Zodi Plays: Dishonored (Stealth Dad Simulator)

[LaZodiac]

It's only hinted at in the first game, so you can miss it until the second game where it's explicitly stated.

Hey cool don't say things like this. I did say try to keep spoilers to a minimum and while I am 100% sure that the heart is my wife it's still just a theory.

[The Glyphstone]

Hey cool don't say things like this. I did say try to keep spoilers to a minimum and while I am 100% sure that the heart is my wife it's still just a theory.

That isn't what I was talking about at all, actually. So I haven't spoilered what you think I spoilered, though I will retroactively re-spoiler just in case.

[DataNinja]

Oh, good. Ninja magic, like the assassins were using. I... gathered that this was coming, because people in-thread weren't subtle about it, but it's still cool.

Neat little place here. Especially because I imagine it gives a fair bit of foreshadowing.

Sure, just... take a heart. No biggie.

I really, really like the chances to get more lore like this, especially if it's in an in-universe way.

Spoiler: Takedowns

Show

Episode	Non-Lethal	Lethal	Total
1	0	4	4
2	4	8	12
3	0	0	0
4	0	0	0
Total	4	12	16

[LaZodiac]

That isn't what I was talking about at all, actually. So I haven't spoilered what you think I spoilered, though I will retroactively re-spoiler just in case.

Sorry if that came off as a knee jerk reaction, I just don't want to be spoiled about stuff, and presumably neither do the people watching who are blind.

Oh, good. Ninja magic, like the assassins were using. I... gathered that this was coming, because people in-thread weren't subtle about it, but it's still cool.

Neat little place here. Especially because I imagine it gives a fair bit of foreshadowing.

Sure, just... take a heart. No biggie.

I really, really like the chances to get more lore like this, especially if it's in an in-universe way.

Spoiler: Takedowns

Show

Episode	Non-Lethal	Lethal	Total
1	0	4	4
2	4	8	12
3	0	0	0
4	0	0	0
Total	4	12	16

Yeah, the magic powers and the still beating heart that whispers secrets in my ear are what really drew me to the game.

Which is why I didn't play it past this point till I did an LP of it, naturally.

[The Glyphstone]

Sorry if that came off as a knee jerk reaction, I just don't want to be spoiled about stuff, and presumably neither do the people watching who are blind.

Honestly it wasn't undeserved as my comment was still a spoiler, though of something I think you've already worked out for yourself with all the 'secret wife' comments. (Which, incidentally, is also a spoiler of sorts I think to call her that.)

And yes, your magic ninja powers are fantastic. They are truly the crux to transforming gameplay, now you have actual options for avoiding combat and mostly exploring the fantastic verticality of Dishonored's levels; nothing else comes quite like it except Deus Ex and (possibly) Thief. My favorite thing in this game was Blinking around to every open window I could find just to see what was inside, which sometimes led to odd sequence-breaking stuff.

[LaZodiac]

Honestly it wasn't undeserved as my comment was still a spoiler, though of something I think you've already worked out for yourself with all the 'secret wife' comments. (Which, incidentally, is also a spoiler of sorts I think to call her that.)

And yes, your magic ninja powers are fantastic. They are truly the crux to transforming gameplay, now you have actual options for avoiding combat and mostly exploring the fantastic verticality of Dishonored's levels; nothing else comes quite like it except Deus Ex and (possibly) Thief. My favorite thing in this game was Blinking around to every open window I could find just to see what was inside, which sometimes led to odd sequence-breaking stuff.

When I say it it's a theory (and also true because I'm smart )

I told friends of mine that the Heart and the magic powers are when Dishonored reveals it's true nature, and I think that's a viable thing to say. I've played Deus Ex, and the general sort of Implications of Blink and it's minor parkour system makes it feel like it has way more potential for unique experiences overall, perhaps? I don't know, judging two games, one of which I haven't actually really played yet, is tricky business.

From a story standpoint though it changes up everything. I kinda wish they didn't have the ninjas showoff their magic powers in the opening so that it could make people think the game would be more mundane than it is, so that when you go to bed and wake up in Uncle Yog'saron's dinner room and you get given magic eyeballs and a heart that tells you stuff, it's more surprising.

