Manhunter: San Francisco Playthrough.

[Tawmis]

I've officially begun MH:SF, but not really done much but crash land in the opening...

So here we go...

[notbobsmith]

Have fun!

I didn't realize this myself until I read it online: the intro has the Manhunter's ship "descend into a new day" but you are heading towards the sun. Does the sun rise in the west now? Did the Orbs do this?

[goatmeal]

Have fun!

I didn't realize this myself until I read it online: the intro has the Manhunter's ship "descend into a new day" but you are heading towards the sun. Does the sun rise in the west now? Did the Orbs do this?

Nah, the game must occur after the Futurama episode, "That Darn Katz!"...

[Tawmis]

All right - going to get back to this. Took a break (uploaded a ton of Johnny Castaway and music in the meantime) as life got chaotic - but seems to be calming down ever so slightly.

[Tawmis]

Phew. So I went to a few locations and already seeing signs of discouragement - like the robot warehouse....

The swirly pool....

[notbobsmith]

Phew. So I went to a few locations and already seeing signs of discouragement - like the robot warehouse....

The swirly pool....

I know you didn't like the arcade sequences in the first one, so I thought this might be a problem. Manhunter 2 has more of them. All I can suggest is to put the Arcade to Easy.

Hints for the arcade sequences:

Warehouse: In the warehouse, the two robots will attack as soon as they see you. The trick is to stay out of their line of sight, so hide behind a crate as they pass. The trick is keeping hidden from both since they will usually travel perpendicular to one another.

Swirly pool: I don't think there's much to explain with this one. You just have to time the spin-out so you enter the shaft on the right.

Rats and Bats: Don't bother moving forwards. At some point you will kill all of the rats and bats and you can then move forward unimpeded. Otherwise, if you move forward, you just reduce the amount of time you have to respond to the rat or bat which makes it harder.

[Tawmis]

Phew. So I went to a few locations and already seeing signs of discouragement - like the robot warehouse....
The swirly pool....

I know you didn't like the arcade sequences in the first one, so I thought this might be a problem. Manhunter 2 has more of them. All I can suggest is to put the Arcade to Easy.
Hints for the arcade sequences:
Warehouse: In the warehouse, the two robots will attack as soon as they see you. The trick is to stay out of their line of sight, so hide behind a crate as they pass. The trick is keeping hidden from both since they will usually travel perpendicular to one another.
Swirly pool: I don't think there's much to explain with this one. You just have to time the spin-out so you enter the shaft on the right.
Rats and Bats: Don't bother moving forwards. At some point you will kill all of the rats and bats and you can then move forward unimpeded. Otherwise, if you move forward, you just reduce the amount of time you have to respond to the rat or bat which makes it harder.

Well the Warehouse had 4 robots.
Until I saw the "Easy Arcade Sequence" - and reduced it to 2 robots. That made life easier.
Managed to do the swirly pool as well.
And the Rats and Bats.... didn't know they'd eventually stop coming. So at the end, that was frustrating.
I just finished Day 1.

Which I had to look up how to pass.

Because - and why the frick does it require YOU HAVE TO DIE IN THE APARTMENT AND THE SEWER to make Day 1 end? That seems utterly illogical. Because when it happened, I'd restored out of habit, even though they reset you back to before the error. I - always out of habit - restore if I die. Then try something (which you will see with the dog - I tried the mallet, for example, to see if I had to hit the dog).

[notbobsmith]

Phew. So I went to a few locations and already seeing signs of discouragement - like the robot warehouse....
The swirly pool....

I know you didn't like the arcade sequences in the first one, so I thought this might be a problem. Manhunter 2 has more of them. All I can suggest is to put the Arcade to Easy.
Hints for the arcade sequences:
Warehouse: In the warehouse, the two robots will attack as soon as they see you. The trick is to stay out of their line of sight, so hide behind a crate as they pass. The trick is keeping hidden from both since they will usually travel perpendicular to one another.
Swirly pool: I don't think there's much to explain with this one. You just have to time the spin-out so you enter the shaft on the right.
Rats and Bats: Don't bother moving forwards. At some point you will kill all of the rats and bats and you can then move forward unimpeded. Otherwise, if you move forward, you just reduce the amount of time you have to respond to the rat or bat which makes it harder.

Well the Warehouse had 4 robots.
Until I saw the "Easy Arcade Sequence" - and reduced it to 2 robots. That made life easier.
Managed to do the swirly pool as well.
And the Rats and Bats.... didn't know they'd eventually stop coming. So at the end, that was frustrating.
I just finished Day 1.

Which I had to look up how to pass.

Because - and why the frick does it require YOU HAVE TO DIE IN THE APARTMENT AND THE SEWER to make Day 1 end? That seems utterly illogical. Because when it happened, I'd restored out of habit, even though they reset you back to before the error. I - always out of habit - restore if I die. Then try something (which you will see with the dog - I tried the mallet, for example, to see if I had to hit the dog).

