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Max's truest crime is not making her past-graffiti a meme from the future. There would be no doubt in anyone's mind that she has time powers, had she drawn a rare pepe well before the first was discovered.
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Mar 8, 2016 01:44
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Air is lava! posted:I think the game laid it on a bit thick there. This is why every time I go for a drive I say "Nothing bad ever happens to me" and then pause for laughs. One day people will look back and remark how ironic those words were. The big time twist is, although cliché, is surprising, until you think about it too much. The game goes too far making the alternate timeline different. Some of the changes can be reasoned, like David being a bus driver because maybe Joy encouraged him to pursue a career in security. But, you get the fact that Max-simile machine is not just friends with Victoria, but that she is good enough friends to be privy to Vortex Club inner-workings. Chloe being disabled may have more impact had that been the one bad change to the scenario, especially with Max being worried about cause and effect.
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Mar 8, 2016 03:04
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Mr. Highway posted:But, you get the fact that Max-simile machine is not just friends with Victoria, but that she is good enough friends to be privy to Vortex Club inner-workings. With William not dying, kid Chloe likely remains her happy-go-lucky self through her childhood while Max is still around, keeping Max more active and more social until she inevitably moves away. I'm sure William's death played a big impact on a lot of people who were close to him-- more than just the immediate examples of Joyce and Chloe. When he originally died I can imagine Max became more reclusive and quiet while being unsure of how to talk to Chloe until she moves and takes that attitude with her.
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Mar 8, 2016 04:54
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Kaubocks posted:With William not dying, kid Chloe likely remains her happy-go-lucky self through her childhood while Max is still around, keeping Max more active and more social until she inevitably moves away. I'm sure William's death played a big impact on a lot of people who were close to him-- more than just the immediate examples of Joyce and Chloe. When he originally died I can imagine Max became more reclusive and quiet while being unsure of how to talk to Chloe until she moves and takes that attitude with her. I think if the game had kept Max as an outcast to the Vortex Club it could have demonstrated the real weight of unintended consequences. Becoming friends with Victoria should be a huge shock to Max. Being a completely different person should be a huge shock. If the whole world has changed perspective, the minor changes matter less. If Max had begun a seemingly normal day, where she attends class, deals with Victoria's poo poo, and has Warren do Warren stuff, the reveal that Chloe is disabled would become the biggest surprise in the scenario. All Max wanted to do was save William, which she did--intended consequence. Keeping the world normal except now William is alive would be, seemingly, a victory until Chloe appears to hammer home the failure. Of course, this does become a matter of choosing between the stronger impact or utter confusion because... Victoria, in the original timeline, represented everything Max wasn't, which is important for establishing Max's character. Even though the compete in the same field of photography, they are opposites. Max doesn't care for fashion; Victoria wears the best clothes. Max comes from a middle class family; Victoria has enough money to buy the best clothes. In the game, Max takes on the stereotypical role of the "artiste", which is represented in how the game portrays her character. The player doesn't need to play for long to understand this. As such, the player will also recognize that Victoria is not an "artiste". Even in the one field they share, Max notices and explains their differences. Victoria doesn't fit into the standards (even if the are just created by this game) we associate with artists, and, in this case, Max, yet she equals or maybe exceeds Max's abilities. Instead of giving Max and Victoria common ground, Victoria's photography ability helps to demonstrate the differences. The game establishes an assumption for the player: Max should be good; Victoria shouldn't be good. Yet, since Victoria is good, the player sees conflict. Max has to struggle for what she deserves (photographic talent), while Victoria is once again entitled to what Max deserves. The game sets up the antithetical relationship from the start. Plus, it'll appear in the next episode, but it's not too spoilery: Alternate Max still didn't keep in touch well with Chloe during their time apart. Chloe being happier when they separated doesn't strike me as a pinnacle moment where Max decides she will forgo roughly fourteen years of conditioning toward shyness. Despite the sleepless night where I lie to myself that if I had done one thing differently in my past I would be happy today, I have a hard time believing one friend would have made that much difference. tl;dr: I once again write more about a video game than anyone should.
