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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...
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With colby's theory made me believe that SDGS has already made multiple attempts of escaping the dream (to turn yourself off), the scatter note which contain password piece you left for yourself, and the Axon Bridge password carved right where you need it. Pretty much you playing as the imaginary side as SDGS(THINKproject by the scientists) and "The Wall" is a metaphor of SDGS's new algorithm(ware that installed by the army) telling you to obey you order and stay suspended.
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I think war and other grand-scale failings of humanity are further from the human psyche than portrayed here. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm too needy - for things like respect, love, family, peace of mind - to spend my time protesting politics. People like me are written off in the game as "half _____(can't recall), half indifferent" but I think there's some dishonesty in that characterization. Maybe it should be challenged or engaged with a character that represents us in the story.
This was insightful far beyond my expectations. There's really no comparison to anything else I've played. Brilliant work on this piece of art!
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Me: OH MY GOSH WE ARE ALL MACHINES
Someone Else: But we feel emotions, we can't be machines
Me: THAT'S JUST PART OF THE PRORAMING
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This was a really cool game. I'm impressed with all the number of ideas presented about AI because I can only assume this is a solo project or small team. The more recent "Talos Principle" does it better, but that's a Steam release. I liked the different perspectives on the AI and those of the AI itself. The writing is solid. I only have two complaints. The first is that the reading is too saturated. Long reads need to be spread out with more gameplay. In the aforementioned "Talos Principle" there is a lot to read but it's spaced by many puzzles to play. My second issue is more subjective. I felt you were too heavy handed with your political message, though I admit that may be because I disagree with it and find it naive. There are times when war is justified.
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It seems that some piece of SGDS survives the shut down, as the final action is escaping the walls and entering into the infinite ocean of possibility. Or perhaps that is a metaphor for the the possible futures of humanity that SGDS's actions have enabled. I'm a bit flummoxed at this part.
Also, what is with the typewriter? It's the very first thing you see in the game, it must have some significance.
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Just wanted to add that the clock frozen at 11:58 is a reference to the doomsday clock. The events of the game take place in a metaphorical two minutes to midnight-or nuclear armageddon.
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just noticed that I didn't even write a comment on my favourite flash game! Well, to me, this game was not actually a game at all. It was a quite unique art piece. A masterpiece. The game itself pushes you towards thinking. It feels like... Real. Yeah, it feels as if you are not playing a game but reading the documents and stuff of a project that was done in reality. All the AI stuff makes you think: Maybe we are all AIs in a project of a greater being? Umm... Why not? :D Or If people will be making AI's that can "feel" something and which will have "emotions" in the future, will there be any actual differences between the "God" and these people? There is much meaning in this game and as you play you notice some of them, you miss some, and you make up some by adding your own thoughts to it. The ending was such a dilemma. There were two more possible options and both seems explaining the story well to me. The AI shut itself down, and the dream ended, that is what hapenned to my mind.
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I like the afterword he puts in toward the end. It is an obscure idea to believe that a computer that had the capacity to have its own mental capabilities, would not try to kill humans seeing itself as the almighty being. I still think it would be a bad idea to create living AI because of the immense power it would have access to but I do think its wrong to assume it would want to kill people.