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Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game
darthvulture Offline
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#21
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Spoiler below!
I personally liked the hive tests, they were really awesomeBig Grin
but also the test in the beginning, where u had to first make the coin [spoiler]flat then use it as a screwdriverBig Grin i felt like macgyver at first :')


2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
Spoiler below!
that dog, dunno if u count that as a puzzle or a boss or something like thatTongue but i had problems getting how u were to do himBig Grin, i tried running fast as a hurricaneTongue, just to find out how the enemy looked like, but nope, so i guessed the solutions with the barrels and then running in the lights
3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
Spoiler below!
I think it was well balanced, something took time to figure out, and somethings went to fast,but i have no complaints at that.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
Spoiler below!
I thnk thats the strong part of this game, it had nice varations, and the diversions where cool, the ones with clarence in ur head. If u've seen a tv serie thats called Taken, by steven spielberg, then believe me you will like these diversion. the theories with a thing in ur head that can control what you do, what you see(the aliens use telepathy) i just like the idea and theorySmile
5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
Spoiler below!
I REALLY didn't like clarences voice, it kinda ruined the idea, he sounded like a weird cartoon character, and it wouldve been better if he had had another kind of voice which wasnt that cartoony...

6) How did you like the ending?
Spoiler below!
I liked the ending, it left me alot of questions that i really want answered Tongue ive already made a topic about that
Tell me what happens to him after the ending please


After Darkness, Comes Light.
02-18-2008, 02:31 PM
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Schwarze Pest Offline
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#22
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Spoiler below!
The last final puzzles i liked very much. Ok at the second test i cheated jumping on that wall and walk to the ending room. But i think you have to get killed by that alien zombie dude because this 'mind' or what it is said something about "Death" or "sometimes your death is the only solution blabla..." after that test.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

Spoiler below!
I had problems at the computer room cards puzzle to put the right programs on all three cards. And at the start i got problems with that freezer thing. Without help of this forum... well i think i would never found the solution to throw a brick at that cola machine thingy to get a coke or so and use it on the freezer thing Big Grin

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Spoiler below!
The only thing that freaking me out was the three aliens chasing me because at the first time i don't know that i have to push that wardrobe (or how you call it) over to block the door.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Spoiler below!
It was awesome to use much objects in the game and use them or just pick them up and throw them around etc. It reminds me of that Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!
Well... many doesn't like the voice of Clarence... BUT I FUCKIN' LOVED IT Big Grin

6) How did you like the ending?

Spoiler below!
Not so good. I really doesn't understand anything. At the end you are typing messages with this computer... to yourself or what? Because this messages you typed... you collected them before all this. What happend? Time Travel?

And why is the room getting darker and darker and then before it really all goes dark you can use the computer again to type that "Kill All. The Mine is at..." - I AM CONFUSED.

And this... alien zombie dudes... all what they wanted was Clarence? Is this right? They wanted him not me? And what does he mean with this "i was more like clarence" or how it's called in the English version...

<3 Horror Adventures
02-18-2008, 11:41 PM
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dogsonofawolf Offline
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#23
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Thomas Wrote:Below are some questions that we would like you to answer in order to make our upcoming games as good as possible:

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Impossible to choose, the puzzles were some of the best I've seen in a game. The highlights that jump out at me include:

Spoiler below!
Getting into the Cryo-room in the infirmary,
The dark/light areas of the kennel,
Saving yourself from the Dr Eminiss.

What impressed me though was how well balanced all of the puzzles were. As soon as I started to feel frustrated about a problem, the answer would come to me, and it would be so logical I would know it was right. Good job.

Thomas Wrote:2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
All the puzzles were near-perfectly balanced, the following are extremely minor quibbles:
Spoiler below!

Had much difficulty finding the sulfur for the antidote, perhaps hide only some of the bottles as opposed to most of them.

Dropping the box on the zombie in Research was frustrating because the immersive interactive system made it difficult to turn the wheel quickly, though this was negated by the emotional impact of the subsequent events.

Finally, slightly frustrating to me was the fact that the pipe leaking gas at the beginning of Chemical Storage breaks when hit by a rock but not by a pipe piece or barrel. This makes some logical sense retroactively, but is annoying gameplay-wise in that one can (as I did) "learn" that the pipe is invulnerable to physics damage and so disregard the correct solution .

Thomas Wrote:3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?


The pacing was quite good in general, a step up from Overture (which wasn't bad to begin with). My main concern was that in eliminating much of the combat and action, while solving important concerns with the first episode, made this installment much less terrifying than the first. The creepy atmosphere is still impeccable, but it's now fairly trivial to simply run past enemies, who will often simply have disappeared when coming back to an area, eliminating the heart-pounding-ness we had in Overture. My hypothetical suggestion would be to maintain the general dynamics of this game while interspersing small amounts of panic throughout to jolt the player awake.
Spoiler below!
The hallucinatory dog in the kennels was a great example of this. The zombie at the beginning who you must hide behind a desk from was also good, terrifying the player while putting them in relatively little danger if they keep themselves together.

