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Hey, I had a question about the game files.

This game comes with several ags###.sav (the default name for AGS saves, although the game apparently uses another name since they don't appear in the load menu) files in the main directory if you extract it. I want to delete these files because they take up quite a bit (about 100+ mb).

Now usually for the Ags engine save files are completely useless to make a game function if you're going to start the game from scratch, and also I can easily imagine a way for a dev to forget to delete those files he was playtesting with before release.


Trouble is, since I'm algorithm minded, I can ALSO think of a way a dev can use a bunch of preexisting save files as chapter checkpoints when starting a new chapter, to guarantee that the new chapter starts with a known state.


So my question is, which is it, can I delete those files?

bugs:
1. you can get multiple items if you repeat the action that got them
2. from the notes interface somehow the notes on the sister of the dead woman turned invisible, they were supposedly still there since adding them again would say so.

things that feel like bugs:
the note\investigation of suspects interface being hidden whenever you click outside its area or clear the mouse to select another item is very very annoying and you should just make it a toggle with the button on the top. It's also annoying not being able to tell which interaction window is open for which character. Them being all overlayed without a name or being able to open more than one at a time is weird and mistake.
I feel like the bouncer was probably supposed to be part of a tutorial for this feature since they appear there even if you can't actually interact with them after entering the bar, but it was so easy to solve the puzzle to get inside I didnt actually use it.

got stuck and frustrated with the items\thoughts

Spoiler

badge, vinyl fragment, bloody rag, white powder, lock, magazine. Can't open the back room or open the jukebox, or fin. the earrings that according to the magazine the murder victim had, apparently no notes interaction actually does anything except bloody rag and lock on the copper and white powder and maybe magazine (by this time those lines were hidden) in the sister section. I did look at the vinyl fragment and know there is a 'white thread' presumably because the cop used the bloody rag to hold it and kill the woman, but using one in the other does nothing

[close]

.

Stuck.


Anyway it's a good effort, but games like this really don't benefit from being pixel hunting, and the sewer grate was I think a bit over the line. Not to say that there haven't been critically acclaimed games that did it, (looking at you darkside detective 1 and 2, although that was more irritating due to its... ahem... moon logic puzzles and -especially in 2- total lack of care in putting in zones with 15+ areas for multiple items puzzles, total sadism)

A small clarification, I'm not suggesting disabling missing for falling dark, although it might seem like I am.

Missing is a valuable part of the game because there are a lot of weapons who are balanced around it, like the cursed revolver, where they are powerful but after shooting move the cursor a wide extent out of aim, or the Uzi (as a aside, I think the Uzi doesn't work that well because as far as I can tell, you can't keep the mouse button pressed to spray - at least in scummvm).

Instead I'm suggesting that instead of moving the cursor, or in addition (if you can find a way to memorize it was on target before the shot to stop movement if you want cursor movement in combat, which I feel would work best with that and jittery aim\shooting), the 'misses' can be skill based, firearms to be specific, exactly like bloodlines is. The jittery weapons would simply have a penalty to accuracy (not damage ofc).

I'm unsure if the game already works this way, could be with how the fights can be so variable in damage to Taylor and bosses (sometimes I kill the two bosses in falling dark 2 with Taylor with 10 hp left, sometimes even a full 30 hp bar wont work).


As for mouse only interface for Stormwater\Graceward, I think this is scummvm problem to solve. If they finally finally allow users to map ANY keyboard keycode to their virtual controllers most of the problems would be solved (the other problem is that their virtual controller appears where you put your finger in, left zone for arrows, right for buttons... this doesn't work with finger drag cursor mixed games like Graceward, unfortunately, and they would have to make a fixed virtual gamepad that allows the finger modes, or allow finger drag and a real controller (I didn't try because of the other problem, might work though - but only for controllers with a mouse zone, like the PS4 ones, because otherwise... well I don't have 4 hands, so touching the screen while holding a real controller to move and aim is not practical).

Ironically, for using the current graceward in scummvm in android devices the best single solution might be getting a USB hub and mouse and keyboard, or a least a serious gamer mouse with custom buttons after scummvm unlocks remapping any keyboard keycode.

If you're thinking of a update, one problem I have with graceward\stormwater from the demos is that they go further in the shooter direction and ditch the unified mouse interface (click to move instead of only awsd).

