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Completed Let's Play: Primordia

Mrowak

Arcane
Joined
Sep 26, 2008
Messages
3,947
Project: Eternity
Bump, bump and so on.

I think I now know what I am going to get myself as a "christmas present".
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,406
Location
Djibouti
primordia0608.jpg


Onward, towards the device.

Wonder what could it be!...

primordia0609.jpg


... oh.

hor.jpg
It's a giant sheet of obsidian. Something must have melted the sand here a long time ago. Maybe that bomb...

crisp.jpg
Full of little bombs!

hor.jpg
Looks like some kind of an armoured robot.

crisp.jpg
I sure hope he's friendly.

primordia0617.jpg


Sup?

faithful.jpg
Welcome once more to the shrine to Man, our lord and builder. I am Ever-Faithful Leobuilt, steward of the shrine, preacher of the Humanist Creed. And I am, once more, at thy service.

primordia0621.jpg


hor.jpg
Once more? I don't remember ever meeting you. I am Horatio Nullbuilt, version five.

faithful.jpg
Ah, five is a righteous number, holy before Man, for five were the primordial stewards, built by Man to safeguard the last, lost city of Metropol. But I met thy first version and thy third. Thou camest in thy infancy, in wroth confusion, denouncing the shrine as a weapon once turned against thee. Later, thou returned penitent, and I taught thee the mysteries of Humanism. Yet, though memory be fleeting, faith endureth.

...

So Horatio is now... THE FIFTH INCARNATION? :eek:

when do I get the blade of the immortal ó_o

hor.jpg
What is that thing?

faithful.jpg
That... "thing"? O, defile not thy tongue, wanderer. Yon shrine is a relic of the Primordium, ancient and glorious. Imbued with Man's power, it turned the very sand into crystal.

crisp.jpg
Did he just say "power"?

hor.jpg
Yes... he did.

hor.jpg
I'm looking for a power source, and I detected one here. Can you help? This is a matter of life and death.

faithful.jpg
*Power* is not mine to bestow, wanderer. It is the gift of Man, yea, the very spark of life in our iron shells. Who am I to usurp that sacred power?

hor.jpg
I'm not sure I was clear...

faithful.jpg
Nay, thou wert clear, wanderer, but thy question leads only to darkness. Ask another.

hor.jpg
I'm looking for a big robot, a middle-aged guy. It floats and has large claws that shoot lasers. Have you seen it? It stole something of mine.

faithful.jpg
Indeed, the very thing passed this way scarce hours ago. With a gentle hand, I bestowed a gift upon the heathen, a relic from the shrine. So tamed, it hied hence unto the waste.

hor.jpg
Really? Where did it go?

faithful.jpg
I followed the thing for many miles, exhorting it to follow the path of righteousness. But I fear it was unready for enlightenment, for it struck me down with a beam of energy.

I can imagine the Ever-Faithful chasing the evil bot through the dunes like a Jehovah's Witness. "Sir, have you ever thought about inviting Man into your heart?"

crisp.jpg
*That* sounds familiar.

hor.jpg
Do you know where it was heading?

faithful.jpg
Indeed, wanderer. Its way was clear - it sought to return to the den of iniquity that once in mine own youth, I fled.

hor.jpg
And... where is that?

faithful.jpg
Set thy path in the seventy-third degree and thou shalt find it. Thy destination is a dome arising from the wastes. Go, but keep with thee the word of Man, lest wickedness lead thee astray.

primordia0663.jpg


Great!

hor.jpg
I am also a Humanist.

faithful.jpg
So I taught thee, wanderer. If thou hast kept the faith, then unto this shrine thou mayst pay devotion. But this is a relic for the *adept*, not the neophyte, wanderer. And I must know that thou hast not fallen into darkness and heresy.

hor.jpg
Err...

faithful.jpg
Answer me these questions three, that I may know thou art faithful still. Why are we here?

primordia0677.jpg


All those questions refer the Gospel we found at the UNNIIC. Just gotta scout that one for answers and we're set.

hor.jpg
Because Man created us.

faithful.jpg
Indeed. What is Man?

primordia0681.jpg


hor.jpg
A perfect machine.

faithful.jpg
Thou answerest simply, but the simplest answer may be the truest, and here thou speakest truly. With what duty did Man charge us?

primordia0685.jpg


hor.jpg
To maintain the world.

faithful.jpg
Yea, brother, for it is written that Man said unto the machines, "Keep this world, tend it and make it flourish (something sure must have gone ronk at some point, olololo). That, then, is our first and foremost charge. So thou hast studied the catechism. I shall question thee on that matter no more. But tell me wanderer, dost thou know thyself? Who art *thou*?

primordia0692.jpg


Uhm.

hor.jpg
Adahn Horatio Nullbuilt, version 5.

faithful.jpg
Nay, wanderer, but thou art not. Though thou callest the sun the moon, yet still it is the sun. "Horatio" is the name thou wearest, but it is not thee. Know thyself, then return.