Thomas Wrote:4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?


hmm, I think I kind of answered this above. I thought the puzzles and gameplay were very well integrated this time. In the future, it would be cool if you could experiment with ways to add more action elements on top of your adventure game frame-work, but the product you have here is already excellent.

Thomas Wrote:5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Spoiler below!

Glad you asked. I thought Dr. Swanson was a perfect character, a single friendly, guiding voice in the darkness after losing Red. Her lines were believable, I think, the voice actress perfectly conveyed the friendliness Philip so needs. This made what happens in the research lab particularly emotional.

Clarence, on the other hand, I did not like. The voice actor has a very cool voice, but it seemed completely inappropriate for a malevolent demon inside your head, far too comical and human. I think the idea of a consciousness battling for control of your body would have been better pulled off by a more distant, removed and intimidating personality, one that manipulates you more through your hallucinations and actions and less by telling you cheerily that he's tampering with your memory. I know thematically he's supposed to be a fairly human character, but I thought he clashed with the seriousness of the rest of the game. Also, his lines were often obvious and ackward, and the actor did not improve their delivery. Lovecraftian horror I think works better with an ineffable, manipulating malevolence than a strictly human character that has to tell you why he's evil.

As a note, I loved the hallucinations and distortions that Clarence causes you to experience, I thought that was a far more interesting way to "communicate" with him than words, and would have liked more.

Oh, the Turngaiit character was also well done, the acting was good and the effects on her voice were original and unique.

Thomas Wrote:6) How did you like the ending?

Spoiler below!

I thought the ending was quite well done, no enormous revelations or twists but satisfying. I like that we get to discover much of what actually happened at the site, and it is not left as an "ominous mystery" like too many horror stories. I also enjoyed finding explanations for little things, like who the character who removed his tongue in Overture was, and what happened to him. I fully expected this to be something which took place purely for it's dramatic value, without the writer(s) bothering to have it make sense within the greater whole.

The whole ending sequence, from say leaving the Chemical area to destroy Clarence to the credits, was very appropriate. Getting rid of Clarence is of course the emotional/adrenal climax, but the Turngaiit sequence provided an excellent means of slowing down the plot to the close ("falling action" in plot analysis, I think), as well as giving us an opportunity to problems solve a bit more so we feel like we've earned the ending. We also get to a final explanation of much of our questions, and a general sense of finality without alleviating all the tension(just like a good Lovecraft story). And, of course, the final sequence in the computer room is creepy beyond description.

Finally, I like the ambiguity of the ending. Phillip is convinced he is going to die (with good reason), but isn't dead yet. He asked the receivee of the email to kill the Turngaiit; but we don't know what that person will do. More obscurely, we know what happenned to The Shelter and most of its inhabitants; but what about Frisk, the insane guy who was living in the kennels? What about the other survivors mentioned that (may have) got away? Our most pressing questions (what went wrong here? what are these zombies?) are definitively answered, while plenty of details are left to the imagination (or potentially the sequels! ).

Anyways, great job, can't wait to see what you guys do next.
02-20-2008, 06:31 AM
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jaimebakulic86 Offline
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#24
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Quote:1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

The computer central, because it had fear present. And the third hive challenge, because it's solving fit perfectly the hive's mentality.

Quote:2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

The mixing machine! I tried a lot of combinations, tried to follow the logic on the note, tried banging my head against the keyboard... I finally checked the forum for an answer. I think that it was so hard because the clues weren't enough.

Quote:3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

I think it was good. It kept me scared and cautious on the right moments, it kept me troubled with the puzzles (mostly) the proper time.
Quote:4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I think it was great. I enjoyed the mental realm: even tough it was evidently... "inspired" by the silent hill saga, it added the new element of puzzle solving. SH is not that ellaborate on that aspect. And about gameplay... thank you for taking away all weapons! it kept me at the edge of my seat!

Quote:5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

The charaters were just fine. They were never as good as Red, tho... I missed him Sad

The voice acting was good, but I didn't like that you changed Phillip's voice. I know that his voice on Overture was performed by someone that wasn't a voice actor, but still. I think that was an important detail.
Quote:6) How did you like the ending?

It was great! it kept surprising me right until the credits.

ONE LAST THING!!
Thank you for this game. It was the best horror game ever! I've played Alone in the dark, the entire Silent Hill saga, FEAR, STALKER, etc... and your game is the best when it comes to a horror experience. THANK YOU!!

Quote:Thats all folks! Thanks to all who participate!

