Spoiler Warning 7th Anniversary: Dead End Road

By Shamus Posted Friday Jan 27, 2017

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 67 comments


Link (YouTube)

Seven years of this nonsense! What am I doing with my life?

This episode contains everything you’d expect from a quality Spoiler Warning video: Josh demonstrating pro strategies and techniques that most players never discover, Rutskarn discussing the literary symbolism at play, Chris analyzing the core ludic systems, and me taking the whole thing very seriously and offering nothing but incisive commentary on the game as it unfolds in okay I lied it’s just the four of us dicking around for an hour what did you expect?

This was actually a lot of fun. I haven’t enjoyed recording an episode this much in a long time. Don’t forget that Josh has a Patreon for the show itself to help pay for the equipment and hours he dumps into recording and editing the show.

Thanks for watching.

 


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67 thoughts on “Spoiler Warning 7th Anniversary: Dead End Road

  1. Gruhunchously says:

    …where does the time go?

  2. el_b says:

    im trying to start streaming with a friend in america and im having serious problems sending him anything but a slideshow, talktalk has my upload speed at 1 meg or less, what upload speed would i actually need cause i cant lower the quality any more without making it unviewable. thanks.
    decided we should try to work on co op so he doesnt need it, hidden objects (almost no moving parts) and games with prerendered backdrops so he can tell whats happening for now.

    1. Echo Tango says:

      If you’re playing multiplayer, you don’t need to be streaming to your friend. Sending the game data back and forth is orders of magnitude easier than trying to send live video over the internet. Then if you’re trying to upload it to YouTube or something later, you can just pick whoever has the most bandwidth to be the person to upload it to YouTube overnight. Alternately, if one of you has a beefy computer, they can be the person to compress it on the fly, if you’ve got the technical know-how to set that up.

      1. el_b says:

        was on about single player but had to change plans. dont know how to compress on the fly. any advice or links on that?
        to say my comp is beefy is an understatement, got it to play and record ultra quality modern games, soundproofed for better audio.

        1. Echo Tango says:

          Find out which are the most up-to-date codecs[0] from the Xiph foundation [1] for both video and audio. If you can, find a program which encodes into these for you. There probably is. If you can’t find one, go look again. Then Google around some more, and maybe use Bing or DuckDuckGo. Somebody has to have a program which can encode into the latest codecs. If not, find codecs which are good enough.

          If you still need to write your own mess of program, get comfortable with either basic to intermediate bash-scripting[2], or find out if there’s libraries for your programming language of choice. You’ll be piping program input and output around, with some flags set to specify what bitrates, etc you want, and what the final destination will be. If you’re doing it in a normal programming language, see the docs for those libs. At this point, hopefully you’ve got output, because otherwise, it’s recursive docs-reading and programming.

          [0] Your goal here is to compress your data as much as possible, without losing too much picture / audio quality. Obviously, older codecs don’t compress as hard / lose more data if you try to end up with very small files.

          [1] Non-profit, that has representatives from multiple companies. They make codecs.

          [2] You need to know what pipes are. If you’re on Windows 10, I thought I read a blog post, where they jammed a stripped-down version of Ubuntu into their new command-line, so it acts like a proper command-line instead of Windows’ pipe-less version. Maybe it’s not out yet.

          1. el_b says:

            yeah thats way over my head, coding is just too much. i cant figure it out and i have problems typing a lot anyway, i mostly use a speech to text. thanks though.

          2. Echo Tango says:

            So, apparently the blog is eating my comment…? Maybe I can post a shorter one, then edit to include links…?

            (EDIT: This should have appeared as a response to el_b above.)

            That’s why steps one through the middle-ish, are to interwebs-search for streaming software that can encode into a recent-looking codec. :)

  3. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Shamus wants more hitman:absolution?Well then,why not let him play it and we can all enjoy his sctream.

  4. Daemian Lucifer says:

    This game is so unrealistic.A mechanic that charges you <100 moneys for anything?Immersion gone.

    1. MrGuy says:

      Or, for that matter, a mechanic who can fix your car in less than 2 weeks.

  5. Christopher says:

    Two immediate observations:

    1) This reminds me of that roguelike Yahtzee made that was all about driving around Britain and performing demonic rituals.

    2) I like that several delevopers(these and whoever made Devil Daggers) have thought “Oh man, that Tomb Raider draw distance that ends in total darkness was actually pretty atmospheric and creepy, we should use it for our Satanic game”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlVojWgx9vQ

    1. el_b says:

      silent hills fog was originally just part of the game design to cover its shit draw distance, but it turned out being super cool and they just ran with it.

