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I'll be honest, I googled it. That said he is an interesting historical figure.
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Feb 13, 2014 22:52
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Care to fill us in?
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Feb 13, 2014 22:55
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http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Schmidt_Otto.html He recieved three Orders of Lenin, two Orders of Red Banner, an Order of Red Star and several other medals.
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Feb 13, 2014 22:56
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Alright. Quick little preview for the next update. Good. Agabekov is clearly corrupt! Listen to me, Rukov. I represent people who are interested in truth. A rare commodity, like so many others. For a time I thought it would triumph, but you need only read the newspapers to see it is once more going out of fashion. Our press tends to hide the truth from us. Is there a way to indent the text on the bottom so it lines up with the text on the top?
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Feb 14, 2014 02:27
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bunnyofdoom posted:Care to fill us in? Deathwind posted:http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Schmidt_Otto.html Relevantly: quote:Apparently, some hardcore Communist parents named their children Oyushminald (an acronym of the phrase ‘Otto Schmidt on the ice floe’ in Russian), in reference to his Arctic expedition. Which is very obscure indeed!
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Feb 14, 2014 02:32
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red mammoth posted:Is there a way to indent the text on the bottom so it lines up with the text on the top? Other than that you're out of luck.
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Feb 14, 2014 03:13
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Xander77 posted:On an ice-float, yeah. Holy gently caress. ...gift him a copy of Papers, Please. That seems appropriate, somehow. (Also, you can get it for only $7.99 - a 20% discount, and less expensive than an avatar!)
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Feb 14, 2014 08:31
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I cheated and googled it, there's no reason I should get anything.
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Feb 14, 2014 13:03
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I don't think I would have ever checked this LP if someone... who I can't remember now, hadn't linked it in the... Well my memory is poo poo, but somebody linked it somewhere, and I'm glad I checked the thread out. Once I got past my gut-reaction of "Wow, this game is obscure as gently caress, and looks pretty bizarre," the sheer amount of  at the end of the first chapter really reeled me in, and I'm a sucker for Soviet-era history, so thanks for the hard work, red mammoth.
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Feb 14, 2014 15:56
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Llab posted:I don't think I would have ever checked this LP if someone... who I can't remember now, hadn't linked it in the... Well my memory is poo poo, but somebody linked it somewhere, and I'm glad I checked the thread out. Once I got past my gut-reaction of "Wow, this game is obscure as gently caress, and looks pretty bizarre," the sheer amount of  It [might have been] me, Llab! It was me (in Bobbin's LP with the candlestick), Llab! It was (possibly) me all along, Llab!
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Feb 14, 2014 19:24
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Update 21 – Inside Cut-throat 6:55 PM   Whew. Got here just in time.Inspect the phone booth  Nothing suspicious about this booth. Good to know. Now, the mysterious caller said that I would meet my contact in the alleyway behind the hotel. I'll head there now. Inspect the alley Doesn't smell too good. I hope I don't have to wait here too long.7:00 PM    Inspect the shadowy figure It's a man whose coat collar is turned up. The brim of his hat hides his face. He keeps to the shadows, one hand in his coat pocket. Cut-throat.  You read too many spy novels. Cut-throat. We give our ID to him, like the phone call instructed.  Just the remains of a Cuban cigar. Mm. You know that Agabekov never buys cigars. It would be interesting to know who offered it to him. Find that out. You've been clever so far. You were supposed to get some information. You'd better not lie to me; I know most of the answers already. Is he really quizzing me on this? Mechulaiev and Savchenko. Yak. Yak? What the hell can I do with a nickname? What's the full name? Yakuchev. Yakuchev, eh? That name's not unknown to me. I'll see what I can find out about him. Viktor Matsnev handles the transport of the tapes tomorrow. Crack. Viktor Matsnev, whoever he is, takes out the tapes and brings in the drugs. (Another dialogue option is Obukov. Not sure who Renko is.) Agabekov. Good. Agabekov is clearly corrupt! Listen to me, Rukov. I represent people who are interested in truth. A rare commodity, like so many others. For a time I thought it would triumph, but you need only read the newspapers to see it is once more going out of fashion. Our press tends to hide the truth from us. You, it would appear, are going to discover it; tomorrow will tell us that. I don't know precisely what your mission is, but I will answer any questions if