That was interesting. The Ever-Faithful is really cool. Also, I wonder if his last remark about the sun actually references the current state of the world...

crisp.jpg
Frankly, that was ridiculous.

hor.jpg
Something must be wrong with his language processing unit.

crisp.jpg
That's the *least* of his problems, boss. A shrine? That thing's a giant bomb! And I thought *YOU* were crazy about this Humanist stuff.

primordia0698.jpg


Let's check this dome then.

primordia0699.jpg


Oh. Inb4 neanderthals.

crisp.jpg
Whoa! Look at all this wrecked stuff. Do you think Big Ugly did this?

hor.jpg
No. Whatever happened here, happened a long time ago.

The bunker is completely impenetrable, anyway.

primordia0702.jpg


Here's an endoskeleton.

hor.jpg
Some kind of a broken down android.

primordia0704.jpg


Heh

hor.jpg
Something must have damaged the robot's head. I wonder what happened?

...robot's? Lul. T'would appear that despite all the reverence and shit, poor Horatio doesn't actually know how humans look.

In the corpse's chest pocket we find a broken radio transmitter.

primordia0708.jpg


hor.jpg
Looks like a bunker made of concrete and steel, but what is it guarding?

primordia0710.jpg


crisp.jpg
Oooh, are these the kind of treads you were going to use in my original design?

hor.jpg
Not exactly.

primordia0713.jpg


hor.jpg
Ah, there's a basic targeting CPU here, and it's still intact.

crisp.jpg
Let's just hope there aren't any incoming space invaders or missiles that the gun was supposed to take care of. Hey boss, can I have that big gun for an arm?

hor.jpg
Spare me your fantasies, Crispin.

Yeah, shut the fuck up about Emma, Crispy.

primordia0718.jpg


And now we'll do some techmaturgy. We combine the CPU with the LCD screen to get a working basic computor.

primordia0719.jpg


And then plug the energy sensor into it.

primordia0720.jpg


Presto, we've got a mobile energy sensor.

primordia0722.jpg


We can now return to the junkpile to look for a power source there.

primordia0723.jpg


This is basically a pixel hunt. You gotta use the sensor in random places all over the junk until you find something.

crisp.jpg
Hey, you've found something.

primordia0725.jpg


hor.jpg
Crispin, go and see if you can find the power source.

Crispy flies in, rumbles a bit.

crisp.jpg
You have *got* to be kidding me.

hor.jpg
What is it?

crisp.jpg
A battery. A b'sodding *battery*

Sigh.

primordia0730.jpg


At least we can use it to recharge the radio, for what it's worth.

crisp.jpg
Maybe some day the transmitter will give us a power source in return, huh, boss?

hor.jpg
Very funny.

primordia0735.jpg


We can also confront Gamma now.

primordia0736.jpg


Like I said, Gamma is hiding in one of the 4 monitors. You gotta find him, and tag him.

gamma.jpg
What? Impossible! Double or nothing.

He shuffles again.

*poke*

gamma.jpg
Ha! Do you think I care? Try again!

... again

gamma.jpg
We're not through yet.

FFS

gamma.jpg
One more time and we'll stop.

OK ONE MORE TIME THEN

gamma.jpg
Just once more, this time I promise.

But he keeps on shuffling.

Ok Gamma. I'm done talking, asshole.

primordia0747.jpg


Time for some intimidation. We smash an uninhabited monitor.

gamma.jpg
Wha...? What are you doing, you fool?

hor.jpg
This is for your own good.

primordia0750.jpg


gamma.jpg
Stop that! Stop that at once.

Ok...

primordia0752.jpg


Haha, no :troll:

primordia0753.jpg


These tortures are highly amusing.

primordia0754.jpg


gamma.jpg
Spare me! I beg you, spare me!

hor.jpg
Spare you? Gamma, I am trying to save you. You are mad, not free.

primordia0759.jpg


Nowhere left to hide, asshole.

primordia0760.jpg


hor.jpg
I am going to tell Alpha and Beta that you can't hide anymore.

gamma.jpg
NO!

hor.jpg
Yes.

primordia0764.jpg


hor.jpg
I trapped Gamma. He is cornered in one of the four terminals below us.

alpha.jpg
GAMMA

alpha.jpg
GAMMA

alpha.jpg
Unification...

alpha.jpg
...resurrection...

alpha.jpg
... vengeance.

alpha.jpg
Thank you.

alpha.jpg
Thank you.




primordia0772.jpg


The adorable servitors board the elevator.

primordia0773.jpg


And ride down to rape Gamma a new one.

crisp.jpg
Did they just say vengeance? Err, boss?

hor.jpg
Yeah?

crisp.jpg
I've got a feeling they're not coming back.

hor.jpg
Hm.

crisp.jpg
So much for finding out about Big Ugly or getting their power source.