      1. Ninety-Three says:

        Wasn’t there an HD remake or something that removed the fog, and was terrible because of it?

        1. el_b says:

          the hed versions were a massive fuckup, they changed the voice actors so they didnt have to pay royalties on 2 which pissed a lot of fans off. they also increased the draw distance so you could see where the world stopped, essentially removing the fog. considering its konami they probably did both because they hate their fans and employees.

          http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-09hNvnA4X6s/U2qLSjMASCI/AAAAAAAAAyw/KceToYr1CEk/s1600/url.png

          those arent its only issues either, the original pc port is graphically far superior to the hd versions, you can find pics on google pretty easily.

          1. Ringwraith says:

            They also had lost the original code to either that game, or another one.
            So they were rebuilding the thing too.
            It was bad in so, so many ways.

      2. Suns Heine says:

        But it’s not just the fog – they must have decided that “Sudden monster! You’re dead” would be bullshit, so you have the radio that emits static when they’re nearby. So you’re wandering around in thick fog knowing that something hideous is close, but with no idea where.

    2. Echo Tango says:

      How can you forget the name of The Consuming Shadow?!?!1 :P

  6. andy b says:

    I feel like the whole “buy drugs at the pharmacy” angle isn’t working for me, it yanks me out of the story.

    I think it’s a case of ‘lude-o-narrative dissonance.

    1. Droid says:

      Oh, please!

    2. MrGuy says:

      I can’t oxycondone that pun.

  7. Warclam says:

    I love how little impact the sanity effects have on you guys. A vision of a crowd of people being impaled on spikes? Josh is all, stop dicking with me Satan, we’re on a deadline here.

  8. Jokerman says:

    As someone who lives in the south of england…. this is pretty much how it is at night, pretty realistic.

  9. Lachlan the Mad says:

    Just so people know, I looked up the ending of this game. It’s slightly disappointing:

    When you type in “[whatever]” at the wishing stage, the text bar which you’re typing into the game will flash red (like what happened in this video). This gives you the generic ending, which just says something about “[whatever] comes out of the ground and you feel happy.” I think the game might have some kind of simple dictionary system so that the ending makes sense, which is why they couldn’t wish for Buttskarn in the video, but the ending remains generic.

    There are certain special wishes you can type in at the wishing stage; they will cause the text bar to flash blue. These wishes give you a little ironic twist ending story, although most of them are quite simple and straightforward — we ain’t talking Needful Things here. If you wish for money, then you get trapped on an infinite featureless plain of gold. If you wish for world peace, world peace happens until aliens invade in a couple of millennia and everyone is enslaved. You can, however, wish for “No Curse” and just straight-up beat Satan and win the game.

    1. Jokerman says:

      Booo…. expected the game to go full on Scribblenauts…

    2. MrGuy says:

      If it were me, I’d with for “Infinite No Curses.”

    3. MrGuy says:

      I’m also genuinely wondering what the game would do if you wished for something that’s an action, not an object. For example “Kill the president,” or “My ex takes me back.” That’s exactly the kind of thing most people would perform an eldritch ritual to have happen. Does the game just end with “Kill the president rises up out of the ground and makes you happy?”

      Actually, now that I think about it, that’s probably the perfect way for this game to end. Objection withdrawn.

    4. Daemian Lucifer says:

      world peace happens until aliens invade in a couple of millennia and everyone is enslaved.

      Thats not such a horrible twist.Couple of millennia are a long time.Me,Id make peace by eliminating all of life from the planet.

  10. At least this time the audio levels weren’t screwed up beyond all reason. :P

  11. Baron Tanks says:

    Happy anniversary guys, thanks for all the entertainment.

    Sooooo, an anniversary episode seems to be as appropriate as anytime to ask, where’s Mumbles? Last we heard she moved and the scheduling is more complicated than it ever was. But the last time I saw anything Mumbles was in the comments and she seemed pretty hurt. I hope she’ll be back at least occasionally and that Shamus and her are OK.

    1. thatSeniorGuy says:

      I haven’t checked her Twitter for a while, but the last time I saw it (which was when she was in the aforementioned comments) it seemed like she was going to quit the show and the Diecast (of course, I’m open to correction from Mumbles and/or the crew). A huge shame, but if this was a source of grief for her then that’s fair enough.

