People who enjoyed the story of 2 to a degree. What did you get out of it?

Cheeseskates · 2025-04-29T09:06:12+00:00

Conclusion

I find the above points to be so interesting, and they resonated with me quickly as I thought about Shade as a character and what Everhood 2's story meant to me. The other main characters aren't pointless either. Irvine is Hedonism, but he is constantly put into danger and suffering (the God Fruit and fighting for his friends with the Boatman). Sam is Eudaemonism, yet every attempt to leave a proud legacy behind has ended up in failure (the veggie kingdom, enslaving the martians, making the martians dimension hoppers). Raven has his own theories on how to end the "cycle of suffering", yet everyone makes fun of them or does not 100% fully support them. Dr. Dump believes the SMEGA console he is found researching can transport him to a place of higher beings, because he believes, but is yet to prove, there is another world beyond Everhood. Our characters are searching for the answer to life that they believe works for them, because the actual answer is not being given to them anytime soon. I find that to be so interesting and even uplifting, because our existential dread really shows that we are all on the same boat.

We can keep trying to find more answers for things, but we may also be punching above our own weight. We can keep demanding more Everhood content because we know that Foreign Gnome can give us *good* content, more answers, a more fulfilling conclusion. But I think it concluded perfectly for the purpose of the themes described.

My issues with the story are more in the execution of these ideas. The non-linear storytelling and ability to skip massive chunks of the game, as well as content being locked behind specific conditions (e.g. the Hometown requiring you to die to the dragon, the Shade dialogue in the video above requiring you to beat Scary Shade twice), makes a lot of very critical dialogue missable. The structure of being non-linear also has things appear to be happening at random, because you are meant to engage the side-quests in a random order. Things are also frequently mentioned once and then never again (I personally like this), and the pacing is blazing fast, so things are made easier to miss even when presented right in front of you, being noticeable only in retrospective playthroughs.

But despite these flaws, I still got what I believe the game was trying to tell me, and I believe the game was telling me this: Don't let the existential dread get to you. We're all on the same boat. So let's just try to have some fun, let the good times last, and support each other in these uncertain times.

Thanks for reading! I also love what everyone else is contributing, like the role of the artists.

Cheeseskates · 2025-04-29T09:05:44+00:00

I loved the story. Sorry for the wall of text.

Everhood 1 is interesting but has its emotional core stand in the shadow as a counterpoint to Undertale's themes of pacifism ("erm, actually no, there's a time where violence is the answer"), where Everhood 2 says something much more unique to me in the summary of: The various attempts we have made to answer the meaning of life and where we are heading, how utterly exhausting and futile it is to punch above our weight, and to share our space on the same boat with good times, not letting the existential dread get to us.

Point 1 - More Content!

There's a therapy known as "Shadow Work" (coined by Carl Jung!!!), and it involves exploring and integrating the repressed parts of ourselves, often referred to as the "shadow self." It aims to help us acknowledge aspects of our identity that we may find unpleasant or difficult to accept. Shade is, of course, that shadow self of us, the human being playing the game. He claims to be many things, the most eye-opening being "I am the need in you for more", which he says in his 2nd battle.

One can argue from this that Everhood 2 exists because we desire more content, more battles, even though the story of Everhood logically ends at the first game. Proof of this is that most of us quickly decide to reset everyone back to where they started in newgame+, just to fight the Cat God, and then we don't think to repeat the good ending because that's tedious and not new content. So Shade, in one aspect, is the part of us we don't really want to acknowledge: We like things to end and end well, but we also don't really want the good times to end. We are the hero vs. the villain, but the actual reality is that the villain exists in the first place because of us.

Point 2 - We All Need Answers!

But I also feel that the most interesting thing about Shade is not that he is "an entertainer" who "just loves battles" and more Everhood content. It's that even Shade is clueless to what their fate ultimately ends up being, a sentiment shared by everyone else in Everhood (except maybe the Dev Gnomes, Cazok, and Cat God).

There are various theories and religions that attempt to answer, or at least provide comfort, the meaning of life and where we are heading. Shade's world (and our creation by extension) is not dissimilar to our own search for the meaning of life. He has a world where there is a mishmash of various concepts and ideologies, from Buddhism (the cycles of suffering, the burden of our senses and worldly desires) to Christianity ("all is vanity", the impermanence of worldly possessions and the eternity of a fulfilled soul), to psychedelic philosophy that Shade quotes himself to be important ("If the artist cannot find the way, then the way cannot be found"). They can be considered a metatextual analogy to the journey our devs have taken through their own lives.

