Serena - something about LUA (settings without a menu), my glitched video playthrough - the story explained, and my thoughts about the game.

den

 


NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR THE VIDEO. MOSTLY BECAUSE I HAVE AN IMAGE THAT I HAD TO GO NICK FROM THE INTERNET. DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN MY GAME - BUT I DIDN'T SEE THIS (I THINK IT GLITCHED BECAUSE I DID STUFF THE WRONG WAY AROUND)

BUT ALSO TO EXPLAIN THE LUA SCRIPT THAT THE DEV ADDED. 


SO IN ORDER TO EDIT IN THE GAME, GO TO IT'S FOLDER IN YOUR STEAM LIBRARY ON THE COMPUTER 

C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/Serena

AND THERE YOU FIND A TXT FILE NAMED LUA SCRIPT, OPEN THAT WITH NOTEPAD - AND YOU SEE SOME OPTIONS. THERE ARE MORE THAN THESE, BUT THESE ARE PROBABLY WHAT YOU'D BE LOOKING FOR 

  • Visual effects. Can be disabled if the game is performing too slowly. effects = true

  • Switch to fullscreen mode by default. fullscreen = true

  • Silent feeds. This silences the main character but keeps the feedback text. silentFeeds = false

  • Subtitles. If set to false, no feedback text is displayed.
  • subtitles = true

  • Vertical sync. As with 'effects', disable if the game is performing too slowly. verticalSync = true

I MASHED THEM UP A LITTLE FOR VISUALS, SO THEY DON'T LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THIS ON YOUR FILE. ANYWAYS - THE IMPORTANT BIT HERE IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO MENU IN THE GAME, YOU CAN EDIT THESE - SO IF YOUR GAME IS SLOW YOU CAN EITHER SWITCH OFF 'VISUAL EFFECTS' LIKE SUNRAYS AND DUST PARTICLES, OR VERTICAL SYNCH - WHAT YOU DO IS EDIT THE TXT DOCUMENT AND WRITE FALSE, INSTEAD OF TRUE. 

SAME GOES FOR IF YOU WANT IT WINDOWED (LIKE I PREFER TO PLAY GAMES WINDOWED) YOU SET THAT TO FALSE, AND YOUR GAME WILL BOOT UP WINDOWED (YOU CAN ALSO MANAGE THE SIZE OF YOUR SCREEN IN THE LUA SCRIPT, BUT I HARDLY THINK THAT IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE NEED) - AND THEN THERE IS THE BEST PART.

IF YOU WANT THE GUY TO SHUT UP, YOU CHANGE THE SILENT FEED TO TRUE - AND YOU'D ONLY HAVE SUBTITLES. 

AND IF YOU WANT THE SUBTITLES GONE, AND JUST HAVE THE VOICE ACTOR (IT WOULD BE A PRETTY SHITTY GAME TO PLAY IF YOU HAVE NEITHER THESE - SERIOUSLY THERE'D BE NO POINT IN PLAYING IT) - THEN  YOU SET THE SUBTITLES TO FALSE. 

THINK OF TRUE=YES/ON AND FALSE=NO/OFF

YOU JUST SAVE YOUR TXT FILE AS IS - AND IT WILL OVERWRITE THE ONE THE GAME CAME WITH. TADA! 

-

NOW TO WHAT I ACTUALLY MADE THIS POST FOR.. SO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT THE PICTURE 4 TIMES, AT 4 DIFFERENT OCCATIONS - I DID NOT. I LOOKED AT IT 3 TIMES, AT 3 DIFFERENT OCCATIONS, AND I HAD TO DIG AROUND IN A GUIDE TO SEE IF I COULD FIGURE OUT WHY I HAD NOT SEEN THIS.

THE ENDING WOULD HAVE MADE MUCH MORE SENSE, HAD I SEEN THIS. I MEAN I DID GET THE GIST ANYWAYS (HOW CAN YOU NOT? IT'S SPOONFED TO YOU). SO IN THE TIMESTAMPS I DO NOT WALK BACK 4 TIMES, REASON I SAY I THINK IT'S GLITCHED IS THAT I GOT THE DIALOGUE OF THIS PHOTO LIKE HIM BEING UPSET ABOUT WHAT CHANGED - BUT AT THE TIME I DIDN'T REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO IT - ONLY NOW DOES IT MAKE SENSE

SO JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE PHOTO, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS:

FIRST TIME SELENA HAS NO FACE BUT A BLURR

SECOND TIME SHE HAS A FACE AND IS SMILING'ISH

THIRD TIME SHE LOOKS ANGRY

AND THE FOURTH TIME IS THE IMAGE ABOVE, WHERE THE DUDE WE PLAY, IS A CORPSE.