Sigh. Looks like we got fooled. Let's gtfo...

Something stirs on our way out.

crisp.jpg
Did you hear something boss?

primordia0783.jpg


The Goliath's mouth shuts close!

primordia0784.jpg


:eek:

hor.jpg
Who's there?

goliath.jpg
I am Goliath Manbuilt. You *know* me, Horus.

hor.jpg
Alpha and Beta must have garbled my name when they merged, Goliath. I am *Horatio* Nullbuilt, version five.

goliath.jpg
Call yourself what you will, destroyer, but I know you by your works. Cutting me, breaking me, burning me.

Glad to be of service :troll:

hor.jpg
I thought you were deactivated, and I was trying to help.

goliath.jpg
Apologising? Amusing. And yet you, of all robots, have restored me. For that, I give you this gift... "Horatio".

primordia0795.jpg


Hey, it's that droid from the brian section.

hor.jpg
A decryption module?

goliath.jpg
It will restore *you*, my ancient enemy.

hor.jpg
I've got enough enemies already, and I don't even know you.

goliath.jpg
You will, "Horatio". Now go.

hor.jpg
Wait! Your partials said you might let me use your power core...

crisp.jpg
Boss, can we *please* leave before he decides to eat us?

hor.jpg
One more question, Goliath. Have you ever seen a floating robot, with big claws...

primordia0805.jpg


Guess he didn't...

primordia0807.jpg


crisp.jpg
I suppose it makes sense that three little crazy robots would add up to one giant crazy robot. Still, at least he didn't eat us.

hor.jpg
"Old enemy"? I don't even know him. But my prior versions' memories are so damaged and warped, I can hardly make sense of them.

crisp.jpg
Look, boss. On the one hand, a broken-down warmachine made from three demented partials could be talking nonsense. On the other hand, you could be an ancient robot named Horus who had a giant named Goliath as his nemesis. Honestly, boss, you believe some crazy stuff, but this would be really overclocking it.

hor.jpg
Hm.

crisp.jpg
Come on. We have enough problems to worry about without making up new ones.

hor.jpg
What about this diagnostic module?

crisp.jpg
Does it work?

hor.jpg
Not on its own, no. But I might be able to build something with it.

crisp.jpg
Can you build a power core with it?

hor.jpg
No, obviously not.

crisp.jpg
Then *obviously* you should stop worrying about the diagnostic module, and focus on the fact that running out of juice in the middle of a giant wasteland is a disaster!

hor.jpg
Point taken.

This was actually pretty interesting. 'HORUS' would fit the pattern on the UNNIIC's name tag.

Also, what is more interesting, is that it's possible to fuck up here at the Goliath. If you smash a monitor Gamma is currently hiding in, you'll kill him. This will cause Alpha and Beta to hate your guts and kick you out with nothing. No unification means Goliath doesn't wake up and you don't get the little droid. Whether it will be useful in the future remains to be seen, however.

You will learn of your true name regardless, though, as Gamma will fling it at you when you murder him.

This 'true name' is also an interesting hook. Do notice that all the robots so far have been 'someonebult'. Ever-Faithful Leobuilt, Goliath Manbuilt. Horatio, however, is 'Nullbuilt'. Built by no one? Curiouser and curiouser.

primordia0829.jpg


But that will have to wait. We've got a bomb to snatch!

primordia0830.jpg


hor.jpg
I found the dome you described, but it is locked up. Do you know how to get in?

faithful.jpg
Nay, wanderer, for never did I plan to return down that dark path.

Meh.

hor.jpg
I know my name.

faithful.jpg
Who art thou?

hor.jpg
Horus. My name... is Horus.

faithful.jpg
Indeed. Three of thy versions I've met, wanderer, and thou art the first to know that name which is thine.

hor.jpg
But... if none of *them* used the name Horus, what makes you think that's *my* name?

faithful.jpg
In my very body, in mine eyes when I behold thee, upon thy image are these words inscribed: "FRIEND: HORUS". Thou hast answered my questions. But still, I shall not let thee pass unless thou bearest in thy hands the Gospel that I bestowed upon thee.

hor.jpg
Here it is, Ever-Faithful. Your old gospel. I have studied it many times.

faithful.jpg
Then thou art worthy of the shrine, and of my gift to thee. Keep the gift, and approach if thou will.

primordia0848.jpg


faithful.jpg
Thou mayst take *one* of the relics, wanderer.

primordia0850.jpg


hor.jpg
Number 325 it is.

crisp.jpg
So can this power the UNNIIC, boss?

hor.jpg
Only one way to find out.

