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The Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers SHP Playthrough starts now!



What should I do now?

Fire up your game, enjoy the gorgeous intro, perhaps after reading the graphic novel penned by Jane Jensen, and start playing at your own leisure. If you get stuck, post here - under Spoiler Tags - the puzzle that troubles you and we'll be sure to help you through it. Take notes, if you like, and whenever you stumble upon something you feel could be interesting for everyone take a screenshot and post it here!

When should I stop playing?

As soon as you reach Day 2, save your game, exit and share your thoughts with us. You can comment on the riveting story, the atmospheric writing, the compelling characters, the colorful backgrounds, the haunting music... everything! The only thing we ask of you is that you use Spoiler Tags whenever you hint something that happens in the following Days. We have some new players and it would be a shame to ruin the many twists and turns the adventure has in store for them.

When does the next segment starts?

As soon as everyone has completed Day 1. The first day is somewhat non-linear and there are many locations to explore (and many of those hide some fascinating secrets to discover!), but I think that three or four days should be enough for everyone.

And that's it! Let's start playing one of the greatest adventure ever created!

I thought we weren't starting until September? Sept 1st is on Thursday, which admittedly isn't far away, but it's only August 30th right now.

I know, you're right. I just thought that a few days more could help those who start working at the beginning of September.

It doesn't bother me, I was just surprised. I thought I missed something.

Are you playing with us? I hope so!

If this is the first time you play the game, you may notice that the icon interface is somewhat more complex than the one used in the majority of Sierra adventures of this age. Truth is, some icons are really pretty superfluous, like the "Talk" icon, as opposed to "Ask." However, this richness means that you can experiment a lot and sometimes you will be enormously rewarded, because the game is literally full of hidden treasures, waiting only to be discovered. Here's some advice to enjoy Day to the fullest!

In the bookshop:

- Look at the gargoyle; the carpet; the chandelier; the mezzanine; the coffee machine; the cash register; the painting on the wall; Grace's oil colors; Grace's chair; Gabriel and Grace's coat; the window.
- Examine every stash or shelf of books and be sure to click on the ones upon the coffee desk.
- Operate the ladder. Believe me, it's pretty priceless.
- If you want some fun, talk to the gargoyle, to the books and especially to the coffee machine.
- Try to take the money in the cash register.
- Read the German/English dictionary until the dialogue starts repeating

In Gabriel's bedroom

- Turn on the radio, while you're here. Ah, a little music!
- Open the fridge. Yikes, I know.
- Operate the typewriter. It should motivate you to help this poor fella find inspiration for his third novel!
- Look in the closet. I guess we won't see Gabe at the New York Fashion Week, eh?
- Try to use the bad.

In St. Louis Cemetery #1

- Talk to the tombs of Gabriel's relatives (second screen to the right). It's pretty touching.

Andrea, I played GK1 back when it first came out in 1993. I got fairly close to beating the game, but then had a hard drive crash and lot all of my save files. I never had the motivation to do it over again.

I recently tried replaying it, but the interface was too clunky for to keep playing. Without hotkeys or at least the ability to scroll backwards, the unnecessarily long icon list turned into real pain in the ass.

Maia and I probably will take part in this playthrough; however, I think she'll be the one controlling Gabe. She has far more patience and tolerance for things like bad implemented interfaces than I do.

I took notes while playing so I could share my thoughts accordingly:

Day 1: Sexual Harassment - Good. Being a mime - BAD.

1. This theme song is still awesome to listen to.
2. I just started the game and Gabriel's already contemplating violating Grace's human rights.
3. I love the music in this bookshop. In my top five Sierra scores for sure.
4. After spending the weekend with a German friend, I'm having too much fun going through Gabe's German-English Dictionary.
5. Ah, the ladder. More sexual harassment. How does Grace put up with this guy?
6. Interesting how none of the levers affect the voice volume. Or the score volume.
7. "What can you tell me about... voodoo?" Gahahaha.
8. Wait a second - Grace is getting sexually harassed WITHOUT pay?! Why is she here?
9. Of course you can't sleep, Gabriel. You're sitting straight up.
10. Pick Up, Operate, Move, and Open should all be ONE CURSOR. All this mouse-cycling is driving me crazy!
11. Jim Cummings! Yay!
12. "As soon as you're done talking, I'll give it to ya." Don't stop talking, Gabriel.
13. This is a mime with a death sentence.
14. ..."Mostly?" I don't get it. Is he mostly out-of-shape? Mostly unpopular with women? Mostly harmless? I want in on this in-joke, Gabriel.
15. "Good evening, Mrs Gedde. What? No - no problem at all. Just don't mind the bloody uncovered corpse at our feet."
16. Ah, grandma's house. Home of the killer attic dust.
17. So THAT'S where I get the sketchbook! I clicked all over Gabriel's room for this thing.
18. This cemetery dude has an awesome beard!
19. I've always liked this guy's story about coffins and Mardi Gras. I've repeated this factoid in many conversations just to make it sound like I know something about New Orleans.
20. Wow. "Mosely said so" is all it takes to convince Officer Franks? I could solve any puzzle with that line!
21. Poor Officer Franks. First Grace, now her. Gabriel - you're a monster.
22. Frick! Turn around! Gabriel's stealing evidence! Exactly five feet to your right!
23. "Gabriel, we can see you using the photocopier outside the window."
24. When they get... developed? The photos? Franks? Was Gabe implying something about her boobs? Is he implying that she hasn't hit puberty yet or that she needs implants? Gabriel's male chauvinism confuses me! And Mosely - you're not helping!
25. Ah! THAT'S how I end the day! Got it!

