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AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB


Yes, the time has finally come. Double Fine's Broken Age is finished and I'm back to finish the LP I started last year.

History
Broken Age is a point and click adventure game designed and written by Tim Schafer and produced by Double Fine Productions. It made history by being the first big game from a major developer to be funded using Kickstarter, kicking off a trend that brought us many great titles such as FTL, The Banner Saga, Shadowrun Returns, Wasteland 2, Divinity: Original Sin, Shovel Knight, Dreamfall Chapters, and Pillars of Eternity. Their campaign, known then as "Double Fine Adventure" was launched in March 2012 with a funding goal of $400,000. Kickstarter was used because, according to Double Fine, no major publishers wanted to fund an old school adventure game. So they decided to reach out to fans directly. The final amount raised was $3,336,371. As the scope of the game grew however this proved to not be enough money to finish the game. This led to the decision to split the game into 2 acts with the money earned by selling the first act going to fund the second. The first act was released to the public in January 2014. The second act was released in April 2015.

The LP
This LP covers the second act of the game only. You can view my LP of the first act on the LP Archive site here. I will once again be taking a minimalist subtitled approach as the game has lots of dialogue and humor and talking over it would only do it a disservice in my opinion. I plan to release new episodes every couple days or so. In the game you control two separate protagonists, each with their own story line to follow. You can switch between them at any time. I will be sticking to one character per video and switching back and forth with each video. The numbering scheme for the episodes continues from where my original LP left off.

Previously On...
As this is an LP of the second half of Broken Age it is strongly recommended that you have either watched an LP of the first half (preferably mine) or played Act 1 yourself. You can find my LP of Act 1 archived here: http://lparchive.org/Broken-Age/

Episodes













Bonus Content

Epilogue video with images from the credits.


Short video demonstrating the retro graphics mode.


The custom credits sequence I created for the finale.

The Documentary

Created by 2 Player Productions, this fascinating 20 episode documentary chronicles the long and difficult development process of Broken Age. The entirety of the documentary has been uploaded to youtube and comes highly recommended.

AllisonByProxy fucked around with this message at 13:19 on Jul 28, 2015

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AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
Finished episode 2. That should give you guys a good start for both characters.

frozentreasure
Nov 13, 2012

~
I played this for eight hours yesterday and I swear it's just not possible to beat it.

sudonim
Oct 6, 2005
While the production values are still very high, that arm puzzle with Vella was pure adventure game BS. Schafer ain't doin the genre any favors with puzzles like that.

EDIT: obligitory

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

frozentreasure posted:

I played this for eight hours yesterday and I swear it's just not possible to beat it.

It's perfectly finish-able I assure you. Keep watching the LP!

sudonim posted:

While the production values are still very high, that arm puzzle with Vella was pure adventure game BS. Schafer ain't doin the genre any favors with puzzles like that.

The puzzles in the second act are definitely a great deal more obtuse. Many people complained that the first act was two easy and I think it's possible that they over corrected in the other direction. I will try to do a better job spelling out the thought process behind the solutions in future episodes.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


The first part of this was great. I've been looking forward to the second half for a while.

frozentreasure
Nov 13, 2012

~

AllisonByProxy posted:

It's perfectly finish-able I assure you. Keep watching the LP!

Okay, I just finished it. As I suspected, I'd gotten stuck, of all things, on the absolute very last puzzle in the game.

There's a lot of annoying adventure game design and logic at play in Act 2, but overall, I think it's great. The whole story comes together really nicely.

asvodel
Oct 10, 2012
Whenever you get the Hypercam be sure to Register it.


I am glad to see the second half of this thing since it is one of those games I would like to see an LP of but would never get around to actually playing.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

I just powered through the second act in one sitting and without any outside hints, so I wouldn't say the game is all that obtuse. The only thing that really stumped me was that I didn't realize I could go farther to the left in one area, and that's on me.

frozentreasure
Nov 13, 2012

~
I'm willing to give the game credit that I must have been so exhausted by the end that I wasn't noticing a clue that it was giving me (or, to be more accurate, [i[wasn't[/i] giving me). I don't know how quickly I would have beaten the game if I hadn't had people watching and helping me solve stuff, but that made it more fun anyway.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
Without spoiling too much I'll say that one of the things that bothered me a bit is that there are puzzles in each characters' sections that you cannot solve without a clue in the other characters area. Game play wise this is fine and encourages switching but from an in universe perspective it implies that the characters just spontaneously gain knowledge with no plausible explanation.

