The Prisoner: Zero Escape, 1980 Edition

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > The Prisoner: Zero Escape, 1980 Edition

ManxomeBromide: Jan 29, 2009; old school

Kaboom Dragoon posted:

My favourite episode is Hammer Into Anvil for this.

Hammer Into Anvil is a master class in weaponizing paranoia. I remember also liking "A, B and C", but Hammer Into Anvil was my favorite episode as well, and by a huge margin.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 07:08

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 27, 2024 21:35

hyphz: Aug 5, 2003; Number 1 Nerd Tear Farmer 2022.

Keep it up, champ.

Also you're a skeleton warrior now. Kree.; Unlockable Ben

Davin Valkri posted:

This does look interesting, but I'm so glad games have moved on from this. This looks like one of those games where you can play through the whole thing in 20 minutes if you know the true path, so most of the gameplay is dedicated to obscuring and messing with that as much as possible to make the game last 4 hours.

How crazy does the Prisoner-ness get as the game goes on?

It can be finished quite quickly without needing to use emulator speed up. There are in built skips for some of the slower sequences. Which is kind of sensible when you consider it's essentially a puzzle game but with permadeath.

Also, if the graphics were any better the game over sequence wouldn't be as terrifying

On that point, will you be doing the sequel/remake also?

# ? Mar 3, 2017 19:05

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

hyphz posted:

On that point, will you be doing the sequel/remake also?

No, but if anyone wants to they can start after we check out the island.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 19:27

EclecticTastes: Sep 17, 2012; "Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

hyphz posted:

Also, if the graphics were any better the game over sequence wouldn't be as terrifying

Now I kinda want to see a game over demonstrated, I tried looking this up but I couldn't find any existing videos of this.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 20:06

hyphz: Aug 5, 2003; Number 1 Nerd Tear Farmer 2022.

Keep it up, champ.

Also you're a skeleton warrior now. Kree.; Unlockable Ben

EclecticTastes posted:

Now I kinda want to see a game over demonstrated, I tried looking this up but I couldn't find any existing videos of this.

I don't know if showing it would screw up SelenicMartian's save game, so I shall describe how my young brain saw it:

The screen shows a computer or monitoring station with flashing lights, made out of the same white blocks as everything else. At the top middle is a screen, showing a # in the middle, and below are the three digits of your code.

Two more #'s appear beside yours, then two above, and then more, until the entire monitoring screen is full of them. Is the camera zooming in? Zooming out? Are you being copied? Who knows? But it's full of #'s, now, all just like you.

With a violent scratching sound a tide of X's slam down, obliterating all of the #'s and your code.

The bottom of the screen then types out: "THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. YOU MAY HAVE LOST, BUT WE HAVE GAINED. BE SEEING YOU."

It probably looks like total crap to a modern viewer but that was how it felt when I first saw it.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 20:41

Kaboom Dragoon: May 7, 2010; The greatest of feasts

ManxomeBromide posted:

Hammer Into Anvil is a master class in weaponizing paranoia. I remember also liking "A, B and C", but Hammer Into Anvil was my favorite episode as well, and by a huge margin.

It stood out to me because it was the first time - and even now, I genuinely can't think of a similar example - I ever saw a main character run a gambit like that on the bad guys. But - and here's the interesting part - you never once feel like Six has crossed a line. You're watching him do the exact same thing The Village has been doing to him for so long and you're with him every step of the way. By the end, you're just in awe of what he's pulled off. And even with The Village deserted, he doesn't even try to escape. He doesn't need to. He's won. It's probably the one, unambiguous victory he achieves in the whole series.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 21:15

CirclMastr: Jul 4, 2010

SelenicMartian posted:

No, but if anyone wants to they can start after we check out the island.

I would be up for this if I knew how to get it.

# ? Mar 3, 2017 21:16

hyphz: Aug 5, 2003; Number 1 Nerd Tear Farmer 2022.

Keep it up, champ.

Also you're a skeleton warrior now. Kree.; Unlockable Ben

CirclMastr posted:

I would be up for this if I knew how to get it.

http://www.filfre.net/misc/prisoner2.zip

# ? Mar 3, 2017 21:18

inflatablefish: Oct 24, 2010

EclecticTastes posted:

Reviewing the video, I believe, based on the code for the Clues program, that it's reading from the file, PR.LOST. So, perhaps next time you quit the game, you can check that one out.

Okay, so loading PR.LOST doesn't work,but what happens if you load and then run CLUES? It might generate a random clue without costing you 10 points.

# ? Mar 5, 2017 14:50

Glazius: Jul 22, 2007; Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.; Clapping Larry

"out of 26"?

Wasn't it just "out of 10" last time?

# ? Mar 6, 2017 04:38

Davin Valkri: Apr 8, 2011; Maybe you're weighing the moral pros and cons but let me assure you that OH MY GOD
SHOOT ME IN THE GODDAMNED FACE
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Glazius posted:

"out of 26"?

Wasn't it just "out of 10" last time?

I think it was out of 11.

