How do the regular monsters “see” in Amnesia?

Question

In Amnesia, you obviously want to avoid all monsters. Most commonly, you encounter zombie-like creatures that you really don't want to mess with. I'm talking about these pretty princes (image is a little PG).

Sometimes, however, you're forced to sneak around near them, and you can get into some pretty hairy situations. To avoid something going wrong, I was hoping for some sort of guide on how these monsters can "sense" me; can they hear me if I'm loud? How easily do they see me? How do I lose one that's chasing me? Overall, what determines whether it will notice and attack me or not?

Asked by commando

Answer

Here are a few observations:

• Their vision is heavily based on light/darkness. Early in the game it will tell you to turn your lantern off to avoid them. Standing in ambient light isn't quite as bad, but still results in visibility. This can sometimes result in a decision to be made regarding being seen vs. losing sanity.
• They seem to have basic hearing. It's usually the least you need to worry about, as most anything you can do that makes noise will also result in increased visibility. But if you're moving around right behind them, they'll notice.
• Proximity seems to be a huge factor. If they're really far away, they're unlikely to see you until they get closer. You can often see them before they see you, depending on the lighting in the area.
• If one is chasing you, run until you can get both: a good distance away, and around a corner or. Once you've broken the line of sight, they will only follow you for what seems like a predetermined distance, which you'll probably get a feel for. Might as well turn your lantern on while you run.
• Looking at one will slowly drain your sanity, but it can be useful once or twice to get a feel for their movement speed and patterns.
• If one hasn't seen you yet, turning off your lantern and crouching is usually more than enough to get you to a safer hiding spot without being spotted. I find crouching behind open doors to be very effective.

I apologize for giving an unsourced answer, but I don't really expect there to be any "official" answers out there. Hopefully some more people can come along and give you a consensus.

Answered by Rick

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