|
Ragthyme posted:I'm sorry you feel that way, but I believe in equal opportunity among scaling algorithms. Sorry, I did mention actually that you need to do resize in two steps, first do nearest neighbour 320x200 -> 640x400 and then a normal resample from 640x400 to 640x480. I can see now that you didn't do that, based on the fax pictures which are full of text. The problem with doing straight NN 320x200 -> 640x480 is among other things that text gets very uneven with some lines doubled and some not. I apologise I wasn't clear enough and didn't check far back enough to see this--it's more difficult to see on digitised pictures.
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2015 17:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:00 |
|
|
ivantod posted:The problem with doing straight NN 320x200 -> 640x480 is among other things that text gets very uneven with some lines doubled and some not. This is exactly what I was talking about. See the cyan numbers here, they look very uneven:  In the originally suggested example, those would be even, if a bit blurry vertically. Pierzak fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Jul 22, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2015 17:52
|
|
|
Somehow, I doubt Mr. Dull will be any more helpful than Mr. Wiener. Let's skip him and go straight to Carl Linsky's Lab.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2015 22:48
|
|
|
ivantod posted:Sorry, I did mention actually that you need to do resize in two steps, first do nearest neighbour 320x200 -> 640x400 and then a normal resample from 640x400 to 640x480. Pierzak posted:This is exactly what I was talking about. The funny thing is that I did follow your instructions. The reason why the final product didn't turn out as intended is because I used the quick-select option in my image editing program to choose the scaling algorithm instead of entering the image scaling menu from the toolbar. In said menu is a helpful note that reads "Indexed color layers are always scaled without interpolation". All of the images are indexed by default. Christ. Anyway, sorry this has turned into amateur hour; Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Jul 23, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2015 23:58
|
|
|
Hmm. The MTC seems to be shut up tighter than a drum, but we might find a lead at the secret lab.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2015 20:24
|
|
|
Update 6 - Even in Death You Can't Escape Tex Murphy It's been awhile, but we've made it to the next update. We're leaving Mr. Dull for another time and heading over to Carl Linsky's home-away-from-home where we'll hopefully find something out about something. PI work doesn't offer us any promises of reward, but it's a living.  Here we are sitting outside Linsky's warehouse, the only warehouse for miles. I'd like to let Tex stare off into the blood red skies of San Francisco, dreaming of a life with Miss Linsky built upon her late father's insurance money, but we have work to do.  Work that includes shooting these men that roam the streets with tommy guns until they disintegrate.  Our work isn't complete until the streets of San Francisco are littered with the pieces of all who stand between us and the truth. Thankfully, it still isn't too difficult to slaughter our way across two screens of dudes. Even if we're hit during one of the segments, our health doesn't carry over, and so the only way to lose is to forget you can press ESC to bail out at any time before trying again.   Looming in the doorway, we can see that this place looks more like an office than a lab. There aren't even any test tubes! There's just a computer and a weird robot in the corner. Also that orange thing is a forklift, but Tex never mentions why it's covered in red goo.  Turning to our right, Tex's left, we take a moment to rub our face right up on the crates piled here. You never know what evidence the wood grain will hold.  Evidence such as oil, and a desk key. I'm not sure what the oil is for, but that goes for a lot of the items Tex puts in his pockets.  The invisible storage shelf holds wonders such as that which have never before been witnessed by mortal eyes. Fortunately, it's the adhesive kind and not another music cassette with some man screaming.  Must be some new brand. Tex can't/won't pick it up because "there isn't any point to" but the number of uses a piece of tape can have in any adventure game is endless, so I can't agree. However, leaning up against the crates is a step ladder, so we make sure to grab that before moving to the next zone.  The rust bucket that looks suspiciously like a trash can is apparently some high-tech science mumbo jumbo. I guess by the name Linsky used it to process psychic powers - what a quack.  On the crates nearby sits a box of bullets. We still have over three hundred at our disposal, but a few more couldn't hurt, us, anyway. Linsky evidently didn't have any use for them.  Now this workstation has to have something important on it somewhere. There are monitors everywhere after all, including at least three around Tex's knees for some reason.  But first, let's look at that enormous news paper lying on the floor over there. Linsky probably spilled his coffee and ran out of rags, but that doesn't mean it's entirely useless trash.  Seems like scientists in general were having a rough time lately, not just Linsky.  Once again, there's a message waiting in the fax machine. Waiting for someone other than us, but we got here first and the only person it could be for is no longer on this plane of existence.  