Trying to think of a good way to handle it for the LP.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

AllisonByProxy posted:

Without spoiling too much I'll say that one of the things that bothered me a bit is that there are puzzles in each characters' sections that you cannot solve without a clue in the other characters area. Game play wise this is fine and encourages switching but from an in universe perspective it implies that the characters just spontaneously gain knowledge with no plausible explanation.

Trying to think of a good way to handle it for the LP.

I think it'd be acceptable to plant the other character by the hints in question ahead of time and then simply switch over when necessary.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


AllisonByProxy posted:

Without spoiling too much I'll say that one of the things that bothered me a bit is that there are puzzles in each characters' sections that you cannot solve without a clue in the other characters area. Game play wise this is fine and encourages switching but from an in universe perspective it implies that the characters just spontaneously gain knowledge with no plausible explanation.

Trying to think of a good way to handle it for the LP.

I think you could just say "Meh. Adventure games." and be fine.

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012
Speculation Time.


I don't really remember a lot of the major details from the first act, so I may be missing some things but here's what I got.

There have been several explicit mentions of a plague of some sort, though that plague isn't present in the world Vella traveled in the first act. The existence of a "Plague Dam" suggests a quarantine zone of some sort. But Marek (the wolf, not the talking cello) said that they were "rescuing" girls in order to save them from the plague. But since the origin of the Mog Chothras and Project Dandelion would seem to be within the plague quarantine zone, why would the masterminds at Loruna want to bring people back inside the quarantine zone? More importantly, why every 14 years, and why is it such an extravagant and roundabout system?

Another interesting thing about the world is its technological disparity. Much of Vella's world suggests a pre-industrial time-frame, and yet at the same time we have a casual fisher using a good sized spool of some pretty thick wire. But the technology of Loruna is an absurd jump from spools of wire. That, along with the eccentric nature of the various... villages, for lack of a better word, suggests to me a post-apocalypse world in which so much time has passed that the world has rebuilt itself and its people have forgotten there even was an apocalypse. That's a pretty big stretch though.

Still, that suggests a potentially different meaning to the "Plague Dam". Perhaps the quarantine zone is not beyond the dam, but on this side of the dam. Perhaps "plague" is a misnomer meant to represent something else entirely. That interpretation also works with Project Dandelion, whose goal, according to Marek, is to save specific girls from the plague.

That's all I've got for now.


AllisonByProxy posted:

Without spoiling too much I'll say that one of the things that bothered me a bit is that there are puzzles in each characters' sections that you cannot solve without a clue in the other characters area. Game play wise this is fine and encourages switching but from an in universe perspective it implies that the characters just spontaneously gain knowledge with no plausible explanation.

Trying to think of a good way to handle it for the LP.

Thus begins the era of bad VLR copycats.

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
It seems pretty straightforward that Loruna is kidnapping the girls for some other nefarious purpose (presumably to temporarily hold off the plague - the world we've seen looks pretty plague-free), the real question is why they do it in such a roundabout way, with Marek subverting the boy on each ship.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
Thrushmaster? This is all coming to that cloudy birdy cult thing, isn't it.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
Just wanted to update, should have a new episode for both characters out later tonight/early tomorrow.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
A bit later than expected but here is the next episode!



Next Shay episode soon!

Ramos
Jul 3, 2012


I'm so glad to see this LP is underway again. I adore the game and its characters, but could never really enjoy the adventure game style of gameplay.

Darkest Auer
Dec 30, 2006

They're silly

Ramrod XTreme
I loved your LP of the first part of the game, looking forward to seeing what the story turns out to be!

(also great job with the subtitle commentary)

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

Ramos posted:

I'm so glad to see this LP is underway again. I adore the game and its characters, but could never really enjoy the adventure game style of gameplay.

Thanks! I'm glad the 3 month rule is gone so I could start on Act 2 as soon as it came out. I really love all the characters as well so it's a treat to be spending time with them again.

