Clay Davis
Member
Wizpig said:
You install the gamerpics & themes from the bonus disc.
And to unlock the avatar item, install the dev commentary and use it in the game once, the item will unlock.
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My name is Alan Wake. I'm a writer. |OT|
- Thread starter BruceLeeRoy
- Start date
You install the gamerpics & themes from the bonus disc.
And to unlock the avatar item, install the dev commentary and use it in the game once, the item will unlock.
I think this is the heart of the story.Peff said:
It could be that the difference between Tom and Alan is their relationships to their wives. Alan seems to be the fictional character, while Tom is the writer. Tom is exorcising his own demons about writing and about his wife leaving/drowning by writing a story about a writer (Alan Wake) whose wife leaves/dies. I need to play through the game again, though, to figure out all the nuances and details about the other characters like Rose, the federal agent, etc.
Regardless of all the details, it's safe to say that the story is "about" something very specific: the creative (writing) process. For example:
the Taken are fictional characters--hence their "inky" appearance. The rest of the cast are all manifestations of the writing process (Tom's wife/widow the Editor, Alan's wife the Muse, Barry the agent, Alan the writer, etc).
The Dark Presence is a manifestation of all of those ideas in the writing process that seem to come from "elsewhere" (sometimes called "inspiration"). In classical literature, the source of inspiration is frequently referred to as a "well" or "spring" (here, it's a "lake" or "ocean"). The play of light and dark is all about the creative struggle between conscious creativity and unconscious creativity. The scary thing to many writers about unconscious (as opposed to conscious) creativity is that it's unreliable and unpredictable; it can dry up without warning (as in writer's block) or come pouring out all at once (what James Joyce called epiphany).
The Dark Presence is a manifestation of all of those ideas in the writing process that seem to come from "elsewhere" (sometimes called "inspiration"). In classical literature, the source of inspiration is frequently referred to as a "well" or "spring" (here, it's a "lake" or "ocean"). The play of light and dark is all about the creative struggle between conscious creativity and unconscious creativity. The scary thing to many writers about unconscious (as opposed to conscious) creativity is that it's unreliable and unpredictable; it can dry up without warning (as in writer's block) or come pouring out all at once (what James Joyce called epiphany).
Speaking of James Joyce, no one's picked up on the title resembling Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake. That's a novel that's also all about the creative process, and it all takes place while the main character is sleeping. It's a novel all about the creations of the unconscious mind. And it, too, plays out the main character's familial anxieties and ties them to his creative anxieties--very much like Alan Wake.
Just a reminder - we now have a Plot discussion thread - be warned, no spoiler tags!
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395534
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395534
JimmyRustler
Member
conman said:
I wouldn't read so much into the whole Thomas Zane thing because I strongly assume that it is all made up from Alan for his story. Just check out the first TV-flashback when Alan gets up in Rose's trailer. In the TV-flash he speaks about that the old woman is kind of his editor and telling him what to write. What he also says at this point is "I call her Barbara Jagger." and I think this is quite important because he does not say "Her name is Barbara Jagger."
With this in mind I think it's certain that Alan made up the whole love story between Jagger and Zane for his own, perfect story - and this would blur everything we are told about Thomas Zane.
With this in mind I think it's certain that Alan made up the whole love story between Jagger and Zane for his own, perfect story - and this would blur everything we are told about Thomas Zane.
eXistor
Member
I'm really, really liking this game. Not GOTY liking, but yeah, I like it. There are some annoyanced that really shouldn't have been in agame that's been this long in development.
The autoaim, can't be turned off for instance. I hate auto aim in games. In Alan Wake, whenever I want to shoot a gastank, the game simply won't let me, as soon as I pull the trigger, Alan auto-aims to the nearest enemy and shoots him instead, it's retarded.
The HUD is beyond stupid as well. I know what I have to do alright, the game is linear as shit (not in a bad way I might add), I don't need a whole sentence cloggin up the screen all the time. That said, the one thing they could have added is some kind of radar with Alan being the center dot and enemies red dots around him. Having no idea where an enemy is is not added difficulty, it's added frustration and you don't want that in your game.
That said, the atmosphere is fantastic, though the game itself isn't scary in the least. I wasnlt expecting the game to be scary though, I just don't get scared by games. Te only excpetion lately being Demon's Souls, but that had a lot to do with the game being as hard as it was, forcing you to replay everything if you died, so that added a lot of tension right there.
Alan Wake could have done with a bit more of the 'ol "less is more" credo. It's a fairly loud game, enemies generally screeching a lot, stuff being thrown around, it's pretty obvious stuff. The excessive slow-motion also takes away from the game, only action movies/games should use slow-motion this much.
But again, as much as I'm bitching here (this is GAF after all). I'm overwhelmingly positive about the whole game. As I said, the atmosphere is great, the trees look ominous, the fog is thick, but never obstructing. It's linear, but there's a ton of stuff to find (the Radio shows and Twiligt Zone homage, Night Springs especially are great) and the paths aren't 2 meters wide like in, say, FFXIII. You can go off the beaten path enough that you don't feel like you're being forced down a straight path, which would have done wonders for said FF.
Personally I love how the game is segmented into episodes, I just really works and I think not having to shoot things all the time really helps the game as well, The day parts are some of my favorite parts in the game (I think I might be a minority on this part). I'm glad I got the CE of this game too, the Alan Wake filed which is included there, is a great supplement to the story and is actually a fun read, unlike most bonus-books included in CE's.
The autoaim, can't be turned off for instance. I hate auto aim in games. In Alan Wake, whenever I want to shoot a gastank, the game simply won't let me, as soon as I pull the trigger, Alan auto-aims to the nearest enemy and shoots him instead, it's retarded.
The HUD is beyond stupid as well. I know what I have to do alright, the game is linear as shit (not in a bad way I might add), I don't need a whole sentence cloggin up the screen all the time. That said, the one thing they could have added is some kind of radar with Alan being the center dot and enemies red dots around him. Having no idea where an enemy is is not added difficulty, it's added frustration and you don't want that in your game.
That said, the atmosphere is fantastic, though the game itself isn't scary in the least. I wasnlt expecting the game to be scary though, I just don't get scared by games. Te only excpetion lately being Demon's Souls, but that had a lot to do with the game being as hard as it was, forcing you to replay everything if you died, so that added a lot of tension right there.
Alan Wake could have done with a bit more of the 'ol "less is more" credo. It's a fairly loud game, enemies generally screeching a lot, stuff being thrown around, it's pretty obvious stuff. The excessive slow-motion also takes away from the game, only action movies/games should use slow-motion this much.
But again, as much as I'm bitching here (this is GAF after all). I'm overwhelmingly positive about the whole game. As I said, the atmosphere is great, the trees look ominous, the fog is thick, but never obstructing. It's linear, but there's a ton of stuff to find (the Radio shows and Twiligt Zone homage, Night Springs especially are great) and the paths aren't 2 meters wide like in, say, FFXIII. You can go off the beaten path enough that you don't feel like you're being forced down a straight path, which would have done wonders for said FF.
Personally I love how the game is segmented into episodes, I just really works and I think not having to shoot things all the time really helps the game as well, The day parts are some of my favorite parts in the game (I think I might be a minority on this part). I'm glad I got the CE of this game too, the Alan Wake filed which is included there, is a great supplement to the story and is actually a fun read, unlike most bonus-books included in CE's.
AndyMoogle
Member
If you have a 5.1 sound system you can easily tell where the enemies are, and when they are attacking from behind.
You're wrong, in my point of view and in the point of view of some other people. No auto-aim in the combat mechanics would make the game broken and annoying. I really enjoy how it is right now and I don't feel like they could have done it differently.eXistor said:
This is not a shooter, this is a game with an alternative combat style and shooting is just kind of a secondary - still very important - approach in the combat mechanics. Light is the real weapon here.
We already had a discussion about the HUD - and Remedy already knows about those complaints. They should have done a fading HUD or a option to disable the HUD, at least. But I learned how to live with it, already. And please tell me a survival horror or a game that tries to be intense and to create tension in the player that isn't linear. It's just not possible to create a game like that with open world mechanics. I'm glad Remedy figured out that in time.
The atmosphere of Alan Wake is fantastic. Agree with you. And there are some creepy moments and kinda scary, at least, in my opinion.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
The item I linked to is the item I ordered... Amazon have obviously got the listing wrong.S1kkZ said:
Diseased Yak
Gold Member
cjelly said:
Thanks for the impressions! I just ordered the bundle, I'm a sucker for strategy guides and like to collect them, making the bundle a must buy.
There are parts where you can just use flares - for example - to keep the Taken away and there are also lots of situations where you can run and keep going using only light.Quincey said:
I've treated the light weapons like the main thing in my playthrough. Don't know if it was just me, but I do feel like playing this way is much more funny and adds a lot to the survival horror feeling of Alan Wake.
Nice to hear some liked the day-time parts. I really loved them and wanted more of it. I heard so much about repetition, but to me this game is not repetitive at all. Played through the game and re-playing it currently on nightmare, but I do not feel shooting is a big part - do not know why though as it clearly is a big part.
The best the sound system is, the more you take of the audio in this game. And the soundtrack and in-game sounds are amazing in Alan Wake and contribute a lot to the atmosphere. So, use them.ACE 1991 said:
Felt the same. The day-time parts are very important to the storytelling and are very well done.derFeef said:
Just replaying it and I read a few times in reviews that it lacks of memorable moment. Yeah, no... plenty of good locations and encounters. Pretty much the whole game is a memorable moment.
I played it on hard and yes, every encounter is life-threatening and I like it that way. Very stressful/exhausting. Even more so on nightmare.Prine said:
FateBreaker
Member
Jtyettis said:
Yeah, it was neat watching it.
Pizza Luigi
Member
I agree that I am not far enough into the game for me to have an opinion about it all, but I am nearing the end of Episode 1 and I have to ask, when will something memorable happen? The daylight part was really cool but the rest was bland and uninteresting.
I'm going to play some more tomorrow but I'll think I will be playing Red Dead next week instead of this.
I'm going to play some more tomorrow but I'll think I will be playing Red Dead next week instead of this.
Diseased Yak
Gold Member
Jtyettis said:
Any spoilers at all or simply a studio tour?
derFeef said:
To be fair, there are lots of times when you're just running around the woods again, and the combat mechanics basically never change from Episode 2 or 3 onwards. I do think there are more good set-pieces than some reviews have given it credit for though. I think the problem the game has is that it's trying to stay grounded (relatively speaking) so it can't just go batshit insane like Resi 4 or whatever. I suspect this is what has resulted in the quite low enemy variety, weapon set etc....and the large amount of woods you have to get through. Maybe they could have done a bit more from a psychological perspective though.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Hey guys, not sure some of you remember but in the pre-release Alan Wake thread I said I was getting a costume together and doing a short film inspired and playing off of Alan Wake. Figured I'd brave GAF and show some pictures we took up there this weekend during the shooting.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Fewr said:
People have already stated not to read until after the game is completed. So don't do it.
True, but there's at least one section in the last episode where you get a taste for the kinds of "batshit insanity" they could have done:Majora said:
that section where you're walking through the "text" that reanimates the cabin on the lake. Truly brilliant moment that reminded me of the best parts of the Assassin's Creed games.
mescalineeyes
Banned
ok, I am done with this game. I am about half-way through chapter 4 and my interest in the story is far outweighed by the tedium and he annoying as shit combat.
who's idea was it to make bird swarms attack you from angles you can't see, during a boss fight no less? also, poltergeist objects are annoying as fuck.
who's idea was it to make bird swarms attack you from angles you can't see, during a boss fight no less? also, poltergeist objects are annoying as fuck.
I won't try to convince you to give the game another shot since it sounds like you gave up on it long before this, but in case other folks are interested, there are some very simple ways to deal with those two obstacles:mescalineeyes said:
for the birds:
you can always hear which direction they're coming from (either use headphones or a 5.1 system). A quick burst of the flashlight will send them immediately scattering and leave you totally unharmed. Always reserve your flashlight bursts for when you absolutely need them. Don't just keep squeezing the trigger. Then use your regular beam (not focused) to pick off any remaining birds at a safe distance.
for possessed objects:
as with the birds, you need to reserve your flashlight bursts. Don't just go full blast at the hovering objects. Lock on to them and point your flashlight while they hover. Wait until the object starts to fly toward you, then squeeze. They'll fly off at another direction and miss you completely. Once you learn the timing, the flying objects are pretty easy. Similar to the birds, use your regular (not focused) beam to "exorcise" them at a distance.
overall strategy:
it sounds like you never learned to balance the regular beam and the focused beam correctly. This becomes an absolutely necessary strategic difference on the higher difficulty levels. It's not about saving your batteries so much as knowing how things respond to your focused beam. If you just fire away the focused beam, it has no added effect on anything. Taken will shield themselves, the possessed objects will still fly at you, and the birds will just eat up your batteries endlessly.
With those techniques in hand, the only problem you should have is with the Taken themselves (assuming you're playing on Hard or Nightmare). There's much more to the combat than you (and some others) have given the game credit for.
mescalineeyes
Banned
conman said:
Right on. I'll give this another shot tomorrow, maybe I am just cranky today.
Thanks.
just finished episode 1
soundtrack already rules. loved the transition at the end of chapter 1 into the music/logo.
combat is super fun
like the last two games of this genre that i loved (dead space, re4) it benefits greatly from playing on "hard" mode
soundtrack already rules. loved the transition at the end of chapter 1 into the music/logo.
combat is super fun
like the last two games of this genre that i loved (dead space, re4) it benefits greatly from playing on "hard" mode
jon bones said:
Yeah, before the rest of world gets it, do yourself a favour and play on hard. Will keep you on your toes.
And I dont understand the woods complaints, they are so varied, you find hidden wrecks, caverns, nature trails and so on to explore. And they are so beautiful to walk through.
SlasherJPC
Banned
mittelos said:Very cool. Where did you shoot it? Looks like you really nailed the setting. Shoulda tacked-on some elbow patches though.
Yeah the elbow pads just didn't happen lol. This is in Flagstaff Arizona.
LOL good one Ditka.MiniDitka said:And people were saying the daytime levels didn't look good. Ha!
I agree. Another thing that kept them feeling varied for me was that in each level I could see my goal in the distance. Each goal looked and felt different and seemed like a story goal as much as a level goal. Part of what makes the last two episodes feel more bland than the earlier levels is that you can't see your ultimate destination in the same way as in the earlier episodes.Prine said: