Is anyone else playing? I got it on Steam today. Played it for about two hours so far. Don't really have a clue what I'm doing, but it's neat, and pretty.

I loved the concept of Braid, but I never finished. I can't remember if I got stuck or got bored. I'm honestly not sure if I'll have the patience to finish this game either if I get stuck. Two hours in and the puzzles I've encountered have been pretty basic, but it's still early. The game is pretty smart about how it teaches you things and builds upon them.

Anyway, if you like puzzle games, I'm sure you probably know about The Witness already, but if not check it out.

It's great.

I'm at 71 solved. And a +1 next to that. I have a suspicion I know what the +1 means but I'm not positive. If it is what I'm thinking, I absolutely don't have a clue what it did, but I know it did something.

Are both of you on the PS4 version? I'm playing the Steam version and can't find that info anywhere (not that it really matters).

If anyone here liked Myst/Riven (or puzzles in general), I cannot recommend this game enough. Go get it. It's absolutely worth the $40 price tag. For all you PS4'ers, I think I'd recommend that version to maximize performance.

To improve performance on my machine (Retina MacBook Pro), I added these Launch Options to my game in Steam to make it run at "1x" pixel mode:

-width 1440 -height 900

Oh yeah, did I mention that it's GORGEOUS? Because it's GORGEOUS! After I finish the game, I want a free-cam photo mode with focal length and depth-of-field adjustments just so I can take pictures of this environment!
(Big, lossless PNGs behind these links)

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I'm on Steam as well. Just hit Load Save File and it'll tell you there.

Edit: Is the MacBook Pro having trouble with it? My Surface Pro 4 runs it at a pretty consistent 40-45 fps on Medium, although it struggles to consistently hit 30 on High.

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks. Aside from the main character design Braid was gorgeous. It's a huge step down. Why would I want to explore an ugly island?

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

What's your take? It's a puzzle / exploration game right?

1. Are the puzzles hard and fun to solve?
2. Is the island fun to explore?

Really all you need to answer to review it.

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks. Aside from the main character design Braid was gorgeous. It's a huge step down. Why would I want to explore an ugly island?

I think it's gorgeous, and almost every comment I see about the game's art is positive.

Some of us just don't need super high resolution realistic graphics to see beauty I guess.

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks. Aside from the main character design Braid was gorgeous. It's a huge step down. Why would I want to explore an ugly island?

I think it's gorgeous, and almost every comment I see about the game's art is positive.

Some of us just don't need super high resolution realistic graphics to see beauty I guess.

Neither do I. But everything I see in this game I hate aesthetically. It looks amateur.

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

What's your take? It's a puzzle / exploration game right?

1. Are the puzzles hard and fun to solve?

Yes, definitely. As with any good puzzle game, it starts out very easy and gradually ramps up the difficulty as you learn what different visual clues mean.

2. Is the island fun to explore?

I think so. Don't come into it looking for an island full of little nooks and crannies of secrets, but if you like trying to piece together what's going on from subtle bits of the environment, you should be pleased.

It's really about the puzzles more than a story though.

Really all you need to answer to review it.

The trailer made me think "Myst revisited." A plus in my book. Thanks for the info.

I'm on Steam as well. Just hit Load Save File and it'll tell you there.

Ah, thanks!

Edit: Is the MacBook Pro having trouble with it? My Surface Pro 4 runs it at a pretty consistent 40-45 fps on Medium, although it struggles to consistently hit 30 on High.

Well, it *was* having trouble at first when I ran at High quality at the full 2880x1440... I changed the launch options to use 1440x900 instead and it runs pretty smoothly. It'd be a shame to run this game at anything less than High quality... :-P

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks.

The game is gorgeous. See my screenshots above. The approach is anything but "amateur."

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

Huh? According to the game entry in Steam:

User reviews: Very Positive - 82% of the 486 user reviews for this game are positive.

I perused a few of the [minority] of reviews that are negative, and I saw a lot of whining about how the puzzles were too hard, and a few complaints that it wasn't a complete spiritual successor to Myst like they thought it was going to be.

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks. Aside from the main character design Braid was gorgeous. It's a huge step down. Why would I want to explore an ugly island?

I get that how much people enjoy different art styles is entirely subjective... but you're wrong.

I'm on Steam as well. Just hit Load Save File and it'll tell you there.

Ah, thanks!

Edit: Is the MacBook Pro having trouble with it? My Surface Pro 4 runs it at a pretty consistent 40-45 fps on Medium, although it struggles to consistently hit 30 on High.

Well, it *was* having trouble at first when I ran at High quality at the full 2880x1440... I changed the launch options to use 1440x900 instead and it runs pretty smoothly. It'd be a shame to run this game at anything less than High quality... :-P

I'll have to give that a shot. I'm not as picky about being able to run on high, I guess, but if I can make it happen that'd be great.

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

Most of the negative reviews I've seen are just people bitching that it's "only" line puzzles, which, while technically true (so far anyway), is so amazingly reductive I feel they've pretty much missed the point and absolute brilliance in its design.

It usually feels sort of like a cop out to me when people say this, but this game is very, very difficult to actually talk about in any real way without completely spoiling and destroying the magic of it for those that haven't played.

Kind of like Wind Waker.

Anyway, Steam reviews are bombing the game. Hard. I'm confused.

Most of the negative reviews I've seen are just people bitching that it's "only" line puzzles, which, while technically true (so far anyway), is so amazingly reductive I feel they've pretty much missed the point and absolute brilliance in its design.

It usually feels sort of like a cop out to me when people say this, but this game is very, very difficult to actually talk about in any real way without completely spoiling and destroying the magic of it for those that haven't played.

Good thing I know nothing about it. Expect a review next week when I finish. As if anybody cares what I think of games.

SO, if I like Myst a lot. Liked the gameplay of Braid a lot, but hated the plot/theme of Braid, I should or should not play this?

By which I mean buy and not play for years.

I didn't play Braid, but this seems really light on any sort of narrative so far. You're a person on an island solving puzzles, and occasionally stumbling across Audio Logs that feature little quotes from famous scientists and philosophers. That's my impression after 5 or so hours.

I know what you mean about the story in Braid being difficult to latch onto. This has a very different feel. Like CyberKN said, it's mostly about wandering around and solving the puzzles. I do like the audio clips that I've come across so far, but those are mostly ambiance (so far at least).

That said, I do not like the game.

I've been encountered a lot of puzzles that I don't know the mechanics of (symbols on the grid I've never seen).

I'm currently stuck in the are that plays with shadows. I know what I'm supposed to do, but it's incomplete and the immediate surroundings aren't helping like they did in the previous puzzles.

I only have one laser activated.

That said, I do not like the game.

Care to elaborate? I'm genuinely curious. I'm digging it, but I am very unfamiliar with puzzle games, except for Portal and Monument Valley on iOS.

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I didn't play Braid, but this seems really light on any sort of narrative so far. You're a person on an island solving puzzles, and occasionally stumbling across Audio Logs that feature little quotes from famous scientists and philosophers. That's my impression after 5 or so hours.

Sounds pretentious.

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I didn't play Braid, but this seems really light on any sort of narrative so far. You're a person on an island solving puzzles, and occasionally stumbling across Audio Logs that feature little quotes from famous scientists and philosophers. That's my impression after 5 or so hours.

Sounds pretentious.

I found a few more logs in the last couple hours.

They feel VERY pretentious, and I find the voice actors grating. I'm probably not going to listen to any more if I find them.

Maybe the end of the game will make it all fit together, but right now I feel like they detract from an otherwise wonderful experience. The puzzles and "dungeons" exude how much thought and iteration went into making them.

source

Found 3 with her so far

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. . . This game is incredible.

Watching a video or listening to someone describe it cannot do it justice. The environmental interaction goes way beyond what I imagined at first. I figured out a neat puzzle beneath the windmill that kinda blew me away.

That said, wow, I feel really inadequate. I've wondered around a figured out so puzzles that made me feel pretty good, I'm currently stuck in the color swamp with the Tetris style puzzles. Seems like it should be so easy, but damn . . .

He has a habit of saying just the most nonsensical and/or pretentious things. He makes great games though.

Sadly The Internet often has trouble separating those two facts.

It's definitely pretentious. But so was Braid, and Braid was great.

Pretentious =/= Bad

What a complete pretentious jerk he is. You see the stupid smirk on his face every time he thinks he said something profound. The guy can't even get the stars right on his show. He's also condescending to people who think differently. Ugh. The worst part is, I talked to him for maybe 5 minutes once during a party and he was very nice, funny, and didn't bother with all the high school philosophy paper talk. So he puts it on.. Ugh.

pretentious: attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed

Jonathan Blow clearly possesses all the talent he claims, and his accolades are all surely deserved, so I'm not sure the definition fits.

It's not pretentious just because you don't like it.

Jonathan Blow clearly possesses all the talent he claims, and his accolades are all surely deserved, so I'm not sure the definition fits.

Not when it comes to story. Nobody thought Braid was pretentious as a game, only the story. As Roger Ebert said, it was on the level of a fortune cookie.

I want to try this game, but I am off put how ugly the graphics looks.

The game is gorgeous. See my screenshots above. The approach is anything but "amateur."

I've only played through the first tiny area, but it's beautiful so far.

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I'm going to spoiler text this bit, just in case.

Anyone who finds The Witness to be "pretentious" in any way should probably go read about Zen Buddhist/Taoist philosophies and then go back to the game. Not to say that The Witness is limited to those, but many of the concepts there will help provide some context for the underlying currents in the game. Also, go watch as many Richard Feynman videos as you can.

I think The Witness may be the best game I've played in the past decade, bar none. I was looking forward to a Myst-like game from Thekla, but I didn't realize how profoundly deep this game would go. In fact, I'm still figuring some of this out and I've "finished" the game. I don't want to ruin it by calling things out directly, but The Witness has layers upon layers, and everything from the art direction to puzzle design to overarching thematic structure and even the game's title are elegantly tied together and immaculately intertwined. It is nothing short of a masterwork.

Ashley Johnson reminds me of something.

A guy randomly sent me a PM. "Hey, I've got a biology homework assignment and I'm wondering if you could help me."

Must have heard from someone I'm one of them science dueds.

"Sure."

"It's for a genetics section. I have to write a paper on what a person might look like if he/she was a child of two particular people."

"No problem, but you may be operating under some false pretenses. That kind of thing can hardly be predicted. You might want to clarify your assignment with your teacher."

"No, I have it. The people I picked are Amy Jo Johnson [this is the pink ranger from season one of Power Rangers] and Calvin Johnson."

"What?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be cool cause their names are Johnson."

"Your teacher assigned you to write what what the child of the pink ranger and an NFL receiver?"

"Yes. Let me tell you what I have."

"I think you really need to clarify your assignment."

"Just let me tell you what I have and we can talk about it."

"Fine."

Guy tells me some kind of weird fantasy about Amy Jo Johnson and Calvin Johnson. Pretty sure he just invented the situation to talk about the two doing it with someone. Really weird interaction.

Also, go watch as many Richard Feynman videos as you can.

What?

I think The Witness may be the best game I've played in the past decade, bar none. I was looking forward to a Myst-like game from Thekla, but I didn't realize how profoundly deep this game would go. In fact, I'm still figuring some of this out and I've "finished" the game. I don't want to ruin it by calling things out directly, but The Witness has layers upon layers, and everything from the art direction to puzzle design to overarching thematic structure and even the game's title are elegantly tied together and immaculately intertwined. It is nothing short of a masterwork.[/spoiler]

Bullshit. Sorry, but even if that's true the game is no fun, which makes it terrible. The puzzles are all super easy too, and the game pretty much tells you how to solve them by easing you in to them. Over 100 solved and I haven't had to put on a thinking cap yet. If it doesn't get harder soon I'm gonna give up. I'm assuming it gets much harder based on what people are saying, but if I don't like the environment (it is really not appealing), nor the moment (you can't walk off ledges and it sucks getting around), why would I stay to solve the puzzles?

Also Vanquish was released in 2010, so it's pretty much impossible for any other game to be game of the decade.

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All the smartest people adore Tyson. If you don't, you is dumb. QED

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzWzLyGuPRY&list=PL7BF07F016E2BF97E

It's a nice survey of scientific laws. There's a companion book to buy if you wish as well.

Do not, under any circumstances, read The Feynman Lectures on Physics unless you know physics. Feynman was a great educator and could pull off what is the wonkiest structure of intro physics courses ever, but it's much easier to pick up a Young and Freedman University Physics 11th edition.

Love the dude.

:)

Bullshit.

Good morning to you, too, sir!
.

Sorry,

We all know you're not actually sorry about whatever is going to follow this, but I understand the sentiment. Let's continue...
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but even if that's true the game is no fun, which makes it terrible.

Really? I'm having a total blast with it. Just like I said in the post above. Maybe you're not having fun with it, but that does not make the game "objectively bad" on a universal scale. Lots of people are really enjoying this game.
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The puzzles are all super easy too, and the game pretty much tells you how to solve them by easing you in to them.

What, you want to brute-force these things? Let me know how much fun you have with that approach. Breadcrumbs are important. One element of good game design is like a symphony; early on you ease the player into a theme and then you progress, developing and iterating that theme over time into something more complicated and climactic. You vary the approach and intonation along the way, sometimes going off in unexpected directions, but always looping it back to the theme. Think about Beethoven's 5th. The Witness does this very well (and in ways that I'd wager you probably aren't fully aware of yet).
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Over 100 solved

Hey, mine is bigger!
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and I haven't had to put on a thinking cap yet.

I think we plebeians simply fail to understand the grandeur and expanse of your towering intellect, Cody.
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If it doesn't get harder soon I'm gonna give up.

Wait, what? It's so easy that you surrender? Let me get this straight; you haven't seen a single puzzle that you don't know how to solve yet? How much of the island have you even explored? Oh, right, 100-ish puzzles’ worth. If you do stick it out, tell me about the Red Door.
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I'm assuming it gets much harder based on what people are saying,

Yeah, it gets more difficult. That's why people are saying that. Coincidence? I think not! Call me when you bust out the ole pencil and paper. But remember, none of it is impossible (and it's not supposed to be). Look, it's a game, it should have a solution to every puzzle, and none of it should require calculus. See the comment about progression above.
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but if I don't like the environment (it is really not appealing),

Fair enough, it's a subjective thing. You don't like the environment, I do. We can agree to disagree.
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nor the [movement] (you can't walk off ledges and it sucks getting around),

There are a few points here and there where I'd like to shortcut a path, too, but why the hell would you want to walk off a ledge?
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why would I stay to solve the puzzles?

Right, if you're not having fun, then it's okay to not play it! I have stopped playing many games because I wasn't having fun with them. Games that other people have enjoyed and finished (the first Mass Effect immediately comes to mind). If you don't like it, then that's okay. You're not obligated to finish it.
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Also Vanquish was released in 2010, so it's pretty much impossible for any other game to be game of the decade.

Haven't played Vanquish. But I wasn't saying that The Witness was the game of the decade. I said, "I think The Witness may be the best game I've played in the past decade, bar none."

Edit: I really should add that this game is about the journey, not the destination. Solving puzzles is simply the mechanic; the meaning is found in the experience and exploration.

I bought it and finished it last year in hopes of catching all the hype everyone seems to have for it.

Was the first encounter fun? Yes!

Was the rest of the game? I can't remember anything about it, which leads me to believe that it was so repetitive that at some point my brain stopped storing it to my long term memory.

I do remember that the story was cringe-worthy and riddled with cliche. Oh, and there was a boss fight at the end where I was fighting two of the same guy. That's about it.

Edit: After having my morning coffee, this post seems uncharacteristically grumpy of me. Still don't like Vanquish.

Jonathon Blow story @ The Atlantic from 2012

This article makes him sound pretentious.

Everything I say is my opinion, and I can totally see how someone can have fun with this game. I can also totally understand how someone could not like Vanquish. But when comparing like to like - Vanquish to other 3PS games and The Witness to other puzzle games, Vanquish towers over the competition, whereas so far The Witness is less interesting to me than Myst.

I bought it and finished it last year in hopes of catching all the hype everyone seems to have for it.

Was the first encounter fun? Yes!

Was the rest of the game? I can't remember anything about it, which leads me to believe that it was so repetitive that at some point my brain stopped storing it to my long term memory.

I do remember that the story was cringe-worthy and riddled with cliche. Oh, and there was a boss fight at the end where I was fighting two of the same guy. That's about it.

Edit: After having my morning coffee, this post seems uncharacteristically grumpy of me. Still don't like Vanquish.

I was somewhat unimpressed at first but only at first. The combat system is incredibly deep, incredibly flexible, and incredibly fun. Try upping the difficulty, and you'll be forced to learn the nuances of the systems. Every gun has a purpose, as does every move. You'll feel like a badass soon enough.

It's definitely pretentious. But so was Braid, and Braid was great.

Pretentious =/= Bad

Well, no. Pretentiousness isn't a good thing. No one sets out to make art that is pretentious.

I didn't finish Braid, but I like what I played and I also like what I know about The Witness. I haven't read any interviews with Blow, and maybe he comes across as pretentious, but interviews aren't games. I like what I like.

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

Fun fact: while working on that film last year, Michael Bay said that he thought he had a shot to win an Oscar for it, in all seriousness. It was delayed enough that that can't happen in 2016, so we'll see next year…

Could explain the quote.

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

Fun fact: while working on that film last year, Michael Bay said that he thought he had a shot to win an Oscar for it, in all seriousness. It was delayed enough that that can't happen in 2016, so we'll see next year…

Could explain the quote.

It's good but not Oscar material IMHO.

Since it left Netflix as of today, I also watched The Hurt Locker over the weekend. It's a better movie. Neither is as good as American Sniper or as entertaining as Three Kings, as long as we're talking war films.

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Side note: Amy Jo Johnson came into my shop a while back to get her guitar repaired. One of the repair guys mentioned something about loving Power Rangers and being a big fan of hers. As he tells it, her reaction was a stern "I'm a musician now!". Good info for anyone hoping to snag an autograph :)

pretentious: attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed

Jonathan Blow clearly possesses all the talent he claims, and his accolades are all surely deserved, so I'm not sure the definition fits.

It's not pretentious just because you don't like it.

He definitely has the talent, but are we just ignoring the rest of the definition?

And I think I've already mentioned that I like his games, so it's probably not because I "don't like it".

Not good, but not inherently bad either. If it doesn't stop me enjoying the art, it's just there. If someone thinks their game is the second coming of Christ, that's probably pretentious. But if I enjoyed it anyway, it's irrelevant.

So pretentious =/= a bad product, I guess is more accurate.

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I'm officially stuck now. I am somewhat happy that the game doesn't care if you are stuck or not… you just have to plow through and come up with the answer. I do not intend to use any hints.

However.

I'm not really finding the game that much fun to play. I don't like the environment, and there is little sense of satisfaction or meaningful progression in the exploration. The look sensitivity is criminally slow, and there is not option to change it. That is inexcusable. It's maddening waiting to turn around.

I've given it a chance. Thumbs down.

I'm not really finding the game that much fun to play. I don't like the environment, and there is little sense of satisfaction or meaningful progression in the exploration. The look sensitivity is criminally slow, and there is not option to change it. That is inexcusable. It's maddening waiting to turn around.

Given that The PC version has sliders for both 2D and 3D mouse sensitivity, it's really inexcusable.