So, S.F. finally saw fit to spell out his full name. Now we ought to have no trouble finding the guy, assuming whoever was on to Carl hasn't also taken care of Fletcher. But enough messing around, this computer over here is the reason we worked our way over to this zone, so it's about time we took a look at it.  Oh. Okay. Yeah, we'll come back with that passcard then.  Maybe there's a passcard among all this junk masquerading as an office.  Tex is not only a PI, but also a decent appraiser of valuables. I guess the two go hand-in-hand? Something tells me picking up everything in sight while on a case in the hopes of selling it isn't new to Tex as a character.  Speaking of PIs, it looks like Sonny Fletcher was competition. Why'd Linsky choose to hire him over us, huh? What's so great about "Sonny Fletcher"?  Whatever. Fletcher obviously wasn't too great, because now we're here, and we were hired by Miss Linsky, not some old man. The old man kept a pretty eclectic assortment of medical supplies as well. Does this count as a ye olde version of product placement?  Are these even a thing that existed ever in the history of mankind? I really hope not, because that's disgusting.  However, there is a prize inside the can in the form of a passcard! Coincidentally the very thing we were looking for. I guess Linsky chose to hide it here because he knew no one would ever want to eat band-aids.  I too remember the long-ago days of 2011. I don't remember needing to take radiation pills, but I guess that just makes me a hideous mutant.  For having such a sunny picture, this is a very ominous calendar. It also leaves me wondering if the game has an actual time limit. If it does, it isn't a very demanding one.  Since we found the file cabinet key back at Linsky's home, we can use it to open the file cabinet here. It's good that we did find it too, because this is a list of three whole names to follow up on.  Now that we've got the passcard, this computer has no choice but to answer all of our questions.   ...of course we need a password. When we last ransacked Linsky's home, we found a message from Fletcher that listed scrambled Nexus passwords. Given the label on the machine, I think we can safely assume this is a nexus. Since decoding the words themselves is beyond baby-mode, and not all of them are used, I'm just going to input the passwords as we need them. We already have a good number of clues that told us which password to use for this machine, but first let's do things the Tex Murphy way and just input random ones.  Or we could just stay and play pong. Although, something tells me that this computer isn't just for that, and we ought to get on with our investigation and put in the right password.  If you don't remember the missing bishop from Linsky's chessboard back at his house, I hope you at least remember the "Blue-Bishop" tape indicating that the password, bishop, is for the blue passcard. The first time I played this, I didn't remember, and I honestly thought that Blue-Bishop was a brand.     I think we officially have gotten into more than we agreed to. We also have a side objective: collecting all the nexus passcards & passwords. I mean, we don't have to, apparently the deadly side effects of "overlord" only affect scientists, so we should be safe.  Safe as in this safe to the left of Linsky's warehouse-office. Much to our dismay, there's no money to be found in this one, only yet another indication that Carl had a life insurance policy set to dole out cash to his daughter. The game really wants you to find out about this somehow.  Behind the safe is a box fort better described as a box citadel, and because we've been lugging around that step ladder we found at the beginning of this update the entire time, we can reach its lofty heights and pull down a souvenir from the gods.  It's a very expensive old lamp (genie not included).  Treasure and information acquired, there's nothing more to do here. Nothing apart from death and pain. I'm being literal, there's a single way to die, and two serious injuries you can inflict on Tex in this one room. I'll be saving the lot for a bonus update since right now we need Tex in one piece to solve this case. Here's the updated to-do list:
Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Jul 27, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2015 01:55
|
|
|
Project Overlord sounds like a project name I'd come up with. It sounds insidious, but it is in reality a project to determine the exact time to boil an egg. With this extra time liberated from waiting around for eggs to boil, I can channel it into creating my own robot suit to dominate the world.  I'm sure it's nothing spectacular though. So hey let's go talk to someone interesting. I'm sure a guy named Peter Dull has bounties of interesting stories. A man with a name like that is obviously someone who lives in excitement.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2015 04:12
|
|
|
Let's find out what Sonny Fletcher knows. I'm sure he'll be willing to talk to a fellow member of the brotherhood of private investigators.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2015 21:19
|
|
|
Yeah, compare notes with a brother Shamus in Sonny Fletcher.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2015 21:58
|
|
|
