Messages

TellTale is always looking for employees - they even have a topic about it on their forums.
Also try those caffeine pills : )

I played the game and enjoyed it very much. Some of my thoughts under spoiler tag:

Spoiler

First of all - I've seen only two endings (Richard knocked out by Alice and Armed Alice killed by unarmed Richard) so I might be missing some explainations.
- I don't think slavery would be that common in this frozen world. Slaves need food and food seems to be one of the most important resources. Soldiers \ mercenaries? Sure, those are always useful. Acts of cannibalism? Probably. Slavers gangs? Not so much.
- Who and why runs the prison? It seems that outside the zones nobody cares about law and there is no police to put anybody behind the bars.
- Don't know what happened in the prison near the end. Who \ what killed the guard? Why did the other guard killed himself? How did Alice know the code from looking at Richard's picture (I'd guess she could've figured out his past based on the notes she found, but the code?)
Maybe another playthrough will clear some things up for me...
Now, the only real criticism I have:
- Hanging guard's animation is... well, not that great. Maybe if the rope was moving with him...
Anyways, thanks for an enjoyable afternoon!

[close]

Spoiler

- Loved the art style of this game.
- Puzzles seemd a little simplistic due to very little interaction. Couldn't understand why the heart starts the machine.

Now about my playthrough:
I killed the father and said that our history determines who we are. At the end the game said that I punished my father for something that wasn't his fault as I don't believe in free will. That's just plain wrong.
- I killed the father to eliminate the threat he posed. One of basic elements of punishment is that it's supposed to teach something - if that element is not included, it's not punishment (just as death penalty isn't punishment). My choice to kill the pedophile was based on pragmatic reason (he won't hurt anybody), not a moral one (he needs to suffer for his crimes).
- I do believe in free will, but I also believe that our choices and our history determine who we are. We have free will, but free will is not absolute - our history determines our selection of choices and regions we can explore using our free will. Some doors are already open, some we can opem ourselves and some will remain locked forever - and this is based on our history and choices we made.
Philosophical and psychological aspects of the game could benefit from a little more polishing.

[close]

I know what I'll get myself for birthday : )

I don't think Primordia was on the list... I tried to nominate it but couldn't find it.
Donna - it's a shame... Guess many people forgot about it over the year.

I am really divided between "Resonance" and "Cat Lady" in some of the nominations. Can't decide. Argh!

Same here...

Wow, not a single nomination. Thanks, guys!

Don't be sad, I voted for you (actually, Donna was amongst three games I voted for in almost every category they could possibly fit)!
It was released at the beginning of 2012 - many people could've forgotten : (

First thing I can suggest by looking at screengrabs: maybe you want to run your models through Kerkythea and play with lightsources and skyboxes in your scenes?
Second thing I can suggest by looking at screengrabs: mazes are rarely fun. Really. Only one I can say I really enjoyed was the maze in IV episode of Tales of Monkey Island.
If after hearing this you want me to play your game and hear some more rambling - just PM me with a link : )

Spoiler

Carefully check the bed.

[close]

All right, thanks to your help I've just beaten the game. Here's what I think:

Spoiler

+ Story. There's never enough ghost \ mystery \ horror games!
+ Music. A little too loud at times, but good.
+ Dialogs and writting.

Minor complains:
- Zack's shadow acts strange (especially on the staircase),
- To my untrained eye perspective seems a little weird at times (staircase again),
- Two pixelhunts \ invisible obiects (music sheet and doll) - frustrating and unnecessary,
- For someone who's overprotective, Zack does plenty of damage in the house. Especially distracting the mother seemd out of character - this situation can be handled in so many ways...
a. Lawful good: explain her that you need to play the piano to communicate with ghost.
b. Chaotic good: buy her sedatives to calm her down and send her to bed.
c. Chaotic neutral: pretend you can't hear what she's saying and play with her in the room.
d. Chaotic evil: fake a malicious ghost manifestation so she has a breakdown, locks herself in her bedrom and cries.
And what does Zack do? Breakdown scenario!
- How does Zack (paranormal investigator) couldn't deduce it's Cloe when I (middle level office worker) deduced it without much trouble? How could miss Boulyn not know about big secret room in her house?
- The text about Boulyn's fate at the end is a little too blurry.