You welcome Smile
02-20-2008, 07:37 PM
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Gyne Offline
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#25
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Well, I liked the chemical mixing puzzle and the computer disk one because I had to take my time and think. And, of course, I like the physical ones where I can throw things and make something happen. The Tuurngait trials were fun too because I had to think about what I was doing.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

The hardest ones were the ones a liked.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

The game has a nice pace, not too fast or too slow.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I really enjoyed the illusions, such as the dogs and spiders and missing doors. Those are great and put me on edge.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

At first I didn’t like Clarence’s voice but once I knew what he was, it didn’t seem so bad. the voice for the female scientist, however, was great. I was looking forward to that hug.

6) How did you like the ending?

The ending was great. It didn’t make sense to me but that’s also why I liked it. I had to think over it a bit. I think it makes the game a bit mre immersive when you have to think about those things.

Over all, I liked the game very much. The puzzles were varied and challenging, from avoiding camera detection to trying to avoid being killed while in a delusional stupor. You did a great job of blending all of these elements into a concrete game.
02-21-2008, 06:22 PM
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pulsar85 Offline
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#26
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Thomas Wrote:Below are some questions that we would like you to answer in order to make our upcoming games as good as possible:

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Puzzles that i remember as fun were the one where you have to fish up the green crystal out of a glass chamber, very standard puzzle but fun! Another one is where you have to trap a zombie in a freezer, it felt satisfying to clear that area of a threat so i could walk around without worry.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
The one in the kennel where you had to block the holes with 2 crates, i probably ran around in there for 30 minutes before i tried to block them. The other one is out in the snow where you have to construct a small bridge to get over the broken path. It was hard to position the crates and (plankor vad heter dom på engelska >_> ) to be stable enough to let me walk over them. That was a really frustrating part.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

it was good, i never stayed in a place for too long or felt like nothing was happening. I was always thinking about my next move.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

I felt there was too much focus on the hide and seek part of the game.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

I liked the voice acting of everyone except the zombies, it didnt fit them to be talking, i didnt think it felt right. My favorite would be Clarence since he was really the only one there with you, i felt bad when i had to kill him. I liked him though not as much as Red.

6) How did you like the ending?
I felt compassion for the hivemind and didnt understand why Philip wanted them dead. The ending was too short and didnt really explain much of who the hive/tuurngait thing really was and what it wanted.

Thats all folks! Thanks to all who participate!
02-21-2008, 10:18 PM
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Spider+Spider=:( Offline
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#27
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) All the puzzles were enjoyable, but I particularily liked the Hivetests near the end of the game. I felt that they really fitted with the overall feel of the game, and you really felt involved trying to make your way through them. The physics-oriented puzzles were still the best though.
It was fun being able to construct a make-shift brigde to clear gaps. Similar tasks, like stacking furniture to reach higher levels was also great. Being able to think like this in a game really adds plenty to the immersion.
Oh yeah, the one where you had to inject that coma-inducing drug into yourself in order to access the cryo-storage was also pretty interesting

2) I don`t mean to sound arrogant but none of the puzzles gave me a real headache, even if they were really challenging. I guess thats what good puzzles are all about. At the top pf my mind I can recall the puzzle where you had to find some way of stopping the gas leak outside the Chemical Laboratory in the Shelter. I searched the whole area for something that could block the holes, until I tried knocking out the busted pipes and replacing them with a spare part. Damn, I really should have thought about that sooner...

3) I felt that the pacing was just right. I really can`t think of anything wrong with it. I was hooked throughout the entire game. Like in Overture, the thought of finally finding someone human kept the tension going.

4) Again, everything felt just right for me.

5) Clarence sounded appropriately wacked and Amabel had this calm, uneasy quailty to her dialogue. But for some reason I find myself thinking back to Dr.Eminiss. (correct spelling?) Him counting the days and minutes for nearly everything in a manic sensation was very creepy. Definitely put a stirr in me for a while after.

6) I liked it alot! It was a worthy conclusion to the story. It had this eerie, Lovecraftian desperation to it. I`m also glad that it didnt end in an epic boss-battle like most games tend to do. It just makes you feel more involved with the characters decisions without being forced into violence that is ultimately unsatisfying, at least for me. But I also have to admit that I am very interested at seeing a continuation to this story, since the ending does not provide complete closure. It really makes you wonder who the nameless recipient of Philips mail will be, and how he or she will react upon it.

I have waited for this game ever since I finished Overture last year, and the result was just more than I had expected. You have all done a really great job, and i hope this won`t be the last we hear from you ( in regards to the Penumbra-franchise or other projects!) Wink
02-21-2008, 11:24 PM
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ShadowLance Offline
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#28
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?

