f13.net

http://www.stanleyparable.com/

play the demo fuckers

play it

omg

Watched a let's play of the demo. Seemed like I wasn't the target audience for the jokes.

WHO WATCHES A LETS PLAY OF A DEMO FUCK SERIOUSLY

Steam Train had a version of the demo specifically tailored to them.

I don't know who that is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOnxXJyOJ0s&list=TLrHsf8QoN_XUq_m619ptmW-smNGmta09h

A Game Grumps spinoff.

I don't know who that is either.

I'm not fucking with you.

I just scanned through that, thats the regular demo. It really needs to be played, not watched.

Baffling.

Some of the narrator's dialogue has specific Steam Train comments in it, and refers to both Ross and Danny by name.

Either way, I've played the demo myself, and it felt like a whole lot of trying too hard.

I didn't get that at all. Trying too hard is tied to the developer/designer, and this guy doesn't strike me like Blow, or that asshat that made Fez.

I'm sold based on this video alone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ-IcS7mRSk

Seriously, what is wrong with you people? Listen to schild, don't watch any goddamn videos and just go play the damn thing. It's phenomenal. Then go play the standalone mod.

I'm in the damn demo!  Let's just say: 8

I'm in physical pain

It says "OBAMA" in the Discovery Emotional booth  :awesome_for_real:

EDIT: Not wanting to spoiler anything to anyone, so I will put my very first impression under the tag...

Amazing.

Edit: Is playing the sourcemod good enough, or is it worth waiting for the few days the paid version?

As far as I know, the paid version isn't the same as the original mod, but I could be wrong. Based on the things that happen in the original, I don't think it's possible for them to do a 1 for 1 translation into a standalone thing.

The demo is clever and extremely well put together, but the demo felt like it dragged on a bit too long. The humor made me chuckle a couple of times but nothing on the level of something like Portal.

No, it's not as funny as Portal. But then, what is that funny [in games]?

I'm not comparing it to Portal (either in theme or atmosphere). This is more like an actual interactive novel.

The stuff in the isolation chamber was absolute brilliance. And if we're feeling like it's necessary to compare it to Portal, I'd say it was as good as anything in Portal. Also, it was a demo. A Demo. Fuck, who puts that much work into shit like this?

Edit: Yes, I'm aware I just compared it to Portal. Seems like lots of people will. I think that's a mistake. I would compare it to Antechamber before Portal - and this is vastly superior to Antechamber.

I'm just saying that in the absence of gameplay, if you're going to rely heavily on the writing to keep peoples' interest then it almost needs to be as funny as Portal. Of course that's if humor is what you're going for. I have no idea if the full game is going to use the same writing style or if it's going to go for something completely different.

This demo is absolutely worth playing, but even in just a 20-30 minute demo it had trouble sustaining my interest at times and made me question if I'd really want to play the full version. Just based on the craftsmanship alone, I'd like to support this game. I mean, I don't want to focus completely on the negative here. Like I said there's some pretty clever stuff in the way the demo is presented and how you move through it. The whole thing is very close to being brilliant and I hope the final product can make that leap.

Hmm kinda liked it. Kinda disappointed that it wasn't a promo for portal 3.

Hmm kinda liked it. Kinda disappointed that it wasn't a promo for portal 3.

The demo feels kind of like portal with no gameplay, but with a better narrator. I assume that's probably accurate for the actual game too.

Also, while playing Game Dev Tycoon, I often wondered what a game where you jack the "gameplay" slider all the way to zero would look like. Now I know.

I just don't see the "Portal" bits you all are seeing. Is anything that ever comes out in the future without a proper gun and with a narrator that speaks clearly going to be compared to Portal? Are we really as simple as as a lobotomized Roger Ebert?

It's missing cohesion in a way that bothers me. The narrator oscillates between omnipotent and bewildered, ingratiating and snooty; and the inconsistency makes it feel like each room was just a random thing the developers thought would be clever. That's hard to make work on a scale much larger than 30 minutes unless the devs really are just chock-full of isolation chamber-level inspiration. I agree that it's only superficially like Portal, but as long as we're making comparisons, Portal and Antichamber both established the player's relationship to the game at minute 1 and stuck to that theme, and that provides a lot of appeal.

In general I like what they're doing but the demo really did give me absolutely no idea what to expect from the real game.

What else would you compare it to?

I think the overarching goal is to fuck with the end user.

You don't see any similarity between two non-combat first-person games running on the same engine where you play a silent protagonist being directed by a humorously written narrator though a complex containing odd tech and which is completely devoid of other people? Granted Portal has better writing and actual gameplay, so maybe that's what's throwing you off.

I'd compare it first to, like, Photopia or something.

Nothing, really.

This is quite possible.

