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[Conscience Falls]

Heads up, if you have any questions, Firewatch's Sean Vanaman will be answering some on the Kinda Funny Gamescast. Not sure if I'm allowed to link to their forums so I'll allow you to seek them out at your own discretion.

never explained it to me

The one thing I'm not sure about with regard to Delilah is toward the beginning when you overheard a conversation she's having with someone else. It sounded like she was talking about Henry, and I had the option to ask her what that was all about, but I didn't.

What happened there? I didn't want to piss her off by prying.

I answered this earlier, but it's fairly clear that she is calling in Henry's watchtower being broken into. I feel like a lot of people missed this due to searching for exterior meaning. I assumed this was going to be a Gone Home-esque experience and as such took what I was given for face value which may have helped.

The problem is this game and Gone Home both purposefully try to trick the player into thinking there is really more going on than there really is. At the end if some players are disappointed by that then the developers have only themselves to blame. I'm cool with more human and grounded stories, but both of these games employ so much misdirection its like the developers are trying to have it both ways. And that comes off as a little cheap to me.

This is on the audience, not the storyteller. You are an active member of the story, not a passive observer. You have the agency to consider what you are being told and take it for what it is or to make it much larger and intricate. Human and grounded stories are often filled with their own misdirects, human and grounded does not mean straight forward.

 

[finalflame]

Heads up, if you have any questions, Firewatch's Sean Vanaman will be answering some on the Kinda Funny Gamescast. Not sure if I'm allowed to link to their forums so I'll allow you to seek them out at your own discretion.

Wish he had done something more open-ended like a Reddit AMA instead, but I guess they want some kind of moderation so they don't get raked over the coals due to the performance issues.

 

[nckillthegrimace]

Heads up, if you have any questions, Firewatch's Sean Vanaman will be answering some on the Kinda Funny Gamescast. Not sure if I'm allowed to link to their forums so I'll allow you to seek them out at your own discretion.

"Dear Sean, what's your obsession with strange men spying on the player with a walkie-talkie?"

 

[The Jackdog]

I answered this earlier, but it's fairly clear that she is calling in Henry's watchtower being broken into. I feel like a lot of people missed this due to searching for exterior meaning. I assumed this was going to be a Gone Home-esque experience and as such took what I was given for face value which may have helped.

wait, why is it fairly clear? what did i miss?

 

[BlackGhost]

Finished up

-It was a fun experience
-did a nice job of creating tension
-wasn't sure where the story would go, I wondered if it would have some kind of Sci Fi twist
- I was fine with what the twist was, didn't expect it to all come together like that
- at one point when you had to head to evac point, I honestly questioned if Delilah might leave you. Try and cover her tracks for not reporting The boy Brian.
-I never got attacked by a bear :/
- thoughts on the ranger side story? Rob and Dave? I had little idea of what I think was happening? Was it some kind of romantic relationship? Or I could be totally wrong
-overall enjoyed the experience

 

[Sober]

Still unpacking it, but a thought:

The intro: I think this is a pretty obvious one for Idle Thumbs listeners (if anyone remembers it, maybe it was just me). But it was re: a conversation waaay back when about the intro to The Walking Dead Season 1, where you (Lee) are sitting in the back of a police car and the guy driving you is grilling you about the crime you committed. IIRC, they didn't particularly like that scene because you weren't given any background about why Lee committed murder in the first place, motivations, if you're playing as him whether or not you should feel guilty about it - and are asked to basically to give your stance on the matter.

So I did like that it sorta ran through some of that stuff (backstory, etc.) as the intro sequence plays out. What I didn't like is the lack of audio. I didn't mind it was all text but - I don't know if it was intentional or not - but it would've helped everyone by fleshing out Henry and Julia's past. Even with just snippets of spoke dialogue when you made a choice or clicked to continue, or something. If you asked me to put that intro together that's probably what I would've done. It's a bit more disappointing considering they did actually get someone to do VO for Julia, so it was a bit wasted there was only one real scene.

 

[Conscience Falls]

Wish he had done something more open-ended like a Reddit AMA instead, but I guess they want some kind of moderation so they don't get raked over the coals due to the performance issues.

