Being as how Brian was 12 and Delilah was around 40 at that time, I don't think that romance part of your theory is very accurate.
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Firewatch | Spoiler Discussion
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
Being as how Brian was 12 and Delilah was around 40 at that time, I don't think that romance part of your theory is very accurate.
MarineMountie
Member
Yea, thats not it.
I did think it was possible that Brian was her son until i read the files at the science place in the fence. Her file said she has had a lot of "partners" but no kids. So there went that theory. We do know shes a whore though ha. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
If that were going on I'd have expected to see some hints along those lines at his private fort.
She says it herself that no one takes a job out there without having heavy baggage. She definitely doesn't want to draw any attention to herself whatsoever, but because she had something to do with his death? I don't think so. The Dad's actions only make sense if he's the one responsible (whether it was murder or negligence or just an accident).
What hint did you see that Brian was attracted to her? I don't remember anything like that.
Ned wrote things in the file that he thought Henry wouldn't want to hear, so all of that info is kind of unreliable.
Am I remembering right that there's a conversation where Henry tells her that the files have information that he hasn't even told her over the radio? Is it explained where Ned got that information? Does he have information on the wife even if you don't tell her? It's the 80's so it's not like he could google it.
This game literally had me hook, line, and sinker but it dropped the ball so hard near the end. Like they just up and decided they were done halfway through making the game. It felt like such a let down.
Loved the banter between H and D though. Would have loved to see them grow more but it felt like they just returned to what they were at the beginning. Shame really.
Loved the banter between H and D though. Would have loved to see them grow more but it felt like they just returned to what they were at the beginning. Shame really.
tintin1029
Member
I felt like I got the neutral bad ending of P4, but it was the actual ending.
Does anyone else feel this way
Does anyone else feel this way
I feel like I got "the ending" with absolutely nothing I did having had any impact on it whatsoever. I stood and looked at the wedding ring for a good five minutes thinking that either putting it on or leaving it off would matter somehow.
There's a point where Henry asks Delilah if Brian was an exlover and she makes a joke, if that's what you're thinking of.
I sure do. Everything felt so contrived. We're introduced with this heartbreaking story, so I figure the rest of the narrative will concentrate on that. It does *briefly* then becomes scooby doo mystery time for the rest of the game. Which is fine, but it's dropped almost as soon as it's introduced and they loosely tie it in to Henry's wife via the dead kid (which I saw coming a mile away).
Only things remotely good were the personal conversations between Henry and Delilah which we barely get any of since they're freaking out most of the game.
He could have gotten that information from the time he ransacked the tower on the first day. IIRC Henry had a diary with him.
MegaSackman
Member
I'm ok with this, I actually embrace it but... don't go over dramatic with misteries then, just stick to personal feelings and realistic plot. It's the same thing that bothered me in Gone Home but in that game it was less up front, maybe because the game was way shorter, I don't know.
I'm all in for more grounded up stories, familiar, personal, but you need to be less afraid of getting away from gaming conventions, I feel like the ghost sub plot in Gone Home and all the conspiracy in this game is part of some understandable idea of "games needs to be fun and thrilling", it's a very difficult job (I asume) to get out of that but it needs to be done. The very first 10-15 minutes of Firewatch were seriously amazing, then passed from interesting to... shallow? I don't know the word...
Hyrule Warrior
Member
Yeah...I went against my better judgment, and still bought the PS4 version tonight, and just finished playing through it. I don't know... They didn't think this story through very well. I just don't understand the point of telling this story. I was so much more interested when it was just about Henry and Delilah. I'm all for a good mystery, but I just found my suspension of disbelief to be stretch a little thin when all the spying, and following Henry was done by some guy who had been living in the woods for years. If it's stated, it was glossed over super fast, but what the hell was the point of him freaking them out again?
That station also just being there, and unsupervised...how did Ned get in and out without breaking the fence? This game just left me feeling super unimpressed, and I felt like my time would've been better spent having fun continuing my play through of Gravity Rush.
That station also just being there, and unsupervised...how did Ned get in and out without breaking the fence? This game just left me feeling super unimpressed, and I felt like my time would've been better spent having fun continuing my play through of Gravity Rush.
Gorgeous game and very enjoyable. I thought more could have been done to create a spooky feeling surrounding Ned following you. I liked the one glimpse we got of him. Makes things a little tenser.
Art direction was A++. I think the only place where they dropped the ball was Delilah. Why not reveal her at the end, or throw some twist in it? She was the real great mystery of Firewatch, and all we get are some fleeting seconds in her lookout. I think there was a missed opportunity there.
If you look at any form of media, how people perceive the ending colors their impressions more than any other aspect. The story was about H & D - sending Henry off to see his wife was a silly thing.
Art direction was A++. I think the only place where they dropped the ball was Delilah. Why not reveal her at the end, or throw some twist in it? She was the real great mystery of Firewatch, and all we get are some fleeting seconds in her lookout. I think there was a missed opportunity there.
If you look at any form of media, how people perceive the ending colors their impressions more than any other aspect. The story was about H & D - sending Henry off to see his wife was a silly thing.
Spoiler tag that shit, fam. I came to the Firewatch spoiler thread, not the Witness spoiler thread. I'm only 2 hours into the Witness. More annoyed that the rest of your post has nothing to do with the witness for eg: something like comparing how these issues affect Witness and how it succeeds where Firewatch failed or vice versa . You just spoiled it and dropped it.
GGNKovalski
Member
Enjoyed the game a great deal and I enjoyed the story quite a bit...up until the end. The ending was...meh.
tintin1029
Member
Holy crap I did the same thing.
Not for 5 minutes, of course, but it still made me think for a bit.
Seriously though, the game just ends. Almost out of nowhere. They create all this interesting tension with D and her being framed for the fire, then poof, it just ends with very little payoff for any choices aside from how H and D's relationship ends.
All for the ending to a backstory (Brian's) I wasn't even really paying attention to until a while later.
Aenima
Member
Did i just found a Bloodborne easter egg?
Inside one of the 3 abandoned huts, thers a Hunters's Mark in a board.
Inside one of the 3 abandoned huts, thers a Hunters's Mark in a board.
I saw it as well. Something heinous went down at that scout camp.
I was scouring the cabin for other stuff during that time but I was still thinking "Hmm...should I take the ring or not". Was a little bummed that it didn't matter at all.
Aah. Makes sense.
Other than the misinformation Ned put down about her relationship with him not being over (to make Henry mad), was there any other hint that they were still together?
Only the horror of love. Ice cold end.
As far as Ned is concerned, this is what I got from him:
Ned's been watching her year in and year out. Delilah herself never tells Henry they broke up. I mean they might not be seeing each other, but it is a possibility.
- Son dies climbing- either intentionally or unintentionally
- Ned never leaves the park. His own way of running away from his problems, namely his dead son.
- Ned makes his own bunker and scavenges electronics and gear
- Ned finds an abandoned research site, looking at weather patterns and earth samples
- Ned co-opts the electronics from there and builds/retrofits the stuff into surveillance gear
- He fucks with Henry/Delilah because he panics after Henry spots him and tells Delilah
Ned's been watching her year in and year out. Delilah herself never tells Henry they broke up. I mean they might not be seeing each other, but it is a possibility.
ReginaldXIV
Member
I read some of the posts here and it seems people wanted a traditional video game ending or something. The ending to me felt right, people develop strong relationships all the time in real life and then go their separate ways.
However Delilah was bad news and it was probably for the best. She was a pathological liar anytime you told her to report the situation to her superiors, she falsified every report to save herself from having to deal with anything. Ned's reports mention that she had multiple lovers while still being technically married to Javier, so who knows what she talks about to the rotating cast of people that have occupied Henry's tower in years past. I can piece together (through picking up the tone of the conversations, amazing voice acting btw) that s he is very flirty to whom ever occupies Two Forks, her tone shifts from flirty to friendly if you tell her that Julia is sick (not sure if it's the same tonal shift if you don't tell her though) and then when you tell her that Brian is dead, the front she has been putting on all game has completely vanished. She ends on self-reflection, and finally tells you to face your guilt.
