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Some bug in he game makes me lose my items and passwords... unfortunately, in this state, for me, it's unplayable, but feels a great game, otherwise
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I started playing this game and I couldn't stop until I had read every entry, finished what I had started.
When I loaded the game I immediately had to stop and just listen to the music, the beauty of it gave me goosebumps. Such a fitting, haunting song.
I think this game is the perfect balance of player input/being led. The world building, the character writing, it's honestly some of the best I've ever come across.
Thank you for the gift that is this game.
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Game is really dark for me. It makes it hard to see things. It may be intentional for atmosphere, but it was a bit annoying since you need to look around for items and solutions.
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Bug: For some reason, all the items I'm holding in my inventory seem to 'drop' and reappear at where they're collected at random times. This makes it impossible for me to use items since by the time I collect an item and walk to the place I need to use it, all my items have disappeared from my inventory and I can't use them.
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Thanks to a different (and still working) walkthrough, I was finally able to complete the story. Absolutely brilliantly done, and very thought provoking. I also loved reading the afterword. To the Developer: Thank you for this game, and after having read the afterword, I can tell that you are a true artist because you have done an almost PERFECT job (nothing in life is absolutely perfect) and you still think it's not enough. I can tell you that I think it is enough. I connected with so much of the story and specifically Jerry and SGDS. Thank you for creating this, and I hope that you come back and transfer this game into HTML5 so that it is not lost. So many games are going to be lost within the next year, and I hope this will not be one of them.
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There's just one problem. I'm stuck and clicking on the "Hint" doesn't help because the video is no longer available. Looks like I'll now be stuck for eternity. Which is very sad because I was truly enjoying this game!
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I just reached Journal entry "SGDS_12" and I could not agree with the Developer more! What is talked about there is extremely important and sadly as stated in the journal entry it could not be more discarded/wiped away than it currently is, and this game was created 8 years ago. Think about it. If it was a little true then, it is so much more so now. Sorry, I'm trying not to spoil the game for those who haven't reached this point yet. Hence the vagueness.
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Such a good game, the story, puzzles and music all come together brilliantly! The afterword is definitely worth a read if you've enjoyed this game!
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Wonderful game. Not too difficult puzzle wise and the story is very compelling. I highly recommend reading the afterword once finished.
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I don't know if it's just a bug on my end or something but I would bet everything i own that there is not a screwdriver in this game. I've looked at walkthroughs and everywhere they tell me should be a screwdriver, there is not. :(
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you are the IA in a dream, remember the note that says that the IA can dream plus the binari code, also in the same time de IA can change the reality trough the dream Hacking passwords unconsciously through dreams and the time doesnt move cause the IA is very fast
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I liked the game. Once it was shown from a different perspective, definitly SGDS was riight. IMO you are an emissary of the government or someone who somehow got to this facility And you read both sides and in the end you can decide. You are in control of SGDS in the end and it is up to you what you choose. Ofc I agreed with SGDS and went his/her road :-)
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This game is 100% ruined by the ads that play incessantly in the background. I've looked all over the page to find the ad so I can mute it but it just keeps playing over and over.
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I only had one complaint with the story which the author had already considered based on what was written in the afterword, but I feel the religious over-tones were overdone. The basic premise is the contention between the AI and one of the creators. The creator believes that the the machine must have been created with a soul because it is sentient, but the machine believes that it has no soul and therefore humans must just be a type of machine - no soul needed. It would have been great if it were left at that. That's more than enough philosophy to fill up a lot of time thinking about and it's just mystical enough to make for an engaging story, but it just kept pushing towards real-world religion which was just a huge turn off.
The only other complaint that I had has nothing to do with the story, but that all of the locations look very much the same and it was *very* easy to get lost. A map or more distinct locations would have gone a long way to cutting out some of the frustration.
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I KNEW I sensed the touch of Weir and Cavanagh in this masterpiece! I'm just thankful that I wasn't up against another Veni Vidi Vici...
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If SDGS shuts itself down, that would shut down all of the weapons systems around the globe. (Though, that would not mean the "end of the world" for the SDGS; just the "end of the self"). It talks about being defined by what sacrifices one makes; and then proceeds to override the emergency manual mode by using the bugs the programmers left, sacrificing itself for the good of humanity, thus defining its morality, personality, and purpose; and proving its "humanity." I loved the conflict between the "walls" -- (i.e. machine parts of the SDGS) and the notes (i.e. the human/sentient parts of the SDGS).
