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NESguerilla posted:Edit: why are practically all of these games set in the 80's? I'd bet it's down to a bunch of thirtysomething devs trying to draw from the well of childhood wonder or something similar.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:22
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Gone Home has some of the same basic ideas as Firewatch, but it doesn't do them nearly as well as Firewatch does imo. The main plot is also a bit weak albeit well-intentioned. Some of the subplots are kind of neat though.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:26
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NESguerilla posted:Edit: why are practically all of these games set in the 80's? Limitations of knowledge and technology make it easier to focus the narrative and experience. No cell phone with Google to ruin the character not understanding something or to ruin their isolation. [/bs] 
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Feb 12, 2016 01:30
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Did anyone else throw the stereo in the lake? I did and the reactions made me laugh.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:38
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Dark_Swordmaster posted:Limitations of knowledge and technology make it easier to focus the narrative and experience. No cell phone with Google to ruin the character not understanding something or to ruin their isolation. The best of these recent indie games to mess around with the limitations of technology was Digital: A Love Story. I thought that one was really clever. Cowman posted:Did anyone else throw the stereo in the lake? I did and the reactions made me laugh. No but I did take their alcohol.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:39
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Cowman posted:Did anyone else throw the stereo in the lake? I did and the reactions made me laugh. I didn't because I'm not an rear end. 
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Feb 12, 2016 01:39
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Yodzilla posted:I didn't because I'm not an rear end. I did because I wanted to see if it did anything and it did in fact break. I do wish this game was a bit longer just so it could have fleshed out the story more. Edit: I took their alcohol and all their fireworks and threw their stereo in the lake. gently caress those teens.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:41
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I threw it in the lake before even considering that the game would notice. It's my duty to try and break anything I find in games. I read somewhere that people were trying to throw the turtle down the toilet during play testing.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:43
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This reminds me, what do the teens say in their note if you don't break or steal the stereo and don't take their alcohol?
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Feb 12, 2016 01:43
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They included a baseball in the outhouse, I assumed it was SUPPOSED to go into the toilet.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:45
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QUEEN CAUCUS posted:They included a baseball in the outhouse, I assumed it was SUPPOSED to go into the toilet. I was expecting an achievement for it. I even tried to trick shot it.
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Feb 12, 2016 01:47
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Toady posted:They amounted to something less exciting for you. It's fine. One of the developers has likened the story to a summer fling, something you're intensely involved in that turns out to be a blip in your life that's less meaningful than you thought it was while you were experiencing it. I didn't want ayyliens or X files, but the climax was finding Brian dead 2 seconds after getting his backstory. I just get really annoyed watching characters take ages to realize what's going wrong. Eskaton fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Feb 12, 2016 |
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Feb 12, 2016 01:54
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NESguerilla posted:(unless you count Soma, but I don't know if I'd classify it in the same genre) I would. SOMA did have very similar elements, except the most "hated part" which were the monsters. Its funny, because I don't think SOMA works well without the monsters, and I think Firewatch would have been better with a game-ey element like outrunning fire. I'm probably wrong. Different genres and the like. Monsters drive home the body-horror/environmental-horror element of SOMA. God, I loved SOMA.
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Feb 12, 2016 02:56
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NESguerilla posted:Edit: why are practically all of these games set in the 80's? The devs actually said it was because of the Yellowstone fire that happened just prior to when the game is set. Fire lookouts aren't really a thing these days like they were back then.
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Feb 12, 2016 03:11
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I rather liked the reflection in the Goodwin's relationship to Henry/Jules. That the father had neglected his son and ran and hid for three years, slowly stewing in conspiracy novels. Those were essentially the steps Henry was embarking on. I stayed faithful through the play through so to have the character come to that realisation at the end and accept that he has to go back to Jules made sense and formed a super satisfying arc for me. I was even pretty pleased that this wasn't some LOST-style conspiracy that devolved into the supernatural or something out of a Stephen King novel, which considering the setting wouldn't be too much of a stretch. There were a couple of times where I misread the intention of the abbreviated dialogue though. Always hate that when that happens. Technically, a few odd aliasing issues and some fauna not sitting where it should but man what a beautiful game. One of the few that really goes out of it's way to play with colour as part of it's story telling. Always been a fan of Olly Moss and I really hope he continues to make games with Campo Santo. Oh and wonderfully subtle soundtrack by Chris Remo as well. Gameplay wise a few odd leaps of logic. Like why Henry can't scale some rocks compared to others or climb a chain link fence yet force it open with an axe, but, forgiveable for the most part and you kinda expect it anyway. It's not mentioned much, but the animation was really playful and fluid. Worked really well with the art style. Maybe would have liked to do some more in the woods, and some wildlife would have been really nice since beyond the view the place didn't feel entirely alive. Still. Solid effort through and through. Would be interested to see what these guys could pull off with a bigger budget. There are some mechanics from other games that works so well in this game. The heart from Dishonored must have been an inspiration for the walkie-talkie, and the map reminds me of Far Cry 2's (why haven't more people done maps like that?) Got some Alien Isolation vibes from the tracker, too. So yeah, a short, decent experience. And I could listen to Henry and Delilah for hours that dialogue really sizzled.
