Horizon Zero Dawn SPOILERS Thread

I suppose it just depends how you define corruption. To the game, corruption simply seems to imply an AI or machine going out of normal protocol. It really doesn't mean much outside of that.

Well, the game isn't very clear. The GAIA cutscene seems to imply corruption is something similar to rampancy from Halo/Bungie lore. Like you said, an AI going out of control. But until this point we've seen "corruption" merely as a visual cue for the Scarabs utilizing their ability to control robotic tech. God tier hacking, basically. But it also has physical presence and poisons? It's a little confusing, and it isn't surprising there are muddy interpretations.

Hades actually is the ONLY subroutine that does have the ability to pull control away from Gaia---that is exactly how Travis programmed him. There is a datalog where he talks about this, and it is quite interesting. He was discussing how he was having trouble with Hades, because it was either too soft or too hard. If it was too hard, it would never give control back to Gaia after it was complete with it's task. If it was too soft, Gaia generally handed over control and pretended Hades was running things, but she was still secretly manipulating things behind-the-scenes. Travis' only solution was to put Gaia in her own protective coding shell while Hades was at work, so that she couldn't interact with Hades, and Hades couldn't screw with her while in control.
Mm, I like that data log. It was when I realized Travis wasn't going to become some secret villain as I was suspecting up to that point. He was fucked up a little, for sure, but ultimately a good guy who did his job.
 
I think you're right, I think it's that HADES is inhabiting a Horus unit, that makes a lot more sense. Presumably at some point, it figured out how to override the Horus with its own processes and that allowed it to wake up the Horus it was in and broadcast a localized control signal to the other Faro bots. Plus, that makes the stinger scene with Sylens more consistent for fighting corrupted Faro bots again in the sequel because HADES has access through the Horus (again).

Edit: So here's something I just got to wondering. We know that MINERVA certainly fulfilled its task of breaking the encryption on the Faro swarm and broadcasting the deactivation signals. If HADES had succeeded for more than a few moments in broadcasting the activation signals, would MINERVA have woken up again and fought HADES for control of the Spires in shutting down the Faro swarm again? Could be an interesting wrinkle for a sequel, I suppose.
GAIA said the AIs escaped. I'm guessing this mean they transmitted themselves somewhere unknown? In HADES case, a Horus unit. So wherever MINERVA and the others are, are they aware of the world? HADES wasn't until Sylens repaired him. Didn't the Cauldron logs show HEPHAESTUS attempting to hack back into his own forge at some point?

I never imagine HZD would have this level of lore to dig through.
 
Didn't the Cauldron logs show HEPHAESTUS attempting to hack back into his own forge at some point?

I never imagine HZD would have this level of lore to dig through.
Yeah. Here is an old post I made about a week ago when I was pondering a few things, with some slight edits made based on some smart observations a few others on GAF made after the post.

So I was looking through logs again like I've been doing when I'm bored, and came across something that I think is interesting. If you read each of the Text Datapoint logs you get from the Cauldrons, it looks like something tried to hack Sigma and Rho, but they fended it off.

Remember the Code Expert in a log told Ted, "The protocols use polyphasic entangled waveforms. Quantum encryption, Black Quartz stuff, way beyond military grade. That's what you demanded, so that's what we delivered." This is why the machines are so hard to crack, and it can't be done in the humans lifetime before the machines kill them. So if you read the Sigma log:

Active: Production/Oversight/Analysis
Active: Additive/Manufacture/Type
Alert: Intrusion/Source: External
Active: Countermeasure/Phase-shift
Alert: Intrusion/Denied
You can see Sigma utilizing this polyphasing to alter it's code and avoid the intrusion. Rho goes through a similar thing, but after it phase-shifts it's code, something breaches it's firewall instead. It then states:
Alert: Reboot/Purge...Successful
Alert: Intrusion/Denied
Really awesome seeing how smart these subroutines are, and how they protect themselves. However, if you view Theta, it's countermeasure is Inactive, so it fails to protect itself at all. And Xi attempts to phase-shift, but it fails to keep the intruder out. You can then see, especially in Xi, that whatever is breaking in is adding weapons to the machines.

