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So, have comrades Red Mammoth and Xander77 both gone to patrol the Sino-Siberian border? 
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Oct 31, 2013 03:01
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I'm still around - it's just that there hasn't been much to talk about. Here's an illustration of my harping on about 60's-70's fashion - satirical cartoons about those damned long-haired hippies. (One picture is worth a thousand ushanka stereotypes) Actually, that's a thread in the archives, so those of you who can't access it will have to settle for Weird Al Yankovic's nerdier Russian cousin. Or the Russian version of The Musicians of Bremen.
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Oct 31, 2013 07:18
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I took a class on East Geermany one semester. If I dig out my books I might be able to do an effortpost.
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Oct 31, 2013 17:27
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Sorry guys, I've been busy with school and stuff. The next update should be ready soon, possibly tomorrow.
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Nov 1, 2013 01:02
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More like too busy watching television on the beach, decadent capitalist scum! (From a real Russian texbook, albeit a very much tongue-in-cheek one).
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Nov 1, 2013 03:37
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Ensign Expendable posted:
Or not, but that does read like some of his "comedy". Xander77 fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Nov 1, 2013 |
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Nov 1, 2013 04:58
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Sweet! Take all the time you need, for your duties to education and the state come first, so long as you do not engage in decadent pleasure seeking!
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Nov 1, 2013 05:47
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PYF has a USSR cultural highlights thread that might be of interest to people here. It's not quite the Ask/Tell thread someone requested, but I guess you can ask around. I'm going to post some things about Russian films / cartoons / music of interest there.
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Dec 3, 2013 18:08
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Many, many apologies for the long delay. I finally got around to finishing the entirety of Chapter 2, so there shouldn't be any more waiting. Not sure that was a good way to do it, but oh well. Hope you all are still interested. Anyway, since it's been a while, I'll be working on a recap of Chapter 1. But first, here's Chapter 2. Update 13 - Leningrad    You make an inventory of what you're carrying: 300 rubles, your mission orders, your I.D., files on Leningrad Department 7 officers, a camera, a recorder-receiver and a microphone with transmitter.  Inspect room 205 Modern, if a little dusty.  That was one long train ride. None too comfortable, either. Anyway, here I am in Leningrad. I'm staying at the Hotel Gostinitsa. Decent lodging, could be better. I've always wanted to see the Hermitage, but I'm not here for sightseeing! I'm here to hunt down degenerate gangsters and take down a snuff film ring!Inspect the phone  A printed card says: reception 000. Your number is 37640.Inspect the window  A depressing if busy street. A forlorn phone booth stands on the sidewalk beside the hotel entrance, which is below your room. The street in front of the hotel is quiet.We also have a bed, a desk, and a roomy closet.  I changed my clothes before I left. Walking around the park with a baggy old suit is bound to draw too much attention from the wrong sort of people.Let's take a closer look at our inventory. Inspect the camera  Single-lens reflex. The 75-350 zoom lens allows you to photograph fairly distant objects as if they were near. There are 24 photos left in the camera.Inspect the listening device  Receiver and password-activated playback device.When we use the recorder-receiver:  As you can see, you can fast-forward, rewind, play, and switch between manually-activated and voice-activated playback. According to Guzenko, in voice-activated mode you say “TALK” out loud to play a message. What the hell is the point of that? I'll just stick to manual mode.Inspect the microphone  Microphone with burst transmitterInspect the headphones  A lightweight set of phones. When plugged into the receiver/recorder unit, the sound is channeled solely through the phones.We also have our KGB ID and 300 rubles.  It is of course up to you, Maks, but most operatives start their mission by first reading their mission orders. Okay, okay. Whatever you say, dad. Mission instructions:  You are ordered to observe the meeting between “Romeo” and his contact in Ladoga park at 3 pm without being seen. Failure to execute this mission will not be tolerated. You are to follow up new leads and suspects with utmost discretion. Photographs of all suspects, their meetings and conversations are requested. You will avoid intervention of any sort likely to compromise this surveillance operation. You will avoid violence at all costs except in self-defense. You will avoid provoking officers of Department 7. You will receive further orders from your mission controller in your hotel room at 19:30 pm. I knew most of that already, but it's still useful info. Time to check out the dossiers. That should come in handy when I need to meet the Leningrad KGB. Inspect Drobnista's file DROBNISTA, LEV YEVGENIEVICH RANK: CAPTAIN POSITION: Administrative officer, Department 7, 2nd Principal Directorate, Leningrad. DATE OF BIRTH: 09/05/1955 NOTES: This officer's record is unremarkable, if unblemished. Despite regular attendance at party meetings, his lack of enthusiasm precludes him from significant promotion in the foreseeable future. Inspect Kusnetsov's file KUSNETSOV, VLADIMIR IVANOVICH RANK: COLONEL POSITION: Chief of Department 7, 2nd Principal Directorate, Leningrad. DATE OF BIRTH: 04/07/1940 NOTES: K is responsible for the surveillance of foreign tourists in the Leningrad area. He has been accused of abusing his position for his own criminal ends. Proof of any such economic sabotage is currently lacking. Inspect Agabekov's file AGABEKOV, GRIGORI PAVLOVICH RANK: MAJOR POSITION: Second in command, Department 7, 2nd Principal Directorate, Leningrad. DATE OF BIRTH: 17/10/1947 NOTES: Following intensive investigation, Agabekov's socialist integrity and loyalty to the party are unquestionable. This internationalist patriot served with fraternal distinction in Afghanistan, where his role as advisor to KHAD interrogation teams proved invaluable in the destruction of imperialist-backed sabotage gangs. Colleagues and former colleagues speak highly of him. Inspect Chapkin's file CHAPKIN, PIOTR PETROVICH RANK: CAPTAIN POSITION: Operational officer, Department 7, 2nd Principal Directorate, Leningrad. DATE OF BIRTH: 12/01/1960 NOTES: Kusnetsov's son-in-law. Suggestions that he may be involved in criminal activities with Kusnetsov are no more than speculation at this stage. So Agabekov's an upstanding torturer, Drobnista's completely unremarkable, Kusnetsov's corrupt to the bone, and his son-in-law Chapkin is probably a criminal as well. Should be easy to remember. I'll call my uncle. He always has good advice for dealing with these sorts of people. We call home.  Who is it? It is I, uncle. Maks. Maks, my boy! I'm in the middle of a delicate opening gambit. What's your problem? How's old Yegor? He wouldn't appreciate being called old, Maks! Well, what do you want? I need your advice, uncle. I don't know who to trust in my mission! Nobody, I imagine. Good luck, Maks! That's as good advice as any. Well, I'd better clean up before I leave.We start to head through the bathroom door, but...  We pick up the phone.  You've got the wrong number. I meant to dial 37452. Sorry. The caller rings off. Very odd.  Inspect the basin  Not everly cleanInspect the shower  The somewhat rusty shower nozzle drips.Inspect the flush unit  It gurgles a little but is otherwise a model of Soviet efficiencyInspect the mirror  Dusty. Some of the surrounding tiles have recently been removed. I'll try going to the bathroom before I leave. Never mind that. If I recall, the phone call mentioned something about checking out a light. I'll check out that neon light up there.    Meet THE hardest puzzle in the game. See if you can figure it out. You already have everything you need to solve it, surprisingly enough. No walkthroughs allowed! red mammoth fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Jan 4, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 07:59
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Update 13 Bonus Uncle Vanya I need your advice, uncle. If it's about marriage, Maks, don't do it! Do you know the Leningrad KGB? No, and I don't care to! Snoopers! Keep your eyes open, Maks!--or-- I may be in trouble. The situation's confused. Well, think about it carefully, my boy. Do your duty! If you leave the hotel without solving the puzzle: 
red mammoth fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Jan 4, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 08:04
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Seeing two 5-character keys ("Boris" and "37452," obviously) makes me think of a Polybius square (the "knock code" from the Hanoi Hilton, if you've ever heard that story), but that implies the message is in English, since fitting the Cyrillic alphabet into a 5x5 grid is a challenge. Whatever. You can brute force these pretty easily, but gently caress that. Which key to put on which axis of the grid isn't clear, but since the letters are first, I'll put "Boris" on top. It's also not clear which letter to elide - e: I just used the first 25 [luckily], though in Vietnam they used C for K and you often use I for J. Doing a quick run of the first row of the coded text shows unpromising results, "enohpehtn." (...) Oh, gently caress me, they encoded it backwards, too? That's just mean. The first three lines are enohpeht odraehuoy rebmuneht ...the number you heard on the phone and this is giving me a headache, so I'll stop. Passes the coherence test, though. The Merry Marauder fucked around with this message at 09:09 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 09:01
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Glad to see this is back. As for the note... oy. Possibly a substitution cipher with each letter-number pair standing in for a different letter, but umm, is the note in English or Russian?  The repeated letters are S, B, R, O, and I. As in, "B-O-R-I-S, did you check the light?" The repeated numbers are 3, 7, 4, 5, and 2, all of which are in the phone number the mystery caller claims they intended to call. Maybe we should call that number and see who answers?  e: beaten
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Jan 3, 2014 09:12
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So - here's an immensely embarrassing moment from my adolescence I still cringe at: Back in the day, Wiz (a remarkably long lived journal, for a niche market in Israel, RIP) would feature helpful walkthrough hints and the phone numbers of readers who were willing to explain how to complete games. Was that a thing elsewhere? Anyways, I called the guy and talked to him about something in chapter 1 shortly after I got the game. Then, as I walked outside the hotel and got shot, I called him up again and fervently related my problem... to his dad, who was quite confused by the whole thing. The phrase "hey Alon, this guy is saying people at a hotel are shooting at him  " is still engrained right in the middle of my embarrassment center.Ugh. Xander77 fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jan 4, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 09:36
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 "Conspijacy" and the Hotel "Hotel". Incidentally, the putsch against Gorbatsjov began on the 19th. Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 10:08 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 10:04
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It's good to see this return! I've been hoping it would come back, and I'm eager to see where Maks ends up.
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Jan 3, 2014 10:06
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I'm also glad to see this back. This is a great little game, but it's blatantly obvious i'd never play it myself, so it'ss awesome to have someone so dedicated turning it inside out for me.
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Jan 3, 2014 11:22
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Kopijeger posted:"Conspijacy" and the Hotel "Hotel". You mean "Soisriyasu", I believe?
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Jan 3, 2014 13:43
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Tevery Best posted:You mean "Soisriyasu", I believe? I considered reading it like that, but gave it the benefit of the doubt since the other letters look more like latin ones. Hell, they even avoided using "и" for "N".
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Jan 3, 2014 15:48
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Nice to see you back on tra-holy gently caress what's wrong with your images? Why are they distorted if they weren't before? 
Pierzak fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 16:52
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Pierzak posted:Nice to see you back on tra-holy gently caress what's wrong with your images? Why are they distorted if they weren't before? I resized them from 640x400 to 640x480, because that's what I heard I needed to do. Something to do with the scaling of older computers. Hopefully they look alright.
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Jan 3, 2014 18:00
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No they don't, now you've got pixel lines of different width. The wires on the title screen are a good example. Some people don't notice/mind it at all, personally I find it grating enough to stop reading. VVV: I'd leave them as they were if there were no complaints. It's hard to resize 640x400 to 640x480 with a crisp picture. You might use a filter (so everything gets blurred equally), but those bother other people. Pierzak fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 19:01
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Well, poo poo. Does that mean I shouldn't have resized the images, or did I resize them wrong?
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Jan 3, 2014 19:30
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It's complicated. On one hand stretching the images like this makes the scale of them closer to how they were initially drawn, and the background art is usually noisy enough that stretching artifacts aren't really noticeable, but it messes up stuff like fonts. Personally, I'd prefer them the way they were, unresized. But I'm glad you're back! And geez, this puzzle. I'm glad there was an in-game way to basically get the solution spelled out for you or I would never have figured it out.
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Jan 3, 2014 20:06
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Alright, I changed the size of the images. Instead of 640x480, they're now 640x400. Hope you like them. For comparison, here is the image captured straight from DOSBox. (320x200)  As you can see, it's way too small. Now here it is resized. The top one is 640x480 (the one I had originally). The bottom one is 640x400, the one I'm using now. I used nearest neighbor instead of a filter for resizing, because I heard that's the best way to resize pixel art. I'm working on the recap, and it should be done by tomorrow. red mammoth fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Jan 4, 2014 |
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Jan 4, 2014 01:12
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Nearest-neighbor is the safest (i.e. most faithful to original and least likely to bother anyone) method of resizing, as long as you resize by integers in both dimensions. If you don't, it goes to poo poo. Thanks for taking my complaints to heart, BTW. I love this LP, tried the game myself a few times but lacked the patience for it. Pierzak fucked around with this message at 06:05 on Jan 4, 2014 |
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Jan 4, 2014 06:02
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Wow, I thought Pierzak was just needlessly complaining, but there is a marked difference between the two; you learn something new every day. 640x400 is definitely the better looking of the two.