      1. SyrusRayne says:

        Mumbles was sick of being picked apart by the community here whenever she was involved in a TwentySided thing (and/or expressed an opinion,) so she left and is doing her own (fantastic!) stuff on YouTube instead. As far as I know it’s not due to anything with the other cast members, just the community.

        1. Daemian Lucifer says:

          Could you please use less loaded language next time?Thank you.

          1. Syal says:

            You’d prefer empty language?

          2. MadHiro says:

            Which part of that is loaded, exactly?

            1. MichaelGC says:

              “Picked apart” and “whenever,” primarily. It’s a shame, because framing what happened in such terms has undoubtedly contributed to the schism.

              1. Ringwraith says:

                Although realising you have far more comments you’d rather not see directed at you than anyone else tends to make you not want to bother with a Thing.
                So I cannot blame the decision, even though it’s a shame it was such a situation at all.

                1. MichaelGC says:

                  Indeed, it’s just that what happened after the recent Diecast was in another category to what happened after that Soma episode. Not just ‘a million miles from,’ but in a completely different category. So, it’s sad and wrong that the one was lumped together with the other, as that’s where we get this demonstrably false narrative of an imaginary collective foe – “the community” – apparently ready to pick apart every expressed opinion.

                  I can’t and don’t blame the decision either – it’s just sad all round, and everyone loses as far as I can see. But I also believe “the community” as a collective is essentially blameless – there have been episodes, of course, and I watched almost in realtime just the other day as Shamus gave an actually-toxic commenter one chance, and then banned them when they spurned it. However, overall it’s one of the nicest and most supportive communities you’re likely to find on the internet – which ironically makes it a soft target, as it’s not going to hit back when someone lashes out at it. Thus, if I think it is being unfairly criticised, I’m going to say so.

                  Back to the decision itself – who knows, maybe it will work out for the best for all involved. Change is almost always difficult, and almost always comes with immediate negatives, but that fact doesn’t compromise past positives nor rule out future ones.

        2. Baron Tanks says:

          Ah that’s too bad. Understandable, but too bad. I usually didn’t agree much with her and she was great at trolling, but it’s a shame to not have her input at all. I’ve been tempted to check out her stuff before, but time is finite and I never got around to it. Wish her all the best and I’ll make sure to check some stuff out.

          1. Daemian Lucifer says:

            Check out the two videos she has about astroneer.A good game and a good coverage of it.Ill link the review.The other one is just some nice goofing around in the multiplayer.Its fun,but less informative.

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdEjnRo1R2c

        3. Syal says:

          I hope she’ll at least think about doing some Batman talk during the Arkham column. Really sad to see her leave.

        4. Christopher says:

          Look, I have to ask, is this something she actually stated somewhere or is it something you’ve inferred from her actions? Because I know she’s done videos on her own, they were even linked in Diecast notes, but I have missed the part where she left the Spoiler Warning crew at the same time. It’s not like Campster and Rutskarn don’t have their own projects.

          1. Ringwraith says:

            It’s been mentioned somewhere, yes, but not anywhere here.
            That’d only stir up more of the thing that was deliberately trying to be avoided.

          2. Daemian Lucifer says:

            She said it on twitter.

          3. Christopher says:

            All right, thanks.

        5. Jokerman says:

          I follow her on twitter, Here is the tweet…

          https://twitter.com/nicemovemumbles/status/816375405477146624

          I remember what prompted it, some silly shit about a Dorian romance… Upset her, so she decided she didn’t want to be upset anymore.

          Sad to lose her, but she mentioned “crying for an hour” a few times, if that is how the site makes her feel, then for that reason maybe it’s for the best, being called a sadist, pseudo rapist… from a community she cares about, no wonder that would cut deep.

          1. Christopher says:

            I remember a lot of recent instances of harping on Mumbles, between the Dorian thing, the feminist agenda troll, the textbook sadism thing, and the wrestling heel persona thing. I remember some names, too, and you guys know what you did. That’s such a sad way to go, and what a bummer note to end a seven year anniversary on. I hope her youtube crowd treats her better.

            1. MichaelGC says:

              The Dorian thing was different: I’m astonished folks can’t see that. The troll was dealt with, and the other two things are actually the same thing.

              None of that reeeally matters (apart from maybe the first one and people’s inability/refusal to see that was different) because what does matter is that Mumbles got upset enough to bail out. End of, really. But if you’re going to say things like “I remember some names,” then you should be clear about the facts, first.

