Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Discussion Topic Part 1

[SquigPie]

Since when was time and efficiency the same thing? If the game is put together just fine then there is nothing wrong with "just" a year development time. Just because the game has been under development a long time doesn't make it polished and good, man look at Duke Nukem Forever, that game was horrible.

Agreed. Perfect point.

Not really.

DNF took so long because they kept "remaking" the game. So most of the time wasn't spent working on the version we actually got to see. A bad dev team can make a horrible game in a long time, but no good team can make a great game in short time. Especially with such a low manpower.

[MissingNo.]

Thats a shame. When I got 3D vision I was so looking forward to Amnesia in 3D!

I don't think so. There is a chance HPL2 is updated and became HPL 2.1
However, I don't think new features would include 3D vision or eyefinity. Crossfire and SLI would be primary features if they were to be added.

[Tanshaydar]

Well, Amnesia itself is pretty much finished game and Justine has come to us thanks to Portal 2 ARG.
I don't think any new update would come to it considering almost all bugs are solved and game runs pretty much fine.
Machine for Pigs is another story and no technical or other details were revealed, but I wouldn't keep my hopes high.

Not really.

DNF took so long because they kept "remaking" the game. So most of the time wasn't spent working on the version we actually got to see. A bad dev team can make a horrible game in a long time, but no good team can make a great game in short time. Especially with such a low manpower.

Well, actually it's quite possible, but it depends on how you define "short time".
If they are not writing a new engine from scratch, if they already are familiar (or quite good to prefer) on the engine they are working on, and if the game design documents are ready, rest is just shooting for palpable things like levels and models. I'm pretty sure tCR didn't just come up with "We have an idea, let's announce it", which is definitely not something any rational game developer would make.
Considering there was an ARG and considering they started to work on "Everyone's Gone to the Rapture" long before Dear Esther release, they should've already progressed much -or already finsihed- in the preliminary works, which leaves quite a long time to build the game.

[Kein]

Just wondering what the video's "Ozymandias" and "King of kings" are reffering to, since the ARG seems to be over. My best guess - the plot.

As we all agreed in the general thread - video is fanmade. But I don't exclude the possibility it was made by someone who has some information on the subject (close to both teams, TCR/FG).

[eliasfrost]

Since when was time and efficiency the same thing? If the game is put together just fine then there is nothing wrong with "just" a year development time. Just because the game has been under development a long time doesn't make it polished and good, man look at Duke Nukem Forever, that game was horrible.

Agreed. Perfect point.

Not really.

DNF took so long because they kept "remaking" the game. So most of the time wasn't spent working on the version we actually got to see. A bad dev team can make a horrible game in a long time, but no good team can make a great game in short time. Especially with such a low manpower.

Maybe it was a bad and somewhat extreme example but my point is that we shouldn't confuse how long it takes to make a game with actually putting the effort into doing it good. I also think you might be underestimating the dedication of some developers, if they are dedicated enough and focused on what they do, then they will probably be able to pull things off quite well. I like to use the term smart development (where I found somewhere on the internet, can't remember where though) where time is a minor factor compared to the efficiency behind the development.

[Gunslingerjh]

I hope they don't put too much energy in "a machine for pigs", 'cause i'm more excited for something entirely new from FG. But it's not a bad move, since amnesia and dear esther sold so much and got heaps of attention, this could again give them a good financial boost for their future projects!

[Peci]

"pointless thread"

Of course it is pointless. Most of the stuff done only for entertainment is - like playing games and talking about them

I really like how Dark Descent and Justine had some dark twists in the characters you played. I guess Oswald isn't your classic protagonist this time either.

[Gasjockey]

"pointless thread"

Of course it is pointless. Most of the stuff done only for entertainment is - like playing games and talking about them

I really like how Dark Descent and Justine had some dark twists in the characters you played. I guess Oswald isn't your classic protagonist this time either.

I think you misunderstood. It is pointless because, as people have pointed out already, this discussion really belongs in the main AAMFP discussion thread.

[Peci]

People didn't like my new thread so I'll put my ramblings here then. Let my thread die or be removed.


***



Hello from a forum newbie!

I decided to open a new topic for this because this will be quite a long post. The idea is to theorize the game’s plot and try to answer the question: what is ‘a machine for pigs’. Here is my version:

What we know about the plot so far (9.3.2012):
a) year was 1899 when the character last remembers something
b) his name is Oswald Mandus
c) he is a wealthy industrialist
d) he came back from a disastrous trip from Mexico, which ended in tragedy
e) when he wakes up, he doesn’t know how much time has passed
f) I remember that somewhere it said the plot takes place in London, so he probably is an Englishman (please verify)

I did some research on industrialization in Mexico in the late 19th century. An arcticle (links in the end of the post) said the following:

“The financing of Mexican industrialization therefore fell to a small clique of foreign-born merchant-financiers”

I therefore assume Oswald Mandus is very wealthy. He might have an industrial –empire– therefore seen as an emperor. Emperor can also be called “the king of kings”.

There is a teaser trailer on youtube named “Ozymandias.avi”. Some have said they believe it to be fake, but for this theory, I assume it to be legit. The tags of the video include the words “King of Kings”.

Ozymandias is a poem which describes how even powerful figures of history will eventually be forgotten and lose their power. It describes the statue of the forgotten King which only has it’s legs and head left. One can say the only thing left of the king is the severed limbs and head.

My theory:

A machine for pigs is a metaphor for Oswald’s nightmare. As he is an industrialist, the nightmare appears as an industrial complex which is built for the purpose of slaughtering pigs. He himself is the pig to be slaughtered. Rich, powerful and merciless people can be referred as pigs. He might have a guilty consciousness about the things he have done. Like “emperors” before him, his destiny is to be forgotten and left limbless like the king in Ozymandias, because he deserves no better.

Just my two cents.

Greetings from Finland
Peci

Links:
Game teaser site: http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/
Article: http://www.innovation.hoover.org/media/F...Mexico.pdf
Teaser trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHtkZjnNWk

[kartanonperuna]

Interesting.