Tough call, I enjoyed all of the puzzles. I was very happy to finally see the surface though, I think the atmosphere alone made those my fav puzzles. Was satisfying to strap the lighter to the spray-can lol. Would have been nice if it was a temporary weapon to stun one of the beasties or fight off spiders as your fuel gradually ran out.

2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?

I think the ones that stumped me the most were the ones where you had to break something with an object. Like the first circuit breaker box. The FIRST thing I did was pick up that brick and beat the hell out of the circuit breaker but it didn't open, so I spent almost an hour running around that hall trying to figure it out. Then when I gave up and read the solution I was even more confused. Turned out I had to THROW the brick at it, not just hit it against it.

Had the same problem with the gas leak later in the game, the first thing I did was throw a chunk of debris at the pipe, but nothing happened so I went on to other ideas for a few hours before giving in to the spoilers forum again.

In both cases, what I tried was basically scouring every inch of the room for any kind of switch or object I could use. When that failed I backtracked as far as I could go and scoured the rest. Tried to follow the way the wires were going along the ceiling/wall, pipes, etc.

I think the problem I had was that those kinds of puzzles were very rare, so it wasn't habit to try brute force with much seriousness. Maybe if those kinds of objects showed deterioration, like the first hit dents the circuit breaker, the third cracks it, etc.

3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?

Hmm, it got kind of tedious having to avoid the monsters that were patrolling. I REALLY enjoyed hiding behind stuff when they searched the room for me, but the random patrols were just annoying when I was running around stuck on puzzles trying to figure stuff out. It'd be nice if there was some way to dispatch them, even if it was just luring them close to a ledge with a thrown flare then pushing them over.

4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?

Gameplay was wonderful. Just like Overture and the tech demo I LOVED playing with the physics, reminds me of good 'ole Trespasser. The computers were a GREAT addition.

On terms of combat, I think Overture was too much, and Black Plague was not enough. Not because I crave a FPS with machineguns, but because of the static nature of certain monsters. I had no qualms with the more scripted events, like barricading the 'sample container' room, or locking the beastie in the freezier in the computer room. But when I was sneaking past the same flashlight-wielding-monster a dozen times trying to figure out puzzles, I would have given anything for a gun with 1 bullet in it.

Or at least a lever to pull that would shoot flames out of a pipe or something.

5) How did you like the characters in the game? Were their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?

Hmm, tough call. Clarence was a great idea, and I think he was a success in that I hated him Wink

As for Ms.Doctor, the voice acting and writing was great, I really was starting to like her (all the more pissed I was at Clarence) but I think she resonated too much of Red. Like she was going crazy the exact same way as Red, with the cheeriness and everything. I think I would have liked her more if she was a kindred spirit to Philip, talked to him very frankly and honestly, like we could imagine Philip would talk if the situations were reversed, but in her sexy voice.

All of the voice acting was AMAZING, better than most movies, let alone the usually low standard games have.

6) How did you like the ending?

Great! I had a 'F-yeah!' moment when I saw philip type "Kill them. Kill them all."

I agree with a couple people who said they wished they had gotten a new character with a gun and the mission to carry out Philip's wishes. Sure it would be kind of typical Doom game, but DAMN it would be satisfying.
02-22-2008, 05:58 AM
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mac Offline
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#29
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

Hi Thomas

I'm Giuseppe admin of the site: http://www.puntaeclicca.com
I have as soon as finished the game and am writing the book review and solution for our forum user.
The game is very fantastic and I hope will be a continuation.
My valutation is very good and I I task that will be around to the 80/100

if it interests to you you can to link to our site if it will serve the solution and for impressions on the game also in English, we are disposed to create one section.

Sorry my bad english but our official translator is sick!

Take care
Bye
02-22-2008, 03:04 PM
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Shavie
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#30
RE: Some quick questions. Please answer when you have finished the game

1) What puzzles did you like the best? Why did you like them?
Spoiler below!
Breaking the door open with the iron staff. That was a new experience i think. In other adventures that isn´t possible.
2) What puzzles where the hardest to solve? Why where they so hard and what kind of solutions did you try before finding the correct one?
Spoiler below!
Access to the chemical lab. I dont find the right way until i asked here in the forum.
3) How did you find the pacing in the game? Where there any particularly slow moments or some moments where too many things happened?
Spoiler below!
Already ok!
4) How did you like the variation of events and gameplay elements? Could there have been more diversity or should there be more focus on the gameplay?
Spoiler below!
Was already ok, too. But i think it was very short. Otherwise i can say a playtime over 20 hours will be to long for the game.
5) How did you like the characters in the game? Was their voices fitting? Was the voice acting good? What character did you like best / worst?
Spoiler below!
6) How did you like the ending?
Spoiler below!
Was ok.

My conclusion is: Penumbra black plague is an great game with good story and innovative gameplay!
10 of 10 Points!
02-23-2008, 12:52 AM




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