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Aviron
Oct 6, 2011

AndroidHub posted:

Also, does the chain link fence and radio towers/tracking gear bother anyone else a ton? Ned really seemed to have a lot of resources at his disposal for somebody who hadn't been in civilization for 3~ years. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much.

The radio equipment and the fence are from university researchers who are tracking deer on the area. Ned just broke in and stole stuff from them.

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Accordion Man
Nov 7, 2012


Buglord
Yeah, really don't get why people think the ending is bad, it fits the theme, it ties pretty much every loose end, and it felt like a satisfying ending.

I'm starting to think that its Gone Home's ending again and gamers excepted some big bombastic genre fiction-eqsue twist when there was never going to be one because the game is grounded in reality.

Great game overall, glad it was so after looking forward to it since long before it was announced.

If Jake's reading this though I did run into a glitch, when I went into the locked off part of the cave the dialogue said that Ned should have locked the gate behind me, but that never happened, I just progressed through the cave without it happening.

Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 01:31 on Feb 10, 2016

Booya
Feb 17, 2012
I can't select dialogue options anymore. I can open the menu for them, and look at all the nice options, but all I can do from there is close it down again and/or wait for the timer to tick down. Restarting/reloading the save does nothing, and since this game doesn't allow me to rotate save slots the only option open to me is to play the entire game up to now over again. Was not letting you rotate saves a conscious dev decision or an oversight? Either way, if you do another game, please god let me rotate saves.

AndroidHub
Feb 28, 2007

I've seen some stuff that would really make you say "like what?"
Maybe it was just the ending I got (again I don't know if it can change much at all) but for me it felt like two lovely losers in the woods getting screwed with by a third lovely loser, then they all leave feeling like poo poo, the end. The story is compelling as you are going through it, but for me it wasn't when it came time for the roundup.

Barf Wight
Sep 4, 2011
OK, you can stop yelling :hf:
I liked it, ending and all. I kinda did what I usually end up doing which is just chugging through the story once it picks up steam, so I probably missed a couple of spots. A lot of very neat touches throughout the game.

Had a bug with the "note viewer" where I could scroll down but it would only highlight and open the top one. Also noticed some stuttering in some parts on PS4.

Regarding the story and ending: I felt more empty/drained or whatever at the end of it than I was expecting for such a short game. In a good way, I guess. Even the beginning was kinda heavy. The last conversation with Delilah where you can see a little bits of the stuff you've talked about scattered around the tower was kind of a nice way to reminisce about the last few hours of playtime.

A good game.

Hyper Crab Tank
Feb 10, 2014

The 16-bit retro-future of crustacean-based transportation

Accordion Man posted:

I'm starting to think that its Gone Home's ending again and gamers excepted some big bombastic genre fiction-eqsue twist when there was never going to be one because the game is grounded in reality.

I do think it's similar to Gone Home, in that (spoiler for both games) it sets you up for an expectation that's far more interesting than what it actually delivers. It's fine to subvert the player's expectations, but only if what you give the player instead is something more interesting than what they were expecting. Giving them something less interesting just evokes a disappointed "Oh," which is what it did for me.

I think that's only part of it though, and it's nowhere near as bad in Firewatch as it was in Gone Home - I think the other big part, as I said, is that I just don't understand why Ned did any of this. I get it, he's a hermit with PTSD and his son's death hosed him up. Kinda. What the hell is with the complicated science experiment fakeroo? Why would he go through all that trouble faking reports, planting radios, and all that? I feel like none of it received an adequate explanation, the whole thing just... sputters and peters out.

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

Accordion Man posted:

If Jake's reading this though I did run into a glitch, when I went into the locked off part of the cave the dialogue said that Ned should have locked the gate behind me, but that never happened, I just progressed through the cave without it happening.

That part is a little janky; it's supposed to happen right after you hop down that first ledge (Henry turns around and makes note of the noise and everything), but if you are in the middle of hopping down when it triggers, it just doesn't play the sound or Henry's reaction at all.

