, is it's not done! At least in the version I played, there is no end, and many parts are still unfinished. If the creator finishes the map with a solid conclusion, I am sure the score will be even higher.
Overall, Into the Depths is a rpg/horror masterpiece, and deserves way more credit then it is currently getting. I would love to see this map go big, because it really has the potential to earn a spot amongst some of the best maps. I would recommend this map to anyone who is looking for a long, entertaining, and atmospherically creepy map.
8.2/10
This is now the official page for the map and the only one i'll be updating. Have fun, i love feedback
Support my map? Copy and Paste one of these codes into your signature!:
well its not vital information, its there for those who want to read it lol
Also quite alot of photos. Put it in a album on tinypic or something (It's free). Or do better photos cause they just look like random spots :/
like i said, ill be updating this post frequently, these problems will be fixed, i just wanted to have it set and done fornow then start editing it after lol
Being in the nightmare world
The transition from the real world to the nightmre world
Tel me what you think :biggrin.gif:
I play Slave Hack, give it a try!
Thanks so much!
i ould need to make a mediafire account though, 40 secs isnt a long time bro lol
btw, sorry about the unnatural square portions of land, i used mc edit to get flat areas to build on
Continue your awesome work!!
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks! :biggrin.gif: