Far too difficult

[tramponline]

@Tropxe
Yes, you experienced the failsafe backup for this scene, where Ed just hands Anna Morales' Journal in the hospital.
The 'logical steps' of the 'pi' puzzle include finding this very journal inside the lab room at Juno Labs.

edit: Ah, I see. Different scenario. Then the only thing that you might have missed is what Breyer600 describes in reply #17 further down. That is the vital clue for connecting key pad with pi. 

[Tropxe]

I don't think I understand... I did find the journal there, but it was locked and it seemed more important to focus on locating Morales. Are you saying you were meant to force the lock when you first find it, then decode it there and then? Even then, while I remember it mentioning "Pi Day", I don't remember any reason to associate that with the keypad code.

[Breyer600]

@Tropxe: When you looked at the journal, did you notice there was a loose page sticking out?

[ZX497]

I, too, did the keypad puzzle without ever getting the notebook on my first go. The keypad was literally the first thing I clicked after I gained control, and seeing as it was a four number code, with three of the buttons worn out, I just tested out the combinations

Luckily, the code needed to punch in was one of the earlier ones I tested.

[Kuban]

2 puzzles stoped me. After like couple of hours spent on trying to solve them, I searched for solution.

1st: Blueprints from police department.
The device scanning Bennet fingerprint. It says that it is off-line. I assumed, that I have to somehow put it online. I also tried to break code for new document search (in officer Johnsen computer) but without success.

BTW I figure it out that Johnsen's password has to be Samantha, but I wrote it starting from uppercase. When it didn't work out I abandonned other trials. It was sad when USB program crack it and it was "samantha" :|


2nd: Opening Tech room door
I was thinking all the time, that I have to hack into Control panel first.
There were 2 clues:
Ray examinating it says, that it is the computer that he must hack.
Ray asks: "it the locking mechanism controled from somewhere else ?" and Bennet respond, that he might be right.


Eventually, maybe I assumed something to fast. I should stay more open-minded.

[Tropxe]

@Tropxe: When you looked at the journal, did you notice there was a loose page sticking out?

Ah I see. On the first playthrough I noticed it, but focused on the keypad instead. The next time you see the journal, the piece of paper is the "Don't trust the police" note, so I assumed that was it and didn't check it again on my second playthrough. Since it was Ed that wrote the note about the police, I guess it makes sense that it wouldn't already be in the journal when you first find it; so the note in the journal is different when you first find it? I like how you can miss little things in this game but it doesn't screw you over, unlike in many other games in the genre.

[Jazzy]

@tramponline: Oooh, now I remember in the beginning those text boxes (a bit too fast for me to read, but I got the jist). I think I know where the how to play is, I just figure things to be standard that sometimes I skip them, sorry. I usually like a bit of challenge so start the game, then forget they're even there, lol. Thanks for pointing that out...maybe I'll go check it out.

I was mostly thinking of the STM, that's the part I had to figure out. Things automatically went into the LTM so I figured they'd do the same for the STM. I had to even figure out what the initials stood for, lol. A very original concept that I just loved about the game. 

[Memphis]

So, about the finale:

I used the "look around choice" during my first attempt, so I was actively aware of what I needed to do (the "You tried to kill me" fail state makes it obvious as well), I just wasn't sure *how* to get Ed in the right spot. 

Here were the problems for me:

1) Having Ray take a step back wasn't exactly the obvious choice. I kept testing different tones of dialogue and stepping forward to see if I could finally push Ed far enough back--he was always just one step away from the Resonance blast!

That was how I stumbled upon the obvious failsafe that could take the player to the "bad" ending, but I'm not a fan of Ed, so I wasn't about to join him just to end the puzzle.

After seeing Ray and Bennet brutally murdered 30 times, I figured that the "step backward" option had to have been placed there for a reason...viola.

2) No previous timed puzzles had a dialogue cap. This new type of puzzle resulted in furiously blowing through dialogue, confused about why time was up when only a few seconds had passed.