I can. One more thing, captain: make no attempt to follow me or discover my identity. Any questions? Are any members of Department 7 involved in criminal activities? If every corrupt KGB officer were fired, there would remain very little of the service! The problem is state security surely. Some corruption may be tolerated. What must be stopped is any attempt to destabilize the Soviet Union. Is it more important to arrest a drunken driver or a psychopath? Both are guilty, but one is more dangerous. Use your head! Is it true that Kusnetsov is a criminal? He may abuse his position for personal profit. Who doesn't? Are any of the foreign intelligence agencies unusually active? I have heard of a female CIA officer. Her objectives have not yet been understood. She has only recently been reported to our service. I know nothing more about her. Why is Drobnitsa considered unenthusiastic? Drobnitsa appears to have no privileged relations with either Kusnetsov or Agabekov. He has no private allegiances we know of and therefore enjoys no protection. Our knowledge of him goes no further. You wouldn't happen to have a cigar? I dislike cigars. What exactly is Chapkin's interest in Mechulaiev's gang? That is of no interest. He and Kusnetsov may be dishonest but they're under control and are not considered a threat. Any links they have with criminals need to be monitored, naturally, but are of no importance. I cannot stay much longer. Have you more questions? Why is Agabekov in contact with Mechulaiev's gang? I don't know. Any such links should be closely monitored. Agabekov's attitude is not to our liking. His activities have up to now escaped our surveillance. Why do you suspect Agabekov? It is not necessary for you to know. Simply stated, he may represent forces against whom my group is currently engaged. I must go. I can answer one more question. Why did you contact me? What does your group want? We believe that the Soviet Union can be saved, in spite of the present situation. This can only be achieved, however, by maintaining a sufficient degree of balance between opposing factions at the policy-making level. Intelligence must be objectively gathered and objectively forwarded. Your mission happens to concern, albeit indirectly, certain members of Department 7. It so happens that Agabekov interests us. We would advise you to monitor his activities. It seems he may be in contact with foreign spies who favor destabilizing the Kremlin. We've talked long enough. Look for me here at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll inquire into Yakuchev. You try and learn about Matsnev. Oh, one more thing; we are interested in any information you might learn concerning something called “NEW BIRTH”.With that, he leaves.  I don't trust Cut-throat. It's true that Agabekov is involved in some nasty business, but so is Chapkin. Cut-throat seemed a little quick to underplay that. Maybe he works for Kusnetsov. Still, I'll try to gather information for him. We go back to our apartment.   My handler will be here in a while. Nothing to do but wait...7:30 PM    
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Feb 14, 2014 19:27
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This game is interesting to follow along with and the info about russia during the cold war is also interesting.
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Feb 14, 2014 19:27
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Clearly this tale of conspiracies, official corruption, snuff pornos, and hard drug smuggling wasn't complicated enough.
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Feb 14, 2014 19:36
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When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a dead body in his hand, right?
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Feb 14, 2014 19:53
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Ilanin posted:When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a dead body in his hand, right? You've got some big hands.
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Feb 14, 2014 20:03
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Comrade Chandler had laudable views on the robber barons of late-stage capitalism, did he not? His opinions on dramatic pacing are to be respected. Anyway, I can only imagine the repetition of "Renko" is a reference to Arkady Renko, Muscovite detective of Gorky Park (and a series of sequels) fame.
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Feb 14, 2014 20:54
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I saw you link this thread in Bobbin's Deus Ex LP, Xander. Thanks a ton. Calling Department P We go into the phone booth and call home.  This is an answering machine. State your full name and address clearly. You will be contacted at the appropriate time. Remember, comrade, the enemy is everywhere! Speak... Glory to the party!  If you threaten Cut-throat when you first talk to him, you get a single answer wrong, or you say you don't know an answer:  If you say you found nothing in Agabekov's office: Your lack of zeal means I can't trust you, Rukov. We particularly counted on your discovering something to compromise Agabekov. Sorry.If you try to attack Cut-throat:  If you wait too long (half an hour or so past the meeting time) before meeting with Cut-throat:   
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Feb 14, 2014 23:59
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Xander77 posted:
Aw sonofabitch! (thank you for the hard work you're putting into your posts, keep it up!)
