Jekyll2021-09-17T14:13:21-07:00http://analogbit.com/feed.xmlAnalogBitA web site.Best Map Setup for Garmin Devices2019-11-20T03:02:00-07:002019-11-20T03:02:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2019/11/20/best-map-setup-for-garmin<h2 id="the-ideal-setup">The Ideal Setup</h2>
<p>If you are using a Garmin device, I expect it is for the same reason as me: going off the grid where there’s no internet. You want a dedicated reliable device with long battery life. Perfect. Now lets make it usable.</p>
<p>While there is no perfect map setup, I believe the best configuration with Garmin devices are a satellite or topo base layer with routable vector layers drawn on top of it. This is a guide that tells you how to create such a setup.</p>
<p>Note that this guide was created after optimizing my mapping setup on a Garmin Oregon 600. Your milage may vary on different devices.</p>
<video width="608" height="342" controls="" style="display:block; clear:both; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;">
<source src="/files/garmin_raster_topo_an.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
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</video>
<div class="flair-caption">
<p>Topo Map with OSM overlay. Forgive me for the Mioré pattern.</p>
</div>
<video width="608" height="342" controls="" style="display:block; clear:both; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;">
<source src="/files/garmin_raster_imagery_an.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
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</video>
<div class="flair-caption">
<p>"Satellite" Map with OSM overlay. Slower due to larger file size and jpeg complexity.</p>
</div>
<h2 id="requirements">Requirements</h2>
<ol>
<li>Unlocked device
<ul>
<li>For the most flexible mapping setup, you’ll need to <a href="/2019/11/17/raster-maps-on-garmin/">unlock your Garmin device</a> so that you can install free JNX Raster maps.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Micro SD Card
<ul>
<li>You’ll need a Micro SD card big enough to hold large maps. The largest capacity Micro SD Card Garmin devices will accept is possibly 64GB. I’m currently using a somewhat speedy <a href="https://amzn.to/2OaPBk0">Lexar 64GB Card</a> in my Oregon 600, so I can verify that at least that card works. I’ve tried a 128GB SanDisk card and it failed to be recognized. If you have any success with larger cards, please let me know.</li>
<li>The card must be formatted with the FAT32 filesystem.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="downloading-the-maps">Downloading the Maps</h2>
<h3 id="finding-jnx-raster-maps">Finding JNX Raster Maps</h3>
<p>You can download JNX maps from my site! I’ve created a set of <a href="/jnx_maps">JNX maps here</a>. You may find other maps by searching the internet. For large JNX maps, there will actually be several JNX files, each up to 4GB in size.</p>
<h3 id="downloading-routable-open-street-maps-vector-map">Downloading Routable Open Street Maps Vector Map</h3>
<p>Open Street Maps are high quality vector maps that contain points of interest, streets, and routing information to enable navigation. These are much better than the pathetic built-in maps and can be overlaid onto raster satellite or topo maps.</p>
<p>The most convenient Open Street Map of the continental US can be found here <a href="https://www.openmapchest.org/maps/united-states/">OpenStreetMapChest</a>. It is updated frequently and has worked well for me.</p>
<p>If OpenStreetMapChest doesn’t cut the mustard for you, theres a big list of sites that have Open Street Maps ready for Garmin devices on the <a href="https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download#North_America">Open Street Map Wiki</a>.</p>
<h3 id="downloading-vector-topographical-maps">Downloading Vector Topographical Maps</h3>
<p>I’ve also found some simple topo vector maps created by -Oz- on <a href="https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/byuser/1/">GPSFileDepot</a>. These are relatively small in file size, contain very clean topo lines and mine sites and can be overlaid on top of raster maps (although they are difficult to see over most maps). Unfortunately, the map coverage isn’t great, but hes got one for Arizona, which is where I’m from.</p>
<h2 id="installing-the-maps">Installing the Maps</h2>
<h3 id="installing-jnx-raster-maps">Installing JNX Raster Maps</h3>
<ol>
<li><a href="/2019/11/17/raster-maps-on-garmin/">Unlock your Garmin device</a>.</li>
<li>Download a torrent in full.</li>
<li>Copy the JNX files to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">F:\Garmin\BirdsEye\</code>, where F:\ is your Micro SD Card.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="installing-vector-maps">Installing Vector Maps</h3>
<p>After you download a vector map, it will ultimately be in one of two forms.</p>
<p>If it is an .img file then simply copy this file to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">F:\Garmin</code> where F:\ is your Micro SD card.</p>
<p>Otherwise it will be in the form of some kind of Windows installer (exe, msi, batch files). To use these types of maps you will need to first install Garmin Basecamp. Run the map installer to get the map into BaseCamp. Finally, open BaseCamp and go to the menu, click Maps -> Install Maps and choose the maps to install. <strong>Important:</strong> Some of the latest versions of Garmin Basecamp fail to install maps correctly. As of this writing, the latest verison of basecamp, 4.7.3, works fine, but 4.7.2 and 4.7.1 fail to install maps.</p>The Ideal Setup If you are using a Garmin device, I expect it is for the same reason as me: going off the grid where there’s no internet. You want a dedicated reliable device with long battery life. Perfect. Now lets make it usable. While there is no perfect map setup, I believe the best configuration with Garmin devices are a satellite or topo base layer with routable vector layers drawn on top of it. This is a guide that tells you how to create such a setup. Note that this guide was created after optimizing my mapping setup on a Garmin Oregon 600. Your milage may vary on different devices. Your browser does not support the video tag. Topo Map with OSM overlay. Forgive me for the Mioré pattern. Your browser does not support the video tag. "Satellite" Map with OSM overlay. Slower due to larger file size and jpeg complexity. Requirements Unlocked device For the most flexible mapping setup, you’ll need to unlock your Garmin device so that you can install free JNX Raster maps. Micro SD Card You’ll need a Micro SD card big enough to hold large maps. The largest capacity Micro SD Card Garmin devices will accept is possibly 64GB. I’m currently using a somewhat speedy Lexar 64GB Card in my Oregon 600, so I can verify that at least that card works. I’ve tried a 128GB SanDisk card and it failed to be recognized. If you have any success with larger cards, please let me know. The card must be formatted with the FAT32 filesystem. Downloading the Maps Finding JNX Raster Maps You can download JNX maps from my site! I’ve created a set of JNX maps here. You may find other maps by searching the internet. For large JNX maps, there will actually be several JNX files, each up to 4GB in size. Downloading Routable Open Street Maps Vector Map Open Street Maps are high quality vector maps that contain points of interest, streets, and routing information to enable navigation. These are much better than the pathetic built-in maps and can be overlaid onto raster satellite or topo maps. The most convenient Open Street Map of the continental US can be found here OpenStreetMapChest. It is updated frequently and has worked well for me. If OpenStreetMapChest doesn’t cut the mustard for you, theres a big list of sites that have Open Street Maps ready for Garmin devices on the Open Street Map Wiki. Downloading Vector Topographical Maps I’ve also found some simple topo vector maps created by -Oz- on GPSFileDepot. These are relatively small in file size, contain very clean topo lines and mine sites and can be overlaid on top of raster maps (although they are difficult to see over most maps). Unfortunately, the map coverage isn’t great, but hes got one for Arizona, which is where I’m from. Installing the Maps Installing JNX Raster Maps Unlock your Garmin device. Download a torrent in full. Copy the JNX files to F:\Garmin\BirdsEye\, where F:\ is your Micro SD Card. Installing Vector Maps After you download a vector map, it will ultimately be in one of two forms. If it is an .img file then simply copy this file to F:\Garmin where F:\ is your Micro SD card. Otherwise it will be in the form of some kind of Windows installer (exe, msi, batch files). To use these types of maps you will need to first install Garmin Basecamp. Run the map installer to get the map into BaseCamp. Finally, open BaseCamp and go to the menu, click Maps -> Install Maps and choose the maps to install. Important: Some of the latest versions of Garmin Basecamp fail to install maps correctly. As of this writing, the latest verison of basecamp, 4.7.3, works fine, but 4.7.2 and 4.7.1 fail to install maps.Raster (JNX) Maps on Garmin Devices2019-11-17T12:30:00-07:002019-11-17T12:30:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2019/11/17/raster-maps-on-garmin<h2 id="greed-and-short-sightedness">Greed and Short-sightedness</h2>
<p>Garmin <em>used</em> to be the greatest consumer handheld GPS device manufacturer. Early devices were very usable for the time, they had exceptional battery life and were extremely rugged. Most of that is still true, but somewhere along the way Garmin lost sight of usability.</p>
<p>Today, Garmin devices have a usability problem. One factor is the slow UI and dependence on physical buttons. But the bigger usability problem is self inflicted. Back in 2014, instead of improving their devices to allow users to load raster maps, they added a subscription model and map authentication to continuously extract money from users.</p>
<h2 id="raster-maps">Raster Maps</h2>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/unlocking_garmin_raster.jpg" title="<p>A typical raster map (N36.342, W112.719)</p>
">
<img src="/generated/unlocking_garmin_raster-28b8bc9b1a.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>A typical raster map (N36.342, W112.719)</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>A typical raster map (N36.342, W112.719)</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>“Raster Maps” are maps drawn from images, opposed to “Vector Maps”, drawn from lines. Garmin devices are capable of rendering raster maps, but as previously mentioned, they intentionally block maps that are not ‘authenticated’. This limits the device to stop users from creating their own maps or using freely available aerial/satellite maps. Instead, they want you to subscribe to their terrible (and now defunct?) “BirdsEye” service.</p>
<h2 id="unlocking-garmin-devices">Unlocking Garmin Devices</h2>
<p>Fortunately, there is a way to unlock the full functionality of your Garmin device. Unfortunately, it involves modifying your device’s firmware. The tools to unlock the firmware is Russian in origin as it seems demand for this sort of thing is especially high in Russia, parts of Europe, and Latin America.</p>
<p>I personally unlocked a <strong>Garmin Oregon 600</strong> on firmware v5.50 and v5.60, however several models are unlockable, including eTrex, Colorado, Montana and others. For a mostly complete compatibility list, see <a href="http://whiter.brinkster.net/en/Versions.shtml">Alex Whiter’s page</a></p>
<p>Please note that you are taking a slight risk in flashing modified firmware and you are probably voiding your warranty in some countries.</p>
<div class="flair-image-center">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/unlocking_garmin.jpg" title="<p>Left: A device undergoing the flash process. Right: Unlocked device after patch</p>
">
