Frictional Games Forum (read-only)

(11-05-2013, 12:29 AM)Fortigurn Wrote: [ -> ]The children were one of the weakest parts of the plot; the game set you up for a lengthy journey, and did its best to slow you down, while the voice on the line became increasingly less concerned with encouraging you to save them.

Plus it doesn't even make sense, considering your children are clearly free and ethereal. Finding out that the Machine is referring to your Pig-Children doesn't make matters much better.

(11-05-2013, 05:37 AM)Alardem Wrote: [ -> ]Plus it doesn't even make sense, considering your children are clearly free and ethereal. Finding out that the Machine is referring to your Pig-Children doesn't make matters much better.

This was definitely a very confused area of the plot. It seems to have suffered several changes during the script development, from which it never quite recovered.

There's all this urgency right at the start, and carefully orchestrated near encounters with children who are supposedly only just out of sight, while at the same time you're being told they're miles away in the depths of some tunnels, but it takes you ages to get anywhere and there's no obvious penalty for delay, and the sense of urgency is lost. Then the length of time between messages urging you to hurry grows longer and longer, and you lose interest in the whole idea of saving them at all (at least I did).

True, my motivations weren't in line with Mandus. The player rapidly grows more concerned with uncovering the true nature of the Machine, and the fact that Ozzie is still bullishly concerned about the fate of his children long after the player figures out what happened causes a disconnect. Also, in a post-Bioshock world, who else chafed at the game forcing you into releasing the Pigs?

That issue is less apparent in The Dark Descent due in part to Daniel being silent in-game. It's left to the player's discretion what his motivation truly is - does he continue in Brennenburg to escape the Shadow? To hunt down Alexander? To uncover his own history?

To return to the original topic, playing TDD again having played MFP was a useful and revealing experience. On the one hand it confirmed my view of the lack of interactive objects in MFP; suddenly having access to that freedom and level of interactivity again in TDD was immensely refreshing and highly immersive.

On the other hand it did show up just how much richer and more detailed the graphical environment of MFP is; there's no doubt it's a far better looking game.

Cheap memes ain't welcome 'round here.

Come on be fair, that was great.

Electric walkaloo. lol'd

'Jumpscares XD'

Lolwut? Am I missing something here? Or does no one remember the iron maiden or torch room from TDD?

(12-01-2013, 04:23 AM)Potato Wrote: [ -> ]'Jumpscares XD'

Lolwut? Am I missing something here? Or does no one remember the iron maiden or torch room from TDD?

Selective memory can do that to you.