Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

[Lingwo]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!

I liked the computer one involving the three cards because i had to write stuff down on paper, i always like puzzles where you have to write stuff down to remind you of the certain order of things

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!

I thought the second hive trial was difficult because it was such a small area and i had no idea how to break the door.

I killed the monster a couple of times and then when i realised i couldn't die, i rested against the door and let the monster hit in the hope i would smash through the door. Also i tried dodging the monsters swings so he would hit the door.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Spoiler below!

The pacing i thought was good till the end of the game because it kind of just happened

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Spoiler below!

The variation i thought was ok for the length of the game, i would've liked to see some more set pieces with the monsters.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!

Voice acting was good and fitted fine within the context of the game.

Favourite character was annabel (sp?) because first time i thought he might actually leave with a survivor. I didn't really have a worst character although the voice inside his head was getting annoying.

6) How did you like the ending?

Spoiler below!

Ending was ok, i think it could've had been played out better and maybe gave us more closure on it.

[Doffy90]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

All the puzzles were great and I liked em alot.


2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

The computer cards, that was impossible. I just tested it randomly even after reading the manual and then I finally had enough and watched it on youtube.


3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Not bad at all although Id like to see more cinematics in the future.


4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

First of all I have to say that the monsters in the walls was a pain in the ass.

All the hallways with all the doors was a pain in the ass as I got sick cause I was going round in circles

I would like to see more scripted events in the future as I thought that it could have been better. Gameplay wise it was like Overture and was quite enjoyable, except for the not being able to kill the aliens part.

Finding Howards father was also a major bummer as it was not a cinematic and he just said "omg my father" and then we carry on...

Storywise it was mediocre but I have to admit that I was expecting more. I knew there was something supernatural to the story but the aliens just made it move from supernatural to insane. I would rather it be something with finding an energy source, dna fiddeling and an insane god sect and such.


5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

I just have to say that Clarence was definitely a good idea but his voice was horrible and his constant bit**ing was annoying. It reminded me of the Prince Of Persia: Two Thrones which had much better character voices.

Anabel or whatever her name was, was a horrible addition to the game. I felt all the conversations were unatural. The jokes just got too annoying for me as its a dead serious situation and people would have been scared shitless. And another thing, that one way communication was a terrible idea, even if it was a one way communication a real person would have at least tried to talk to the person on the other side.

Also in the beginning if I remember correctly we hear Philip talk, which was quite a disappointment to me as he had a terrible voice actor.

The alien character at the end had a fitting voice but I still dont like the alien.


6) How did you like the ending?

Quite disappointing. From the first time I saw those aliens I was like "I pray to God that they are human experiments and not real aliens" and in the end when we knew that they were real aliens, everything collapsed.
The only thing I like with the ending was those tasks which the alien gave us. I found those really challenging, so kudos for that.



I have emphasized the negative parts here but don't get me wrong I loved the game. Its a good FPS horror game.

[SpannerMagnet]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

I think the puzzles were significantly easier in Black Plague. The Tuurngait puzzle was a very good idea.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

The hardest puzzle for me was combining my lighter with the flammable spray to melt the ice on the lever to operate the bridge. I tried pouring alcohol on the lever to try and burn it. Also tried the spray on it. Never crossed my mind to combine them in the inventory.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

There were many loading screens at the finale.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I think there should have been more scenes that were intended to make the player scream and run out of the room yelling "Mommy!!"

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Voice acting was brill. Clarence was a nice touch. But not as good as Red. He was cool

6) How did you like the ending?

The ending was great. I loved that part of the messages were actually used as you start the game. Very nice. I would have liked to see something, some sort of interaction with the person receiving the email. Maybe some sequel cliffhanger and the other Archaic bases around the world.

Top notch game. Definitely one of my favourites. Having no weapons added a great fun factor. Well, fear factor to be honest. Like in the first game you, the player, knows that there are only (usually) two types of enemies. The infected and the big worm. (Speaking of which, did we get notes on how the animals (spiders, dogs and worms) became infected?)
But the darkness plays tricks on the player and he/she never knows what to expect. I pray that Frictional Games create more FPS Horror/Puzzle games. Absolutely terrific! Thanks guys!

[bgr]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Hive mind, the "sarcrifice myself" one. Why? It was so obvious and surprising too. Somehow I figured it out almost immediately!

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Kennel, that two damn holes at the swtich. I spent around 40 minutes there, then I gave up and went to the spoilers.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

The pacing was perfect!