Update 7 - The Most Boring Man Alive/Exchanging Leads Since no one decided/everyone forgot to change their vote, we're taking an exciting trip to Carl's insurance provider in this update. Following that, we'll be travelling all the way to L.A. to check on our  ...but I digress. Here we are at the lovely bright cyan insurance company where Sylvia Linsky's arch-nemesis, Peter Dull, works. A sinister man and borderline criminal mastermind who refuses to give Miss Linsky her promised 1,000,000 dollars because he's likely using it to finance some horrific doomsday device. We've got to be on our toes here.    It looks like he's close to putting himself to sleep too.  : "Can I help you?" : "We'll see. I'm here on behalf of Sylvia Linsky; I've been hired to investigate the nature of her father's death.": "Sylvia Linsky demanded that her father's insurance be paid, but the policy becomes void in the case of a suicide. I told her we were sorry, but nothing could be done. She screamed 'We'll see about that.' and stomed out of my office.": "You're not here to make a similar scene, are you?": "No... at least not if you can tell me what you know about Carl Linsky.": "Mr. Linsky had taken an insurance policy out on himself in July. The amount of the policy was 1,000,000 dollars. As you are certainly aware, policies that, in the event of a suicide, the policy is null and void." : "Right. That's all I need to know for now, but I've got my eye on you, Dull.": "Please leave my office."Success Dull couldn't tell us anything more than we've already gathered about Linsky's insurance policy (given we found the actual policy in a safe in his lab), but I guess the argument he described between himself and Miss Linsky is what ultimately lead us to being hired. Maybe Dull isn't such a bad guy after all if he sends us work. Anyway, we've got to make some progress in our case, and all signs point to fellow-detective Sonny Fletcher - probably the last person to talk to Carl Linsky when he was alive. Of course, Fletcher is in hiding after faxing Linsky a warning message some time ago, so we'll have to call upon Lee Chin if we ever want to find him.  Seedy, run-down apartments are the natural habitat of PIs. This guy must be the real deal.        : "I'm here for information on Carl Linsky. Nevermind how I found you, or the likelihood that anyone who wants you dead followed me." : "No way - I've got nothing to say." Sonny's the second character we've come across that won't give us information for free. Unfortunately, we can't bribe him in punches, because we're actually pretty wimpy. Luckily, as a PI ourselves, we know the one weakness of detectives is money. : "You look like you have something to say for 500 dollars.": "Thanks buddy, I'll tell ya what I know.": "Linsky hired me to check out a corporation called MTC. He had been hired to do research into increasing a person's mental abilities. As the work progressed however, he realized they had different intentions. When I started my investigation into MTC, I received threats on my life and was even shot a few times. I tried to warn the Professor, but it was too late. I think they iced him, but I have no idea how they did it. If you want more information on MTC, check with Wanda Peck.": "I've heard a lot about MTC Corp while asking around about Linsky. Tell me what you know about them." : "No way, they'd find out how you got your information, and I'd wind up floating in the bay.": "Floating in the bay with another 500 dollars.": "...MTC is the Management Training Center for Gideon. It's a small facility where Gideon personnel attend training seminars. Then about a year ago, MTC started hiring scientists. Most employees were not even aware this was going on. Rumor has it that the scientists were hired to work on a secret project called OVERLORD.": "Thanks. Now where can I find Wanda Peck?": "Why would I tell you?": "Because 300 dollars.": "You'll find her at the San Francisco Chronicle at (NC 4621).": "That's all I need to know, thanks Fletcher.": "Pay up or get out." What a charming guy. Now we're a few hundreds of dollars lighter, but we do have a 10,000 dollar budget to start with, and we can always pawn our hoard of treasure if we need to. At the very least, Fletcher pointed us to Wanda Peck, a reporter who apparently knows quite a bit about MTC and this project "OVERLORD". Because no one voted for a third thing to do, I opted for Investigate Cal Davis' death. This meant calling Vanessa, who faxes us a copy of an article about the subject:   "He never drank poison before!" Really? You don't say? Anyway, the article contains the late Cal Davis' address. I'd call it a privacy issue, but I suppose if he's dead he wouldn't care too much about the possibility of strangers visiting his home. Even if he did, it wouldn't offer any protection from PIs. Your secrets are never safe. The article also gives us the names Smiley Monroe and Aaron Sternwood, either one of whom might know more about Cal Davis. However, that's all for this update, so for now, they'll just be added to the options for next time:
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 02:29
|
|
|
Since all we know about Cal Davis's death comes from the media and that is about as trustworthy as Scumlord Bash Dagot. I think it's time for us to investigate Cal Davis's death ourselves.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 11:49
|
|
|
"Although Diet Coke and Cyanide have some similar properties, the main ingredient of cyanide is toxic and killed Mr. Davis within minutes." Stop being snarky, AP headlines. This is actually very serious. But now that the Doc's gone...how about we check the Santa Barbara home? Maybe put in a bid on it too?
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 15:53
|
|
|
Before we investigate MTC, we should probably get more information about it. Let's see what Wanda Peck has to say.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 17:15
|
|
|
Wanda Peck, if she's as greedy for cash as the detective was, might as well tackle her first and work out our expenses so we know how desperate to be when it comes to looting those locations owned by all the murder victims we can visit next.
|
|
#
?