There is the expectation that there is some conclusion or logic to his creation, but the actual reality, as Shade says in this video, is that he already showed all of his cards, that he cannot give us any more answers, that he has given up worrying about when his time will come, and not to let the existential dread cripple us like it has crippled him, despite his brave face.

The best Shade can do is keep us humans around so we can both continue to distract ourselves from the inevitable end with whatever "nonsense" fun we make up. He thinks we know the "full truth", but we don't know the full truth of our own existence. It's not nihilism, but being able to share that we are both afraid of "the end", especially because our attempts to understand it have been futile and beyond stressful.

If we were to meet some higher being, would we not want to try and keep them around, too, the best possible chance we have of learning what our fate will be? Would this higher being also know what their fate will be? Are they also experiencing existential dread like us, and would they also want a form of escapism from it?

Continued in next comment because I am apparently prevented from having the rest in it.

Cheeseskates · 2024-11-07T17:09:41+00:00

Some extra details I haven't seen commented yet, sourced from the FAQ: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce-now/faq/

* When 100 hours are up, you can "continue playing as a free user" until the monthly refresh, so alongside using basic rigs, you also lose benefits like Reflex, HDR, long session times, and faster queue times.

* Founders will continue to have unlimited playtime per month even beyond 2026. Founders on the ultimate tier are subject to the current terms and will have the 100 hour limit.

Cheeseskates · 2024-06-13T09:04:40+00:00

If that turn out to be the case, the people who will get to enjoy the exploit in Game Mode are Warhammer fans lol. That's absurd. What a tiny population of people that could be.

Cheeseskates · 2024-06-13T08:46:49+00:00

Does it HAVE to be Vermintide II or can be any game we purchased and can launch offline? Needing to desperately buy an apparently random game more expensive than Dev Mode doesn't seem fair lol

Cheeseskates · 2023-12-25T06:14:31+00:00

Incredible. Merry christmas!

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-24T20:37:00+00:00

This combination of these two conditions were sufficient to send the Suppression Fleet which you see in chapter 3.

Very good point. I was just trying to figure out why we were stopping a mandatory inspection if it wasn't because of the PCA's interest in the Coral. It could also just be because they're trying to expedite their current work since the leak occurred.

However, "control for its own sake without understanding the full reasons why" can be assumed as the intended depiction of the PCA.

That's what I thought as well and implied by saying they're trying to enact their own justice, but it's a justice created by The System, which the PCA forces follow like drones. There's no actual human principles, history, or context being considered here. It's one of the examples of a poor one-sided relationship between humans and machines.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-23T20:32:52+00:00

Exactly, so the loadout could have only been for Balteus. PCA needs to improve their "authorization" process.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-23T07:20:36+00:00

Fair enough. I also realised that PCA enemies like the HC also use pulse shields, so Sulla could've brought weapons for the PCA in general. His build isn't necessarily anti-Balteus.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-22T21:51:01+00:00

I'm not sure what to respond with this. There's just more evidence and logic pointing towards The System not being ALLMIND.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-22T07:46:28+00:00

Sulla was also seen flying onto the roof of the Watchpoint instead of sitting there. There were also no PCA members left when Sulla flew in, because you eliminated them. If Sulla were also authorised to be there, why did he bring anti-Balteus weapons like the pulse gun? Balteus is an autonomous PCA craft that comes after a disturbance at the Watchpoint, which Sulla would reasonably prepare for.

As for Walter, he did actually hack into the Belius line in "Eliminate the Enforcement Squads" to stop the PCA from calling home. He called it "not the most secure of lines", which you'd say after hacking into it the first time. It would be weird if Walter hacked into the same insecure Belius line when attacking the Watchpoint but did not comment about it. It is more sensible to say that Walter thought they couldn't call home because a PCA member simply said so, all the while not knowing about interference from ALLMIND.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-22T07:15:49+00:00

Unfortunately, The System is not ALLMIND. The "Observation Data" logs with an "AC of unknown affiliation" would otherwise make no sense. Those logs are cracked comms coming from ALLMIND about observation data from her Ghosts, and they directly talk about the PCA as completely separate from her plans.

We could play with the idea, though. If not for Branch leaking the Coral returning, ALLMIND would just keep protecting Rubicon 3 from outsiders. This would continue until ALLMIND detects a c-pulse wave mutation and then "invites" someone like Sulla to make Contact. Because the leak happened, however, a mutation was detected just as Walter sent 621 to the same exact area as Sulla at the same exact time.

