Adventure Gamers - Forums

Like Nobby I have also completed the Xenophon part, solved the first Mind O’Matic, restored Julia’s incomplete backup memory, and made a couple of upgrades. I have just landed on Phaidros but not completed this part yet.

I had almost forgotten how good this game actually is, how it drags you into the story right from the start and how you are left with a million questions from very early in the game. I had also forgotten that there is actually a lot of humour in this game, especially in the dialogue between Rachel, J.U.L.I.A. and Mobot, but also in small details like:

As I said there is a million questions (not literally a million), buzzing in your head after visiting the first planet, like:

1) What exactly happened on Xenophon. How could they be unaware that the whole planet was flooded with radioactivity, and that there was no possibility they could survive on the planet. Why did they loose the connection to Julia and the probe almost immediately after they landed. Was it perhaps not an accident but a deliberately murder of the crew, and if so, by who?

2) What is this incident on Ambrosia that is mentioned in so many of the diaries, and how did Andrew Lark screw up so badly?

3) Why was our protagonist Rachel Manners put in cryo prison for 60 years, and only awoken when Julia needed her help?

Just about to depart for Phaidros. Struggled with MoM until I remembered where I had problems when I started the game on release. [spoiler]Keep a check for full stops. The grammar is precise and a full stop in the wrong place stops it from being correct even if it appears correct.[/spoiler]

Enjoyed the picture/memory block puzzle (which is the same as the original game and I’m glad that that was just ported over) but did miss the mining and original method of repairing the probe. Yes, it was simplistic and yes, it was timed - but I found it a fun introduction to the game. The new repair procedure is still simplistic (probably a good thing at the start of any game) but the graphics are a vast improvement as are the graphics throughout. The one big plus for me from the improved graphics is a greater sense of isolation, loss and death within the game.

Noddy - 16 December 2015 12:05 PM

Mobot seems to think otherwise, did you not employ a scientific advisor during development?

I did for many things. However, exploding nitrogen was a nonsense which I ported even from the old J.U.L.I.A. It’s Hydrogen in German version now.

It’s a great fun seeing you all playing ATS. Definitely much lighter and fun than our Someday You’ll Return.

EDIT: If you are playing non-steam version, make sure it’s patched!

Noddy - 16 December 2015 12:05 PM

Izno - Who is this Nobby you speak of? 

Your evil twin .. perhaps?

Sorry

So far, I’m enjoying the game - a nice combination of an old school point and click game with some modern updates like hot spot locations.

I think it’s quite interesting that the AI has amnesia.

The prerendered backgrounds are beautiful and the cutscenes are gorgeous.

I am going to enjoy this CPT and I have the finished exploring the first two planets.

I have now also completed the Phaidros part, and even though there are some significant differences, e.g. on Xenophon the crew turned against each other, whereas they cooperated on Phaidros, then there also seems to be a common theme here:

In both cases they lost the connection with the probe and Julia, and were stranded on a dangerous planet without any means of escape.
Of course on Xenophon they were killed by radiation, whereas they were eaten by a giant monster here on Phaidros, but perhaps someone knew or should have know about this monster, and the crew was deliberately being exterminated?

Anyway I still love all the small details, and the comments made by Mobot, Julia and Rachel, but also something like, [spoiler]the last entry on Marita Robinson’s datapad being: “I think I’ve found a way! I will try tonight. If this works, we can save ourselves” - kind of like someone’s last words being: Relax, what could possibly go wrong? [/spoiler]

[spoiler]Of course we don’t actually know for a fact that it didn’t work, perhaps we will run into miss Robinson later in the game???[/spoiler]
Hmmm… Marita Robinson - Robinson Crusoe .. purely a coincidence?!?

I think I’ve completed everything I can.

Built the audio enhancer for Mobot which appears to be the natural cut-off point (fairly obvious what we’re going to be using that for) but I do have 2 datapads that I can’t access just yet).

Unfortunately I kept forgetting to start Fraps prior to playing so no screenshots which is a shame as I’d like to show those that are not playing just how good the graphics are in this game. Hope to do better in the next section in that regard
Also the musical score is superb - I don’t have the facility to record this; anyone?

As to the story: from memory it really starts to move on in the next section, assuming I have read Iznogood’s intentions accurately

just how good the graphics are in this game

I also love the music, as for the graphics, this is another can’t believe it’s an indie game - the animations are especially lovely. The voice acting is also top notch.

Jabod - 20 December 2015 09:19 AM

As to the story: from memory it really starts to move on in the next section, assuming I have read Iznogood’s intentions accurately

Indeed!
Though I also quite love how we slowly learn a lot about what has happened, here in the first part.

SoccerDude28 - 21 December 2015 12:07 PM

Noddy - 21 December 2015 05:22 AM

Iznogood - 14 December 2015 09:40 AM

Also a little warning: You might not be able to solve everything on both planets during this part of the CPT, but don’t worry, you can always revisit them at a later time.

So the planets are interrelated I think.

Yeah you are probably right.

Indeed he is!

SoccerDude28 - 21 December 2015 12:07 PM

I guess my challenge then is to know when I’m actually stuck because I couldn’t figure out something, and when I’ve exhausted everything to do on a planet, since we are not allowed to move to another one. It makes it a little tricky, without going through spoilers.

Perhaps, but that is part of the challenge

Also, it really isn’t that much different from other adventure games that aren’t 100% linear, where you can also encounter puzzles or roadblocks that you won’t be able to solve until much later in the game. It is perhaps just a bit more “in-your-face”, because the game is also divided into different planets.

Anyway, you can always go back and revisit a planet, if it turns out there was more you could have done there. So worst case scenario, some might solve some puzzles a bit later than others. (And I have planned the order of the planets, so as much as possible, can be done on the first visit).

Today was the day where we were suppose to move on to the second part, however even though many has completed this part, there are also many that haven’t! So I have decided to add some extra time to this part. With Christmas upon us I also don’t think it is enough to just add a few extra days, so I have expanded the deadline for completing part 1 to Sunday the 27th of December!

I always knew it would be a bit tricky to start a CPT so close to Christmas, with many being very busy around Christmas whereas others might have some extra time to play during the Christmas holidays. Sorry to anyone who had planned playing part 2 during the holidays, but I think that it is better that everybody is aboard before moving on to part 2.