The only thing I can't figure out is why Ned even fucked with Henry to begin with and then pinned it on the asshole campers? Maybe he was desperate for supplies because he was migrating? I'm not sure on that one.
However Delilah was bad news and it was probably for the best. She was a pathological liar anytime you told her to report the situation to her superiors, she falsified every report to save herself from having to deal with anything. Ned's reports mention that she had multiple lovers while still being technically married to Javier, so who knows what she talks about to the rotating cast of people that have occupied Henry's tower in years past. I can piece together (through picking up the tone of the conversations, amazing voice acting btw) that s he is very flirty to whom ever occupies Two Forks, her tone shifts from flirty to friendly if you tell her that Julia is sick (not sure if it's the same tonal shift if you don't tell her though) and then when you tell her that Brian is dead, the front she has been putting on all game has completely vanished. She ends on self-reflection, and finally tells you to face your guilt.
The only thing I can't figure out is why Ned even fucked with Henry to begin with and then pinned it on the asshole campers? Maybe he was desperate for supplies because he was migrating? I'm not sure on that one.
I think he panicked after Henry originally spotted him. Framing him would have been the best way to remove him from the picture. If he murdered Henry then there'd be a body and potentially a manhunt, and consequently someone finding Brian's body. By scaring the campers away and making it look like Henry was harassing them, I think he was hoping for his arrest/firing/removal from the park. This is why he eventually sets up the tape recording about the fire in the research area, by making a tape and giving them a copy I think he was hoping they'd either leave voluntarily in fear or get arrested.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
We just finished it!
It was really cool, I played on PC while my gf played on the PlayStation downstairs and we finished at almost the exact same times.
We haven't had much of an opportunity to chat about it yet.
It was really cool, I played on PC while my gf played on the PlayStation downstairs and we finished at almost the exact same times.
We haven't had much of an opportunity to chat about it yet.
I guess I never saw any dates or anything on the reports so I just assumed he cobbled it all together when he felt it became necessary. The reports seemed like something he came up with last minute and not a thing he'd been actively doing for years but since I don't remember exactly what was in them at this point it's hard to say.
Delilah's observation was circled at annual when you find the papers, Henry was IIRC week 10. At the very least, we know that Ned's been listening to her for a year+ I think.
edit: I think this was ultimately about facing your responsibilities. Delilah in the end had face the idea of reporting about the boy she illegally allowed to stay in the park, Henry having distanced himself from Julia and her family was faced with the decision to do right by her after his flirty conversations with D. Then you have Ned never really dealing with what happened to his son.
Yeah I guess he was listening to everyone for fear of hearing them talk about the cave now that I think about it. What details are true and which are lies meant to piss off Henry are anyone's guess, but what a life he was living when he could have just gotten rid of the evidence. Day in and day out worrying that someone is going to want to go to a cave when you could just remove the reason you're worrying about that.
I know, I know, it's about how he can't let go and...
Facing them or shirking them completely. Delilah runs away from Henry, Henry can choose to never see the wife again, and Ned... psycho Ned... is still just out there....with reason to believe that he's been turned into the authorities.
D
Deleted member 22576
Unconfirmed Member
You're talking about the sheet of paper you find in the research tent, right? I swear in my game both Delilah and Henry were circled at 10 weeks. I could be mistaken though.
I don't think he was capable of going back to... society after his son died. It was less about the body and more about not being able to move on to a world without him in it.
Yeah, I mean to say it's about facing the choice. I mean Delilah and Ned make their choices, you as Henry have the ability to be the one to do what he ought to.
Facing them or shirking them completely. Delilah runs away from Henry, Henry can choose to never see the wife again, and Ned... psycho Ned... is still just out there....with reason to believe that he's been turned into the authorities.
Yeah, I mean to say it's about facing the choice. I mean Delilah and Ned make their choices, you as Henry have the ability to be the one to do what he ought to.
tintin1029
Member
That opening though was fucking amazing.
It's like they took the beginning of Up into a game.
It's like they took the beginning of Up into a game.
Just finished it. I understand the people that were disappointed, and I see what you mean, but for me this just... worked.
It felt real. You don't always "get the girl". Yeah after fleeing from your life for a summer you might have to just go back to the same shitty life you left. That's what usually happens. I loved that this wasn't some... fairy tale.
D clearly wasn't ready to meet. Talking over the radio and dreaming about meeting is one thing. Actually meeting someone is... yeah, it can be hard. I've been there. Being almost intimate on the phone, refusing to meet up, being scared because meeting will change the relationship. It always changes one way or another. You can never go back to what it was before. Henry also had his problems and my Henry just didn't want to meet. He wasn't ready at all. But he liked D as a friend, loved talking to her. And I'm so happy that's all it was.
So Ned and his... things. He had PTSD before going there, and then he caused the death of his young son. Seems he just lost it. Imagine causing that death, fleeing it and then not manage to even think about going back there... seeing the body and having to confront what you did. But he still "guards" the place. Both against people finding out what he did, but also to let Brian rest in peace or something. Then here comes a new fire lookout that happens to "snoop around" in the area. And boom, Ned is even seeeen! WHAT TO DO!? Everything he does after that can be explained by "Well he has PTSD and then he managed to cause the death of his son on top of that. Oh and also he lived alone in the wilderness for 3 years!".
I dunno if it was my lack of sleep and me playing it during the wee hours but the game really managed to grab me and pin me down under all that paranoia. I really felt like I wanted to run away screaming but I was so nailed to the game. I had to know what was around the next corner. Then it was nothing and I felt confused and... relieved.
Also, the art is wonderful, all the audio is great (awesome VAs!) and the humour was just my style. Great game and I'm so happy I played it!
It felt real. You don't always "get the girl". Yeah after fleeing from your life for a summer you might have to just go back to the same shitty life you left. That's what usually happens. I loved that this wasn't some... fairy tale.
D clearly wasn't ready to meet. Talking over the radio and dreaming about meeting is one thing. Actually meeting someone is... yeah, it can be hard. I've been there. Being almost intimate on the phone, refusing to meet up, being scared because meeting will change the relationship. It always changes one way or another. You can never go back to what it was before. Henry also had his problems and my Henry just didn't want to meet. He wasn't ready at all. But he liked D as a friend, loved talking to her. And I'm so happy that's all it was.
So Ned and his... things. He had PTSD before going there, and then he caused the death of his young son. Seems he just lost it. Imagine causing that death, fleeing it and then not manage to even think about going back there... seeing the body and having to confront what you did. But he still "guards" the place. Both against people finding out what he did, but also to let Brian rest in peace or something. Then here comes a new fire lookout that happens to "snoop around" in the area. And boom, Ned is even seeeen! WHAT TO DO!? Everything he does after that can be explained by "Well he has PTSD and then he managed to cause the death of his son on top of that. Oh and also he lived alone in the wilderness for 3 years!".
I dunno if it was my lack of sleep and me playing it during the wee hours but the game really managed to grab me and pin me down under all that paranoia. I really felt like I wanted to run away screaming but I was so nailed to the game. I had to know what was around the next corner. Then it was nothing and I felt confused and... relieved.
Also, the art is wonderful, all the audio is great (awesome VAs!) and the humour was just my style. Great game and I'm so happy I played it!
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Henry questioning if Ned's story was real is what really hit it home that the ending was meant to be ambiguous. As soon as Delilah said "I'm going with them", I was all "yup, and you're dead".
Whoa, what does that mean?