Goatse James Bond
Mar 28, 2010


I've made a huge mistake.

Hyper Crab Tank posted:

I do think it's similar to Gone Home, in that (spoiler for both games) it sets you up for an expectation that's far more interesting than what it actually delivers. It's fine to subvert the player's expectations, but only if what you give the player instead is something more interesting than what they were expecting. Giving them something less interesting just evokes a disappointed "Oh," which is what it did for me.

I think that's only part of it though, and it's nowhere near as bad in Firewatch as it was in Gone Home - I think the other big part, as I said, is that I just don't understand why Ned did any of this. I get it, he's a hermit with PTSD and his son's death hosed him up. Kinda. What the hell is with the complicated science experiment fakeroo? Why would he go through all that trouble faking reports, planting radios, and all that? I feel like none of it received an adequate explanation, the whole thing just... sputters and peters out.


He didn't want anyone finding the body, basically. He probably hoped that even if Henry figured out he was being observed he would take the science thing at its creepy face value and not investigate the cave.

I am fine with the ending and glad I got the game. Might do another playthrough later as rear end in a top hat Henry. Also I never found the turtle :negative:

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

GreyjoyBastard posted:

Might do another playthrough later as rear end in a top hat Henry.

Personally, I can't. I would never ever be able to bring myself to do it. Which imo is a good thing.

edit: But the best thing about it is that unlike in some video games where your options are Token Good, Token Neutral, and Hitler, Henry being cagey with Delilah is just as in-character as opening up to her immediately like a real sad sack is.

Hyper Crab Tank
Feb 10, 2014

The 16-bit retro-future of crustacean-based transportation

GreyjoyBastard posted:

He didn't want anyone finding the body, basically. He probably hoped that even if Henry figured out he was being observed he would take the science thing at its creepy face value and not investigate the cave.

But... why did he give Henry the key, then? If he hadn't done that, there was no way they were going down there. In fact, the only reason they did so is because of the key!

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

Hyper Crab Tank posted:

But... why did he give Henry the key, then? If he hadn't done that, there was no way they were going down there. In fact, the only reason they did so is because of the key!

He shuts Henry in there thinking there's no way out and Henry will die there- which there isn't, because when you go in there the first time Henry doesn't have any anchors with which to repel down the shaft. Luckily, he has his axe pulaski tool which allows him to break open a path that leads out.

Linx
Aug 14, 2008

Pork Pro

Wreath of Barbs posted:

Oh hey, yeah, I didn't notice that. The option itself doesn't seem to work correctly at the moment, at least not for me, but it'll be nifty when it does.


And on the same note: I wonder if anything at all changes if you remain completely professional with her in the dialogue or choose not to pack your wedding ring or the photo of Julia.

Oh god, I forgot to pack the wedding ring, now I feel terrible

:negative:

40-Degree Day
Sep 24, 2012


Where is the turtle?

UnfortunateSexFart
May 18, 2008

𒃻 𒌓𒁉𒋫 𒆷𒁀𒅅𒆷
𒆠𒂖 𒌉 𒌫 𒁮𒈠𒈾𒅗 𒂉 𒉡𒌒𒂉𒊑


And... it hardlocked my PS4 again. I can tolerate a lot of jank but this game is so small, it shouldn't be this bad.

Accordion Man
Nov 7, 2012


Buglord

Cowman posted:

:siren:Ending Spoilers for a very minor thing:siren:

Did you look at the picture in Delilah's tower? I told her Henry wears a tux and had a thin mustache and scar so there he was in a tux with a thin mustache and scar. Turt Reynolds was there too. It's super adorable.
An even more subtle joke there is that she was the one who stole the Pork Pond sign. I loving love games that do poo poo like that.