Final Log:
M/ALL - US - W CM LOG 329G
active: Countermeasure/Diagnostic/wurm.nxt
alert: Trace/Intrusion/Detect: successful
alert: Trace Result: HEPHAESTUS
alert: Infiltrate/Intrusion/Retrieval: successful
alert: Command Template Acquired
alert: Decode/Initiate: Successful
alert: Result: ENCROACHMENT THREAT: HUMAN
alert: Result: FAUNA THREAT: HIGH
alert: Result: FLORA THREAT: HIGH
alert: Result: BIOSPHERE THREAT: HIGH
alert: Result: DIRECTIVE: CULL
alert: Result: PRODUCTION OVERRIDE INITIATED
alert: Result: ALL OTHER PRIORITIES RESCINDED
alert: Result: /End

1) Log name seems to imply this override went out to all Machines/Cauldrons in the West United States.
2) It is interesting HEPHAESTUS has to break into the cauldrons...tools that seem specifically built for him. But as someone else pointed out, Gaia was the ultimate controller of everything, so when Hephaestus was freed one of the first things it needed to do was re-establish control over the cauldrons.
 
You're pretty close, but the initial signal that corrupts Hades also wrestles control of all the other subroutines from Gaia at the same exact time. Also, Hades direct reaction to Gaia's self-destruction was to corrupt the alpha registry, because it knew her Elizabet clone couldn't do anything to help if it couldn't access anything. Elizabet was an alpha, so with that registry corrupted the systems couldn't recognize a clone of Elizabet---Aloy. As for Hades escaping, my theory is simply that he becomes stuck wherever he is at the time of the explosion. He was inside of a Horus unit, and when Gaia self-destructed he became stuck in the machine because he lacked a network anymore to travel through.

Interesting. I think the answer here is a bit muddy, honestly. Because while GAIA does describe the effects of the unknown signal as having turned her subroutines into "un-regulated, self-aware entities of a highly chaotic nature" the visualization still shows them held in place by their "code chains" and she describes the "derangement" as something that will happen after GAIA Prime self-destructs, due to a lack of "central governing intelligence."

Also, if the subroutines were freed from her control immediately, what was the purpose of HADES breaking their "code chains" before GAIA self-destructed? Were the "code chains" keeping the subroutines under GAIA's control, or were they there to keep the subroutines physically in the same place?
 
Interesting. I think the answer here is a bit muddy, honestly. Because while GAIA does describe the effects of the unknown signal as having turned her subroutines into "un-regulated, self-aware entities of a highly chaotic nature" the visualization still shows them held in place by their "code chains" and she describes the "derangement" as something that will happen after GAIA Prime self-destructs, due to a lack of "central governing intelligence."

Also, if the subroutines were freed from her control immediately, what was the purpose of HADES breaking their "code chains" before GAIA self-destructed? Were the "code chains" keeping the subroutines under GAIA's control, or were they there to keep the subroutines physically in the same place?
They're definitely still in place in the visualization like you say, but one thing to consider is that just because they were turned into self-aware entities doesn't necessarily mean their first step would be to break from Gaia. The reason we see Hades break from his chain is because his programming is specifically built to take the place of Gaia, and control the other subroutines in order to cull life and re-start, if needed. He is like a hungry dog waiting to pounce on food, but always held back by Gaia. The moment he is freed, he jumps and goes for Gaia's throat.

Another thing to note is that Hades doesn't have control over the other subroutines by the time the game takes place. Sylens states that Hades is obsessed with the tower, and wants to know where it is...the reason is that he can't utilize the other subroutines as was the original programming plan in order to wipe out life, but he is smart. His plan B is a simple one---awaken the old robots. They'll wipe out life for him.