<img src="/generated/unlocking_garmin-187a630417.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Left: A device undergoing the flash process. Right: Unlocked device after patch</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Left: A device undergoing the flash process. Right: Unlocked device after patch</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3 id="steps">Steps</h3>
<p><strong>These steps will be shown from a Garmin Oregon 600 perspective</strong>, but it should work mostly the same on other devices.</p>
<ol>
<li>Acquire the firmware you wish to patch and install. For Garmin Oregon 600, you can use this link<br />
<a href="http://download.garmin.com/software/Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560.gcd">http://download.garmin.com/software/Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560.gcd</a>
<ul>
<li>One way to get the firmware for your device is to intercept it after it has been downloaded for an update from various Garmin software suites. (Look around for a file named <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">gupdate.gcd</code> <em>before</em> flashing the device).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Download <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FirmwarePatcher380.zip</code> from <a href="http://whiter.brinkster.net/en/Versions.shtml">Alex Whiter’s page</a> or mirrored here.</li>
<li>Extract <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FirmwarePatcher380.zip</code> and run <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FirmwarePatcher.exe</code></li>
<li>In FirmwarePatcher, select your firmware gcd file <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560.gcd</code> and it will generate <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560_Patched.gcd</code>
<ul>
<li>If you already have the unmodified version firmware flashed to your Garmin device, you will need to increment the version by 1 or the update will be silently ignored.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Plug in your Garmin device, wait for the filesystem to show up.</li>
<li>Copy and rename <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560_Patched.gcd</code> to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">E:\Garmin\gupdate.gcd</code> (Where E:\ is your Garmin device’s filesystem)</li>
<li>Unplug and restart your Garmin device, it will then update.</li>
<li>Check for successful patching - Go to Setup->About, it should show “Patched Version X.XX”</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="loading-jnx-maps">Loading JNX Maps</h3>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/unlocking_garmin_unlocked.jpg" title="<p>Unlocked device showing USGS National Map (Raster) + OSM Overlay (Vector)</p>
">
<img src="/generated/unlocking_garmin_unlocked-3ad3c84f62.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Unlocked device showing USGS National Map (Raster) + OSM Overlay (Vector)</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Unlocked device showing USGS National Map (Raster) + OSM Overlay (Vector)</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>You can now load JNX maps onto your device by copying them into <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">F:\Garmin\BirdsEye</code>, where F:\ is your Garmin’s SD Card. While it is not strictly required to use a SD card for JNX maps, I do strongly recommend it. This is for two reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li>Internal flash is slooooow.</li>
<li>I’ve read malformed JNX maps can cause startup failure. If you ever run into startup failure, you can simply pull your card and start normally.</li>
</ul>
<p>I am personally using a <a href="https://amzn.to/2OaPBk0">Lexar Professional 1800X 64GB MicroSDXC UHS-II Card</a>. I need this card for speed, because I’m constantly copying test maps to the card. However, most users can probably get away with something cheaper and slower. The maximum SD card read speed in Garmin devices appears to be quite slow anyway. Side note: I’ve read that 64GB is the largest size an Oregon 600 can use, but I have not personally tested anything larger. I’m interested to know if anyone has been able to get larger cards to work.</p>
<p>Also note that booting the device can take longer when there are a lot of JNX maps on it. Strangely, bootup times are also very random, sometimes bootup is instantaneous sometimes it can take 30-60 seconds. I assume it is something to do with sorting or indexing the maps.</p>
<h3 id="recovery">Recovery</h3>
<p>Recovery is untested by me, but if something goes wrong, there are ways to enter the bootloader and flash a recovery image. See <a href="http://www.gpsrchive.com/Oregon%207x0/Recovery.html">This GPS archive link</a>.</p>
<h2 id="files">Files</h2>
<h3 id="mirrored-files">Mirrored Files</h3>
<p>Alex Whiter’s firmware patcher <a href="/files/FirmwarePatcher380.zip">FirmwarePatcher380.zip</a></p>
<h2 id="acquiring-jnx-maps">Acquiring JNX Maps</h2>
<p>See my <a href="/jnx_maps">JNX Maps</a> for United States state maps.</p>
<p>I’ve been working on an application to make it somewhat easy for people to create their own JNX maps. It’s not quite ready for a release, but in the meantime, it is possible to use another Russian utility, <a href="https://www.openhub.net/p/sasplanet">SAS.Planet</a> to create your own JNX maps. SAS.Planet actually works quite decently and despite it too being Russian in origin, it didn’t immediately virus my PC.</p>Greed and Short-sightedness Garmin used to be the greatest consumer handheld GPS device manufacturer. Early devices were very usable for the time, they had exceptional battery life and were extremely rugged. Most of that is still true, but somewhere along the way Garmin lost sight of usability. Today, Garmin devices have a usability problem. One factor is the slow UI and dependence on physical buttons. But the bigger usability problem is self inflicted. Back in 2014, instead of improving their devices to allow users to load raster maps, they added a subscription model and map authentication to continuously extract money from users. Raster Maps A typical raster map (N36.342, W112.719) “Raster Maps” are maps drawn from images, opposed to “Vector Maps”, drawn from lines. Garmin devices are capable of rendering raster maps, but as previously mentioned, they intentionally block maps that are not ‘authenticated’. This limits the device to stop users from creating their own maps or using freely available aerial/satellite maps. Instead, they want you to subscribe to their terrible (and now defunct?) “BirdsEye” service. Unlocking Garmin Devices Fortunately, there is a way to unlock the full functionality of your Garmin device. Unfortunately, it involves modifying your device’s firmware. The tools to unlock the firmware is Russian in origin as it seems demand for this sort of thing is especially high in Russia, parts of Europe, and Latin America. I personally unlocked a Garmin Oregon 600 on firmware v5.50 and v5.60, however several models are unlockable, including eTrex, Colorado, Montana and others. For a mostly complete compatibility list, see Alex Whiter’s page Please note that you are taking a slight risk in flashing modified firmware and you are probably voiding your warranty in some countries. Left: A device undergoing the flash process. Right: Unlocked device after patch Steps These steps will be shown from a Garmin Oregon 600 perspective, but it should work mostly the same on other devices. Acquire the firmware you wish to patch and install. For Garmin Oregon 600, you can use this link http://download.garmin.com/software/Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560.gcd One way to get the firmware for your device is to intercept it after it has been downloaded for an update from various Garmin software suites. (Look around for a file named gupdate.gcd before flashing the device). Download FirmwarePatcher380.zip from Alex Whiter’s page or mirrored here. Extract FirmwarePatcher380.zip and run FirmwarePatcher.exe In FirmwarePatcher, select your firmware gcd file Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560.gcd and it will generate Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560_Patched.gcd If you already have the unmodified version firmware flashed to your Garmin device, you will need to increment the version by 1 or the update will be silently ignored. Plug in your Garmin device, wait for the filesystem to show up. Copy and rename Oregon6x0_WebUpdater__560_Patched.gcd to E:\Garmin\gupdate.gcd (Where E:\ is your Garmin device’s filesystem) Unplug and restart your Garmin device, it will then update. Check for successful patching - Go to Setup->About, it should show “Patched Version X.XX” Loading JNX Maps Unlocked device showing USGS National Map (Raster) + OSM Overlay (Vector) You can now load JNX maps onto your device by copying them into F:\Garmin\BirdsEye, where F:\ is your Garmin’s SD Card. While it is not strictly required to use a SD card for JNX maps, I do strongly recommend it. This is for two reasons: Internal flash is slooooow. I’ve read malformed JNX maps can cause startup failure. If you ever run into startup failure, you can simply pull your card and start normally. I am personally using a Lexar Professional 1800X 64GB MicroSDXC UHS-II Card. I need this card for speed, because I’m constantly copying test maps to the card. However, most users can probably get away with something cheaper and slower. The maximum SD card read speed in Garmin devices appears to be quite slow anyway. Side note: I’ve read that 64GB is the largest size an Oregon 600 can use, but I have not personally tested anything larger. I’m interested to know if anyone has been able to get larger cards to work. Also note that booting the device can take longer when there are a lot of JNX maps on it. Strangely, bootup times are also very random, sometimes bootup is instantaneous sometimes it can take 30-60 seconds. I assume it is something to do with sorting or indexing the maps. Recovery Recovery is untested by me, but if something goes wrong, there are ways to enter the bootloader and flash a recovery image. See This GPS archive link. Files Mirrored Files Alex Whiter’s firmware patcher FirmwarePatcher380.zip Acquiring JNX Maps See my JNX Maps for United States state maps. I’ve been working on an application to make it somewhat easy for people to create their own JNX maps. It’s not quite ready for a release, but in the meantime, it is possible to use another Russian utility, SAS.Planet to create your own JNX maps. SAS.Planet actually works quite decently and despite it too being Russian in origin, it didn’t immediately virus my PC.Older Radeon Drivers on Modern Windows 102017-05-02T14:33:00-07:002017-05-02T14:33:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2017/05/02/radeon-drivers-on-windows-10-creators-update<h2 id="the-problem">The Problem</h2>
<p>Something changed in recent versions of Windows – in versions slightly before, and including “Windows 10 Creator’s Update” AMD Radeon drivers fail to install correctly. The software itself installs, but the video card driver does not change. Furthermore, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the video card disappears from Window’s Device Manager. This means the display adapter is stuck at low resolutions and is not hardware accellerated.</p>
<p>This appears to happen on the HD 4XXX Radeon line through HD 6XXX Radeon line of video cards.</p>
<h2 id="the-solution">The Solution</h2>
<p>This solution gets a properly working DirectX, OpenGL, and OpenCL driver working on Windows 10.</p>
<ul>
<li>Uninstall any Radeon drivers you already have installed.</li>
<li>Download and install the proper driver for your video card <a href="http://support.amd.com/en-us/download">http://support.amd.com/en-us/download</a>
<ul>
<li>Get the 15.7.1 version if you need OpenCL to work properly.</li>
<li>When running the installer, make a note of the location of the extraction directory, we will need this later.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Manually set the video card driver to the one included in the installer.
<ul>
<li>Right click on the start menu and select Device Manager</li>
<li>Double click on the adapter
<ul>
<li>Display adapters missing?
<ul>
<li>Select View - “Show hidden devices”</li>
<li>If it is still missing, select View - “Devices by connection”</li>
<li>Expand the lists until you find “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter”</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Press “Update driver”</li>
<li>Press “Browse my computer for driver software”</li>
<li>Press “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”</li>
<li>Press “Have Disk”</li>
<li>Browse to the extraction directory of the radeon driver software and select the folder containing display drivers. For me, that is:<br />
<code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">C:\AMD\AMD-Catalyst-15.7.1-With-DOTNet45-Win7-64bit\Packages\Drivers\Display\W76A_INF</code></li>
<li>An appropriate driver should show up in the selection area. Double click it.</li>
<li>Wait for the driver to install, then manually restart your computer (Long story short, this is neccessary)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>With any luck, you should have fully functioning graphics accelleration.</p>
<p>P.S. Uninstall AMD Gaming Evolved “Raptr”, it’s a resource hog.</p>The Problem Something changed in recent versions of Windows – in versions slightly before, and including “Windows 10 Creator’s Update” AMD Radeon drivers fail to install correctly. The software itself installs, but the video card driver does not change. Furthermore, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the video card disappears from Window’s Device Manager. This means the display adapter is stuck at low resolutions and is not hardware accellerated. This appears to happen on the HD 4XXX Radeon line through HD 6XXX Radeon line of video cards. The Solution This solution gets a properly working DirectX, OpenGL, and OpenCL driver working on Windows 10. Uninstall any Radeon drivers you already have installed. Download and install the proper driver for your video card http://support.amd.com/en-us/download Get the 15.7.1 version if you need OpenCL to work properly. When running the installer, make a note of the location of the extraction directory, we will need this later. Manually set the video card driver to the one included in the installer. Right click on the start menu and select Device Manager Double click on the adapter Display adapters missing? Select View - “Show hidden devices” If it is still missing, select View - “Devices by connection” Expand the lists until you find “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter” Press “Update driver” Press “Browse my computer for driver software” Press “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer” Press “Have Disk” Browse to the extraction directory of the radeon driver software and select the folder containing display drivers. For me, that is: C:\AMD\AMD-Catalyst-15.7.1-With-DOTNet45-Win7-64bit\Packages\Drivers\Display\W76A_INF An appropriate driver should show up in the selection area. Double click it. Wait for the driver to install, then manually restart your computer (Long story short, this is neccessary) With any luck, you should have fully functioning graphics accelleration. P.S. Uninstall AMD Gaming Evolved “Raptr”, it’s a resource hog.Game Review: Obduction2016-07-30T21:33:00-07:002016-07-30T21:33:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/07/30/game-review-obduction<h2 id="cyan-returns">Cyan Returns</h2>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_eggs.jpg" title="<p>Fantastic Art</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_eggs-b8cb4a0723.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Fantastic Art</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Fantastic Art</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>It is impossible to talk about Obduction without mentioning Cyan’s earlier games, specifically Myst. Myst was one of the first real blockbuster games for PC – it defined a kind of high-end graphical point-and-click adventure genre which attracted many imitators. Unfortunately, Cyan somewhat lost it’s way and ended up creating contrived lackluster sequels. The time was right for someone to make a Myst clone in a fully interactive engine, such as the Unreal engine. Luckily for us, Cyan wasn’t completely dead yet and was able to raise enough money on kickstarter to create that highly interactive clone of Myst, they call it “Obduction”.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_cactus.jpg" title="<p>Looks strangely like Arizona</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_cactus-0ad5f66e1c.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Looks strangely like Arizona</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Looks strangely like Arizona</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>As always, Cyan is able to produce some of the best visuals in the genre. Some of the scenes in this game are absolutely breathtaking. Most areas have a little bit of steampunk mixed in as a staple of Cyan’s puzzles. Afterall, mechanical and physical objects can be naturally understood and lends hints to figuring out how puzzles work.</p>
<p>Interestingly, multiple artists from <a href="/2016/02/15/game-review-the-witness/">The Witness</a><a></a> began working on Obduction after Witness had shipped. It’s no surprise that some of the art and feel appears lifted, but without the signature stylization that Witness features. This realistic art style is not a bad thing though, it works and it is beautiful.</p>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_facade.jpg" title="<p>Massive scale and detail</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_facade-55a86d6b48.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Massive scale and detail</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Massive scale and detail</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Obduction shows masterful use of vertical space, perhaps more than any game I’ve ever played. It feels natural and helps create a feel for the vast expanse and depths of some places. It really brings the art to life when you can see something beautiful in front of you and then look down and see it go on and on.</p>
<p>The art has one major issue though. The problem is with the billboarded full motion video playback which is completely out of place in a modern 3D game. Theres no way to sugar coat it, it looks bad to a point of breaking the immersion.</p>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_billboard.jpg" title="<p>Terrible 2D Billboarded FMV</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_billboard-4dc4531f75.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Terrible 2D Billboarded FMV</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Terrible 2D Billboarded FMV</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Lastly, I’d like to mention the music. One thing that I’ve always loved about Cyan games has been the music. It has always been powerful and bold. However in this game, the music is toned waaaaay down. It is only used sporatically and when it is used, it feels somewhat out of place. Certain familiar instruments that are common in Cyan games do show up, but only for dramatic effect. This avoidance of music was another feature likely copied from The Witness, (which features nearly no music). While it works in The Witness, it does not work in Obduction, I’m not entirely sure why.</p>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>Obduction gameplay can best be described as Myst-light. You can absolutely feel the influence of Myst in this game, however Obduction’s puzzles involve fewer steps and generally have less critical thinking. As in Myst, you walk around, discover puzzles built into the world(s) and use related clues and pure logic to solve them. It works, it’s fun. It’s tried and true and Cyan has not lost the magic at all. I do have a slight gripe with the simplification of puzzles, sometimes they are so dumbed down that you will solve them on accident. Also the ‘current goal’ is occasionally unclear or, even worse, stated somewhat incorrectly. It is a bit of a problem, but a familiar one, as Myst had the same issue.</p>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_greens.jpg" title="<p>Lush and beautiful settings</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_greens-f83edb4b21.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Lush and beautiful settings</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Lush and beautiful settings</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>As mentioned with the art, the puzzles are also largely mechanical and physical puzzles. This is actually a good thing, because it is easy to reason about such things; you already have an understanding of them from the real world. There’s also a stream of mathy puzzles, but that kind of puzzle is basically second nature to a programmer like myself.</p>
<p>Once you advance a bit there becomes a core mechanic of gameplay puzzles that becomes apparent. It eventually becomes a bit overused, and combined with long load times takes a bit of a toll on the player. I can only immagine the horror of playing this game on an older PC.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/obduction_haze.jpg" title="<p>Several different worlds</p>
">
<img src="/generated/obduction_haze-490b94a817.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Several different worlds</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Several different worlds</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The story is about on par with the original Myst game. Through journals and other information you are presented with detailed information about some things, but are left with huge gaping holes in your knowledge about other things. You get hints of previous conflicts and happenings but never really the whole story. This is actually a great way to present the story because it lets the user immagine what really happened leading up to your arrival in this strange land. It does leave the door open for sequels… the kind that eventually led to the story rot of the Myst universe. I hope Cyan can avoid making the same mistakes with Obduction.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-88100">Overall Score: 88/100</h2>
