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The Witness and Me: 43 puzzles solved! Yeah, I'm flying right through! Ha! 
The Videogames Tab
UPDATE: 92 puzzles solved... and also... I think I accidentally triggered an end-game thing:
EDIT: Apparently there are a handful of these things, so perhaps I didn't trigger anything at the "wrong" moment. Still... it was DUMB.
WARNING: "The Witness gameplay spoilers" spoilers below
I had started making all sorts of good puzzle connections, seeing patterns. So, groups of puzzles were coming more easily.
Then I ended up at the bottom of the windmill underground. There's a door there, and after visiting that area a few times, clueless, that door puzzle clicked. The solution to a puzzle just past the door was in another area far away that I had solved tonight when those patterns started clicking in.
So I used that solution past the underground door under the windmill ...
... and this video of a British guy kicked in (was it Ray Bradbury? at any rate, it was rather lengthy), saying something about this ending being as good as any other, and then all this 1970s propaganda about science being better than everything else, blah blah blah...
I sat through it, then there were video credits (NOT game credits) and the screen in-game that was showing the video went blank.
And I continued around the area as if nothing happened.
To be clear -- I have only one laser beam hooked up. I still have a lot of stuff to do. But I'd been exploring quite a bit, finding those little voice recorders and playing them, etc., and doubling back to areas I'd seen before, finding things I'd overlooked the first time through.
SO... I'll be playing again tomorrow. But that video clip interrupted gameplay -- it's from the '70s, I think, and it's LENGTHY. It's got an agenda so big I could see it from across the room. Frankly, it didn't even matter what all the voice recordings and this video recording were saying -- I found them all annoying interruptions to a PUZZLE GAME.
There. I've said it.
I love the game, but the propaganda interruptions feel forced, overdone, and dumb. My two cents. Then again, it's the middle of the night here and I stayed up way too late playing the game. Mostly, it's an amazing game. I hope there aren't many more interruptions to spoil it along the way. They completely take me OUT of the game experience. Not cool.
Then I ended up at the bottom of the windmill underground. There's a door there, and after visiting that area a few times, clueless, that door puzzle clicked. The solution to a puzzle just past the door was in another area far away that I had solved tonight when those patterns started clicking in.
So I used that solution past the underground door under the windmill ...
... and this video of a British guy kicked in (was it Ray Bradbury? at any rate, it was rather lengthy), saying something about this ending being as good as any other, and then all this 1970s propaganda about science being better than everything else, blah blah blah...
I sat through it, then there were video credits (NOT game credits) and the screen in-game that was showing the video went blank.
And I continued around the area as if nothing happened.
To be clear -- I have only one laser beam hooked up. I still have a lot of stuff to do. But I'd been exploring quite a bit, finding those little voice recorders and playing them, etc., and doubling back to areas I'd seen before, finding things I'd overlooked the first time through.
SO... I'll be playing again tomorrow. But that video clip interrupted gameplay -- it's from the '70s, I think, and it's LENGTHY. It's got an agenda so big I could see it from across the room. Frankly, it didn't even matter what all the voice recordings and this video recording were saying -- I found them all annoying interruptions to a PUZZLE GAME.
There. I've said it.
I love the game, but the propaganda interruptions feel forced, overdone, and dumb. My two cents. Then again, it's the middle of the night here and I stayed up way too late playing the game. Mostly, it's an amazing game. I hope there aren't many more interruptions to spoil it along the way. They completely take me OUT of the game experience. Not cool.
EDIT: Apparently there are a handful of these things, so perhaps I didn't trigger anything at the "wrong" moment. Still... it was DUMB.
Last edited by Austruck; 02-19-16 at 03:45 AM.
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Gamefly is good if you plan on keeping a game for a while. If you try to keep turning them around, you are going to end up wasting your time.
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Howdy, everyone. I apologize for my The Witness whining last night. I read a few discussions on the Steam discussion board and now I STILL think what I found was DUMB, but at least I know I didn't accidentally skip to the end of the game. Sorry to hear I will encounter MORE of what I found, though. Unnecessary game bits, IMHO.
But at least one other player called them
Ha!
But at least one other player called them
Ha!
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Yeah, don't worry, that's not an end-game thing. EDIT: whoops, just saw your reply.
And I agree some of the quotes and videos are a little overt (though some, later, are self-aware about the possibility of appearing pretentious). But others are subtler. My main thing is you could remove them from the game completely and I don't think you'd lose much. That, and the underlying game is brilliant enough that it doesn't take from my enjoyment too much.
Anyway, the preachiness in the one direction you were talking about is definitely semi-balanced by some of the other audio logs you'll find. It'll seem a little less one-sided, philosophically, by the end. It doesn't end up in a play I agree with, but it certainly ends up in a more thoughtful place.
And I agree some of the quotes and videos are a little overt (though some, later, are self-aware about the possibility of appearing pretentious). But others are subtler. My main thing is you could remove them from the game completely and I don't think you'd lose much. That, and the underlying game is brilliant enough that it doesn't take from my enjoyment too much.
Anyway, the preachiness in the one direction you were talking about is definitely semi-balanced by some of the other audio logs you'll find. It'll seem a little less one-sided, philosophically, by the end. It doesn't end up in a play I agree with, but it certainly ends up in a more thoughtful place.
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I've seen a lot of people calling out The Witness as being pretentious.