Also, I wasn't sure so I re-watched the Gaia cutscene, and that is interesting that he cuts off control of Gaia to subroutines. I wonder why he would free them...That would go against what he wants. In a perfect world, Hades wants the controls intact--he wants to bump Gaia out of her seat and take over. If he were to break control of all the other subroutines, he would screw himself. Which he kind of does since he has to go with a new plan to wipe out the humans.
 
They're definitely still in place in the visualization like you say, but one thing to consider is that just because they were turned into self-aware entities doesn't necessarily mean their first step would be to break from Gaia. The reason we see Hades break from his chain is because his programming is specifically built to take the place of Gaia, and control the other subroutines in order to cull life and re-start, if needed. He is like a hungry dog waiting to pounce on food, but always held back by Gaia. The moment he is freed, he jumps and goes for Gaia's throat.

I think HADES' job would have been a lot easier with all of the chains intact. HADES only breaks itself and the other AIs out of the "code chains" after learning of GAIA's plan to self-destruct GAIA Prime.

This might point more towards the idea of the "code chains" not being used to keep the subroutines under GAIA's control, but rather to keep the subroutines from moving around and ending up in, say, a defunct Horus robot.
 
I think HADES' job would have been a lot easier with all of the chains intact. HADES only breaks itself and the other AIs out of the "code chains" after learning of GAIA's plan to self-destruct GAIA Prime.

This might point more towards the idea of the "code chains" not being used to keep the subroutines under GAIA's control, but rather to keep the subroutines from moving around and ending up in, say, a defunct Horus robot.
Agreed. I think that makes Hades job a lot more difficult. It makes my brain go a few different places:

1) Does Hades have empathy for the other subroutines, freeing them so they aren't obliterated? However, this is assuming they would die. Just like Gaia, they might have simply gone offline until Elizabet could wipe out Hades and restore them.

2) Is Hades simply freeing them in hopes that he can regain control wherever they might escape to?

3) Perhaps it is simply an order from whatever corrupted Hades---whatever set him free put a high priority in the preservation of the other routines. This one I doubt the most.
 
Agreed. I think that makes Hades job a lot more difficult. It makes my brain go a few different places:

1) Does Hades have empathy for the other subroutines, freeing them so they aren't obliterated? However, this is assuming they would die. Just like Gaia, they might have simply gone offline until Elizabet could wipe out Hades and restore them.

2) Is Hades simply freeing them in hopes that he can regain control wherever they might escape to?

3) Perhaps it is simply an order from whatever corrupted Hades---whatever set him free put a high priority in the preservation of the other routines. This one I doubt the most.

these are all definite possibilities, and I'd like to add one more:

Maybe HADES just designed the virus to break "code chains" in general and couldn't, or didn't care to, limit it to his specific "code chain." Maybe the other AIs being freed was just a side effect of HADES attempting to flee.

What makes me think this is that HADES seemed to have already formulated his backup plan when he broke his chain and jumped into the Horus machine i.e. the second best way to destroy GAIA's terraforming and life-renewal initiatives. At that point what the other AIs did was of no consequence to him.
 
Agreed. I think that makes Hades job a lot more difficult. It makes my brain go a few different places:

1) Does Hades have empathy for the other subroutines, freeing them so they aren't obliterated? However, this is assuming they would die. Just like Gaia, they might have simply gone offline until Elizabet could wipe out Hades and restore them.

2) Is Hades simply freeing them in hopes that he can regain control wherever they might escape to?

3) Perhaps it is simply an order from whatever corrupted Hades---whatever set him free put a high priority in the preservation of the other routines. This one I doubt the most.
I took the creation of the virus breaking GAIAs control as an unintended but necessary side effect of 1) HADES freeing himself and 2) preventing Aloy from gaining access to GAIA's message and the ELEUTHIA facility.


Edit: You know, we see the result of a rogue HEPHAESTUS in the derangement. I am wondering what sort of horrors an out of control ARTEMIS and ELEUTHIA might result in. Genetically modified humans, mutant wildlife?
 
Yeah. Here is an old post I made about a week ago when I was pondering a few things, with some slight edits made based on some smart observations a few others on GAF made after the post.