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Feb 15, 2014 02:01
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Silenced revolver? Someone's old fashioned.
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Feb 15, 2014 06:52
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Ensign Expendable posted:Silenced revolver? Someone's old fashioned. I'm pretty sure that's not even possible. Also, this plot just coughed up another plot twist.
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Feb 15, 2014 07:25
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Ensign Expendable posted:Silenced revolver? Someone's old fashioned. This was actually A Thing. The M1895 had a very strange design where the cylinder cammed forward when firing to allow the case to seal with the forcing cone of the barrel, which enabled it to be suppressed fairly easily. edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvF4yurWSc0
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Feb 15, 2014 07:27
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I presume it's completely possible to simply leave the KGB office without looking for the cigar, right? Which means you're totally able to do a full day of dead-man-walking gameplay because Cut-throat is going to kill you for not knowing that in the evening. I'm gonna call that another BS dead end because the game still has not really explained why that's significant at all, beyond Cut-throat's mention that Agabekov isn't a fan of cigars. Which you would have had no way of knowing walking into that office, unless my memory's faulty.
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Feb 15, 2014 07:51
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I won't touch on the "New Birth" thing, for obvious reasons so... how about that welcome we got when we came to Leningrad? I'm not entirely sure that's how an actual internal affairs investigator would have been greeted, but the rivalry between the cities - and representatives of the same organizations with those cities - is very much a thing. Kinda like a stereotypical movie sheriff would welcome an FBI agent moving onto his turf, only worse. You probably know that Leningrad (or rather, Saint Petersburg) (Or rather, Petrograd) was Russia's capital up until 1917 (or up until a year or two after 1917, who cares). According to some people, that was the very moment that Soviet Russia started going downhill (because things were go ever so well until that point). Leningrad communists, while not belonging to the actual ruling elite which resided in Moscow, always took justifiable pride in being the spear-point of the revolution, and were independent to a fault. Stalin had to organize Kirov's assassination in order to break down and purge the Leningrad party. Despite everything that Here, have a bit of pretentious wankery on the subject. Despite all other indications, I assure you that it is quite entirely in earnest.
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Feb 15, 2014 13:52
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I thought Kirov's assassination remained something of a mystery? I mean, Stalin is obviously the prime suspect, but just assuming that he did it seems uncautious.
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Feb 15, 2014 14:00
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Coolguye posted:I presume it's completely possible to simply leave the KGB office without looking for the cigar, right? Which means you're totally able to do a full day of dead-man-walking gameplay because Cut-throat is going to kill you for not knowing that in the evening. It isn't that bad: apparently Rukov can mention that he smelled smoke in the office even though you didn't find the remains in the wastebasket.
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Feb 15, 2014 16:01
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V. Illych L. posted:I thought Kirov's assassination remained something of a mystery? I mean, Stalin is obviously the prime suspect, but just assuming that he did it seems uncautious. We'll probably never be able to say with any certainty, but it's very hard to imagine that, for example, Yagoda would have ordered the assassination on his own initiative, so all fingers do point towards Stalin, I don't think it is unfair to lay the blame at his feet. Forgot to write about the latest update, oops! Intriguing ending there, with (presumably) Cut-throat's corpse being dragged into your room. I'm looking forward to answers, although often with this game, fitting to the nature of the KGB I suppose, answers just lead to more questions. forkboy84 fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Feb 15, 2014 |
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Feb 15, 2014 16:06
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forkboy84 posted:Forgot to write about the latest update, oops! Intriguing ending there, with (presumably) Cut-throat's corpse being dragged into your room. It's not Cut-throat, just some guy with a similar outfit. Note the blue trousers (compared to Cut-throat's grey ones) and the green stripe on the hat.
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Feb 15, 2014 16:12
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Kopijeger posted:It's not Cut-throat, just some guy with a similar outfit. Note the blue trousers (compared to Cut-throat's grey ones) and the green stripe on the hat. Ah, you're right. I'm really glad I'm just the spectator in this game because these are the details that I miss every time. Well spotted.
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Feb 15, 2014 16:33
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V. Illych L. posted:I thought Kirov's assassination remained something of a mystery? I mean, Stalin is obviously the prime suspect, but just assuming that he did it seems uncautious.