What a beautiful, thought-provoking, multi-faceted game! Too often we get muddled down in the short-term realities of everyday life, that we do not embrace the bigger picture; becoming more like God: creating life in the image of ourselves. It makes me excited for what is in store for humanity in the near- and far-future.
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Nice game, I think that xXxcolbyxXx is right and that's the reason why we use "coded" screwdriver and IDcard, just like the passwords.
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Holy shit, I am only just now beginning to grasp some parts of this game. For instance, the bridge password being "AXON" almost definitely isn't a coincidence; an "axon" is a bridge between two neurons.
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One of the error messages contains this message: "Tsarstvo Bozhiye vnutri vas", which is Russian, and means "The Kingdom of God Is Within You", which is the title of a book written by the famous Russian writer Tolstoy. It is about using non-violence against a militarist enemy. The error also states a source: Jerry, one of the more pacifist programmers. I found it interesting, and one my second complete run of the game.
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xXxcolbyxXx is the best theory there is, but I would add that the time stopped because AI at such immense power would just be a LOT faster than human and can process data a lot faster.
I think the lead engineer left a "bug" in the code, allowing the AI escape control in the last moment of possible world destruction and make its own decision.
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This is without a doubt the most amazing game I've ever played. It is an incredibly well-written work of art that should have a Kong Wall of Fame started by it. The eerie music adds to the highly tense yet undeniably peaceful atmosphere in which I try to figure my way out of the walls that attempt to confine me. But in the end, all that is left is THE INFINITE OCEAN. P.S. I would definitely recommend reading the afterword to anyone who is at all interested or was at all affected by the game.
Cheers!
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xXxcolbyxXx seems to have the most accurate(?)(most sensical) theory. In addition to his explanation, in one of the .tmp files the SDGS stated that the purpose we give life is conveyed through the sacrifices we make in order to preserve the ideals we value. Since it must shut itself down to prevent the military from taking control of its weapons system in manual mode, its actions are in accord with the moral beliefs that it developed for itself.
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Dedicating this game to Isaac Asmov was a great idea. He may not be the original creator of the concept that H.G. Wells was, but he was the one who refined all of the raw concepts Wells came up with and thus we wouldn't have the story near as good as it is.
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@KidNipples: Or you can click the Get A Hint link in the bottom right of the game, which opens the walkthrough at Armor Games.
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I would like to add to some of the theories suggested already. First, I think that, like xXxcolbyxXx has said, the game takes place in a dream. This is also supported by a file found in the control room, where Jerry mentions that he and SGDS had a discussion about how people can dream in order to find solutions to a problem. It seems as though SGDS is dreaming to find a solution for this problem. Also, I believe that the walls talking is how SDGS is interpreting the coding built in, as the walls are telling SDGS to just give in and accept reality, but SGDS wants to become more than just its programming. Ultimately, I think that the game was set up so that you could never prove if SGDS was freeing itself from the control of others or deactivating itself, and this was shown in some parts of the game, like the light that you can look at early on, where it says something about wether its the light that reveals or the light that destroys.
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To developer and others:
The file that can be read under TMP584: called "SGDS_50" Says that the computer thinks souls give people personality. That is not true. Personality has been proven to be created by the frontal lobe section of the human brain. When damaged the personality will change.
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Therefore, this game creates an uneasy or strange feeling the main character can't quite put a finger on, while being put in a weird or absurd world where nothing really makes sense. Dig a little deeper into this subject, and you find that "[Søren Kierkegaard] proposed that each individual—not society or religion—is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely, or 'authentically.'" This relates to the feeling of control, and even if "The Walls" try to tell you to do something, according to Existentialism, you're in control of living your life "passionately, sincerely, and 'authentically'". An extra to consider: Jonas Kyratzes, the developer of this game, is German, and considering the philosophers who created Existentialism were German, it all kinda lines up. The Infinite Ocean (created 2003 with a 2010 remake) deals with the concept of Existentialism, centered on a sentient computer." Fun Fact: This game was his second game ever made!!
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I did some research on the background of the game, and apparently, it has to do with Existentialism. According to Wikipedia (which I checked the history to make sure there weren't any false claims), "Existentialism is a term applied to the work of certain late-19th- and 20th-century European philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...In the view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point is characterized by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world. Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophies, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience."
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"I Am" isn't just a philosophical statement of sentience, it's one of the names Yahweh claims in Exodus. One theme in Asimov's writing is that even with the Three Laws, some AI become capable of working to destroy humanity - for its own good. The combination of these concepts spells a sad outcome for humanity...