<p>Obduction manages to be worthy spiritual successor to Myst. This is a good game, given that you are playing it on semi powerful PC. You <strong>need</strong> to see the graphics with a good video card and you <strong>need</strong> to be able to load levels quickly in order to not be completely frustrated at some points. It’s totally worth playing and, if you played the Myst series at all, you will appreciate a few easter eggs left for you.</p>Cyan Returns Fantastic Art It is impossible to talk about Obduction without mentioning Cyan’s earlier games, specifically Myst. Myst was one of the first real blockbuster games for PC – it defined a kind of high-end graphical point-and-click adventure genre which attracted many imitators. Unfortunately, Cyan somewhat lost it’s way and ended up creating contrived lackluster sequels. The time was right for someone to make a Myst clone in a fully interactive engine, such as the Unreal engine. Luckily for us, Cyan wasn’t completely dead yet and was able to raise enough money on kickstarter to create that highly interactive clone of Myst, they call it “Obduction”. The Art Looks strangely like Arizona As always, Cyan is able to produce some of the best visuals in the genre. Some of the scenes in this game are absolutely breathtaking. Most areas have a little bit of steampunk mixed in as a staple of Cyan’s puzzles. Afterall, mechanical and physical objects can be naturally understood and lends hints to figuring out how puzzles work. Interestingly, multiple artists from The Witness began working on Obduction after Witness had shipped. It’s no surprise that some of the art and feel appears lifted, but without the signature stylization that Witness features. This realistic art style is not a bad thing though, it works and it is beautiful. Massive scale and detail Obduction shows masterful use of vertical space, perhaps more than any game I’ve ever played. It feels natural and helps create a feel for the vast expanse and depths of some places. It really brings the art to life when you can see something beautiful in front of you and then look down and see it go on and on. The art has one major issue though. The problem is with the billboarded full motion video playback which is completely out of place in a modern 3D game. Theres no way to sugar coat it, it looks bad to a point of breaking the immersion. Terrible 2D Billboarded FMV Lastly, I’d like to mention the music. One thing that I’ve always loved about Cyan games has been the music. It has always been powerful and bold. However in this game, the music is toned waaaaay down. It is only used sporatically and when it is used, it feels somewhat out of place. Certain familiar instruments that are common in Cyan games do show up, but only for dramatic effect. This avoidance of music was another feature likely copied from The Witness, (which features nearly no music). While it works in The Witness, it does not work in Obduction, I’m not entirely sure why. Gameplay Obduction gameplay can best be described as Myst-light. You can absolutely feel the influence of Myst in this game, however Obduction’s puzzles involve fewer steps and generally have less critical thinking. As in Myst, you walk around, discover puzzles built into the world(s) and use related clues and pure logic to solve them. It works, it’s fun. It’s tried and true and Cyan has not lost the magic at all. I do have a slight gripe with the simplification of puzzles, sometimes they are so dumbed down that you will solve them on accident. Also the ‘current goal’ is occasionally unclear or, even worse, stated somewhat incorrectly. It is a bit of a problem, but a familiar one, as Myst had the same issue. Lush and beautiful settings As mentioned with the art, the puzzles are also largely mechanical and physical puzzles. This is actually a good thing, because it is easy to reason about such things; you already have an understanding of them from the real world. There’s also a stream of mathy puzzles, but that kind of puzzle is basically second nature to a programmer like myself. Once you advance a bit there becomes a core mechanic of gameplay puzzles that becomes apparent. It eventually becomes a bit overused, and combined with long load times takes a bit of a toll on the player. I can only immagine the horror of playing this game on an older PC. The Story Several different worlds The story is about on par with the original Myst game. Through journals and other information you are presented with detailed information about some things, but are left with huge gaping holes in your knowledge about other things. You get hints of previous conflicts and happenings but never really the whole story. This is actually a great way to present the story because it lets the user immagine what really happened leading up to your arrival in this strange land. It does leave the door open for sequels… the kind that eventually led to the story rot of the Myst universe. I hope Cyan can avoid making the same mistakes with Obduction. Overall Score: 88/100 Obduction manages to be worthy spiritual successor to Myst. This is a good game, given that you are playing it on semi powerful PC. You need to see the graphics with a good video card and you need to be able to load levels quickly in order to not be completely frustrated at some points. It’s totally worth playing and, if you played the Myst series at all, you will appreciate a few easter eggs left for you.Game Review: Shift Happens2016-07-30T21:33:00-07:002016-07-30T21:33:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/07/30/game-review-shift-happens<h2 id="coop-first">Coop First</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/shift_happens_2.jpg" title="<p>Coop platformer and ‘puzzle’ game</p>
">
<img src="/generated/shift_happens_2-03ab7b7dc5.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Coop platformer and ‘puzzle’ game</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Coop platformer and ‘puzzle’ game</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>While Shift Happens can be played single player, it is meant to be played multiplayer. It is most comparable to <em><a href="/2015/12/09/game-review-ibb-and-obb/">Ibb and Obb</a></em> and Co-op <em>Portal 2</em>. But please don’t take the mention of Portal 2 as some kind of endorsement – Shift Happens does not compare to the enjoyment delivered by Portal 2. I played it co-op with a friend. I think I appreciated it slightly more than my friend. One comparison my friend made was that the challenge levels were similar to <em>Splosion Man</em> at times. I know nothing about Splosion Man, but it seems to be an apt comparison based on some videos I’ve seen.</p>
<video width="608" height="342" controls="" autoplay="" style="display:block; clear:both; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;">
<source src="/files/shift_happens.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>The gameplay is best described as a platformer, but it does have puzzle elements. You and your friend go around collecting coins while solving ‘puzzles’. The puzzles you solve usually consist of finding a way to get to a button or lever that enables you to move onto the next part of the level. One important part of the gameplay is that you can toggle which character is in large mode and which is in small mode. We dubbed small mode ‘Pepito’ and large mode ‘Papa’. The voices we created for them provided the humor we needed to get through the game.</p>
<p>My friend was telling me it felt like we were still in tutorial mode - when we were halfway through the game! And thats the problem. Most of the puzzles are simplistic and quite repetitive. There were 2-3 puzzles that actually felt somewhat challenging, but that is simply not enough. Anyone with any level of experience playing puzzle games is going to be a bit dissapointed by the lack of difficulty in the puzzles.</p>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/shift_happens_1.jpg" title="<p>A rare night-time level</p>
">
<img src="/generated/shift_happens_1-538d8d6b9f.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>A rare night-time level</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>A rare night-time level</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Outside of the normal levels there are challenge levels. These are the most difficult and therefore the most fun. They also happen to be the best looking levels in the game. The challenge is that these levels are time limited and therefore you have penalties for mistakes.</p>
<p>I also have one minor issue with one tiny element of the game: the purple hearts. You accrue these hearts with the coins that you pick up along the way. The game never mentions what they are for. It turns out you only need the purple hearts when both you and your buddy die at the same time and no one is left to revive you. When such a case occurs, a purple heart is consumed and you can continue playing. If you run out, you must restart the level. On my playthrough, we only ran out of purple hearts once, but it just felt out of place and bolted on. Just let us continue where we are. The existance of these hearts and the restart-if-you-both-die mechanic means that you begin to synchronize every jump with your friend so that you are not at risk of losing these silly hearts - just in case you might need them someday.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/shift_happens_0.jpg" title="<p>No complaints on the art</p>
">
<img src="/generated/shift_happens_0-4035c91aa9.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>No complaints on the art</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>No complaints on the art</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The art is charming, “cute” to a degree. In a few places its a little difficult to determine exactly what parts are in the foreground and interactable. It starts off a bit flavorless and lackluster, but eventually you get to nice environments which are prettier to look at.</p>
<p>After a few levels, the game eventually begins showing the faceting rendering style where you can plainly see every polygon used to construct each object. This seems to be becoming a modern aesthetic in many indie games, first popularized by <em>The Witness</em>. Perhaps Klonk is even paying homage to The Witness here.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<p>No real story. That’s fine.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-64100">Overall Score: 64/100</h2>
<p>I had fun occasionally. Certainly play other games like Portal 2 and Ibb and Obb if you havn’t played those first. Maybe Splosion Man as well. If you like those, you might like Shift Happens.</p>
<p>Note: I made it through this entire review without adding any shifty puns.</p>Coop First Coop platformer and ‘puzzle’ game While Shift Happens can be played single player, it is meant to be played multiplayer. It is most comparable to Ibb and Obb and Co-op Portal 2. But please don’t take the mention of Portal 2 as some kind of endorsement – Shift Happens does not compare to the enjoyment delivered by Portal 2. I played it co-op with a friend. I think I appreciated it slightly more than my friend. One comparison my friend made was that the challenge levels were similar to Splosion Man at times. I know nothing about Splosion Man, but it seems to be an apt comparison based on some videos I’ve seen. Your browser does not support the video tag. Gameplay The gameplay is best described as a platformer, but it does have puzzle elements. You and your friend go around collecting coins while solving ‘puzzles’. The puzzles you solve usually consist of finding a way to get to a button or lever that enables you to move onto the next part of the level. One important part of the gameplay is that you can toggle which character is in large mode and which is in small mode. We dubbed small mode ‘Pepito’ and large mode ‘Papa’. The voices we created for them provided the humor we needed to get through the game. My friend was telling me it felt like we were still in tutorial mode - when we were halfway through the game! And thats the problem. Most of the puzzles are simplistic and quite repetitive. There were 2-3 puzzles that actually felt somewhat challenging, but that is simply not enough. Anyone with any level of experience playing puzzle games is going to be a bit dissapointed by the lack of difficulty in the puzzles. A rare night-time level Outside of the normal levels there are challenge levels. These are the most difficult and therefore the most fun. They also happen to be the best looking levels in the game. The challenge is that these levels are time limited and therefore you have penalties for mistakes. I also have one minor issue with one tiny element of the game: the purple hearts. You accrue these hearts with the coins that you pick up along the way. The game never mentions what they are for. It turns out you only need the purple hearts when both you and your buddy die at the same time and no one is left to revive you. When such a case occurs, a purple heart is consumed and you can continue playing. If you run out, you must restart the level. On my playthrough, we only ran out of purple hearts once, but it just felt out of place and bolted on. Just let us continue where we are. The existance of these hearts and the restart-if-you-both-die mechanic means that you begin to synchronize every jump with your friend so that you are not at risk of losing these silly hearts - just in case you might need them someday. The Art No complaints on the art The art is charming, “cute” to a degree. In a few places its a little difficult to determine exactly what parts are in the foreground and interactable. It starts off a bit flavorless and lackluster, but eventually you get to nice environments which are prettier to look at. After a few levels, the game eventually begins showing the faceting rendering style where you can plainly see every polygon used to construct each object. This seems to be becoming a modern aesthetic in many indie games, first popularized by The Witness. Perhaps Klonk is even paying homage to The Witness here. The Story No real story. That’s fine. Overall Score: 64/100 I had fun occasionally. Certainly play other games like Portal 2 and Ibb and Obb if you havn’t played those first. Maybe Splosion Man as well. If you like those, you might like Shift Happens. Note: I made it through this entire review without adding any shifty puns.Game Review: Echo of the Wilds2016-07-30T21:33:00-07:002016-07-30T21:33:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/07/30/game-review-echo-of-the-wilds<h2 id="the-echoes-are-deceptively-complex">The Echoes are Deceptively Complex</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/echo_of_the_wilds_campsite.png" title="<p>Your typical campsite clutter</p>
">
<img src="/generated/echo_of_the_wilds_campsite-3aa902db59.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Your typical campsite clutter</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Your typical campsite clutter</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Echo of the Wilds provides a very unique gameplay experience and at times a genuine feeling of magicalness. I thoughoughly enjoyed this game.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
<p>Like many of the games I’ve played recently, Echo of the Wilds is a pixel art game. Also, some of the ‘cut scenes’ have hints of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum_graphic_modes">ZX Spectrum graphics artifacts</a>, indicated by repeating patterns of square regions.</p>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/echo_of_the_wilds_bad_graphics.png" title="<p>Bad graphics, ala ZX Spectrum</p>
">
<img src="/generated/echo_of_the_wilds_bad_graphics-82e8dfdb7d.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Bad graphics, ala ZX Spectrum</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Bad graphics, ala ZX Spectrum</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The raw pixel art is quite charming, featuring beautiful vistas and fun locations. However, many of the cut scenes have almost laughably bad graphics, perhaps due to emulating the appearance of the ZX Spectrum.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that the background music and ambient background sounds are quite pleasant and relaxing. Very appropriate for when doing repeating tasks.</p>
<p>Occasionally a scene will pop up with ugly visuals and jarring scare stab sounds, which is actually done quite well and certainly had the desired effect of making me feel uneasy.</p>
<p>The art, with sporatic quality, is still a win in my book.</p>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>Entering the world of “Echo of the Wilds” leads you to believe it is merely a difficult survival game. And at first, that is exactly what it is. However, over time a bit of story is revealed and you will realize something more sinister is at play. This game evolves into a type of puzzle/survival genre that I have never experienced before.</p>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/echo_of_the_wilds_scary_tree.png" title="<p>Example zone, whats this area for?</p>
">
<img src="/generated/echo_of_the_wilds_scary_tree-0d9e18ab03.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Example zone, whats this area for?</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Example zone, whats this area for?</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The first time I attempted to play the game, it was riddled with bugs to the point of unplayability, but it piqued my interest enough for me to want to come back, which I did, years later. I’m happy to report that almost all the major bugs are fixed and the game is certainly playable now.</p>
<p>Surviving the Wilds is quite difficult and you might die your first time playing. The author patched the game and made it easier to survive, which drastically cut down on some of the tedium of collecting resources, which is much appreciated and makes the game more enjoyable.</p>
<p>One of the most fun parts of the game is realizing how to survive more and more efficiently, freeing up time to answer some of the mysterious questions that arise from the areas you visit. Eventually you become efficient enough that you can spend time working on the various puzzles in the game, which is probably best represented as a miniature version of Fez.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/echo_of_the_wilds_clouds.png" title="<p>Snowy Peak area</p>
">
<img src="/generated/echo_of_the_wilds_clouds-71bbe723c5.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Snowy Peak area</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Snowy Peak area</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>There isn’t so much a story as just several small mysteries. Why are we here? Who are these people I occasionally bump into? What is the point?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, these questions are basically not really answered in the end. There is, however, enough of an ending to be satisfied that you at least understand what’s going on and there is some finality to it.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-85100">Overall Score: 85/100</h2>
<p>As far as I know, this is the only game of its puzzle/survival genre, and it is put together quite well. It has no major flaws that ruin the experience… Echo of the Wilds is an experience worth having.</p>The Echoes are Deceptively Complex Your typical campsite clutter Echo of the Wilds provides a very unique gameplay experience and at times a genuine feeling of magicalness. I thoughoughly enjoyed this game. The Art Like many of the games I’ve played recently, Echo of the Wilds is a pixel art game. Also, some of the ‘cut scenes’ have hints of ZX Spectrum graphics artifacts, indicated by repeating patterns of square regions. Bad graphics, ala ZX Spectrum The raw pixel art is quite charming, featuring beautiful vistas and fun locations. However, many of the cut scenes have almost laughably bad graphics, perhaps due to emulating the appearance of the ZX Spectrum. It is also worth noting that the background music and ambient background sounds are quite pleasant and relaxing. Very appropriate for when doing repeating tasks. Occasionally a scene will pop up with ugly visuals and jarring scare stab sounds, which is actually done quite well and certainly had the desired effect of making me feel uneasy. The art, with sporatic quality, is still a win in my book. Gameplay Entering the world of “Echo of the Wilds” leads you to believe it is merely a difficult survival game. And at first, that is exactly what it is. However, over time a bit of story is revealed and you will realize something more sinister is at play. This game evolves into a type of puzzle/survival genre that I have never experienced before. Example zone, whats this area for? The first time I attempted to play the game, it was riddled with bugs to the point of unplayability, but it piqued my interest enough for me to want to come back, which I did, years later. I’m happy to report that almost all the major bugs are fixed and the game is certainly playable now. Surviving the Wilds is quite difficult and you might die your first time playing. The author patched the game and made it easier to survive, which drastically cut down on some of the tedium of collecting resources, which is much appreciated and makes the game more enjoyable. One of the most fun parts of the game is realizing how to survive more and more efficiently, freeing up time to answer some of the mysterious questions that arise from the areas you visit. Eventually you become efficient enough that you can spend time working on the various puzzles in the game, which is probably best represented as a miniature version of Fez. The Story Snowy Peak area There isn’t so much a story as just several small mysteries. Why are we here? Who are these people I occasionally bump into? What is the point? Unfortunately, these questions are basically not really answered in the end. There is, however, enough of an ending to be satisfied that you at least understand what’s going on and there is some finality to it. Overall Score: 85/100 As far as I know, this is the only game of its puzzle/survival genre, and it is put together quite well. It has no major flaws that ruin the experience… Echo of the Wilds is an experience worth having.Game Review: The Witness2016-02-15T07:20:00-07:002016-02-15T07:20:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/02/15/game-review-the-witness<h2 id="the-difficulty-of-writing-about-the-witness">The Difficulty of Writing about The Witness</h2>
<p>This game is one of the most ‘pure’ games I have ever played. It rejects gaming norms and manages to be completely different from most other games. This makes it hard to compare to other games and the fact that anything one might say about The Witness or its puzzles is going to be a spoiler disaster. I will endeavor to avoid spoilers at the cost of vagueness.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
<p>Everyone seems to love the visual style of this game. No number of screenshots will ever do this game’s visual appearance any justice, so if you are unfamiliar with the witness, I suggest you watch the launch trailer embedded below.</p>
<div class="ytvideo">
<div class="dummy"></div>
<div class="frame">
<iframe width="100%" height="100%" class="frame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SPMMKFX78x0?modestbranding=1&autohide=1&showinfo=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</div>
</div>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>The Witness is a puzzle game. At the core there are logic puzzles, with a logical difficulty akin to Minesweeper or Soduku. The difficulty lies more in discovering the rules for these puzzles than for solving the puzzles themselves. This is both the blessing and the curse of these puzzles. You will have epiphany moments while learning the rules that stun and amuse you… It’ll occasionally make you feel like a genius, however, the downside is that once you know the rules, the actual solving can feel like you are being used as a permutation machine.</p>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/witness_puzzle.jpg" title="<p>One of the more difficult puzzles</p>
">
<img src="/generated/witness_puzzle-5e7a0423f1.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>One of the more difficult puzzles</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>One of the more difficult puzzles</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>I am a programmer, I consider myself a bit of a logical/mathy person. Learning the rules came somewhat easily to me, but I’m certain this type of game is not for everyone. I suspect the majority of humanity would be unable to finish this game without cheating (and from reading forums, there’s a lot of cheating going on). If you consider yourself intelligent, I implore you to reach the ending of this game without reading walkthroughs. I assure you that there is enough information to learn how to do it within the game itself.</p>