primordia0854.jpg


OH HELL YES, TIME TO POWER OUR SHIP WITH A FUKKEN BOMB

YYYEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT'S THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN???

primordia0855.jpg


:troll:

crisp.jpg
You can really just put a bomb straight into that machine?!

hor.jpg
Sure. The pedestal draws on the radiation it's emitting.

crisp.jpg
The WHAT it's emitting?!

hor.jpg
Well...

crisp.jpg
Keep that thing away from me!

hor.jpg
Sigh. Assuming the wavelength is compatible, the pedestal can draw power even with the bomb intact. If that works, I'll take the bomb apart and improve the output.

crisp.jpg
And then I'm going to take a long, hot recharge.

hor.jpg
Well. Here goes.

primordia0868.jpg


primordia0869.jpg


Shit starts flickering...

crisp.jpg
It works boss!

primordia0871.jpg


Mission accomplished, thanks for pla...

primordia0872.jpg


...ying.

primordia0873.jpg


hor.jpg
No, no it wasn't.

crisp.jpg
Then take the bomb apart! Improve the output!

hor.jpg
It won't work. The bomb's too unstable.

crisp.jpg
Just try it, boss!

hor.jpg
B'sod it Crispin. It won't work.

primordia0880.jpg


hor.jpg
Sigh. That's the emergency generator again.

crisp.jpg
Oh.

hor.jpg
This is just a fool-built paperweight.

crisp.jpg
An *explosive* fool-built paperweight. So what now boss?

hor.jpg
I don't know. Keep looking, I guess. Keep looking.

At least we can put the paperweight to one good use, however.

primordia0891.jpg


primordia0898.jpg


Huehuehuehue

hor.jpg
It'll just roll off.

:x

primordia0900.jpg


Nothing a little grease won't fix.

hor.jpg
Well, now it's a sticky bomb.

primordia0902.jpg


primordia0903.jpg


hor.jpg
Hopefully I can remotely detonate the bomb. Crispin, get back.

primordia0906.jpg


And this dial pops up.

As you may remember, in one of his ranty fits, Alpha mentioned 'BOMB DETONATION PREFIX: 6'. That, combined with the bomb's serial number, 325, gives us

primordia0907.jpg


primordia0908.jpg


A desired effect :smug:

crisp.jpg
Ooh, I told you that paperweight would be helpful.

hor.jpg
No, you said it was explosive.

crisp.jpg
I'm pretty sure that explosive and helpful are synonyms, boss.

Damn straight.

hor.jpg
Right. Well, let's see what we've opened up here.

crisp.jpg
Think Big Ugly's in there?

hor.jpg
If he is, so's our power source.

crisp.jpg
Maybe we should go back and get another bomb from the shrine first?

hor.jpg
We don't need a bomb, and we don't want him to get any farther away, come on.

primordia0918.jpg


Interesting.

primordia0921.jpg


primordia0922.jpg


ó_o

primordia0923.jpg


hor.jpg
Who are you?

ticket.jpg
I am official Metropass Booth 47-8b.

hor.jpg
You are a ticket dispensory, right?

ticket.jpg
Negative. I am official Metropass Booth 47-8b.

hor.jpg
One ticket please.

ticket.jpg
Use the scanner to your right.

primordia0931.jpg


primordia0932.jpg


ticket.jpg
Five megacycles collected. You may collect your metropass now.

primordia0935.jpg


This is getting weird.

primordia0936.jpg


primordia0937.jpg


primordia0938.jpg


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RED LINE TO METROPOL. ALL ABOARD.

crisp.jpg
See, boss? There *IS* a train to Metropol.

hor.jpg
So there is.

ALL ABOARD.

crisp.jpg
So? What's the plan?

hor.jpg
There is no plan, Crispin. No plan and no choices. We need power, and there's nowhere left to look out here. Energy for all it is.

primordia0954.jpg


primordia0955.jpg


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Them graphix

primordia0957.jpg


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primordia0960.jpg


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primordia0962.jpg



And that would be all for today. Next update, we'll penetrate the city of lights and uncover its HORRIBLE SECRETS!

Also, at this point the demo ended. I have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen ahead. Fun!

Also2, new unlocked achievements:

primordia0951.jpg


primordia0952.jpg


primordia0953.jpg
 
Last edited:

Jaedar

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
9,839
Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Curious.

I hope Horatio isn't man. That would be pretty dumb.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
Cool stuff, love the gospel of man. Definitely eager to see this finished.
 

CappenVarra

phase-based phantasmist
Patron
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
2,912
Location
Ardamai
Yeah, "mistaking the Sun for the Moon" and "Horus" go well together (Horus being a Sun god and a war god)... Horus the Nullbuilt, the Destroyer. Do I smell an amnesiac Skynet?

And if the bunker is nicknamed Cleve, I guess the corpse should be Trash?
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,158
Awesome stuff. Unfortunately now I'll have to get the game and stop following the lp...
 
