Control by Remedy Catch All

stupidhaiku wrote:

About the duck:

Spoiler:

I noticed that it shows up back in the panopticon after you catch it. Someone who hacked the game noticed a duck-related reference "SM-09 - Duck" in the game's mission list, so maybe it's part of a planned mission that got canned or something.

Also, I got the duck before I got levitate by piling up boxes in the adjoining room to reach the vent.

More about the duck:

Spoiler:

Eventually you do get a mission to cleanse a number of Altered Items, and the Duck is one of them.

This is by FAR probably my GOTY so far. (I'm pretty deep in - just trying to deal with a troublesome fridge)

I'm so inspired by this i'm thinking of putting together a modded version of "Tales From The Loop", so I can run some one-shot TTRPG sessions, involving field agents investigating reports of Altered Objects across the US.

I'm near the end (I'm at the Ashtray maze) and unless they completely fail to stick the landing then this is definitely my GOTY. Probably my favorite game I've played since DIshonored.

I did finally get the Duck; I just had to keep at it a bit longer. I wish there had been a payoff there. And stupidhaiku; yeah, I figured I could have done it that way but it was more effort than I wanted to deal with at the moment.

But yeah, this game is so good...

And pyxistyx; yeah, this screams for an RPG. It's pretty much SCP: The Videogame as it is. I'd suggest Delta Green instead of TFtL, but that's just my preference showing.

Control September Update

Fingers crossed this improves the base PS4 version!

I don't often get this, but when I finished Control this weekend, I was depressed for several days because I had finished the game.

I downloaded the new patch, and so far I have noticed that the map is much snappier, and I am now allowed to upgrade the Pierce weapon.

Have I mentioned that Ahti is my favorite NPC of the year? I was listening to Waypoint Radio, and they talked about how Control didn't demo well because it focused on the shooting and they were getting quests from "some janitor." Context is everything.

ComfortZone wrote:

Control September Update

Fingers crossed this improves the base PS4 version!

Kudos. Fixed two very specific bugs that I was seeing but managed to get past so they didn’t break the game.

it let me turn off motion blur, which is a blessed relief!

Finished the game yesterday.

I rushed the last few story missions ignoring the side stuff as I didn't see any point earning more upgrades and really wanted to know how everything works out.

The ending made me wonder if there is another ending hidden behind finishing all the other missions but I didn't want to be disappointed so I asked on reddit if there was another ending...

Spoiler:

There isn't.
Feels like a lost opportunity, especially since there are no DLCs planned as far as I know that could wrap things up. So I'm a little disappointed especially since I felt there was some sort of plot twist building up with Jesse/Dylan being or having been the same person. It also really didn't feel like it's worth digging through all the files in order to figure out some deeper meaning.

Overall this was a really great game maybe with some missed opportunities! I enjoyed it more than Quantum Break but not as much as Alan Wake.

I'd say it's GOTY for me but this year has been mostly online games like Magic Arena and Minion Masters for me so the competition isn't that great.

Also the graphics on PC with raytracing felt like a preview of next gen console graphics. I switched it off as I only got steady 30 fps on my machine with it in native resolution and preferred to have 60 fps over the eye candy but it really feels like the closest thing to a raytracing killer app atm.

They detailed plans for expansions/DLC today.

-December brings a new game mode called Expeditions where Jesse helps Security Chief Arish "explore the mysterious Foundation and its strange surroundings" (free for all players).

-2020 will bring two paid DLC expansions called Foundation (delving into the history of the Oldest House) and AWE (opens up the Investigations Sector of the House).

The Epic launcher has stopped recognizing the game as being installed, even though I can play if I just navigate to the game folder and use the Control.EXE application. I know how to fix this kind of thing on Steam but can't seem to figure it out with Epic. Has anyone encountered this?

I don't mind using the game's .exe, but I'm wondering how this will affect updates, etc.

tanstaafl wrote:

I'm near the end (I'm at the Ashtray maze)

This feels closer to the end than it is. I mean, you're definitely getting close, but... I made the mistake of staying up after this to finish the game, and I just kept staying up, and staying up, and... (It doesn't help that I already find the game challenging, and playing it well past the point of exhaustion made me worse.)

MEATER wrote:

The ending made me wonder if there is another ending hidden behind finishing all the other missions but I didn't want to be disappointed so I asked on reddit if there was another ending...

Spoiler:

There isn't.
Feels like a lost opportunity, especially since there are no DLCs planned as far as I know that could wrap things up. So I'm a little disappointed especially since I felt there was some sort of plot twist building up with Jesse/Dylan being or having been the same person. It also really didn't feel like it's worth digging through all the files in order to figure out some deeper meaning.

Overall this was a really great game maybe with some missed opportunities! I enjoyed it more than Quantum Break but not as much as Alan Wake.

If you've played Alan Wake, you might recall that the DLC extended the story, providing a new more concrete ending after the base game's vague slightly unsatisfying ending. However you might feel about this (I generally loved Alan Wake, I'm okay with story DLC, but I think locking the "real" ending behind DLC is kinda crappy) it is a precedent they might continue in next year's paid DLC.

I don't know if the paid DLC will "reset" Jesse, but I appreciate being able to mop up the optional bosses and keep grinding upgrades post-game. I hope that progress can be carried over.

OH sh*t the Ashtray Maze scene is A-MAZING. On par if not better than the concert stage from Alan Wake I don't know how but they choreographed just enough combat and threat to make you feel like a badass but without putting you in so much danger you end up dying and ruining the flow of the scene *chefs kiss*

Also, looks like the third "AWE" DLC will be an official Alan Wake Cross-over :O The logo they've used to tease it is the spitting image of Alan Wake's cover box art.

Definitely GOTY for me. Story, gameplay, progression. All just top notch!

pyxistyx wrote:

OH sh*t the Ashtray Maze scene is A-MAZING. On par if not better than the concert stage from Alan Wake I don't know how but they choreographed just enough combat and threat to make you feel like a badass but without putting you in so much danger you end up dying and ruining the flow of the scene *chefs kiss*

Spoiler:

Watching someone else's YouTube of it, I suspect they cheat a bit. If you're hurt, the enemies' aim gets bad, and I think they sneaky refill your health at points. Maybe I'm wrong, but whatever they did, it's great. It fills you with confidence so they can thoroughly crush it shortly afterwards.

I particularly appreciate what they did with the music; they loop parts of it to keep your traversal of the maze synchronized with the song. I'm a big fan of sound design in games and love clever tricks and quality compositions.

Um, I have to sheepishly admit that it is possible to die during the Ashtray Maze scene

Middcore wrote:

They detailed plans for expansions/DLC today.
-2020 will bring two paid DLC expansions called Foundation (delving into the history of the Oldest House) and AWE (opens up the Investigations Sector of the House).

Good to know. I read somewhere that there were not plans for DLC, but maybe I misread.

I never came around to play the Alan Wake DLC as the gap between that an the main game was too big and I was happy with the vague ending of the main game. Might be the same here.

Although it might be nice to replay the game once there is a complete edition with all DLC with updated hardware in 2021.

beeporama wrote:

If you've played Alan Wake, you might recall that the DLC extended the story, providing a new more concrete ending after the base game's vague slightly unsatisfying ending. However you might feel about this (I generally loved Alan Wake, I'm okay with story DLC, but I think locking the "real" ending behind DLC is kinda crappy) it is a precedent they might continue in next year's paid DLC.

I never thought of that being a Remedy strategy. Feels more like a Bioware thing. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing their games after release with Mass Effect 1 as it seems worth to just wait for the re-release with all the content.

But you're right feels exactly like what they did with Alan Wake. And I would agree with you: It's kinda crappy.

Sorry for skimming, but I didn't see this...

Is anyone playing on a base PS4? I am interested in this game, but I don't want to become frustrated because the game runs like garbage. I am ok with it not looking great or dipping a few frames now and then, but how bad is it?

I think beeporama is on a base PS4, as am I. I haven't had a chance to go back since Monday or Tuesday and am not very far, though, so I dunno how the patch impacted things. I only just got telekinesis and was already seeing some slow down, though it wasn't game-breaking for me. Inconvenient, yes. But I dunno how it'll be further in.

I'm on a base PS4, and its been fine. The map does sometimes take a moment to draw in fully, and I get some slowdowns, but nothing remotely game-breaking. I haven't played since the patch (I finished it before that) but I would think that should only improve things.

I dunno. I think the current "ending" of the game feels ok? Certainly not as bad as Alan Wake

Spoiler:

You've effectively cut off and defeated the Hiss, with just mop-up to go (probably just to explain why you can still go around mopping up side quests and the like more than anything) , and you're firmly established as the head of the Bureau with a dapper suit and 'doo and everything.

Yeah, sure your annoying brother is still in a coma, but *shrug* , he was always just a maguffin anyway.

All this talk of bad endings actually made me fall for the 'fake out' with the death of Hedron because THAT would have been a real Alan Wake ending

ccesarano wrote:

I think beeporama is on a base PS4

I am on a base PS4, and my experiences are similar to you and Kid Charlemagne. I'm happy to say that the patch has helped; I played a bit, getting into some big fights with multiple enemies, and didn't have the same framerate drop I'd had before. UpToIsomorphism, I think you'll be quite pleased with performance and appearance.

i was really worried that my laptop wasn't going to hold up (particularly in boss fights which were a mess) but thankfully the fact that the patch let me switch off motion blur (a) saved my framerate enough to be playable and (b) meant i wasn't quite so close to throwing up all the time.

pyxistyx wrote:

I dunno. I think the current "ending" of the game feels ok? Certainly not as bad as Alan Wake

Spoiler:

You've effectively cut off and defeated the Hiss, with just mop-up to go (probably just to explain why you can still go around mopping up side quests and the like more than anything) , and you're firmly established as the head of the Bureau with a dapper suit and 'doo and everything.

Yeah, sure your annoying brother is still in a coma, but *shrug* , he was always just a maguffin anyway.

All this talk of bad endings actually made me fall for the 'fake out' with the death of Hedron because THAT would have been a real Alan Wake ending

After thinking about it, I can't help but feel like they didn't entirely stick the landing. I have to admit I was shocked when I realized it was actually over.

Spoiler:

The explanation of Hedron/Polaris/Jesse relationship is little more than a hand-wave. They raise the scare of the Board itself being corrupted by the Hiss but then the game is over before the idea is developed.
There's no final boss, or final challenge of any kind really. The last fight they explicitly tell you they're making you incredibly OP so you can breeze through it. If they wanted to go out on a high note and make you feel like a badass they should have concluded with the Ashtray Maze instead of having it 90% of the way through? I mean, I've certainly played games that had satisfying endings without a climactic last battle, like Prey would be an example, but the ending of Prey revolves around the final choice you make, and there's no choice here - just a goal accomplished too easily.

Still, I did laugh out loud at the joke right after the credits.

Nonetheless, on the basis of the worldbuilding and the tight telekinetic powers gameplay (in a better world than the one we actually live in, Remedy would already have already gotten a call from LucasArts about making a Jedi game), this is my GotY.

the "wobbly tony stark learning to fly in his iron man suit" levitation effect is one of my fave things in games this year I think. It's just so satisfyingly implemented! That and throwing chunks of masonry about the place.

As for the ending:

Spoiler:

I was so incredibly relieved that there was not a boss fight at the end. Many of the boss fights with side missions were incredibly tough, and its would have been a huge pacing issue for me if I was to spend the last 20 minutes of the game beating my head against the same boss. The final fight allowed me to do all my moves I had learned in the game, and it seemed a fitting ending.

An another note, some endgame mechanical advice:

Spoiler:

The mods stack, and so you can get some very powerful effects with the level 5 mods. My Grip has a + damage and 2 + headshot mods and it can take down enemies very quickly, and for fun I set up my Spin with three mods for ammo reduction while levitating.

re: your first ending spoiler...

Totally agree. Nothing kills the pacing for me more than that.

Spoiler:

I still can't beat the Mold boss. And it doesn't help that the checkpointing is pretty bad, so you have a long load screen, then a walk back to the boss between deaths

Confession time about a side boss:

Spoiler:

I spent a lot of time trying to beat the mold boss. I got really good at running to the boss while avoiding all the enemies on the way. My general strategy was to stay behind pillars as much as possible, but you still need to change positions due to environmental effects. The time I finally beat it, I think the AI broke. It felt like the boss just stood there for a while not attacking. As I attacked, it eventually did a few attacks of its own and then was passive again. I won.

Maybe it was a bug, or maybe it was done on purpose, but either way I was happy.

Finished. To quote Jessie: "That. Was. Awesome."

Easily in my top 5 games of all time. To be fair, I thought the ending was a bit weak, but I get what they were doing.

My least-favorite sequence was the Hedron Chamber

Spoiler:

You have to cleanse multiple emitters then get to a point close to the Hedron/Polaris. The problem is that every time I got killed (which was more than I like to admit) I always had to do the cleansing of the last three emitters. Once I fell to my death trying to get to Polaris and had to do it again. And some of those named enemies could one-shot me. I think there should have been a bit of better checkpointing in there.

As for the ending of the Hedron Chamber

Spoiler:

The "fake" credits sequence caught me by surprise. I was sitting there going "Wait... did I miss doing something?" Then the credits started messing up and I went "Oh... I see what you're doing here." Great way to confuse the player as much as Jessie was.

One other minor annoyance

Spoiler:

I was stuck for a long time on the "Even More Mold" mission (which you have to do before you can go get Ahanti to give you the tape player). There was one piece of mold I couldn't find and I finally resorted to watching a YouTube of the sequence. I went to the point where they found one and all I could see was a light shining directly into my face. I just shot at where it should have been from the video and it registered as complete. Maybe because my rig is a bit underpowered for the game, but that stuck me for a while.

I ran around for a bit after the ending.

Spoiler:

If you talk to Emily Pope again you name her Director of Research. After the last tape we saw from Darling... I'm pretty sure he isn't coming back.

Also, if you look there is a "Finish" message under the hotline where the "Board" flat-out says "We will talk to you again in the expansion." There isn't much left of the fourth wall in this game.

I've got a stack of side missions to do, but I think I'll put it aside for now and wait for the expansion.

The final Ashtray Maze sequence is one of the best videogame sequences I've ever played through. I was laughing out loud at the end when Jessie said "That was awesome!" They knew what they had done there.

Amazing game. Glad I broke down and paid full price for it. Worth every bit.

Regarding the mold quest and Ahti

Spoiler:

It is not necessary to do the mold quest for Ahti to give you his Walkman so you can get through the ashtray maze.

I finished the main storyline as well on Friday.. I think I have two side missions left.. Self Reflection and Tommasi both are annoying side bosses. I'll hopefully knock them out shortly and then try and grind out the last few hidden rooms before sitting it down until the expansions. Easily my GOTY.

In terms of story and atmosphere it's right up there with Alan Wake with the added benefit of way better action and combat. For me Control is Remedy's best game yet.. with AW a close second and QB a distant third. I was never a huge fan of the Max Payne games.