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 Return of the Obra Dinn was hands-down the best game I played in 2018. It was a stunning, beautiful, perfectly-crafted mystery from start to finish, immensely satisfying to solve, and made basically not a single misstep from a design perspective. My only complaint upon finishing was that, given the nature of the thing, there was literally no replay value: knowing all the secrets now, I could never again have the experience of uncovering them. So I called up my old LP buddy Matt for the first time in two years (roughly since I had a baby and the many schedule complications that involves) and made him play the game for my vicarious enjoyment. Following our tradition, this is a "half-blind" LP, where the player (Matt) knows nothing at all and the co-commentator (me) knows the game inside and out. My goal in that role is to keep the playing experience and thus the videos fun and moving along at an acceptable clip -- while I don't intend to spoil any puzzles directly, I will be like a little hint guide saying stuff like, "You can totally identify something in this scene" or "Take another look around before you leave" or "loving Christ, Matt, why are you playing this with an Xbox controller." The hope is that this LP will both show off how awesome the game is to new players (who should TOTALLY just go buy it, I promise it stays as good as it starts) and share my vicarious enjoyment of watching a new player see it for the first time without getting bogged down retracing their steps or charging headfirst into blind alleys. That said, I do have a toddler now, and thus WAY less time to spend on video production than I used to, so this is going to be a little rough around the edges (modulo our couple of years of (admittedly years-old) experience making LPs together). First piece of evidence for reduced technical ambition: I don't feel like making fancy image links for The Videos Part 1, In Which a Melancholy Concluſion Is Reached and Moſt Strange Happenings Occur Part 2, In Which the Obra Dinn's Armaments Prove Inſufficient and Tenſions Amongſt the Crew Riſe to a Breaking Point Part 3, In Which a Conſpiracy is Unmasked and Numerous Perſons Take Their Leave of Our Fair Veſſel Part 4, In Which a Terrible Peſtilence Takes its Toll and the Obra Dinn Receives a Moſt Unwelcome Viſitor Part 5, In Which a Monſtrous Battle is Bravely Fought and a Shocking New Perſpective is Attained Part 6, In Which Foul Murders Are Practiced And Workplace Safety Regulations Are Not Part 7, In Which The Obra Dinn Meets Beaſts Not Part Of Their World And Its Tribulations, At Laſt, Begin Part 8: Plucking of the Low-Hanging Fruit Part 9: Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe Part 10: The Boys Are Back In Drown Occultatio fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Sep 13, 2019 |
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Jan 18, 2019 07:08
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This is a great format for an Obra Dinn playthrough, glad to see it back! One minor nitpick though, in the first scene: "clubbed" is used as more of a general "struck with a blunt object wielded by someone", so "clubbed by beast" does in fact work as an alternate solution for Abigail's fate (since the kraken's tentacle is holding the rigging). edit: And addressing a later question you were both unsure on, when you look at an already-seen corpse in the present day, the hour and minute hand of the watch correspond to the chapter and scene of their death, respectively (so a time of 7:20 -> chapter 7, scene 4, to use an example shown in the video). Zyxyz fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Jan 18, 2019 |
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Jan 18, 2019 09:08
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Finally! I've been waiting for this LP since you posted the first episode in games. By the way, the stuff above me is not a significant spoiler for anything we haven't seen yet.
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Jan 18, 2019 09:21
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Now that I've played this game myself, I intend to enjoy it vicariously through this LP!
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Jan 18, 2019 09:43
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This is really cool looking, On the one hand I really want to play this for myself and try and figure out the mystery ahead of the vids, but on the other I'm a cheap bastard and $20 for a one time experience sours me just a little bit. Though I will say that the still screens don't do the graphics justice, which was part of my reluctance initially.
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Jan 20, 2019 15:02
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CzarChasm posted:This is really cool looking, On the one hand I really want to play this for myself and try and figure out the mystery ahead of the vids, but on the other I'm a cheap bastard and $20 for a one time experience sours me just a little bit. Doooo iiiiit I've recommended this game to multiple friends with the explicit offer to personally refund their $20 if they get to the end and don't feel it was worth it. This offer does not extend to internet strangers, but I do not feel at all cheated -- it is a one-time experience, but (as has been frequently bemoaned) an utterly unique one.
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Jan 20, 2019 17:37
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This is a really clever way of doing a puzzle game, and I'm very interested in seeing how this plays out.
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Jan 21, 2019 01:27
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This is a good approach to a good game, and my only regret is I can't play along fully having already played the game. I hope those who are intrigued by thind are moved to get the games themselves and try to figure things out on their own.
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Jan 21, 2019 13:01
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Watching the first couple of episodes inspired me to go and finish my own playthrough, and after 5 hours or so I've finished, but with a decent amount of guesswork for the final seamen. I did go look up how you're *supposed* to do some of them, and drat I feel dumb. Looking forward to seeing more of this LP!