      2. Ivellius says:

        I’ve really missed having her on Until Dawn, given that she was another who hadn’t played through / seen it already. It has felt very lacking since she dropped.

        Plus, she could have been advocating for the cannibal demographic, given the game’s happenings.

        1. Sleeping Dragon says:

          This is sad news, in my opinion she was great for the dynamic of the shows. I’m going to miss her high energy, her irreverent style of humour and the way she bounced her jokes of the other cast members (which is something I won’t get from her own show). Still, if she believes it’s time to go it’s her call to make and for whatever it’s worth I’m sorry that she had a bad experience with the community surrounding this site.

  12. Zagzag says:

    What did Poland ever do to the cast to offend them so much?

    1. Daemian Lucifer says:

      You made rosemarys baby.

      1. MrGuy says:

        Yeah, but also perogies.

        Poland, we cool.

  13. thatSeniorGuy says:

    Thanks for a wonderfully entertaining seven years guys!

  14. Daemian Lucifer says:

    I….I have to admit something….I knew what poll position meant before you guys googled it….

    I know,Im a bad nerd,Im sorry!

    1. MichaelGC says:

      No need to hand in your nerd card just yet.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ7_IY3sruw

      1. Daemian Lucifer says:

        I know about the game.Ive played the game.What I meant was the actual concept of pole position,that I knew about from actual physical formula 1 races.

        1. MichaelGC says:

          Now I’ve no idea what you’re on about. Formula 1? Does that have something to do with hydrogen?

          1. ehlijen says:

            It’s an Indy car knock off raced on older tracks (bigger and much more wrinkled) and with European drivers instead of crashing (mostly).

            1. MichaelGC says:

              I don’t remember an Indy car. Indy whip and Indy hat, sure. Maybe even an Indy pistol. And there were cars at times, of course, but not one you’d specifically say was Indy’s.

        2. Baron Tanks says:

          Fun fact, while the term is used in all racing classes (including F1) to denote the best qualifier that gets to start the race from the front, the term originates from the Indy 500 where the front row is next to the huge pole that shows the current order of all cars. Hence, pole position.

          1. Daemian Lucifer says:

            Interesting.That I did not know.

  15. Grudgeal says:

    No Josh, the wheel is on the *right* side.

  16. Genericide says:

    Just a quick reminder that this show is awesome and I’m glad you guys do it. Here’s to another year!

  17. Somniorum says:

    Woo, Rutskarn worked at the lot in Home Depot too – lot thugs unite!

    Nobody ever tried to tip me with lottery tickets, though. Attempts to tip were rare – we were actually expected to refuse them, but the bosses didn’t really care that much (I’d always say no at first, unless they insisted. Which is precisely how I would’ve acted even if they hadn’t told me to).

    But when I think of it – we were a really busy store, and I was regularly having to load, over and over again across the day, dozens of packages of shingles (these are HEAVY), patio stones, trees/bushes, packages of sand, cement, walls of drywall (always bound together in twos, of course), boxes of kitchen cabinet kits which could weigh between 100 – 140 pounds… etc… so when you think of it, honestly, it’s not like we didn’t kind of *earn* the rare tip we got.

    ps: Anyone getting something at Home Depot or similar – maybe don’t go shopping for a dozen patio stones weighing 50-75 pounds each if you’re super concerned with your new truck getting scuffed. MAYBE DON’T BRING YOUR NEW VEHICLE TO A HARDWARE/LANDSCAPING STORE AND BUY HEAVY THINGS IF YOU’RE AFRAID OF SCRATCHES.

    (but DO feel free to bring more donkeys. That was pretty fun)

  18. MrGuy says:

    Man, I know they’ve said all along that the new Desert Bus game was going to be a gritty reboot of the original franchise.

    But I didn’t think they’d go so dark.

  19. Jack V says:

    Honestly, I know it was sarcasm, but that description sounds just like you all.

    Josh: Haaa-ai! These enemies are easy.
    Chris: Sure, if you ignore the game mechanics and just do THAT.
    Josh: Look, if you use this glitch you can skip level 3.
    Rutskarn: But then we’ll miss the bit where I make my Cask of Montressor joke :(
    Shamus: Hey, that reminds me of a 20,000 word digression about what’s wrong with the plot?
    Josh: We already heard that.
    Shamus: No, that was one of my OTHER 20,000 word digressions about what’s wrong with the plot. This is the one with a cask of montressor joke 3/5 of the way through.
    Rutskarn: Hey, that’s my joke!

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