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Mar 8, 2016 05:55
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[quote="Mr. Highway" post=""457171354"] tl;dr: I once again write more about a video game than anyone should. [/quote] ahahaha just u wait buddy Also good analysis imo
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Mar 8, 2016 06:26
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I could see Max carrying a fair amount of guilt for not trying to help Chloe deal with her dads death and a bit of that turning into self loathing. Regular timeline Max goes a bit further then just run of the mill shyness, she seems to doubt her worth as a person, especially socially because deep down she is afraid she will fail anyone she gets close to. With alt Max, Chloe's accident would have to be a few years after she left so she was further along in establishing her identity and didn't really have any guilt to contend with.
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Mar 8, 2016 07:20
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YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT AND ONLY UPDATE ONCE A WEEK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
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Mar 8, 2016 09:03
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Imagine how people playing these as they were released must have felt
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Mar 8, 2016 10:59
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Yeah, I waited until the whole thing was out so I could play it in a single weekend.
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Mar 8, 2016 14:00
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Alright, I have to know. Does that episode always end that way, or are there different endings?
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Mar 8, 2016 15:16
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SloppyDoughnuts posted:YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT AND ONLY UPDATE ONCE A WEEK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Tell me about it. I picked up this game a few weeks ago when I finally upgraded to a ps4 to follow along with the LP and when I got to this part over the weekend I was compelled to go on to the next episode. I had to take a break due to the polygon count of that episode but felt compelled to return to it last night and blazed through the rest of the game. So now I need to watch what I say. This game can really get its hooks in, I can't even imagine having to wait on them to release it piecemeal.
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Mar 8, 2016 15:48
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SageNytell posted:Alright, I have to know. Does that episode always end that way, or are there different endings? Depending on your choices, Chloe gets a lifetime supply of toilet paper for her birthday instead of a car. In an ironic twist, Chloe can't handle this new-found abundance and spends all her time dressed as a mummy.
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Mar 8, 2016 15:51
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Lumberjack Bonanza posted:Depending on your choices, Chloe gets a lifetime supply of toilet paper for her birthday instead of a car. In an ironic twist, Chloe can't handle this new-found abundance and spends all her time dressed as a mummy. 
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Mar 8, 2016 18:54
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SloppyDoughnuts posted:YOU CAN'T LEAVE IT ON A CLIFFHANGER LIKE THAT AND ONLY UPDATE ONCE A WEEK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Jolyne Cujoh posted:Imagine how people playing these as they were released must have felt Hahaha yeah, Episode 3 was released on May 19th and Episode 4 didn't come out until July 28th.  However if I get time to record early this week I'll just release the next one when its done so u won't have to wait longer! I have no idea if I'll have time though lmao
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Mar 8, 2016 19:10
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The Wolf Among Us was the first episodic game I played. Bought it on release day with everyone saying episode 2 would probably be in two months. I don't play episodic games anymore.
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Mar 8, 2016 19:40
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I'm at the point where I largely play episodic games when they're done releasing. I don't like cliffhangers.
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Mar 8, 2016 20:10
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I really like episodic games as a concept. Lets you show off what a game is about without requiring people to fork over full retail. And lets you torment your fans with cliffhangers.
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Mar 8, 2016 20:49
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Lumberjack Bonanza posted:God drat it Max, have you never seen The Butterfly Effect? Up until this episode I thought the idea was not to mention it directly, but to "homage" it indirectly (IE: the icon for savestates)...now I'm starting to think differently. I mean, as Dimebags Brain has mentioned, these are the exact effects of the "have a character not die" choice from the movie (become popular while your best friend becomes disabled). Still I can't wait to see more! Also, I'm a sucker for Time Travel Shenanigans, so I'd like to recommend something that's outside the normal list for the category: S6 E14 of the X-Files, titled "Monday" and written by Vince Gilligan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_(The_X-Files) It looks like the usual "Groundhog Day" plot, but it comes with a twist that I've really appreciated: when presented with the same event, the characters respond slightly differently to it, as a human being probably would. Apparently minor differences sums up and lead to different outcomes, even if the starting point is the same every day. That Italian Guy fucked around with this message at 16:51 on Mar 9, 2016 |
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Mar 9, 2016 16:36
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Hey he finished painting the house!
