Did anyone else think that Slogs in AE are, gameplay-wise, basically just...
 

...unposessible paramites that don't need to be in groups to attack?

Nope, didn't experience such sentiments. Interesting comparison though.

Paramites don't necessarily have to be in groups in order to attack. However, cornering even one paramite will provoke it. A lonely slog will attack you whether it's cornered or not.

Assuming you weren't referring to when they were cornered, when else can a lone Paramite attack you?

Not at all. If anything they're closer to Scrabs, as both creatures have levels where you have to run and jump onto platforms to avoid them. Paramite gameplay is completely different.

what a strange topic...
I agree with NDW on this one they are more like scrabs

of cource they could also be like barking sligs without guns

Slogs and Paramites are also similar in that they can run through spaces Abe has to roll through. Scrabs can’t do that.

I don’t get it. There are levels where you have to run and jump to avoid Paramites.

But those are not as common. And they tend to be short running sections whereas the slog ones are often several screens wide.

Okay, differences:
Slogs will always attack, whereas Paramites only attack in groups or if cornered
Slogs cannot be posessed, Paramites can
Paramites can jump gaps, Slogs cannot

Similarities:
Small tunnels etc will not block them
Equal speeds (unlike scrabs, which are slightly faster)
You can throw things to stall them(meat for Paramites, bones for Slogs)
Can be commanded (Paramites by other Paramites, Slogs by Sligs)
React to chanting (It provokes Slogs, and makes Paramites start "yelling")


And since it was brought up, Scrabs vs Slogs:

Differences:
Slogs don't kill each other, Scrabs do
Scrabs are slightly faster
Scrabs cannot be stalled by throwing food, Slogs can
Scrabs can jump gaps, Slogs cannot
Scrabs can be posessed, Slogs cannot

Similarities:
Will attack you alone
React to chanting (It provokes Slogs, and makes Scrabs start "yelling")

Of course, that's just a brief list. You could also add HOW they react to chanting as a difference, I guess.
So I guess now that I actually put more effort into it, Slogs aren't that much like Paramites - although still more than they are like Scrabs. :-p

Also on the level style note - that's why I like paramites more. 99% of scrab levels are just "run, jump, run, jump", whereas paramite levels usually actually involve more thinking than action. Much more fun. :)

I was thinking less about their similarities and more how they were used in the game - the sort of levels they are placed in.

ZANGG, there's an edit-post button for a reason. Please don't double post.

Slogs can be commanded by sligs. But then... paramites can be commanded by other paramites...

Slogs jump gaps if you are within lunging distance.

Paramites can pull rings and climb web. They can also drop into any situation via webbing.

But you can get near unlimited slogs from slog huts, and I have yet to encounter a paramite spawner (remember the scrab spawner? wtf?)

Also you don't come across miniature paramies like you do slogs.


Not to mention the diverse personality and backstory each species has, which is as valuable as their gameplay function.

It's funny, but I was just thinking about this just today while playing... but I don't think it's a fair comparison. You may as well say that slogs are scrabs that are shorter, don't run as fact, can be commanded by sligs, etc... so no, I don't think they are just a remake of paramites.
BTW, Paramites run just as fast as a Scrab, which is slightly faster than you - slogs don't.

I think Scrabs would run faster than paramites, but for gameplay purposes, they made them the same. Otherwise, the Scrabs would be too fast and you wouldn't stand a chance.
Scrabs may be stalled by food, just that there was never such a section, so we'll never know whether they would care in real life or not.
I don't rememeber a Scrab spawner...
But this thread is a bit silly: It's like comparing dogs to bears or something.
I've never seen a Slog jump a gap...only off of heights. Usually to their doom.
I don't agree that Paramite sections are better. You still have to use Scrabs and pull levers and stuff. They're just...not so social.
XD

Oh, and how come you could possess massive Scrabs, but not Slogs which are certainly more feeble?

I always kinda wondered about that too...why you can't possess a slog. But then again, in MO you CAN possess slogs so perhaps Lorne decided to make up for not being able to possess them in AE lol

None of the puzzles required you to possess slogs. Slogs can't do much, and what they can do is easily accomplished by using slig commands. Otherwise there wouldn't much point in "Here boy" and "Get 'em!"

You've got a point there.

But since you can’t actually possess Slogs, why would they have made such a puzzle? :p But your point is well made.

That’s because Scrabs have much more intelligence than Slogs do. As Abe’s abilities grow, he is seemingly able possess creatures of increasingly low intelligence.

but why would it take more mental power to possess less intelligent beings? I would think it would be the other way around.

In Star Wars, it cirtainly is, but Abe is not using the force. He is... overlaying his own conciousness onto another, which is easier when it fits better. Ever tried getting a rat to human intelligence? I'll hazard a no. It ain't easy.

Hmm. From a point well made, to an unfathomable one. What the hell am I talking about?

No no...that makes sense. It takes more power to fit a square peg into a round hole in other words. I never thought of it that way before.

That's good, I thought I was going strange.

The scrab spawner was probably made by the industalists as part of the hunting preserve (remember the story stone "Scrab-O-Rama")
do you think eventualy Abe might even be able to posses fleeches and slurgs?

Somehow I think bells(Abe's Oddysee) have less intelligence than slogs. And I wouldn't be surprised if Scrabs and Paramites have more than sligs.

Also, what is this scrab spawner?

As for possessing fleeches and slurgs... that'd be interesting. Fleeches would make good weapons against sligs(and maybe slogs), whereas I could sure see a few interesting uses for slurgs. Think of a screen where you have a sleeping slog and a pressure pad up the top(in a blocked off area), and a slig down below. You get the slig to step on the slurg to wake the slog, and the slog hits the pressure pad, opening the door/barrier/electricfield/whatever.

The bells are spiritual made by the native mudonkons.
A scrab spawner is a tube that the scrab comes out of once it falls out it charges at Abe.
Zangg use the edit button

Yup, the bells have been made specifically for mudokon possession so they would be quite easy. Now, the mystery is how they actually work...

Oh, that. I thought you were referring to similar to the slog huts where massive numbers of slogs come out.

Heh, imagine that, being chased by a herd of scrabs. In 2D.

The possession of the bells is all well and good (The bells probably being specificaly made for the purpose, as mentioned), and I had always assumed that as Abe got better at posessing things he was able to possess less inteligent things (And I reckon there's a downward limit too - I couldn't see him possessing a fleech or slurg). The question - the real question is - how did he manage to possess his farts?
Heh. Reminds me of Foul Old Ron's Smell in the Discworld series. That might be posessed...

The sligs in AE are MUCH harder to get away from those darned security orbs than any other game, but meh...when you can posses a fart to go and destroy them... you don't really need to posses them! Two sligs with one fart.
But yes... they are much faster to react than in AO, making them harder to do anything with.
(unless you use the cheat for "bullet proof Abe", and then it's just fun!)