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[ZeroRay]

But that's the thing, you can still stealth the whole encounter.

The enemies on the second spawn are bugged to not respond until the player gets their attention. The third spawn starts actively looking for the player again. This really took me out after I got my mojo giong by stealth killing all those dudes the first time I played that section on Hard with no listen mode.

This makes me think the section is either bugged or hasn't been playtested thoroughly, because the game did notify you previously when new enemies were spawning into the area:

Spoiler

Truck crash.

As for the story-beat, they could have either played an alternate cutscene (the only one in the game!) or have it be a straight up search for Joel like the

Spoiler

beginning of Pittsburgh

with Ellie picking off guys searching.

Game's amazing, but things like this stand out way more because of it.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

Did you use checkpoint reloading to stealth it?

 

[ZeroRay]

Nah bro. Check the vid. The second spawn for me was bugged like that too.

 

[Andrew.]

I liked listen mode. Gives a strategy element to the game. Without it you can't see where anything is.

Normal difficulty felt just right for me.

Normal mode sucks and really kills the survival aspect by loading you up with an assload of ammunition and crafting tools compared to Hard and Survivor. Listen Mode defeats the purpose of strategy, specifically DYNAMIC strategy which is where this game shines.

You missed out breh.

 

[RoKKeR]

Could somebody explain the Survivor+ glitch without having to beat the game on Survivor first? I'd like to jump right into Survivor+.

 

[CompleteStealth]

I think the game makes a effort to switch up as much as possible to keep any feeling of receptiveness at bay so I never thought that.

Agree with you on the effort, I guess I just expected a bit more from the game. Found myself pushing through to finish segments just to watch the cutscenes.

Are you going for complete stealth?

Spoiler

lol

I have lol

Def not. I'm on my third playthrough of the SP story and not tired of anything in the slightest.*

*I've never played a game back-to-back-to-back so quickly. I usually get bored or burned out. Not here.

Conclusion then is I expected a lot more from a game that was given OoT review scores.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

*I've never played a game back-to-back-to-back so quickly. I usually get bored or burned out. Not here.

My sentiments as well.

 

[RyanardoDaVinci]

Could somebody explain the Survivor+ glitch without having to beat the game on Survivor first? I'd like to jump right into Survivor+.

Beat Normal.
Start Normal+.
Complete prologue.
Save/Exit to main menu when you get control again.
Chapter select the Prologue.
Select Survivor difficulty.
You should now be on Survivor+.

 

[lmpaler]

Starting my Survivor run now. That beginning still gets me every damn time

 

[Evolved1]

I have lol

Well then let's be honest... it's kind of unfair to mark the game for being repetitive when you're the one imposing the restrictions. You're actively choosing to limit your experience by arbitrarily limiting your own experience. TLoU is not a stealth game. It's a game with stealth. There's a difference.

Imo TLoU really shines the brightest when it's loud and messy. It's best when the stealth breaks down and you have to claw your way out of a bad situation. I'm kind of too good at the game now for it to be that tense anymore, but first couple times through, game is at its best when you give it some room to breathe. There are no bonus points for going unseen, no trophies for stealth runs, no rewards for playing it any specific way. Thus, no reason to purposefully limit the options available to you in combat.

 

[RoKKeR]

Starting my Survivor run now. That beginning still gets me every damn time

That's interesting, because the beginning definitely wore out it's welcome for me. On the other hand, a lot of the later scenes in the game hit me even harder the second time around.

Edit: And we've been moved to Community. How recent a change was that?

 

[Evolved1]

That's interesting, because the beginning definitely wore out it's welcome for me. On the other hand, a lot of the later scenes in the game hit me even harder the second time around.

Edit: And we've been moved to Community. How recent a change was that?

Idk... we're near 20,000 posts now and most of the activity are the same dozen or so people. Pretty much the recipe for community.

 

[criesofthepast]

I just reached the

Spoiler

FALL season

. How much longer do I have left? Don't want it to end.

So far its taken me 12 hours and 23 minutes to arrive here.

Only complaint is friendly AI getting in my way. Which happens a lot.

 

[RoKKeR]

I just reached the

Spoiler

FALL season

. How much longer do I have left? Don't want it to end.

So far its taken me 12 hours and 23 minutes to arrive here.

Only complaint is friendly AI getting in my way. Which happens a lot.

Damn, you have taken your time. Awesome. You aren't even half way done. Probably 40%, but you can check when you go to "Load Game" and find your Save Game slot. The percentage complete is your story completion.

 

[criesofthepast]

Damn, you have taken your time. Awesome. You aren't even half way done. Probably 40%, but you can check when you go to "Load Game" and find your Save Game slot. The percentage complete is your story completion.

Wtf really? The percentage I think was around 50% when I checked before turning it off just now. I have pretty much explored every room there is to explore though. Can't believe I'm only halfway done. I'm playing on normal with no listen mode BTW. Probably adds some time as I sit there a while and have to scope everyone out before making a move. I've tried playing mostly stealth but I'd say I get caught 50% of the time and have to run around and go LOUD to finish off a bad guy area. I don't feel like I've overly taken my time. Really impressed if this will indeed take me about 20 hours to finish.

 

[RoKKeR]

Wtf really? The percentage I think was around 50% when I checked before turning it off just now. I have pretty much explored every room there is to explore though. Can't believe I'm only halfway done. I'm playing on normal with no listen mode BTW. Probably adds some time as I sit there a while and have to scope everyone out before making a move. I've tried playing mostly stealth but I'd say I get caught 50% of the time and have to run around and go LOUD to finish off a bad guy area. I don't feel like I've overly taken my time. Really impressed if this will indeed take me about 20 hours to finish.

You are playing it the right way. Keep it up!

 

[todahawk]

Wtf really? The percentage I think was around 50% when I checked before turning it off just now. I have pretty much explored every room there is to explore though. Can't believe I'm only halfway done. I'm playing on normal with no listen mode BTW. Probably adds some time as I sit there a while and have to scope everyone out before making a move. I've tried playing mostly stealth but I'd say I get caught 50% of the time and have to run around and go LOUD to finish off a bad guy area. I don't feel like I've overly taken my time. Really impressed if this will indeed take me about 20 hours to finish.

You played it like i did and my final time on normal was a little over 27 hours. Loved every second of it. Did normal plus (no listen mode) and now working on survivor. Can't wait for the DLC

 

[criesofthepast]

I just checked again and its actually 61% at that exact point in the game. I can't sleep so going to play some more now.

 

[Andrew.]

Through Pandora radio I just discovered Gustavo Santaolalla did the music for the show "Deadwood". Holy shit.

 

[gamma]

Are you going for complete stealth?

Spoiler

lol

I just started and I'm trying to go for stealth. Is it not recommended? Is it better to restart if you get caught or is it okay to have a shootout?

 

[Evolved1]

I just started and I'm trying to go for stealth. Is it not recommended? Is it better to restart if you get caught or is it okay to have a shootout?

Restarting is something I started doing on my first survivor run until about halfway through when I realized it was sucking the fun out of the game (imo).

Now everyone has different taste, but I think the game is best when you stealth a bit (maybe even occasionally entire areas when it makes sense) but just let whatever happens happen. In my first hard run, there were times when I had just a tiny bit of health and like two damn arrows or something. And looking back, those where the best parts of the game. I think you get an appreciation for how ND has created really unique combat experience (how this game sets itself apart in gameplay from most others) when it goes sideways and you get to see how much freedom you have to scrape through an encounter, and how much contextual stuff is in the game that you would never see if you were Sam Fisher on a ghost run. My advice for TLoU is to just play it and don't impose any arbitrary rules on yourself. But others might see it differently.

 

[gamma]

Restarting is something I started doing on my first survivor run until about halfway through when I realized it was sucking the fun out of the game (imo).

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. I just started on hard and keep restarting this level which is making it boring. I think I'll just start to go with the flow of the game.