That's just how Jon Blow be, man.
As you've probably figured, I've had my time with the game and moved on. I'm satisfied with how it went and can see the appeal the game has but ultimately my gaming likes are elsewhere.
That's just how Jon Blow be, man.
As you've probably figured, I've had my time with the game and moved on. I'm satisfied with how it went and can see the appeal the game has but ultimately my gaming likes are elsewhere.
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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan
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Yeah, I've kinda come full circle with Blow: it's totally fair to read it as pretentious, even though I don't think it literally is, in the sense of him trying to be faux deep or instill meaning where there is none. I genuinely believe this is him trying to express these ideas the best way he knows how. It just so happens that this bears a striking resemblance to pretension. 
And there's probably no way to explore concepts like this without veering off into that territory.
So, I get it. I don't think he's trying to convince us he's smart, but I can't blame someone in the slightest for eyerolling at most of it.
And there's probably no way to explore concepts like this without veering off into that territory.So, I get it. I don't think he's trying to convince us he's smart, but I can't blame someone in the slightest for eyerolling at most of it.
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Yeah, I've kinda come full circle with Blow: it's totally fair to read it as pretentious, even though I don't think it literally is, in the sense of him trying to be faux deep or instill meaning where there is none. I genuinely believe this is him trying to express these ideas the best way he knows how. It just so happens that this bears a striking resemblance to pretension. And there's probably no way to explore concepts like this without veering off into that territory.
So, I get it. I don't think he's trying to convince us he's smart, but I can't blame someone in the slightest for eyerolling at most of it.
And there's probably no way to explore concepts like this without veering off into that territory.So, I get it. I don't think he's trying to convince us he's smart, but I can't blame someone in the slightest for eyerolling at most of it.
WARNING: "spoilers!" spoilers below
...boom! I was on the summit when I found the first voice recorder (the astronaut). It was SO LONG (I was dashing around trying to do stuff at the time), but at least that one was VERY thoughtful and poignant (and perfectly placed in the game because of the view).
It was the video inside the bottom of the windmill (seriously, was that Ray Bradbury?) that ticked me off. Again, it was about ten minutes long! And when I found it, it was around 3 in the morning. Frankly, the game came to a CRASHING halt right then. I had to sit there, fidgeting like a toddler in church, trying to pay attention but wanting to get on with it.
THAT was what felt pretentious. It just didn't feel like the right place for a 1970s video clip of some Brit with big glasses pontificating against religion for ten minutes.
A lot of the Einstein audio bits are anti-religious-faith, too.
It was the video inside the bottom of the windmill (seriously, was that Ray Bradbury?) that ticked me off. Again, it was about ten minutes long! And when I found it, it was around 3 in the morning. Frankly, the game came to a CRASHING halt right then. I had to sit there, fidgeting like a toddler in church, trying to pay attention but wanting to get on with it.
THAT was what felt pretentious. It just didn't feel like the right place for a 1970s video clip of some Brit with big glasses pontificating against religion for ten minutes.
A lot of the Einstein audio bits are anti-religious-faith, too.
ANYWAY, I was just going to skip any future ones... but I caught something in one of the Steam threads/discussions (which I was trying to read VERY little of, in case of spoilers):
WARNING: "spoilers!" spoilers below
Someone said at least one of the videos contains a puzzle clue you need! GAH! And several mentioned something about a total of 40-50 MINUTES of these things! Seriously? Boo.
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Oh, FWIW, despite all this apparent crankiness about these aspects of the game, I AM LOVING IT. It's literally the FIRST game since the mid-'90s that has given me that same feeling the first Myst game has given me: I'm up for HOURS late at night and it feels like MINUTES. And I'm worried about spoilers and hints rather than seeking them out once in a while.
I own more than 125 adventure games and none of them have given me that same kid-excitement right off the bat. THIS game has. Even with the pretentious bits.
I own more than 125 adventure games and none of them have given me that same kid-excitement right off the bat. THIS game has. Even with the pretentious bits.
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Sega giving free games for Steam: http://www.makewarnotlove.com/results.php
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“By definition, you have to live until you die. Better to make that life as complete and enjoyable an experience as possible, in case death is shite, which I suspect it will be.”
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May as well close the 2016 game of the year lists now.
Possibly the most intense FPS experience I've had since Quake 2. Devil Daggers is freaking amazing ... and I suck at it.
57 seconds is my best so far.
Possibly the most intense FPS experience I've had since Quake 2. Devil Daggers is freaking amazing ... and I suck at it.
57 seconds is my best so far.
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Bought Tenchu: Stealth Assassins on the PS1 for 4 bucks and Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3 for 12. Any thoughts on those games?
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I haven't played either, but speaking of PS1, what are some good games I should consider getting?
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Other than a couple of the obvious ones (MSG, FF7) I don't really know very many PS1 games all that well. I plan on collecting PS1/2/3/4 games now though, so I'm sure that will be remedied in the near future.
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Well I love the Crash games, I got them. Want to get Final Fantasy 7 Warcraft 2 and Gex as well
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Bought Tenchu: Stealth Assassins on the PS1 for 4 bucks and Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3 for 12. Any thoughts on those games?
Valkyria Chronicles one of the best PS3 exclusives until the excellent PC port was released recently. I could make an argument for it being my favourite looking game of last generation.
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