3) There's an awful lot of interesting dialogue to come across, and the player can't see them all in one go thanks to the 8-choice limit before "time's up". The brilliant voice acting just kept me wanting to shift through the different choices, not ending the game!

[Yosharian]

I just finished the game.  It's a good game, I just couldn't stand the vast majority of the puzzles.  That bloody magnet had me tearing my hair out.

[david]

General hint: If you don't know pi number, get it from the terminal, or the scanner (I don't remember the correct name for it, sorry), and search it under the utilities button,...there's is always a hint for everything everywhere. Good luck

[ne0nblack]

That bloody magnet had me tearing my hair out.

Do you mean the riddle at the warehouse? Spoiler: Where you have to get the key for the forklift?

That´s where I am stuck right now. Just don´t know how to solve this.

Here´s what I think - but am I on the right track?
I recognize the key by using the scanning device. I need a manget to get the keys out. But where do I get a magnet from? I searched all the places available. I keep wondering about the tools at the techroom and the characters hints are a mystery to me - Bennet says I could take something very small but I dont find anything nor can I pickup any of the tools. Man, I´m stuck.

A hint at the right direction would be appreciated! 

Awesome game by the way, tricky but not too frustrating - until now. 

[TheBlindKnight]

I was also stuck on this for a while because I was looking for a wire to hook the key, but you are right you need to find a magnet.

Being where you are you will have encountered a magnet very recently before reaching this stage...

[ne0nblack]

Oh no, I found it! That should have been obvious. How could I miss this? And then you start to think in the most strange of ways.. 

THANKS TheBlindKnight!

[Rognik]

List of stupidly abstract moments so far (Note: SPOILER ALERT):

I'm going to try to respond to these in turn in all seriousness.

1) Anna hiding under the bed - when you click on the bed, Anna says that she can't hide there because the Monster will find her.  She does not specify that what she means is hiding INSIDE THE COVERS.  This led to a 'wtfstuck' moment because I assumed I could not hide under the bed.
-Perhaps this was obscure, and I guess I got lucky because I found "Under the bed" before I even considered just clicking on "bed". Still, it doesn't hurt to look around more.

2) Telling Emma about the time - needlessly complicated.  It should just be a case of putting 'clock' into a conversation.  I did eventually figure out what I had to do first, by randomly clicking on everything.
-This was a bit hard for me too, at first, but that's part of the STM system. This will be my reply to a couple of the other point.

3)  Finding the boss' first name - needlessly complicated
-Is it? It's common for log-in names to be first initial+last name, plus you would need to log in as the boss eventually anyway. It's more of a slap-yourself-since-it's-so-obvious.

4) I've got to put a mirror inside a newspaper?  Really?  Do I need to even explain this one?  This is so bloody abstract as to be ridiculous.  Again the only way you'd figure this out is by random clicking everywhere.
-... this is abstract? How so? Honestly, I'd like to know why you say this.

5) There is no hint or clue that Bennet's wallet should be clicked on to produce two new items.
-The clue is to examine the object, which gives them to you. Something you might try after Bennet's sarcastic comment of sticking his wallet in the newspaper stand.

6) The wing mirror of the car is really difficult to spot unless you're specifically looking for it.  And since random clicking is how to solve this puzzle, it doesn't help.  Again, clicking on car produces 'not relevant' responses so it's not logical to assume that there is a part of the car that IS relevant.  Needlessly complicated.
-No, it's more of a "pixel hunt" issue. And bigger than some others I've played.

7) Talking to Saul about the valve - why can't I just ask him directly for a wrench?  What the hell?  Needlessly complicated.
-Part of the STM system.

8 ) Having to remind Saul about his story in order to get the wrench - needlessly complicated and reliant upon an absolutely absurd feat of memory - picking out the obscure fact that Saul mentioned using it earlier.  Needlessly complicated and one of the worst so far.
-I kind of liked this trick, as it requires you to pay attention to the conversation. (Admittedly, I had spoiled this for myself by watching David demo it on a webshow before release.)

