No, don't. Make them believable else you'd risk to lose some of the immersion.

I dunno, there was always humour in Oddworld, if it was the funny noises Abe made when he fell down the cliff in AO. Or Dripik's stupidity in the cut scenes of AE. Did you not smile when you Aslik called the mudokons 'stinking slaves'? I think the question is getting balance in any 'announcements' between funny ones and proper ones.

Each one should be both proper and funny.

I don't know, FeeCo always felt to me like an abandoned train company that links to stations that still have some activity going on, and announcements would make it feel like a combination of annoyance, modern(ness), and a feeling that everyone knows where you are. That's at least what I feel about announcements right now, but maybe if I heard some examples, I might be persuaded otherwise.

I'm going to reiterate what has been said previously - make them pre-recorded announcements. I think if they were live then yes, it would kind of take away from the atmosphere and the feeling that Abe is sneaking around in places he shouldn't be. As an extra touch, why not make the announcements distorted and crackly as if the sound systems have been busted, adding to the fact that the place is abandoned and hasn't been maintained.

I always assumed the station was relatively well used, you're perhaps just not in the main part of the terminus, nevertheless there are lots of posters around suggesting there is activity, and the platforms aren't very well guarded, so there must be semi-regular activity we don't see. I doubt very much Abe is the only one on the train.

Oooh, make the character voices echo, and sustained, depending on the type of environment they're in :)

Also, have idle animations for Abe when the player is idle for a while. And also for the mudokons when Abe asks them to follow him and just stands still.

Distorted and crackly towerman's announcements may be a good idea. Like those you may hear at a train yard. But these announcements shouldn't be too often or too loud or they could disrupt the musical theme (better if they are triggered to fit in queter moments when music loops).

Also I always wondered why Abe rides in the locomotive's cab where a slig engeneer crew should be. Obviously he has no skills to run a freight train.

Feeco Depot is a main transportation hub and rail station. It's a main thoroughfare through which industrialists travel, as well as freighting supplies. It is not shut down or in disrepair. Judging by some of the backgrounds and the high security, it's safe to assume that Abe was just exploring all the places the public doesn't usually have access to. Remember that he got to where he was by falling off one of the handcars. Abe, a known terrorist to the industrialists, couldn't very well saunter through the main terminal where all the passengers were waiting.

Certain things in the background support this. One of my favorite screens comes to mind, where we see where all the cargo is stored in a giant warehouse. This isn't the kind of place that would be open to the average transient.

http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/...E/SSAE0160.jpg

I think the announcements would be a nice touch. There are certainly some areas that should remain eerily quiet and just let the lovely music set the mood. Perhaps the closer Abe gets to a terminal, the clearer the announcements become.

It would also be a nice touch to add a scheduling board somewhere, with all the arrivals/departures listed. List some of the trains as "delayed", and mark that any trains departing for Soulstorm Brewery have been cancelled due to security risk.

Deriving from the FeeCo theme I'd say it would be nice to add background walkways, doors, levers to several screens in RuptureFarms and Bonewerkz. Some screens (even entire paths) of RF look as if the factory is built in a single plane. It's good to have walkways, doors, grinders (i.e. all the foreground scenery) being shown in the far background from different angles. Another good idea is to add railing to the back sides of the catwalks in some "open-air" places (where they don't obscure much of the background).

Also a good thing is to show mudokons do something other than scrubbing floor or walls. For example make them operate machinery control terminals or something.

Those...are in game...consistently throughout AO and AE.

STM's right, there was plenty of background goodies for those who paid attention. You could see eventual goals in the background, perpendicular paths, and little easter eggs like the Kool-Aid guy and graffiti.

What could possibly work is having announcements in Feeco Depot. like the 'Cave Johnson' ones seen in the middle stages of Portal 2, maybe Aslik unwillingly grunting the train times down a tannoy, with the occasional joke, but nothing cheesy that would damage the gameplay.

Another nice idea I can think of (although not sure how well it would work in 2.5D, as in my head I imagine this in a 3D environment) Is a part of Feeco where to board the train you actually do have to walk through the the main terminal to get to the station, e.g through a crowd of Oddworld creatures on their way to work, like a busy platform in real life, buzzing with activity,and Abe needs to sneak through to avoid detection from sligs, possibly with some chases or something through the crowd, for the majority have him somehow disguising himself (maybe the invisibility rings.. or him and another Mudokon wearing a comically over-sized jacket and sneaking through. - Just kidding folks, this 'aint Munch's Oddysee!) Or is that just too non-Oddworldy?