Now everyone has different taste, but I think the game is best when you stealth a bit (maybe even occasionally entire areas when it makes sense) but just let whatever happens happen. In my first hard run, there were times when I had just a tiny bit of health and like two damn arrows or something. And looking back, those where the best parts of the game. I think you get an appreciation for how ND has created really unique combat experience (how this game sets itself apart in gameplay from most others) when it goes sideways and you get to see how much freedom you have to scrape through an encounter, and how much contextual stuff is in the game that you would never see if you were Sam Fisher on a ghost run. My advice for TLoU is to just play it and don't impose any arbitrary rules on yourself. But others might see it differently.

What exactly do you mean by that?

 

[Evolved1]

What exactly do you mean by that?

The combat is seamless. You can go from stealth, to loud and messy melee scraps, and back to stealth... and back to guns, etc. In most games ever made on planet Earth this is impossible. ND gets extra points for the amount of contextual combat. There are weapons you might see only once or twice in the entire game that have a bunch of unique animations. You have all the environmental objects that have unique melee attacks/kills tied to them. You start mixing in the sprint button with melee and environmental stuff, and the game really shines in a convincingly brutal way.

I personally approach combat by assessing the situation... who has what weapon. I will either stealth kill the guy(s) with long guns/revolvers or make that my first careful rifle shot. Then it's time to chuck a brick at someone and doing a OHK running melee bash. Maybe beat down the guy next to him breaking my 2x4 across his face and take off to hide. Come from another angle and shotgun someone close range and smash the other with the butt of the shotgun. Pull out my revolver with two rounds and make both of them count dropping the last guy I didn't know was there. Ellie says, "Holy shit Joel."

Shit like that actually happens in this game, if you let it.

Or you know you could arbitrarily make yourself be perfect stealth and never see any of it.

 

[Dreamer RD]

Found another glitch - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4rFwda4slw
Ellie looks like she is holding flashlight but there is no flashlight at all.

 

[gamma]

The combat is seamless. You can go from stealth, to loud and messy melee scraps, and back to stealth... and back to guns, etc. In most games ever made on planet Earth this is impossible. ND gets extra points for the amount of contextual combat. There are weapons you might see only once or twice in the entire game that have a bunch of unique animations. You have all the environmental objects that have unique melee attacks/kills tied to them. You start mixing in the sprint button with melee and environmental stuff, and the game really shines in a convincingly brutal way.

I personally approach combat by assessing the situation... who has what weapon. I will either stealth kill the guy(s) with long guns/revolvers or make that my first careful rifle shot. Then it's time to chuck a brick at someone and doing a OHK running melee bash. Maybe beat down the guy next to him breaking my 2x4 across his face and take off to hide. Come from another angle and shotgun someone close range and smash the other with the butt of the shotgun. Pull out my revolver with two rounds and make both of them count dropping the last guy I didn't know was there. Ellie says, "Holy shit Joel."

Shit like that actually happens in this game, if you let it.

Or you know you could arbitrarily make yourself be perfect stealth and never see any of it.

Yeah you're totally right. I've started doing things like that now, it's a lot better. A few questions:

Do you have to kill all enemies in a level? I've managed to sneak past a few but I'm not sure if I have to go back and kill them or if I can just continue.

Is it worth it to comb through every part of a map? Is there anything important to find?

 

[Evolved1]

Yeah you're totally right. I've started doing things like that now, it's a lot better. A few questions:

Do you have to kill all enemies in a level? I've managed to sneak past a few but I'm not sure if I have to go back and kill them or if I can just continue.

Is it worth it to comb through every part of a map? Is there anything important to find?

1) Sometimes you can leave an area without killing everyone, sometimes you can't. The game isn't so great about making this clear, and I guess it's a valid criticism. Usually what will happen is they'll block your path somehow with something you have to "press triangle to interact" with, and either the triangle symbol is greyed out or it's something that's going to make a bunch of noise and attract enemies if you move it. So, question is difficult to answer. I guess the answer is: "It depends."

2) Yes you can miss important stuff by not searching the map. Depends on how thorough you want to be and what you as a player deem "important". If you are going for trophies, than there are artifacts and conversations that can be missed. If you're only concerned about gameplay-centric objects, then there are resources that can be missed. For example, you might have to bypass shiv doors if you failed to collect enough scissors or whatever to craft the shiv.