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Jan 21, 2019 13:20
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Just wanted to say that this thread convinced me to buy the game, before watching any solutions. So far up to six fates solved on my own... and working through it. Thanks for the pointer! Won't be watching the LP, because, well, I want to not spoil myself. Edit: And I completed it. Would have been much easier if I had realised earlier I could fill in information on individuals from the crew pictures, rather than needing to wait for their death scene, heh. Had to go back and piece hings together. I also missed a key clue for identification of many of the common seamen, which meant I pretty much had to brute-force 'which Chinese topsman is this', 'which Indian seaman is this', and 'which Russian seaman is this'- since I had narrowed down people to those categories, but missed how it got specific from there. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Jan 23, 2019 |
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Jan 22, 2019 02:48
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Having watched these videos, I've proceeded to buy the game so I can avoid getting spoiled further. Can't spoil things if I figure them out first! And watching you guys work through them might still very well be interesting. EDIT: In fact, I just played through my first playthrough and didn't get everything. I was hoping I'd still get to access the final chapter, but no such luck I suppose. Gotta start working on identifying those chinese topmen and indian seamen. Boksi fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Jan 24, 2019 |
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Jan 24, 2019 02:22
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I'm really happy this LP is inspiring people to buy and/or play the game! It really is a masterpiece. Part 3, In Which a Conſpiracy is Unmasked and Numerous Perſons Take Their Leave of Our Fair Veſſel
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Jan 26, 2019 23:21
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Heh, I had to brute force the brothers too, but it took me a long time to confirm it because the game kept confirming others instead. I had nearly grasped the proper way of IDing them, I just never made one of the logical connections that I should have. If I may make a suggestion, why not have a pre-recording checklist if you're sticking to the fortnightly recording schedule? Something like "remember to check the map and crew manifest, remember the crew manifest has nationalities", etc. Just so the viewers don't have to scream at the screen for the first five minutes 
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Jan 27, 2019 04:29
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As it turns out, I'm watching the LP after all, since now I actually know everything. Fun to watch somebody unfamiliar wrestle with the mysteries of the story. 
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Jan 27, 2019 05:31
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I did end up buying it, and it's worth it. Very satisfying as those confirmation messages pop up. I just passed 21 people identified mark, so now comes the real detective work.
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Jan 27, 2019 14:34
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The wife and I are doing this together thanks to this LP. Not sure how long it’ll take us as we do it while the baby is napping so we are not advancing very quickly. Thank you for starting this thread and introducing us to a fun game.
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Jan 27, 2019 21:09
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Dammit, I keep going back and forth on whether I should buy it. On the one hand the mechanics are really cool, but it also looks like something that would frustrate me. At least watching the LP is giving me more of an idea of whether I'd like it!
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Jan 27, 2019 22:54
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I managed to finish this game with minimal brute forcing, only really having to guess the very last ones. The crew manifest has more clues in it than you'd think. My only complaint is that it's over now so I can't enjoy it further 
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Jan 28, 2019 00:04
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Ooh, another Obra Dinn LP. Gonna watch this! Something I don't see mentioned often about the 2-bit graphics: along with the classic monitor look, it makes every visual in the game look like a woodcut, which is perfect for a game about a Georgian-era sailing ship. Another nice touch is that each chapter has its own unique soundtrack. Not just for the minute or so of investiation before it gives you your page, but even the quiet bits after vary to match the chord sequences of the chapter's main theme. Not important for figuring anything out, but it gives each chapter its own mood - compare the conclusive adventurey feel of The End to the deep terrifying brass of The Doom. If there's one thing I would criticise the game for it's the ID of the tattoo guy - maybe it's just me but the tattoos aren't really that strong a signifier of what the game expects you to get from them. More than that, though, there's another crewman that disappears in The Doom that has far more obvious cultural signifiers but his face is still blurred at this point, and won't unblur until we see some other scenes which show the same information between both him and the tattoos. It's just a bit inconsistent to me. Meanwhile, the passenger who shot that guy seemed to have a really obvious solution to figure her out. But I guess different things are obvious thoughts to different people. At the least, you mentioned the game doesn't expect you to tell English/Scottish/Irish accents apart - the game doesn't expect you to tell any accents apart, which is good if you're not very familiar with what, say, a Polish accent sounds like. And if you do know it'll give you the satisfaction of figuring some people out before the game thinks you have the information to do it.