My guess is that the second part is actually the measure of your progress in the game. It goes up as you accomplish the things you need to do to escape the Island. The first part will only go up in one huge chunk after you've successfully escaped. It's just presented this way (including starting at -1) to discourage you.

# ? Mar 6, 2017 05:12

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

On no, score can be positive. But the "out of" part goes up every time you do something.

And I'm prety sure, you can get different scores upon quitting immediately after the first castle sequence.

# ? Mar 6, 2017 06:17

idonotlikepeas: May 29, 2010; This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

Hammer Into Anvil is interesting in context because the usual rules governing the series are abandoned. There's a moment right near the beginning where Number Six essentially says "yeah, I hate all of you, but gently caress YOU ESPECIALLY" and from that moment on he makes absolutely no attempt to escape or play any of the usual Village games. It's a good opportunity for people that never watched Danger Man to see him in operation in a situation where he isn't fighting just to keep his sanity.

# ? Mar 7, 2017 00:37

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

Recording #C. Buildings #15-20+.

Spec Ops: The #

So, what next?

# ? Mar 7, 2017 18:43

gschmidl: Sep 3, 2011; watch with knife hands

SelenicMartian posted:

So, what next?

Now you tell us why you resigned.

# ? Mar 7, 2017 18:45

idonotlikepeas: May 29, 2010; This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

SelenicMartian posted:

So, what next?

Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself.

# ? Mar 7, 2017 18:51

Davin Valkri: Apr 8, 2011; Maybe you're weighing the moral pros and cons but let me assure you that OH MY GOD
SHOOT ME IN THE GODDAMNED FACE
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Considering what the torture room is based on, I'm surprised they didn't require you to press escape five times to leave, with each press prompting the speaker to more forcefully insist you continue the interrogation.

SelenicMartian posted:

So, what next?

Do you know, yourself?

# ? Mar 7, 2017 19:06

EclecticTastes: Sep 17, 2012; "Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Clearly, you need to swing over the pit using the rope, only reasonable thing to do when you've got a rope and a pit.

EDIT: By the way, the reason the answer at the end was your resignation code is because you were torturing yourself, obviously.

EclecticTastes fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Mar 7, 2017

# ? Mar 7, 2017 22:29

someone awful.: Sep 7, 2007

"The key to escape is the key to escape" seems like a really oblique reference to... Well, the escape key, right? What's up with that?

# ? Mar 8, 2017 00:36

Added Space: Jul 13, 2012; Free Markets
Free People

Curse you Hayard-Gunnes!

Buy the clown suit and go to the carnival. Buy the clone suit and go to the cloning lab. Buy a crateful of pens and try to rig the Library slots.

In the library question section I could see text flickering in the upper right but I wasn't able to read it - subliminal indeed.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 00:49

Glazius: Jul 22, 2007; Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.; Clapping Larry

Wow, that's a lot of money for those attempts to escape. Where have we even seen that we can make money?

# ? Mar 8, 2017 04:50

Davin Valkri: Apr 8, 2011; Maybe you're weighing the moral pros and cons but let me assure you that OH MY GOD
SHOOT ME IN THE GODDAMNED FACE
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Glazius posted:

Wow, that's a lot of money for those attempts to escape. Where have we even seen that we can make money?

The clone keeper said you could get a loan from the bank. Presumably you wouldn't have to pay back after you've escaped.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 04:54

ManxomeBromide: Jan 29, 2009; old school

someone awful. posted:

"The key to escape is the key to escape" seems like a really oblique reference to... Well, the escape key, right? What's up with that?

I know at least one place where that clue would apply and Selenic happened to cruise right past the area where you'd be motivated to want to. It just didn't get in his way.

I might have sworn volubly at the screen when it (didn't) happen.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 05:22

Pittsburgh Lambic: Feb 16, 2011

I'm pretty sure that library minigame was incinerating your books. Christ.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 06:39

EclecticTastes: Sep 17, 2012; "Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

Pittsburgh Lambic posted:

I'm pretty sure that library minigame was incinerating your books. Christ.

According to Wikipedia, yes, that graphic is supposed to depict the books being burned. :eng99:

# ? Mar 8, 2017 07:11

Added Space: Jul 13, 2012; Free Markets
Free People

Curse you Hayard-Gunnes!

EclecticTastes posted:

According to Wikipedia, yes, that graphic is supposed to depict the books being burned.

To be fair, the books probably only contain more cryptic propaganda.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 08:24

ManxomeBromide: Jan 29, 2009; old school

I've managed to crack the clues file, but in so doing, it turns out that there are some fairly major revelations in there. I do not recommend people attempt this unless they already know the game.

I will, however, confirm in spoiler tags that "The Key to Escape is the Key to Escape" is one of the clues, as is "Play Slot #2." Slot Machine #2 dispenses hints as its winnings.

Edit: Also, Selenic, you're suffering avoidable pain, so I might as well be more explicit about the thing I hinted at before: The maze after you get gassed is skippable. Hit the escape key and you teleport to the exit. The key to escape is the key to escape.