Aug 3, 2015 22:07
|
|
|
Let's talk to Aaron Sternwood. He might have some idea what Davis was working on or if Davis had been acting strangely lately.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2015 00:34
|
|
|
Sternwood will probably be able to tell us which chess term was the OVERLORD password, and then let's follow up with Wanda Peck.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2015 22:05
|
|
|
Update 8 - Following the Trail of Dead Scientists Sorry for the slight delay but here we are in Update 8, hot on the trail of the circumstances behind Carl Linsky's mysterious death. Previously, we found out that Linsky was only the latest in a string of local suicides and accidental deaths, with scientist Cal Davis having been found dead in his lab just weeks before after supposedly accidentally ingesting cyanide. In addition, Linsky's former hired PI, Sonny Fletcher, pointed us to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Wanda Peck, indicating that she might know more about MTC Corp, Carl's former employer, and what part the company might have had in his untimely demise.     : "And what brings you here, Tex?": "I've got a potential murder case on my hands, Wanda. Does the name 'Carl Linsky' ring any bells?" : "Oh, he was that Professor at San Francisco University. Killed himself last week.": "That Professor was also recently employed by MTC Corp, which I've heard you might know more about.": "Well, MTC really stands for 'Management Through Control'. The Management Training Center is just a front for a project called OVERLORD.": "What exactly is Overlord?": "OVERLORD? Ya, Larry Hammond wanted me to do some research on that. The Overlord project was developed 50 years ago in England. Scientists began work on a mental ability booster. The experiment involved increasing a person's mental capacity by connecting his brain directly to a computer. Several scientists tried the experiment on themselves, and at first it worked. By stimulating untapped areas of the mind, they increased their IQs by 15-25%. But they also found they were extremely susceptible to suggestion. Commands given through the computer would be followed without question. The experimentation became more and more radical. Many of the scientists developed severe cases of psychosis. Some committed suicide, and others died under mysterious circumstances.": "Seems like an extremely invasive procedure for just 15-20% on a particular rating scale. Anyway, tell me about your friend Larry Hammond.": "He is a brilliant computer specialist who has done some work for MTC Corp. He was concerned about some MTC project. Ask a guy named Ron Meat where to find him.": ". . . but where can I find this Ron Meat?": "The guy's real paranoid. He never stays in one place for very long. You'll have to check with your sources to find him.": "Thanks, Wanda."After that waterfall of information on MTC and its project, I think we can now say for certain that Linsky's death was suspicious at best. Combined with the autopsy report we received from John Richards earlier in the LP indicating that Linsky had an old surgical scar on the back of his head, and the reports of erratic behavior by Delores Linsky, the plot is rapidly meeting up with its sci-fi setting. Before we make any hasty conclusions, we need to find Larry Hammond and discover the connection between MTC's project Overlord and the disappearing/dying scientists. However, first we'll be taking a detour to investigate Cal Davis' accidental death, since his case fell into our lap and we heard vague reports that he whispered something about chess before he died. A term which Aaron Sternwood now knows, and a term that we need to invade a dead man's personal files should we ever find the computer that contains them and the pass card that unlocks it. To find Sternwood, we called in on Vanessa . . .  . . . and it looks like she has no idea where Sternwood is, but the Santa Barbara police do. There's a chance Lee Chin could tell us Sternwood's exact location, but it's just as likely that we'd get the same answer and lose another few hundred dollars for nothing. Taking that into consideration, it's likely more economical to just talk to this Smiley Monroe character first and find out everything the Santa Barbara police know about Cal Davis.     The friendliest man.  : "Hello! Sit down, tell me what I can do for your investigation.": "You could start with anything you know about Cal Davis. He was a scientist - died of accidental poisoning a few weeks back." : "My memory is a little hazy. Maybe a consulting fee would clear my head.": "And here I thought you were an honest officer of the law, Smiley, not a crook.": "I'm a decent guy just trying to make a living. I know honesty pays, but not quite enough to suit me.": "$500's enough, right?": "The investigation verified that Cal Davis (NC 3720) accidentally killed himself, with a hazardous chemical. It appears that instead of drinking his Coke he took a mouthful of cyanide 631. The emergency call came in from an Aaron Sternwood, a friend of the victim. Sternwood said he mumbled something about chess and then died. When I found him, his face had the distinct bluish tinge of cyanosis. There was no evidence of foul play.": "I'd like to talk with Sternwood; where can I find him?": ". . .": "Okay. I'm offering no more than $300.": "Thanks! He hangs out (literally) at the beach near Santa Barbara (NC 0439). Prepare yourself. He's not a pretty site."What does that even mean. Right, well we didn't manage to save any money, but we were reminded of Cal Davis' home/lab. We ought to take some time in the future to check out the crime scene, but for now we'll be meeting with Aaron Sternwood to hear his story.    : "Yes?": "Aaron Sternwood? You were the last person to see Cal Davis alive, right?": "Cal Davis was a good friend of mine. We were going out that night, and I was supposed to meet him at his house. When I got there, I rang the bell, but no one answered. When I found him in his lab, he had his hands around his neck and he mumbled "checkmate". I have no idea what he meant by that. The Police think he accidentally poisoned himself, but I can't believe it. He was always very careful around his chemicals.": "Did Davis have a passcard he kept around the lab?": "Cal kept a computer passcard in a small box near the ape cage.": ". . . ape cage?": "You're going to the lab, right? You'll see when you get there."Can't wait. That's the end of this Update. As always, here's our trusty list of leads:
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2015 03:11
|
|
|
I wanna see the ape cage! Let's go to Cal Davis' lab.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2015 21:52
|
|
|
Let's find Larry Hammond and see what he knows.
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2015 23:19
|
|
|
We got lots of meat on this Cal Davis fellow. Might be best to check his apartment now.
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2015 17:28
|
|
|
Of course, nobody's going to believe some crackpot reporter from a local news rag. Hmm. I suppose we should follow up with Cal Davis's digs..