Personally, I enjoy the games cast mode of AMA because I can visit it (audibly) at my discretion. However, it'll be lame if they ignore the vast majority of interesting questions in favour of the easy asks. Although I have faith the guys won't.

"Dear Sean, what's your obsession with strange men spying on the player with a walkie-talkie?"

I feel like it's a deep-rooted childhood fear of tiny robots and rubber antennae.

wait, why is it fairly clear? what did I miss?

It's directly after you and her discuss the reaction to what happened. Contextually it makes sense due to her phrasing when you consider she is talking about someone breaking in, making a bit of a mess, and your mental response to that. I can't go back and point out direct examples as I'm in a lecture at the moment, but if you can, take a listen to that bit without exterior motives in mind.

 

[Unison]

I thought staying silent as best as I could and not answering most of D's calls would resut in different outcomes, but so far, it just looks like I skip dialogues and only miss on the good stuff with no positive outcome. It is bad game design if so.

That's super lame.

If that's the case, why make it a video game at all?

 

[Mutagenic]

It's directly after you and her discuss the reaction to what happened. Contextually it makes sense due to her phrasing when you consider she is talking about someone breaking in, making a bit of a mess, and your mental response to that. I can't go back and point out direct examples as I'm in a lecture at the moment, but if you can, take a listen to that bit without exterior motives in mind.

Why would she even hide that from you or get so snippy when you ask her about it? The whole thing just seemed off. But obviously many thought it was her talking to Javier, and that wouldn't have been possible with the communications wire cut.

 

[MegaSackman]

No matter what everyone thinks of the plot and characters, at least it brings a lot of great discussion on the table. I like to read all the opinions here about it that are well argumented. It's way different from entering e.g. SW Episodes 1-3 threads where there really is nothing to discuss about except mock the movies. Much juicier to read the relationship of Henry and Delilah, the paranoia and the ending here.

Definitely a great discusion, even with different opinions people remained calm.

 

[Conscience Falls]

Why would she even hide that from you or get so snippy when you ask her about it? The whole thing just seemed off. But obviously many thought it was her talking to Javier, and that wouldn't have been possible with the communications wire cut.

It fits with her character, almost every time you confront her she reacts rather poorly. Not to mention you are (inadvertently) listening in and being a snoop. She doesn't know you yet, you're an unknown quantity as she points out at the teens tent. Not to mention she is discussing you as if you're not present, it's awkward to be called out by a stranger.

 

[The Jackdog]

It fits with her character, almost every time you confront her she reacts rather poorly. Not to mention you are (inadvertently) listening in and being a snoop. She doesn't know you yet, you're an unknown quantity as she points out at the teens tent. Not to mention she is discussing you as if you're not present, it's awkward to be called out by a stranger.

she already confessed to drunk calling me my first night, i think we were passed the introductions.

honestly its moot, because the point is to set up false expectations anyway. make you think more is there

 

[BlackGhost]

Any idea of the hidden trophies that aren't completing chapters related?
You can put the answer in spoiler tags if you know

 

[diaspora]

The one thing I'm not sure about with regard to Delilah is toward the beginning when you overheard a conversation she's having with someone else. It sounded like she was talking about Henry, and I had the option to ask her what that was all about, but I didn't.

What happened there? I didn't want to piss her off by prying.

I thought she was explaining the break in?

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Someone mentioned it earlier in this thread that it was probably a follow-up on her report about the break-in at your tower. Police or the Parks Services asking if there had been any additional information, or if they have any suspects. That kind of thing would be entirely plausible.

Here is the transcript of the call (sourced from Reddit):

D: "Heyo, I don´t think so. Why, have you?"
D: "Okay. Good."
D: "No. I don´t think he has any idea."
D: "I´m absolutely sure."
D: "Would you?"
D: "Alright, I´ll let you know if anything changes in that regard."

It seems totally plausible that it's in relation to the break-in. Or it could be exactly what she said- totally unrelated. She is communicating with other lookouts after all.

Why would she even hide that from you or get so snippy when you ask her about it? The whole thing just seemed off. But obviously many thought it was her talking to Javier, and that wouldn't have been possible with the communications wire cut.