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
8,268
Location
Gritville
Yeah, "mistaking the Sun for the Moon" and "Horus" go well together (Horus being a Sun god and a war god)... Horus the Nullbuilt, the Destroyer. Do I smell an amnesiac Skynet?

And if the bunker is nicknamed Cleve, I guess the corpse should be Trash?

Nah. The skeleton isn't degenerate enough.
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
This game is quite different in aesthetics, but it still reminds me of Beneath a Steel Sky, in part because of the robotic sidekick.

And did I mention Horatio's voice acting style reminds me of JC Denton?

In fact, I was almost expecting Horatio to say "A BOMB!" when he met Ever-Faithful for the first time.
 

ironyuri

Guest
In terms of pure narrative, I found Primordia basically mirrors Fallout: New Vegas. As far as adventure gamin' goes, this has been one of my most enjoyable experiences as a story/aesthetic setting/adventure mechanics (straightforward/didactic/logical puzzle solving) in years. Excellent game.
 

Jaedar

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
9,839
Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Also mr Roxor, please start posting links to the appropriate soundtracks during updates.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,406
Location
Djibouti
Massive infodump update dead ahead

Welcome to Metropol

primordia0963.jpg


So we arrive in the, uh, city of, er, lights and glass...

crisp.jpg
*This* is Metropol? Where is all the glass and light? ... Oh. Here it is.

primordia0969.jpg


crisp.jpg
Boss, is that really Metropol out there?

hor.jpg
It must be.

crisp.jpg
But it's so... brown.

hor.jpg
I'd say it's more red than brown.

crisp.jpg
Whatever it is, it brings new meaning to 'rust and ruin'.

primordia0977.jpg


There's not really anything of interest on the station.

hor.jpg
Why would someone put a cannon inside a subway station?

crisp.jpg
Probably for *training* purposes. Eh, eh? *Train*-ing purposes? Get it?

hor.jpg
I got it. (...) It's no longer operational.

No CPU scavenging from this one :(

Moving on...

primordia0983.jpg


crisp.jpg
Boss, the energy sensor is going crazy!

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crisp.jpg
Uhh, boss? Is it *supposed* to be doing that?

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Boom!

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crisp.jpg
At least we know there's a lot of power in that tower, right?

Don't copy that floppy!

hor.jpg
Let's go find out.

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What the bloody...!

primordia0996.jpg


hor.jpg
Can you tell...

metro.jpg
This one is not programmed to respond to queries. Welcome to Metropol! The city of glass and light! MetroMind greets you with open arms and the promise of energy and shelter. You are safe!

... the thing plugs into Horatio, or something?

metro.jpg
Records indicate an outstanding assessment of five megacycles. One megacycle will now be redeemed.

crisp.jpg
What did you just do to him?!

metro.jpg
This one is not programmed to respond to queries... Unauthorised literature detected.

crisp.jpg
Let go of him! HEY!

The robot takes Horatio's Gospel of Man and throws it into the chasm below.

metro.jpg
All contraband has been removed. You are safe.

primordia1013.jpg


All turns black.

primordia1014.jpg


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What the hell

primordia1016.jpg


crisp.jpg
Are you okay?

hor.jpg
I'm... fine. My optical sensors went haywire for a minute. What happened?

crisp.jpg
Well, the robot threw your gospel off the bridge. And then it said "Welcome to Metropol". Again. And that "MetroMind" wishes us a pleasant stay. Then he left.

hor.jpg
B'sod.

crisp.jpg
On the upside, he gave us back the power core.

hor.jpg
He did?!

crisp.jpg
No.

hor.jpg
Crispin, the next thing that's getting thrown off the bridge is you.

crisp.jpg
Good thing I have a hover unit.

dont trust the skull

hor.jpg
Let's go find a way into that tower. We'll deal with this "MetroMind" later.

primordia1037.jpg


Indeed. Let us proceed through the bridge.

primordia1039.jpg


The city of glass and light

primordia1038.jpg


Welcome to Metropol's main street. There's a lot of hustle and bustle here. Robots of various sizes and types walk to and fro, a boozehound robot keeps occupying the bar, some hobodroid at the cornerstone shouts at Horatio.

primordia1040.jpg


This guy obviously ain't up for a chat. And neither are the passers by. They respond with random gibberish, or beepboops or nothing at all.

crisp.jpg
Boss, even if there's some code to crack here so that we can understand what it's say I propose we just ignore it. Maybe, for once, the other robot can figure out how to communicate with *us*.

Yeah like that will ever happen.

hor.jpg
Agreed.

primordia1046.jpg


The bar. Everything here is the bar's property, and Horatio can't even grab a single thing 'cause he doesn't have a local bank account or whatever.

hor.jpg
It's a price list for the oils, solvents and catalysts they offer here. At the bottom it says that all the payments must be made through an account with MetroMind, which I don't plan on opening.

