Tex Murphy Tex Murphy: Tesla Effect

[cvv]

Bros, are the response tones nailed down at all, like 1st being nice, second being snarky, third being mean? I'm really a bit confused with the dialogue system, sadly - kinda hate this "One key word" approach to it, and while the dialogue itself is entertaining every time so I don't actually need to feel bothered, I'd actually like to know if there's any specific way to know what I'm doing before Tex actually speaks.

Like, is "Turn the tables" a "mean Tex" option, or what? I mean, I don't mind replaying each dialogue option, but I'd rather do it on a separate playthrough.

Yep, a bit confusing for me too. Out of curiosity I replayed some dialogues with different options but as far as I could fathom most of the NPC responses were the same and the whole system seemed largely cosmetic. I may be horribly wrong though, have to confirm this on subsequent playthroughs.

 

[Angthoron]

Bros, are the response tones nailed down at all, like 1st being nice, second being snarky, third being mean? I'm really a bit confused with the dialogue system, sadly - kinda hate this "One key word" approach to it, and while the dialogue itself is entertaining every time so I don't actually need to feel bothered, I'd actually like to know if there's any specific way to know what I'm doing before Tex actually speaks.

Like, is "Turn the tables" a "mean Tex" option, or what? I mean, I don't mind replaying each dialogue option, but I'd rather do it on a separate playthrough.

Yep, a bit confusing for me too. Out of curiosity I replayed some dialogues with different options but as far as I could fathom most of the NPC responses were the same and the whole system seemed largely cosmetic. I may be horribly wrong though, have to confirm this on subsequent playthroughs.

Well, seeing as there's multiple endings, I'm guessing the way Tex talks to characters must affect something - plus I'm pretty sure that at one point I was on "I must find her!" track, and now I've been on a "Double Life" track, and it's quite likely due to what I said, or the options in the "Questions List" that I pursued.

Would be cool if someone in the know would confirm as to which one it is that affects things - currently I'm clicking through every option for detective points.

 

[ghostdog]

Bros, are the response tones nailed down at all, like 1st being nice, second being snarky, third being mean? I'm really a bit confused with the dialogue system, sadly - kinda hate this "One key word" approach to it, and while the dialogue itself is entertaining every time so I don't actually need to feel bothered, I'd actually like to know if there's any specific way to know what I'm doing before Tex actually speaks.

Like, is "Turn the tables" a "mean Tex" option, or what? I mean, I don't mind replaying each dialogue option, but I'd rather do it on a separate playthrough.

I haven't yet played Tesla Effect, but in Pandora Directive (which used the same system) the responses where indeed 1-good natured, 2-smartass, 3-snarky. These where basically 3 paths, that ultimately led to 7 (?) different endings. In order to keep on a path you should 90% go for the corresponding path answer. If you mix them up you'll probably receive a variation of the neutral ending. I was always a smartass so...

Spoiler

In the end I always got either the clown ending because I wanted to bang Tanya Roberts, or the virtual dating option if I resisted Tanya

Was Under a Killing Moon really 20+ hours? I don't remember it being that long. Hard to really say though, since I could finish it with my eyes closed at this point.

UAKM wasn't that big. I'd say it was about 15 hours. It was much shorter than Pandora, half the size probably.

 

[Angthoron]

Bros, are the response tones nailed down at all, like 1st being nice, second being snarky, third being mean? I'm really a bit confused with the dialogue system, sadly - kinda hate this "One key word" approach to it, and while the dialogue itself is entertaining every time so I don't actually need to feel bothered, I'd actually like to know if there's any specific way to know what I'm doing before Tex actually speaks.

Like, is "Turn the tables" a "mean Tex" option, or what? I mean, I don't mind replaying each dialogue option, but I'd rather do it on a separate playthrough.

I haven't yet played Tesla Effect, but in Pandora Directive (which used the same system) the responses where indeed 1-good natured, 2-smartass, 3-mean. Most of the time at least, there could have been exceptions. I believe the same applies for Overseer.

Thanks! It did sort of feel that way, but since Tex is a smart-ass in just about any dialogue option, as a detective should be, it's sometimes hard to figure out just what sort of a smartass I was.

 

[DalekFlay]

I've noticed the bottom-right option is often the curt, get to the point and perhaps snarky option. That could just be coincidence though. In any case it reminds me of Under a Killing Moon where it doesn't really matter and you're just picking your joke. On the rare occasion it does matter they make the options very clear.

I think people are used to Mass Effect and shit where this stuff matters more.

