Journal Of My Playthrough

[SpartanIII]

Background

Writing helps me remember my thoughts so I've decided to keep a sort of journal chronicling my experience with this game. Hopefully this will be interesting to those who've already played the game and would like to experience it anew through someone else. Spoilers will, of course, follow. If you're currently playing through the game, you might still wish to read. I'll indicate at the start of each post how much I've played and hopefully you can estimate whether or not I've played beyond you.

I first heard about Pathologic five or so years ago. Some folks on a forum were discussing art and video games and this one guy said that he had only played two games that he felt really ascended to a higher realm. Pathologic was one of these games. He linked to someone else's write-up of the game and I read it.

I was fascinated. It sounded unlike anything I had ever played or even heard of. Unfortunately, I was told, the English translation was nearly incomprehensible so I kind of forgot about the game for years.

Then this HD version showed up on Steam just now and here I am.

Session 1: 76 Minutes

I chose the Bachelor because I understood his bio more than the other's. Last thing that happened is that I've talked to the Kains about stuff and agreed to do the stuff they want me to do.

Plenty of games are campy, but this game is campy in a very interesting way. Let's list some of the "bad" things about this game.

• The voice acting is bad-ish. One voice or so so far was good, but most of these voices sound like they're reading lines that were written in a language they don't understand.
  
• The graphics are weird and outdated (even by 2005 standards there's a kind of ugliness to it).
  
• The music repeats kind of awkwardly.

What's interesting about all this is that I dig it for all of these reasons. The awkward voices, the mixture of modern graphics (motion blur) with old ugliness, the repetitive music -- It makes the game feel surreal and dreamlike. The repeating music in particular gives of a Twin Peaks vibe (That show had only a few tracks that were repeated over and over). It's dreamy. I have no clue if any of this was intentional, but it's more than the sum of its parts. The "badness" works in the game's favor.

So the game's got this recurring theme of fate / control and free will / liberty. Those creepy two dudes liken what's about to happen to a play with actors who've been told what to do. I like how this kind of plays with the fourth wall. That is, these two seem to know they're in a game. All this talk of free will, control, choices, and whatnot makes me very self-conscious of the fact that I'm playing a game.

Plenty of games have been doing the whole Po-Mo / Self Aware bit, yes, so I'm not saying this is groundbraking. Still, (1) it's interesting and (2) this game is 10 years old so it actually predates a lot of the more well known Po-Mo games (The Stanley Parable, Bioshock's twist, etc.)

One final thought.

I had a headache and took a bunch of pills. The combination of a former headache plus the after effects of pill always makes me feel "floaty." I suspect that this is enhancing my experience of the game.

I should take a break and then play more. Get the most out of that headache. See you guys again shortly.

[Alberich]

Interesting observations. I can't speak as to the themes increasing relavance to the plot since that'd spoil the game, but you hit crucial points. Also, heh, don't hurt yourself with the headache, though I first played this when I was half-delusional and feverish, so I have no room to judge. Agreed on the outdated graphics being part of the charm. Anyway, this is interesting, so if you update this, I'd definitely follow along, especially since Pathologic's forums are as slow as a pygmy with a broken leg. Good luck with the following days man, it's about to get interesting!

[SpartanIII]

Session 2: Roughly two hours. Three hours total. 7:00 PM - ish, Day 1

A few months ago my brother and I watched the Tim Burton Sleepy Hollow[tvtropes.org] from 1999. Main character is a rational scientist type who journeys to a rural / out-of-the-way town to investigate some suspicious supernatural stuff. Being a man of science, he rolls his eyes at the local talk of a headless dude who takes other people's heads. Sure enough though, it's all real. He's like, "Nuts! I'm a man of science! But it's all true!"

Here I am now playing a doctor who goes to a rural / out-of-the-way town and hears about a bunch of supernatural stuff. My exact responses are, of course, up to me as a player, but the gist I get is that my doctor guy doesn't place to much stock in claivoyance, astrology, fate, and the like. If current trends continue, there will be some supernatural stuff going on[tvtropes.org].

Tropers, help me out here. There's got to be a trope for that kind of setup but I can't name it.

In Bioshock Infinite, the Lutece twins keep popping up like they're stalking you. They seem to know more than they're letting on. The Executor and the Tragedian kind of remind me of the Lutece twins. In both games we have a knowledgeable duo that stalks the main character and, at least early on, their nature isn't known. Cool sauce.

Also, Bioshock Infinite's Burial At Sea DLC has a motif about plays, so that's funny too.