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Jan 28, 2019 00:43
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Tenebrais posted:If there's one thing I would criticise the game for it's the ID of the tattoo guy - maybe it's just me but the tattoos aren't really that strong a signifier of what the game expects you to get from them. More than that, though, there's another crewman that disappears in The Doom that has far more obvious cultural signifiers but his face is still blurred at this point, and won't unblur until we see some other scenes which show the same information between both him and the tattoos. It's just a bit inconsistent to me. If the tattooed guy you are referring to is the same one I'm thinking of they do give you a direct way of id'ing him. If that's too spoilery I can remove it, but once you see that, wow does it open up a ton of solutions. Also on the Nationality front, it's less important that you know how these people sound, since most don't talk anyway, but knowing some cultural things can shed some light on who these people are. Also kind of useful if you know a little about the sailing history of those countries from around this time. Removed spoiler CzarChasm fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Jan 28, 2019 |
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Jan 28, 2019 05:21
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CzarChasm posted:If the tattooed guy you are referring to is the same one I'm thinking of they do give you a direct way of id'ing him.
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Jan 28, 2019 06:05
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CzarChasm posted:If the tattooed guy you are referring to is the same one I'm thinking of they do give you a direct way of id'ing him. You can find him sleeping in his bunk in an earlier scene. Each bunk has an identification associated with it. They're talking about the tattoo guy from Part 2 that has tattoos all over his body and got ripped in half by the kraken.
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Jan 28, 2019 17:13
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Tenebrais posted:Meanwhile, the passenger who shot that guy seemed to have a really obvious solution to figure her out. But I guess different things are obvious thoughts to different people. I'm a little confused about this one, too. I've heard other people say that it was tricky, but it seemed pretty straightforward to me.
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Jan 29, 2019 17:36
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idonotlikepeas posted:I'm a little confused about this one, too. I've heard other people say that it was tricky, but it seemed pretty straightforward to me. I think it's one of those 'did you look closely enough to actually see the clue in question' things. For those who saw it, I don't think the deduction was too hard.
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Jan 29, 2019 19:10
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nweismuller posted:I think it's one of those 'did you look closely enough to actually see the clue in question' things. For those who saw it, I don't think the deduction was too hard. It's not even that, it's "Are you in the right frame of mind to even recognize that this one detail is a clue." I missed it on both levels, but honestly even if I had seen it I probably would not have registered the significance.
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Jan 29, 2019 19:16
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Meh, the first time through I didn't get the clue and still got the correct guess, by making assumptions based on how they act during scenes
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Jan 29, 2019 19:43
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There are some other secondary clues, but it'll probably be easier to talk about it once the LP gets to that person's identity.
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Jan 29, 2019 20:30
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I do hope that Matt has the same reaction to one of the reveals that I did.
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Jan 29, 2019 20:50
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CzarChasm posted:I do hope that Matt has the same reaction to one of the reveals that I did. I'm now curious what reveal that is, if you can think of any sufficiently non-spoiler-y ways to indicate it.
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Jan 30, 2019 07:02
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I thoroughly enjoyed this game, although I wish I didn't beat it in one sitting. It was a glorious six hours, but still.
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Feb 1, 2019 03:46
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Doctor Reynolds posted:I thoroughly enjoyed this game, although I wish I didn't beat it in one sitting. It was a glorious six hours, but still. Pretty much my exact sentiments. Bought the game because of the first three episodes of this let's play and then sat down to beat it in one sitting. I really loved the experience and found the whole thing very striking. Looking forward to watching the rest of these videos so that I can witness some alternative means of deduction that I completely missed on my playthrough.
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Feb 3, 2019 09:17
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Just watched the first episode, bought the game, now I'm not gonna watch any more of the LP. I guess that's a success?
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Feb 3, 2019 12:01
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The visual style here is really neat. I can't think of another game that was very much like it.
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Feb 4, 2019 01:29
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Glazius posted:The visual style here is really neat. I can't think of another game that was very much like it. I can't remember or find where I saw this, but basically: the true Obra Dinn Experience includes the crushing disappointment of getting to the end and realizing that there is literally nothing else like it. Anyway, here's another video! Part 4, In Which a Terrible Peſtilence Takes its Toll and the Obra Dinn Receives a Moſt Unwelcome Viſitor Occultatio fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Feb 8, 2019 |
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Feb 8, 2019 02:17
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Those. Freaking. Bunk tags. I literally never saw the drat things. That made my full solution more difficult than it needed to be, and involved additional brute forcing.
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Feb 8, 2019 03:23
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I think you could've identified the Gunner in the first flashback with the crab. He was the guy handing out weapons from the armory. If the game wasn't monochrome you could probably identify half of the officers by uniform alone.
ThingOne fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Feb 8, 2019 |
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Feb 8, 2019 04:19
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I'd say googling spider crab rather than coconut crab might be a bit more productive I didn't notice the numbers until it was hinted to me, which was really frustrating.
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Feb 8, 2019 04:55
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Matt's reaction to the crab beasts was much more subdued than my own. I was OK with a Kraken, but seeing some hell crab actually gave me pause.
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Feb 8, 2019 04:56
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Ibblebibble posted:I'd say googling spider crab rather than coconut crab might be a bit more productive gently caress ME I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THOSE OH GOD
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Feb 8, 2019 06:27
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Occultatio posted:gently caress ME I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THOSE
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