This. Add to that the fact that you have no idea why you are in the mysterious complex and that the demo clearly hints that you might want to escape but won't be able to. I have no idea if the actual game is a completely different thing, for all I know there might be an actual game in the full version, or enemies, or no puzzles at all, no jumping, no narrator, no mystery, no captivity, no reference to the fact that you or someone else have been doing the same thing over and over, no creepy sarcasm, no storage rooms with decommitted elements of the facililty, no emotional machineries, no elevator to escape to the surface, and maybe this demo is just a nod, a tribute to Portal, but playing this demo and NOT comparing it to Portal is "trying too hard".

Less than five seconds to "GAH!" .... I like it!

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/868747/f13berete.jpg)

 :why_so_serious:

You bring berets up a lot.  You're really not as clever or funny as you think you are.

I mean, hell, the title of the game should be sufficient.  This isn't a discussion of Military Bro-Fist 2013: The Shootening.

Ouch, why do you have to be so mean? Seriously, somebody needs to pull out that particular symbolism around here occasionally. Too many of you think that just because you like something that it must be good, and that anybody who disagrees is terrible with bad taste.

Also, I am as clever and as funny as most people here have taste, so there's that. Make of that what you will.

By the way, this is a good game that people should try. They just need to not think about it too hard.

Edit to your Edit: You read into my beret the wrong direction. I don't like bro shooters.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/82533/nevermind.gif)

Anyhow, I'll have to get around to playing this demo, since I just did the whole "watch a video" thing. 

I didn't watch the video, as instructed, and I think if I had watched the video first that it would not have had the impact it did.

I'll also say that I don't think this demo is good in the way that I might say something must be played because you're missing out otherwise.  I think it's good because it fucked with my expectations and made me giggle.  I probably also appreciate the work that went into it.

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it, though.

Based on the demo, 15 to 20 bucks is the top end for me on purchase price.

I can't imagine spending more than an hour or two on it, tops, unless there's more involved gameplay.  Clever or not, that would wear me out fast.

I forgot to say that instead of Portal, it reminds me of Quantum Conundrum.

I really think that everyone who wasn't sold by the demo but was interested to know more should try out the Source mod that can be played for free without having to own any Half-Life games (just have to install Source SDK on steam).

http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable/downloads

I think it paints a better picture of what the narrative in this game will possibly be. The demo is much more directed than the Source mod.

Unlocks on Steam in less than two hours, but the price is still a mystery.


Same for me, about 17€ max or wait for it to go on sale.

Just came out. $11.99 USD.

Nice.

I can safely say that the Stanley Parable game is not the same at all as the mod that came out prior. It is its own beast.

Is it a beast worth $12?

http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-stanley-parable-hd-263731.phtml

Quite the review. And yes, at 12 dollars this game is an absolute steal for being a truly unique piece of entertainment.

Is this on Steam or where can I get it?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/221910/

These achievements

(http://i.imgur.com/QO9VY5V.jpg)

Not that it matters that much, but any idea on how long is it? I just want to try and assess if I'd have the time to play it now, or it's better for me to wait until I larger gaming window.

You can get things out of the game in smaller chunks, based on how it, uh, works. I don't want to say much more than that.

This, uh, "game"'s structure is EXCEPTIONAL.

I am so confused. I guess that's the point. So this is more than graphic novel with very meta, non-tranditional story?  Because that's what the demo was.

After an hour, I feel that this 'game' is more like the freshmen I see around campus carrying a Nietzsche book for the sole purpose of being seen with it.  

It's trying too hard to be more than what it is.  I want my $12 back.

I'm surprised you bought it. This is definitely not what "trying too hard" looks like in video games.

See: Double Fine's entire catalog.

I think we're talking past each other.  Just came off a bit preachy to me. 

 

We are, absolutely. Being invested in the indie art game universe results in playing a LOT OF REALLY SHITTY STUFF. This is not in that class of game.

Agreed.  It's very well crafted.  I did appreciate that part.

I'm intrigued, but I think I'll watch a Quick Look of this before deciding whether to buy or not.

I got over 2 solid hours of entertainment out of this, found a whole pile of endings, variations on things, and things that just made me laugh, and I suspect I haven't seen everything yet, but I'm probably close.  Well worth the $12.

Observed endings

Some Favorite Bits

Finally, a game that acknowledges and even rewards my willful belligerence.

OK FINE ILL BY THE FUCKING GAME

But this had better not turn out to be another Gone Home!!!!

I can't handle the voice droning on and on, but otherwise this seems okay.

My first efforts to be belligerent did not end well.

Well it's similar to gone home, there is no fighting or action, just walking.  It's a nice break for people who play way too many games, like most of us here.  I also liked gone home but recognize both of these games are very niche.

Dear Esther, on the other hand, I didn't really care for at all.

God, this game will have to get the 2013 F13 Spoiler Tag Award.  I'm avoiding spoilers inside my spoilers.