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Jan 4, 2014 14:09
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Update 14 – Code Cracker  Seems to me like the message was intended for someone named Boris, not for me. I'll call the number they gave and see what's up. We call number 37452   You didn't read the message, Rukov. Try again. He rings off. So it was intended for me. But why did he mention Boris at first? I'll call command. It could be someone from Department P who left it.We phone KGB Moscow. After several minutes...   Comrade colonel Galushkin, please. Captain Rukov. Hold the line, comrade... Comrade? Your call cannot be put through at this time.The KGB operator phones off. Well, that was a colossal waste of time. I'm not going to bother trying Vovlov or, god forbid, Belov. If I remember, Guzenko told me he was willing to offer advice on anything, and that he used to work for the Coding and Ciphers Department. Maybe he can help me.We start to pick up the phone. Wait. My father could have cracked that code without blinking. If I want to be half as great as he was, I'm going to have to do this myself. I'll take one more look...S3I4S4R7B5S3R7S5I4S4I3R5B3S3R7B2S4S2R5S3O3R4B2I4S3R7S5O4B3I7I3I4S3R7S5I4S4I7I5 I5S3R3R3B2I5I4I7I5S3R4I7S5S3S3R5R7S5B7B7S4I3I4B3I4S4S5R7O7I7O4R4S4S4R5R5B2S4S2 R7R3S5I7R2I5S3O2I7O4S4S5S5I4B3R2B2S4S2B7I7 I can't think on an empty stomach. We call room service. Yes, comrade? Room service, please. One moment... I'm sorry, comrade; that service is currently undergoing technical overhauling, in line with our progressive modernization plan. Son of a bitch. drat that Gorbachev!We take a closer look at the code. Hmm...The code uses Roman numerals and a Latin alphabet. Fortunately, Rukov is fluent in several western languages. Maybe whoever wrote this code knew that. There are 99 letters and 99 numbers in the code. The pattern is a letter, followed by a number. If we put a space between each number, that gives a set of two characters: a letter and a number. There are 99 of these sets. The code now reads like this: S3 I4 S4 R7 B5 S3 R7 S5 I4 S4 I3 R5 B3 S3 R7 B2 S4 S2 R5 S3 O3 R4 B2 I4 S3 R7 S5 O4 B3 I7 I3 I4 S3 R7 S5 I4 S4 I7 I5 I5 S3 R3 R3 B2 I5 I4 I7 I5 S3 R4 I7 S5 S3 S3 R5 R7 S5 B7 B7 S4 I3 I4 B3 I4 S4 S5 R7 O7 I7 O4 R4 S4 S4 R5 R5 B2 S4 S2 R7 R3 S5 I7 R2 I5 S3 O2 I7 O4 S4 S5 S5 I4 B3 R2 B2 S4 S2 B7 I7 Much easier to digest. After studying it some more, I've noticed some interesting things: There are only five letters and five numbers in the code. The letters are S, I, R, B, and O. The numbers are 3, 4, 7, 5, and 2. If you join all those numbers together, you get 34752, the phone number that was given in that mysterious phone call. Because of this, it's probable that SIRBO is an anagram for something. The caller mentioned a name. Boris. That must be it. Now what? I'll go back to where I found the message. Someone did something to the tiles next to the mirror. I thought that was remodeling when I first saw it, but it can't be a coincidence. There are five tiles on the left of the mirror, and five tiles above it. That corresponds to the length of '37452' and 'BORIS'. That gives me an idea.We set up a grid. we put BORIS above the grid, and 37452 to the left. That gives the grid twenty-five spaces. Every set corresponds to a space on the grid. Now what do we put in there? The English alphabet has 26 letters. If I put a letter in each space, we'll have to leave one out. What could it be? Right now we'll assume it's Z. It could be A, or if these guys are really bastards it'll be one of the letters in the middle. That's assuming we're right about all of this.  The first set is S3. I now go to the letter in the S column and the 3 row. It's E. Now I'll try it with the rest of the code.E N O H P E H T N O D R A E H U O Y R E B M U N E H T L A I D N E H T N O I S S E C C U S N I S E M I T E E R H T F F O D N A N O T H G I L M O O R R U O Y H C T I W S E V I L O T T N A W U O Y F I Gibberish. This could be a code in itself. For now I'll try switching the place of BORIS and 37452. I F Y O U W A N T T O L I V E S W I T C H Y O U R R O O M L I G H T O N A N D O F F T H R E E T I M E S I N S U C C E S S I O N T H E N D I A L T H E N U M B E R Y O U H E A R D O N T H E P H O N E (sniff) Dad would be proud.  We flip the light on and off twice more in succession, and then we call 37452.  Good work, Rukov. You seem intelligent. We're going to help you, if you help us. Be in the alley behind your hotel at 7 p.m. When your contact says “Cut-throat”, show him your I.D. He'll want to know:
After a few instants silence, the voice adds a final instruction... Visit Department 7 before going to Ladoga park. Perhaps you'll learn something about the so-called hero, Agabekov. He calls off. How do they know who I am or what my mission is? I don't like the sound of that at all. Still, I'll try to find out the answers to all of his questions. Next stop: Leningrad KGB.