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

More diversity? huhh, it was diverse enough, thanks Man it was the scariest thing (not just in game topic, but movie, book, real life) I've ever seen.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

The chars were good enough do their job. We have seen more detailed models of course, and bigger monsters with giant claws but these were the scariest ones all time. The sounds, effects was fitting, the voices were OK. The "no combat" concept really boosted up the game. With a chainsaw in my hand the monsters doesn't look so scary, you know
I was thinking about Clarence. He was a funny bastard, I give it to him, but sometimes he pulled me out from the mood a little.

6) How did you like the ending?

I wanted to join to the hive at the end, especially after the self sacrifice test. Well I wasn't, but it was OK!

[Lotz]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

There was no puzzle that I actually didn't like.. but I especially liked the ones in the beginning when you're crawling through the vent, with the hints on the walls. Reminded me a bit of the Saw movies.
Oh and I loved the 'nightmare', where you're on that ship at first.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

I completed the game without looking at a walkthrough, all the puzzles were fair in my opinion. I played on normal and the difficulty was just right. But I spent quite some time in the canteen, trying to figure out how to set that barrel ablaze and activate the fire alarm. I thought I had to fix the Fuse Box or something.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Pacing was good, it never got boring.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

No complaints here neither.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Philip could have shown a little more emotions, you'd expect someone to be sad/shocked/angry when they find their dead father.. or when Amabell died.
As for the voice acting, I absolutely liked Amabell's voice and I was sad when she died. Would have been nice to get that biggest hug ever.
I didn't really like Clarence's voice though, but it was ok.

6) How did you like the ending?

I loved the final puzzles, but the conclusion was a bit confusing. I figure that Philip's asking the player to find and kill the Tuurngait, but it wasn't quite clear at first.

Overall, I haven't enjoyed a game this much in a long time, thanks a lot.
Can't you give us a hint or two what you guys are planning to do next? Hopefully another Horror game!

[drex]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

I liked the puzzle with the computer chips. It was a chin scratcher and also connected with me because I work with computers a lot.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

There were two puzzles that stood out to me as the hardest ones. The first and arguably the most annoying what trying to figure out how to stop the gas leak before the Chemical Lab. I tried going back the the computer to make sure it unlocked the door. I saw the .exe file on the computer and thought it might be linked to the door so I went password hunting. I found a calander that said it was marked on March 3rd 2000 for some reason that I never really found out why. I spent a good hour or more trying to figure this out before I gave up and searched the forums heh. The second was figuring out how to get back after the ice bridge collapsed in the snow outside. It took me many tries to get everything stacked and ready only to over jump and fall to my death. It wasn't that I didn't know how to do it, just that it was difficult to do.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

I didn't find the game slow at all, unless it was my own fault. Like getting stuck on a puzzle, which only happened twice.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I am not sure I understand this question but I will answer to the best of my ability. I thought the gameplay was fine. I enjoyed the unique way you play this game. Instead of killing everything you see, you try to avoid it out of fear. The one thing I would change is how the monsters work. Monster patrols are only scary until you know exactly what path they will take. Then it is just a matter of being in the right place when they pass by. Allow them to occasionally look behind themselves, or peek into a room they normally don't. This would definitely make me hold my breath when one passes by.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

I liked the personalities of the characters quite a bit. The only issue I have here is that you NEVER see another living human in the game. While this can give you a sense of being alone and that is scary itself, it also seems kind of strange. If people are going to help you through the game, it would be nice to at least see them alive even if it is just for a minute before they die a gruesome death. =D

6) How did you like the ending?

The ending left the game open which is fine, so long as there is going to be something to close it. There were to many unanswered questions in the end, but I still thought it was pretty good. I like what Philip says to whoever he is typing to.

[Ping5000]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
I liked the ones that involved a lot of mouse pulling/pushing to manipulate the physics. The crane puzzle, for example. It wasn't the hardest thing in the world, but it made me feel all the more immersed into the game because it felt like I using my actual hands to pull and push the levers.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
The ones that required you to reference notes. I totally forgot about the circuit notes when I trying to transfer programs onto the non-fried cards. I tried to break it down logically by looking at the program names themselves. It worked, but it was really frustrating. Maybe next time the character I control can bring up a little hint like, "I should take a look at [insert whatever here]".