That is a problem to me because I like playing in android with scummvm on a tablet. Scummvm in android... can't work as well with its on screen keyboard and a mouse as a PC with a real keyboard and mouse. Their (and only theirs) problem is twofold, they can't map their onscreen controller to virtual keyboard keys (instead they have a limited set of keystrokes they can map,which doesn't include awsd - something I complained about before in their tracker).

And there can't exist two onscreen controllers at the same time (except on screen keyboard and something else, but it obscures much of the screen with a alpha transparency and is not that useful. Since graceward removed the inventory on top (to select items, weapons) it's a pain to play not on PC unlike falling dark where it's only more of a pain in boss fights and on not being able to move around with a weapon out.

So basically I'm asking no input system updates unless they're optional. One change that I think it's harmless -and useful- is to be able to move with the weapon out instead of shooting into the void, unless you're 'near' a enemy or shooting a item that can interact with weapons (such as the glass in the photo store in falling dark 2). Indeed, there is a sort of 'cheat' in that one of scummvm controller modes is the 'mouse' (this is the icon). Unlike the finger drag mode, that mode jumps directly where you touch, very useful in gunfights in falling dark 1\2.

I understand this was probably so people were able to wildly miss\not get accidentally near enemies during gunfights, but a combat mode switch would make it less annoying to be ambushed without a ranged weapon out in combat situations by being able to move from one screen to the other with the weapon out, and you could even make it backfire in social situations (like the conference center) for further roleplaying\consequences. melee weapons you already get near enemies if you click on them, but you still can't move with them out otherwise.

Another way that would allow you to move with click during combat would be even better but that starts to interfere with 'player skill', or lack thereof of wasting bullets, although I think that's not that important in these 2 games to be honest, especially on the boss fights where avoiding that special sand effect that damages is more important imo.. . in bloodlines you could waste bullets shooting at nothing but famously (infamously for many) you could be totally on point of a enemy, shoot and miss because of a skill roll.

There is a achievement for having perfect relationships with every friend which seems... unlikely, since part of the game is about infidelity.

The secret item to double relationship gains\losses is only gettable after the conference center which is extremely late, so I'm unsure it helps achieving the achievement (eh). It also logically seems it wouldn't because in some interventions agreeing with someone would seem to imply losing relationship with someone else, not to mention the infidelity.

Was only able to see ending d and c (the worst I think), how do you get the others? Your video walkthrough doesn't show them so...

If you'd like a suggestion how to slightly improve the game when you need to open the vault in the mansion you should probably give the chance to solve it manually if your hacking is big enough. Unlike the computer puzzles where this mostly happens that is a proper puzzle not just finding a password item somewhere, so a character that focused on hacking just skips it when they might want to solve it themselves.

edit : also drinking the alcohol with Craig in the ballroom of the fundraiser appears to crash scummvm with "!Character.Animate: invalid  loop number 64 for view 9 (range is 1...13).!" using scummvm to play the game (which has a later version of Ags).

 I think both the hotel not locking and the email are intended now.

The hotel simply because you can only develop the film that shows the secret stash in the photo store, so you need to go out of the hotel to develop the film before you can interact with it, but as it is optional, you can "end" the hotel storyline before you open that secret door and if it closed, say by exiting the door after, or returning the key you wouldn't be able to. It seems the compromise was waiting until the chapter end.


The email in the brothel is about misleading the player - the email does mention weapons, but the reward is a ring and it mentions a crush, so the "weapon" is a joke about seducing the girl. It's slightly awkward, but nothing friends messing with each other wouldn't do.

I did realize that about the journal eventually.

These are good games, it's rare to see rpg adventure hybrids in ags (outside quite famous cases in ags like heroines quest, qfg2 remake and mage initiation), always happy to see more.

A question about the game, is it possible to pass the check to hug ... Lilian I think it is (the redhead) in the game? There are very few interactions with her before that dialog, only when she's discussing with Crow and that dialog itself (it happens after she slaps crow and Taylor can talk with every ally in a dialog choice), and I never managed. The check is "Relationship level too low" and I think it's the first of that kind (or maybe I just passed the ones that already happened with Crow and Emily from my choices).

There is exploit to train toxicity in the 3rd floor first locked room of the brothel mission. The guy Ryker there can be revived with sufficient toxicity level, trouble is, the dialog repeats if you manage that, and that option trains toxicity. It's a training exploit (and you can end it when you're bored by the second option to steal his wallet or just leave with the 3rd.