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2015 08:33
|
|
|
Update 9 - The Scene of the [Other] Crime Welcome back to the LP that updates whenever I feel like it, this time we're taking a trip to the late Cal Davis' residence/workshop, where we'll hopefully find more information on why all the top scientists in California are dropping like flies and, better yet, how to prove whodunit to the insurance agency so   Stealth really isn't our strong suit which wouldn't be too much of an issue if the door hadn't shut behind us, locking us inside. Since we can't leave, we might as well turn off that alarm before the police get here and give us a resounding pat on the back for all the great work we do for them.  We're just going to ignore the blood-stained chalk outline, creepy formless shape in the cage, and all this other weird scientist junk for a moment.  To get to the switch to turn off the alarm, we've got to move part of this wall of dead rats in cages. I'm sure they all died of natural causes, in that naturally most things would die after being left for weeks without food or water.  As soon as we flip the switch, the countdown in the upper right freezes and every police officer in the district forgets to do their job. It also makes my job difficult, as I have to explore the room in one take or else show that I'm bad at video games.  I'm really bad at video games. Anyway, there's a thing in this rat cage other than dead rats and despair; let's open it!  Finally, we have the tool to get that completely useless (and ludicrously valuable) statue from Carl Linsky's apartment that we need.  But that's enough of digging through mounds of dead rats, let's check out Cal Davis' workbench. By the looks of it, this is where the fatal mistake was made.  Before we check out the items on top of the counter, we're going to delve deeper into its inner reaches - that is, I'm opening the drawer.  Oh hey, it's that password we already know. Good thing Aaron Sternwood already told us what it is in the last update. Unscrambling a word this long would've taken far too much of our precious time.  Unfortunately, we can't interact with that smug skeleton in the corner there, but we can handle all this potentially dangerous scientific equipment with our bare hands.  Ah yes, Hazardous Chemical, the most dangerous chemical known to mankind. We could taste test it to find out exactly what chemical it actually is (hint: it's cyanide), but it'd be our first and last experiment. Besides, Davis' diet soda is still here if thirst is really an issue.  It has also been sitting open for weeks in a dingy dungeon, but I suppose we had to test whether or not it was poisoned somehow and something tells me Tex doesn't have access to any other means of detecting poison.  Anyway, what's a dungeon without prisoner   So it seems Cal wasn't just experimenting on rats and somehow roped Magilla Gorilla here into his wild and crazy pursuits. We could release the ape via the switch nearby, but I don't recommend it.  Sternwood mentioned that Cal Davis kept his pass card in a box inside the ape cage; I think it's safe to assume this is that box, and we'll need it if we ever want to read whatever's on Davis' computer.  Animal control doesn't exist in 2033 as far as we know, so our only way to reach that box is to find something long enough to pull it out or wait until the ape starves to death like the rats. Ethics also don't exist in 2033.  Over here in Cal Davis' makeshift surgical theater is more flavor text to enjoy.  This text in particular presented the only information of note. It also might explain why the creature in the cage wants to pummel us into paste.  On the opposite side of the room is more science junk. With how everything is haphazardly placed here, it was only a matter of time before Cal Davis ate it - died, I mean.  This must control the microchips Davis has implanted in his various subjects. Maybe we can control the ape into handing us the box, and not being such a jerk.  Nope. I wouldn't be surprised if we broke it right after putting our hands on it.  It's some small consolation that we can still take this tray of microchips and maybe sell them for something.  Next, if we turn on this lamp, it does more than slightly change the background image.   The file cabinet in question is the same one by the rat cages and skeleton in the corner. Since we've already been over there, we might as well go back and check it right away.  Just going to walk right over the chalk outline. I'm not sure if the police investigated much past drawing around the body.   Okay, so something in this office is worth 2000 dollars. It's nice, but it's not what we're looking for.  The last place we can check in Cal Davis' house-lab is his office area. We still can't access the computer without the pass card in the ape cage, so we'll have to search other locations and come back here once we've got a tool long enough to reach it.  What we don't need additional tools for is this 2000 dollar bar of who-cares in the cabinet here.   With that, we're done searching Cal Davis' place. It gave us no leads, but it did give us 2000 dollars and a tray of chips, which is more than I can say for anything Blaze Weiner did for us. Here's the list again:
Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Aug 21, 2015 |
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2015 14:36
|
|
|
Find/Question Larry Hammond, the computer specialist, through Ron Meat We have chips now, let's make the computer specialist do something with them.
|
|
#
?
Aug 21, 2015 21:35
|
|
|
We'll have to come back for that card in the cage? I guess Really Big Stick technology has fallen by the wayside in the distant cyber-future.
