Adventure Gamers - Forums

TimovieMan - 03 June 2014 06:10 PM

That’s a lot less info than you got at the official site. It’s a shame I can’t link to it anymore. Darn thing was still live last year…
It explains your proficiency with languages, and gave you a rundown of the major characters (including a short bio for each of them) - things you’d often find in a game manual anyway, just not in this one. And yes, I do have the manual AND I’ve read it. It just contains less info than the site did, which is odd…

Edit: Wayback Machine to the rescue!

Some details in those short bios (including the Robert Cath one) are totally irrelevant, some are things you will find out for yourself when you’re playing the game. Why on earth would you want to know so much about people Robert Cath has not met yet? You get to know your fellow passengers by observing, listening, talking and spying. Too much info is one of the best ways to spoil your own fun!

All you need to know is who you are and why you are on the train. That info is available in the manual and in your inventory.

EDIT: I went back to that site and read all the bios again. They are even more spoilerish than I thought.

Diego, your inbox is full.

Urghhh…  not anymore

Karlok - 03 June 2014 06:50 PM

Why on earth would you want to know so much about people Robert Cath has not met yet? You get to know your fellow passengers by observing, listening, talking and spying.

But already knowing the key players will streamline the beginnings a bit, which isn’t really a bad thing in a game that takes as long to finish (or so I’ve heard ) as this one.

Too much info is one of the best ways to spoil your own fun!

No.

TimovieMan - 04 June 2014 06:34 AM

But already knowing the key players will streamline the beginnings a bit, which isn’t really a bad thing in a game that takes as long to finish (or so I’ve heard ) as this one.

I have no idea what you mean by “streamlining”. I’d say that knowing more than your protagonist could possibly know is bound to spoil your first experience of the journey. How can you be immersed when meeting Milos for the first time you think something like: Ah, that’s the Black Hand guy from the bio…

No.

I didn’t know that, really surprising!  My own experience tells me differently though. I read a lot of Agatha Christie murder mysteries when I was young because she gave the reader all the necessary clues to identify the murderer. I loved playing detective and I often did find the killer. Take the plot away and there’s nothing left.

But the TLE biographies don’t spoil the plot, they give away details about NPCs. Details that your article considers important: In their study, the authors describe how “suspense regarding the outcome may not be critical, and could even impair pleasure by distracting attention from relevant details and aesthetic attributes”.

Two interesting articles about spoilers. Both mention your research.

http://brainknowsbetter.com/news/2013/5/11/3-reasons-why-the-psychology-of-spoilers-is-wrong
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/03/scientific-explanations-for-why-spoilers-are-so-horrible/274227/

I think their criticism of the research outcomes are valid. Emotional investment and anticipation are very important for gamers.

Quote: But as Goldstein pointed out, the study overlooked a key fact: People only care about spoilers for stories they feel invested in, not those they’ve heard for the first time a minute earlier.

Karlok - 04 June 2014 10:10 AM

I have no idea what you mean by “streamlining”.

I just meant you have a better idea of where to start if you already know who the key characters are (their background info is less important). It gives you an early target so you’ll feel less like you’re “thrown in the deep”. It helps in making the start of massive open games less overwhelming.

I didn’t know that, really surprising!  My own experience tells me differently though.

Yeah, I’m inclined to agree with you. But it’s just a fun article to link to when someone rants against spoilers.