I think too many people are taking the Javier stuff in the reports at face value. Those reports were made to pit H&D against each other and sow distrust. Just the context of how she even brings up Javier in the first place and the background makes me likely to believe her.

 

[Conscience Falls]

she already confessed to drunk calling me my first night, I think we were passed the introductions.

honestly, its moot, because the point is to set up false expectations anyway. make you think more is there

She points out she does not know you after that discussion. She's had time to marinate and generate a response. You're calling her out on the spot early in your relationship.

To add to that, it doesn't have to be. At no point did I assume there was an ulterior motive, I realized what she was talking about and moved on. It's what you're bringing in that's shaping the expectation that there is a wider conspiracy. It's the same thing that people maligned Gone Home for. Although, that was more actively using misdirects.

 

[Mutagenic]

It fits with her character, almost every time you confront her she reacts rather poorly. Not to mention you are (inadvertently) listening in and being a snoop. She doesn't know you yet, you're an unknown quantity as she points out at the teens tent. Not to mention she is discussing you as if you're not present, it's awkward to be called out by a stranger.

She never has any trouble telling you what she notices is going on at face value. Still think it's weird that she would hide that from you for no good reason. I don't even think there's any deep hidden meaning to it, they were looking to build up some added conspiracy stuff.

I think too many people are taking the Javier stuff in the reports at face value. Those reports were made to pit H&D against each other and sew distrust. Just the context of how she even brings up Javier in the first place and the background makes me likely to believe her.

Oh absolutely. I assumed it was common knowledge those reports were bogus once I read Ned's stuff in his cave.

 

[Conscience Falls]

Any idea of the hidden trophies that aren't completing chapters related?
You can put the answer in spoiler tags if you know

Spoiler

I believe it's camera related, I'll check and edit.

Here is the transcript of the call (sourced from Reddit):

D: "Heyo, I don´t think so. Why, have you?"
D: "Okay. Good."
D: "No. I don´t think he has any idea."
D: "I´m absolutely sure."
D: "Would you?"
D: "Alright, I´ll let you know if anything changes in that regard."

It seems totally plausible that it's in relation to the break-in. Or it could be exactly what she said- totally unrelated. She is communicating with other lookouts after all.



I think too many people are taking the Javier stuff in the reports at face value. Those reports were made to pit H&D against each other and sow distrust. Just the context of how she even brings up Javier in the first place and the background makes me likely to believe her.

Ah, thanks for the transcript! As for Javier, I agree, people are looking for things that aren't entirely present.

She never has any trouble telling you what she notices is going on at face value. Still think it's weird that she would hide that from you for no good reason. I don't even think there's any deep hidden meaning to it, they were looking to build up some added conspiracy stuff.

Oh absolutely. I assumed it was common knowledge those reports were bogus once I read Ned's stuff in his cave.

She does at multiple points in the game, she's a person that is mostly built around letting people know what she wants them to. You're the sole person she tells about Javier but you've been with her for ages at this point. We know she is super reactionary, that's where the anger comes from. It works if you want it to mean a conspiracy but it's not explicitly there to do so.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Oh absolutely. I assumed it was common knowledge those reports were bogus once I read Ned's stuff in his cave.

Seen it a bit in this thread but the Reddit spoiler thread is rampant with people taking it as fact so I might have brought a bit of that into here. I do think that most of the missed stuff about the plot comes from things people miss in Ned's cave. That place is packed to the gills with plot explanations.

EDIT- Another possible explanation for the call:

There are clearly some strange disappearances in the area over the past few years (as we find out). It could be another Lookout asking if he knows the history of the area and Delilah essentially saying no she didn't tell him because she assumes if he knew the truth then he wouldn't stay. That's actually how I took it when I first heard the conversation in the game.

 

[Ferrio]

The game was chock full of red herrings. There's at least 3-4 big ones (teens, jules call, overheard D conversation, spying) that amount to little to nothing, and I fail to see the point. That time could of been spent doing a lot better things, like expanding on the two main characters the way the first two days did. I don't need a huge twist or anything, and I wasn't even expecting one. But the game goes out of it's way multiple times to make you think there is one, and it feels cheap especially with the lack of any pay off. I get this sense that they wanted to start with a really personal game then thought it couldn't hold up on its own and decided to ham fist some side stories into it.