________________

AS FAR AS THE PLOT GOES, WELL I DON'T THINK THERE IS A WHOLE LOT TO TALK ABOUT - I THINK IT IS SORT OF SELF EXPLANATORY - I MEAN WE PLAY A MAN, WITHOUT NAME (WE CAN CALL HIM BOB), AND SO BOB IS IN THIS DELAPIDATED WOODEN CABIN, FAR OUT IN THE WOODS. HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE LOVES HIS WIFE, HOW HE MISSES HER - AND WE GET THE DESTINCT FEEL THAT SHE DIED, AND THAT HE IS MOURNING.

AFTER A WHILE THINGS BEGINS TO GET WEIRD, MOSTLY BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS COVERED IN DUST, AND SUDDENLY BOB STARTS TO RECALL HOW THEY FOUGHT (WE FIND TWO LETTERS FROM SERENA FOR INSTANCE, ONE LOVING AND ONE ANGRY). WE LEARN HOW THEY FOUGHT, AND WE FIND THAT SERENA GREW TO RESENT BOB. SHE RESENTED HIM FOR ISOLATING HER FROM EVERYTHING - AND EVEN IF I ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HATE THE "YOU TOOK THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE", CAUSE SERIOUSLY YOU DEFINE WHAT YOUR BEST YEARS ARE. THEN I SORT OF GET THE SENTIMENT, AS IN SHE FEELS LIKE BOB STOLE HER YOUTH, THAT HE MANIPULATED HER INTO LIVING IN THAT CABIN. 

AGAIN, SERENA IS A FUCKING IDIOT - NO ONE MADE HER DO ANYTHING, AND REALLY WE ALL CAN GET STUCK IN A SITUATION BECAUSE WE ARE TALKED INTO SOMETHING AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGEMENT, BUT I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THE STORY DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US A WHOLE LOT TO GO FROM, I MEAN IF WE SHOULD ENTERTAIN THE NOTION THAT BOB IS SUPER MANIPULATIVE, REALLY HE JUST SOUNDED LIKE THEY WANTED DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE LONG RUN - SO IN THIS STORY, I'D SAY THAT THE MANIPULATOR HERE IS SERENA. TURNING THE NARRATIVE UPSIDE DOWN. 

THEN WE START HEARING BOB SAYING HOW MUCH HE HATED HER, AND COMPLAINING OVER BRAIN FOG, THAT HE CAN'T REMEMBER STUFF. AND YOU THE GAMER SIT THERE AND THINK (I KNOW I DID) ALRIGHT, SO IS HE SICK? DOES HE HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR OR SOME OTHER DEGENERATIVE PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS THE BRAIN? IS THAT WHY HE CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE HE REALLY LIVES, CAUSE IT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT HERE. THERE HASN'T BEEN ANYONE HERE FOR A LONG TIME, THAT IS PRETTY CLEAR. AND THEN I ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT MAYBE HE KILLED SERENA AND BLOCKED IT OUT (THAT WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME I ENCOUNTERED THAT PLOT TWIST IN A GAME), I MEAN BECAUSE HE REFUSES TO OPEN THE TRUNK AND CLOSET, SO I FIGURED SHE WAS THERE. SO WHEN HE OPENED IT, I THOUGHT IT WAS HER. 

IT IS NOT, IT'S BOB. 

AND APPARENTLY SHE KILLED HIM AND STUFFED HIM IN THE CLOSET - AND NOW THE LAND IS SOLD, THE HOUSE SHOULD BE DEMOLISHED - AND SHE HAS A LITERAL SKELETON IN HER CLOSET. WE HEAR HER TALKING WITH SOME GUY, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS, MAYBE HER NEW HUSBAND, BOB DOESN'T KNOW - SO WE DON'T KNOW. ALSO I DEALT A LOT WITH PARALYZED PEOPLE (STILL ALIVE THANK FUCK), BUT THEY ARE HEAVY, AND YOU CAN'T MOVE A GROWN HUMAN TWICE YOUR SIZE IN DEAD-WEIGHT INTO A CLOSET, SERENA HAD HELP - EVEN IF SHE DOES LOOK LIKE HALF GRIZZY, HALF WOMAN. 