ManxomeBromide fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Mar 8, 2017

# ? Mar 8, 2017 09:23

hyphz: Aug 5, 2003; Number 1 Nerd Tear Farmer 2022.

Keep it up, champ.

Also you're a skeleton warrior now. Kree.; Unlockable Ben

I'm assuming Selenic knows the game too and is holding back spoilers for thread discovery. That's why I'm keeping quiet about what I know, since there's plenty more avoidable pain coming.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 11:03

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

hyphz posted:

I'm assuming Selenic knows the game too

Nope. I've seen a couple more of its tricks and that's it.

# ? Mar 8, 2017 11:09

Domus: May 7, 2007; Kidney Buddies

Hit the escape key on every screen you can. It's the key to escape, right? So maybe if you hit it in the right place, it'll let you escape.

# ? Mar 10, 2017 01:15

Randalor: Sep 4, 2011

A morbid thought... can you hang yourself with the rope? And would that be considered "winning" the game (as the people holding you can't get the information if you're dead, after all)?

# ? Mar 10, 2017 23:52

Jabor: Jul 16, 2010; #1 Loser at SpaceChem

I assume you get past that stage of the pit minigame by walking as far up the side as you're allowed, and then "jumping" (which might be what the being-able-to-walk-a-bit-into-the-pit represents) across the corner. Jumping being the thing that was prohibited in the first round but isn't prohibited the second time.

# ? Mar 11, 2017 03:02

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

Added Space posted:

In the library question section I could see text flickering in the upper right but I wasn't able to read it - subliminal indeed.

# ? Mar 14, 2017 03:24

Kangra: May 7, 2012

That made me rewatch that episode.

Incidentally, you were wondering about one of the book questions (it's a bit unfortunate how American the game is, given how British the TV series was). All the President's Men is the title of Woodward and Bernstein's account of how they broke the Watergate scandal that caused the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Whereas the The Final Days was a follow-up by the same authors, chronicling the inside story of the Nixon White House at the time of the scandal. I suppose it depends on which side of the story you're interested in. I was going to say only the first was adapted into a movie, but IMDB says there was a made-for-TV version of The Final Days in 1989.

Although the game actually asks you to choose between The Final Days and All the President's Menoval office, which may well be a different book.

# ? Mar 14, 2017 05:35

SelenicMartian: Sep 14, 2013; Sometimes it's not the bomb that's retarded.

Recording #Four. Unplug the system.

The earliest

in a commercial game? By the way, the publisher specialised in edutainment.

# ? Mar 14, 2017 17:00

hyphz: Aug 5, 2003; Number 1 Nerd Tear Farmer 2022.

Keep it up, champ.

Also you're a skeleton warrior now. Kree.; Unlockable Ben

Ok, so that's the actual, legitimate, call-the-software-company error handler there. So I decided to take a look at this:

code:

]LOAD PR.CARNY
]LIST 600

600  VTAB 12: FOR I = 0 AND 2: HTAB 10 + I: PRINT CHR$(92): NEXT I: VTAB 13: HTAB 9: PRINT "  +  ": RETURN

Wait... FOR I = 0 AND 2? That's not even legal BASIC. It should be FOR I = 0 TO 2. I'm not sure if that's an error on the disk image or anything, but changing that should make it work.. I'm pretty sure this isn't an intended puzzle or anything either.

As for getting on in the game.. you need stuff to happen in the Theater. I'm not sure how to make it do so though.

hyphz fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Mar 14, 2017

# ? Mar 14, 2017 19:37

CirclMastr: Jul 4, 2010

So the pit thing has a rope and sticks. If you tie two sticks together with rope, it makes a cross.

# ? Mar 14, 2017 20:20

EclecticTastes: Sep 17, 2012; "Most plans are critically flawed by their own logic. A failure at any step will ruin everything after it. That's just basic cause and effect. It's easy for a good plan to fall apart. Therefore, a plan that has no attachment to logic cannot be stopped."

I don't think you mentioned it, but Slot #2 is using slogans for The Party from George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. These were ways The Party kept the populace docile and unquestioning.

# ? Mar 14, 2017 23:14

Domus: May 7, 2007; Kidney Buddies

Can you turn the power off all the way in town hall? I'm just curious if the simulation shuts down then, because you...turned off the power. Like unplugging the system.

# ? Mar 15, 2017 01:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 27, 2024 21:35

Davin Valkri: Apr 8, 2011; Maybe you're weighing the moral pros and cons but let me assure you that OH MY GOD
SHOOT ME IN THE GODDAMNED FACE
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Domus posted:

Can you turn the power off all the way in town hall? I'm just curious if the simulation shuts down then, because you...turned off the power. Like unplugging the system.

This is a good idea. Also, what other items on the island can be unplugged? The slot machines? The interrogation room?

EDIT: Maybe the information consoles at the center of each block?

Davin Valkri fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Mar 15, 2017

# ? Mar 15, 2017 01:04

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > The Prisoner: Zero Escape, 1980 Edition

«‹›5 »