Playing for trophies basically pushes you to kill everything so you can explore fully. But ignoring that, then the impetus to fully explore is more about resources, and you honestly can get through the game well enough (as long as you're creative) without picking up every little thing. But you will miss some moments of levity when a cleared area gives Joel and Ellie a little room for conversation. They do most of their talking in non-combat areas, but iirc there are a couple spots where they talk after things have been cleared out. Either way, it's small talk.

So... up to you really.

 

[Ourobolus]

Do you have to kill all enemies in a level? I've managed to sneak past a few but I'm not sure if I have to go back and kill them or if I can just continue.

Is it worth it to comb through every part of a map? Is there anything important to find?

No, you don't. There are some places where you have to kill everything to progress, but they're few and far-between, and you'll know when you see it.

1) Sometimes you can leave an area without killing everyone, sometimes you can't. The game isn't so great about making this clear, and I guess it's a valid criticism. Usually what will happen is they'll block your path somehow with something you have to "press triangle to interact" with, and either the triangle symbol is greyed out or it's something that's going to make a bunch of noise and attract enemies if you move it. So, question is difficult to answer. I guess the answer is: "It depends."

If the Triangle is greyed out it usually means that there's something too close to you, so fling a bottle/brick out of the way. There's only two places I can think of where this happens - once in the beginning and once at the very end. Other than that, the "kill everything" moments are pretty obvious, such as

Spoiler

the school gym

.

Yes, it's worth it. Depending on what difficulty you're on you're going to want to find as many pills, parts, and crafting items as possible.

 

[Evolved1]

No, you don't. There are some places where you have to kill everything to progress, but they're few and far-between, and you'll know when you see it.

Actually, sometimes you won't know until you make it all the way to the exit. Then you realize you're in a bad position for open combat and have to sneak all the way back or somewhere else!

This is a valid criticism imo. The game isn't always really clear about it up front.

edit: wow I really messed those edits up pretty bad, I give up! Typing too fast I guess.

 

[Ourobolus]

Actually, sometimes you won't know until you make it all the way to the exit. Then you realize you're in a bad position for open combat and have to sneak all the way back or somewhere else!

This is a valid criticism imo. The game is always really clear about it up front.

Ok yes, I can agree with that.

And yeah, that part in Summer is another moment too. Just to clarify my prior statement, I didn't mean that there were only 2 forced fighting sections, just that there were 2 moments I could think of when the Triangle-greyed-out rears its ugly head.

 

[Fidelis Hodie]

Allright, beat it over the weekend.

Hard mode. Instantly turned off the stupid hearing mode. What the hell is that?

The second half of the game is just fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

Spoiler

Winter is probably my favorite, right next to that gut punch of an ending.

Loves, loves, loves.

 

[lmpaler]

That's interesting, because the beginning definitely wore out it's welcome for me. On the other hand, a lot of the later scenes in the game hit me even harder the second time around.

Edit: And we've been moved to Community. How recent a change was that?

I think it's because I have a daughter who is a little younger than Sarah. I've seen the damn beginning half a dozen times showing people and watching people I loaned the game to play, but still. Makes me Le sad.

 

[flyover]

Hard mode. Instantly turned off the stupid hearing mode. What the hell is that?

It's for people who are cowards and/or don't have very good reflexes, but still love this kind of game. People like me.

I thought it was a great way to allow more people a chance to enjoy the story and feel like they're good at the game -- even if, again like me, they're not. That said, I have a lot of respect for those of you who don't use listen mode, play on the harder difficulties, and make it through the game with a bottle and a stick.

 

[Grinchy]

I played with Listen Mode for my first Hard run because I figured the developers made the game with it in mind. There was no indication that it wasn't a natural gameplay mechanic and it appeared as though it was how they meant for the game to be played. But now that I've tried Survivor, the game really is better without it.

 

[Voidance]

I played with Listen Mode for my first Hard run because I figured the developers made the game with it in mind. There was no indication that it wasn't a natural gameplay mechanic and it appeared as though it was how they meant for the game to be played. But now that I've tried Survivor, the game really is better without it.

I agree fully. I was skeptical of playing without listen mode, but it is a much more engrossing experience without it. Never going back.