Yeah I felt think they dropped the ball at the end, trying to figure out what the twist could be and then nothing..
I do think the story telling was superb though. Don't know why but I kept thinking how cool it would be if a survival game could tie in all those gaps in the days and still tie in the story. The tower communication could lead to some really cool asynchronous multiplayer elements when the story wasn't engaged.
Hope they do well, first narrative game I wasn't disappointed in. Next game just have a better fleshed out story/ending and I'll be there.
I do think the story telling was superb though. Don't know why but I kept thinking how cool it would be if a survival game could tie in all those gaps in the days and still tie in the story. The tower communication could lead to some really cool asynchronous multiplayer elements when the story wasn't engaged.
Hope they do well, first narrative game I wasn't disappointed in. Next game just have a better fleshed out story/ending and I'll be there.
Who do you believe was going to kill her if she went with "them"? Ned? Do you believe Ned to be in on some sort of conspiracy and if so, where did the dead kid come from?
Aizo
Banned
I hope you don't talk about real women this way. Having many sexual partners throughout one's life does not make one a whore.
It's like when you're young and home alone in the dark. As a kid you expect a monster or something to be there but there never is... and either way you still have to wait up the next day and go to your shitty life.
Conscience Falls
Member
It's pretty clear that she was calling in the fact that your watchtower was broken into.
Regarding people dissatisfied with the ending, I understand something that gives you a bunch of answers is desirable, it's easy. A story that leaves you questioning and thinking is harder, it's more interesting because of the inherent demand of the audience. I'll have many long and interesting conversations regarding the game and where I personally see it going from there in the coming weeks. If there was this Animal House "and Turt Reynolds became a successful lawyer three years later", I would be far less interested in what the game has to say. Your Henry develops throughout the game based on what you choose and thus the ending changes outside of the game. My Henry was fiercely loyal and loved his wife, he's swallowing his pain and will most likely be heading to Melbourne shortly after returning home. I'm satisfied by the lack of explicit closure, not everything needs to be spelled out.
That... actually makes 100% perfect sense.
Man it seems like a lot of people didn't like the ending. I kind of loved the idea that it lands me looking through D's tower at my discretion. But to be honest that separation between those two people in those isolated towers who clearly care about each other hit me pretty hard from the start.
Anyway I felt the pacing was great, the humor was great, the voice acting was great, the dialog was great. The presentation had some fantastic highs too.
It sounds like there are some plot hangups, but that's video games. A pretty nice surprise for me after Oxenfree and The Witness left me a little underwhelmed.
Anyway I felt the pacing was great, the humor was great, the voice acting was great, the dialog was great. The presentation had some fantastic highs too.
It sounds like there are some plot hangups, but that's video games. A pretty nice surprise for me after Oxenfree and The Witness left me a little underwhelmed.
I see people getting all worked up about D and H's relationship while I feel that it's only there as a metaphor for Henry's and Julia's relationship.
In a way, the game materializes how Henry feels towards Julia, he can't reach her, very much like how he can't reach Delilah's tower, he wants to, but can't.
In the end, even when he reached her hut, when a promise was made, when you are sure you're going to finally meet her, she's gone, Henry will never see Delilah, and he will never see Jules again, she's like Delilah, locked in her own hut, and Henry in his.
When I think about it this way it makes much more sense to me as to why we never meet Delilah, I mean, the only gripe I had with the game is the fact we never get to see her, we want the happy ending, but the truth is that this is a sad story, about sickness and guilt, about loving someone and letting them go, Delilah is very much Julia, they both party, they love to draw, both call Henry a big dummy, and in the end, both of them leave, Julia Mentally, and Delilah physically.
In a way, the game materializes how Henry feels towards Julia, he can't reach her, very much like how he can't reach Delilah's tower, he wants to, but can't.
In the end, even when he reached her hut, when a promise was made, when you are sure you're going to finally meet her, she's gone, Henry will never see Delilah, and he will never see Jules again, she's like Delilah, locked in her own hut, and Henry in his.