Here's some excerpts on the steam store page about the game and my thoughts:

A Note: Firewatch is a video game about adults having adult conversations about adult things. If you plan on playing with a younger gamer, that might be good to know going in.

This was what I was looking forward to. Unfortunately after the first two days this falls off, and becomes mystery hour with two people flying off the handle. If they had continued with the same tone from the first 2 days I doubt I'd be anywhere near this disappointed.

A stunningly beautiful wilderness environment that expands as you explore.

By far the best part of the game, was some graphical issues here and there but the actual world was nice.

A tailor-made story: the choices you make shape the narrative and build relationships.

If only. The choices you make amount to little or nothing, and the characters were pretty much written in stone from the get go all the way to the end. What choices I made had little impact. This is not a bad thing, but this is not what they advertised.

An edge-of-your-seat mystery.

The mystery was just plain bad and the resolution was so contrived it hurt. Man hides in woods, gets scared he might be found out, so he goes through the most round about way possible to cover his tracks. Not to mention I don't know how you're suppose to get emotionally invested in Ned and his dead son. The reveal that the kid was dead was not shocking in the least, as soon as I found his backpack in the beginning of the game I pretty much figured that was the case. So not only when it happened was I not surprised, but I didn't care at all.

Secrets and discoveries to be made over every hill.

Anyone got any big examples of this? I mean there's the hunter's mark in the game, and little things like the raccoon... but beyond small things like that the world seems pretty bare.

 

[tch]

Really loved the idea of this game and playing through it but it turned out to be a massive disappointment for me. Nothing you do matters. The only meaningful choices you make have no repercussions. Oh I decide to put my wife in a home/watch her myself, reduced down to a text option offscreen. Oh I discovered after this (meaningless) journey that I want to live again/ go back to my wife/ meet the person I've been spending every day with for months, eh it's ok whatever works. Oh Delilah has to decide if she comes clean and that she knows what happened to the kid and admits her personal faults or if she runs away like she did when she became a ranger? You guessed it.

When Henry posted all the papers you collected on the wall I was like, oh shit, there is actually some overarching story here. But none of it was relevant/connected. It just seemed like incredibly lazy writing especially in conjunction with the results of the character/player/dialogue choices. Oh and the avoidance of modeling characters faces was pretty laughable. I understand it is a small studio but I knew we were never going to not see Delilah after we found the Goodwin kid with a rock covering his head in addition to the teens being far away/Goodwin being obscured by the flashlight. I'm sure some will attempt to defend this by assigning some symbolism but it just came off as lazy to me.

Even disregarding the whole Goodwin thing being the whole mystery (although it was pretty disappointing,) my issue is that if you are going to have the entire game be based on characters and their choices don't have them be a complete illusion, because the "gameplay" i.e. walking was way to thin, as there was no incentive to explore really. Oh hey they added that other mechanic, the camera, which I enjoyed, but was it was completely inconsequential. Seeing them ask for money at the end for prints just made the bad taste in my mouth from the ending even worse.

I enjoyed the dialogue/visuals but beyond that I am pretty let down, which is unfortunate because this game had some real potential.

 

[BlackGhost]

So have we talked more about the stuff behind he fence and the whole setup, the sensor you pick up (leads you to the keys, etc)?

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Anyone got any big examples of this? I mean there's the hunter's mark in the game, and little things like the raccoon... but beyond small things like that the world seems pretty bare.

You can find the fence line early in the game before needed. Finding the dead elk with the wave finder is also totally optional but illuminating.

Oh and the avoidance of modeling characters faces was pretty laughable.

I disagree with the rest of your post but I think this is a good point. I think the game would have done itself a favor by having at least one actual character model somewhere in the game just to prove that they would do it. Because otherwise you kind of realize "oh, this game doesn't do that so I probably will never actually meet Ned, Delilah, or anyone else. System Shock 2 and Bioshock are examples of a similar problem- The games go out of their way to avoid ever putting you in a room with a live person. Once you realize that Irrational doesn't have a system in place for actual character interaction or cutscenes then you automatically know that every time there is a "go meet this person" objective it will fail for some reason. It's a bit of a seeing the wizard behind the curtain moment.