Loving the sound in this game. Those barking dogs that never seem to become visible is just the right kind of unsettling. Standing atop those staircase ruins I heard faint children's crying. Ghastly.

Said Yulia Lyuricheva: "I had no trouble forming a trustworthy tessellation out of the most imperceptible contingencies.[tvtropes.org]" I don't even.

Some really interesting paintings on the walls. One had this guy standing on a bridge looking down at a crowd.

Midday things are really quite pretty. The clouds, leaves, etc.

I'm digging how you really feel the passing of time. Every hour there's that bell. Makes me paranoid. I love me some Elder Scrolls, but I'm liking how this game forces me to work within the confines of time.

Aaaaaaaaand as wrote that I realized the game's been talking about how we're all victims of time. SO KEWL IM SO SMART FOR NOING TAHT

But seriously, that's awesome. :)

That said, I got a tad frustrated this session. I know this game's all about not holding your hand or anything, but I've seriously spent some time wandering around pointlessly because I didn't know where to go. I figured out my problem with the aid of Steam forums, but I really don't like having to ask someone else just to make the game playable.

Right now I'm hunting down that stuff those kids were drinking. I hope I'll figure this next thing out without having to look up the solution. But I'm kinda stuck again...

[Alberich]

The executioner and tragdian are actually not too important to the plague storyline itself. They're really important to the meta of the game, which includes the true ending, which is territory that unfortunately just screams out spoilers. You're gonna find out the nature of the theater and how it all ties into the town as time goes by, mostly because Bacholer's plot is related to higher human ideals, as his admittedly lofty goal of conquering death will attest to.

Yulia's lines become a bit more comprehensible once you get past the first few days and begin learning of her character. Her "imperceptible contigencies" are actually completely understandable when your journey into discovering the source of the plague actually begins.

Time is just one of the many abstract concepts the game explores, and I have a feeling the true nature of the polyherdron is going to blow your mind if you dig many of the game's themes.

There's actually a guide that marks down locations for you and gives out pertinent advice and such. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/pathologic/guide.zip Its for the original translation, so many names and locations are labelled different from the new translation, but even so its immensely helpful if you get stuck, though I'd recommend trying to go without it if you really want to feel the game's oppressive nature. There's also a hint where the bag is in your journal, I think, where he says its right across town from Eva's back window, but don't quote me on that.

Hope your journey goes well, doc.

[SpartanIII]

@ Guy above me. I want to read what you said, but the first bit looked spoilerific. Is your post spoiler friendly??

[Alberich]

Yeah, its spoiler-friendly, I wouldn't spoil the game for you. It's a wild ride man, and worth experiencing. :D

[SpartanIII]

Session 3: Bout an hour. Four hours total. Nearing Midnight, Day 1

Ugh...Not sure what to do.

I feel like I've hit a dead end on everything.

• I get a letter saying I should meet Katerina at The Rod. If I don't a thing will kill me. I met her and...Did I miss something? Because I don't think she gave me any useful information. I ended up dying at midnight twice.
  
  
• Need to find Big Vlad's son...no luck.
  
  
• Went to see that guy hiding in a lady's basement. He attacked me and then disappeared when I came back. Lady had no new dialogue.

I don't know how many times I've walked across the whole map to talk to someone again on the off chance they have new dialogue. They usually didn't.

I'm not giving up. I'm sure there's a lot here if I can truck through it. It's just that I don't want to simply read a guide for every single problem I have. Essentially I want to keep playing but I feel clueless.

Why are some markers on my map red and others white?

Maybe I should start all over? Nuts.

[Real Sandwich]

The map marker's colour is related to what type of quest it points you to. Red shows you points of interest in the main quest, while yellow/white is part of the side quest.

The first day of Bachelor's scenario is a bit special, because you absolutely have to finish the main quest of the day by midnight, or you'll die (as Katerina tells you when you visit her at the Rod). On any of the coming days, failing the main quest will let you continue, but one of your Bound will fall ill or die. Also remember that the first day is in many ways the hardest, because it's not always 100% obvious where you need to go. Just power through it and things will get clearer, I assure you.

If you're pretty much at midnight already, I'd suggest you try and reload an earlier save, so you have more time to complete the main quest of the day. But the main thing you need to do right now is find Big Vlad's son. I believe there are several ways to do so (one of which probably eluded your attention right after finishing the conversation with Big Vlad). I'm not sure if you want me to give you a hint, but that's your main objective right now.