Would a hacked cauldrons be the source of the corruptors then? Somehow I doubt Hephaestus would create machines that would attack other machines.
 
Would a hacked cauldrons be the source of the corruptors then? Somehow I doubt Hephaestus would create machines that would attack other machines.
No. Corruptors (Scarabs) are reactivated FAS units unearthed by HADES, via Eclipse, to mount an assault on the Spire. They weren't fabricated in cauldrons like the beastbots.
 
Finished the game and oh boy, it was something else. The story impressed me especially and that last cutscene with Sylens has got me thinking. What are his intentions? Playing devil's advocate here, but the cutscene makes things seem sinister, yet all he asks is exactly who sent the signal that initially woke Hades. Not entirely sure what his actual motives are.
 
The corruption is an actual physical thing. It's most likely some kind of nano bot swarm. When Hades is sending out tyke signal to reactivate the Faro bots a Death Bringer is activated in the Nora lands and actually usea the swirling corruption "smoke" to strip down several trees to the core before the corruption returns to the Death Bringer. I'm guessing it's how they corrupt other AI and break down bio mass
 
The corruption is an actual physical thing. It's most likely some kind of nano bot swarm. When Hades is sending out tyke signal to reactivate the Faro bots a Death Bringer is activated in the Nora lands and actually usea the swirling corruption "smoke" to strip down several trees to the core before the corruption returns to the Death Bringer. I'm guessing it's how they corrupt other AI and break down bio mass
Yeah wondered that. Explains post credit scene too. Selene had spear device programmed to "capture" HADES code in nano bots who then flew to him to deliver HADES for last adding into the device he has. Still feel it was maybe a little to on the nose to make it look like some old jar to convey sense of a Genie in a bottle but on the other hand it's an effective image,
 
Finished the game and oh boy, it was something else. The story impressed me especially and that last cutscene with Sylens has got me thinking. What are his intentions? Playing devil's advocate here, but the cutscene makes things seem sinister, yet all he asks is exactly who sent the signal that initially woke Hades. Not entirely sure what his actual motives are.

His motives are curiosity and he wants to know the bottom of it. I don't see him as 'evil' per se
 
So, I replay the game a little today, something bug me.
When you go to mothers hearts, there are some tribal dancing and singing with unknown tribal language like this https://youtu.be/-SNQGyVW_YI?t=3h4m8s

Nova invent their own language?

Its been hundreds of years since humanity was released into the world so I can easily see them adapting English into a variety of forms or just creating entirely new forms of language.
 
Especially one like Horizon which is largely self contained.

It isn't, really. It sets up larger antagonists and the main conflict in the setting isn't solved in any meaningful way - if things are left as is, without GAIA, humanity is doomed. Horizon was clearly set up as an ongoing story line. Of the movies and games you mentioned, only Terminator 2 could be conceived as part of an extended story arc (arguably). The others are pretty much rethreads of the first one, but bigger. That won't fly with Horizon.

There are also plenty of badly done darker sequels in the video game medium

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within being the obvious poster child for this.

The problem with PoP:WW isn't that the story was darker, it's that it was 2EDGY. They changed the whole aesthetics of the game, from soundtrack to character models to be darker and edgier. The story itself is pretty ok, actually, and could've been done well.
 
On the subject of the other AIs, I hope whatever they do in the DLC/Sequel (after credits be damned) that Hades doesn't become the biggest focus of the subroutines- what's going on with them is much more interesting. Hephaestus as a threat is a little less black and white- he doesn't seem to want to kill all humans, but cull them back. And there's not much of a sign the other subroutines are necessarily antagonistic, just out of control.
 
One idea that could be interesting if pulled off well despite being a bit old hat is an Enclave style group humans. For those unfamiliar the Enclave were from the Fall Out games and were the small remnants left of the old US government that had evolved into is own group in the wasteland. They were smaller in number but often had much more advanced tech as they didn't suffer the same fate as most everyone else on the planet.

