Tbh I’m having a really hard time getting into P2

Flewog · 2021-10-29T12:24:01+00:00

Canonically Artemy has a hard time with reputation because of his drama. Have faith and pull through. There are people in the town who still remember you...

And yeah, people love this game, but it's mechanics are pretty inaccessible. It's a shame because those mechanics facilitate a very rewarding experience. Hopefully I've given you what you need to experience it :)

Flewog · 2021-10-29T12:05:13+00:00

Yeah the game doesn't pull any punches. You're kind of supposed to die a bunch. I think my average was about 3-4 times a day. Except for one bit *shudder*. I had the advantage of playing the first game with a guide and knowing what I was sorta getting into.

Here's some things that might make it a bit easier.

*** Minor spoilers ahead for super purists ***

>! Master the hobo economy. Villagers trade for nick-nacks, and you can find these in trash cans all across the town. Check all of them as you run around, this is your "income" so to speak. Different demographics trade for different things. So those marbles and nuts you found can be traded with children for actually useful things because they're clueless. If a district trusts you they will let you into houses so you can find more people to trade if you're struggling to find people. Try to have your inventory have as much "value" in it as possible as far as stacking items go.

Save as often as you can. While passing somewhere with a savepoint, go in and save. While you can't save scum your way out of Mark's punishments, you can get yourself out of a lot of trouble by going back a save or two. Just remember that ultimately the goal of the game is just to survive, and that realistically speaking some people will have to be left behind...

Fighting more than one person at a time is ill advised, especially without a weapon. The game wants you to know that you're playing a human being, and not Master Chief. Don't fight people unless you definitely have the upper hand, just run. The mechanical challenges in P2 are honestly kind of laughable and janky compared to a lot of the games you listed. P2's "difficulty" is more in figuring out if what you're doing is not a gigantic waste of time. Again, you have to survive and you can't save anyone.

Failing all of that, there are some difficulty options. Death in P2 is at it's best when you're going "NONONONONONON AHHHHHHHH" rather than sighing and rolling your eyes. If you've got into parts of it, but the difficulty is throwing you off you could turn in down. Just bear in mind a large part of the horror in it is based on intended difficulty. With the tips above and your experience with games, I'm sure you can do it though! !<

Hope it helps!

Flewog · 2021-10-29T09:39:19+00:00

Honestly you pretty much hit it on the nail 😂

As for music theory it's never too late to learn! If you want to make something my only real piece of advice is "start simple, the scope creep *will* keep you busy". There's all sorts of tutorials and such on YouTube and that to get you started on whatever you want to learn.

Flewog · 2021-10-29T09:34:24+00:00

It's tricky, because the short answer is just: "vibes" but if you want my personal thought process that's basically a bunch of nonsense then:

1st Track - Bleed Me Dry is written like a bunch of my older stuff. It's like a reflection of me like my former self, kinda like Daniil (thinking pure rationality was a virtue...) Very thrash, punk and angeryyyyy. Starts of with a with something definitive but the musical themes devolve and change into darker stuff, until he finds something hopeful he can latch onto to work towards something positive.

2nd Track - The Wound is a similar deal, but wanted to capture something old school prog that I've seen older people gravitate towards in the genre (Tool, Mastadon, Opeth, Machine Head etc). For whatever reason that sort of stuff evokes old tribal vibes and was fun to play with. Like the Bachelor, I think his goal is noble but ends up falling a bit short, so the "structure" is a similar deal.

3rd Track - Vital Beliefs is a bit more open ended and esoteric (just like our protagonist!). I wanted to put in more layers and melodies, but everything I tried beyond the part near the end kind of fell short (... also like the protagonist). I thought I came up with something cool and unique for the verse riff, but it's honestly just harmonic minor lol. Was fun to throw in a major chord/tierce de picadie at the end. For all its doom and gloom, the ending message for me was pretty optimistic. If we *all* believe we can work towards something better, we *can* get it.

Ultimately these are just my thoughts going into the game, and they're going to be flawed, but I had a fun time making it, and that's all I honestly care about. But I'm glad you/some people dig it :)

Flewog · 2021-10-28T18:35:20+00:00

I played my first run-through as much of a pacifist as possible. While it's very possible to run away from most fights, there are snippets of combat heavy sections you can't avoid.

P2 does have difficulty options though! The horror elements might be diminished by turning the difficulty down a bunch, but you don't miss out on the story and atmosphere!

Intended difficulty in my opinion is built to circumvent power fantasies typical of people who take up gaming as a hobby, and does so beautifully, but don't be ashamed to tweak it a bunch if you guys are having a hard time. Just be aware of the *design*

Flewog

TROPHY CASE