|
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2015 13:17
|
|
|
Glazius posted:We'll have to come back for that card in the cage? I guess Really Big Stick technology has fallen by the wayside in the distant cyber-future. All the trees are pine-scented holograms. But yes, the bit of back-tracking involved with getting Cal Davis' key card is perhaps the most annoying part of the game. Edit: I forgot about the Blaze Wiener segment. Davis' key card is the second-most annoying part. Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Aug 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2015 06:58
|
|
|
On another note, in the off chance that there are people that follow this thread (I believe one or two might), I'm making this post just to say that it's been awhile since the last update, but I'll be putting one together over the next day or two. I'm sure everyone here already knows the havoc that is being in college, whether past, present, or second-hand, and, not that this LP is something I or anyone else is willing for me to bend over backwards to complete, I still believe I ought to finish it so that, at the very least, one completed Tex Murphy LP is archived. So, be aware that there will be even more time than usual between most updates, and, no matter how far the thread is buried in the meantime, it isn't dead.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2015 06:58
|
|
|
Slow to update is always preferable to dead.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2015 09:52
|
|
|
Thesaya posted:Slow to update is always preferable to dead. Just ask Carl Linsky and Cal Davis.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2015 20:42
|
|
|
Yup, a schedule's all well and good, but life and health come first. Still, sad to see that there does appear to be a fair bit of backtracking, although I like the game's aesthetic.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2015 22:18
|
|
|
Just wanted to chime in that I am loving the LP of this game. I started playing this series with Under a Killing Moon, and have loved it ever since (even listened to the radio drama thing they did). I am personally fine with the amount of time being slow if you need to take it. I just want to see the differences between this and Overlord. Never did play Martian Memorandum, even though I got it off GoG.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2015 08:44
|
|
|
Update 10 - Meating Larry Hammond/Carl's Colleagues In this update, we're following up on a whopping four leads and learning just about everything there is to know about what it's like to be a surviving former employee of MTC Corp/Gideon Enterprises. Previously, reporter/freelance investigator Wanda Peck referred us to computer specialist Larry Hammond for more information on MTC, but also mentioned that no one knew where Hammond was apart from "Ron Meat". The job being what it is, Wanda had no idea where to find Ron either. Luckily for us, we have access to Lee Chin's mysterious underground networking services, and all it takes is a call and a 1000 of our dollars to get Ron Meat's whereabouts.  Is that Lee Chin showing concern for our safety? She really does care! Also, despite Wanda's claim that Ron Meat is difficult to keep tabs on, he seems to spend a lot of his time loitering around a very conspicuous landmark.     : "Need directions or somethin'?": "You could say that. I'm looking for Larry Hammond, and I know you know where he's hiding." : “Stick it fish face!”A quirk with Ron Meat is that, unlike with Bash Dagot, he'll turn down any bribes. That makes violence our only option - which, admittedly, isn't a very convincing excuse in the event we're arrested for assault. Intimidation: It’s time to get tough. I get a steely eyed look and say that I’ll air out that oversized skull if I don’t get the facts now!  I slam my fist into his soft flabby stomach and he buckles over. I then catch his chin with a solid haymaker that sends him staggering back against the wall. : “OK, OK that’s enough. I’ll talk.”: “You’ll find him in Freak Town at the old warehouse at (NC 4935).”: "Thanks, Meat. No hard feelings, right?": "Just get out of here."Here we go. Freak Town is a slum that's very close to Coit Tower. So close, that the intro graphic used for Larry Hammond is the exact same one used for Ron Meat. I assume Bash Dagot is also nearby, as you'll notice he had the same one too, looking back.         : "I've been investigating the recent deaths of a couple California scientists; I understand you might know something about Cal Davis specifically." : “He was a colleague of mine, and I don’t believe his death was an accident.” : "You think MTC Corp was involved?" : "Without a doubt.": “About a year ago, Tom Griffith, the Vice President of MTC Corporation, hired me to design a computer for the Overlord project. They also wanted eight access terminals. A colleague of mine, Cal Davis, told me that he has been hired by the MTC Corporation to do research on controlling human behavior through direct brain stimulation. When I started asking questions, they told me it was none of my business. When I read that Davis had been killed, I decided to go into hiding. If you’re looking for a way to stop project OVERLORD, you’ll have to get to the main computer, and destroy the satelite [sic]. To gain access to the destruct sequence, you’ll need all eight passcards and passwords. Each scientist involved with the project has one. My GREY passcard was stolen by members of the Law and Order party. My password is KING. To get the rest of the passwords and cards, you’ll have to find each of the scientists working on the project. Once you gather all the cards, you’ll need to find the main computer to use them. I don’t know where the main computer is, and other than Cal Davis, I don’t know any of the names of the remaining 6 scientists who worked on the project. If I were you, I’d start with the accounting people at Gideon: Jerome Milbourne, Ed Bradley, Arnold Dweeb. They might have names of the people that received checks from MTC.”: "This is the first time I've heard of any Tom Griffith.": “He’s Vice President of MTC. I think he is more responsible for what’s going on than Frank Schimming.”: "What can you tell me about Arnold Dweeb?" : “He knows Gideon MTC Corporation pretty well, but watch him, he’s slippery. If he pats you on the back, he’s trying to get you to cough up something.”: "And Ed Bradley?": “He looks like a typical accountant. You can find him at (NC 7312).”: "And what about yourself, Larry? What you've told me is a lot to take on faith." : “Most people think I’m two faced. I think it’s because I’m usually pleasant, but Darrell’s so ornery all the time.” : "Anything to add, Darrell?" : ". . .": "I'll take that as a 'no'."The strong and silent type, clearly. Larry's paragraph of exposition has netted us another four leads, all of which we'll save for later. Next, we've got to check out a list of possible colleagues that Sonny Fletcher compiled for Carl Linsky some time ago. We found it while searching Carl's apartment, and considering MTC's doomsday mind-control device might have had something to do with Linsky's death, we ought to see if anyone else can tell us something more about it.   