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Jan 6, 2014 06:25
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Update 14 Bonus Reception Yes, comrade? I'd like to call a Leningrad number. I don't know the number. Perhaps you could find it? One moment.. I'm sorry, comrade; that service is currently undergoing technical overhauling, in line with our progressive modernization plan.—or-- Forward to socialist social perfection! You have already been fully informed of our modernization project, comrade!—or-- Bring me a bottle of vodka and a glass. Forbidden, comrade! Alcohol-abuse saps the strength of Soviet manhood.The operator rings off. Guzenko We did the puzzle the hard way. There's a much easier way. Let's call Guzenko. After some seconds...  Guzenko here. This is Rukov. I have a problem with a coded message. Explain what you found and where and how you found it. Well, it's not that complicated. I helped your father with something similar once. The tiles above and beside the bathroom mirror are supposed to contain the key for decoding the message. The mirror itself is a grid where you arrange the letters of the alphabet. What you need is the key! Five letters along the top and five figures along the side. You should be able to find the letters and figures. If you can't, then phone me back.He phones off. We try him again. Guzenko here. I haven't found the letters of numbers for decoding the message. You surprise me! They're the five letters and five numbers used in the coded message. You just have to put them in the right order. If you're still stuck, then call me back.And again. Guzenko here. I can't work out the right order for the letters and figures. Comrade captain! Your father would have solved this problem. Think of the phone call you received: “BORIS” above and “37452” down the side. So if you take “B3” and cross-reference the letter and the figure, you get “A”. “S7” gives you “J”. Simple really.One last time. Guzenko here. This code is just too complicated, Guzenko! Here is the message, comrade captain: “If you want to live switch your room light on and off three times in succession then dial the number you heard on the phone”.
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Jan 6, 2014 06:26
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So is anyone actually interested in a recap of Chapter 1?
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Jan 8, 2014 01:31
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red mammoth posted:So is anyone actually interested in a recap of Chapter 1? I would be. All I remember is puzzle game basis until a sudden 
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Jan 8, 2014 01:36
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red mammoth posted:So is anyone actually interested in a recap of Chapter 1? Sure - this game looks really confusing, especially because in the interests of LPing you're doing the correct actions to progress. A regular player would get stuck very quickly, so some of the things you do don't necessarily make sense - and then we talk to some guy called Comrade
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Jan 8, 2014 03:13
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Er, switching "BORIS" and the phone number doesn't reverse the message, it just scrambles the hell out of it.
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Jan 16, 2014 01:51
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Glazius posted:Er, switching "BORIS" and the phone number doesn't reverse the message, it just scrambles the hell out of it. Try looking at the second diagram. Hopefully I didn't mess anything up.
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Jan 18, 2014 20:37
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BACKGROUND Here is Rukov's dossier, from the game's manual: NAME: Maksim Mikhailovich Rukov. BORN: January 12, 1966. P.O.B.: Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR. FATHER: Mikhai Stepanovich Rukov (Deceased) MOTHER: Svetlana Shatilova (Deceased) NOTE: Rukov's parents were killed on May 23, 1983, by an Afghan terrorist explosive device in Dushanbe, Tadzhik SSR, where Colonel Mikhail Rukov was on active duty. EXPERIENCE: JUN 1988: Graduated from Special Faculty of Ryazan Lenin Komsomol Higher Airborne Command School. Selected for Spetsnaz, the Elite special military unit under GRU Command (Soviet Military Intelligence). Named Commander, 3rd Parachute platoon. 1St Okhotniki batallion, Siberian Military District. AUG 1991: Transferred to Department P, KGB, Moscow. Awarded rank of Captain. EVALUATION: Political Reliability: Rukov has received mixed appraisals from political officers. While his patriotism remains unquestioned, he has on more than one occasion expressed opinions not in accord with current Party thought. Expertise: Rukov has shown considerable aptitude for airborne operations, close combat, and infiltration. Languages: Rukov is fluent in English, Arabic and Spanish. General: His military commanders describe him as an excellent officer, but he has a tendency to personal initiative which can border on insubordination. Conclusion: Maksim Mikhailovich Rukov's profile incorporates a determined character with elements of individualism. He is not recommended for posts of administrative responsibility in the command structure. Basically, Rukov's dad was a prominent officer who was killed in a car bombing, along with his mother. The bomb also crippled Rukov's Uncle Vanya. Fortunately, Colonel Galushkin hunted down the insurgents responsible for the attack. After this, Rukov decided to join the military. He ended up being placed in the Spetsnaz (the USSR's spec ops), just like his father before him. He served for three years, until he was transferred to the KGB for unknown reasons. CHAPTER 1 RECAP Rukov is now working for Department P (fictional), which is basically the KGB's internal affairs. It's his first day, and he's been waiting to receive his first assignment for quite a while. He tries to talk to his coworker Belov, but all Belov can do is spout Party slogans and be a massive prick.  