Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
4/13/2015
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You (yes, you!) should really be playing this game available for Android and iOS. (Unless you don't have a device that runs those, of course.)
You play as Passepartout in an alternate-history version of Verne's novel, where widespread advances in technology means that there are _lots_ of ways to get around the world, and there is almost no sexism so you met lots and lots of awesome women. It's written by the author of the Storynexus game Samsara, the feel of the gameplay is quite FL/SN-like, and it contains half a million words.
So far my shortest winning time is 38 days, and my longest was 80 exactly. I have traveled by the Orient Express, the Trans-Siberian Railway, gyroscopes and airships and hovercraft and steam-shovel and an entire freaking walking city. I have kissed two men and one woman, solved a murder mystery, incited a mutiny, been poisoned as blackmail, and failed to save a revolutionary. I have discovered an underground city, visited the North Pole, punched out Jesse James, met a robot with a soul (not on the same journey where a militant order of nuns kidnapped me to demand I find such a thing, thereby avoiding a dilemma), delivered a baby, and been given a mysterious cube of black glass that I still haven't figured out what to do with. Otto Lidenbrock (from Journey to the Center of the Earth) has shown me a shortcut through an underground sea, and most recently a mad scientist has teleported me away from her lair.
Right now it's part of the Android DRM-free Humble Bundle, where if you pay more than the average (currently $4.32), you get it and a bunch of other things. It retails for $5, so this is a good deal if you like any of the other games, but still: it's only $5, and it is absolutely worth it.
Who else is playing? What's your favorite bit so far? (Spoiler protection if you use details, please.)
edited by an_ocelot on 4/13/2015
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Ewan C.
Posts: 675
4/13/2015
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We (my 12 year-old and I, both together and separately) played the heck out of this over the Christmas break; it has fallen off now (although there are some changes as you repeat play, much of the text and activity is repetitive and hence eventually loses some of the initial appeal). But I second the endorsement; be aware that the clock is always running unless you actively pause it, and because this is a game of travel against timetables, pausing to think can indeed cause you to lose a day or more - which can be irritating but adds to the feel, for me.
I believe that my shortest trip is 17 days (but that's relying on memory not data): this came from the [spoiler]loophole trip 'around' the earth by heading north, circling the north pole, and returning directly to London, one of my favorite trips[/spoiler].
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Ewan C.
Posts: 675
4/13/2015
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One thing I dislike is that you are *forced* to only proceed forwards, no going backward even if it is useful. That seems a little too unrealistic. The game aspect also means that many parts of the globe are only visited if you make a deliberate attempt to do so, as they are otherwise out of the way - I have not been able to find a way to even get to some of the places I know are visitable, yet!
Another neat episode involved [spoiler]being saved by Captain Nemo and having to take over the Nautilus to continue the trip[/spoiler]. But there are many, many delightful and often unexpected interactions. Go for it.
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
4/13/2015
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Ewan C. wrote:
We (my 12 year-old and I, both together and separately) played the heck out of this over the Christmas break; it has fallen off now (although there are some changes as you repeat play, much of the text and activity is repetitive and hence eventually loses some of the initial appeal).
Yeah, for some trips I chose to take a known route even though it's not new text because it'll let me explore new areas on the other side, hopefully, without stress.
Ewan C. wrote:
But I second the endorsement; be aware that the clock is always running unless you actively pause it, and because this is a game of travel against timetables, pausing to think can indeed cause you to lose a day or more - which can be irritating but adds to the feel, for me.
The clock pauses while waiting for you to make storylet-equivalent choices, presenting you with blue text, but yeah, I almost missed the train the first time I played because I was trying to get used to the inventory management (which is a little fiddly).
Ewan C. wrote:
I believe that my shortest trip is 17 days (but that's relying on memory not data): this came from the
[spoiler]Ewan C. wrote:
loophole trip 'around' the earth by heading north, circling the north pole, and returning directly to London, one of my favorite trips
I didn't know you could go right back to London! So far I've only been able to go to Gastown (Western Canada) & Reykjavik, where you can find Otto again. (Also, is there a one-in-a-million that you _don't_ wreck? I can't even get to the wreck, let alone past the Pole, before 17 days.) [/spoiler].
edited by an_ocelot on 4/13/2015
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
9/29/2015
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This game -- which remains totally awesome! -- is now also available for PC and Mac. If you liked Meg Jayanth's writing of the island of Varchas in Sunless Sea, you should really really check it out.
http://www.inklestudios.com/2015/09/10/once_more_around_the_world.html
(The new content will also be available free for the mobile versions. *stares at tablet, willing it to update*)
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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Arcsbane
Posts: 18
9/29/2015
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The creators of this game, Inkle, also have readapted three of Peter Jackson's Sorcery! series, which is quite excellent also.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Arcsbane
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
9/29/2015
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Yeah, next time I've got a bunch of time on my hands *hollow laugh* I figure I'll give the first Sorcery a whirl. They do quality work.
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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Danko
Posts: 142
9/30/2015
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Hey, that's great news about PC release! Been meaning to play this for a long time, but I don't play anything on mobile devices and that made me sad.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Danko
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
10/7/2015
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(Note that there's a bug with the Black Rose storyline, however, the fix for which isn't live yet--as I discovered when I reported it today--so look for Atlantis, the Moon, or a reunion with a past lover in the meantime . . . )
Edit: bug now fixed!
edited by an_ocelot on 10/11/2015
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
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Rupho Schartenhauer
Posts: 787
9/27/2016
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Hello, I'm probably going to buy this game since it sounds awesome!
I have one question though, about the social aspect of 80 Days: is this mandatory or something you can choose to ignore? There's a tag line saying "Race other players in real time", which is not what I'm looking for - I enjoy playing by myself more.
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Rupho Schartenhauer has killed a Master, well: most of it.
Cortez the Killer has killed a Master, definitely.
Deepdelver has become the progenitor of London's brightest star. It's... complicated.
Dr. Kvirkvelia, gone NORTH on 23/12/1894.
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PerspicaciousAdmin
Posts: 13
9/27/2016
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Rupho Schartenhauer wrote:
I have one question though, about the social aspect of 80 Days: is this mandatory or something you can choose to ignore?
I played the iOS version, and I didn't even notice any options for social activity  . Take you time and enjoy it yourself!
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Parelle
Posts: 1084
9/27/2016
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Ah, yes, a reminder to pick this up
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Parelle, Lady Joseph Marlen. The Singular Librarian. A Midnighter, a Player of the Marvelous.
pages from a dusty bookshop: a badly updated FL changelog | Useful Guidance and Explanations
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Johnny Felix
Posts: 180
9/27/2016
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I can second (third, hundredth...) the recommendation for this game. The writing is awesome, funny and inventive.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Johnny%20Felix
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
9/28/2016
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Rupho Schartenhauer wrote:
Hello, I'm probably going to buy this game since it sounds awesome!
I have one question though, about the social aspect of 80 Days: is this mandatory or something you can choose to ignore? There's a tag line saying "Race other players in real time", which is not what I'm looking for - I enjoy playing by myself more. I almost never even tap on the other players to see what they're up to; you can't interact at all, but you can if you want see the journeys other people are taking at the moment, which may give you ideas for later.
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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+1
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Rupho Schartenhauer
Posts: 787
9/28/2016
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Thank you all!
--
Rupho Schartenhauer has killed a Master, well: most of it.
Cortez the Killer has killed a Master, definitely.
Deepdelver has become the progenitor of London's brightest star. It's... complicated.
Dr. Kvirkvelia, gone NORTH on 23/12/1894.
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