Branching story?

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

I remember that the last time I played this game there was a boss battle where I had to lure a giant robot into a crusher. This hasn't seemed to have happened in this playthrough. Is this because I took a different path and if so are there many moments like this?

[MysticaL-AceR]

What do you mean exactly? As if the giant robot isn't there to lure it into the incinerator? It hasn't spawned or what?

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

Originally posted by MysticaL-AceR:

What do you mean exactly? As if the giant robot isn't there to lure it into the incinerator? It hasn't spawned or what?

I mean as in I remember that part happening in my last playthrough but I'm further along in the game and it still hasn't happened. I'm currently at the part where I need to take out the missile defence system

[Goober]

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

Originally posted by MysticaL-AceR:

What do you mean exactly? As if the giant robot isn't there to lure it into the incinerator? It hasn't spawned or what?

I mean as in I remember that part happening in my last playthrough but I'm further along in the game and it still hasn't happened. I'm currently at the part where I need to take out the missile defence system

The section you're referring to is the trash bot/combot fight, and it's at the end of the Maintenance chapter - after you kidnap Gryphon from Corporate HQ. The sequence is not skippable (unless you're using speedrun-exclusive out-of-bounds skips, but that's definitely not something you'd be able to do unintentionally).

If you're at the missile defense system part of the campaign (which is in the Communications Tower chapter, after the Capek fight), you're 6 whole chapters past that sequence.

Here's a timestamped link to the trash bot/combot fight in my Red Faction longplay:
https://youtu.be/y58fSHBI8Ss?t=4213

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

Originally posted by Goober:

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I mean as in I remember that part happening in my last playthrough but I'm further along in the game and it still hasn't happened. I'm currently at the part where I need to take out the missile defence system

The section you're referring to is the trash bot/combot fight, and it's at the end of the Maintenance chapter - after you kidnap Gryphon from Corporate HQ. The sequence is not skippable (unless you're using speedrun-exclusive out-of-bounds skips, but that's definitely not something you'd be able to do unintentionally).

If you're at the missile defense system part of the campaign (which is in the Communications Tower chapter, after the Capek fight), you're 6 whole chapters past that sequence.

Here's a timestamped link to the trash bot/combot fight in my Red Faction longplay:
https://youtu.be/y58fSHBI8Ss?t=4213

I remember everything up to the point at 1 hour and 6 minutes where you encounter the checkpoint but i never did the compactor fight, dont think i was even in the area. I have dash faction installed but i thought that doesnt alter how anything plays out. I wish i had a savefile from that part but I mostly used quicksave.

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

I dont think I actually went through the checkpoint. I might have backtracked from there and went another way. Are you absolutely sure there is no way to complete the game without the compactor fight? I remember that at some point Gryfon disappeared and supposedly was lead to EOS by Orion

[Goober]

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I remember everything up to the point at 1 hour and 6 minutes where you encounter the checkpoint but i never did the compactor fight, dont think i was even in the area. I have dash faction installed but i thought that doesnt alter how anything plays out. I wish i had a savefile from that part but I mostly used quicksave.

Dash Faction won't modify the flow of the game like that, except for fixing bugs that impair your ability to progress of course, like the submarine explosion. Nothing Dash Faction does would allow you to avoid or skip the trash bot/incinerator area, especially unintentionally.

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I dont think I actually went through the checkpoint. I might have backtracked from there and went another way. Are you absolutely sure there is no way to complete the game without the compactor fight? I remember that at some point Gryfon disappeared and supposedly was lead to EOS by Orion

I'm absolutely sure there's no way to avoid that area, and unless you've discovered a previously unknown bug, or are abusing some out-of-bounds speedrun tech (which as I said before, couldn't be done unless you intended to do it), you would have had to go through the sequence where you fight the robot and lead him to the incinerator. In fact, the sequence where Gryphon is taken by Orion to Eos happens in a cutscene immediately after the fight with that robot.


I've included a timestamped link to the current world record speedrun for that area, in case you were curious about how that area is skipped in speedruns. If you watch it, I'm sure you'll agree with me in saying it's not something you could do accidentally :P
https://youtu.be/Z7eHwaWNxOY?t=872


EDIT: Actually, thinking about it, technically there is one way you could pass through that area without fighting the bot. You'd still have to visit the area, but if you visit that area, shoot the bot a bit, then idle for 9 minutes, the bot will explode on its own and the cutscene will start. Unless you got up and left your PC after loading into that level and shooting at the robot though, that's not likely to have happened here. There's some more information on the RF FAQ on the community wiki on exactly how the mechanics of that fight, and the 9-minute failsafe work: https://www.redfactionwiki.com/wiki/Red_Faction_FAQ#How_do_I_kill_the_giant_robot_.28combot.2Ftrash_disposal_bot.29.3F

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

I have no idea frankly, I don't think I even got to the section where the fight happens and I don't remember a cutscene showing me handing gryfon off either, he just kind of disappeared at one point.

[Goober]

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I have no idea frankly, I don't think I even got to the section where the fight happens and I don't remember a cutscene showing me handing gryfon off either, he just kind of disappeared at one point.

The only way that would have happened is if you at some point loaded an existing savegame file from later in the campaign, or used the in-game developer console to manually load a level from later in the campaign.

Do you recall the Aesir (fighter aircraft) fight in the cave immediately before that section?

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

Originally posted by Goober:

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I have no idea frankly, I don't think I even got to the section where the fight happens and I don't remember a cutscene showing me handing gryfon off either, he just kind of disappeared at one point.

The only way that would have happened is if you at some point loaded an existing savegame file from later in the campaign, or used the in-game developer console to manually load a level from later in the campaign.

Do you recall the Aesir (fighter aircraft) fight in the cave immediately before that section?

I think me just loading the wrong savegame at some point and it being close enough in the story to not notice is possible but I am not sure. I also do not remember the Aesir fight. I remember the checkpoint and getting to the area shown here https://youtu.be/Z7eHwaWNxOY?t=937 but not what happened in between

[Goober]

Originally posted by ZastavaArms_Tavish:

I think me just loading the wrong savegame at some point and it being close enough in the story to not notice is possible but I am not sure. I also do not remember the Aesir fight. I remember the checkpoint and getting to the area shown here but not what happened in between

If that's the case and you did load an existing savegame file, you would have skipped the entire Medical Research chapter, and most of the Maintenance chapter I'm afraid :(

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

I will watch your video from the checkpoint and see if I recognize anything earlier

[ZastavaArms_Tavish]

I seem to actually remember all of the medical research chapter