Hyper Crab Tank posted:

I do think it's similar to Gone Home, in that (spoiler for both games) it sets you up for an expectation that's far more interesting than what it actually delivers. It's fine to subvert the player's expectations, but only if what you give the player instead is something more interesting than what they were expecting. Giving them something less interesting just evokes a disappointed "Oh," which is what it did for me.

I think that's only part of it though, and it's nowhere near as bad in Firewatch as it was in Gone Home - I think the other big part, as I said, is that I just don't understand why Ned did any of this. I get it, he's a hermit with PTSD and his son's death hosed him up. Kinda. What the hell is with the complicated science experiment fakeroo? Why would he go through all that trouble faking reports, planting radios, and all that? I feel like none of it received an adequate explanation, the whole thing just... sputters and peters out.

They totally it explain though. The research site was just an unrelated research site, Ned just took advantage of it by breaking in and making those falsified reports with his own typewriter and purposely planting them to make Henry and Delilah think they're being studied so they'd get scared off.

And really what you just said just furthers my point, gamers are too predisposed to fantastical twists. Games really need more grounded stories like this.

ymgve
Jan 2, 2004


:dukedog:
Offensive Clock

40-Degree Day posted:

Where is the turtle?

South-east of your tower - there's a gate that takes you back to the path where you arrived and the turtle is at the end of that path

Hyper Crab Tank
Feb 10, 2014

The 16-bit retro-future of crustacean-based transportation

CJacobs posted:

He shuts Henry in there thinking there's no way out and Henry will die there- which there isn't, because when you go in there the first time Henry doesn't have any anchors with which to repel down the shaft. Luckily, he has his axe pulaski tool which allows him to break open a path that leads out.

But again, if you're trying to keep someone out of a particular location, and they have shown no inclination towards going there in the first place, why would you give them the very thing to provoke them into going there? If Ned really wanted to kill Henry, he could just knock him out - he's proven capable of ambushing him. All Ned had to do in the first place is stay silent and out of sight, just like he's presumably been doing for the past three years. I get it, he's crazy, but I don't find stories with antagonists acting irrationally and counter-productively particularly compelling. It's like those idiot ball things, y'know?

e:

Accordion Man posted:

They totally it explain though.

They really don't. I get that the research site belonged to someone else, the question is why Ned would do all this stuff that ultimately just provokes them into investigating him when all he could do was lie low for a while.

Goatse James Bond
Mar 28, 2010


I've made a huge mistake.

Accordion Man posted:

An even more subtle joke there is that she was the one who stole the Pork Pond sign. I loving love games that do poo poo like that.

"I know, right? It would look great in the den!

...Or... some other room, I dunno."

Also, I'm curious how many people found the most terrifying creature in the park: the raccoon. It even results in some really goddamn funny Delilah bits.

Barf Wight
Sep 4, 2011
OK, you can stop yelling :hf:

ymgve posted:

South-east of your tower - there's a gate that takes you back to the path where you arrived and the turtle is at the end of that path

Is it in more than one spot then? Pretty sure I found it by the cache near Beartooth, sunbathing on a big rock a few yards back at like 8 o'clock when facing the cache

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

Hyper Crab Tank posted:

They really don't. I get that the research site belonged to someone else, the question is why Ned would do all this stuff that ultimately just provokes them into investigating him when all he could do was lie low for a while.

You're forgetting that what prompts Henry to become suspicious of the situation in the first place is finding Ned's notes on his conversations with Delilah. That's something that there is no covering up, and so Ned had to bullshit the whole experiment scenario surrounding the notes. Even though Henry had no possible leads at that time (because he didn't know anything was wrong until that moment), he now knew he was being watched and listened to, which meant Ned had to come up with a reason why that would be.

CJacobs fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Feb 10, 2016

Shirkelton
Apr 6, 2009

I'm not loyal to anything, General... except the dream.