When I think about it this way it makes much more sense to me as to why we never meet Delilah, I mean, the only gripe I had with the game is the fact we never get to see her, we want the happy ending, but the truth is that this is a sad story, about sickness and guilt, about loving someone and letting them go, Delilah is very much Julia, they both party, they love to draw, both call Henry a big dummy, and in the end, both of them leave, Julia Mentally, and Delilah physically.
Finished it. Need to think on it.
One thing I will say is that the tension in the middle section where things get the most paranoid and conspiratorial caused me to have a physical reaction I hadn't really had before to a game. Something about the particular way they built the tension caused me to feel a little short of breath and almost like I was on the edge of a panic attack. I think it was the particular scenario of being spied on and followed and the degree to which the game has you embody the character that really got to me. So kudos on that part.
It becoming clear that that wasn't the truth was almost a relief in a way. Which was an odd feeling given the context of the reveal.
One thing I will say is that the tension in the middle section where things get the most paranoid and conspiratorial caused me to have a physical reaction I hadn't really had before to a game. Something about the particular way they built the tension caused me to feel a little short of breath and almost like I was on the edge of a panic attack. I think it was the particular scenario of being spied on and followed and the degree to which the game has you embody the character that really got to me. So kudos on that part.
It becoming clear that that wasn't the truth was almost a relief in a way. Which was an odd feeling given the context of the reveal.
A couple of thoughts after watching(I know, I'm sorry) this game and reading some of the reactions here:
- For those underwhelmed or let down by the ending, I wonder how much current trends in video games and television have trained you to expect something grandiose. In other words, I know Nathan Drake would have discovered Nazi zombies in the cave and Alan Wake would have at least tracked down the serial killer and the cast of Lost would REALLY have uncovered some overarching shit. Considering a big pantomime story is the norm, it may be very hard indeed to pull off what is ultimately an intimate ending to something that, at times, alludes to bigger events or even a conspiracy.
Or maybe you felt genuinely misled and that's indictment enough, who cares if the current milieu compounded an expectation of something different. Anyway, I felt the writers at least tried to tie that plot arch to the general theme of taking responsibility and facing problems, so maybe that makes you feel better? It wasn't just a ploy to wind the player up.
Personally, the intrigue I was thinking of in the moment was an outside chance that Delilah would abandon Henry in an attempt to cover up the mess she'd made. But that makes no sense.
-I really want to ask the developers this, maybe they're reading, I wonder if The Crying of Lot 49 was on their minds at all when writing this game? Did anyone else think of it while playing/watching?
-Are there any endings where Delilah follows through with her idea about getting together with Henry at the end of summer? Maybe in that final conversation she is for going with Henry to Boulder.
- For those underwhelmed or let down by the ending, I wonder how much current trends in video games and television have trained you to expect something grandiose. In other words, I know Nathan Drake would have discovered Nazi zombies in the cave and Alan Wake would have at least tracked down the serial killer and the cast of Lost would REALLY have uncovered some overarching shit. Considering a big pantomime story is the norm, it may be very hard indeed to pull off what is ultimately an intimate ending to something that, at times, alludes to bigger events or even a conspiracy.
Or maybe you felt genuinely misled and that's indictment enough, who cares if the current milieu compounded an expectation of something different. Anyway, I felt the writers at least tried to tie that plot arch to the general theme of taking responsibility and facing problems, so maybe that makes you feel better? It wasn't just a ploy to wind the player up.
Personally, the intrigue I was thinking of in the moment was an outside chance that Delilah would abandon Henry in an attempt to cover up the mess she'd made. But that makes no sense.
-I really want to ask the developers this, maybe they're reading, I wonder if The Crying of Lot 49 was on their minds at all when writing this game? Did anyone else think of it while playing/watching?
-Are there any endings where Delilah follows through with her idea about getting together with Henry at the end of summer? Maybe in that final conversation she is for going with Henry to Boulder.