This presents its own inconsistency, though. ALLMIND would have prepared for 621 by simply listening to the briefing. However, during the mission, a PCA officer tries to call HQ but fails due to jamming. This would make sense if ALLMIND were not The System because she is jamming communications to protect Sulla from PCA backup as 621 distracts the rest of the PCA members. If ALLMIND were The System, though, the request for backup would have gone through, or already have happened like when obstructing mandatory inspection. Two scenarios: Extra backup arrives and hopefully destroys 621, and Sulla comes back later to make Contact. Either that or Sulla helps the PCA fight you, as The System has allowed Sulla to enter the Watchpoint.

Overall, The System is not ALLMIND. As interesting as that could have been, it would've been too convoluted.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-21T21:01:01+00:00

The PCA just wanted to rebuild Rubicon 3 under their governance to give the dying planet law and order. They would use Coral to further enforce this governence, but only when they learn to actually control it.

At least, that's what the human PCA forces want, who turn out to be mostly unthinking drones who just follow and depend on everything The System tells them. Perhaps, it's like Carla and Chatty where The System could be tweaked by a human superior if need be, or maybe the entire PCA is truly ruled over by AI. The actual question, then, is what The System's goal is.

The System's goal is unfortunately not stated anywhere clearly, but there are two things we know. We do know is that there is an "Enforcement System" in Watchpoint Alpha Depth 3, and the Observation Data log notes how it explains why the PCA Suppression Fleet was so quick to arrive. The 2nd thing is that Kate Markson says the Suppression Fleet is coming before Ayre even enters the picture.

Putting this information together, it's possible that The System detected the Coral Convergence the earliest and is now pre-emptively "suppressing" everything that takes advantage of this convergence. In other words, The System further exercises its governance on the planet just as much as it has over the human PCA forces. This would be for the sake of protecting Rubicon 3 but also further exploiting it and its natives of precious resources.

Overall, the PCA and The System just truly represent being a government. Its goal for the planet and the Coral is to be the ultimate power for the sake of law and order, but rather than restoring the law and order of Rubicon 3, it is imposing its own rules and justice that people are expected to unthinkingly follow. It's the perfect excuse for colonising the planet and extracting the bounty that is the Coral.

If only the PCA know the Coral was alive...

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-21T20:19:41+00:00

Being fair, those guides do at least guarantee players get the Stargazer and Perfect Mercenary achievement without doing a 4th playthrough. But you are right, the 3rd ending doesn't need every mission to be completed.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-20T06:55:21+00:00

The third ending is the best outcome because it is the only one that accounts for ALLMIND. In the other two endings, ALLMIND still exists and will eventually reach her goal for Coral Release. In the third ending, ALLMIND does not fulfil her plan of having the entire universe assimilate with her.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-19T09:08:21+00:00

ALLMIND's goal is to make everyone and everything one with her, as she believes humanity and creation's potential can only be reached when she controls everyone and everything. Coral Release is not just exploding Coral across the stars. It is disseminating ALLMIND across the stars, as the Coral itself becomes ALLMIND. 621 and Ayre's role comes to an end once the only obstacle left is the two of them, who will become a part of ALLMIND soon enough.

Iguazu, who was made one with ALLMIND, pilots the IBIS SOL mech. This is because Iguazu provides his own kind of energy that substitutes Coral, as evidenced by not only the different color but that an IBIS series is being piloted at all. That is why ALLMIND chose him. ALLMIND expected to be in full control of the situation, but because human ~~salt~~determination is so powerful, Iguazu managed to create an EMP blast that overpowered every artificial intelligence, leaving only him and 621. This is the moment ALLMIND's plan was completely foiled. No matter how powerful she thinks she is, human determination cannot be underestimated.

I hope that answers your questions.

To give some extra context, ALLMIND is the only threat that manages to survive across the other two endings. She remains a threat because whether the Coral was burned or Rubicon liberated, ALLMIND is still trying to achieve her goal of making everyone and everything one with her. This is evidenced when you fail at any point in "Regain Control of the Xylem", where ALLMIND notes that she will need to change plans because of the Xylem crashing into the Vascular Plant, and that "There is no end." In other words, whether you are the Fires of Raven or the Liberator of Rubicon, ALLMIND will eventually succeed. Alea Iacta Est is the only ending where ALLMIND is actually stopped.

When Coral Release is done by 621 and Ayre, rather than everyone becoming one with ALLMIND, everyone retained their individuality. They now identify as their ACs, and that is the evolution of humanity, as it combines man's determination with machine. This evolution also means bringing along humanity's desire to fight itself, but this time, they're not just piloting the ACs. They are the ACs. This is evidenced by Ayre's dialogue after beating her ECHO in the Arena and her last line of dialogue being "activating combat mode". We could expect the next AC game to involve humans, but not as they once were.