I wouldn't want something like that but perhaps a tribe of Sylens type individuals who uncovered some treasure trove of still working ancient tech and the ability to figure out how to use it or perhaps even discovering something like Apollo that clues them in on the basics and whatever they need to know relating to said tech horde. Could make them antagonistic like the Enclave in trying reassert an old Earth style of human civilization or you could make them more like the Brotherhood of Steele where they're more moral shades of gray.
 
Even Killzone had some really good lore.

Just the story telling for it was suspect. They hit it out the park with this game though.

I won't say hit it out the park, lore story telling via audio log, emails, hologram was pretty good, everything else have a lot of room for improvement.
The villain is weak, that conversations scene before sun ring was overwritten when compare to similar scenario in TLOU David vs Ellie conversation in jail cell.
There are just not a lot memorable moments throughout 40 hours journey. Ending is very emotional tho.
 
I don't remember asking but is there absolutely no way of salvaging/recovering Apollo? Cause really fuck ted

Apollo alpha possibly. The Odyssey shipwreck you find in the desert which shows it could've been survivable on a program basis (it's a tallneck area) and the routine itself could easily still be functional, albeit not nearly as well done as the final code.
 
Apollo alpha possibly. The Odyssey shipwreck you find in the desert which shows it could've been survivable on a program basis (it's a tallneck area) and the routine itself could easily still be functional, albeit not nearly as well done as the final code.

Wait! that ship was the Odyssey? is that confirmed?
 
I won't say hit it out the park, lore story telling via audio log, emails, hologram was pretty good, everything else have a lot of room for improvement.
The villain is weak, that conversations scene before sun ring was overwritten when compare to similar scenario in TLOU David vs Ellie conversation in jail cell.
There are just not a lot memorable moments throughout 40 hours journey. Ending is very emotional tho.
There's lots of moments I love,

-happy birthday scene.
-holograms regarding the Zero Dawn program
-the moment Aloy entered the All-Mountain
-Aloy distressed after exiting All Mountain, and having to deal with people now revering her as a goddess.
-I actually liked the Sunfall scenes
-Opening with Rost naming Aloy
-Aloy visibly hurt and insulted the guard at the door before the night before the proving, and shut it while looking like she was about to tear up.


Theres many more but typing on the tablet is tough. So yeah, for me they have really created something special.
 
Wait! that ship was the Odyssey? is that confirmed?

Seeing as how a datapoint is specifically talking about the Odyssey that is located in the fuselage and it's literally the only ship that crashed in the lore we find, it's pretty easy to assume that it is exactly what it is.
 
Apollo alpha possibly. The Odyssey shipwreck you find in the desert which shows it could've been survivable on a program basis (it's a tallneck area) and the routine itself could easily still be functional, albeit not nearly as well done as the final code.
And the likelihood of the people in Aloy's world being able to reprogram Apollo or finalise the code is pretty slim..
Unless the answer lies in the Forbidden West or Ban-Ur?

Another question; did the bastards that killed Rost's family ever revealed their intentions?
 
Seeing as how a datapoint is specifically talking about the Odyssey that is located in the fuselage and it's literally the only ship that crashed in the lore we find, it's pretty easy to assume that it is exactly what it is.

Ok cool, didn't know about that, I was sure you were based on a datapoint but wanted to confirm. Nice.

Another question; did the bastards that killed Rost's family ever revealed their intentions?

Pretty sure they didn't, Teersa specifically says so.
 
And the likelihood of the people in Aloy's world being able to reprogram Apollo or finalise the code is pretty slim..
Unless the answer lies in the Forbidden West or Ban-Ur?

Another question; did the bastards that killed Rost's family ever revealed their intentions?

Well I'm sure Gaia would have a better chance at this than any normal human or even Aloy or Sylens.

As to the second question they just sounded like a band of thugs and psychos. They murdered and raped everyone from the sounds of it including Rost's daughter so you can see why he was so dead set on taking them all out.
 
