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 The human mind is fragile and doesn't always work the way we'd like. You're a Restorer at The Ether Institute, and your job is to heal Jean's mind by entering representations of her memories. You're to explore and her understand her past, confront and solve her troubles, and restore what has come apart. Game Stuff It's a first-person exploration puzzler/point and click from White Paper Games! Ether One is only a couple months old, I got it on PS+ last month and really loved it. It's also available for PC. Sorry friends, this isn't a comedy LP. I'll mostly be commenting quietly, very little overall. There are a couple mechanics I'll explain, and I'll explain puzzle solutions. Mostly I want the game to just speak for itself though. It doesn't need me. I just want to share it, hopefully that way it will find its way to more people who will like it! (In summary: videos will be slowly paced and chill.) Obviously I encourage anyone who enjoys these videos, and this type of game, to buy it for themselves and support the developers. I got it free on PS+ but I bought it fullprice on PC so I could do this! quote:This thread is a ZERO TOLERANCE SPOILER POLICY ZONE But this thread is also a I REALLY HOPE YOU DISCUSS STUFF ZONE If needed I can provide questions you could respond to, but it would be awesome if you found things in the videos you just felt like talking about! There's so much!                The end! skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 10:52 on Aug 23, 2015 |
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Jun 3, 2015 22:21
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RBA Starblade posted:I played it on PS+ too but abandoned it after a lot of bugs removing inventory items, several crashes, and the equivalent of a BSoD that you can't get past without restarting entirely. I'm amazed you got past all that! Or did you just try it on PS4 then get the PC version? I hear that one works fine. There was a patch! I think I was lucky to not pick it up til the last day or two. I did still hit two loadscreen freezes but I never trust auto saves if I don't have to, so I had a manual save I could step back to. Ps4 version also had some problems with subtitle pacing. StarkRavingMad posted:Oh thanks for doing this one. I started playing this and found the concept intriguing, but got lost in a mire of half finished puzzles and kind of lost my way. That's so appropriate!
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Jun 4, 2015 05:24
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fixelbrumpf posted:Is there an explanation as to why the developers decided to go with graphics that look like they time-warped in straight from 1999? One moment, I think they're really kind of charming and the next the period correct blurry textures put me off quite a bit. If I was playing & recording the game at 1080p, the game would be using its better textures. I tried recording at full resolution but I was having some issues, I think my computer can't handle running the game that high because I was getting some stuttering after 10 minutes or so. Regarding the bathroom- it's a wet room! Usually they are tiled. They're meant to be easier and more usable than an enclosed shower. Imagine how much easier it would be to give your dog a bath if the whole bathroom was the shower!
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Jun 14, 2015 21:16
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Aaaaanywho, It's interesting seeing the differences between the PS4 and the PC versions. They're all really minor things so far, but I can't figure out why they're different at all. For example, in the PS4 version you can pick up and take the loose gas masks. On PC you can't take the masks but you can take the kettle. The picnic items were slightly different between the two. On PS4 in the institute, there is an extra line from Phyllis when you find the 'employee fatalities' note about how they're warned to stay on the path but of course they bloody well don't- nothing like that in PC. Also on PS4 the projector in the office points in a different direction. Different posters/pictures on the walls here and there. I wonder if a puzzle solution might be different at some point?
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Jun 14, 2015 21:58
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I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so far! I'm reluctant to say much about my thoughts on the game, because I don't want to have an effect on your experience. Y'all will need to fill the conversational gap. There's a lot of stuff emerging in this update! The one major effect I'll probably be unable to avoid is that I'll be able to solve projectors straightaway- the normal experience is to bumble around the whole area discovering things randomly, trying various things and making mistakes, going back to check references, and being able to solve bits and pieces of puzzles asynchronously in kind of a jumble. It's suitable for the 'dementia' theme, but I think it would drag the videos down.