<p>For any programmers who decide to play this game, I recommend that you actually write a solver. There’s no better way to codify the rules than to write your own solver. A solver will not help with all the puzzles, but it should be fun nonetheless. On my playthough I avoided doing it because I wasn’t sure it would be worth it (but I now think it would have been). I only wrote a simple solver for a single puzzle at the end. Afterwards, I wrote a more complete solver which I enjoyed doing.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<p>Throughout the game there are mysterious and cryptic videos that you can unlock. Unfortunately, they portray very little actual meaning, all of which is completely up to subjective interpretation.</p>
<p>At the end of the game you get some figments of a story, much of which is unsatisfying and probably would have been better without it at all. While the story is a weak link, it was <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/262900/QA_Jonathan_Blow_on_The_Witness_and_the_state_of_indie_games.php">intentionally reduced</a> to not be the point of this game.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-95100">Overall Score: 95/100</h2>
<p>This is certainly the best puzzle game to come out since Braid, a game by the same creator (Jonathan Blow). Braid is perhaps a better game in some ways but both are absolutely wonderful. This blog post-dates Braid, but now I think I owe that game a write up as well.</p>The Difficulty of Writing about The Witness This game is one of the most ‘pure’ games I have ever played. It rejects gaming norms and manages to be completely different from most other games. This makes it hard to compare to other games and the fact that anything one might say about The Witness or its puzzles is going to be a spoiler disaster. I will endeavor to avoid spoilers at the cost of vagueness. The Art Everyone seems to love the visual style of this game. No number of screenshots will ever do this game’s visual appearance any justice, so if you are unfamiliar with the witness, I suggest you watch the launch trailer embedded below. Gameplay The Witness is a puzzle game. At the core there are logic puzzles, with a logical difficulty akin to Minesweeper or Soduku. The difficulty lies more in discovering the rules for these puzzles than for solving the puzzles themselves. This is both the blessing and the curse of these puzzles. You will have epiphany moments while learning the rules that stun and amuse you… It’ll occasionally make you feel like a genius, however, the downside is that once you know the rules, the actual solving can feel like you are being used as a permutation machine. One of the more difficult puzzles I am a programmer, I consider myself a bit of a logical/mathy person. Learning the rules came somewhat easily to me, but I’m certain this type of game is not for everyone. I suspect the majority of humanity would be unable to finish this game without cheating (and from reading forums, there’s a lot of cheating going on). If you consider yourself intelligent, I implore you to reach the ending of this game without reading walkthroughs. I assure you that there is enough information to learn how to do it within the game itself. For any programmers who decide to play this game, I recommend that you actually write a solver. There’s no better way to codify the rules than to write your own solver. A solver will not help with all the puzzles, but it should be fun nonetheless. On my playthough I avoided doing it because I wasn’t sure it would be worth it (but I now think it would have been). I only wrote a simple solver for a single puzzle at the end. Afterwards, I wrote a more complete solver which I enjoyed doing. The Story Throughout the game there are mysterious and cryptic videos that you can unlock. Unfortunately, they portray very little actual meaning, all of which is completely up to subjective interpretation. At the end of the game you get some figments of a story, much of which is unsatisfying and probably would have been better without it at all. While the story is a weak link, it was intentionally reduced to not be the point of this game. Overall Score: 95/100 This is certainly the best puzzle game to come out since Braid, a game by the same creator (Jonathan Blow). Braid is perhaps a better game in some ways but both are absolutely wonderful. This blog post-dates Braid, but now I think I owe that game a write up as well.Game Review: Elliot Quest2016-01-23T23:49:00-07:002016-01-23T23:49:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/01/23/game-review-elliot-quest<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/elliotquest_magical.png" title="<p>Some areas are magical</p>
">
<img src="/generated/elliotquest_magical-4dd7dd2b42.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Some areas are magical</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Some areas are magical</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Elliot Quest is a difficult game to review. On one hand it’s a great modern throwback to <em>Zelda II: The Adventure of Link</em>. On the other hand it is a game meant to play and feel like it was made in the late 80’s. So to give a fair warning, the only way I can possibly review this game is through the lens of nostalgia, since I was a huge Zelda II fan.</p>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/elliotquest_overworld.png" title="<p>Overworld Map</p>
">
<img src="/generated/elliotquest_overworld-91d5a05876.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Overworld Map</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Overworld Map</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The gameplay is mostly an old school skill based platformer with a slight mix of Metroidvania thrown in. At first it seems you will mostly be running around, simply shooting enemies. But you quickly realize that your character is limited by not having essential abilities. Luckily, these abilities can be gained through powerups that you must search for. After a while the skill ceiling raises because you can use your powerups in creative ways. Some challenges are generally difficult enough that it will take a few tries, and the only punishment for death is to lose some experience points.</p>
<p>One great element of this game is that it’s somewhat non-linear and encourages exploration. There is a overworld map where you walk around (like in RPGs). Several destinations have multiple different ways to reach them. This provides a wonderful
sense of exploration, but it can also lead to frustration. You never know what you are looking for; even if you did, you have no idea where to find it.</p>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/elliotquest_town.png" title="<p>Elliot in his hometown</p>
">
<img src="/generated/elliotquest_town-1c55318d3e.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Elliot in his hometown</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Elliot in his hometown</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>There is a bit of a puzzle element to the game as well. In several places you must think outside of the box to progress further. Often, it will feel like theres no way forward, but maybe you have to use an item in a special way or revisit the area later when you are stronger or have more abilities.</p>
<p>There are a few issues with the gameplay that I have. First is total lack of information on how to play the game and what you might find. You have no idea how choices affect you or if they are choices at all, similarly you do not know if a powerup will eventually allow you to achieve something or if you just need to find another way with what you have. To slightly remedy this, I have created <a href="/2016/01/23/elliot-quest-the-missing-manual/">Elliot Quest: The Missing Manual</a>, which includes the basic information that will get you started.</p>
<p>The next problem is that some secret areas require you to jump off cliffs to find them (its a bit of a theme in this game), however, jumping off cliffs gets you killed most of the time, and you lose experience. This causes a lot of frustration, and I suppose it’s just a poor choice of design.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/elliotquest_forest.png" title="<p>Many environments are eye candy</p>
">
<img src="/generated/elliotquest_forest-1d027a92c8.png" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Many environments are eye candy</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Many environments are eye candy</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Clearly, this game is pixel art. With the exception of a few monsters, it’s generally well done. It manages to look good while also looking retro – enough to feel like we could be playing on NES era hardware. Some rotating elements are smoothly rotated so it doesn’t quite look pixellated, but it doesn’t really blow the illusion.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<p>While a little shallow on story, I feel this was intentional. It has perhaps about the same amount of story as Zelda II. There are three possible endings and none of them are entirely satisfying. This is probably the weakest part of the game, as you end up not really caring about the ending that much.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-85100">Overall Score: 85/100</h2>
<p>This game is a gem that seems to have gone undiscovered by far too many who would appreciate it. It features great nostalgia inducing gameplay which is much deeper than it seems, decent pixel art, but a weak story. It may also lose a point for the engine, which is javascript based and manages to perform worse than an NES.</p>Some areas are magical Elliot Quest is a difficult game to review. On one hand it’s a great modern throwback to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. On the other hand it is a game meant to play and feel like it was made in the late 80’s. So to give a fair warning, the only way I can possibly review this game is through the lens of nostalgia, since I was a huge Zelda II fan. Gameplay Overworld Map The gameplay is mostly an old school skill based platformer with a slight mix of Metroidvania thrown in. At first it seems you will mostly be running around, simply shooting enemies. But you quickly realize that your character is limited by not having essential abilities. Luckily, these abilities can be gained through powerups that you must search for. After a while the skill ceiling raises because you can use your powerups in creative ways. Some challenges are generally difficult enough that it will take a few tries, and the only punishment for death is to lose some experience points. One great element of this game is that it’s somewhat non-linear and encourages exploration. There is a overworld map where you walk around (like in RPGs). Several destinations have multiple different ways to reach them. This provides a wonderful sense of exploration, but it can also lead to frustration. You never know what you are looking for; even if you did, you have no idea where to find it. Elliot in his hometown There is a bit of a puzzle element to the game as well. In several places you must think outside of the box to progress further. Often, it will feel like theres no way forward, but maybe you have to use an item in a special way or revisit the area later when you are stronger or have more abilities. There are a few issues with the gameplay