Please help with The Last Express
 

Hey everyone,

I recently started playing The Last Express. I'm having difficulty hearing the character dialog however because I am hearing impaired. I can hear some words here and there, but it's a great struggle. I'm really excited to play this game but I feel like my lack of hearing is getting in the way of having a great experience with it. I just finished my first fight and I heard something about gold... I'm just really lost at this point as to what is going on in the game.

As a last resort, I could read the walkthroughs, but then I miss out on the exploration and figuring things on my own. I was hoping there is a dialog script, where I can read along as I play or something. Ideally, the source to the game could be released and I can add closed captioning for all dialog in the game.

Does anyone know of Jordan Mechner's email address? I've got my finger's crossed I can contact him and see what it would take to get the source released.

Thanks for any help.

-Reid

Hi Reid,

Sorry to hear (err - no pun intended :crazy: ) you're having trouble with it. I guess the game doesn't have an option to turn on subtitles?

Not that I can find. The characters that speak a language other than english are subtitled.

Have you thought about using headphones?

Can't help you with your problem, sorry. Is playing the game together with a friend an option? But if it's any consolation to you, at that early point in the game (the fight with Milos in your compartment, right?) you hardly know anything yet. Have you met Herr Schmidt in the dining car? He talks about "Ze Gold" too, even demands to see it.

Only French and Russian conversations are subtitled, because those are the two foreign languages Robert Cath speaks. So as far as the other non-English languages are concerned, you're fortunately no worse off than the average player. I can understand German, but it's terribly frustrating to eavesdrop and not understand a word of what for instance the Slavs in the compartment are saying, except that they're talking about your dead friend Tyler. :D

Reid, if you're interested, I still have the English text of the first few conversations (with August Schmidt, Milos and Kronos) during the very first part of the journey. Send me a PM if you want the text file.

Hey, Fien if you still have it please send me. thanks.

You might try contacting Mechner here, though I have no idea what your odds are of getting a response: http://jordanmechner.com/contact/

That was 4 years ago... but I haven't deleted it, as far as I remember. I'll do a search on an older computer, it's not on this one.

okay im waiting for your answer. you can put it on thread so everybody can download ;) thanks.

I hadn't forgotten... it's not complete yet, I'm trying to finish it. Do you have any idea how many different conversations there are on the 3 CDs? I don't mind the work, I started it years ago just for myself, but please have a little patience. I will get back to it this weekend.

You might want to contact Veruncheek. She's our proclaimed expert on The Last Express. ^^

CD 2 and 3 are not quite completed yet, but the "transcript" of CD one is ready. It's a Word document. Too large to attach. Here's the download link.

http://rapidshare.com/files/401044717/TLEcd1.doc.html

It's great thanks for sharing, waiting for next one.

I completely missed so many of these conversations when I tried to play it. Thanks, Fien !

Well, that's the reason TLE has such great replay value. ;) It's simply not possible to do, see, hear everything in one playthrough. So many things taking place at the same time. Even after 4 or 5 playthroughs and many "rewinds", I still found several new conversations. For instance, the one between the two conductors, immediately after the trainmaster announced the police had boarded.

Here's CD2: http://rapidshare.com/files/401633791/TLEcd2.docx

^
I did. But I am awesome.
I heared every conversation on my first playthrough. I prolly tried every permutation with that game everytime before progressing. Call it OCD, or the need to increase my playing time because I didn't want the game to end and get the most out of the story on my first time.

Yeah, I remember you asking for help and guides, Mr. Awesome.
And how do you know you heard every single conversation? Unless you broke into the source codes or something.

PS: Since you know everything about TLE, tell me... how and when can I get into the eunuch's compartment?

Yes, I asked for help and guidance because of just that, I wanted to do everything on my first playthrough.
There were times when trying every combination would get too tedious so I asked if a particular combination would lead to something new. If answer yes, I would try it.

Hear this, I have even accomplished to not sleep during the first night. The night the old man had a nightmare.
If I am correct you skip the nightmare event(your own nightmare).

Anyways I believe I heard every conversation because by now I think all 'secret' conversations have been mentioned in both TLE topics. And I have yet to come across one that I haven't encountered myself.

I admit, there was ONE thing I didn't find out or saw on my initial playthrough. That was the conductor juggling with his head during the nightmare scene. I found that one thanks to Veruncheek.
But that is not considered a conversation.


Owh and about the eunich compartment; I think it is safe to assume no such secret exists, considering that Veruncheek never found a way to enter it. That woman explored every bits(pun intended) and pieces of the game.
I mean....if it existed at least 1 person here should've been able to enter it right?

Simple elementary, my dear Fien. ^^

Oh, I don't doubt it. I know you tried everything. Tedious, right...? In spite of all your hard work, you never experienced TLE the way it's creator intended it to be experienced, more's the pity.

I have no idea what you mean by that. The nightmare is in the transcript, if that's what you're talking about. New additions, things I missed, are of course welcome.

Hardly any "secret conversations" have ever been talked about here.

I bet you never found the other Easter Egg by yourself either, the photo of young Mr. Mechner, discovered by Veruncheek only because she broke into the graphic files.

Yeah? Well, she didn't find the Easter Egg with the three-headed conductor either. What's more, when someone else mentioned its existence (EDIT: on the facebook TLE forum), she seriously doubted it could be true. She was wrong.

Oh sure, Mr. Awsome. To you, that is.