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Jun 20, 2015 11:46
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Kangra posted:This premise seems pretty similar to To the Moon (and even the terrain around the lighthouse bears a faint resemblance to it.) Although this does seem to have a bit more depth in its gameplay; I'm not sure yet if I really like it, but I kind of felt that way about To the Moon as well; in the end I wanted to like it more than I did. Random button push, typing mode is really clunky and I backspaced instead of cancelling out.
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Jun 20, 2015 22:29
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StarkRavingMad posted:Oh my god, I didn't get the period right when I tried to solve this part. Are you kidding me, game? As this video will show, game just gettin started That is a real quote from A.G. Bell, btw
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Jun 30, 2015 20:24
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Door puzzle was the first of the "so obvious I missed it" puzzles. OK here's a new update! Enjoy
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Jul 3, 2015 22:04
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Kangra posted:This is doing a nice job of showing her character both old and young. Really? I didn't question it. How old is rsvp and what would people have said before then?
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Jul 4, 2015 11:50
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AltaBrown posted:The writing has done a very good job of instilling a sense of unease about, and distrust of, the good Dr. Edmonds. Nonsense, we should have confidence in her take-charge attitude! We dont' want to be an 'incompetent individual' do we? I'm glad some people are enjoying this! It's kind of a niche game, but I just really like so much of it and want to share.
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Jul 4, 2015 18:31
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SSNeoman posted:Yeah, and note that the story of the knocker talks about a glowing rock. Nope I am going to avoid doing any kind of story analysis myself! Tho talking about what is in the supplementary materials at this point would probs be spoilers
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Jul 5, 2015 00:16
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Hi friends! The industrial area map is a little complicated, but you guy's don't have to worry about that. Again, normally you'd wander all over the place and then try and solve projectors as and when you can. I'm just makin this look easy! Lots of info about the mine, its workers, the culture in the industry, and That Incident in this area though... Yikes, Phyllis!
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Jul 9, 2015 20:01
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Oh neat! Thanks for the info, I tweeted it on. :]
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Jul 9, 2015 20:06
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azsedcf posted:I had a friend who's mom was getting a bit "forgetful" (as I was only 7ish at the time it made sense) and kept leaving notes like those around their house. I found out much later that it was early onset alzheimer's. Yes exactly, that took me a while to cotton onto when I was playing, maybe because I didn't have your experience. It made it a little heartbreaking every time I found another one. I'm really pleased people are enjoying the game so far! (And buying to play yourself, which really is the ideal experience.) There is still a ton of information to uncover, we're not even halfway through the game! Wait, did he really...? skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Jul 26, 2015 |
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Jul 26, 2015 18:00
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Good point about it being difficult to keep track of names. I really have no reason not to update more often, so I will pick up the pace. Thanks for getting started on a name/plot post! I can add that to the OP and if you guys want to update it as you learn more, awesome.  I'd like to let viewers figure out who is important and who isn't, but I can drop some directions now and then.I will say that most of the names are Pinwheel family units obviously, and you don't strictly need to keep close track to understand the main elements of the story, so if that isn't your thing, it's fine! The important names will keep coming up, and by the end of the game they spell out the critical plot points in case you hadn't got it already. (Except A. Bell, he was mentioned a lot but in reality he hardly lived in England, and invented all that stuff and probably even died before Jean was born, so what's he even doin in her memories like that?) But if you DO care to keep an eye on names, you can pick up some interesting information which isn't critical enough for the game to just tell you, but makes things more interesting. For example: We could now argue that Sean V. holds some responsibility for the mine disaster. If someone wants to try and explain how, you'll need the information in the recent video, and a newspaper article from Pinwheel harbor (I think it's the one in the post office)
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Jul 28, 2015 01:27
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I wondered that! It's fine, I'm not an accessory. This is virtual memory projection, not something crazy like time travel.
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Jul 28, 2015 21:50
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Aug 3, 2015 00:04
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I know the puzzle-only updates aren't super exciting , but boy howdy, some stuff sure does happen in this one. We're only a little more than halfway through! Do you guys want some discussion points or anything?