[close]

Overall - nice little game. Certainly will play Episode 2 when it comes out.

[an Urpney]

@ an Urpney - Thanks for the critique. I totally understand. As it was written, Zack is overly protective and respective at this point and doesn't want to stress Miss Boulyn out. He doesn't want to lose his job, as it were, by being too intrusive. I will take it on board.

Always glad to comment : ) It would make much more sense if Zack mentioned that he needs the job and doesn't want to do anything that would upset his employer.

I think you might be stuck on the most complained about puzzle...

Spoiler

Maybe a keen eye will help you?

Spoiler

Look around carefully.

Spoiler

It's a token pixel hunt.

Spoiler

There is more than meets the eye in Chloe's bedroom!

[close]

[close]

[close]

[close]

Spoiler

Got it, thanks! And now - when I understand Zack's take on the investigation - I can't understand Miss Boulyn's. First she hires an investigator and then she doesn't allow him to investigate. [Another point: I'm not sure if Zack and Boulyn are aware that it's Cloe's ghost that haunts the place - they certainly should suspect that but Boulyn seems to believe that Chloe is still alive and Zack doesn't share his thoughts on the investigation neither with Boulyn nor with me]. I know that playing piano is unusual part of an investigation but Miss Boulyn knows Zack is a paranormal investigator.
Technical note: there's no action assigned to "use lightswitch in Cloe's room" - Zack doesn't do nor say anything when I try execute it.

[close]

Some minor critique:

Spoiler

- I totally don't feel like an investigator. Zack refuses do do any investigating - like questioning the mother about everything (dirt on the floor, teddy bear, painting in the bedroom - all of those seem relevant to the case), searching the house, looking for clues.
- The games gives very little direction: at first I know my basic obiective (enter the child's room) but after that - all Zack tells me is that I need to gain ghost's trust. How to gain ghost's trust? How does ghosts operate in this universe? What's Zack's special talent? He seems to be as lost as I am. Or even more lost: I would play the piano because I know that the kid liked it while Zack says there's no point.

[close]

More comments when I move on : )

I know this topic has been discussed so much that it has reached the point of irrelevance, but I'd still like to voice my opinion and hear the opinion of others.

That's what the forum's for.

I myself feel that it is impossible for a video game to be art

Play:
- The Cat Lady,
- The Void (aka Tension),
- Magritte

because its sole purpose, by definition, is to provide enjoyment for the consumer.

So - by your definition art's purpose is to bring sorrow and misery to anybody who comes in contact with it?

Games are products created with commercial intent, and anyone suggesting otherwise, especially for mainstream releases by the likes of Bioware or TellTale, are wrong.

So - by your definition art becomes no-art when its creator decides to sell it?

Who would call a nursery \ orphanage \ any other children's home after Marquis de Sade? : )
Looks interesting, will keep an eye on it.

Great to hear about GOG - finaly they came to their senses. Certainly will get another copy from them as promised.
I can help with polish translation (hope I'm not the only Pole interested in playing this game) if that can help in any way.

Spoiler

And about the music - what's the tune Susan plays to summon the cats in Chapter 3?

[close]

I can see the giant zombie cat gets some well-deserved love : )

Spoiler

Yes, it's an obiect you get from Goliath back on the desert if you unite his fractured mind by trapping Gamma.
If you don't have it you'll miss a lot of Horatio's backstory.

[close]

Let's see...

Spoiler

1. Victory over Scraper (possibly +Clarity and\or Crispin),
2. Blackmail (possibly +Clarity and\or Crispin),
3. No one gets the prize,
4. Unity,
5. Submission,
6. Genocide in Metropol,
7. Suicide.

To kill Scraper or destroy every robot in Metropol you need Urbani decoder.

[close]

I don't think there are more...

You can

Spoiler

kill Scraper \ blackmail Metromind - this way you'll have an option to bring Crispin back; destroy whole Metropol. For 1 and 3 you'll need Urbani decoder

[close]

You can absorb the Good incarnation. He'll just let you.
If you learned the secret language - you can trick Paranoid into believing the two of you are the same.
If you have the sphere - examine it after absorbing Good incarnation. Something very importand has happened there.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk?
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut (but especially Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse nr 5)?