Cowman posted:

:siren:Ending Spoilers for a very minor thing:siren:

Did you look at the picture in Delilah's tower? I told her Henry wears a tux and had a thin mustache and scar so there he was in a tux with a thin mustache and scar. Turt Reynolds was there too. It's super adorable.

She also draws a terrifying caricature of Forrest Byrnes.

Phone
Jul 30, 2005

親子丼をほしい。
An important thing to remember is that Delilah might not be a reliable narrator. The first interaction you have with her is her poking at you and trying to see what's up.

I played through it once when it unlocked, and I just did a "speedrun" (meta-spoiler)where I didn't respond on the radio unless if it was a specifically gated event. If you play this as a video game rear end video game, it's going to come off as incredibly shallow. If you buy into what the game is trying to do at all in the smallest bit possible, it completely works. It operates on degrees of how invested you are in the various storylines, and it only falls flat if you do the 0 option run like I did.

Since I did play it twice, I messed with the various options you have in the beginning, and it's completely brilliant. I messaged an old TF2 buddy since I saw that he was in game, too, and he compared it to Up, and I couldn't agree more.

Those Idle Thumbs boys and girls did a great job. I'm completely happy with the experience.

Sultan Tarquin
Jul 29, 2007

and what kind of world would it be? HUH?!
Well, I'm going to write some words about this game!

I had high hopes that this wasn't just going to be another one of those kinds of games. You know the ones, the 2 hour walking simulator where "the journey *is* the story. I even asked my friend if it was one of those kinds of games and they told me that it was an actual game with a story which made me actually interested.

I was really loving bummed out with how it ended up. The character interaction between Henry and Delilah was great at the start. It was natural and funny dialogue between 2 people running away from their problems and trying to deal with them in the middle of the rear end nowhere wilderness. Then when the game throws the curveball in the story about the hi-jacked radios and the hint of some government meddling/experiment I started to get pretty invested, I love a good sci-fi and was hoping that it would pan out in the way the game wanted you to have it pan out.

But then the twist happens. All of the build up just ended up landing so loving flat for me. Secret government operations? Hidden camps? Locked caves with potential answers and even more questions? Nope. Just a dead kid. It all came crashing down with an emaciated corpse. Was I actually supposed to feel something there? Because to me I just felt cheated out of a good story that ended up to be just another loving bait and switch walking simulator. I felt like they could have done so much more with the story and character interaction Then at the very end when you find the tape addressed to you it just made me angry. That was the huge reveal? Just a PTSD guy who went mad after his kid accidentally died.

I honestly think it would have worked better as an indie film.

Linx
Aug 14, 2008

Pork Pro

Sultan Tarquin posted:

Well, I'm going to write some words about this game!

I had high hopes that this wasn't just going to be another one of those kinds of games. You know the ones, the 2 hour walking simulator where "the journey *is* the story. I even asked my friend if it was one of those kinds of games and they told me that it was an actual game with a story which made me actually interested.

I was really loving bummed out with how it ended up. The character interaction between Henry and Delilah was great at the start. It was natural and funny dialogue between 2 people running away from their problems and trying to deal with them in the middle of the rear end nowhere wilderness. Then when the game throws the curveball in the story about the hi-jacked radios and the hint of some government meddling/experiment I started to get pretty invested, I love a good sci-fi and was hoping that it would pan out in the way the game wanted you to have it pan out.

But then the twist happens. All of the build up just ended up landing so loving flat for me. Secret government operations? Hidden camps? Locked caves with potential answers and even more questions? Nope. Just a dead kid. It all came crashing down with an emaciated corpse. Was I actually supposed to feel something there? Because to me I just felt cheated out of a good story that ended up to be just another loving bait and switch walking simulator. I felt like they could have done so much more with the story and character interaction Then at the very end when you find the tape addressed to you it just made me angry. That was the huge reveal? Just a PTSD guy who went mad after his kid accidentally died.

I honestly think it would have worked better as an indie film.