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Mar 9, 2016 23:20
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That Italian Guy posted:Up until this episode I thought the idea was not to mention it directly, but to "homage" it indirectly (IE: the icon for savestates)...now I'm starting to think differently. I mean, as Dimebags Brain has mentioned, these are the exact effects of the "have a character not die" choice from the movie (become popular while your best friend becomes disabled). Stargate SG-1 has a really good time loop day episode too.
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Mar 10, 2016 00:58
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Hey friends guess what SURPRISE UPDATE  NEW VIDEO THURSDAYLet's take a walk on this same strange beach and explore the consequences of changing history.I managed to find some time to make another video early so that you guys could see a little more of what's going on in the alternate timeline! There is some weird stuff here that is probably worth talking about. Also we have one journal page for today... sorta? 
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Mar 10, 2016 18:53
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New Chloe loves emojis and hates saying hella. Everything about the alternate timeline is awful and wrong. I really like that they bothered to change Max's journal and phone to take account of the different history. Also, I think New Max is actually evil. Exhibit A:  Look at the date on William's message, and then the date on Max's. She couldn't even be bothered to send a text to her paralysed friend for four months! (also the fact that Chloe took just 2 minutes to reply, despite everything, is really sad)
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Mar 10, 2016 19:43
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Forget Warren, Max is really the one that needs to get dunked on in this timeline.
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Mar 10, 2016 19:48
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Inferior posted:Look at the date on William's message, and then the date on Max's. She couldn't even be bothered to send a text to her paralysed friend for four months! ughh i never noticed the time stamps before  jesus christ alt-max
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Mar 10, 2016 19:51
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Still no mention of Kate anywhere in this timeline. This does not bode well.
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Mar 10, 2016 19:53
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I hear there is a great occult program over at Miskatonic. Chloe doesn't need to move when all she has to do is chant to release the Deep Ones
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Mar 10, 2016 20:33
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Aw no, I was expecting this when Max hadn't gone to see Chloe yet in this timeline, but she's kind of a conceited jerk. Regardless of how relatively better or worse this is for anyone, Max doesn't belong here. It's immensely creepy, like we're acting as a voyeur to a different world. It's kind of incredible how quickly she just rolls with it, I'd probably be having a huge breakdown.
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Mar 10, 2016 21:30
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I always thought this was a neat little bit of characterisation. To me, it seems like AlternaMax, leaving Arcadia Bay for Seattle under happier circumstances, was able to be "not such a shy, cliche geek" at her new school, made friends easier, and probably fell in with the "cool kids". This helped her do the same when returning to Arcadia, but having all these friends led her to grow distant from Chloe, even though she did at least stay in touch a little. Max Prime, dealing with her own grief over William's death, and guilt over "abandoning" Chloe, finds it harder to open up and make friends, and when she does, they're more likely her fellow geeks, not the popular kids. She also can't forget about Chloe, even though she can't bring herself to contact her.
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Mar 10, 2016 22:09
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Ometeotl posted:Forget Warren, Max is really the one that needs to get dunked on in this timeline. Max is the true ubernerd. Also, there's no year on that text. So it could have been EVEN LONGER. Maxine Caufield, you are the worst friend.
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Mar 10, 2016 22:20
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Blackwell rejecting Chloe because they refuse to get ramps is a pretty clear-cut violation of the ADA. Really, according to Title III, they should have already had handicap accommodations made as an educational facility. Open and shut case. Though I'd imagine Joyce and William didn't pursue it because they're already in dire straits financially and they didn't want to risk absorbing legal fees if they lost. Wells is probably well loving aware of that. Edit: The ADA was signed into law in 1990. This game takes place in 2013. That's 23 years that this school could have put in some drat ramps and elevators. Edit 2: Dontnod is French, though, so I'd forgive them for forgetting that the ADA exists. Waffleman_ fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Mar 11, 2016 |
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Mar 10, 2016 23:51
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So after Max prevented William's death, she gets warped 5 years forward with all her original memories intact. Does she remember the new version of events? She seemed to know what Chloe was talking about with her letters. If that was her simply acting along with what she was just told, nothing before ever gave the impression that she'd be able to do that so seamlessly. I suppose this is probably something the game will get into soon.