9) Using the pipe on the rusty pipe - very unintuitive due to the fact that Ed doesn't specify WHY he can't use the pipe.  Logic: use the pipe to replace the broken one.  Click.  Can't do it.  Why not?  No idea, the game doesn't tell me.  Solution: back to random clicking.
-Um, how? You need to remove the rusted pipe before you can put in the new pipe.

10) The 'Pi' message.  Lovely little nerd easter egg, but what about people that don't know the symbol for Pi?  They are truly screwed, aren't they?
-Nope! Did you check out that panel in the upper-left of the lab? It's got a calculator, with a convenient Pi button on it. Most people would know pi offhand, but not beyond 3.14, so having it there for the 4th digit is pretty good.

11) After you get all four characters - I've explored quite a bit and have no clue how to proceed.  Got a vague idea about getting the FTTN number from the Hospital database but can't get Emma to go away.  Can't put pressure on Tortoise so can't get his info to access the police database.  No clues from any characters or items in game to tell me where to go.  Solution: back to random clicking.
-Solution: ask the other people what THEY think. The other characters are you in-game help.

12) Can't use mainframe until you talk to Emma about it using the right click into menu system - why doesn't this conversation flow naturally from the point where you attempt to use the mainframe?  Needlessly complicated.
-I don't think it's needlessly complicated, but I'm not sure why Anna wouldn't have worked just as well (except that it's a very restricted system).

13) Using the ultra sonograph on the you know what - seriously?  How is this even remotely obvious?  I have no idea what a ultra sonograph is, it's a pretty huge leap in logic to realise that I have to use this with the you know what.
-Did you pay attention when Anna picked up the device? "We have some fun with these to look through all kinds of stuff", or something similar. There's your hint.

14) Couldn't use the USB PW cracker because Johnsen's computer has a flap over the USB slot, but the error msg doesn't say 'it's covered by a flap' it just says 'it doesn't fit' which results in another wtfstuck moment.  Needlessly complicated?
-Or you need to look a little closer before you just drag-and-drop.

15) Distract Johnsen by asking him about the copy room - how am I supposed to know in advance that I can distract him by doing this?
-Trial and error, admittedly. Examining the copy room gives a little bit of a hint.

16) Using the credit card to open the tech room door - wow.  I don't know what to say.
-Using a credit card to jimmy open locks is an old trick. I forgot this one, too.

17) That bloody magnet puzzle, not even needlessly complicated just virtually impossible.  In the end I was just flicking the mouse up and down the screen in fury and it somehow passed the choke point.
-You mean the locker or the logic to take the magnet? Because taking the magnet was not obvious for me. The maze, though, was just a bit of trial and error.

So from that list, a lot of the problems were tied to the structure of the puzzle system, you not looking around enough or skipping over the hint. So perhaps the game isn't for you, but I don't think it was unfair in general.

[snarky]

As others have said, for most of these puzzles you missed the hint, or didn't explore enough (e.g. the calculator on the lab computer to give you pi, or interacting with the newspaper vending machine to learn it requires a credit card).

Being stuck now and then is normal; the puzzles are meant to be a bit challenging (I had to resort to a walkthrough three or four times myself). But they are not, on the whole, unfair.

Two particular points: even if you can't use the password cracker with officer Johnsen's computer, it's nevertheless possible to guess his password. If you make conversation with Johnsen and the guy at the front desk (ask him about the door to the basement), you'll learn that "Samantha" is the name of his girlfriend.

Similarly, chatting with Johnsen and looking at the door to the copy room will give you hints about how to get him away from his desk.

With the key in the locker, you have to make sure to grab it with the right-hand side of the magnet, then wiggle it a little to get it through the tight spot.

Finally, I don't see how going from "I need eyes in the back of my head" to "a mirror would be useful" is at all an "abstract" leap of reasoning. You can sit on the bench, you need to see behind you, so... ?