Feedback on Sundered Pass and Tale 3

[Alcator]

Just finished Tale #3 and mapped the entirety of Sundered Pass, so some feedback:

1. The crack in the right-side road is a really bad design in a game without jumping.
2. I could not find a use for a rope I found; I was hoping that once I reach the Weather Station, I will find some deployment spot from which to lower the rope and create a shortcut of some sort, but nope. Just a reminder that we asked for such 'shortcut-making' option back when Bleak Inlet was released, with its cool but annoying parkour access route, and here we are, years later and we're still staring at a broken bridge where we can't even put down a plank (from the Weather Station's side) to create a bridge :-(
3. The last 'blog' by the Stalker, where he seems to be narrating a dialogue between him and Rudiger -- the voice acting is not good, it's nearly impossible to distinguish what is Rudiger's and what is the other guy's speech (I know it's the same person saying it).
4. The final polaroid is a red herring -- it, together with the "3 out of 4" indication in the Journal, suggests that I should go looking for some place, when in fact I was supposed to pick up a wrist watch.

My biggest problem with the entire trilogy of Tales:

What was the point of Rudiger's machine again? What did it actually do, or was supposed to do? From the very first tale, the writing, the 'patient logs' etc., it all seemed very 'Cthulhu-like', some sort of cosmic horror infecting people, causing hallucinations; even the second tale hinted at that, including the 'getting knocked out' by the machine upon mere contact. But the finale, if we can even call it that, seems to say that Rudiger was trying to *predict the future*? How precisely does using unwilling/unwitting test subjects and causing hallucinations or memory loss to them achieve that?

[PowerOn]

Originally posted by Alcator:

2. I could not find a use for a rope I found; I was hoping that once I reach the Weather Station, I will find some deployment spot from which to lower the rope and create a shortcut of some sort, but nope.

You can use this rope for make a shortcut - although their usability is dubious, and is not for climb down from the Weather Station, but for climb up to the mine.

That rope installed allow walk back to the mine, starting in Weather Station.

You can enter the mine only by one side - coming from the roads, after cross the mine just ahead to the left are a wolf patrolling (2 in Stalker), behind them there's the point to attach the rope, that go to the plateau low level.

Climb down there don't make sense, are a Timberwolf wolf pack for the left blocking the path for the main road and for reach the Weather Station is a long way for the right, but you can go though a one way path in the mid level

So after put the rope return a bit for left - where are a small frozen pound with cat tails, and from there for a narrow gully in the left side, following will end in that one way jump - you are now in the upper part; crossing there will cross the three bridge, and after a roots climbing will cross a one way steep down and end in the rope for climb for Weather Station.

So, let's say you are camped in the Weather Station and need coal, start walking down the the road for the broken bridge, but ~50 meters from the crashed truck goat down to the mid level bellow Weather Station - were sometimes are a Rabbit, Ptarmigans. I used to climb down there for catch them. Goat down moving for the left, for the right warranty sprains,

From this point you can return to weather station going for for left, trough the roots climb ad after the one way steep down will end in the rope for climb for the Weather Station.

If after goad down follow straight ahead will cross a tree bridge but will find the path blocked by that one way jump - you are now in the lower part.

But if go for right can goat down for the lower level of the plateau, a cattail area - but first watch if the Timberwolves pack are just ahead or for the right, if are for the right OK, but if are ahead is not goo idea climb down, they are blocking the path for the rope installed by you.

If path is clear you can goat down and reach the rope installed before, that allow reach the mine, need bypass that 1 -2 normal wolves in high level.

Sleep in the mine, pick the coal and when returning don't go for the rope, but for that one way jump that lead to the tree bridge and finally to the rope for climb for Weather Station.

I use that rope one time, camped in Weather Station, living from Ptarmigans and Rabbit meat and making Rabbit hat and gloves, need fuel, so go pick coal in the mine.

[Mega Mangos]

On 1. I second that notion. I tested it and It IS technically possible to walk across it, albeit at a very precise angle and a little bit of wiggling. But since the collision and stepping up rocks has always been a tad jank, it makes that gap impossible to get over consistently. Thankfully if you get stuck, you can skyrim down the mountain in relative safety.

It's one of things where they need to make it obviously wider to say, "find another way around," or have a way for the character to bridge the gap, maybe with some boards or a pallet they could pick up.

[Bunsen Honeydew]

Have to say i was a bit underwhelmed by the end of story. Perhaps they should have left the discovery of the "machine" to this part (i.e. you go back to ZO,C mine, and not FA bunker).