I think for me it was completely the opposite. When all of this creepy/conspiracy poo poo starts happening it was a bit of a :rolleyes: moment for me, which I was pleasantly surprised to have flipped the other way. As for the finale itself, I was left feeling like I needed a bit more closure, but on the whole I found myself pretty happy with the ending and the story as a whole.

Caidin
Oct 29, 2011
Played it, beat it. Pretty engrossing for the most part, I really like Henry and Delilah's banter and all the odd little things you can find. I really liked the graphics and music, they made for really good mood over the course of the game especially when things start getting weird out there. As for the ending, didn't really like it. It was some PTSD rear end in a top hat pulling a Scooby doo hoax and that was really dumb, I felt let down. Rest of the game was nice though!

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

Sultan Tarquin posted:

Well, I'm going to write some words about this game!

I had high hopes that this wasn't just going to be another one of those kinds of games. You know the ones, the 2 hour walking simulator where "the journey *is* the story. I even asked my friend if it was one of those kinds of games and they told me that it was an actual game with a story which made me actually interested.

I was really loving bummed out with how it ended up. The character interaction between Henry and Delilah was great at the start. It was natural and funny dialogue between 2 people running away from their problems and trying to deal with them in the middle of the rear end nowhere wilderness. Then when the game throws the curveball in the story about the hi-jacked radios and the hint of some government meddling/experiment I started to get pretty invested, I love a good sci-fi and was hoping that it would pan out in the way the game wanted you to have it pan out.

But then the twist happens. All of the build up just ended up landing so loving flat for me. Secret government operations? Hidden camps? Locked caves with potential answers and even more questions? Nope. Just a dead kid. It all came crashing down with an emaciated corpse. Was I actually supposed to feel something there? Because to me I just felt cheated out of a good story that ended up to be just another loving bait and switch walking simulator. I felt like they could have done so much more with the story and character interaction Then at the very end when you find the tape addressed to you it just made me angry. That was the huge reveal? Just a PTSD guy who went mad after his kid accidentally died.

I honestly think it would have worked better as an indie film.


The grounded banality of the actual reveal in comparison to Delilah and Henry's wild theories is the entire point of it being the truth.

UnfortunateSexFart
May 18, 2008

𒃻 𒌓𒁉𒋫 𒆷𒁀𒅅𒆷
𒆠𒂖 𒌉 𒌫 𒁮𒈠𒈾𒅗 𒂉 𒉡𒌒𒂉𒊑


Is my game save hosed? It crashed during a loading screen right after discovering the monitoring camp I went back to Two Forks lookout as it instructed, but it didn't trigger the loading screen this time, and nothing happens when I get to the lookout. I can't see any way to progress the story. Am I missing a trigger or is the game broken for me now?

RagnarokAngel
Oct 5, 2006

Black Magic Extraordinaire

CJacobs posted:

The grounded banality of the actual reveal in comparison to Delilah and Henry's wild theories is the entire point of it being the truth.

But it's such a letdown, building it up like that shouldn't even have happened,

tweet my meat
Oct 2, 2013

yospos
This was a solid game. The chemistry between Delilah and Henry was really great. It's a beautiful game, but the wilderness feels way too linear. It wasn't a huge issue, but it did get a bit annoying after a few hours. The way this game builds up the tension once the story gets rolling is incredible.

The ending was a massive letdown that completely deflated the tension they had masterfully built up over the course of the game. I mean it makes sense how it all plays out, and it fits with the themes built up over the course of the game, but I was hoping the conclusion would actually be interesting or compelling in some way and it was neither. I ended the game with no real sense of closure or satisfaction. The way the Henry/Delilah story panned out was fine, but the Scooby Doo bullshit they pulled with the mystery they were building up over the whole game left me with a bad case of blueballs.

Overall, even though the game went in a different direction at the end than I would have preferred, I still enjoyed every second of the ride there.