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Feb 12, 2016 03:16
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I'd only be echoing all the criticism of the game already written in the thread, so I'll just say that I enjoyed the story as it was unfolding a lot, and it was paranoid and thrilling. It doesn't hold up as much in retrospect.
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Feb 12, 2016 03:26
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Snuffman posted:I would. SOMA did have very similar elements, except the most "hated part" which were the monsters. It definitely has a similar appeal but I'd classify it differently since it has a much more direct approach to story telling than any of those games and it's unashamedly linear. The man/woman on a walkie talkie theme definitely made me compare Firewatch to Soma in my head though. Soma really is so goddamn good. Some of the best story telling I've ever seen in a game imho.
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Feb 12, 2016 03:45
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I don't think this is a game, in the same way that I don't think you need to call e-sports or chess "SPORT" and shoehorn them into the Olympics.They are legitimate competition in their own rights, but completely lacking in the defining characteristic of a sport, and it is a disservice to both to so bluntly try and merge them. Fire-watch is a novel or movie delivered in a new way. A wider audience can tailor the characters and their motives to be more relatable and feel like they are involved in the story but in the end interactivity is an illusion. Choose your own adventure books have more interactivity. As in life, YOU get to decide superficially what things mean but in the end how you think as an individual and what meaning you find do not physically change events. Like all fiction that tells a story to get you to consider something much greater than the story literally told, Firewatch is something you experience, have an emotional response to and think on in the days that follow. So then, it's art.
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Feb 12, 2016 03:55
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Sucks to hear about the PS4 technical jank. Ran flawless on my PC and it's a solid experience barring one floating object I saw in the distance and some waaaay hosed normals in the cave.
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Feb 12, 2016 04:56
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Blind Rasputin posted:Uhm. I did this. It's full of dumb stuff and nothing happens. You come back it's re-locked and blah blah. In a game that's all about fun little moments this seems like an inexcusable oversight.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:01
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Republicans posted:In a game that's all about fun little moments this seems like an inexcusable oversight. What sort of fun little moment are you going to have there? "Yeah, I know the one you're talking about" isn't that fun of a line.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:22
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Republicans posted:In a game that's all about fun little moments this seems like an inexcusable oversight. You're in luck, he was talking about going there before the day where the code is changed. So the thing you want to try is still potentially a thing. edit: But even so, I'm not sure how that's inexcusable, I would say it's more inexcusable of you to expect them to plan for people playing the game through multiple times just for one dialogue change.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:24
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Oh, I see. Going before she tells you but after she's changed it. Is that possible? I thought she told you about the code as you approached the cache.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:31
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Hmm, I think you might be right. I remember the dialogue being prompted but she probably tells you anyway if you don't say anything. In which case, that shows that at least they thought of that possibility.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:34
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Varam posted:Oh, I see. Going before she tells you but after she's changed it. Is that possible? I thought she told you about the code as you approached the cache. Nah, if you don't call her when prompted you can try the old code first and fail so you should be able to open it with the new one with prior knowledge. From what he said it sounded like the cache was empty until you called her.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:37
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Make sure you play this before you play The Witness, otherwise you'll constantly wonder where the gently caress your shadow is.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:39
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One of the Art Director's for Firewatch is sharing third person views of the game and they are beautiful. https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/Ca-ISvGVIAMaO7q.mp4 https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/Ca-KStLUUAEtCCQ.mp4 https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/Ca-K-RnUcAAwxVx.mp4
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Feb 12, 2016 05:51
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When trying to find the firefighters you can walk to that box and enter 1234. Just walk west instead of east. The meadow and creek are totally accessible. It isn't full of anything. I guess I'd be interested in whether 5678 would work at that time and cause other loot to spawn, but I don't see why it would to be honest. From a game programming standpoint by the time she prompts you for a different code the day has changed and you're loaded into a different level basically. Man, it was a great game, but after reading some of the outcomes of various dialogue playthroughs it's actually pretty bland. There's literally zero branch points save for a few trinkets that change. Where is the raccoon anyways? I explored the poo poo outa that place.