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
The pacing was great overall. The only time it got slow as near the end, when the game threw me into a item hunt. I would've liked it if there were puzzles for each chemical or two puzzles that both gave me three of the chemicals, instead of making me search for them because the chemicals tended to blend in with the world in general.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
I don't have any complaints as far as variation is concerned. One moment I'm hesitantly walking down dark corridors, another I'm solving a nice puzzle, later I'm putting on the gas mask (which made things really claustrophobic), then I'm digging through computer files, all of a sudden I'm sprinting through a blizzard and so on.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
I liked all the characters, but my favorite is easily Amabel. Her voice work was fantastic and combined with the writing made her really endearing. Great job with her, and the dramatic event involving her carried a lot of emotional weight because she was developed so well. Another favorite is the guy who asks for a saw (his name escapes me). The combination of great voice work (the way her stutters, his nervous tone) and sharp writing (how specific he got with numbers and he liked to go off-topic a lot) made him really come alive. My least favorite character would have to be Clarence. He wasn't a bad character, he was just the least good. His voice got a grating after awhile, and his commentary on the situation sometimes broke up the tense atmosphere.

6) How did you like the ending?
Loved it. It tied the entire story really well and the minimalist style made it a lot more dramatic (the last lines in particular). It started to get a little too supernatural, because everything was grounded around science and reality before the end game, but it never got to the point that it became stupid. Great stuff and again, the last lines were really effective.

[heady]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!

The computer puzzel was very innovative , it's the one that keeps amaze me.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!

I didn't find any of them extremly hard, even tho i played it syncronised with a buddy on ventrilo. There were a few places we were stuck abit but nothing uber hard, so i think you could make them extremly advanced next time everywere .

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Spoiler below!

Loved it , you guys got the mood up so well, i mean it was just a great ammount of variations between slow gameplay with alot of scary knocking on doors to some fast paced elements.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Spoiler below!

Well i must say i enjoyed the real-world thingy the most i was scared shitless all time even in the dream scenes but i didn't like them as much as running around the base. I belive it's important to focus on gameplay and i think you did already , but at the same time have a`lot of moments just like you did with disorientation and cutscenes etc.. might be somthing to add for the future btw "cutscenes" and more monsters etc if you intend to do horror games, which i think you guys were born to do .

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!

Perfect, and so was the audio in the game , added a`lot to the scary exploring moments were you as a player walked around the base with your flashlight .. just loved it guys . One thing tho monsters should'nt been ablet o speek where he said like "your dead" - "is someone there" that just became abit silly .

6) How did you like the ending?

Spoiler below!

It was ablaze, i completed overture 2 weeks before to get a hang of the story , it's just sad you guys ain't making a third part .. theese scary games are so rare but hey maybe a sci-fic alien game ?.. Anyway the ending was good, just a little bit to much of the god-thingy .

[n_s_johnston]

Thomas Wrote:Below are some questions that we would like you to answer in order to make our upcoming games as good as possible:

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!

Notihing really springs to mind, locking the zombie in the server room maybe.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!

I didn't really find this game hard, overture was much more difficult (and engaging). The eyes for the scanner maybe, there was what appeard to be a suitable dead guy with eyes and a head but I had to find a frozen one.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

The pacing was OK, it became annoying running around looking for things though (never liked doing that in games, adds nothing but frustration)

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Hard to say, I didn't enjoy this game anywhere near as much as overture. I can't pinpoint why though,other than it took just over 1 day to finish, (I'm not sure how many hours - but I started playing it on Saturday and was shocked to have finished the game within an hour or two of play on Sunday).

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!

The characters were fine, as was the acting. The Female Dr character seemed overly calm though. I thought she was a recording or an outside broadcast to begin with.

6) How did you like the ending?

Strange, the 3 tasks were really easy. I thought at the time that this was going to lead to another part of the game with different types of task (involving lateral thinking).

A decent game overall, a bit short and easy. Dissapointing after overture - which is one of the most engaging games I've ever played.

Thats all folks! Thanks to all who participate!

[subzirol]

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Every connected with using tools to make new items (ex. coin, cure ingredients).

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
Just after making cure. It was difficult to avoid Clarence in a new body. I've close him in small room bloking door with barrel but he quickly destroyed the door and got me.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
It was well balanced. I really like the pacing when giant worm was chasing me (like in the first part).

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
I think diversity is a strong side of Penumbra: Black Plague, but there could be still more of that.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
Clarence voice was cool and funny but on the other hand it made you feel that you are not alone. I also liked voice of Amabel - contrasting, reassuring, giving small hope (the first time when we hear her via computer was fantastically connected with discreet sound/music effects).

6) How did you like the ending?
I like the idea of disappearing items in the room that was vanishing in darkness, but i thought there will be an option to finish it in different way. I also expect ending a little bit like in "Descent" movie - we manage somehow to escape and then we realizing that was just Clarence playing tricks and we are still trapped underground.