[SpartanIII]

@ Some people above:

Sounds good. I'll think a little more about whether or nor not to start all over and I'll prep myself psychologically to delve back into the game. I hope to post again soon-ish.

Thanks folks!

[SpartanIII]

Session 4:

Stats:

• Duration: Roughly 80 Minutes.
  
• Total Time Played: Roughly 6 hours.
  
• Time In-game: 10:30-ish AM, Day 1.

After some deliberation and a week or so of doing real life stuff, I decided to start over. I skimmed some guides and read you guys' advice. I'm right after talking with the Kains.

As per guides / advice, I did nothing but loot trash cans for a few hours. Got some trinkets and maybe 25-ish bottles of water. I've yet to use them but I've been told they're helpful.

I still didn't really follow what was said in that opening bit where you walk around a balcony and listen to these three people, but I finally realized that they're the three main characters.

It was nice seeing the pre-rendered cutscene which followed again now that I already recognize those characters. Feels just a tad less confuddling.

Liked what Georgiy said:

Originally posted by Georgiy:

I have no doubts that everyone will tell you the truth, but they will tell it in such a fashion that this truth will conceal the reality better than any deception could. [...] Don't jump to conclusions. Compare different versions. [...] None of us will stoop to outright slander so everything that will be said will most likely be true, but this truth will be one-sided and incomplete.

Definitely applicable in real life.

So yeah, didn't do too much but I'm glad to be back. I'll see day two soon enough!

EDIT: One more thing. How does the buying / selling / trading / etc. work? When is it good to sell or buy things?

[Real Sandwich]

Nice to see you giving it another attempt!

The opening "play" with the three characters are them mainly explaining their respective ways of thinking and approaching the plague. Whereas the Bachelor has a scientific, slightly arrogant worldview, the Haruspex shares history with the town - a heritage which brings special knowledge. The Changeling is the most mysterious of the three, spouting mysticism and promises of miracles. You'll eventually get to know the other two, regardless of who you play as - they're all present in each other's storylines.

Now, it's still important to loot garbage bins as you go along, but for now you should really focus on getting the main quest of the day done. (As you'll die otherwise). Remember to trade with the townsfolk (there's a dialogue option to do so when conversing with them), as you'll usually be able to get some really good deals out of it. Different NPCs want (and offer) different things, but shops are also helpful from time to time. Not to spoil too much, but please beware that prices fluctuate dramatically from day to day, depending on how the situation of the town changes.

The trading system can be a bit confusing to navigate in at first, but it'll become second nature quickly. To the left is the shopkeeper/NPC's inventory, and yours is on the right. (Sometimes the NPCs won't have anything to trade at all). Just highlight what you want to offer in your inventory, and if the offer is good enough you'll be able to highlight the item you want in their inventory to the left. Press the little arrow symbol in the upper right to finish the transaction.

Best of luck and keep us posted on how things are going!

[root1902]

Yeah make sure you do the main quest at least on the first day, the side quests are also good to introduce you to different characters.

As Real Sandwich says, with trading, your inventory is on the right and their inventory is on the left.

Different characters will trade different things (for example, one of the most common and important trades is trading 5 bottles of water with drunks (they're renamed "carousers" in this version) for bandages) you'll do and those things will be at the top of your inventoy, not blanked out.

There should also be a number in the top right hand corner of your inventory and the NPC's inventory - this is how much the cumulative item is worth in the trade.

When trading with shop keepers or Grief, you also have your total money in the top right corner which can be used to just buy stuff without having to give any items of your own up

[SpartanIII]

Session 5:

Stats:

• Duration: Two-ish hours. A little more.
  
• Total Time Played: Roughly 8 hours.
  
• Time In-game: 1 - 2:00 PM or thereabouts, Day 1.

Things are definitely going better. I still have concerns, but first let's go through what I did.

After speaking with Big Vlad I was now caught up to where I got stuck on my first go through. I leave the building, skim the map, and feel annoyed that, like last time, I have no clue what to do. Then I see the worm guy running by. I had seen him that first time around, but only now do I think of following him for more than a few seconds. Sure enough, he leads me to the younger Vlad.

Here I run into more confusion, though unlike last time, I figure it out soon enough. So Vlad wants me to find Rubin. He mentions three or so places that Rubin had been before. I save a game and try them all out. The terminary wasn't really enter-able. A place on the map with Rubin's name had nothing inside. A place on the map with "warehouse" in its name yielded nothing either. I load the earlier game from before chatting with Rubin so that I can talk to him again. One of Daniil's comments about where Rubin might be mentions the Kains'. I check it out and lo and behold, there Rubin is.

