Small showcase of Horizon features!
Youtube.com
As many have seen already, Horizon will add a heads-up display to the lantern -- a neat little feature made possible by a healthy mix of creativity, relentless testing and effort, and use of some more complex scripting. The HUD is entirely class-based, aside from timer- and lantern-related callbacks, which Amnesia requires to be in the global scope. The HUD started out very much different from the way it is right now, and is sure to see some tweaks and improvements over the course of development, as well as added features that provide more use than simply an easier way to track your health and battery power resource. The current version is very similar to that showcased in the video "Tails Down" with some additional flair.
The HUD has also inspired the creation of what I call screen effects -- they are different than what Amnesia already provides. They are essentially billboards which are placed directly in front of the player camera, so they are always visible. Using these, you can create some interesting effects, like the initial inspiration: a "thump" effect which ripples outwards from the center of the screen, distorting the world as it progresses.
A lot of effort has gone into the HUD and similar features, but much more is yet to be put into more basic gameplay such as enemy behavior, puzzle-related mechanics, randomization of events and the world, a brand-new and dynamic menu with a specialized save/load system.
There are a few other cool features which have little to do with gameplay, but instead are focused at providing a realistic and wholesome experience in the world of Horizon. Some of these are the cloth dynamics script, which lets banners wave freely in the wind, dynamic and interactive soundscapes which change and react to player behavior and other events in the world, and cinematic events.
There are many other features in the works for Horizon, things ranging from parkour-style free-running scenes to hacking puzzles to glorious battles against foes, adrenaline-packed races against time, and much, much more. Horizon is sure to be a fresh experience for even the most hardened Amnesia veterans. We at Timorem hope you are as excited about Horizon as we ourselves are!
thumbs-up :)