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Mar 11, 2016 01:00
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Alpha3KV posted:So after Max prevented William's death, she gets warped 5 years forward with all her original memories intact. Does she remember the new version of events? She seemed to know what Chloe was talking about with her letters. If that was her simply acting along with what she was just told, nothing before ever gave the impression that she'd be able to do that so seamlessly. I suppose this is probably something the game will get into soon. It really wouldn't make sense for her to have the new memories, since she had a little freakout at the end of the last episode with all the changes, plus she seems genuinely shocked at the evidence she wasn't very empathetic toward Chloe in this timeline.
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Mar 11, 2016 02:17
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I found this whole section really effecting. In particular I really like the subtle characterization of both Alt Max and Chloe here. The text messages, her pretentious and distant letters, who her friends are and the fact that she don't have a reference to her spirit animal anywhere on her clothing all imply that alt Max is not a terrible person but a more selfish, less emphatic and less self aware one. Also the text line from Nathan shows she's not too hung up on Polaroids in this reality. Alt Chloe's conversations, particularly the way she pulls back on any criticism of Max, do a nice job of implying that she's pretty hurt by Max's actions but is so desperate to rekindle their friendship that she doesn't want to risk inadvertently pushing her away which is pretty much the opposite of Chloe prime. The hesitant way she asks Max to watch a movie with her, like she's preparing herself for polite rejection, gets me a bit.
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Mar 11, 2016 03:08
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ZiegeDame posted:Still no mention of Kate anywhere in this timeline. This does not bode well. Oh christ if alt-max was the one pressuring alt-kate into suicide I don't know if I can handle it. Also what the hell game! I was so happy when Max told Chloe about her time travel powers! It's exactly what a normal person would do! Then LiS just rips the rug out from under me, Max is keeping time travel a secret from alt-Chloe for no adequately explained reason! I think I'm too upset about this. Also I like the whole "all your choices matter, except when they don't because you travel back in time about 5 minutes after the choice". I had a really tough time deciding whether to give the gun back to Chloe! tl;dr this game is sweet and I can't stop being excited for the next episode
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Mar 11, 2016 03:45
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You're all missing the most important thing about this reality: Chloe no longer needs toilet paper. (Max doesn't either, TP is literally throwing itself at her.)
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Mar 11, 2016 04:34
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Apparently the town is just fine leaving those whales on the beach tho
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Mar 11, 2016 05:52
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Veloxyll posted:Apparently the town is just fine leaving those whales on the beach tho It could be worse, they could have packed them with dynamite and rained whale chunks over the whole town.
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Mar 11, 2016 05:56
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ZiegeDame posted:It could be worse, they could have packed them with dynamite and rained whale chunks over the whole town. I forget, did anyone actually die when that idiot real life town did this, or did the chunks just wreck a few cars?
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Mar 11, 2016 06:47
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I distinctly remember this episode being long as balls. This twist that they're pulling here is really daring and well done from what we've seen so far. I love how this game uses environment and user interface (Max's texts etc) as quiet forms of characterization.
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Mar 11, 2016 06:50
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KasaiAisu posted:Oh christ if alt-max was the one pressuring alt-kate into suicide I don't know if I can handle it. I don't know, I don't think the first thing I would bring up to my (newly?) disabled friend after having disappeared for however long is that hey, I'm doing super great PLUS I've got these badass time-travel powers! Oh, and your paralysis is one of the inadvertent results of my abuse of said powers, but at least your dad is alive? Best of intentions and all, but even given what Max was trying (and succeeding) to do, it seems like a pretty heavy load. Since I only know of the game via the LP, I've got no idea if we'll be able to bounce between timelines, or if this is our new reality for good. If the former, our "new" friends could give us some valuable insights to take back with us. If the latter, then...we don't have much of an impetus to find Rachel, since her relationship to Chloe seemed like our modus operandi, and that no longer exists.
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Mar 11, 2016 07:01
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