that I have. First is total lack of information on how to play the game and what you might find. You have no idea how choices affect you or if they are choices at all, similarly you do not know if a powerup will eventually allow you to achieve something or if you just need to find another way with what you have. To slightly remedy this, I have created Elliot Quest: The Missing Manual, which includes the basic information that will get you started. The next problem is that some secret areas require you to jump off cliffs to find them (its a bit of a theme in this game), however, jumping off cliffs gets you killed most of the time, and you lose experience. This causes a lot of frustration, and I suppose it’s just a poor choice of design. The Art Many environments are eye candy Clearly, this game is pixel art. With the exception of a few monsters, it’s generally well done. It manages to look good while also looking retro – enough to feel like we could be playing on NES era hardware. Some rotating elements are smoothly rotated so it doesn’t quite look pixellated, but it doesn’t really blow the illusion. The Story While a little shallow on story, I feel this was intentional. It has perhaps about the same amount of story as Zelda II. There are three possible endings and none of them are entirely satisfying. This is probably the weakest part of the game, as you end up not really caring about the ending that much. Overall Score: 85/100 This game is a gem that seems to have gone undiscovered by far too many who would appreciate it. It features great nostalgia inducing gameplay which is much deeper than it seems, decent pixel art, but a weak story. It may also lose a point for the engine, which is javascript based and manages to perform worse than an NES.Elliot Quest: The Missing Manual2016-01-23T19:10:00-07:002016-01-23T19:10:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2016/01/23/elliot-quest-the-missing-manual<h2 class="no_toc" id="table-of-contents">Table of Contents</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<img src="/files/elliotquest_animated.gif" alt="" />
</div>
<ul id="markdown-toc">
<li><a href="#warnings" id="markdown-toc-warnings">Warnings</a></li>
<li><a href="#playing-the-game" id="markdown-toc-playing-the-game">Playing the Game</a> <ul>
<li><a href="#controller-support" id="markdown-toc-controller-support">Controller Support</a></li>
<li><a href="#backing-up-your-save" id="markdown-toc-backing-up-your-save">Backing up your Save</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#levelling-up" id="markdown-toc-levelling-up">Levelling Up</a></li>
<li><a href="#alignment" id="markdown-toc-alignment">Alignment</a> <ul>
<li><a href="#rogue" id="markdown-toc-rogue">Rogue</a></li>
<li><a href="#goddess" id="markdown-toc-goddess">Goddess</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="#collectables" id="markdown-toc-collectables">Collectables</a> <ul>
<li><a href="#stat-incrementors" id="markdown-toc-stat-incrementors">Stat Incrementors</a></li>
<li><a href="#consumables" id="markdown-toc-consumables">Consumables</a></li>
<li><a href="#keys--misc" id="markdown-toc-keys--misc">Keys & Misc</a></li>
<li><a href="#spells" id="markdown-toc-spells">Spells</a></li>
<li><a href="#power-ups" id="markdown-toc-power-ups">Power Ups</a></li>
<li><a href="#combat-equipment" id="markdown-toc-combat-equipment">Combat Equipment</a></li>
<li><a href="#quest-items" id="markdown-toc-quest-items">Quest Items</a></li>
<li><a href="#non-functional-collectables" id="markdown-toc-non-functional-collectables">Non-functional collectables</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="warnings">Warnings</h2>
<p>First off, a few warnings.</p>
<p>This “manual” is meant to provide the information that <em>maybe</em> should have been included with the game. It will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Furthermore, it may be incomplete or inaccurate, please contact me if you would like me to add or correct some information. You can send me mail here: tim <em>at</em> analogbit.com.</p>
<p>The other warning is about choices in the game itself. Some actions have permanent effects in this game. Specially, they affect your alignment and consequently the ending you receive.</p>
<h2 id="playing-the-game">Playing the Game</h2>
<h3 id="controller-support">Controller Support</h3>
<p>Steam lists at partial controller suport, but game features full controller support (without remapping features). The game is mapped to use the DPAD for motion controls. The Xbox 360 controller works well.
For a list of the key/button mappings, see the only page of the <a href="http://elliotquest.com/manual/manual.pdf">official manual</a></p>
<h3 id="backing-up-your-save">Backing up your Save</h3>
<p>To backup your save, simplly copy the contents of the Elliot Quest folder, located here:
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Elliot Quest</p>
<h2 id="levelling-up">Levelling Up</h2>
<p>The maximum level is 20. You start at level one, meaning you will max out with 19 points to assign, spend them wisely.</p>
<h2 id="alignment">Alignment</h2>
<p>As mentioned in the warning, doing certain things will modify your character’s alignment. Here is an <strong>incomplete</strong> list:</p>
<div class="spoiler" id="spoiler_alignment">
Shift alignment towards Good:
<ul>
<li>Return bombs to boy in town</li>
<li>Graveyard rescue</li>
<li>Kill Tema Boss</li>
</ul>
Shift alignment towards Evil:
<ul>
<li>Opening town's people's treasure chests</li>
<li>Team up with Rogue</li>
<li>Destroy Goddess</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><button title="Show spoiler" type="button" onclick="$('#spoiler_alignment').show(); $(this).hide();">
Show spoiler
</button></p>
<h3 id="rogue">Rogue</h3>
<div class="spoiler" id="spoiler_rogue">
Teaming up reduces your characters alignment value. If you do team up, Rogue will randomly jump in and attack foes at random intervals, this is not always a good thing.
</div>
<p><button title="Show spoiler" type="button" onclick="$('#spoiler_rogue').show(); $(this).hide();">
Show spoiler
</button></p>
<h3 id="goddess">Goddess</h3>
<p>Before making a decision at this point, you probably want to read this.</p>
<div class="spoiler" id="spoiler_goddess">
Destroying the Goddess not only shifts you toward evil, it also stops you from collecting the shovel item.
</div>
<p><button title="Show spoiler" type="button" onclick="$('#spoiler_goddess').show(); $(this).hide();">
Show spoiler
</button></p>
<h2 id="collectables">Collectables</h2>
<h3 id="stat-incrementors">Stat Incrementors</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Heart</td>
<td>Gives Elliot more health.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Half Heart</td>
<td>Collect two of these to give elliot a full heart of health.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Green Pot</td>
<td>Gives Elliot more mana.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Experience Scroll</td>
<td>Gives Elliot a large amount of experience.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="consumables">Consumables</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Red Potion</td>
<td>Restore health</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Green Potion</td>
<td>Restore mana</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Yellow Potion</td>
<td>Restore health and mana</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Feather</td>
<td>Exit current dungeon</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="keys--misc">Keys & Misc</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Blue Chest Key</td>
<td>Allows you to open the Blue Chests throughout the game.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Door Keys</td>
<td>These are scattered around the island and let you enter various locked areas.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dungeon Door Key</td>
<td>These open sections of dungeons and allow you to progress.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Large Dungeon Door Key</td>
<td>Key to unlock a Guardian door.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Crystal</td>
<td>These do not look like keys, but they do unlock magical doors.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Map</td>
<td>Fills out your map so you can track what areas you need to visit.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="spells">Spells</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Wind Magic</td>
<td>Defensive mobility magic.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fire Magic</td>
<td>Burn things!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Earth Magic</td>
<td>Impact forces at work.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ice Magic</td>
<td>Freeze things!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fairy In a Bottle</td>
<td>Let the fairy out to see further and manipulate some things.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="power-ups">Power Ups</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Amulet</td>
<td>Allows Elliot to push some stone blocks.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Blue Book</td>
<td>Provides slow mana regeneration.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bomb Bags</td>
<td>Allows Elliot to carry four bombs per bag. Collect all four bags!</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Candle</td>
<td>Light lanterns in the dark.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dash Boots</td>
<td>Faster movement at critical times.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mirror</td>
<td>Swap some blocks from the background to the foreground and back.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shovel</td>
<td>Lets elliot dig in the sand. What will he find?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Winged Boots</td>
<td>Lets Elliot bounce off green blobby guys.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Wings</td>
<td>Double jump for greater height and distance!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="combat-equipment">Combat Equipment</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Shield</td>
<td>Blocks enemy projectiles.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Golden Shield</td>
<td>Block more enemy projectiles.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Iron Arrow</td>
<td>Second tier attack damage.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>White Arrow</td>
<td>Third tier attack damage.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Helmet</td>
<td>Added defense against enemies.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Golden Helmet</td>
<td>More defense against enemies.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="quest-items">Quest Items</h3>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Yellow Mushroom</td>
<td>???</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shell Shards</td>
<td>???</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="non-functional-collectables">Non-functional collectables</h3>
<p>These have no apparent effect on the game other than to show up as being collected.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Lettuce shaped stone</td>
<td>A lettuce shaped stone called lettuce shaped stone.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Monster Bag</td>
<td>Monster Bag by ID1 Clothing</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Top Hat</td>
<td>The Top Hat has something written inside it–It reads “From Zombey to TheOnlyBit”</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Origin of this World</td>
<td>The elders say it’s the origin of this world.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mystical Surfboard</td>