UnfortunateSexFart
May 18, 2008

𒃻 𒌓𒁉𒋫 𒆷𒁀𒅅𒆷
𒆠𒂖 𒌉 𒌫 𒁮𒈠𒈾𒅗 𒂉 𒉡𒌒𒂉𒊑


I would appreciate an answer to my question as I have about an hour to finish this game and don't know what to do.

Merrill Grinch
May 21, 2001

infuriated by investments
Regarding a certain character's motives in the endgame: Keep in mind Ned's had nothing to keep him sane except endless Sci-Fi and Espionage novels. He even says explicitly that he ran out of books years ago. That surely has colored his thinking.

TheAsterite
Dec 31, 2008
I wish I hadn't spent $18 bucks on it. I'm in the camp that the ending sucked, and for such a short game, it really stands out. That'll teach me to pre-order a game in the future.

Hakkesshu
Nov 4, 2009


Well, I just played through it in one sitting. I liked it, there were times where I thought it was legitimately exciting, almost reminding me of a 70s conspiracy thriller or something, but it definitely did not stick the landing. I think it just completely lacked any sort of emotional core - the characters were likeable enough, but I can't say I ever really felt invested beyond "I wanna find out what's going on here", ultimately the whole Ned/Brian reveal fell COMPLETELY flat for me and I did not give a poo poo because it felt like some other c-plot they shoved in at the end in an attempt to tie it all together. I had a strong distrust towards Delilah throughout pretty much the whole thing which in hindsight I don't think was intended.

It's a well-made game in a lot of respects; it's a triumph of art design, and there are a ton of awesome little touches (love the sudden cuts and timeskips), but overall it just didn't come together for me. As far as walking sims go I do think it's one of the better ones just because there is at least an attempt at ambition on a design level, and it was just a very nice place to explore. But I don't think this is something I'm gonna remember particularly strongly 6 months from now.

Hakkesshu fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Feb 10, 2016

mbt
Aug 13, 2012

I'm stuck after the cave with the body, delilah says "we're almost out of here" and then nothing. I'm stuck walking. The next day doesn't trigger. I kept walking thinking oh something is going to happen, then the game loving autosaved so I would have to replay the whole game over to get to that point.

I'm pretty steamed atm. This is a fairly short game so all the bugs I'm seeing are hilarious.

11 people made this?!

Roundabout was made by 2, Undertale by 1.5. Both were a lot longer and a lot more enjoyable. With the pedigree campo santo seems to give themselves I sure expected a hell of a lot more than what I got.

$20USD

Broken Cog
Dec 29, 2009

We're all friends here
Was I supposed to give a poo poo about this Brian kid?

CJacobs
Apr 17, 2011

Reach for the moon!

Broken Cog posted:

Was I supposed to give a poo poo about this Brian kid?

Not necessarily.

TerminalSaint
Apr 21, 2007


Where must we go...

we who wander this Wasteland in search of our better selves?
Loved it start to finish. As a former park ranger, the idea of having a private conversation on the radio was amusing to me, but nothing I couldn't willingly suspend.

Doorselfin
Dec 18, 2004

You broke my sitar, motherfucker.
Pretty baffled at the camp that expecting the ending to be something more. It was grounded in reality and made sense. I thought the cover-up was a bit wild but considering the condition of Ned's existence and a previous poster's comments about the novels I'm okay with it.

I thought the final beats of the game were perfect, I felt that cocktail of emotions you get at the end of a Mad Men episode or something. I love that feeling.

The only thing that really disappointed me during my playthrough was that I didn't find the turtle, raccoon, or poop trowel. :(

TheAsterite
Dec 31, 2008
There were a couple of technical flaws that took me out of the game as well:







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Hakkesshu
Nov 4, 2009


CJacobs posted:

Not necessarily.

I got the sense that at least you're supposed to give a poo poo that Delilah gives a poo poo, but at some point it just felt like they were clumsily trying to strongarm an emotion onto the player, it just didn't work for me at all.

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