Don't say I didn't warn you about Easy arcade and the Day 1 thing:

http://sierrahelp.com/forums/viewtopic. ... =15#p86791 (near the end)

The first time I played MH2, I spent a lot of time on Day 1 and then somehow completed it by accident. I spent years not knowing how to complete it until I found the Internet and found a walkthrough. I've lamented the Day 1 thing here for a while now. It is arguably a bug.

[Tawmis]

Don't say I didn't warn you about Easy arcade and the Day 1 thing:
http://sierrahelp.com/forums/viewtopic. ... =15#p86791 (near the end)
The first time I played MH2, I spent a lot of time on Day 1 and then somehow completed it by accident. I spent years not knowing how to complete it until I found the Internet and found a walkthrough. I've lamented the Day 1 thing here for a while now. It is arguably a bug.

LOL! Yes, you did. I'd already forgotten (about Day 1 needing to die).
I can't tell if it's a bug, or them just making it as difficult as it can be.
Although, yes, thankfully they have the "Easy/Medium/Arcade" choice... as I said, I'd forgotten you told me (and forgotten if I ever remembered from playing it eons ago, as I said - MH2 has less memory muscle for me, because the majority of older Sierra games, my best friend at the time, Shawn and I, would spend HOURS playing them - so it was easy to trigger those memories to recall some stuff... but we didn't MH2 together... that was a me, playing solo)...

I'd be curious to look at an official hintbook and see if they have one of those "Day 1 isn't ending - what am I missing?"
And it literally says, "There's two places you need to die without restoring."

[Tawmis]

So the hint books lead you were to "die" - but don't say it's "needed."
http://www.larrylaffer.net/images/Manhu ... t_Book.pdf

[notbobsmith]

So the hint books lead you were to "die" - but don't say it's "needed."
http://www.larrylaffer.net/images/Manhu ... t_Book.pdf

On page 24 it does say "Be sure to..."

I can't tell if it's a bug, or them just making it as difficult as it can be.

If the Day 1 thing was put in intentionally, it doesn't make any sense. It's not a puzzle to solve, you have no way of knowing this needs to be done and nothing like this occurs in MH1 or in the rest of MH2. There are lots of other places you can die on Day 1, why aren't those required?

[Tawmis]

Well. I've made it to Day 3. Going around.

I think I am close to the end. Some of the game I remember - but a lot I don't. So I can't remember how / where it ends.

Like I remembered in MH1, getting to the ship - meant I was near the end.
But for the life of me, can't recall what I can use as a landmark to know if I am close to the end of MH2.

Which is fine, no spoilers, as I hope to finish it tonight or tomorrow and have it done and behind me.

[Tawmis]

So they got me at the dead end.
I saw the tie with the white thread, but didn't use the fang to get the orb card - which dead ends you on Alcatraz.
And I eventually used the official walk through for the Slaves/Robots/Lava section. Because after several tries (like 10 or so?) I wasn't getting it.

[Tawmis]

Rendering the videos now... overall, I thought MH2 was easier (probably because of the adjustable Arcade sequences) - and it also felt shorter (can't remember how long my unedited play was for MH1, but unedited in MH2 it's 4 hours and 30 minutes) - again, undoubtedly due to less time trying to beat arcade sequences or there's no crazy mazes in MH2 (well except the drill one at the end). The dead end I previously mentioned in my post - had me go do the "climb sequence" again because I couldn't recall if I had what was on that hanging body... so that was like 20 minutes wasted.

I also came to realize that they VERY much used their ANCIENT ART OF WAR graphics for the mutants who returned to human form.

Also, bold move that when the women returned to human form, were naked and breasts with nipples. Granted. Small dot. But still bold move, for no warning.

But then the amount of gore and violence in the game(s) outweighs everything else.

[notbobsmith]

So they got me at the dead end.
I saw the tie with the white thread, but didn't use the fang to get the orb card - which dead ends you on Alcatraz.
And I eventually used the official walk through for the Slaves/Robots/Lava section. Because after several tries (like 10 or so?) I wasn't getting it.

I think there are a couple of ways to dead-end the game, which is never a good thing. I think MH1 is better designed in this way.

As for that sequence, my trick was to close all of the gates, move all the slaves to the room marked SLAVERY and the robots to the section nearest the lava. Then open the gates one at a time.

Also, bold move that when the women returned to human form, were naked and breasts with nipples. Granted. Small dot. But still bold move, for no warning.

But then the amount of gore and violence in the game(s) outweighs everything else.

That was a surprise. But I guess with less industry scrutiny, they could get away with things like that.

I think I liked the way MH1 was structured better. The little puzzles led to a big puzzle at the end of the day. MH2 wasn't like that at all so the day could end almost anywhere once you finished all the objectives. Plus it led to situations like the Day 1 thing.