The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread

[Ghieri]

What if our character just doesn't know how to load guns?

I'm pretty sure that in a setting like SOMA, every member of staff would have to be trained with at least one handgun.



Wouldn't make sense to have such a high security research facility without a crew that does not have the knowledge of taking out and reinserting a magazine into a firearm.

What if he's just a janitor? And he ends up saving everybody. I'm serious right now, that'd be pretty interesting.

If it's a military(Or corporate military, think CELL from Crysis 2) operation, then everyone has at least rudimentary fire-arm training. Even HVAC guys. You learn how to handle firearms in Basic training.

But there's no question that we aren't getting a gun, so either every gun is broken, or confiscated, or simply mounted on the wall.

[Cuyir]

I don't think FG would center the story around an ''everyman'' protagonist. They are, quite clearly, fans of Lovecraft and all their characters so far have been really Lovecrafty (educated, proper, etc.). Philip was a physics professor and Daniel was an archaeologist.

This doesn't guarantee anything, but just that they're more likely to do these sorts of protagonists.

But they're going to need an incredible reason as to why there aren't any weapons in the game haha.

[Alardem]

I don't think FG would center the story around an ''everyman'' protagonist. They are, quite clearly, fans of Lovecraft and all their characters so far have been really Lovecrafty (educated, proper, etc.). Philip was a physics professor and Daniel was an archaeologist.

This doesn't guarantee anything, but just that they're more likely to do these sorts of protagonists.

But they're going to need an incredible reason as to why there aren't any weapons in the game haha.

The protagonists are more among the 'frail intellectual/bourgeois' type. :p This isn't Half-Life, where even a supposedly nerdy scientist is trained in using firearms.

Cuyir, how do you know that the trailer was set in a 'mothership'? I suppose we don't know whether the machines are of human or otherworldly origin, but the impression I got from the scene where that guy gets his brain probed was that we were in some sort of virtual reality.

P.S. Perhaps one enemy will be people with cybernetic brains - the equivalent of Amnesia's Gatherers and Penumbra's zombies.

[Cuyir]

I don't think FG would center the story around an ''everyman'' protagonist. They are, quite clearly, fans of Lovecraft and all their characters so far have been really Lovecrafty (educated, proper, etc.). Philip was a physics professor and Daniel was an archaeologist.

This doesn't guarantee anything, but just that they're more likely to do these sorts of protagonists.

But they're going to need an incredible reason as to why there aren't any weapons in the game haha.

The protagonists are more among the 'frail intellectual/bourgeois' type. :p This isn't Half-Life, where even a supposedly nerdy scientist is trained in using firearms.

Cuyir, how do you know that the trailer was set in a 'mothership'? I suppose we don't know whether the machines are of human or otherworldly origin, but the impression I got from the scene where that guy gets his brain probed was that we were in some sort of virtual reality.

P.S. Perhaps one enemy will be people with cybernetic brains - the equivalent of Amnesia's Gatherers and Penumbra's zombies.

Look at how the environment changed. It went from a very human looking, but gritty and ugly, environment to basically Giger worshiping.

Humans don't build with those materials. Look at the ship (or what I think is a ship) in the Live action teasers. They look like something humans built. The alien environment was clearly alien in origin. I don't see it being virtual reality. No reason to in my opinion.

Maybe the alien presence built a human looking area NEAR their alien headquarters to keep an eye on their test subjects. I don't know. It's all theories at this point.

EDIT: just saw the teaser again. The starting area looks ancient and abandoned but still relatively contemporary (to our age anyway). Looks sort of like a 20th century store room (a bit like Penumbra's environments).

That can't be Pathos-2 Lab, surely. It looks more like the alien entities using an ancient area for their experiments. Plus its noticeable that something was built around it, the more alien looking environment seems to have been built around it.

[Alardem]

The Alien Derelict.

[Cuyir]

The Alien Derelict.

Exactly my point, lol.

Looks like Giger worshiping.

And that scene I can point to as that moment in my childhood where I realized I loved sci fi.

The wonder.

The sense of discovery.

Of fear of the unknown.

SO GOOD.

Prometheus then took those emotions and themes and made them bigger and more satisfying.

[Alardem]

Prometheus then took those emotions and themes and made them bigger and more satisfying.

I appreciated what Prometheus was focusing on, but was disappointed by the inevitably dull rendering of the Xenomorphs' creators - I'd imagined them to be horrific elephantine cyborgs, rather than big white dudes.

it might be pretty awesome if SOMA does feature ancient, biomechanical extraterrestrials. Perhaps we'll have both human-made machines and alien machines as enemies. :p

[Cuyir]

Prometheus then took those emotions and themes and made them bigger and more satisfying.

I appreciated what Prometheus was focusing on, but was disappointed by the inevitably dull rendering of the Xenomorphs' creators - I'd imagined them to be horrific elephantine cyborgs, rather than big white dudes.

it might be pretty awesome if SOMA does feature ancient, biomechanical extraterrestrials. Perhaps we'll have both human-made machines and alien machines as enemies. :p

Yeah, the mask gave them a different look.

But if you think about it, it fits that they looked like that.

They

Spoiler below!

created us, so it makes sense that ''we'' would look like them.

[Alardem]

That's the problem - I didn't like the retcon of the Pilot wearing a mask. I preferred the implication that it was their actual skull. Fossilized cyborg Ganesh is awesome. :p

Spoiler below!

Although I suppose the similarities between the Jockeys and humans justify why the Xenomorphs are so well-tailored for mammalian biology.

Could it be that we'll be looking at a similar theme here? As a wild guess: ancient aliens create ancient robots, which in turn create humans, which create robots, which create artificial humans...

[Cuyir]

That's the problem - I didn't like the retcon of the Pilot wearing a mask. I preferred the implication that it was their actual skull. Fossilized cyborg Ganesh is awesome. :p

Spoiler below!

Although I suppose the similarities between the Jockeys and humans justify why the Xenomorphs are so well-tailored for mammalian biology.

Could it be that we'll be looking at a similar theme here? As a wild guess: ancient aliens create ancient robots, which in turn create humans, which create robots, which create artificial humans...

And with that last sentence..I reaaaally wish Soma would release soon haha.