Seeing as how a datapoint is specifically talking about the Odyssey that is located in the fuselage and it's literally the only ship that crashed in the lore we find, it's pretty easy to assume that it is exactly what it is.
Isnt the Sun King lore about the first Sun King who found something in the desert that helped him gain the knowledge to read the stars, etc? So it could be.

The Carja originated in the "Savage East". Their first Sun-King, Araman, discovered the Leaves of the Old Ones from which he brought to his tribe the knowledge of observing the Sun, its movement, and solar worship. Furthermore, the Carja gained from the Leaves the first writing.
I thought the leaves are books, but could those have survived hundred of years in the wild? Or is the lore refers to Focus.

Not to mention the Sun King hawk emblems look remarkably similar to the glowing sign on top of Redmaw's head.
 
Ok cool, didn't know about that, I was sure you were based on a datapoint but wanted to confirm. Nice.



Pretty sure they didn't, Teersa specifically says so.
I guess only Rost knows, if he ever figure out their reasons :/
Well I'm sure Gaia would have a better chance at this than any normal human or even Aloy or Sylens.

As to the second question they just sounded like a band of thugs and psychos. They murdered and raped everyone from the sounds of it including Rost's daughter so you can see why he was so dead set on taking them all out.
So the best shot is to reactivate GAIA? Sounds tough
 
Seeing as how a datapoint is specifically talking about the Odyssey that is located in the fuselage and it's literally the only ship that crashed in the lore we find, it's pretty easy to assume that it is exactly what it is.
Didn't the Odyssey blow up at the edge of the solar system?
 
Its been hundreds of years since humanity was released into the world so I can easily see them adapting English into a variety of forms or just creating entirely new forms of language.

Well we do know they speak English-English. When the Sun Priest in Mother's Heart is reading his letter, you can actually read whats on the paper.

I imagine with the Nora they probably just started to mix up some words, realized it sounded nice, and then used it in song. Since IIRC they only use that unknown language in song.
 
Well I'm sure Gaia would have a better chance at this than any normal human or even Aloy or Sylens.

As to the second question they just sounded like a band of thugs and psychos. They murdered and raped everyone from the sounds of it including Rost's daughter so you can see why he was so dead set on taking them all out.

Nah, the strangers that came into Nora lands weren't just crazy people. They came in for a specific purpose. They took hostages and holed up at a specific place, did something that produced "strange noises" and then left. Plus, Teersa doesn't describe them as bandits but as people who looked like they came from some unknown tribe. There's way too much weirdness going on in that story for it to be so clear cut.

I still think that group of strangers is more likely to have something to do with the unknown signal than Odyssey, especially since this all would have happened only a short amount of time before the unknown signal is sent.
 
I may be remembering wrong, but it blew up once it started it's engine I thought.

So they said:

All,

Some terrible news, I'm afraid. Far Zenith has informed me that the Odyssey mission has failed. Last night, telemetry indicated a catastrophic antimatter containment failure as the drives spun up to depart the solar system. The ship, its crew, its cargo of zygotes and seeds, its alpha-build of APOLLO - all were lost.
 
So they said:

All,

Some terrible news, I'm afraid. Far Zenith has informed me that the Odyssey mission has failed. Last night, telemetry indicated a catastrophic antimatter containment failure as the drives spun up to depart the solar system. The ship, its crew, its cargo of zygotes and seeds, its alpha-build of APOLLO - all were lost.

So my theory still may be right! Whew.

I still think that Apollo Alpha build is recoverable and someone actually already has it.
 
The real villain behind it all will be revealed in the sequel and will make Ted Faro look like a saint:

13-KZ2_7-21.jpg
 
I was really hoping to see Elysium. Like, how it looked and operated and stuff.

Also, are we to assume that the entire world is at a similar level of cultural evolution as the area we play in this game?

I am just really curious about what they could do to make the sequel feel fresh, in terms of locations, mystery, and culture. I guess there are tons of amazing landmarks that could be super interesting in this far future.
 
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