A third option is to have a very human stock voice making the announcements. You know, the "the white zone is for loading and unloading only" voice. I don't think it would be out of place either with all of Oddworld's other garish references to human society.

FeeCo needs to have PA announcements like Sonic Colors:

No, the red zone is for loading and unloading only. There is no stopping in the white zone.

I think those would break the atmosphere. Maybe an idea for Munch.

I actually like the idea of announcements, Like I said before only have them after you've done something, not just randomly.

I dunno, if it's after you've done something you know it's coming, I think random occurrences but also rare occurrences might make it a bit more interesting. Perhaps at the beginning of the game they are announcements made by sligs but as Abe progresses, because he's causing so much havoc, a Jr. Executive stands in, then Aslik himself, to try and persuade people everything is fine and that no, the trains will no be next to blow up.

We've seen it before, when a company is in danger for whatever reason, they get the boss men in to reassure the share holders and investors.

Oh really, Strike Witch? Why pretend? We both know perfectly well what this is about. You want me to have an abortion.

I was only being half-serious. Serious fits the atmosphere best, but perhaps some more comedic announcements could be thrown in as easter eggs or new game+ material.

It's really the only sensible thing to do, if its done safely. Therapeutically there's no danger involved.

We have fun.

Sligs definitely need more development. I like the skin tone variation idea. Maybe some could have replacement arms/tentacles as cyborg metal limbs. I think they need more of a hierarchy. Maggot -> Private -> General. They need more randomness like musle cramps and clumsiness.

I love the train idea. Maybe you could have a chase on the rooftops. Or Sligs chasing you in Minecarts

I personally already felt the Sligs had a lot of character.

Some were crueler than others, beating Mudokon's at every opportunity. Other's just let the Mudokon's get on with their work.

When Abe said "Hi" some would reply back with "hi" - others (usually the Glukkon's body guards, clearly the higher ranking, more professional Sligs) wouldn't have time for social activity with Mudokon's and would either flat out ignore him or wonder what the noise was.

The way some would laugh when they shot Mudokon's, and some would just take it as part of their job. I actually did find the Slig's to be surprisingly individual for a game of the mid to the late 90's and don't really think they need much improvement.

I thought it would be cool if you can add your own music. Like have an option for custom music.

Urgh... I don't know how often I need to post this:

And I agree with him completely.

I hope that question was trolling.

Abe's Exoddus feels the best with Justin Bieber playing in the background.

Seriously though, I don't see why people feel the need to rip out a vital part of the immersive gaming experience.

Why not just replace the visuals with your favourite movie while you're at it? And the sound effects with lines from your favourite TV show?

.: Interrogation at the end of AO:.

Slig: Does Molluck look like a bitch to you?
Abe: No
Slig: Then why do you keep trying to fuck him like a bitch Abe?

I want this.

I lol'd.

Hilarious.

One thing I'd like is radio communications for the alarms.
Not sure if anyone played either MGS3, MGS Portable Ops or MGS Peace Walker... but the teams call the HQ when the alarm is triggered, so there's a slight delay between spotting someone and the alarm being triggered. Alarm would be raised for a while and then when they lose him they'd call up and say "Target lost, call off the alarm". Etc. Just to make it feel more real.

Because when you lose someone you switch the alarm off?

"Geez! We lost the Sadistic Summer Slayer, what do we do?"

"Turn of the bloody alarm, I'm getting a headache."

If they do then it's their problem. Why do people care that I want to listen to Michael Jackson, The Beetles, or Rush while playing Oddworld?

@Scrabtrapman, Well not right away... but imagine this.

You spent the last two hours looking for someone and can't find them.
Do you;
A) Keep playing the 130 decibel alarm tone which uses valuable electricity when the intruder may be miles away by now and you can't hear yourself think over the noise
B) Stop the alarm, regroup and focus your efforts on nearby areas.

Just noticed while playing AE... where are Abe's scars in the cutscenes? He has them in the opening cutscene but not in any other cutscene.

Didn't know where else to put this so yeah.

To be fair that sort of happens in AO any way, after a few screens the alarms turn off, apart from the Boardroom.

Just play them in the background then.