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Feb 12, 2016 05:58
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Another criticism: Include more animals I don't want just a turtle, I want to illegally feed raccoons, watch ducks at the pond, startle some deer, and pet a bear
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Feb 12, 2016 06:10
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I wish there had been a fishing mini game. I also wish I got a cheevo for picking up all the beer cans other than my own smug sense of self satisfaction.
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Feb 12, 2016 06:16
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I have to say I was also pretty drat disappointed in the ending I really felt like I had done something wrong and got a massively short, "bad" ending. I didn't think it necessarily had to have a greater conspiracy, but Ned and Brian felt like side characters at best until the very end and it's all about them? When I found Brian's body I wasn't even struck that this was a turning point for the story, I thought it was just resolving a small side thread. I admit, I bought into the mystery to some degree though, and I expected there to be some kind of twist. I thought it would be something about the nature of Delilah, maybe she was Julia the whole time?? I don't know, it's dumb and makes no sense but I really don't think that she, or your relationship with her, got developed as much as it should. Most of your interaction with her revolves around this giant red herring of a plot. To those comparing the Not-a-twist twist to Gone Home, I think Gone Home did it far better. The notion of there being something mysterious or supernatural is all in your head based on your preconceptions of what a video game story should be whereas Firewatch definitely tries to lead you on. And as soon as you sink your teeth into the real story of Gone Home, it becomes way more interesting than ghosts or whatever you expected. Anybody who didn't realize what Gone Home was about until the ending must have been asleep when they played it, seriously. Firewatch however, keeps up the illusion until the very end and so the actual resolution was super unsatisfying. Also throughout the game I was trying to be mostly professional and loyal to Julia and Delilah was the one coming on to me, but at the end I ask her to come to Colorado and she gets all offended and tells me to go back to my wife, it just didn't jive with me. I never found no turtle neither
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Feb 12, 2016 06:17
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Yeah I picked up every single goddamn beercan I found like a good ranger, and I didn't even get a "Tidying Up" achievement or ANYTHING. I might as well have left the camp as filthy as those idiot girls left it.
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Feb 12, 2016 06:18
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Red Ryder posted:
What would you expect her reaction to be, given what you did?
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Feb 12, 2016 06:48
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I did the thing. No special dialog.  QUEEN CAUCUS posted:Yeah I picked up every single goddamn beercan I found like a good ranger, and I didn't even get a "Tidying Up" achievement or ANYTHING. I might as well have left the camp as filthy as those idiot girls left it. You get a funny line if you throw a can after cleaning some up.
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Feb 12, 2016 06:54
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thatdarnedbob posted:What would you expect her reaction to be, given what you did? "hey, boss. i know that we have a three month long work relationship and we've never met in person, but would you like to move back to my house in a different state and be my girlfriend? i'm sure my senile wife won't mind. it's not even a problem, we'll get along great as middle aged alcoholics drifting through life"
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Feb 12, 2016 07:29
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just finished it, liked it but didn't love it. seemed a little rushed in some places - i saw some geometry bugs and oddities, and yeah the whole second act of the game just zips by. walking around in the woods was fun, i could have done that for a couple more hours. the conversations were great. good atmosphere, liked the storytelling, didn't really like the story as much though - the two substance abusing adults (my henry got a DUI) having an escapist summer romance and feeding into each others loneliness was great, the goodwin plot kind of lame as a motivator to keep things moving. i don't regret my purchase and i might play it again in a year
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Feb 12, 2016 07:35
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The game should have went either full aliens and government conspiracies or had Henry and Delilah get more wound up as time went by and started to steal, trespass and break and enter and other criminal acts because they think there is a conspiracy when there really isn't. In the latter case a second play through where the player didn't indulge on their paranoia would show a 'normal' summer. Most of the arguments defending the ending are actually arguments against it. It could have and easily been more "mundane" and it all would have been better for it. The arguments trying to draw a parallel between Ned and Henry is  though.
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Feb 12, 2016 07:44
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Yeah I didn't realise olly had so many irons in the fire:
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Feb 12, 2016 08:59
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just watched some of a speedrun of it, looks gay as gently caress
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Feb 12, 2016 09:06
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Maybe I am missing something obvious but why didn't Ned just bury his son at some point?
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Feb 12, 2016 09:11
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