[SPOILER] Did anyone find Tesla to be difficult?

[Alardem]

The chase in London actually felt more like a chore than anything scary. I lost my sense of direction the first time around and got killed multiple times, to the point that I no longer feared the pig and simply ran in a straight line like the lab rat the developer thought I was.

The Tesla-Pig encounter was far more effective for it still allowed for stealth.

[Fleische]

I found the opposite. I tried stealth in the London chase but just got slapped to death. So then I thought, just RUN. That map is clearly designed with that in mind (it's a pretty linear racetrack) so I was successful and it was emotionally engaging (the sounds and visuals rushing by made it feel like a life-or-death chase).

[ChrisAU]

With Tesla, that wasn't true. It felt out of place and jarring. That said, I'll admit that I may have had a softer opinion of it if it hadn't also been bugged to unplayability on my computer.

Bugs in a game like this just kill any previously great work/effort at building up the players sense of being in the game. If my 'Tesla' encounter was bugged I would have hated it as well.

Once that chase scene in the city bugged out I basically stopped playing for a few weeks. Just broke all immersion I had with the game. Needed to have a break, then come back and basically start all over again.

That's a good point. But also changing the rules too radically and too suddenly can totally break immersion/atmosphere. And as MFP is all about that, breaking it is bad.

I don't feel like the 'Tesla' sections broke the rules too radically. A lot of the game is about making the player imagine what's out there waiting for them. The parts where 'Tesla' would go invisible but still be coming after you basically compounded previous normal gameplay because this time you knew something was in the room. I do understand how some people may not have enjoyed it though. Especially if it bugged out.

The biggest part of the game that broke atmosphere was when you actually went out into the city and saw other people, explosions and general chaos. For me that was the worst part of the game...It was no longer about me creeping around fearful of what's out there. Same thing happened in TDD - The part where you engaged with Agrippa basically lost my interest.

The game was awesome though. Great follow up to TDD. Loved the streamlined gameplay and I enjoyed how the lantern operated as well.

[Fleische]

Yeah, although as previously said I enjoyed the London destruction/chase sequence I feel games like this tend to fall down when you see human beings, even dead ones, because the graphics just aren't up to it -- the people don't look 'real'.

Not to criticise MFP's graphical quality which is superb, but while I'm OK with environmental graphics (especially in a game where it's all shrouded in darkness anyway) and fantastical creatures and even non-human real world creatures (as with written descriptions my brain fills in the blanks and probably redoes the details I find lacking) with humans they're invariably a bit of a let down and cartoonish (= immersion breaker). The more skin you see, the worse it is.

I guess this is because the human form, specially the face, is hardwired into your brain so it's a bit disappointing when you are presented with a supposed representation of a human which doesn't measure up to your internal expectations.

That's also why I'm not sure I agree with people who felt let down that the children were ghosts. Had they been live IMO iit would have been much more of a let down when you actually saw them face to face.