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Aug 8, 2015 19:44
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heh heh heh *rubs hands together* I didn't point it out in the video, but I want to reiterate that in order to see an item's title, you have to press a button on the kb/controller. Otherwise you just tramp around the game assuming that some things are what they look like and haven't got a special title at all. Sure, most of the time things are "lightbulb" but... They have said Jean's last name, it's Thornton. skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Aug 19, 2015 |
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Aug 8, 2015 21:15
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Keep em coming! The first half of the game spends most of its time confusing you, the second half it tries to start making sense. This one's a bit short- the next one's a bit long. Just how the timing worked out in editing.
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Aug 13, 2015 23:20
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azsedcf posted:At 7:37, the locker with the gas mask has a note in it, at the bottom. Probably not important, but what does it say? Oops! I will check and report back!
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Aug 15, 2015 18:56
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I'm aiming for 3 more updates over the next week and a half!
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Aug 16, 2015 23:20
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^^ Nope, I only needed one on the ps4 and pc. There's a couple differences between versions, but all minor. One correction to a post I made earlier, Jean's last name is Thornton, sorry. :] George is her dad. I keep getting Thornton and Thompson mixed up. The note I missed in the mine just says something like "stop using things that aren't the knocker hammers on the pipes, you're wrecking the pipes." It took me longer than I hoped to prepare and record this time, I'm not going to get an update out before I go to bed and my next two evenings (unless there's a cancellation) are gonna be taken up. To make up for the wait I will do my best to get the last 3 updates posted Saturday and Sunday. :]
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Aug 19, 2015 20:33
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Tonight's plans fell through so have an update! Some things start falling into place! I think it'll take 3 more videos to finish, but tbh work is about to get super busy so I'm still gonna try and get them all done and published this weekend. :]
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Aug 20, 2015 23:18
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JamieTheD posted:written by someone else who lived at Pinwheel? I'm not going to point it out in a video, so I can tell you that yes, the Grumpy Knocker is written by/related to someone from Pinwheel. The author's last name is Apostol, and an Apostol appears on the list of mine casualties. (When you see the credits you'll notice a lot of familiar last-names) One thing that does bother me is that the appointment for the doctor in Sean V's house is for "Vicki" but in the Wainwright house, the note says Sean's wife is Jacqui. I never figured out if they changed her name and messed up, or if Vicki is meant to be someone different- not being clear on what the appointment was for or why it's in the game doesn't help. My wild theory is that Sean had something on the side with Vicki, and she got a little something taken care of with the out-of-town doctor while she had the chance, and that would explain why Sean was so keen on spending May Day with his wife and getting her flowers and breakfast. That really doesn't sound like 1966 quaint English town though. skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Aug 21, 2015 |
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Aug 21, 2015 15:39
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It's strange how the town area feels empty and like there's not much to do, but actually it takes 3 updates to finish. Last video and ending video will be posted tomorrow!
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Aug 22, 2015 21:44
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There weren't really any puzzles to explain til halfway through! 
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Aug 23, 2015 00:11
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SSNeoman posted:Even worse is that it was probably written by the son of one of the miners who perished in the accident. You can't even really tell when it was written, because the visualization is based on fragmented memories. From the beginning of the game we've seen that there's no consistent date. It seems confusing, but I came to think of it as more true to how the mind works- a place may be associated with lots of different times and coexisting events, and that's just part of the fabric of that place, to the rememberer. The only major represented element that doesn't seem to fit is A. Bell- but I have some thoughts about why he's in memories he couldn't possibly have been. :]
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Aug 23, 2015 09:02
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Alright darlins, here we are at the end. Let's finish up with Pinwheel Village: And, when you feel ready, you can enter the final door: ========================================SPOILERS AHEAD========================================== ========================================SPOILERS AHEAD========================================== ========================================SPOILERS AHEAD========================================== I'm dyin to read your thoughts! Story? Game design? Experience? Questions?
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Aug 23, 2015 10:51
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