So have we talked more about the stuff behind he fence and the whole setup, the sensor you pick up (leads you to the keys, etc)?

It's a university research project to tag and track Elk (that's what the wave finder does). The crew were off site for a time (returning in August). Ned found a way into the area through a loose gate in the fence and was scavenging supplies. When he overhears H&D leap to the conclusion about a conspiracy related to that area then he gets the idea to plant evidence to scare them off or pit them again each other. He barely gets it done when Henry shows up. He either decides to torch the place after hearing and recording Delilah's comment or he was always going to do it anyway.

The backpack was a really weird distraction to get Henry out of the Lookout. Not only was it incredibly stupid of Ned to leave it with the keys to the cave but it isn't clear why he needed to leave the pack and not just an Elk Tracking device. Honestly this is the major thing I hope that Campo Santo answers.

 

[zer0blivion]

The backpack was a really weird distraction to get Henry out of the Lookout. Not only was it incredibly stupid of Ned to leave it with the keys to the cave but it isn't clear why he needed to leave the pack and not just an Elk Tracking device. Honestly this is the major thing I hope that Campo Santo answers.

The way I see it, Ned planted the keys there knowing you would find them. He hoped you would use them to enter the cave so he could trap you in there. Ned didn't know about the other cave exit, or he would have found Brian's fort and the hidden climbing gear.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

The way I see it, Ned planted the keys there knowing you would find them. He hoped you would use them to enter the cave so he could trap you in there. Ned didn't know about the other cave exit, or he would have found Brian's fort and the hidden climbing gear.

That might be it. However my perception of Ned is that he isn't necessarily a premeditated killer. If he was then he could have taken Henry out almost any time (a cut rope while rapelling..). That's why he spends most of his effort to redirect or black mail. My take on locking him in was more of an "oh shit, he's in the cave" on the spot reaction that occurs when following Henry.

 

[holygeesus]

People say about your actions having no consequences to the narrative - did anyone *not* swipe the whisky bottle early on? I notice that your character awakes from having downed it the night before, if you do. I wonder if that changes if you don't take it.

I also note that the reports compiled by Ned, lists both you and Delilah as alcoholics. Again, does this change if you don't swipe the booze?

It's easy to say that decisions don't impact on the story, but unless you have played through, changing your choices, there is no way to know.

 

[BlackGhost]

Thanks for the response CrichtonKicks appreciate it.

Thoughts on the Rob and Dave side story anyone?

People say about your actions having no consequences to the narrative - did anyone *not* swipe the whisky bottle early on? I notice that your character awakes from having downed it the night before, if you do. I wonder if that changes if you don't take it.

I also note that the reports compiled by Ned, lists both you and Delilah as alcoholics. Again, does this change if you don't swipe the booze?

It's easy to say that decisions don't impact on the story, but unless you have played through, changing your choices, there is no way to know.

I didn't grab a whiskey bottle and can't remember the notes saying anything about me being a alcoholic, but Delilahs did for sure.

Also I assume Delilahs drawing of you changes depending on how you describe yourself

 

[Mutagenic]

It's a shame so many people are wishing for a more fantastical ending than the one we got.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

People say about your actions having no consequences to the narrative - did anyone *not* swipe the whisky bottle early on? I notice that your character awakes from having downed it the night before, if you do. I wonder if that changes if you don't take it.

I also note that the reports compiled by Ned, lists both you and Delilah as alcoholics. Again, does this change if you don't swipe the booze?

I swiped the booze but the report form Ned for Henry in my game doesn't list alcoholic. So there must be an additional trigger.

 

[zer0blivion]

That might be it. However my perception of Ned is that he isn't necessarily a premeditated killer. If he was then he could have taken Henry out almost any time (a cut rope while rapelling..). That's why he spends most of his effort to redirect or black mail. My take on locking him in was more of an "oh shit, he's in the cave" on the spot reaction that occurs when following Henry.

I can't think of any other reason to give Henry the keys to the cave. They're even on the outside of the pack, not even hidden inside. It must have been deliberate.