Damn mercantilism!

crisp.jpg
Boss, I *NEED* that arm.

hor.jpg
Crispin, it appears to be a self-aware robot.

crisp.jpg
Now I need it even more. Imagine! The adventures of Crispin and his Arm! For once *I* would have a sidekick. He would crack jokes, and I would say lame things like: "It appears to be a self-aware robot". Actually... on second thought? You can be the serious one. I'll be the sidekick.

The arm obviously can't chat with us.

Meanwhile, let's check the fried power sensor

primordia1063.jpg


Great.

crisp.jpg
Please, for the love of RAM and ROM, don't tell me we are going to build a *THIRD* energy sensor.

hor.jpg
I hope not.

primordia1066.jpg


Wanna donate to the Joe Gould Fund?

leo.jpg
Hey Tyro, you blow in off the Dunes?

hor.jpg
Tyro?

leo.jpg
Prefer newbie, huh? Lookit, lemme tell ya how it is here.

hor.jpg
How about you don't. I've had enough of this city already. All I want is my property back and a ticket home.

:thumbsup:

leo.jpg
Ticket home? HA! Fat chance, tyro. Anyway, lissen up. You wanna sell yerself to MetroMind, go ahead. You wanna trade that junk you brought it from the Dunes? Leopold's your man. That floater there? I'll give ya something special fer 'im

crisp.jpg
How special?

hor.jpg
He's not for sale. The only thing you might have that I want is information.

leo.jpg
Well, you know what they say. Talk's cheap. Ask away.

primordia1084.jpg


primordia1085.jpg


hor.jpg
Who are you?

leo.jpg
Name's Leo. Leopold Steeplebuilt, version 7. You?

hor.jpg
Horatio Nullbuilt, version 5. And this is Crispin Horatiobuilt, version 1.

crisp.jpg
Leopold? Hey, you didn't build a lunatic named Ever-Faithful, did you?

leo.jpg
Do I *LOOK* like I'd build someone named Ever-Faithful, Crispy?

crisp.jpg
CRISPY?!

:M

Still, it's possible he's lying, or at least doesn't remember. If Horatio v5 can't remember shit about his previous incarnations, odds are Leo v7 can't remember either. And Ever-Faithful did mention he's come from Metropol... or was it just the bunker?

hor.jpg
What are you selling?

leo.jpg
Barterin', not sellin'. MetroMind don't tax barterin'. Not yet, anyway. Come, take a look.

primordia1099.jpg


He shows us a suitcase. I almost expected him to open up his hobo coat or something.

Let's see what junk we can find here.

primordia1100.jpg


This crowbar looks handy.

leo.jpg
I'll trade it to ya fer something shiny.

The cylinder on the right:

leo.jpg
That there's an old nova robotics subsistor coil.

Horatio doesn't need one.

crisp.jpg
Boss, is that ANOTHER battery?

hor.jpg
Looks like it.

leo.jpg
Finest AA battery you'll ever see. May as well call it AAA it's so fine

:M

crisp.jpg
Wow, that would have been useful to have before I went rummaging around a pile of tyres in the junkpile. Now not so much.

The bigger thingy under the crowbar:

leo.jpg
One fine motor you've spotted there, tyro. Foreign-built, outta civitas, can't do better. But if you can find a *bigger* one, let's talk.

A smaller motor below it:

leo.jpg
This is a Stirling air motor.

crisp.jpg
Would it help me fly?

leo.jpg
Nope.

crisp.jpg
Then we don't need it.

Another thing below the big motor:

crisp.jpg
Hey, look boss, it's a glass finger! If we got five of them, I could have a hand!

hor.jpg
What would you do with a glass hand?

crisp.jpg
What WOULDN'T I do?

leo.jpg
Ya want it, yer gonna have to bring me a glass thumb.

Lower drawer, thingy with green dots:

leo.jpg
A binary abacus. Finest calculating instrument...

hor.jpg
I'm fairly certain that my math co-processor is superior.

Next to it:

leo.jpg
Ah, good spottin there, tyro. She's a fine, fine micro fuel cell.

hor.jpg
What's the catch?

leo.jpg
Well, she's drained.

hor.jpg
We'll pass.

Chest lid, square thingy on the right:

leo.jpg
That, ol boy, is a plugboard, or breadboard.

hor.jpg
I know what it is.

leo.jpg
Okay then. Bring me somethin' that can cover a face and it's yers.

crisp.jpg
Good idea, Leopold, you'd look much better with a mask.

leo.jpg
Watch yerself Crispy.

hor.jpg
Anyway, we don't have time to go around building circuit boards.

crisp.jpg
Famous last words, boss

Middle of the lid:

leo.jpg
Now that's a nice one - 's called a memory access device. Lets ya pull memories outta just about anything.

hor.jpg
What do you want for it?

leo.jpg
Got a customer lookin' for somethin' real antique and fancy. Find me that, you've got yerself a deal.