And now I wait for Day 2!

Datadog... you and I think way too much alike. It's a real shame Maia and I moved to Victoria just as you came to Vancouver.

Aw DPX, when I just played GK1 I realized the same thing. I just move my mouse to the menu bar to select a new icon. Since the game is paused while doing that it can give you a bit of a breather during a certain Chapter 9 section.

Finding my copy was a tale and a half: I searched living room, my bedroom, then the living room extra thoroughly (used my torch to see what's under the couch) before I finally found it in my CD-rom storage box I'd forgotten about.
When I installed GK1 on the laptop using the installer last year, Gabe was moving waaaaaay too slow. Later I re-installed it using the extensive instructions, and with that it would run better, but still with the occasional audio hiccup. Also, it bugged me that the DOS version had worse image quality than the Windows version, which was particularly noticeable during interrogation scenes.
I decided to install it onto my Win 98 Dino. It runs smoothly and the music sounds like new!

As with GK3, I've dissected every line on Sins. (script available in the GK3 Script topic) I haven't played it as often as GK3 though, but I'm really sucking it in again! My favourite character is Gran. She reminds me a lot of my grandmothers.

Oh Datadog: that ground water level story is an urban myth. It's rather an inheritance of Spanish and French burial customs.

BBP wrote: Oh Datadog: that ground water level story is an urban myth. It's rather an inheritance of Spanish and French burial customs.

Incorrect to a degree, in New Orleans, BBP.

Read more about it here:
http://www.experienceneworleans.com/deadcity.html

Early settlers in the area struggled with different methods to bury the dead. Burial plots are shallow in New Orleans because the water table is high. Dig a few feet down, and the grave becomes soggy, filling with water. The casket will literally float. The early settlers tried by placing stones in and on top of coffins to weigh them down and keep them underground. Unfortunately, after a rainstorm, the rising water table would literally pop the airtight coffins out of the ground. To this day, unpredictable flooding still lifts an occasional coffin out of the ground in those areas generally considered safe from flooding and above the water table. Another method tried was to bore holes in the coffins. This method also proved to be unsuitable. Eventually, New Orleans' graves were kept above ground following the Spanish custom of using vaults.

Of the supporting characters Gabe meets in Day 1, my favorite is also Gran, definitely. I could literally spend hours listening to her stories about Gabriel's family. I also like the Napoleon House's bartender.

BBP wrote:Also, it bugged me that the DOS version had worse image quality than the Windows version, which was particularly noticeable during interrogation scenes.

It may be that you used one of the earlier installers that had the graphics set to VGA. The current installer uses VESA, which is a match for the Windows graphics.

Tawm: my source is Wikipedia, who got it from Tripsmarter.com. It makes sense to me since Eindhoven has a very high ground water table: this city floods several times per year. But we bury people in the ground.

BBP wrote:Tawm: my source is Wikipedia, who got it from Tripsmarter.com. It makes sense to me since Eindhoven has a very high ground water table: this city floods several times per year. But we bury people in the ground.

BBP, New Orleans sits below sea level and that makes the water table unusually high. Higher-than-normal water tables can cause significant problems.

I'm sure Spanish and French influences had a hand in creating the crypt system that NO uses; however, it's hardly the only city in the US to have culture and history passed down from the Spanish and French. If building crypts were solely a product of that historical and cultural influence, then MANY other cities in the US would have them as well.

Texas, for instance, has been ruled under six different nations. The first two countries to claim Texas were Spain and France. I used to live in Houston, a city with many foreign influences, not the least of which is Spanish (in addition to Mexican, French and believe it or not, German). It's also a five-hour drive from New Orleans, so there's a lot of traffic going back and forth.

My point is that in Houston we mostly have graves. There are a few crypts here and there, but those were made by wealthy families.

So even if the water table issue isn't quite as bad as its made out to be (and that's up for debate), simply pointing to Spanish and French influences isn't enough to explain the mass use of crypts in New Orleans.