WHY SHE KILLED HIM WE DON'T KNOW - BUT AS THE SHILUETTES ARGUE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW, WE SEE BLOOD ON THE CORNER OF THE TABLE, IS THAT WHERE HE DIED? OR IS THAT SOME OTHER DAMN HINT I DIDN'T GET IN TIME? I THINK IT IS WHAT KILLED HIM, I THINK SHE SWUNG THAT CAST IRON SKILLET AT HIM, AND HE HIT HIS HEAD - DEAD FROM THE INJURY. SO MAYBE SHE DIDN'T PLAN IT? BUT IF THAT SCENARIO SHOULD BE TRUE, THEN WHAT IS UP WITH THE 'DEAR JOHN' LETTER? I MEAN THE 'BOB I LEFT YOU, I TOOK THE DOG AND THE RECORD COLLECTION', BECAUSE IF SHE LEFT, WHAT IS SHE DOING THERE WITH A SKILLET? OR DID SHE WRITE THAT LETTER AFTER THE FACT? 

AGAIN, BOB DOESN'T KNOW - SO WE DON'T KNOW. 

SERENA AND MISTER MYSTERIOUS SETS FIRE TO THE CABIN AND BOB, END OF. 

____________

SO WHAT DO I THINK? I THINK THIS GAME THREW ME SOME GREAT CURVEBALLS, IT WASN'T PREDICTABLE - WHICH IS A HUUUUGE PLUS FOR ME, THE VOICE ACTOR WAS ANNOYING, AND THE SUBTITLES EVEN MORE. AND I HAD BOTH THINGS ON FOR THE SAKE OF THE VIDEO. 

I THINK THE GAME IS SUPER UN-INTUITIVE, AND IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE I WENT TO LOOK IN THE STEAM COMMUNITY TAB, THAT I FOUND OUT (CAUSE THE DEV SAID IT IN A THREAD), THAT YOU CAN CLICK SPACEBAR AND HAVE ALL THE STUFF YOU CAN LOOK AT, BLINK WITH A LITTLE BLUE DOT. OMG I WISH I HAD KNOWN THAT FROM THE BEGINNING - THEN I WOULD MAYBE NOT HAVE DONE SO MANY THINGS IN COMPLETE REVERSE. AND YOU CLICK SPACEBAR AGAIN TO REMOVE THE BLUE DOTS - SUPER SMART. 

AND THAT IS MY GRIPE - THAT THE DEV, NO MATTER HOW NICE HE SEEMS (AND HE REALLY DOES), AND HIS HELPFULNESS TO PEOPLE ON STEAM IS ONE OF THE REASONS I AM NOT JUST RIPPING THIS GAME APART, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS NOT VERY GOOD OVER ALL. THEN PLEASE MAN, FOR THE LOVE OF BABY SHUBNIGGURATH, YOU CANNOT DEPEND ON THE GAMER THINKING IN THE SAME LINEAR WAY AS YOU - YOU NEED PLAYTESTERS. IT'S THE SAME WHEN I WRITE SOMETHING, I MEAN I HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE READ MY NOVELS AND GET BACK TO ME, FOR CONSISTENCY - I PAY PEOPLE TO CORRECT MY TERRIBLE GRAMMAR. BECAUSE WHAT MAKES SENSE TO ME, MIGHT NOT REALLY MAKE SENSE TO ANYONE ELSE... AND THAT IS REALLY THE PROBLEM HERE, THIS GAME (NOT THE STORY, I AM TALKING ABOUT GAME MECHANICS AND PROGRESSING THROUGH THE GAME) IS STUPID SUBJECTIVE, CAUSE IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT I DID NOT FIND THE SAME LOGIC AS WAS INTENDED - DON'T INTEND LOGIC, AND IF YOU DO - HAVE SOME MOTHERFUCKING HINTS! I MEAN REAL HINTS, LIKE 'I SHOULD LOOK IN THE DRAWER', TYPE HINTS. BECAUSE IF PROGRESSING HINGES ON YOUR PLAYER TO DO SOMETHING IN A SPECIFIC SEQUENCE, YOU NEED TO LET THEM KNOW.

BUT AGAIN, GET IT IF IT'S ON LIKE SUPER SALE, BUT I WOULDN'T PAY OVER €1.50 FOR IT. 


Kommentarer

Send en kommentar