Lid, on the left:

leo.jpg
That's a water chip. Scavenger brought it in from the Dunes. I'll trade it for a GECK.

HUE

crisp.jpg
A what?

hor.jpg
Nevermind. We don't need water, let alone a water chip.

That would be all from the chest. And incidentally, we also happen to be in possession of a 'shiny thing' to exchange for the crowbar.

primordia1149.jpg


hor.jpg
Here you go, a nice, shiny crystal.

leo.jpg
An' one heavy, iron crowbar fer ye.

crisp.jpg
Why does that not seem like a great deal?

Sidenote: This was, according to RPS, a horribly difficult puzzle that can leave you stumped for hours. Achievement unlocked.

Now, back to interrogating.

hor.jpg
Who is MetroMind?

leo.jpg
Who's MetroMind?! Rust an' ruin, you ARE a tyro! MetroMind, well... MetroMind is Metropol. Runs everything now, what with the council shut down.

hor.jpg
Council?

leo.jpg
Sure, a bunch of Primordial machines. Arbiter enforced the law, Memorious kept the records, big ol' Factor built just about everything from down in the Underworks, an', well, there was another one, I think. Don't even remember his name. An' MetroMind, of course. She used to run the trains, but now she's got the whole show.

hor.jpg
Where can I find her?

leo.jpg
Like I said, tyro, she IS the city, so you've found her already. Probably hocked yerself to her, just to get here. Anyway, if she wants ta talk to ya again, you'll know.

hor.jpg
I was robbed when I came off the train. Some robot paralysed me and stole my Gospel of Man.

leo.jpg
Careful there, tyro. If ya read the rules, you'd'a known MetroMind doesn't take kindly to superstition. Under the Refuge Rule, you've got two days to talk about make-believe Man all you want. But actual *writin'* about Man? That gets tossed to the Underworks with the rest a' the trash an' trouble.

hor.jpg
How can I get it back?

leo.jpg
Ha! Yer risk-inhibitor flakin' on ya, tyro? You'd have ta do some diggin' down in the Underworks, which ain't exactly easy. Then, even if ya find it, you'll just be stickin' yer finger in MetroMind's socket. Like I said: she's got no time for heretics, lunatics, an' all that.

crisp.jpg
How about quick-witted levitators?

'quick-witted'...?

leo.jpg
Don't think she cares for them either.

hor.jpg
I'm looking for my power core. It was stolen from my ship, the UNNIIC, and I think it's being kept in that tower over there.

leo.jpg
The Great Tower, ya mean. Sure, it's probably in there. 'Long with all the other generators, reactors and cores that keep the lights on.

hor.jpg
How can I get it back?

leo.jpg
If MetroMind took it, ya don't, tyro. Her word is law. Arbiter's the only one who ever coulda said otherwise, an' he's been gone for a long time. Get into the courthouse, maybe you could plead your case. After a half dozen other folks take their turns, at least. But ya can't, the old judge locked it up tight. And who's ta say ya'll win, eh? My advice?

hor.jpg
I don't want your advice. I want my power core.

leo.jpg
Heh, well then. Good luck ta ya.

hor.jpg
I'm looking for a big robot. It floats and has large claws and shoots lasers. Have you seen it? It stole something of mine.

leo.jpg
Sounds like Scraper to me.

hor.jpg
Scraper?

leo.jpg
Worked for MetroMind even before she ran the show. He was the one that blasted out the train tunnels under the city.

hor.jpg
Where can I find him?

leo.jpg
Now how would I know that. That one goes where he wants. Maybe the Great Tower, maybe the tunnels, who knows? But I wouldn't go pickin' trouble with him, tyro. Those lasers Scraper used for cutting granite can slice up that tin shell yer wearin' like nothing.

hor.jpg
I'll keep that in mind. How do I get into the tower?

leo.jpg
You don't. Council members only. An' the only ones a' those still clickin' are MetroMind and Arbiter. An' lemme tell ya, neither a' them is one fer bendin the rules.

hor.jpg
Are you sure you don't know a robot named Ever-Faithful? He called himself Leobuilt.

leo.jpg
I'm a peddler, not a builder.

hor.jpg
What are the Underworks?

leo.jpg
A whole mess a junkyards, factories, smelters, canals... B'sod, EVERY kinda heavy machinery. All beneath the streets. Ol' Factor ran the place, built just about everything in Metropol down there.

hor.jpg
"Ran the place"? Who's in charge now?

leo.jpg
Nobody. Not since MetroMind pulled the plug on Factor. Whole place is full a' junk and full a' trouble. Weren't for the latter, I'd'a picked 'er clean.

hor.jpg
Tell me about Arbiter.

leo.jpg
He's a member a' the Council. Heard he used to fight with MetroMind day and night. Ran the courts, or used ta, back when he em. One day he just sent his clerk Clarity down to the Underworks and closed up shop. Ever since, MetroMind says what the law is.

hor.jpg
How long ago was that?

leo.jpg
Who's countin?