Finally, Rukov gets to meet with his new boss, Major Vovlov. The major seems to be a stern man, with no tolerance for bullshit. He gives Rukov his first assignment: to investigate the suspicious death of Golitsin, a private detective. Golitsin used to belong to the KGB, but left some time ago. Vovlov wants to make sure there is no reason for the KGB to get involved.  After getting his new assignment, Rukov decides to visit his Uncle Vanya, a cantankerous old man stuck in a wheelchair. He talks to his uncle for a bit, gets his stash of US dollars, and heads over to Golitsin's office.  Rukov gets into the office by showing his ID to a local militiaman. He finds various items that might come in useful later. He also finds a newspaper clipping that reveals Golitsin to be a bit of a capitalist. The office seems to have been searched before, and the phone has been bugged. Rukov gets the feeling he's being watched. He looks out the window to see a strange man watching him. Rukov tries to go after him, but Golitsin's sister arrives. Rukov decides that interviewing a close relative of Golitsin's is more important than trying to chase after a suspicious person, so he invites her inside.  Golitsin's sister, Irina, doesn't appear to know anything about his murder. She didn't even know he was dead. However, she received a note from her brother asking her to meet up, and it seemed urgent. After talking to her for a while, Rukov lets her leave. She gives him a tape that Golitsin had given her. The tape reveals that Golitsin was into some shady business. His client, codenamed Jealous Husband, wanted him to discover the identity of someone with the codename Hollywood. Someone named Romeo had set up a meeting between Golitsin and Hollywood, which was going to happen tonight at 8 pm. Golitsin implied that Hollywood was a criminal involved with some sort of distribution, and also indicated that he wanted to discover the identity of Jealous Husband. He believed Jealous Husband was working for the KGB, and intended to tail him. This probably has something to do with his death.  Rukov returns to Vovlov with the information. Vovlov takes Golitsin's tape, listens to it, and then quizzes Rukov on it. Rukov gets it right, and Vovlov sends him to wait in his office. A couple hours later, he is summoned to meet the highest-ranking member of Department P. Colonel Galushkin seems friendly enough, even if he's probably sleeping with his secretary. He also helped avenge Rukov's parents. Galushkin sends Rukov to go undercover and investigate the Enthusiastic Progress Club, mentioned on the tape as the meeting place between Golitsin and Hollywood. Rukov's ultimate goal here is to discover the identity of Hollywood, and to search his apartment. Galushkin advises Rukov to avoid saying 'Hollywood' or 'Buyer 2', both of which were mentioned on the tape.  As a new undercover agent, Rukov hands in everything that could identify him as a KGB agent: his uniform, his ID, and his gun. He is given an ill-fitting grey suit and a fake identity: Kliment Kruglov, a representative for a bicycle brake repair facility. He heads over to Kursk Street, the supposed location of the Enthusiastic Progress Club.  Once he reaches Kursk Street, Rukov goes into a shady-looking bar. He overhears Romeo talking to the bartender. Rukov tries talking to both of them. Romeo is too guarded to reveal anything important, but the bartender is helpful enough. He reveals that the Enthusiastic Progress Club is around the back of the building. Rukov leaves the bar and goes to the apartment complex on the other side of the block that Galushkin mentioned. He finds the club inside the building, but decides to gather up as much information as possible before entering.  Rukov talks to two young women, a petty criminal, and a former political prisoner. He learns that Sytenko, a butcher who lives in the apartment, doesn't have much meat in his meatshop and has been seen talking with some shady people. Rukov finds the meatshop locked, and decides to investigate the club for the time being.  Rukov bribes his way into the club. It's a place full of drug dealers and thugs. He talks to a bootleg video dealer to learn that the two twins in the other room belong to a notorious local gang. Rukov takes a bathroom break, and finds drugs in the trash bin. He flushes them down the toilet, just to be safe.  Tired and restless, Rukov decides to follow two skinheads to a party. Only there is no party, and they try to rob him. He kills one of them, and scares the other off. He takes a lockpick off of the corpse, and hides the corpse in a trashcan. He uses the lockpick to break into the meatshop. It seems abandoned. Rukov turns off the alarm and investigates the coldroom. There, he makes a rather shocking discovery.  Rukov turns the alarm back on and goes to confront Sytenko. After a long conversation, he discovers that Sytenko isn't a cannibalistic serial killer. Rather, he is being blackmailed by a gang to hide the corpses of murder victims in his coldroom until they can be disposed of. They had kidnapped his daughter and forced her into porn, and if he tells anybody they will release the dirty photos to the world. The gang is lead by Verto, a brutish man with an eyepatch. KGB members seemed to be involved. They operate out of Verto's mother's apartment, which is next door.  Verto's mother leaves her apartment to go feed cats, which gives Rukov the opportunity to sneak in. The apartment seems normal, until he checks out the studio room. There he finds a camera pointed at a hole in the wall, and a mysterious tape. The tape is footage of a woman being raped, tortured and killed by the two twins from the club. Rukov is chilled to the bone by the footage and realizes that the gang manufactures snuff films. Suddenly, the door opens and he is confronted by the gang. It consists of Verto, Romeo, and the twins. Verto reveals that he is Hollywood, and then imprisons Rukov in his killroom. He promises to have Rukov killed once morning arrives.  Seeing no escape, Rukov has nothing to do but wait. After a couple of minutes, Verto locks a punk girl in the cell with him. At first he thinks she's just another victim of the gang. They talk, and she seems a bit too inquisitive. Rukov realizes that she was planted by Verto, and is trying to find out what he was searching for. Rukov tries to reveal as little as possible. Once the conversation ends, Verto locks an American man in the room with them. The American reveals that the punk is Rita, Verto's crackhead girlfriend, and asks Rukov if he wants to kill her. Rukov refuses, and the twins let Rita out.  The two overhead Verto sending his mother, Romeo, and the twins away. This leaves him alone with Rita. She begs Verto for crack, but he says that the shipment was stolen. Rukov realizes that the crack he flushed down the toilet was intended for Rita. Perhaps he can use this to his advantage. He tries to talk to the American, who avoids revealing his name or anything about him. Evidently, he suspects Rukov of being another one of Verto's plants. Rukov gains his trust by finding a bug and destroying it in front of him. Now they can formulate a plan without Verto listening in.  The American wonders where the buzzer on the wall is connected to. Rukov suggests the meatshop, and the American suggests a plan to set off the meatshop's alarm. Rukov agrees to it, and the American messes with some wires in the buzzer. Sure enough, the alarm in the meatshop goes off. Verto leaves to go check on it, leaving Rita alone by herself. Rukov takes advantage of the opportunity and talks to her through the door. He tells her that Verto will probably kill her soon, and she can escape with him. Rita is uninterested, refusing to believe that Verto has anything but love for her. Rukov tells her he knows where her coke is, because he was the one who stole it. This gets Rita's attention, and she lets Rukov and the American out.  She has a gun pointed at them, and she wants Rukov to tell her where the coke is. Rukov knows he can't tell her he flushed it down the toilet, so he lies and tells her he hid it somewhere. Rita tells them to get back in the cell, and Rukov realizes it's now or never. He attacks her. She shoots, but misses. She falls onto a table, breaking her neck. The American chuckles at the scene, steals her gun, and offers to escape with him. Rukov declines, knowing he needs enough information about the gang to present to Galushkin. The American leaves, and Rukov searches the apartment as quickly as possible.  Rukov finds his confiscated stuff in a drawer, along with:
This isn't enough information to present to Galushkin, so Rukov searches the studio room. He finds a folder on top of the TV. Inside the folder is evidence that suggests Verto was involved in the assassination of his parents. Shocked, Rukov tries to leave, but sees Verto coming up the stairs. Rukov slips back into the apartment, and hides beside the door. When Verto comes through the door, he attacks him, knocking him out. He knows that if he killed Verto, he'd ruin the investigation.  Rukov finds a blank blue piece of paper on Verto's body. He takes pictures of the two pieces of paper, revealing a code. He solves the code. It says: Leningrad, August 16, 3 PM, Ladoga Park. This is enough evidence to present to Galushkin, so Rukov puts the pieces of paper back where they were, and escapes the apartment before Verto wakes up.  Rukov returns to Department P the next morning. Major Vovlov provides a long list of his transgressions, but evidently he did well enough on the mission not to be punished. Next, Rukov meets with Galushkin. He reveals the coded message he found, which Galushkin believes to be a meeting between a member of Verto's gang and someone else. He sends Rukov on a mission to spy on the meeting. Rukov goes to see the quartermaster, Sergeant Guzenko. He picks up some surveillance equipment, and then boards the train for Leningrad. 
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Jan 18, 2014 20:39
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That is a very helpful summary. I'd already forgotten about a few details near the beginning. Also forgot about the snuff films, I think that was on purpose, though.