[DataNinja]

From a story standpoint though it changes up everything. I kinda wish they didn't have the ninjas showoff their magic powers in the opening so that it could make people think the game would be more mundane than it is, so that when you go to bed and wake up in Uncle Yog'saron's dinner room and you get given magic eyeballs and a heart that tells you stuff, it's more surprising.

Yeah, that on its own sorta gave away stuff. Though also the tooltips and whatnot, especially regarding chaos, I do seem to recall pointing towards that sort of direction as well. Always a shame when later mechanics get spoiled by helpful hints early on.

[HalfTangible]

I think it was that mild amusement that irritated me. I'm Corvo trying to save my city and my Empire, and a god hands me magic powers because he thinks I'm funny and wants to see what I'll do with it. The fact that

Spoiler: Major Spoiler?

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Daud also carries his mark

shows how little he actually cares about what's going on other than the entertainment value of watching mortals scurry around and try to be relevant.

Spoiler

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It's only hinted at in the first game, so you can miss it until the second game where it's explicitly stated.

Here's the thing: "Disinterested but willing to help you cuz it's fun" is probably the nicest motivation we see in this game. Compare that to, say...

Spoiler

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The Lord Regent who not only kills the Empress and tries to kill you, he literally brought the plague that causes like 98% of the game's problems because he doesn't like the poor and nearly depopulates Dunwall in the process

The loyalists, who outright (try and fail to) murder you and (succeed in) killing many of your other allies because they want to control Emily and by extension the Empire.

Pendleton, who's a blowhard and a coward

The Pendleton brothers, who literally tied up Pendleton with a COBRA because kids are ***** and continued to bully him for being sickly and cowardly (because of that same cobra bite)... yeah I called him a blowhard and a coward but still.

The Outsider is your classic trickster archetype; he doesn't really care what's going on, he just wants to throw a wrench in the works. Which is better than lubing said works with the blood of orphans that are being flayed alive.

Yeah, that on its own sorta gave away stuff. Though also the tooltips and whatnot, especially regarding chaos, I do seem to recall pointing towards that sort of direction as well. Always a shame when later mechanics get spoiled by helpful hints early on.

*shrug* I feel like showing the magic ninjas early was kinda vital to enjoying the game. Coldridge Prison (plus the subsequent escape) doesn't make the best first impression on the mundane side of things, imo

I just wish that the first Outsider scene hadn't labelled itself as "Someplace else" when you woke up, so walking out the door into foggyland would be a complete shock to the player.

Come to think of it, the note with the empress makes me wonder if there was some plan for this section to start as a nightmare...

[DataNinja]

I'll be honest, I thought initially that the "Someplace Else" meant that there was going to be a brief cutaway scene, where you got to play as some mookish character elsewhere, talk to/see some people, do some non-combat stuff, just in order to give the player some info that Corvo might not have.

[HalfTangible]

I'll be honest, I thought initially that the "Someplace Else" meant that there was going to be a brief cutaway scene, where you got to play as some mookish character elsewhere, talk to/see some people, do some non-combat stuff, just in order to give the player some info that Corvo might not have.

Same.

And I've played this game before!

But once you wake up in the attic again it's pretty clear that's not what's happening.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

You're right, the note really does make it seem like they intended it to be started as a nightmare sequence that the Outsider enters and morphs, or something similar.

[Gray Mage]

Ops, I'm very sorry about the Dark Vision spoilers.
I'll do a better job in the future.

Other than that, now the game really begins. Looking foward to seeing which style of play and choice of powers you will pick going foward.

[LaZodiac]

Ops, I'm very sorry about the Dark Vision spoilers.
I'll do a better job in the future.

No no, it's fine. Other people also talked about it, in thread and otherwise. I didn't even remember who said it in thread proper so that was a completely unaimed admonishment.

Regarding your edit: Me too honestly! We'll see, I'm excited to try it out with my cool new micromophone!

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Some things about the Outsider... uhhh, probably spoilers, so I'mma gonna spoiler-tag this, just to be safe.

Spoiler: Spoilery Outsider Stuff

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The Outsider seems to want to just... shake up the status quo. He finds people that would be 'interesting' if they are given powers, then... gives them powers. Typically, he does so when they are at a very low point in their lives, but are poised to make substantial changes. Very often in a position to make either very good changes or very bad chances, depending on which way they want to utilize those powers.

Like... Corvo. His Empress/Secret Wife is dead, the Princess/His Daughter is held captive, he's an outlaw, he's got two different factions wanting to control the princess with one of them the Obviously Evil group and the other willing to use you to get them out of power then backstab you as soon as you do. Even your allies are enemies, with all hands turned against you. You have a seemingly impossible task.

Yet it is how you go about this task with the Outsider's help which is the crux of the matter. You can go on a murderous rampage, slaughtering the 'traitors' who would dare control your daughter for their own means, or you can quietly but effectively secure control through guile and wit. The fate the Empire will change, depending on YOUR actions. If you slaughter your world, your daughter will take the lesson that sometimes mercy can be a weakness and that the easiest solution to an enemy is to simply kill them. If you spare as many as you can, she learns that justice can be tempered with mercy. Her ruling style will be based on YOUR example.

Daud and Delilah are similar, in that each was in a position to affect great change, and were at a very low point in their lives when the Outsider stepped in.

He's not capricious about his gifts... in fact he's quite particular. He's not random about it. He selects those who could really use a second chance, and sees what they can do with it. He doesn't control them once he does gift them, they actually are more outside his control than reality itself at that point. He's not just a force of chaos, although much chaos can result from gifting someone he probably shouldn't have.

Since whatever happens in the Empire doesn't really affect or impact him in the least, he's above the consequences of the actions those he Gifts might take. They might be a force of good, or of ill, and not even he knows what is going to happen when he does it.

[factotum]

There's a lot more backstory for the Outsider in the "Death of the Outsider" expandalone for the second game--definitely recommend people give that a go if they haven't.

[LaZodiac]

So, while the audio quality is vastly improved, it seems like my computer has SOME minor difficulty recording it at 60 frames per second. We'll see about fixing that too... anyway, new video today! We actually start the game!

Zodi Plays: Dishonored [5] Rags to Runes

Video Length: 31:35

With heart in hand and mission on our mind, it's time to head into the city of Dunwall so we can slink our way down to the High Overseer's office and introduce him to the sharp end of a rather pointy looking sword. But before that, we need to get acclimatized to how playing this game for real actually works. There's runes and special bonus objects called Bone Charms strewn about the level, which we're going to be doing our best to find. There's sidequests to do for completely and totally trustworthy blind servants of an elder being, and there's just a bunch of guys hanging around that we're gonna need to sneak past.

Our first actual Objective is to get past the Wall of Light, a rather cool security system powered by Whale Oil, that fries anything that isn't authorized. There are many ways through, so many in fact that the optional objective to sneak past using one specific one doesn't seem to trigger properly and also doesn't get us anything it's just a suggestion by the game, which is cool. I'll be honest I didn't expect this game to be so free and open, and didn't expect it to actually have side quests within the levels, at least to this degree. It's really cool, and now that I'm playing the actual game I can say definitively that I'm really liking this... even if I do mess up some things a little bit, as you'll see.

The most important milestone this episode is that we get enough runes to increase our jump height, and while it does take some getting used to it seems like one of if not the best possible upgrades we could have ever gotten. It is so immediately useful, especially given the parkor system of "you can do pull ups". It's fantastic. The high jump, plus our ability to actually parkour, plus Blink, is probably one of the best FPS movement tool suites I've seen in a long time. It's really telling that the only FPS that even though to introduce "the ability to climb up things using your big beef man arms" is Doom (2016), which came out four dang years after this. No other imitators, even though there has been a lot of FPS's with exploration in them. It's weird.

Anyway, that's it for today! I hope you all enjoyed, I'll see you all next time!

[The Glyphstone]

Trust me when I say getting upgraded Dark Vision is indescribably useful for sneaking around. Personally I would have taken upgraded Blink before I took upgraded Jump distance, because Blink can get you anywhere Jump can and more.

[DataNinja]

Audio quality is much improved indeed.

I wonder if White Rats are easier to spot, don't actually do damage, allow for some resource collection, or are just aesthetic?

Well, we're already off to a good start with the ratio of non-lethal to lethal.

...and as soon as I say that, you take off someone's head.

I always laugh at the absurdities come from games that no reasonable person would ever make in real life. "Whoops, stabbed instead of shot." "Whoops, accidentally pulled the pin and threw this grenade when meaning to punch the guy."