 

[RoKKeR]

I agree fully. I was skeptical of playing without listen mode, but it is a much more engrossing experience without it. Never going back.

Yep, same here. Switched it off after my first playthrough and every encounter is much more intense yet rewarding. Definitely the way it should be played.

 

[Andrew.]

I played with Listen Mode for my first Hard run because I figured the developers made the game with it in mind. There was no indication that it wasn't a natural gameplay mechanic and it appeared as though it was how they meant for the game to be played. But now that I've tried Survivor, the game really is better without it.

I agree fully. I was skeptical of playing without listen mode, but it is a much more engrossing experience without it. Never going back.

Yep, same here. Switched it off after my first playthrough and every encounter is much more intense yet rewarding. Definitely the way it should be played.

No doubt. Also makes sure you keep those melee prompts turned off. I really wish yould have the option of shutting them off during the cutscene QTEs, but oh well.

With that ambient escalating sound you hear when you're being spotted, there really isnt any point in using LM. It's a crutch. Plain and simple.

 

[mattp]

curious, what argument do you have for turning off the melee prompts? seems silly to me

 

[Andrew.]

curious, what argument do you have for turning off the melee prompts? seems silly to me

Less distracting and adds to the immersion. If you're comfy with the controls and familiar with the game and how it plays, I don't see the point in keeping them on.

It's remarkably easy to play without them. You'd be surprised at the distance Joel can grab guys and put them in a choke hold.

 

[Evolved1]

Less distracting and adds to the immersion. If you're comfy with the controls and familiar with the game and how it plays, I don't see the point in keeping them on.

It's remarkably easy to play without them. You'd be surprised at the distance Joel can grab guys and put them in a choke hold.

The only real tricky one is the melee counter. Sometimes I forget I can do that! haha

 

[Andrew.]

The only real tricky one is the melee counter. Sometimes I forget I can do that! haha

Ive only done it once (I think), it was on my first run and it was completely by accident. Hahaha.

Same thing with my melee weapon clashing with someone elses like a lightsaber battle and then mashing triangle to push them off. Only has happened once and in my first run. Weird.

 

[Evolved1]

Ive only done it once (I think), it was on my first run and it was completely by accident. Hahaha.

Same thing with my melee weapon clashing with someone elses like a lightsaber battle and then mashing triangle to push them off. ONly has happened once and in my first run. Weird.

Melee clash has never happened to me in three playthroughs!

Probably cause I usually stun them with a brick or bottle first. Trying to preserve my precious melee weapon.

 

[Andrew.]

Melee clash has never happened to me in three playthroughs!

Probably cause I usually stun them with a brick or bottle first. Trying to preserve my precious melee weapon.

Yeah, basically why I havent had it occur either since then. I always get the jump on the baddies and they dont stand a chance. Either with the brick/bottle -> one hit kill method or one hit killing them with the melee upgrade.

 

[RoKKeR]

The title of Podcast Beyond #301 is hilarious:

"The Last of Us or Uncharted 3?"

Like that's even something worth discussing. Will listen regardless.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

I wish Giantbomb would do a spoilercast. Course this is probably the last type of game they want to talk about.

 

[marc^o^]

Finished in 17:28:12.

What can I say. Nothing original sadly. This is a masterpiece of epic proportions. The story is believable, enjoyable, mature. The characters, the morality, the music, gameplay... Every single piece of this game is a success.

Uncharted 2 was my favorite game this gen, and The Last of us is way beyond that. Naughty Dogs have my respect for life, this is a work of art. Thank you guys if you still read this thread.

Now time to test the online mode, we6fe joining.

 

[Åesop]

I just sold my copy of The Last of Us on ebay..

so I can buy the Special Edition !

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Ha well done good sir.

 

[criesofthepast]

Finished at 19 hours 14 minutes. That ending...

off to read the spoiler thread now.

 

[RobotNinjaHornets]

So my friend wrote a song about this game. Linky. Dunno how spoilery it is, so maaaybe be careful.

Oh, and Greg Miller retweeted it which was really weird.

 

[Leeness]

Dumb question but just started my survivor run after a few weeks of not playing the single player.

...no prompts, so what the heck is melee counter?