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Jan 19, 2014 03:56
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Update 15 – The Sword and Shield I'd better head out to Department 7 if I don't want to miss the rendezvous in Ladoga Park. Shame I didn't bring fancier clothing for a meeting like this. But first... They'd probably get suspicious if they found these documents on me. I'd better destroy the dossiers and the mission instructions. The secret code I'll leave on the table as a little souvenir. With that, we head out the door.   We try to take the elevator down, but...  drat progressive reforms.Well, no matter. We'll take the stairs.   Quite a lot of inspiring patriotic artwork here. V.I. Lenin in visionary mood. Revolutionary heroes wave red banners. This reproduction features V.I. Lenin addressing enthusiastic crowds. A nameless hero of revolutionary struggle gazes fearlessly.Inspect the receptionist  A normally bored-looking man who seems wary in your presence. The service is scandalous! Modernization means sacrifices, comrade! The party leads the way! Yes, yes. Glory to the party and all that. Do you know who I am? Naturally, comrade. A simple citizen. Have no fear! I have always struggled to maintain sealed lips in the service of our glorious security apparatus, shield and sword of Soviet integrity! What is your name, comrade? Bielkin, Leonid Ilich. What time does reception close in the evening? 9 pm, comrade. Can I get into this hotel late at night? Naturally, comrade. Just knock. The night porter will open the door.Ask about...foreigners in the hotel This is a hotel for Soviet citizens, comrade.Inspect the reception desk   What's a wheelchair doing here? Doesn't look like the old man needs it. Halt, comrade! That wheelchair is for my son Yuri. He gave his leg in Afghanistan! You have kept yours for yourself!Ask about...the wheelchair A feature of our devoted service to the handicapped. Only in the Soviet Union do we take such care of our citizens!Talk about...the Party  Your son? That's wonderful, comrade! Yes, he gave his leg to communism, fighting the Afghan savages! He refuses to use the wheelchair the party generously provided.Talk about...Gorbachev  Are you opposed to correct progress? Correct progress is historical necessity! Backward thinkers must renounce strangle-holdism! The party must share power! Death to outmoded one-partyism! Root out the deviationist power-mongers!Talk about...Yeltsin  He used to be a very senior party-member. He has revealed our inadequacies, though. Never has anyone been so unstintingly idolized by the lucid masses!Talk about...the KGB Glory to the shield and sword of the party! The enemy will never vanquish so long as our beloved security services watch eagle-eyed! The bloated imperialist sharks must be cut down unerringly; let them tiptoe hyena-like on their snake bellies! The iron whip of socialist correct-thinking will root them out like the vultures they are! I'm not sure if he's just scared of me, or if he really does like the KGB that much.We leave the hotel...   ...and head for Department 7.   Inspect the KGB building This is the entrance to Leningrad 2nd Principal Directorate. They're probably going to frisk me when I'm in there. They're probably already suspicious of me. It would be better if they didn't find any sensitive surveillance equipment.We hide all our electronic gear outside the building, and then we head on in.  Let's take a look around. Inspect the entrance An unmistakable KGB odor floats in the somewhat stale air. Inspect the photo  Illustrious Soviet security hero of the past.Inspect the inquiries officer  This state servant wears a suitably wooden expression.Inspect the guard  A watchful gleam in those well-trained eyes.We talk to the guard.  Take me to Department 7 at once! Your pass? Maybe he means my KGB ID?We give it to him. I'm sorry, comrade captain. You need a pass. Ask at inquiries.Very well. We talk to the inquiries officer. I'm expected at Department 7. Papers! We give him our ID card.  Take me to Department 7 at once! That is not procedure. What do you want? I told you: I want to go to Department 7. My apologies, comrade. What do you want, comrade? Gah! I've already told him twice! I'm expected at Department 7. Who's expecting you? Comrade colonel Kusnetsov. Inquiries officer here... A captain Rukov of Department P is here.. I understand... At once. You will show this to the guard.We follow his instructions.    Good day, comrade! I'm expected. I must inspect your pass, comrade. Naturally, comrade.The guard examines your pass with great care. Comrade colonel Kusnetsov's expecting you, comrade captain.
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Jan 21, 2014 01:34
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Man, these guys are dicks. Even for KGB.
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Jan 21, 2014 02:08
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You do a lot of confusing things that don't appear logical to an onlooker. Would you be able to explain why you did all the things you did? Tearing up the documents that you're required to have on you to not be carted away? Dumping a whole lot of expensive surveillance equipment outside the building of a group that you work for? Just some extra notes at the end or something, explaining why X needed to be done, would be really helpful. This game is confusing enough already 
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Jan 21, 2014 04:01
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He's from Internal Affairs, sent from Moscow to do some cleanup on the Leningrad branch of the KGB. The locals hate him, and he doesn't want them to know what he knows. The local spooks are the enemy in this case.
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Jan 21, 2014 04:04
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| # ? Apr 28, 2024 15:21 |
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Dreggon posted:Just some extra notes at the end or something, explaining why X needed to be done, would be really helpful. This game is confusing enough already
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Jan 21, 2014 04:17
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