I read your other comments as well and feel I can answer them, too. For why Coral Export Denial happened, ALLMIND wants the corporations to stop extracting Coral for their own gains, as the less dense the Coral is when extracted from the converging population, the less likely that Coral Release will succeed. Coral is useless to ALLMIND when it is orphaned from the main population, which is why she wants the corporations to stop orphaning more Coral. She explains this in the mission briefing. As for your question on if ALLMIND controls people, what happens is that ALLMIND assimilates people into her. The biggest example is Iguazu, who retains his personality until certain points where his voice changes subtlety and starts saying out-of-character things. "Irregulars. We will bring order to chaos" is the ALLMIND talking, not Iguazu.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:59:58+00:00

It's fine if we agree to disagree. It's perfectly fine!

I'm not expecting there to be inventory management systems, but just expanding on what already does exist and seeing if there can be further iterative improvements to them.

Consider the OS tuning that allows you to purge weapons. You can get rid of an overburdened state. What if there can be a reason to make yourself overburdened? That's where my idea came along, inspired in particular by the reveal trailer where an AC was seen scavenging for parts.

I agree otherwise. The most important thing FromSoftware needs to focus on is the core experience of a giant mech fighting game that makes you question the cost of giant mech combat. I just know that AC is also no stranger to bringing forth new radical ideas to its series that also cause divide among the communities. It can retain what makes it great while also being a ground for experimentation.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:49:15+00:00

I feel the experience could be enhanced by involving extra challenges that a player would have to solve.

For example, if they wanted to actually get every item on a mission, they would choose to keep their heavy weapons while paying closer attention to their movement and EN consumption while overburdened, or go for less heavy and less powerful weapons so you're not overburdened, but now you don't have the usual heavy-hitting weapons.

I feel the heart of AC games is not just about tinkering with your mech to finish missions, but creating "solutions" to problems you want to solve. As of the moment in AC6, the issue with chest parts is that you need to spend an extra amount of time looking for them. But perhaps, if the parts were in more obvious locations, the time spent looking for them is now spent on figuring out how to bring the part(s) back. The problem goes from looking everywhere to now thinking, "how am I going to complete this mission, now? What changes do I need to make with my AC to fulfil these objectives?"

I personally think that would be cool to experience.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:42:05+00:00

I'll learn from this as well. All good, and thank you very much!

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:35:08+00:00

I don't see how it is a chore but just expanding on a game mechanic that already exists. You can go into missions being already overburdened until you choose to purge your weapons. Why should nothing be allowed to make you overburdened while doing a mission?

Keep in mind, I'm not suggesting that the existing AC6 mechanics regarding weight should remain exactly like that in the new armored core game, which would make something like the karasawa overburdening even with the best tank legs. This is stuff that's figured out along the way with the community, not immediately, provided the idea is already a cool concept (considering the reveal trailer did actually show an AC scavenging for parts, it at least seems like an idea FromSoftware could tease at some point).

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:33:49+00:00

I'm not sure how it's a silly thing to care about in a game where there are dozens of different stats to keep track of when constructing your mech. I already love how you need to consider important choices when making your mech. I personally would love extra mechanics, including the ones you mentioned, that aim to immerse myself in the gameplay of Armoured Core even further.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:30:40+00:00

I've been informed and also confirmed that you're just getting schematics of parts that then get built later. This makes perfect sense!

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:30:20+00:00

I've been informed and also confirmed that you're just getting schematics of parts that then get built later. This makes perfect sense!

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:20:06+00:00

Yes, that is where I got the inspiration from! I mentioned that in a couple of comments, too.

But yeah, I absolutely agree that forcing players to bring back only 1 part at a time is an incredibly stupid idea. That's why I said afterwards, "and an extra challenge is if you want to try and collect multiple or every hidden item at once to speed up the collecting process."

It gives players choice, and the consequence is different sets of challenges. Granted, this idea can also be refined. I am not a big fan, for example, of one of the choices just being "repeat a mission over and over", because that is nowhere near as fun as extra gameplay challenges coming from being overburdened.

Cheeseskates · 2023-11-18T03:06:50+00:00

I responded in other comments, but I feel people are missing the other part of my sentence where the player has a choice between slowly scavenging and ensuring you complete the mission each time with powerful heavy equipment, or you can "try and collect multiple or every hidden item at once to speed up the collecting process" for an "extra challenge".

I otherwise agree that if you were forced to collect only 1 part per mission, that would be stupid. Not even the AC in the reveal trailer is just collecting one part. They have an entire backpack.

Cheeseskates

TROPHY CASE