 

[Azrael the cat]

This is funny for a number of reasons. One, TWD basically spoils what will happen later by telling you, "XX will remember that." There is literally NO SUBTLETY in TWD's conversation mechanics. Two, Tex Murphy actually branches into different endings, whereas in TWD your actions only affect minor things along the way to the same ending.
.

It does that a lot in the 1st episode, but after that TWD starts making much better use of 'unmarked choices'.

The whole 'here's a big choice, take A or B' really kills C+C for me. But worse, it also causes you to assume that all, or at least most, of the C+C is determined by those choices - Alpha Protocol was hit really hard by that in particular, as a vast portion of the C+C is completely outside of it. TWD isn't nearly as impressive, but it's simply untrue that C+C is always marked.

Easiest way to describe the marked choices in TWD and AP is that they are one of several C+C mechanics (AP being far more advanced than TWD in that AP often mixes several of its C+C mechanics together, eg having an event result from taking a particular marked choice, having rep with a certain character, and finding a particular item in the same playthrough). TWD uses:
- marked choices
- the 'reputation' game (marked immediately after the choice, but not before)
- unmarked choices (often a matter of your actions outside of dialogue).

I'd agree straight up that TWD is a lousy adventure game, but I really don't consider it an adventure game to being with. As an interactive fiction 'game', it was decent enough after a very weak 1st episode (ep1 has literally zero unmarked choices, and is by far the worst for idiotic quicktime).

 

[Boleskine]

The way the system works benefit mercenary retards like TB...

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, but I had to highlight this part because...



Haven't watched it yet.

edit - of course, talks about nothing except graphics in the first 5-6 minutes.

 

[Tramboi]

Minor nitpick, Azrael, (because I agree with the meat of your message), "interactive fiction" is a well-defined term in adventure gaming that has been meaning a "text adventure" for ages.
Let's find another name for TWD.

 

[tuluse]

Minor nitpick, Azrael, (because I agree with the meat of your message), "interactive fiction" is a well-defined term in adventure gaming that has been meaning a "text adventure" for ages.
Let's find another name for TWD.

Graphic Interactive Fiction

Spoiler

remember pnc adventure games were first called graphic adventures to differentiate them from text adventures.

 

[ghostdog]

Visual novel suits TWD fine.


But let's stick to Tex please.

 

[cvv]

TB's review

Watched it - for a contemporary videogame "critic" who doesn't even like adventures the conclusion is as good as you can realistically hope for. Considering a big chunk of TB's audience is old-timers and grognards and the "WTF is... " series has about 200k average viewership this review could mean thousands of potential new buyers.

 

[otsego]

Modern gaming fucks with your brain... upon my first meeting with Saphyre, I saw her shoulder 'pauldrons' made of wigs and immediately thought of today's AAA AR PEE GEE's!!! emphasizing shoulder armor with ridiculously proportioned pieces.

(stock photo because for some reason I can't take my own printscreen of the FMV in this game where it shows it much more obviously.)



That said, this game is a blast. I'm not a Tex veteran -- I only played the demos of UAKM and Pandora when I was a kid... and was greatly entertained and intrigued by them. But didn't have the budget as a child (or the overall interest -- my 'money' went towards games like Crusader and Diablo... sorry!) to try out the full versions. Lucky for me I have them now on GOG.

Criticizing the game for poor graphics (ala. TotalBiscuit) and 'outdated' gameplay is foolish. This game does everything it needs to, succeeds, and plays like a proper adventure with substantial gameplay (albeit easy and simplistic, I admit) unlike most of the modern iterations we see these days. Plus its a unique style to boot.

Quite a few nasty nearly-gamebreaking bugs though that I'm surprised even made the final pass even considering they are a small team.

 

[Name]

This Kickstarter game delivers! It updates the graphics and quality of FMVs, keeps the exact same gameplay with an streamlined UI, wraps the cliffhanger from the last game Overlord, and has references and homage to all 5 previous games and the radio theatre audio stories! This is exactly how those nostalgia-preying projects should be done!
Also it shows the canon ending to the Pandora Directive is the one

Spoiler

where Murphy dates the Jayne Mansfield hologram.

The writing feels disjointed and plot is mostly done through monologue exposition, but boys they can borrow/come up with some cool science fiction names!

Spoiler

Spirit Radio? Immortal Coil?

And the main choices and consequences seem to be mostly centered around the three romance interests... it's started on Double Life path and later

Spoiler

I rejected the advance of the spy and ditched the niece of Louie, thus staying on the "Somewhere I Will Find You" path. Also the time has taken a great toll on Chelsea...

So are there any backer insider information on the potential of sequels? It's hinted at the ending, also

Spoiler

the whole Count and White Guard thing is not resolved in my playthrough.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

So are there any backer insider information on the potential of sequels? It's hinted at the ending, also

Spoiler

the whole Count and White Guard thing is not resolved in my playthrough.