Now for my concern. So far in my journey I usually figure things out in one or both of two ways:

• Trial and error.
• Looking it up online.

So much save re-loading. So much shooting in the dark.

Am I missing something? So for example, was there some clue that Rubin was in fact at the Kains'? If I had found this clue would I not have spent two hours or so wandering around, finding nothing, loading a save, and repeating this until I found what I wanted? I mean Rubin said, "He's stayed at Lara's, the Terminary, and (something about a dissection place in a warehouse)." Short of googling it, could I have done better than just checking those places out? And why did Daniil hypothesize that he'd be at the Kains'? The Kains had mentioned Stanislav before, saying he'd be around at 11:00 (PM or AM??). I don't recall the Kains specifying where Rubin would show up.

I'm all for games not holding your hand, but I don't like choosing between "cheating" by looking stuff up or trying a bunch of stuff out and lucking my way around. I want to take a third option and get my mind on this game's wavelength. I just don't see how.

Miscellaneous stuff:

• Is it just me, or are some names spellled inconsistently? Vlad the younger, for example, referred to Rubin with some other first name. I actually thought it was someone else.
  
  
• Dudes keep attacking women. What's up?
  
  
• I feel kind of bad that I have to reload saves so much. Feels like I'm making the game easier than it should be. That said, I know of no other way to get anything done.
  
  
• Important: After speaking with Georgiy about what Rubin said about inspecting the body soon, my last journal update has asterisks in front of it. Does that mean I'm done for today??

Thanks for all you guys' help. I feel like I need a support group just to play this.

[Real Sandwich]

Asterisks do indeed mean the quest is completed - so you're pretty much free to do what you want for the rest of the day (or side quests, if you feel like it).

The reason people keep attacking women is because they're trying to hunt down something called a shabnak-adyr (a fabled clay man-eater made from bones and taking the shape of a woman). They believe such a creature is responsible for the recent deaths, so you'll occasionally witness what are pretty much witch hunts.

As for the 'inconsistent' names, I believe it's a simple matter of the characters using nicknames for each other. "Vlad" for Vladislav, "Stakh" for Stanislav, (and Vlad's daughter Victoria is known to most people as "Capella"), et.c.

Lastly, I do have to agree that the game can be a bit vague on where you need to go at times - that's one of the reasons it's absolutely crucial to pay attention during the conversations you have with people. But sometimes it's definitely an intentional part of the game to not always know exactly where to go. You were given a couple of options on where to look - realistically, finding a person is as simple as checking off a list of potential locations, until you arrive at the correct one. Day 1 can be tricky because you don't have too much time to finish the day quest, but remember that time management is an integral part of the game. Try not to reload unless you absolutely have to (and not just because you want to cover more ground quicker).

I believe it's mentioned at some point that Rubin is interested in examining Simon's body. So that's an indication that he will show up at some point at the Kain residence. If I remember correctly, the following days and objectives are going to be less cryptic by comparison, however, so that's something to remember.

[SpartanIII]

Cool sauce.

In-game now and I can't seem to start Eva's quest about that butcher. We'll see.

Definitely looking forward to the next days, given that I've been on this first one for so long.

[SpartanIII]

Session 6:

Stats:

• Duration: Somewhere between two and three hours.
  
• Total Time Played: 10-ish hours.
  
• Time In-game: Just before 6:00 AM, Day 2.

After crambling around for a while on day 1, I slept for about six hours and awoke at 1:00 AM, day two. My exaustion was down, but now my hunger was really bad. No free lunch in this game. Elder Scrolls this ain't.

Financing food was my goal then. I want to be as good as I can, so stealing is off limits, at least until I get more desperate. I learned pretty quickly that buying food is way expensive, so I needed more money.

Suddenly I'm attacked. Freaked me way out. So THESE are those thugs I read about. I die a few times and then kill the thief. I loot his money.

Something clicks. I had found my moral way of getting money. I mean, yeah, I'm killing them, but killing them is self defense when they attack me and defending the innocent when they attack someone else. So I patrol the streets racking up kills and money, pretty slowly though. Of course, my exaustion goes up all the while, so still no free lunch. Still, I might be getting the hang of this.

In unrelated news, I enjoyed going into the theater finally. Mark Immortell said a lot of trippy things I didn't understand.

I plan to kill a few more thugs and then sleep a tad. Day Two! A fresh start. Looking forward to really attacking the day's quests.