Arkane's Dishonored

Nearly done (on the last mission) - this game is one hell of a love-letter to the Thief series to the point where Thief 4 (if that's even still a thing) suddenly has a lot to live up to.

Possible related Easter-Egg in one of the later areas?

Spoiler:

In the Assassin den in the flooded city you encounter an assassin training a new recruit in a little training arena. I'm 99% certain the first part of the dialogue is word for word the same as the Keeper in the "move in the shadows" part of the tutorial in Thief.

I only broke it so that you would investigate the resulting noise.

Now Your whale-based foodstuffs are mine!

ahrezmendi wrote:
bnpederson wrote:

...bolt capacity (doesn't increase your sleep bolts)...

It doesn't? So your max sleep bolts is always 10? Damn, that's 300 coin I could have put towards more rewiring tools.

Yeah, that I don't get at all. I guess it would make a non-lethal stealthy approach too easy?

Nicholaas wrote:
ahrezmendi wrote:
bnpederson wrote:

...bolt capacity (doesn't increase your sleep bolts)...

It doesn't? So your max sleep bolts is always 10? Damn, that's 300 coin I could have put towards more rewiring tools.

Yeah, that I don't get at all. I guess it would make a non-lethal stealthy approach too easy?

I suppose, the tranquilizer sniper rifle in Deus Ex did make things insanely easy once you stocked up enough darts. Oh well, I'll call that the cost of learning and go on.

I just finished the second big mission, and it took me all day! I think I spent about five-six hours on that mission (which of course included scouring every nook and cranny. Managed to get every bone charm, rune, and about 95% of the gold). Even if this next mission "xxxxx bridge" is the final one of the game I'll still feel like I got my money's worth. What fun!

Puce Moose wrote:

I just finished the second big mission, and it took me all day! I think I spent about five-six hours on that mission (which of course included scouring every nook and cranny. Managed to get every bone charm, rune, and about 95% of the gold). Even if this next mission "xxxxx bridge" is the final one of the game I'll still feel like I got my money's worth. What fun!

The best is yet to come, Puce. And the levels can hold up to 6-8 hours of scrutiny because the mechanics are so much fun to experiment with and the level of detail means you're always looking at something new or are picking out new things you missed the first time you went through that same area.

Puce Moose wrote:

I just finished the second big mission, and it took me all day! I think I spent about five-six hours on that mission (which of course included scouring every nook and cranny. Managed to get every bone charm, rune, and about 95% of the gold). Even if this next mission "xxxxx bridge" is the final one of the game I'll still feel like I got my money's worth. What fun!

The bridge mission was fantastic; I just finished it the other night, and already can't wait to try it again (as with rest of the game). But the mission after that? Oh man.

stevenmack wrote:

Nearly done (on the last mission) - this game is one hell of a love-letter to the Thief series to the point where Thief 4 (if that's even still a thing) suddenly has a lot to live up to.

I am loving this game, especially the powers, but I will definitely be looking forward to a return to shadow, where it's just me, a lock pick and a water arrow.

Just finished replaying the first mission to try and get the achievement. In the opening boat ride, if you look left you can see a large whale being suspended above a whaling ship. I had no idea what that really was on my first play through, but now it was just a chilling sight.

I've got all the items, except for full money, on every mission I've played so far. I do wonder how the replay ability will be affected now.

Interesting information from one of the devs on the official forums about achievements and levels of detection:

http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/141...

I didn't realize the significance of the lighting bolts signaling levels of detection, and am also surprised that only a level 4 detection counts against ghosting. This should have been explained better. One of their little pop-up graphics the first time you're detected would've sufficed. Like the pop-up graphic you get the first time you parry and stagger an enemy.

Just picked this up as an impulse purchase based on the video preview on the home page.

Dammit, my donation is already costing me money...

Any heads up for someone starting out? Playing 360, and I'm also going to check out that stealth kill link before I begin.

Ah, okay, I see why I didn't get Clean Hands (I think someone referred to this upthread, but this is confirmation):

Spoiler:

If Granny Rags is Sleep Darted or Choked Out after destroying the Cameo in the Flooded District Mission, this will count as a kill and will prevent you from getting Clean Hands.

That's not right. They need to fix that.

monkeyboy, don't check anything out. Just dive in. The water is great! (except the damn fish bite!)

I have to say, this game is beyond phenomenal. To me, this game is going in the top 5 of all times. Without a doubt, so far, the best game I have played in many years.

For the record, I'm trying to finish up the bridge mission so far.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Just picked this up as an impulse purchase based on the video preview on the home page.

Dammit, my donation is already costing me money...

Any heads up for someone starting out? Playing 360, and I'm also going to check out that stealth kill link before I begin.

Take your time. There's a lot you can miss (and I don't just mean gold and goodies) if you zip straight through the mission objectives.

EDIT:

MoonDragon, have you made it to the mission objective yet? I'd be curious to know how you (or anyone, really) handled that last segment.

Nicholaas wrote:

MoonDragon, have you made it to the mission objective yet? I'd be curious to know how you (or anyone, really) handled that last segment.

The bridge mission?

Spoiler:

My stealth play through I just used Blink LVL2 to hop on top of the building, choked the target out, unlocked the woman's cage, and Blinked back to Samuel with the body. Quick and easy.

Malor wrote:

Ah, okay, I see why I didn't get Clean Hands (I think someone referred to this upthread, but this is confirmation):

Spoiler:

If Granny Rags is Sleep Darted or Choked Out after destroying the Cameo in the Flooded District Mission, this will count as a kill and will prevent you from getting Clean Hands.

That's not right. They need to fix that.

Agreed BTW. I would never have figured that out, and that mission is long enough that seeing the box unticked wouldn't have helped me figure out where I went wrong.

bnpederson wrote:
Nicholaas wrote:

MoonDragon, have you made it to the mission objective yet? I'd be curious to know how you (or anyone, really) handled that last segment.

The bridge mission?

Spoiler:

My stealth play through I just used Blink LVL2 to hop on top of the building, choked the target out, unlocked the woman's cage, and Blinked back to Samuel with the body. Quick and easy.

Yeah, that one.

Spoiler:

That's exactly what I was wondering, if someone Blinked with the body. I hoofed it all the way to Samuel, thinking I was being clever re-powering the elevator and taking great care to leave a safe path without taking out too many guards. It didn't occur to me until after to use Blink. =P

MoonDragon wrote:

monkeyboy, don't check anything out. Just dive in. The water is great! (except the damn fish bite!)

I have to say, this game is beyond phenomenal. To me, this game is going in the top 5 of all times. Without a doubt, so far, the best game I have played in many years.

For the record, I'm trying to finish up the bridge mission so far.

Nicholaas wrote:

Take your time. There's a lot you can miss (and I don't just mean gold and goodies) if you zip straight through the mission objectives.

Hurries kids off to bed

I'm behind everyone; I've only finished the first "real" mission (the one to kill the Overseer) and have a question.

Spoiler:

Before you leave for the mission a woman tells you the Overseer is planning to poison her uncle and asks that you spare him. I get to the meeting room, wait for the two to come out and sleep dart both of them. I then throw the Overseer in the interrogation chair and brand him as a heretic (loved that option) and snuck out.

I make it back to Samuel and leave and the mission screen says I didn't kill anyone but apparently I didn't get credit for saving the uncle. Is there something obvious here I'm missing?

Yes, you did miss something:

Spoiler:

After disabling both of them, one of your mission objectives should have changed, to put the uncle's body into a safe place. It's a dumpster a bit outside the front doors of the complex.

Ok, so any help would be appreciated.

Spoiler:

After being double crossed by the Admiral and Pendleton, I get through the assassin part, then get back to the pub. I manage to kill all the guards except for the 2 tallboys, however, I only have 3 grenades for ammo left, no bullets, no bolts. Is there a way to get to Piero and Salkalov without getting rid of the tallboys first? Also, where do I find the key for Emily's room?

tanstaafl wrote:

I'm behind everyone; I've only finished the first "real" mission (the one to kill the Overseer) and have a question.

Spoiler:

Before you leave for the mission a woman tells you the Overseer is planning to poison her uncle and asks that you spare him. I get to the meeting room, wait for the two to come out and sleep dart both of them. I then throw the Overseer in the interrogation chair and brand him as a heretic (loved that option) and snuck out.

I make it back to Samuel and leave and the mission screen says I didn't kill anyone but apparently I didn't get credit for saving the uncle. Is there something obvious here I'm missing?

Spoiler:

Yep, you missed that the objective updated and told you to stash him in a safe place. A dumpster should suffice.

EDIT:

Ach, tannhausered.

Alien Love Gardener wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:

I'm behind everyone; I've only finished the first "real" mission (the one to kill the Overseer) and have a question.

Spoiler:

Before you leave for the mission a woman tells you the Overseer is planning to poison her uncle and asks that you spare him. I get to the meeting room, wait for the two to come out and sleep dart both of them. I then throw the Overseer in the interrogation chair and brand him as a heretic (loved that option) and snuck out.

I make it back to Samuel and leave and the mission screen says I didn't kill anyone but apparently I didn't get credit for saving the uncle. Is there something obvious here I'm missing?

Spoiler:

Yep, you missed that the objective updated and told you to stash him in a safe place. A dumpster should suffice.

EDIT:

Ach, tannhausered.

Spoiler:

Huh, when I did it, I sleep darted Campbell, and the captain ran away and I got credit for it.

OK, that makes sense then.

Spoiler:

I saw that dumpster labeled "Safe Place" and wondered what it was for. Didn't think to look at my objectives again. (Facepalm)

Rainsmercy wrote:
Spoiler:

Huh, when I did it, I sleep darted Campbell, and the captain ran away and I got credit for it.

Spoiler:

I tried that and he runs into the hall and hits the alarm, which causes the shutters to close over the windows and sends all the guards after me. I was trying to avoid having to kill everyone in the building.

So, remember when I cancelled my pre-order? Apparently I had two pre-orders going and forgot about the first one. When I went in on release day to transfer that money to some other game, I caved and bought it. Here are my thoughts, spoiler free.

I suck at these games. I really do. Once I finish Dishonored I know I won't keep it because as interested as I am in a few moments, and might like to revisit them, I'm going to have to slog through three hours of failing and reloading the same 10 minute segment because I keep blocking instead of choking. At the end of every level I am astonished to find out what my results are because I've had to reload so many saves that I completely lose track of how many times I was forced to fight my way out of a stealth failure. Usually I'm dead and reloading because every single guard in the building comes running as soon as someone says "I need help" in a mildly excited voice, even though no one set off the big red sirens.

I don't like the abili-tease effect of stealth games like Deus Ex or the MGS series. There is a huge arsenal of weapons and power ups but if you use anything other than the dart gun or do anything other than slkulk in the rafters, you are punished for it. I mean outright punished. In the beginning pop-ups of Dishonored you are warned that if you start killing dudes, they are going to have more murder minded-dudes deployed in the next level so you won't be able to turn away from that path. Plus, they tell you that you will get the "bad" ending. Since a child is somehow involved in the story I'm not risking any bad outcome for her. In fact, her very existence has guilted me out of my righteous indignation attitude that justified the few deaths I caused during the first level.

Characterizations are great. I feel really good about the characters and their attitudes. That's probably why I can't stop playing.

Okay, one spoiler:

Spoiler:

The crayon drawings that you can see tacked up on the wall or left for you are absolutely heartbreaking and I can't imagine ever being a bad guy, knowing how I am seen by a little girl. It says DADDY in the corner of the portrait that she draws of Corvo! DADDY! Christ have mercy.

I'd already spoiled the outcome of the next mission by reading an article about a demo play and I had decided that killing the target was probably better, or merciful in comparison. Now, I have no idea what I'm going to do for fear that I'm going to come home to some very embarrasing and shaming questions.

I guess what we've learned is that my being bad at stealth games ruins my chances of enjoying them, no matter how good they are. I'll try to finish it off before I go back to Borderlands and Halo where I don't have to reload from save every time I kill someone.

gains wrote:

In fact, her very existence has guilted me out of my righteous indignation attitude that justified the few deaths I caused during the first level. (...) Now, I have no idea what I'm going to do for fear that I'm going to come home to some very embarrasing and shaming questions.

I can totally sympathize with the feeling of tension, but at some point, it's just a game. No real children are at stake. It isn't any more "serious" than Halo or Borderlands, aside from whatever emotional investment you make. While the game's loading screens may be making an argument about the use of power and its consequences, nobody is going to really shame/embarrass you for playing it as a guy who fights his way through trouble.

TheHipGamer wrote:
gains wrote:

In fact, her very existence has guilted me out of my righteous indignation attitude that justified the few deaths I caused during the first level. (...) Now, I have no idea what I'm going to do for fear that I'm going to come home to some very embarrasing and shaming questions.

I can totally sympathize with the feeling of tension, but at some point, it's just a game. No real children are at stake. It isn't any more "serious" than Halo or Borderlands, aside from whatever emotional investment you make. While the game's loading screens may be making an argument about the use of power and its consequences, nobody is going to really shame/embarrass you for playing it as a guy who fights his way through trouble.

I agree, the emotional investment is my own. I felt sick to my stomach the one time I killed a Little Sister for the Adam (again, reload and replay the ten minutes leading up to that mistake.) I had to look away when someone was playing the "No Russian" mission in MW. I quit Fallout: New Vegas because I couldn't deal with the missions about children witnessing murder before being sold to become stew for raiders. I make the mistake of reading the soldier's letters home to their wives as I'm plundering the barracks for loose change, which I also have to justify to myself as "for the war effort. One day we'll reinstate the Empress and these poor, pathetic people will be given a better life and they won't miss the five measly coppers that they were relying on to buy bread for their families!"

Well, my childhood was made of years of Catholic/Jewish guilt piled on undiagnosed depression, so there's that. I should just learn my lesson and stick to fighting off invading alien hordes or only playing these games when I'm feeling manic, accept that all video game protagonists are psychopaths, and want everything to just burn.

Anyway, I love the art style! And the Unreal engine is really showing its age!

Does anyone know if...

Spoiler:

killing assassins that come after you

...counts toward your kill count? I'm guessing that it does, but am too far along to go back and check.

gains wrote:

Characterizations are great. I feel really good about the characters and their attitudes. That's probably why I can't stop playing.

This is just a cherry on top of my wonderful cake. The characters are all so incredibly well done. I really let them draw me in. And the heart mechanic, giving you access to their feelings and inner thoughts is beyond genius. It really fleshes out the characters to a level not otherwise possible.

But it's also the world, and writing, and that all elusive atmosphere that all add to the feeling of "there". This game really makes me wish there was an academic project to recreate a Victorian era London (or Paris) with an engine like this. And populate it with AI automatons that go about their business. Then let me wonder through it.

Nicholaas wrote:

MoonDragon, have you made it to the mission objective yet? I'd be curious to know how you (or anyone, really) handled that last segment.

No. I'm in the house now. That's where I saved and quit last night.

I do like the heart mechanic, to the point that I leave it out more than I should just to hear what it has to say.

It does get repetitive after a while, but there are some gems of character and world building in there. Last night I tagged a random civilian on the street and got

"He works long hours at the factory"
"He eats well every night... while his wife and child grow thin."