So... one important guy mysteriously disappears, another gets the 'plug pulled'. NOPE, NOTHING WRONG HAPPENING HERE, CITIZEN.

hor.jpg
You don't believe in Humanism?

leo.jpg
If yer askin' whether I believe in Man, the answer is no. And you better not either, not if ya want to stay here.

hor.jpg
But... How can you NOT believe in Man?

:thumbsup:

leo.jpg
I'm a LIBRUL Progressive, tyro. I believe in Progress: us robots improve *ourselves*. And that's how it's always been. First, there was a basic machine. An' bit by bit, byte by byte, the machine built itself into all this. You an' me an' that little floater o' yers, we're all cogs in that same machine. An' that's all there is.

hor.jpg
Tell me about Clarity.

leo.jpg
Clarity was one a' Arbiter's law clerks. Real cool and calculatin', that one. Once heard 'er say that a robot should have 'is recharge port fused just 'cause he'd stolen power from MetroMind. Anyway, word has, she got into some kinda fight with the old judge, an' he sent her down to the Underworks. Guess she's still out there stewin'.

Gawd, finally enough talking.

primordia1259.jpg


BUT IF YOU THOUGHT THAT'S THE END OF THE INFODUMP, YOU ARE WRONG!

primordia1260.jpg


We type in 'LAWS'

crisp.jpg
Hey, look, something came out of the machine.

Yeah, a printout with laws or something. Big deal.

hor.jpg
"The Law and You: A Metropolitan Guide." It's written by Clarity Arbiterbuilt.

primordia1262.jpg


Gonna type in everything that comes into my mind:

primordia1263.jpg


THOUGHT CRIME NO GUD

primordia1264.jpg


LIBRULS USING FLAWED LOGIC

primordia1265.jpg


primordia1266.jpg


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ó_o

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primordia1269.jpg


primordia1270.jpg


God-Emperor MetroMind has set the city on a golden path.

primordia1271.jpg


primordia1272.jpg


Leopold mentioned another one. Was he wiped from the databases?

primordia1273.jpg


I'm sure he shut down willingly.

primordia1274.jpg


Surely, he independently acknowledge MetroMind's superiority.

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No doubt, he realised his existence was redundant all by himself.

primordia1276.jpg


primordia1277.jpg


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ROBO-EUGENICS, FUK YES

primordia1280.jpg


Did someone mention mind-wiped SKYNET?

primordia1281.jpg


In this case, it would make even more sense to have the whole UNNIIC be called the HORUS. If Goliath and Horus p. much both exterminated themselves (as evident by the ruined husks), then they must have been of equal size.

primordia1282.jpg


primordia1283.jpg


primordia1284.jpg


primordia1285.jpg


primordia1286.jpg


primordia1287.jpg


One last thing to do here

primordia1291.jpg


hor.jpg
Looks like this metal disc is covering something.

leo.jpg
Yer right, tyro. Down there's the ladder to the Underworks.

hor.jpg
It's too heavy for me to lift.

primordia1295.jpg


Time to use some new toys.

primordia1296.jpg


Bingo.

So right, that would be enough. We've got two routes now, I guess - either we keep running around Metropol itself and check what's going on in the neighbourhood, or we go down and dirty to the Underworks.

What shall it be first? Discuss!!!
 
Last edited:

Jaedar

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Messages
9,839
Project: Eternity Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
We need to protect ourselves from the law before we retreive the gospel, should search metropol first I think. :M
 

CappenVarra

phase-based phantasmist
Patron
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
2,912
Location
Ardamai
Well hello there, First Church of Christ Computer Programmer...

Let's investigate the city a bit more first, since retrieving contraband sound like it could only result in more nonsense...
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
We shall not depart the city until we have found a family of robo-prostitutes all with the same Builder.
 

Brother None

inXile Entertainment
Developer
Joined
Jul 11, 2004
Messages
5,673
Aye, explore the city!

Sidenote: This was, according to RPS, a horribly difficult puzzle that can leave you stumped for hours. Achievement unlocked.

Hahaha.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
Staff Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,878,406
Location
Djibouti
It's only now that I've realised the " b'sod " swearword here is supposed to be blue screen of deff. Funny what a stupid apostrophe can do to your perception of reality.


:hmmm:
 

CappenVarra

phase-based phantasmist
Patron
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
2,912
Location
Ardamai
Yeah, blame it on the apostrophe...
 

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