Gone Home is fantastic.

HOT TIPS:

Just to note, I don't have a problem with a walking around exploration visual novel non-game game (as a matter of fact, I really like the idea!).

I was just sort of let down by Gone Home, as I thought it could have been way better.  Or I should say, more interesting.  Going into detail on why I didn't like the story/ending would be a massive spoiler though, so I'll leave it at that for those who haven't played.  I'll also hazard a guess that the story just "wasn't meant for me" judging by the number of other people loved it so much.

But because I love the idea of a visual novel/video game so much, I went ahead an purchased this (though I'll probably play it tomorrow).  I also purchased Dear Escher, which I felt was a let down for almost exactly opposite reasons Gone Home was.

I don't get it.  Why would I spend money on this?  Played the demo and all I feel is that I just wasted 30 minutes of my night.

Just from the title that sounds amazing.

What I find strange about these games is that they are often pitched as games for non-gamers or "normal" people, but the real audience is mostly super hardcore guys who need a palette cleanser and appreciate them in part because of how different they are from standard fare.

......actually, somebody needs to make that.  You're right, that sounds amazing.

Dear Esther, the game I actually meant, was a let down however.   :awesome_for_real:

That reminds me of what is going on with Beyond: Two Souls. There isn't really much game there, it's just a story, a movie. And based on how much the story touched you, was "meant for you", your appreciation of it is going to vary a lot. That is why, I would say, the game is getting such mixed reviews.

This sounds exactly up my alley.

Played this for a couple of hours last night.  I think I like it, and it's worth checking out, but some parts of it are a bit... um... repetitive?

Haha, ok, I'm officially amused.  Played it a little bit so far, and it had me laughing out loud several times.  There does seem to be a lot of choice in the way things can go, so there should be some long depth to this.  I'll probably it in small amounts over the next week.  Certainly way more happy with this purchase already than I was at the end of Gone Home or Dear Esther.
I found this whole argument very funny considering what happens in game.   :awesome_for_real:

So, I've played this some and am enjoying it.  I'll play it more.   There are some interesting things here and I want to explore it more.

Do you like decision trees and meaningful choices? If so, BUY THIS GAME.

If not? Buy it anyway because it's not Nazi Face Blaster FPS 5000, and things like this deserve to be funded.

Either way, don't watch any goddamned videos, just play the game. I guess you can play the demo.

I played the demo *after* playing the game.  I can safely say that apart from re-using some visual assets, and using some similar storytelling techniques, they are completely independent of each other.

Any reason to play the mod if you've played the game?

My understanding is that the game is a superset of the mod (more endings, more content, fancier), but I was thinking about giving the mod a look just to see where things evolved from.

edit: I just installed and played through the original mod -- it's an interesting piece of archeology, but a pale shadow of the full final game -- I'd definitely advise playing the final game first and going back to check out the mod later if you're curious.  Doing it the other way around will spoil bits of the game in a way the demo does not.

Spoilers for both:

Played Stanley a little more and I'm a bit more sure now that I like it.  It sort of "clicked" for me once I got that the meta-narrative was completely subverting the story that the narrator was trying to tell, and in more ways than one.

The comparison to Portal is funny because while it feels like Portal (and to some extent Half-Life) in many ways, it's really more of a satire of that type of game.  It's almost like the relationship Spec Ops: The Line has to military shooters.

I know the part you mean, and that's not where the comparisons are coming from.   :awesome_for_real:  It's more the "weird office complex with a weird and vaguely menacing narrator" thing; you can get that much from the trailer.

I have some thoughts about the story and I want to see if they make sense and/or were instantly obvious to other people.  Engage your berets.

I'd say that is a valid onion.  The satirical element was readily observed, but it extended to an unexpected yet pleasing depth.  I do wish someone could somehow get Ebert to play this.

Considering he's dead that might be tough.

Yes.

Of course Narrative1
Based on the author's notes in the original mod

The way I'm thinking of it Narrative¹ is the story that the narrator is (trying to) tell you within the frame of Narrative².  The narrator himself isn't part of that story.  But yes, exactly.

I also went for "willfully belligerent".  My first instinct is always to try to go off the rails; I think it's a habit developed from years of trying to find software bugs.   :awesome_for_real:

I got mine from years of trying to find secrets in JRPGs.  If you go down the obvious path, you'll miss out on optional things when the scene changes or the door closes behind you.

I think The Confusion Ending is my favorite so far.

That was the first one I got.  Although I never got to the part AFTER you see the script.  Does that ever actually happen or is it a misdirect?

The confusion ending is definitely my favorite.  Second favorite is the one that winds up in the behind-the-scenes museum (more for the museum than the lead-up to it).

Have any of you completed the speed run achievement?

Yeah, I got it.