Disappointed (?) Spoilers -

Am I the only one who is kind of disappointed with this game? I was REALLY looking forward to a new Tex Murphy game and I'm having difficulty enjoying this. Many of the puzzles are ridiculous (the light puzzle to fix the satellite power - I can't even figure out what to do in order to solve it!! The instructions are vague and just make no sense) . There are other puzzles like that as well. The save system is awful. I finished reactivating the mech in the beehive yesterday then shut it down. When i started up today, I was outside the beehive and had to work my way past the bees again. It took 3 or 4 tries because I kept dying due to beestings at the second opwer bar (yes the bug bomb was still active). Earlier in the game I was on level 4 and had to backtrack to level 3 to get an item I had missed. after I climbed the stairs back to level 4 I found that I had to go re-find the items I had picked up because they had mysteriously vanished from my inventory!!! Tried to solve the oscilloscope puzzle and when I clcked to start it, it skipped instead so I didn't even have a chance to try it. Immediately after that, I went to save the game and it crashed to desktop. I'm sorry. I really like the overall plot and gameplay but technically, this thing is a buggy mess!!! I hope they come out with some sort of a patch soon!
I'll admit I had a what the heck moment at the oscilloscope exam, because it was unconventionally telling me to skip, but I think the thing to keep in mind is that this is largely a fan made game. I have recommended to Big Finish an upgrade in the saving system if they do a later patch. The oscilloscope puzzle occurs later on.
Don't forget to report these issues to BFG. I heard they are working on another patch so be sure to let them know.

Yes I've had issues with the saving as well. I'd cross a bumch of mines and saved only to later restore in front of the mines and have to cross them again. The only thing I noticed is that if you make it to a room and then save, you'll come back to that room. If you are in a hallway or open area, you usually get dumped somewhere else.
Samantha


Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
I actually understand most of your problems, GaryHollman.

Having more Smart Alex dialog for unique deaths would've been nice. More video for deaths would've been even better.

The puzzles seemed fine to me. They are in some instances not aggravating enough. Tex has some tips for puzzles which he cannot possibly know.

And yet, I still loved the game and I'm not disappointed. Oh well.
I really don't understand how you could die so many times from trying to get past the bees. You have the gas mask, right? If you have the gas mask, and have the bug bomb in place, all you have to do is avoid stepping on any bees. That's it; just don't step on them.
Overall I really enjoyed the game and once exams are over i'm going to replay it to get to those other paths and endings. If I had to criticise, I find it too puzzle driven. If you go back to UKAM/PD/Overseer, there's a lot of interviewing and investigating. I would have liked more of this, something a bit of forensic, a bit more hands on. It just felt very puzzle-travel-cinematic-puzzle-puzzle-combine object-puzzle.

In some cases the puzzles repeat themselves too since you have both the baseball card puzzle AND sudoku puzzle on the same day, in fact I think they follow directly on from one another. So the game just needed that bit more diversity when it comes to gameplay. For me, I loved the survival/stealth/hazard elements to the game. I'd like to see some more of that but maybe where Tex needs to outrun gun fire, a bit like Robert Knott's cabin.
Yes Joel, that's my major criticism. For being a detective, I felt I did not get to do enough investigating.

We didn't really get to find clues, search through trash bins, bribe people for information, assemble notes, or anything like in the previous games. I enjoy puzzles but felt this game lacked the 'I' in 'PI'.
Samantha


Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
Last edited by Joel on June 09, 2014 • 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It could be also to do with the fact that to Big Finish the UNITY engine was quite new and they were just finding their footing with it. Remember, they only realised once they were in development that the golf simulation wouldn't work. All along they had planned to put it in. So many the more puzzle oriented approach stems from their lack of experience with the engine. Now that they've worked with the engine, should they get the opportunity for another game, they should be more confident with it next time around.
Best way to describe it is that things were too automated and I think this game holds the record for the number of keypads.
Yeah I agree. Now they've shaken out the bugs and know how to work with Unity, I expect Tex Murphy 7 will be amazing.
Samantha


Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.
sam10100 wrote:Yeah I agree. Now they've shaken out the bugs and know how to work with Unity, I expect Tex Murphy 7 will be amazing.
Exactly. :D
sam10100 wrote:Yeah I agree. Now they've shaken out the bugs and know how to work with Unity, I expect Tex Murphy 7 will be amazing.
You speak of Tex 7 like it's a matter of fact ;)
sam10100 wrote:Yeah I agree. Now they've shaken out the bugs and know how to work with Unity, I expect Tex Murphy 7 will be amazing.
Geez sam, for a programmer, that's an extraordinarily optimistic statement. :shock:
yes the saving is a pain, at times I think its a waste of time saving as it will only save at the area you are in & not where you are in the game.
Lynne
tex murphy is back in town
sam10100 wrote:Yes Joel, that's my major criticism. For being a detective, I felt I did not get to do enough investigating.

We didn't really get to find clues, search through trash bins, bribe people for information, assemble notes, or anything like in the previous games. I enjoy puzzles but felt this game lacked the 'I' in 'PI'.
I agree Sam. When you think of the puzzles and investigations in Pandora Directive (eg. opening the puzzle boxes and using the alein abductor in Roswell), nothing in Tesla Effect really comes close.

Still, it is an enjoyable game and thankfully very reminscent of the old Tex games in story and tone