Maurice Gribble and David Pope are easy to find, and Vanessa has no problem getting us the information we need. However, oddly enough, she can't help us locate John Klaus. I suppose we'll have to ask Lee Chin once we're finished following up here.  . . . Maurice lives extremely far away, so this will take awhile.  Great! Sonny is a top detective, and one of his selected individuals hasn't been on the workforce for years. Next stop is David Pope's residence . . .  . . . which could not possibly be further away. I swear Access did this to intentionally waste everyone's time, although the aforementioned autopilot feature does make it tolerable.  This sounds like a far more interesting profession than anything we've come across so far. It also causes me to wonder if any future Tex Murphy games have tiny roach butlers in them. I'm fairly confident that I'll be disappointed, because any place with roaches, well-trained butlers though they may be, tends to not be a place many people like to be around. Although I suppose it's exactly that sort of stigma that prevents roaches and beetles from fulfilling their full potential. Anyway, there's one last scientist we need to get in contact with, and to do that we need Lee Chin's assistance yet again.  For a nominal fee of just 700 dollars, she tells us of someone else who will tell us what we need to know. Thanks Lee, worth every penny.  : "I need to know where I can find John Klaus."Gotchyagottagothanksbye So, it sounds like Larry Hammond isn't the only former MTC employee that's in hiding. This is good news for us, because if MTC's interested in disposing of him, Klaus must have something important on them.     : "Why are you all the way out here in Reno, Klaus?" : “I’m a neuro scientist [sic], and I feel my life’s in danger because of my work with MTC.” : "What's your history with MTC Corp?": “I was hired by MTC, which is the Management Training Center for Gideon Enterprises. They put me to work on a project called OVERLORD. I soon discovered that my work has nothing to do with management training.” : "Let me guess, you were hired by a guy named Tom Griffith." : “That’s the punk from MTC that threatened me.” : "Alright, close enough. What's your understanding of the Overlord project?": “I was told that Overlord was a project designed to enhance an executive’s mental capacity and performance. But as the project progressed I grew suspicious. When I started asking questions, I was threatened. I figured it was time to go underground for a while.” : "You're aware of Carl Linsky's death, right? You two were acquainted." : “Carl and I used to work together, but we had a falling out over Ms. Lightbody. She was my chick and he took her away. He had been trying to get in touch with me, but I wouldn’t return his calls. I was sorry to hear about his death.”: "Carl had a pass card he used with the computer MCT provided him with. Did you also get one?" : “He hands me his GREEN passcard.”: “. . . my password is PAWN.” Mine is too buddy, mine is too. We've now come to the end of update 10. Larry Hammond has all but confirmed the spooky suspicions of a mind-control satellite built by not-so mad scientists, and subtly asserted that it's more important that we collect 8 pass cards and explode the thing than it is for us to keep asking everyone about Carl Linsky. Although he doesn't make a more compelling case than 1,000,000 dollars and Sylvia Linsky's gratitude, MTC's affairs are our best lead at the moment - though we might want to look into how we're going to prove Linsky was mind-controlled into killing himself and if that counts as not-suicide to his insurance company at some point. So far, we've got the BLUE and GREEN pass cards and we know the general whereabouts of Cal's pass card and Hammond's GREY pass card (though we can't access either of them at the moment). This still leaves four pass cards unaccounted for, but we're sure to stumble across them eventually. This is our radically revised to-do list:
In other news, I'm happy to hear that people are enjoying the LP - I'm enjoying putting it together despite the fact that it's certainly the least accessible of the Tex Murphy series and has its share of issues. It's a very good, very dated game that launched five sequels, but that a number of people feel deserved many more. Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 03:33 on Aug 31, 2015 |
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2015 01:13
|
|
|
Let's talk to Arnold Dweeb, he seems like a useful man who will have a mountain of information for us.
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2015 02:07
|
|
|
Yeah, with foreshadowing like that, Arnold Dweeb should make for an interesting conversation. (Also, Larry Hammond's brother's name is a contemporary pop culture reference.)
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2015 13:45
|
|
|
Arnold Dweeb... I have no idea why. A friend had this game on Atari ST - I never got past the Carl Linsky residence (or somewhere with a hole that has a critter inside, maybe a rat?). He got a little further before the disk got corrupted (it was genuine, BTW). Thank you so much for doing this LP! Now we can finally see the rest of the story.
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2015 19:29
|
|
|
Let's do this alphabetically...first, Bradley, then Dweeb, then Milbourne.
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2015 23:30
|
|
|
I think we should find Tom Griffith, or at least question other people about Tom Griffith if we can't find him.
|
|
#
?
