Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out • Hacker News Board

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#51

Post by aikah » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:27 PM UTC

em3rgent0rdr wrote: post #32

pferde wrote: post #3

Is that the guy who was unable to install Ubuntu properly, so he declared that supporting Linux versions of his game is not worth the effort? Color me disinterested. "No Tux, no bucks."

I'm going to wait for Linux version to buy...that way will incentivize devs to make Linux versions.

You're going to have to wait a long time ... the problem is would you develop something on a OS that represents 0.5% of your market ? it often doesn't make sense financially. Things may get better, ironically, since MS seems to be invested in porting its tools and frameworks to Linux, so popular game engines and SDKs might finally be available on the platform.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#52

Post by azzafazza » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:30 PM UTC

amichail wrote: post #50

hbex5 wrote: post #45

And it is wonderful . It's one of those games that manages to push buttons in your brain you never knew you had, and make you feel like a genius when something finally clicks. And it does all this without ever needing to explain anything. Jonathan Blow's enigma variations. A meandering meditation on the means by which humans gain knowledge and understanding of the world, by standing on the shoulders of a hacking mini…

Isn't it like those ill-defined puzzles where you need to say what number comes next? Any number can come next.

Pretty much this. It isn't a very good game. It's padded to kingdom come, there is a lack of motivation to keep going and no music kills any atmosphere it might potentially create.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#53

Post by grabcocque » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:31 PM UTC

amichail wrote: post #50

hbex5 wrote: post #45

And it is wonderful . It's one of those games that manages to push buttons in your brain you never knew you had, and make you feel like a genius when something finally clicks. And it does all this without ever needing to explain anything. Jonathan Blow's enigma variations. A meandering meditation on the means by which humans gain knowledge and understanding of the world, by standing on the shoulders of a hacking mini…

Isn't it like those ill-defined puzzles where you need to say what number comes next? Any number can come next.

Not even remotely.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#54

Post by Keyframe » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:32 PM UTC

Premise sounds exactly like Myst.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#55

Post by danso » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:32 PM UTC

I've been wanting to play this ever since Casey Muratori wrote about the process of generating grass for the terrain in an eye-pleasing distribution:

http://mollyrocket.com/casey/stream_0015.html (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7692332)

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#56

Post by krige » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:34 PM UTC

Keyframe wrote: post #54

Premise sounds exactly like Myst.

It's quite unlike Myst actually, lacking anything resembling a story, and the interaction with environment is minimal.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#57

Post by StavrosK » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:36 PM UTC

chrismbarr wrote: post #40

nailer wrote: post #28

For those wondering, Jonathan Blow is the author of the critically acclaimed time travel platform game 'Braid'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Blow

And for all those wondering, YES you should go buy & play Braid if you haven't already. It's an astounding game. A 2D platformer-style game that deals with in-game undo, time travel, time distortion, and multiple realities. It's mind bending, fun, and beautiful. Watch the trailer for it here if you haven't seen it before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqtSKkyJgFM

Braid is a masterpiece, just go get it now and play it WITHOUT WALKTHROUGHS (they'll just spoil the game for you).

I'm not sure the Witness can live up to Braid, but we'll see.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#58

Post by Qwertious » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:37 PM UTC

cstuder wrote: post #49

mrmondo wrote: post #46

Looks really very intriguing, I'm not about to install Windows to play it though - it doesn't seem there is a Mac / Linux version available?

Coming to iOS "in a couple of months", other platforms later. Currently Windows and PS4 only.

Well, that certainly simplifies the "do I buy it" problem. No tux, no bux.

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#59

Post by StavrosK » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:37 PM UTC

tobr wrote: post #41

sp332 wrote: post #2

Although it's tempting, this is a game you really don't want any spoilers about (if you are ever going to play it). Vi Hart, who has been playtesting the game for months, said: > Tips for playing The Witness: give yourself a week or two, no hints, no reviews. Sleep on it. Take breaks. It's a big game. Nothing like it. > If you can't spend all day every day playing The Witness, give yourself months. Engage deeply with…

Anyone who wants to avoid spoilers: you should avoid this thread too, including replies to sp332's comment.

Thank you. Ctrl+W

Re: Jonathan Blow's new game, The Witness, is out

#60

Post by galapago » Thu, Jan 28, 2016, 1:39 PM UTC

cstuder wrote: post #49

mrmondo wrote: post #46

Looks really very intriguing, I'm not about to install Windows to play it though - it doesn't seem there is a Mac / Linux version available?

Coming to iOS "in a couple of months", other platforms later. Currently Windows and PS4 only.

Source?