 

[Menthuss]

Just finished and have to say the beginning and middle of the game were really good. The moment I found out that the conversations between Henry and Delilah were getting intercepted I got chills running down my spine. At that point, I just wanted to go back to the tower and lock myself in there.

The ending however, disappointed me. I always have trouble summing up my thoughts in written form so bare with me. I feel like they either purposefully set up the ending the way they did to make a point (not entirely sure what the point was though) or they had something much bigger planned but felt they couldn't deliver and ended up cutting it. If it's the former then I'd say Firewatch would've made a better book than a game. Maybe they deliberately wanted to go against the expectations that you get from most games but the way they went about it made the whole thing just fall flat on its face.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

I can't think of any other reason to give Henry the keys to the cave. They're even on the outside of the pack, not even hidden inside. It must have been deliberate.

Yeah, I think you're right. That really bugs me though. Henry is probably the easiest dude in the world to take out if that's the path he wants to go.

 

[holygeesus]

I swiped the booze but the report form Ned for Henry in my game doesn't list alcoholic. So there must be an additional trigger.

I think I swiped anything booze related on my play through lol

 

[Catvoca]

Any idea of the hidden trophies that aren't completing chapters related?
You can put the answer in spoiler tags if you know

I got all the trophies just from finishing the game, and they were all just for finishing days. Is there different Steam achievements or something?

 

[holygeesus]

I got all the trophies just from finishing the game, and they were all just for finishing days. Is there different Steam achievements or something?

Nope. The same.

 

[MegaSackman]

It's a shame so many people are wishing for a more fantastical ending than the one we got.

I'm pretty sure that that's exactly what people didn't want, we asked for that because at some point the game went through that route and well... it's obvious that a fantastical resolution was coming but in the end it didn't. What everyone wanted (or at least that's what I get) was a less misterious tale with a similar in tone realistic ending. But if you go all in with mistery well... at least pay off to the mistery.

Anyway, most of us aren't saying is necessarily bad, is just "unsatisfaying".

 

[BlackGhost]

I got all the trophies just from finishing the game, and they were all just for finishing days. Is there different Steam achievements or something?

No I'm playing on ps4, finished the game but missing two trophies. Must have missed somethings

 

[WanderingWind]

I enjoyed Gone Home and I enjoyed this, to an extent. Folks talking about how they're glad it was a human story are on the right path, but I feel Campo lost their will to finish that story. The opening act and the setup with Henry and Delilah is fantastic. A simple setting, grounded in reality and introducing very human characters. I loved the little touches in the beginning that sort of fed into the feeling that you were playing the role of just some guy doing a menial job. They nailed the feeling of isolation.

What they utterly failed at was continuing any of those fantastic ideals. Before you even get a chance to explore the emotional setup they provided with the (as it turns out) entirely inconsequential beginning, they ask you to begin having feelings vicariously, about two characters you never met.

Instead of a nuanced, in-depth look at the nature of relationships - long-term and transient - isolation, dealing with life's major events or anything of the sort, we're given a succession of lame duck red herrings. The teens. The science equipment with the fence that couldn't have possibly been built without Delilah knowing about it. The "mystery" conversation.

None of these things are very interesting in and of themselves, they were worth paying attention to because they could've lead to interesting. Red herrings can be used to good effect, but not when they're used back-to-back-to-back and not when they're used as a substitute for actual progression. Between those and the time skips and uneven dialogue dispersion, there were just too many tricks obscuring the base ideals of the game.

I'm not disappointed that Firewatch didn't veer into sci-fi or horror territory. Quite the opposite. I'm disappointed because it had such an amazing premise, an absolutely riveting setting and style and an immediately likable dynamic between H&D and then it promptly squandered all of it. They didn't need to resort to using so many tricks. They needed to have way more confidence in their writing and the initial setup. There is an amazing, touching, human story somewhere in this game's past. It got lost somewhere along its development. Of all the things I'm most disappointed in with Firewatch, the fact that we'll never get to play that game is the biggest.

 

[DietRob]

Has anyone gotten the supposed 'secret' ending or is that not actually a thing?

 

[Catvoca]

No I'm playing on ps4, finished the game but missing two trophies. Must have missed somethings

All the trophies are just finishing different days. They unlock after 1, 2, 76, 77 and 79. I think maybe you encountered a bug and some of them just didn't unlock.