Spoiler

I also thought the ending pretty much was done with sequels in mind, I wonder how they will do it - will saves carry across or will there be some kind of dialogue sequence where you can pick what happened at the end of the previous one? The Tesla guy just ran away, same as his henchman and we didn't get to see any of the major characters - I forgot their names, but Tex's friend at Two Cards to Midnight and the crazy rich guy who worked with Margaret. There was basically no resolution to any of that, at least not in my playthrough.

I think a sequel will only happen if this sells well, they could go to Kickstarter but I think they had to get a lot of funding from elsewhere too.

 

[Name]

Man I took a peek at Metacritic and the score is 60+...

 

[cvv]

Man I took a peek at Metacritic and the score is 60+...

Sadly, to counter the downvoting retards you need uncritical white knights, not fans who want to be fair.

 

[DalekFlay]

At least we got one more go with Tex and a resolution to the cliffhanger from Overseer.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

Men, Is totalbiscuit an idiot? he max ou his FOV and the games looks like a fish point of view. He complains that 90 is max, but he is stupid enough to not know that there is something called vertical FOV, which apparentlly is the case of tesla effect.

 

[tuluse]

Men, Is totalbiscuit an idiot?

Yes.

Less of an idiot than many though.

 

[Name]

I have the firm belief that everyone is an idiot unless proven otherwise, and that point he is merely redeemed to be less of an idiot.

 

[DalekFlay]

Men, Is totalbiscuit an idiot? he max ou his FOV and the games looks like a fish point of view. He complains that 90 is max, but he is stupid enough to not know that there is something called vertical FOV, which apparentlly is the case of tesla effect.

I've tried to explain the vertical FOV thing to tons of people and none of them were able to grasp the idea. It's amusing to watch them freak out about 90 FOV while the game looks like a fucking fishbowl.

 

[Angthoron]

Men, Is totalbiscuit an idiot? he max ou his FOV and the games looks like a fish point of view. He complains that 90 is max, but he is stupid enough to not know that there is something called vertical FOV, which apparentlly is the case of tesla effect.

I've tried to explain the vertical FOV thing to tons of people and none of them were able to grasp the idea. It's amusing to watch them freak out about 90 FOV while the game looks like a fucking fishbowl.

I don't see what's so hard with it. It's a fucking slider. It looks like a fishbowl? Fucking move the slider down a bit, until the game looks like you want it to look. That's why it's a fucking setting slider and not a checkmark toggle.

Fucking people.

 

[Tramboi]

Another similar thing I experienced : at my previous job I was a 3D engine developer for AAA games, and when you develop 3D engines, you have to strike a delicate balance for your quality/performance slider.
A lot of derp PC gamers are frustrated if they can't put the slider to the max on their brand new expensive PC and say the engine is shit, even though it is so to guarantee the graphics may be enhanced for a foreseeable future. "Oh the game is so slow when I put it in "ridiculous ultra" setting, the engine is so badly coded".
A lot of derp PC gamers are frustrated if they have to degrade the graphics a lot on really old machines by putting the slider on "low quality", even though they couldn't even play without this.
Of course, they are often very vocal derp PC gamers on the Internet.

By the way I really love what they did on Tesla Effect for their budget, this is very balanced.
It's a bit sad that Tex doesn't have access to AAA budgets nowadays because UAKM had a killer engine, with nice 3D and FMV, when it got out.

 

[DalekFlay]

I don't see what's so hard with it. It's a fucking slider. It looks like a fishbowl? Fucking move the slider down a bit, until the game looks like you want it to look. That's why it's a fucking setting slider and not a checkmark toggle.

Fucking people.

The point is some people put the FOV up to stupidly high levels because they keep comparing it to Quake 2, but vertical FOV means even 70 is kind of high.

 

[Angthoron]

I don't see what's so hard with it. It's a fucking slider. It looks like a fishbowl? Fucking move the slider down a bit, until the game looks like you want it to look. That's why it's a fucking setting slider and not a checkmark toggle.

Fucking people.

The point is some people put the FOV up to stupidly high levels because they keep comparing it to Quake 2, but vertical FOV means even 70 is kind of high.

Yeah, I know what you mean, I put it to 90 first, went "Wtf" and rolled it down to 60, which I find mostly fine. I don't get the complaint they make, it's a slider, you're supposed to modify things to make them convenient to you, rather than chase some golden standard number. Although yeah, gotta admit that vertical FOV is at least, hm, uncommon, wonder why they had to implement that instead of the normal horizontal one.