But, hey, you're close to breaking even on lethal vs non-lethal.

Spoiler: Takedowns

Show

Episode	Non-Lethal	Lethal	Total
1	0	4	4
2	4	8	12
3	0	0	0
4	0	0	0
5	6	2	8
Total	10	14	24

[LaZodiac]

Trust me when I say getting upgraded Dark Vision is indescribably useful for sneaking around. Personally I would have taken upgraded Blink before I took upgraded Jump distance, because Blink can get you anywhere Jump can and more.

You're probably true but the high jump also gets me closer to the run fast. Also having additional, semi redundant verbs is important.

Also I just like the feeling of rocketing upwards propelled by shadows.

Audio quality is much improved indeed.

I wonder if White Rats are easier to spot, don't actually do damage, allow for some resource collection, or are just aesthetic?

Well, we're already off to a good start with the ratio of non-lethal to lethal.

...and as soon as I say that, you take off someone's head.

I always laugh at the absurdities come from games that no reasonable person would ever make in real life. "Whoops, stabbed instead of shot." "Whoops, accidentally pulled the pin and threw this grenade when meaning to punch the guy."

But, hey, you're close to breaking even on lethal vs non-lethal.

Spoiler: Takedowns

Show

Episode	Non-Lethal	Lethal	Total
1	0	4	4
2	4	8	12
3	0	0	0
4	0	0	0
5	6	2	8
Total	10	14	24

Glad the audio is sounding better! The orb is a good friend and I like him very much.

I have been informed White Rats Do Things, depending on charms, so it's a For Later thing.

The accidental murders are really embarrassing because for the first one it's like "ah, just confused on buttons" and for the second it's because I quickly glanced at the icons and thought the "stab in neck" option was close enough to looking like strangling to be strangling.

Oh man I'm so glad to see I'm doing good at not killing things. I can't wait to watch the next episode where nothing bad happens and no one dies : )

[DataNinja]

Oh man I'm so glad to see I'm doing good at not killing things. I can't wait to watch the next episode where nothing bad happens and no one dies : )

That sure doesn't sound ominous at all. But why would it. After all, nothing ever goes wrong around here.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Some recording tips:

Generally, when recording you can use a Noise Suppression filter with your recording software to mute things below a certain threshold. This should do pretty well for your fan noise. Play around with it.

Overuse of the Noise Gate can lead to some undesired effects. You'll want a mix of both Noise Suppression and Noise Gate to get the effect you desire.

And for the episode:

White rats are a potential synergy mechanic with other things. Not going to go any further into it yet.

I don't think you quite realize how powerful your Blink skill is. Among other things, it is completely silent, permitting you to teleport around enemies rather than having to deal with them.

Blink can also be used to drop DOWN without hurting yourself, and without alerting people. This can also be of use. However, it cannot be used in conjunction with a drop-attack (either lethal or non-lethal).

Oops...

Granny Rags is very unsettling...

Oops again...

[LaZodiac]

Some recording tips:

Generally, when recording you can use a Noise Suppression filter with your recording software to mute things below a certain threshold. This should do pretty well for your fan noise. Play around with it.

Overuse of the Noise Gate can lead to some undesired effects. You'll want a mix of both Noise Suppression and Noise Gate to get the effect you desire.

And for the episode:

White rats are a potential synergy mechanic with other things. Not going to go any further into it yet.

I don't think you quite realize how powerful your Blink skill is. Among other things, it is completely silent, permitting you to teleport around enemies rather than having to deal with them.

Blink can also be used to drop DOWN without hurting yourself, and without alerting people. This can also be of use. However, it cannot be used in conjunction with a drop-attack (either lethal or non-lethal).

Oops...

Granny Rags is very unsettling...

Oops again...

Recording stuff: I have no idea what either of those things are please tell me.

Game Stuff: Yeah I start to use Blink more often, it takes a bit to get used to having it! And... there's a NON LETHAL drop down assassinate option? Boy I sure wish I had known that for no particular reason at all.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Have you thought about remapping the keys if possible to switch the hands, if you're still having issues with which button is which attack?

[LaZodiac]

Have you thought about remapping the keys if possible to switch the hands, if you're still having issues with which button is which attack?