Arelon posted:

I loved your LP of the first part of the game, looking forward to seeing what the story turns out to be!

(also great job with the subtitle commentary)

Thanks a lot. I was worried no one was actually watching but if I can reach just one person it was all worth it!

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012

AllisonByProxy posted:

A bit later than expected but here is the next episode!



Next Shay episode soon!

Huh, well, thanks for confirming my theory, game.

It seems my first theory was right, and the plague, or whatever the problem is, is on Loruna's side of the dam.

Btw, that research puzzle is pretty neat. I wish more puzzles were like that.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


It looks like they're wasting no time in making things interesting here.

Noisycat
Jul 6, 2003

If you give a mouse a cookie, you are supporting underground furry terrorists.
I loved your first LP of this.
I think it's pretty cool they put a logic puzzle into the game, but maybe that's because I love those puzzles :)

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

Noisycat posted:

I loved your first LP of this.
I think it's pretty cool they put a logic puzzle into the game, but maybe that's because I love those puzzles :)

Thanks, that's great to hear. I've seen some people on the internet complaining about that puzzle, saying there wasn't enough information to solve it but I didn't have any trouble with it.

Subbing the next shay episode right now!

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
Man I remember doing a ton of logic puzzles like that in school. They were pretty fun. Thanks for putting in all the extra effort to visualize the solution step-by-step, that was cool.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
Welp, now I'm officially confused in what Marek's game is. If he was in charge the whole time, why did he want to get Shay off the ship?
Oh, yeah, and nice puzzle solution. I hate these things and generally suck at them, it's really helpful to have it explained step by step.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

Sindai posted:

Man I remember doing a ton of logic puzzles like that in school. They were pretty fun. Thanks for putting in all the extra effort to visualize the solution step-by-step, that was cool.

anilEhilated posted:

Oh, yeah, and nice puzzle solution. I hate these things and generally suck at them, it's really helpful to have it explained step by step.

Thanks guys! I put a lot of work into making it as easy to understand as possible. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
New episode!

ViggyNash
Oct 9, 2012
I'm guessing we've gotta give the sand model to metal-man to make a mold to make the actual thing?

Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
Now I'm wondering what's keeping the other clouds floating.

Fredrik1
Jan 22, 2005

Gopherslayer
:rock:
Fallen Rib
I had fun with this game, the puzzles with few exceptions were really good in the second episode. I guess the problem with act 2 is that act 1 had a really great setup for a really cool story and act 2 didn't really go anywhere with it.

I still think it's one of the better adventure games that have come out in several years.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

Mraagvpeine posted:

Now I'm wondering what's keeping the other clouds floating.

That's a really good question and one that's never answered I'm afraid. We'll be back there soon.

Fredrik1 posted:

I still think it's one of the better adventure games that have come out in several years.

I agree with this. It's certainly a different feel than recent Telltale stuff like The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us. I've enjoyed a lot of those titles but Broken Age does have a certain retro charm that those titles lack.

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

AllisonByProxy posted:

That's a really good question and one that's never answered I'm afraid. We'll be back there soon.

I think it's just that all the other clouds don't have quite so much stuff on them. The guy's theory is sound, he just doesn't put it into practice himself.

Samovar
Jun 4, 2011

I'm 😤 not a 🦸🏻‍♂️hero...🧜🏻



Who does the voice of Shay's Dad? it sounds really familiar.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
I really like how we're dealing with the fallout of the other character's misadventures here. It's a soft jab at the walking disasters adventure game protagonists are.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB

Samovar posted:

Who does the voice of Shay's Dad? it sounds really familiar.

John Cygan

Ramos
Jul 3, 2012


anilEhilated posted:

I really like how we're dealing with the fallout of the other character's misadventures here. It's a soft jab at the walking disasters adventure game protagonists are.

While Shay is fixing stuff, I had to laugh when he opened up the mailbox and took the mail without so much as blinking. Properly on his way to being a full blown thieving adventure game hero.

AllisonByProxy
Feb 24, 2006

FUCK TERFS/BLM/ACAB
New episode guys! Lot's of answers in this one!

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Samovar
Jun 4, 2011

I'm 😤 not a 🦸🏻‍♂️hero...🧜🏻



Curiouser and curiouser. Why all the deception, though?

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