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Feb 15, 2014 16:35
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Haha, just saying. Someone as popular as Kirov will have had his enemies, not just Stalin. I've read an interpretation to the effect that the assassination was a significant contributor to Stalin's ongoing psychotic paranoia, for instance. Of course, Stalin is by far the most likely candidate, and it does fit his MO (and certainly used it to terrifying effect), but simply taking it for granted that he ordered it rules out some potentially fruitful analyses of the man himself and the society they lived in.
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Feb 15, 2014 16:41
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Steak Flavored Gum posted:This was actually A Thing. The M1895 had a very strange design where the cylinder cammed forward when firing to allow the case to seal with the forcing cone of the barrel, which enabled it to be suppressed fairly easily. I know. My point was that the Nagant is ridiculously obsolete come 1980-whatever that the game is set in. You'd think that all shadowy figures would be upgraded to at least a Makarov.
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Feb 15, 2014 20:28
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Ensign Expendable posted:I know. My point was that the Nagant is ridiculously obsolete come 1980-whatever that the game is set in. You'd think that all shadowy figures would be upgraded to at least a Makarov. I'm not sure if the West knew about the existence of the PB at the time this game came out, or at least if that information was open source intelligence. Also, from what little we know of it now, it seemed to have seen little use outside of special groups of the KGB and a few other organizations, whereas the Nagant was (and still is, in some bizarre cases) widely deployed. I may have missed it, but I don't think we know anything about Cut-Throat's background or who he works for?
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Feb 15, 2014 20:47
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It might be an inadequate translation from French, but Cut-throat should probably have access to either a PB or a PSS. Though it might be fairly clever way of creating plausible deniability in-universe: Verto had a Nagant because someone like him would have easier access to a widespread weapon issued to railroad workers than to more modern stuff, and Cut-throat has one because using a more modern weapon would out him as a security service agent. And it's still the 16th of August 1991 in-game. Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Feb 15, 2014 |
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Feb 15, 2014 21:51
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Again, you're assuming that knowledge of the existence of these guns was actually public in the West in 1992. Also you're presuming that they were widely available, which they most certainly were not. The PSS is extremely rare and we don't know if it was ever actually used. The PB also seems to have been fairly rare, although that definitely has been fielded. Compare with the millions of Nagant revolvers that were produced and the relative ease of suppressing them, and a suppressed Nagant becomes much much more plausible than higher-tech toys which would've been reserved for extreme cases.
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Feb 15, 2014 22:14
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Xander77 posted:Edit - Also, countries are not "bourgeois" any more than they are proletarian. That's not what those words mean. I've seen the term used like that in some Soviet material: for example, I once consulted the 1973 edition of Ozhegov's "Slovar' russkogo yazyka". On the very first page the definition of "абсентеизм" included the phrase "в буржуазных странах" (in the 2005 edition in my possession the phrase is absent from the definition). Googling the phrase also turned up this and this. The point is, there was definitely a practice of labelling countries "bourgeois". My usage was intended as an ironic reference to this usage of the term.
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Feb 15, 2014 22:19
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I've seen "bourgeois" used to refer to countries to differentiate them from the same country as a part of the USSR. For example, pre-1940 Estonia would be called "bourgeois Estonia".
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Feb 15, 2014 23:40
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Considering how big a part guns have played in this game (read: a very tiny part), I think it's a stretch to think that the writer even had a very clear idea in his head what silenced revolver Cut-throat is carrying. He probably was just like "Silenced revolvers exist right? Okay cool. Silenced revolvers are cool. Cut-throat is cool, so therefore he's going to use a cool weapon." On an unrelated note, Ensign Expendable needs to post more as his avatar will never not be funny.
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Feb 16, 2014 00:08
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Coolguye posted:On an unrelated note, Ensign Expendable needs to post more as his avatar will never not be funny.
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Feb 16, 2014 00:12
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I'm not smart enough to make those sorts of jokes, but the beautiful thing about puns is that they exist whether the speaker intended them or not! So in conclusion, dongwater.
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Feb 16, 2014 00:16
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Xander77 posted:Is that a take on "The Motherland calls" or am I just imagining puns where none exist? It's a painting by this guy. 
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Feb 16, 2014 01:59
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