I considered that in an earlier video but the realization that the sword button is the easier button for me to press in terms of wear made me realize it's probably set up this way for a reason? It's something I'll consider, I really feel like I'd make the same mistake regardless.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I was thinking the same as Gwyn. Just because you can see the logic of left click being primary fire, doesn't mean you have to bow to it. The visual of having the knife in the right hand is clearly winning out, and a right click really isn't any harder to perform, assuming you have all of your fingers.

[Balmas]

White rats can be used for other bonecharms, so having another bone-charm that gives you more of them can be good.

Recording stuff: I have no idea what either of those things are please tell me.

H'okay, quick primer on audio stuffs.

The idea with good audio recording is that the microphone picks up you, and only you. Some audio filters are helpful in accomplishing this. I don't know which capture program you use, but in OBS, you'll click the little gear next to the track capturing your voice, and there will be a drop-down menu with Filters as one of the options.

The goal of all these filters is to get the noise floor--the background noise in the video, when you're not talking--to be as low as possible. That way, when you go in and do some audio editing in post, you don't need to worry about fan noise interfering with your melodious voice.

A Noise Suppression filter does this fairly simply: to my understanding, it just brute-force lowers the volume of your recording by a set amount of decibels. This will apply to everything, so you'll want to play around with your settings to get a filter that blocks out the background noise without affecting your speech too much.

A Noise Gate, on the other hand, is an automatic sound-based on-off switch for the mic. It makes it so that the microphone only turns on if it detects noise above a certain threshold. If you've set it up right, it will mean that the microphone will be muted when you're not talking but quickly turn on again when you start to talk. Noise gates can be tricky; you'll want to look up a tutorial on that and play around with your settings, attack times, and so on. It's worth mentioning that a Noise Gate will cut off background noise when you're not talking, but if you're not also using a Noise Suppression filter, that background noise will still be picked up when you start talking.

If you're using either of these filters, you'll probably also want to use a Gain filter. Gain simply boosts--or lowers, if you're using negative values--the volume of your recording. That way, you regain the volume that the two above filters lost you, and sound better.

The order that these filters are applied matters. The ideal is Noise Suppression, then Gate, then Gain. That lowers background noise, makes it so that the microphone is only on when you're talking, and then boosts the volume back up to a better level.

Of course, in addition to this advice, I have one more tidbit. Most of this stuff with filters? It's useful if you can't find a quiet area, but it comes at the cost of time, complexity, and the occasional mishap when background noise just doesn't line up with filters. As a general rule, rather than faff about with filters, it's usually simpler to make sure the room is already as quiet as you can make it by getting rid of things that make background noise, like fans.

P.S.: If you're not already recording voice and game audio onto two separate tracks, please do so. It saves you so many headaches when editing your audio. Otherwise, all of these filters will throw your game audio completely out of whack.

[LaZodiac]

Okay so my only audio problem is that my fan has the galeforce power of a hurricane and thus cannot be used while recording in good conscious now that my microphone is good enough that this matters.

So I guess it's back to melting for me.

[Gray Mage]

Yes, this game allows for plenty of freedom of path, it's one of the best implementations. Every misson has multiple paths (often using different powers) and multiple ways of fulfilling the objective (and there's always a low chaos way, although they sometimes require exploration).

About game mechanics, I think there are a couple of things that Blink does that the game doesn't explicitely mention. Shneekey already mentioned blinking down to avoid falling damage, but the game also allows up to climb up surfaces as you finish the Blink. The game lets you know that by changing the standard Blink waypoint to an up arrow, so sometimes it pays off aiming at ledges.

Edit: Not an audio buff, but I've found the audio to be much better this episode.

[Kesnit]

I feel the need to point out that you cannot raise your capacity of sleep darts past 10. Sometimes you can find them in missions and restock what you have used, but not always. (You can restock between missions.) You are going through sleep darts very quickly, and risk not having them when you need them. It seems like you feel like you have to take out every guard. You don't. If you bypass, they stay where they are and won't bother you.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Also the guards can't see very far, especially across verticality. If they can see you a little bit, they'll start getting those marks around your head. Sneaking around guards is a loooooot easier, but hiding around corners and ambushing guards as they walk through the doorway is surprisingly difficult.