 

[DigtialT]

Has anyone gotten the supposed 'secret' ending or is that not actually a thing?

As far as I know, the only "secret" ending is if you just wait too long at the end, the helicopter flies off without you. But that is it I think.

 

[DigtialT]

I think the biggest disappointment of the game is that they skipped over all the days when D and H were getting to know each other, when those were the days I wanted to play the most.

 

[BlackGhost]

I've never heard of Gone Home but I think I'm gonna check it out after all the mentions in here

All the trophies are just finishing different days. They unlock after 1, 2, 76, 77 and 79. I think maybe you encountered a bug and some of them just didn't unlock.

Hmmmm interesting could be possible

 

[Mutagenic]

I think the biggest disappointment of the game is that they skipped over all the days when D and H were getting to know each other, when those were the days I wanted to play the most.

Skipped over how? You wish there was more of that towards the end, when they had been out there for months? Or you were looking for a greater resolution to their relationship?

 

[CrichtonKicks]

Skipped over how? You wish there was more of that towards the end, when they had been out there for months? Or you were looking for a greater resolution to their relationship?

I think he means more of the early days stuff before they started time skipping.

Personally I would have loved to have played through a normal first week before they started skipping.

 

[DigtialT]

Skipped over how? You wish there was more of that towards the end, when they had been out there for months? Or you were looking for a greater resolution to their relationship?

The game is very liberal with its time jumps, and the majority of the game takes place after the first month. I wish we could have seen more from that first month, when it was normal and it was just Henry and Delilah talking while doing mundane task, similar to the lake day.

 

[Mutagenic]

I think he means more of the early days stuff before they started time skipping.

Personally I would have loved to have played through a normal first week before they started skipping.

Ah, right. I too would have enjoyed watching those moments play out a little more. However, I'm glad the game never dragged on. Hell, I wouldn't mind an offshoot graphic novel sort of game on the Vita that is simply these two and the exploration of their personalities. That's really a testament to the character writing.

EDIT: Also what you said, DigtialT.

 

[Fuchsdh]

You can find the fence line early in the game before needed. Finding the dead elk with the wave finder is also totally optional but illuminating.



I disagree with the rest of your post but I think this is a good point. I think the game would have done itself a favor by having at least one actual character model somewhere in the game just to prove that they would do it. Because otherwise you kind of realize "oh, this game doesn't do that so I probably will never actually meet Ned, Delilah, or anyone else. System Shock 2 and Bioshock are examples of a similar problem- The games go out of their way to avoid ever putting you in a room with a live person. Once you realize that Irrational doesn't have a system in place for actual character interaction or cutscenes then you automatically know that every time there is a "go meet this person" objective it will fail for some reason. It's a bit of a seeing the wizard behind the curtain moment.

It's made worse by the fact that these are story-focused games (I've never played a Bioshock game for the gameplay) and it feels like half-assing your game because you couldn't be bothered (Hell, Bioshock even had unique models for at least Tenenbaum and someone had the bright idea to just turn her into a generic Splicer in the final product, which as you say undercut the story.) The seams of your limitations should never be exposed to the player in such a fashion.

I definitely knew we were never going to actually meet Delilah because the "voice on the line" trope in games is worn very thin at this point, and saying "we should meet up" at the beginning was hanging a lantern on the "THEY WILL NEVER MEET" expectation.

The game is very liberal with its time jumps, and the majority of the game takes place after the first month. I wish we could have seen more from that first month, when it was normal and it was just Henry and Delilah talking while doing mundane task, similar to the lake day.

Some more actual jobbing would have been nice, I agree, even if it was just one or two more vignettes.

 

[SDCowboy]

Has anyone gotten the supposed 'secret' ending or is that not actually a thing?

What's it supposed to be?

 

[mullet2000]

Just finished the game this afternoon.

Gotta say...I'm confused why I was seeing so many people (outside of this thread because this is my first time in here) are calling the plot unfinished or saying the mystery never reachs a conclusion. It...totally does? And the plot has a pretty complete arc? Confusing, I don't really get it.

Really liked the game. Need to digest it a bit.