Also, the "that's amazing" dialog when you exit the door after you cure Ryker starts happening on other doors of the floor when you exit, not sure if caused by exploit (save more than once) or not.

Also the journal doesn't work, shows nothing except chapter 1, but you can't even see anything there.

I'm unsure this is a bug, but the hotel location in chapter 2 never disappeared after completing the mission, might be that the photo roll i didn't develop yet is part of a submission there.

Btw in the brothel again, I read the email about the supposedly secret in the boss cabinet without killing the guys in that room (by taking the companion with me into the room) but when I tried to (lockpick) that cabinet I wasn't able to get the mentioned weapons just a gold ring, (the key is only pickupable from the corpse of the guy in that room I guess, but I do have a good lockpick so I'd think reading the email would be enough, maybe with a double unlock only available after reading the email to get to the "secret compartment".

If I'm not imagining things and the gold ring was the weapon mention (considering the woman is teasing him about his girlfriend maybe I am )

I think there is a bug with cigarettes in this game. Last game, cigarettes were 1 off items and gave a permanent perception point for a permanent -max hp

This game they give temporary +2 perception for a permanent -max hp... but they are not 1 off, the dealer unlocked in chapter 1 has a unlimited supply. The +2 perception doesn't stack either. Even worse the description is the same as the original, which as far as I can tell is just wrong.

If a nerf was desired for unlimited supply, the description being correct and cigarettes giving a temporary -max hp would be more than enough because

1. the toxicity mechanic means you risk death anyway especially with a -hp item like these
2. losing current hp is a punishment in itself in hard levels because the items that can increase it also increase toxicity.

Resuming I think the description is wrong and I'd suggest making the max hp minus effect temporary too.

This was a incredible free game, and very topical right now for obvious sad reasons.

Small bugs at the start if you still care:

There are exploits to get infinite items and lockpick level ups with at least one in lockpick ability in Dave vhs store by picking the lock of the cabinet, exiting the door, rentering the door, etc.

Similarly there is a infinite athletics glitch in the first bar\club back alley where you place a container \ bin under the window to get +1 athletics every time.

Which is actually good, because there is a athletics check that (I think) can't be passed without repeating that at least once.

You can get a max of 1 athletics in chargen (afaict, may be mistaken might be 2). You can get as many as you want but let's say 1 with that exploit. Then on chapter 2 you scrounge up the money to buy the shoes\sneakers for a extra +1. So you have 3-4 max athletics when you go to the hospital (and no other missions in the chapter get you more). BUT when you try to attempt to climb the vent in the hospital records room, I think the check is 5 (or impossible in other words). As I said I'm not sure because I'm no sure about chargen.

Speaking of the hospital, the dude who you can speak to get his records back so he can get more drugs, and that rewards you with a analgesic, that guy can disappear if after you talk to him you get the key from the nurse, enter, get the records and come back to the lobby. Similarly, if you don't talk to the nurse, enter the window, leave the patient room, enter the records, get them, and go back to the lobby, he will still be there, and you can complete his quest, but I wasn't able to talk to the nurse then (which is a loss of a intimidate levelup). I avoided that by (I think) talking to the nurse first after getting into the situation where both are in the room and you got the records. Might have had to leave the hospital to avoid the bug, not sure, it's a longish game for what it is.

I was curious what happens if you get all the lighters (I missed one I don't know where), and if 'seeing god', or tzeentch in the special drug trip affected anything (instead of ending it in the usual way of freeing the captive in the bed-chair), since the old woman encounter seemed to show supernatural forces without any drugs. For a while I was certain there was a hidden ending F because of both of these.

I thought it interesting how to see every room\maximize stat gains you had to backtrack wherever there was a fork and try the other path.

I couldn't bring or find a shiny item to signal to companion you phone to in the ship sequence.

Reiterating, great game, and I'll play the sequel. I'm sure your more recent professional games are even more ambitious.

Hey @Marion,  I don't know if you noticed but you have a severe bug in some places where the name is null and either crashes or shows nothing on dialog.

I don't recall where i saw the missing text but the crash is easy: start a new game as a girl character and go to the bank and ask for your account balance and ags will crash with a null pointer. If you try this with a boy character, it'll work, so it's probable that you're checking the wrong string. Cheers.