<td>This is Corey’s Mystical Surfboard. May it improve your life as it did his!</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>Table of Contents Warnings Playing the Game Controller Support Backing up your Save Levelling Up Alignment Rogue Goddess Collectables Stat Incrementors Consumables Keys & Misc Spells Power Ups Combat Equipment Quest Items Non-functional collectables Warnings First off, a few warnings. This “manual” is meant to provide the information that maybe should have been included with the game. It will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Furthermore, it may be incomplete or inaccurate, please contact me if you would like me to add or correct some information. You can send me mail here: tim at analogbit.com. The other warning is about choices in the game itself. Some actions have permanent effects in this game. Specially, they affect your alignment and consequently the ending you receive. Playing the Game Controller Support Steam lists at partial controller suport, but game features full controller support (without remapping features). The game is mapped to use the DPAD for motion controls. The Xbox 360 controller works well. For a list of the key/button mappings, see the only page of the official manual Backing up your Save To backup your save, simplly copy the contents of the Elliot Quest folder, located here: C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Elliot Quest Levelling Up The maximum level is 20. You start at level one, meaning you will max out with 19 points to assign, spend them wisely. Alignment As mentioned in the warning, doing certain things will modify your character’s alignment. Here is an incomplete list: Shift alignment towards Good: Return bombs to boy in town Graveyard rescue Kill Tema Boss Shift alignment towards Evil: Opening town's people's treasure chests Team up with Rogue Destroy Goddess Show spoiler Rogue Teaming up reduces your characters alignment value. If you do team up, Rogue will randomly jump in and attack foes at random intervals, this is not always a good thing. Show spoiler Goddess Before making a decision at this point, you probably want to read this. Destroying the Goddess not only shifts you toward evil, it also stops you from collecting the shovel item. Show spoiler Collectables Stat Incrementors Heart Gives Elliot more health. Half Heart Collect two of these to give elliot a full heart of health. Green Pot Gives Elliot more mana. Experience Scroll Gives Elliot a large amount of experience. Consumables Red Potion Restore health Green Potion Restore mana Yellow Potion Restore health and mana Feather Exit current dungeon Keys & Misc Blue Chest Key Allows you to open the Blue Chests throughout the game. Door Keys These are scattered around the island and let you enter various locked areas. Dungeon Door Key These open sections of dungeons and allow you to progress. Large Dungeon Door Key Key to unlock a Guardian door. Crystal These do not look like keys, but they do unlock magical doors. Map Fills out your map so you can track what areas you need to visit. Spells Wind Magic Defensive mobility magic. Fire Magic Burn things! Earth Magic Impact forces at work. Ice Magic Freeze things! Fairy In a Bottle Let the fairy out to see further and manipulate some things. Power Ups Amulet Allows Elliot to push some stone blocks. Blue Book Provides slow mana regeneration. Bomb Bags Allows Elliot to carry four bombs per bag. Collect all four bags! Candle Light lanterns in the dark. Dash Boots Faster movement at critical times. Mirror Swap some blocks from the background to the foreground and back. Shovel Lets elliot dig in the sand. What will he find? Winged Boots Lets Elliot bounce off green blobby guys. Wings Double jump for greater height and distance! Combat Equipment Shield Blocks enemy projectiles. Golden Shield Block more enemy projectiles. Iron Arrow Second tier attack damage. White Arrow Third tier attack damage. Helmet Added defense against enemies. Golden Helmet More defense against enemies. Quest Items Yellow Mushroom ??? Shell Shards ??? Non-functional collectables These have no apparent effect on the game other than to show up as being collected. Lettuce shaped stone A lettuce shaped stone called lettuce shaped stone. Monster Bag Monster Bag by ID1 Clothing Top Hat The Top Hat has something written inside it–It reads “From Zombey to TheOnlyBit” Origin of this World The elders say it’s the origin of this world. Mystical Surfboard This is Corey’s Mystical Surfboard. May it improve your life as it did his!Game Review: Ibb & Obb2015-12-09T18:19:00-07:002015-12-09T18:19:00-07:00http://analogbit.com/2015/12/09/game-review-ibb-and-obb<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/ibbobb_hub.jpg" title="<p>Level Hub</p>
">
<img src="/generated/ibbobb_hub-57c9a1aaa7.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Level Hub</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Level Hub</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Ibb and Obb is puzzle platformer with a twist: cooperative gameplay. While it is possible to play this game solo, it’s built to be played cooperatively with a friend. Cooperative gameplay has a magical property that can turn a mediocre game into a good game, and thats exactly what it does in the case of Ibb and Obb.</p>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<div class="flair-image-right">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/ibbobb_random.jpg" title="<p>Some goals require you to get lucky</p>
">
<img src="/generated/ibbobb_random-feae078ec0.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Some goals require you to get lucky</p>
" />
</a>
<div class="flair-caption"><p>Some goals require you to get lucky</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>Ibb and Obb’s gameplay is about half logic puzzle and half action/timing. The has but only simple controls; directional movement and jump. The creators managed to (somewhat) successfully turn the limited controls into interesting puzzles. Once you and your friend discover and communicate the correct solution to a puzzle, execution of the solution is sometimes difficult and ends up being half of the battle. This is not helped by the fact that some mistakes will
force you to restart the level to get a perfect score in the level.</p>
<div class="flair-image-left">
<a class="cbGallery" href="/files/ibbobb_darkness.jpg" title="<p>Inexplicably, some game elements exist to create frustration</p>
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<div class="flair-caption"><p>Inexplicably, some game elements exist to create frustration</p>
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<p>I do have several complaints about the gameplay. Firstly, you must set your screen to a 4:3 ratio in order to see everything you need to be able to see, this is not noted anywhere and we only discovered it due to the use of an old monitor. My second issue is that some of the ‘skill’ based areas of the game rely on almost pure randomness to pass. Another issue I have is with the darkness level near the end of the game. The darkness level feels quite out of place and forces you to just waste time trying to see the level instead of playing it. Lastly, perfectionists will be annoyed in their attempts to get maximum score for a level. To do so, you must to collect little diamonds. The problem is that the diamonds have a limited lifetime after spawning. If you miss them, which is quite easy with multiplayer latency, you have to restart the level and try again.</p>
<h2 id="the-art">The Art</h2>
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<img src="/generated/ibbobb_simplistic_art-1d673c3613.jpg" class="flair-image" alt="<p>Simplistic Art</p>
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<div class="flair-caption"><p>Simplistic Art</p>
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<p>Unfortunately the initial impression given is that the authors did not care about the art. The main characters are very simple in appearance and the early levels are visually bland. Eventually the art becomes interesting, colorful, and geometric, which is much easier to appreciate.</p>
<p>The biggest flaw is in the design of the main characters, which you end up spending all your time staring at; Ibb and Obb look like poor renderings of Pacman ghosts and they ruin every screenshot of the game.</p>
<h2 id="the-story">The Story</h2>
<p>Maybe I’m missing something, but I detected no story within Ibb & Obb. There are a few places where you destroy factories, but it doesn’t seem to be a major theme.</p>
<h2 id="overall-score-78100">Overall Score: 78/100</h2>
<p>This score is propped up by solid cooperative gameplay, with its few flaws pulling it back down a bit. Even without fantastic art or a story, Ibb and Obb is still a decent puzzle game, you’ll probably experience a few eureka moments and pulling off a skillful feat always leaves you feeling good.</p>Level Hub Ibb and Obb is puzzle platformer with a twist: cooperative gameplay. While it is possible to play this game solo, it’s built to be played cooperatively with a friend. Cooperative gameplay has a magical property that can turn a mediocre game into a good game, and thats exactly what it does in the case of Ibb and Obb. Gameplay Some goals require you to get lucky Ibb and Obb’s gameplay is about half logic puzzle and half action/timing. The has but only simple controls; directional movement and jump. The creators managed to (somewhat) successfully turn the limited controls into interesting puzzles. Once you and your friend discover and communicate the correct solution to a puzzle, execution of the solution is sometimes difficult and ends up being half of the battle. This is not helped by the fact that some mistakes will force you to restart the level to get a perfect score in the level. Inexplicably, some game elements exist to create frustration I do have several complaints about the gameplay. Firstly, you must set your screen to a 4:3 ratio in order to see everything you need to be able to see, this is not noted anywhere and we only discovered it due to the use of an old monitor. My second issue is that some of the ‘skill’ based areas of the game rely on almost pure randomness to pass. Another issue I have is with the darkness level near the end of the game. The darkness level feels quite out of place and forces you to just waste time trying to see the level instead of playing it. Lastly, perfectionists will be annoyed in their attempts to get maximum score for a level. To do so, you must to collect little diamonds. The problem is that the diamonds have a limited lifetime after spawning. If you miss them, which is quite easy with multiplayer latency, you have to restart the level and try again. The Art Simplistic Art Unfortunately the initial impression given is that the authors did not care about the art. The main characters are very simple in appearance and the early levels are visually bland. Eventually the art becomes interesting, colorful, and geometric, which is much easier to appreciate. The biggest flaw is in the design of the main characters, which you end up spending all your time staring at; Ibb and Obb look like poor renderings of Pacman ghosts and they ruin every screenshot of the game. The Story Maybe I’m missing something, but I detected no story within Ibb & Obb. There are a few places where you destroy factories, but it doesn’t seem to be a major theme. Overall Score: 78/100 This score is propped up by solid cooperative gameplay, with its few flaws pulling it back down a bit. Even without fantastic art or a story, Ibb and Obb is still a decent puzzle game, you’ll probably experience a few eureka moments and pulling off a skillful feat always leaves you feeling good.