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Community Playthrough No # 24: I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
The AI and robots in Terminator 3 would seem to fit the bill.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
and it is possible that everything turns out exactly the way the UI had intended.
Well that’s what I thought about them 
Their purpose was to know and make everything as they predicted it. With the tiny miscalculation of Aenea as I can recall(or was that calculated too?). It’s a huge mess in my head but as far as evilness goes I don’t think that any part of A.I. favors the humans. Each of the alliances used humans for their own purposes (I don’t remember but I think the portals were a child of all the TechnoCore). It’s just that the UI’s purpose included the extermination of every little bit of the humanity
Hope that’s not much of an off-topic.
Well making a synopses of the books would itself be quite long, and a lot is open for interpretation, not to mention that I also can’t remember all the details.
But the AI/TechnoCore is divided into three factions. One that sees humans and the potential rise of a human god as a thread to their own plans of constructing the UI, and a potential thread to the UI itself. There plan is a dual plan of both destroying all humans and tricking Aenea into being born too soon, so she can also be destroyed. They also see the Shrike as being sent from the future by the UI to help with this plan.
The second and largest faction however sees humans as being inferior to themselves and any human god as being inferior to their UI and no threat at all. They also believe that presuming to know the plans of the great UI or that the UI should need their help is more or less heretical.
The last and smallest faction however sees no reason for why AI and humans shouldn’t be able to live side by side, or that the UI and the Human God shouldn’t be able to coexist. They also try to help the humans and more directly help Keats, though as a minority they act more covertly and by subtle manipulation.
An overall theme in the whole AI situation, is however that their thinking is very different from human thinking, and that it is impossible for humans to understand their reasoning and motives. So pretty much anything regarding the AI’s are open for interpretation.
Edit:
With the tiny miscalculation of Aenea as I can recall(or was that calculated too?)
Definitely something they had calculated, at least her birth was not only calculated but also encouraged.
But I agree, lets not derail the thread with a discussion of Hyperion.
You have to play the game, to find out why you are playing the game! - eXistenZ
I’m interested what happens for example if you program the master of Anubis to be you and not HUMANITY. I’m also wandering what happens if you run away or give up to the yellow man (load game I guess). Do you know some dialogue options where you can go wrong cause my lady was almost smiling all of the time.
Best moment was the elevator sequence for me. The paced and interactive refreshing of your memory and that little horror moment. Nicely done.
I picked myself instead of humanity and it didn’t impact me negatively. Not sure about giving up with the yellow man but I wondered what would have happened there myself. Since I have a million save games (due to paranoia about making a wrong choice and not getting the best ending) I could easily go back and find out.
I agree with you about the best part being the elevator. Even before the big reveal about her fear of yellow, I really enjoyed pressing the buttons and hearing her history.
[spoiler]and then we meet AM’s innocence who apparently is trying to help us, perhaps AM is self-destructive and actually wants us to succeed? Or perhaps it is just raving schizophrenic and parts of its personality / original parts wants us to destroy AM?[/spoiler]
My interpretation so far is that the original parts are still there and want us to succeed in destroying AM, unless of course that’s just a trick by AM himself - give us a spot of hope only to crush it once we get there.
Actually, I like your thought that AM is self-destructive. It would partially explain why he would set up these ‘games’ in the first place.
Another reason might be that after 109 years of total control, he yearns for a bit of challenge. He sets up these games that give the 5 participants a small chance of destroying AM, just so he would have a bit of danger for himself added in the mix. You know, for the thrill of it.
Or maybe it’s just that his madness has consumed him so that nothing rational comes out anymore…
I agree with most of you that AM is the most interesting character present. I wonder if any of the others (maybe Benny or Nimdok?) will have a similar amount of mystery shrouding them…
There is of course also many similarities and Harlan Ellison, and everybody else using a similar theme, was most likely inspired by HAL when creating AM.
Unlikely, since Ellison wrote IHNMAIMS 2 years before 2001 (both the novel and the movie) was released. The theme had probably been around long before that, however…
Any other memorable evil AIs from adventure games, movies or books?
Off the top of my head (and besides those already mentioned): there’s the Reapers from Mass Effect (and to a lesser extent the Geth), the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, SID 6.7 in Virtuosity and ARIA in Eagle Eye.
I’m sure there are many, many, many more.
And as for the whole “playthrough speed” debate, I’m perfectly ok with the current pace. I don’t think this is the kind of game that will suffer much (pun intended 
) if many of us have a week’s hiatus between chapters…
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
There is of course also many similarities and Harlan Ellison, and everybody else using a similar theme, was most likely inspired by HAL when creating AM.
Unlikely, since Ellison wrote IHNMAIMS 2 years before 2001 (both the novel and the movie) was released. The theme had probably been around long before that, however…
I didn’t realise that IHNMAIMS was as old as it is.
You have to play the game, to find out why you are playing the game! - eXistenZ
And as for the whole “playthrough speed” debate, I’m perfectly ok with the current pace. I don’t think this is the kind of game that will suffer much (pun intended
And we thank you for that. Wife and I are hoping the kitchen will be done by close of business Friday. But even if it takes until a week from Friday the playthrough pacing makes it fairly easy to catch up. Although I don’t want to fall more than a sequence behind.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Wow, this was heavy. The thematic thrust of this chapter took me by surprise: rape is not a topic often talked about in video games. As a man, it was hard for me to say if it was handled well though. Fantasysci5 already weighed in on that. I’d be curious to hear what the other women participating in the playthrough think.
I am still a little stunned by the chapter—I guess you can say I enjoyed it lots, and if this is going to be the weakest story… oh man, bring the others on, I say! I had no issues with Ellen’s voice acting; I thought it was quite good in fact. Even if you consider the fact that she’s been tortured for ages, she turns out to be one to repress memories… so who knows how much of the last 109 years she remembers or has internalized…
It might be because I am playing it in ScummVM, and the rest of you are using the original engine in DosBox, but I am pretty sure the CD wasn’t visible until after I had talked to AM’s innocence.
Yeah, this seems to be a bug with DosBox. I am also playing the game in ScummVM (was unhappy with how choppy the GOG version was, took the files, put them in ScummVM, plays like a charm). I also didn’t see the thing in question until I was supposed to. For everyone’s sake, I hope there are no more DosBox bugs.
I’m also wandering what happens if you run away or give up to the yellow man (load game I guess).
What happens if you choose give up or run away is “game over” and you need to restart the chapter. You are treated to an ultra short cutscene and a few condescending words from AM, though. Almost worth it as I can’t get enough of Harlan’s voiceovers.
Getting off-topic, but both TRON movies (but especially the first one) feature an evil AI. 
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
There is a competition over at gog.com to win a I have no Mouth and I Must Scream box set:
http://www.gog.com/news/i_have_no_mouth_and_i_must_scream_creative_contest
You have to either design a movie poster or write a voice over for a trailer of an adaptation of the game.
Great news wilco!
This competition is a must for whoever feels inspired…
I contributed.
Favorite Adventure Games-Lost Crown, Longest Journey, Dark Fall 1&2, Barrow Hill, Black Mirror, Blackwell games, Riven, Myst
Favorite Other Games-Kings Bounty, FTL
Currently Playing-Barrow Hill:The Dark Path
Looking Forward To-Last Crown/Braken Tor
I got a chance to play about 20 minutes today, and I’m already stumped. Granted, if I had a chance to play longer, I might not be posting. But the contractor yells, “Tim! I need a decision!.” And I go running. Ellen and I have made it into the pyramid. I have managed to pick up the yellow scarf and the tweezers. But all she does is don the scarf as a blindfold. Why the tweezers?
I remember this interface from LucasArts games, which I really never liked. So the interface and I are not being friends right now. Kitchen looks like it will be done mid-next week. Not sure my enjoyment of the game will last that long. And it has nothing to do with content.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
Well I just finished it there, I had actually started it last night but hit a wall right away and got stuck
I did however manage to get stuck no less then two times, the first when I had to pick up the yellow scarf, I knew that I would probably need it, but when she ran away screaming the first time, I just assumed I wouldn’t be able to pick it up now, and had to do something first or simply build her confidence up first, so I ran around for quite some time trying to do other things, before I finally tried to pick it up a second time.
This is what got me tooI had just assumed that there was something I was missing that let you either turn off the lights or changed the light colours (since the Psych profile just says that yellow is between red and blue) but once I figured that out I had already figured out most of the steps in my head so it was a bit of a breeze, my profile was still green when I ended though so I think I missed something…
Ellen as a character is kind of a pain in the ass. I guess her attitude is just overcompensation for how weak she felt after being raped so it’s not so bad in hindsight but up until finding that out it was just like…Shut up already. Also what was up with what she says when you look at the monitor of the holy grail room? is that actually referencing something or does she just assume that everyone is afraid of yellow
Another thing that kinda bothered me was [spoiler]what she says when you eximine the female statues in the room with the gem/cd rom, it just kinda seems like shes having some revelation that I wasn’t as excited about as she was. “FROM UNDERNEATH!”[/spoiler]
The sphinx puzzle confused me. I solved it easily enough, but I fail to see its meaning. Is there something in mythology that I don’t know about that lets one bypass a guardian while blindfolded but not when one can see?
From what I gathered from the moniter showing the room as being empty and her remarks about not being able to hear the monster after she left the room was that the monster was just in her head. I think the guardian just staying there even after Ellen blindfolds herself might have been a graphics glitch.
I regret to say that I won’t be able to participate any longer. I’m sure I’ll finish the game at some point, but just not as part of the CPT.
I had a kitchen remodel catastrophe occur last Friday night. We installed the new refrigerator Friday. Sometime around 10PM the valve that connects the fridge to the water line malfunctioned. By the time I discovered it Saturday morning water had been flowing freely for almost nine hours. Newly installed hardwood floor was ruined. A large amount of carpeting may also need to be replaced. It’s a f*****g mess, and has set everything back a good three weeks. Certainly not as bad as Interplay’s house burning down, but draining nonetheless.
I will lurk as time permits. Best of luck, and have fun everyone.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
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