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Ominous whispers and such
Sexbad Offline
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#1
Ominous whispers and such

When I heard whispering in Penumbra, it never actually had an effect on me. If it was something intelligible, I didn't notice. It never heightened my sense of vulnerability at all, really, and just rather seemed a nuisance since it didn't ever actually mean anything.

When I used an artifact, I gathered I was somehow connected with the Tuurngait mind, yet I misunderstand how I can't clearly hear them then but I can clearly hear Clarence and the hive mind at the end of Black Plague. Maybe their communication wasn't directed at me, but it would have been more immersive if the tone of the whispering was changed as an infected was scouting around nearby or something of the like.

Maybe it's all in Latin or Danish or Swedish or Inuit or something and I just don't know any of those languages, but from what I could tell, it never really served much purpose more than to ominously tell the player that Phillip's going nuts in my opinion. Kinda like Alma, she's so passive and never threatens me in any way, and it really just pisses me off.

What I'm saying is that if something such as whispering is present in Lux Tenebras, I would vouch for it to have a bigger purpose than Penumbra's. If I go insane, it would be pretty darn silly to not actually hear the voices in my head. It's just so... boring when compared to the threatening and mindfucking nature of basically everything else in the game, at least to me.

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(This post was last modified: 08-03-2009, 06:06 AM by skyking22141.)
08-03-2009, 06:04 AM
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eliasfrost Offline
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#2
RE: Ominous whispers and such

I agree, the whispers in Penumbra really served no purpose at all. It was just there to be there. It didn't raise the scare factor since it didn't do anything, it could have been used as some kind of warning bell for danger.

The language of the whispers is Swedish backwards. ^^

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08-03-2009, 11:32 AM
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Viter Offline
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#3
RE: Ominous whispers and such

I loved the whisperer and i think it made the game alot more scary
08-03-2009, 07:17 PM
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Kedjane Offline
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#4
RE: Ominous whispers and such

I can't agree at all with your opinion.

The purpose of the whispers is to add a sense of mysteriousness and supernaturalness, not mainly to scare the players. Not many people are afraid of whispers, obviously, and like several other things (the hatch, for example) was inspired by the TV series Lost where mysterious whispers in the jungle was one of the biggest mysteries at the time of the games release.
Also, since when is something a nuisance just because it doesn't mean anything? It is also Swedish messages backwards, though it's more of an easter egg than a meaning.

The reason you hear whispers near the artifacts is, correct, that they are related to the Tuurngait in an uncertain way. However, by merely touching the artifacts they only "drag you in" and make a sort of clone of you - which is the games saving function. The reason you can hear Clarence clearly is because he is just a single Tuurngaq who has possessed you - and apparently is the only single Tuurngaq to have possessed a person (or at least is the only known one) which is what causes the differences in the way Philip and the "greys" are affected by their Tuurngait. The reason you can hear the Hivemind clearly is, obviously, because it is the Hivemind. It is the "high council" being of the Tuurngait, the strongest and the one that speaks for the many. Also, I can't remember right now how you get sucked into the Hivemind's world, but if I remember it right Philip attempts to escape when things start disappearing and he falls unconscious: so this time it seems likely Philip was possessed by the "entire" Tuurngait gathering which causes the dreamworld aswell as the whole vividness, or the Tuurngait might just have made him fall unconscious (or he might have passed out because of all the crazy things going on) and him being unconscious contributed to the Hivemind's strength of speech.
I remember now that the Hivemind also speaks some before he passes out and that's probably because the Tuurngait no longer are communicating amongst themselves like they usually do, in the ending the Tuurngait are speaking to Clarence and 1) either speak openly so that both Clarence and Philip can hear them clearly or 2) their mental "transmission" to Clarence is so strong (as the Tuurngait is a mighty being) that it can be heard clearly in Philips mind aswell despite standing several meters away, suggesting the Tuurngait has very strong psychic powers (which also is proven in the latter dreamworld scene and the fact that next to everyone in the Shelter has been killed or "turned" by them).

Also in Unknown I don't think a whisper, if there is one, has to have a greater purpose. Whispers saying ominous and evil things like "you're all going to die" is very 90's. Mysterious whispers is fairly modern, kept so by the popularity of Lost.

Can't agree with the Alma part either. Alma is definitely not meaningless, she's a scare (in fact I believe we discussed some of FEARs scariest moments in some thread around here). In a horror game you can hardly say a scare is meaningless, can you?

Worst regards, Kejdane.
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08-03-2009, 07:22 PM
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spukrian Offline
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#5
RE: Ominous whispers and such

I like the whispers, though I did not find them scary. However, whenever I heard them I got this sense of foreboding, as if something bad is about to happen.

(Offtopic: yaaaay! 100th post!)
08-03-2009, 09:34 PM
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Gunslingerjh Offline
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#6
RE: Ominous whispers and such

I think they mean a lot more than just to scare the player. There are whispers at only several locations.

Overture
1: Entrance of the mine
2: Storage room
3: Generator room
4: Watercave
5: Ironmine
6: Icecave
7: Baseentrance
Black Plague
1: Vent
2: Messhall
3: Infirmary
4: Sewer

08-18-2010, 08:07 AM
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Yuhaney Offline
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#7
RE: Ominous whispers and such

Don't bump over a year old threads.
Thanks.

08-18-2010, 02:27 PM
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