Sep 1, 2015 01:50
|
|
|
Update 11 - Dweeb & Other Dweeb It's been awhile, but we're back with yet another update, and getting ever closer to stopping a dastardly scheme to brainwash all of California AKA The World using a giant doomsday satellite. We've also gotten a pretty good idea at this point of how and why million-dollar-dad Carl Linsky was seen falling from a bridge, though we're lacking in witnesses that we haven't beaten or bribed for information. Fortunately, last time we were pointed to a source of additional potential interviewees by Larry Hammond. That is, potential sources. Three accountants, one of which will give us access to a list of people who are/were recently on MTC Corps' payroll. Given Larry's description of two of the accountants amounted to, "typical accountant-type guy," and, "response so uninformative I did not transcribe it into the main LP," we've opted to call on accountant #3, Arnold Dweeb, and call in on Lee Chin for his whereabouts.  Of course, setting up a meeting for us works just as well.  Just like when we met Blaze Weiner at Candlestick Park (RIP), we land right in the middle of the field when arriving at Oakland Coliseum. I know next to nothing about sports, but the goal posts are a nice touch.    : "I need information on who MTC Corp has been hiring." : "My time’s valuable. I don’t give anything for free.": "Of course you don't. How's $1500?": "Is this a joke?": "Fine. $3000.": "Thanks buddy. I’ll tell you what I know.": "Here is a list of people who have received checks from MTC, I’ve also included some of the navigational codes to help you find them. Don’t tell anyone where you got this list!: Carl Linsky, Ron Morgan, Jorge Valdez (NC 4931), Brenda Perry (NC 4577), Greg Call, Cal Davis (NC 3720), Big Jim Slade, Tom Griffith (NC 4590), John Klaus, Bosworth Clark, Sandra Larsen (NC 4599), Della Lang (NC 2111), Sam Jones, and Larry Hammond.": "Thanks, dweeb. Take care.": “I’m doing quite well, thank you. Especially dealing information to you.”Confirmed for 'A, #1 weenie'. Despite having to pay a price that even Lee Chin would be ashamed of asking for, we've gotten our hands on an avalanche of leads. Better yet, a good number of them will actually help us find the rest of those satellite-destroying pass cards we've been collecting. Now that we've taken care of Dweeb, we've got an appointment with MTC Corps' vice president, Tom Griffith. According to Hammond, Griffith has more control of, and responsibility for, MTC Corp than his boss, Frank Schimming: which probably means he has something to do with all the dead scientists and multi-million dollar super secret satellite. Probably.   As soon as we land, we're assaulted by more armed gunmen. We're still oversupplied with ammunition, and that's unlikely to ever change no matter how many gun-toting bounty hunters MTC Corp sends after us.    : "Tom Griffith? I'm here investigating some strange circumstances involving former employees of MTC Corp." : "I’m VP of MTC Corporation, but some big changes are in my future.": "Big changes, huh? With MTC Corp?" : “MTC will soon be more than just a management training center. We’re working on new surveillance equipment that will change the industry.”: "Oh yeah, Overlord, right?": "How did you find out about Overlord? I guess it doesn’t matter, because it’s almost operational. Through microchips and satellite monitoring stations, we can watch anyone, anywhere in the world. Overlord will greatly enhance government security. Everyone will benefit through this new control device, except those who are deemed a threat." : "Larry Hammond seems to believe otherwise." : "That ill tempered freak. He gets to think twice before he speaks . . . that way he can say something even nastier. Anything he says about us is a lie! The only reason we hired that manster [sic] is because of his vast computer knowledge.": "What connection does the Law and Order party have to MTC?": “The Law and Order party is becoming more powerful every day and has followers throughout government and business. They’re working with us to develop a device which will revolutionize the surveillance industry. Then we will put it to work against the enemies of this country. All decent citizens will benefit from our work. There are those who think the device is dangerous, but we’ll soon change their minds about that.” : "Tell me about the scientists you've employed to work with you on Overlord.": "No way!"Intimidation: I stick my face next to his and say, : “Listen meathead, give me the scoop or I’ll beat your brains out!”: “I will tell you what you want to know, but if they find out I told you, they will work me over good.”: "Tell me about Greg Call.": “A brilliant scientist, but he had trouble keeping company secrets. I heard he was the victim of an accidental shooting.” : "And Bosworth Clark?": “Clark has done work for us, but we no longer require his services.” : "What about Ron Morgan?": “Ron had done some work for MTC, but he left before completing his assignment.” : "Thanks, Tom, you've been a lot of help."Oddly enough, Tom doesn't seem to be pulling MTC Corps' strings. I'd like to point out as well that intimidating him is not necessary - he will tell you everything without bribes or threats, though the option to threaten him is available. I chose to include it because otherwise it's a little confusing for him to be so helpful. Finally, we're going to see Jerome Milbourne and Ed Bradley - the two useless accountants. The reason for this is there is no reason to keep them on the list now that we know Arnold Dweeb was the right choice, so we might as well see what we would have gotten if we had tried contacting them.   Larry Hammond kindly gave us Ed Bradley's navigation code in the last update, which saves us from having to ask Vanessa.  That marks the end of this update, short as it may be compared to the last. As usual, the list below has been updated with all the information we've acquired from Dweeb, and we're set to investigate any one of them at our leisure.
Ragthyme fucked around with this message at 04:14 on Oct 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2015 04:38
|
|
|
Let's give Call a call.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2015 11:06
|
|
|
Better Call Call.
|
|
#
?
Sep 21, 2015 15:07
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:00 |
|
|
Big Jim Slade? Why does that name sound familiar?
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 04:30
|
|