Oddworld Questions & Answers VI

[Jordan]

He'd most probably smack them with his huge fists. But I doubt we'll ever know unless they put him in Munch's Exoddus.

[Wil]

Or the Munch film, if that comes first.

Munch would transform into Roid whenever he got pissed off, thanks to some handy steroid treatments courtesy of Vykkers Pharmaceuticals. How this would have worked exactly in terms of gameplay, I don’t know, but probably in a way too complicated for OWI to be able to integrate it into the final product in time for release. I suspect it might have had something to do with the way Abe treated Munch. Munch was to spend the first part of his own Oddysee in a wheelchair, completely at the mercy of Abe who was only interested in going where he wanted, and not so much with helping Munch (whose stories of abduction Abe didn’t believe).

Naturally, just about every part of all of this was eliminated from the final game. No wonder it broke Lorne’s heart.

You and your portmanteaus.

I do indeed adore both portmanteaux and the word ‘portmanteau’. Drafted updates to articles on TOE use the latter quite a few times.

[abe is now!]

Can a normal Mudokon posses a Slig? I ask this because in all the games (AO, AE and MO) there aren't possessing Mudokons. Why? Is that a power only for Abe or Big Face? I know this has been asked before, but I need a detailed exlanation, if it is possible !

[Jordan]

Can a normal Mudokon posses a Slig? I ask this because in all the games (AO, AE and MO) there aren't possessing Mudokons. Why? Is that a power only for Abe or Big Face? I know this has been asked before, but I need a detailed exlanation, if it is possible !

The Mud would have to have a lot of power to do this. Only the really special ones can possess.

[Wil]

I’ve never read a thing that says other Mudokons are incapable of possession, but Abe is the only one we’ve seen doing it. In gameplay, Abe can possess Sligs in RuptureFarms, but he’s never taught this until that story stone in Monsaic Lines.

[abe is now!]

But if Abe will be killed, who will be the leader of the Mudokons? Alf? Big Face? And why there some special bird portals that can turn Abe in the Shrykull? If will the birds die? I think these are some interesting bits and I need answers! Thank you !!!

[Bullet Magnet]

I’ve never read a thing that says other Mudokons are incapable of possession, but Abe is the only one we’ve seen doing it. In gameplay, Abe can possess Sligs in RuptureFarms, but he’s never taught this until that story stone in Monsaic Lines.

I've always gotten the distinct vibe that, despite what the big sign, secret portals and status screens indicate, when played with the narrative in mind the game makes more sense if Abe rescues no one until he returns to Rupture Farms at the end.

[Wil]

I think Abe would have had the heart to help any of his fellow workers escape along with him if he came across them, but it would definitely make a much tighter character evolution if he only rescued them after his spiritual awakening and such.

[Bullet Magnet]

I think he would have had the heart, I just don't he'd have the ability. Nor the clarity of thought.

[OddYouko]

Why are Abe's hands and feet bigger in MO but not in AO or AE? Has Abe grown up since AE? ._.

[Bullet Magnet]

Hmm? As far as I can tell they are the same size.

[Nate]

But if Abe will be killed, who will be the leader of the Mudokons? Alf? Big Face? And why there some special bird portals that can turn Abe in the Shrykull? If will the birds die? I think these are some interesting bits and I need answers! Thank you !!!

I suspect that if Abe were killed, Alf and Big Face would not be capable of leading the mudokons. Basically, the entire species would be screwed.

[Bullet Magnet]

Do you think they would be more or less screwed if they let the non-canon Bad-Quarma Abe live rather than surrender him to the Industrialists?

[Nate]

Ha! I'm imagining a Rocky-style training session as Big Face tries to get Bad-Quarma-Abe into shape and fit to be a leader.

[abe is now!]

A question about this argument: if a Mudokon (especially Abe) die and his Quarma (form of birds) is captured by someone, can the birds be turned into the dead Mudokon (excuse me for this "entangled" message, but I don't know how to explain me !)?

[Wil]

Maybe particularly powerful Mudokons could capture the birds and resurrect the Mudokons, but I don’t think Industialists would have the ability. What’s more interesting is whether they could capture the birds, keep them apart, and forever keep that Mudokon in limbo. Can the birds individually teleport themselves? If so, this wouldn’t work. Can Mudokons resurrect each other even without the birds being present? Is this how resurrection totems work? What if the birds are killed, one, several, or all of them? Where does the Mudokon’s spirit go then? Do even smaller birds emerge from the dead birds, or maybe something else?

[Zerox]

Though, Max, birds don't seem to come out of all Mudokons, so far we've only seen them arise from Abe's dead corpse (at least in AO and AE). I assume this is something to do with Abe's powers, since birds are also used in the teleporting rings.

[Bullet Magnet]

The different usages of birds in-game, in FMVs, and the different portals of MO confuse me. The lines between game mechanic and spiritual power seems considerably blurred.

[Zerox]

I haven't played MO, and don't know enough about it to see what you mean.

I'd go for the FMVs over game mechanics, since FMVs are less restricted in that aspect, and since Oddworld is more sort of 'movie based' also with movies being in development now rather than games.

[Bullet Magnet]

The thing is, what I first took for being what portals look like outside of the game mechanic, ie, being turned into birds which fly to your destination, is contradicted by the portals in MO, which are based on those in the game. The video "Magic Portal" depicts a blurry switly thing appearing in the air a few feet above the blimp dock of Vykkerz Labs, and the two recently saved scrubs come out, feet first.

[abe is now!]

Maybe particularly powerful Mudokons could capture the birds and resurrect the Mudokons, but I don’t think Industialists would have the ability. What’s more interesting is whether they could capture the birds, keep them apart, and forever keep that Mudokon in limbo. Can the birds individually teleport themselves? If so, this wouldn’t work. Can Mudokons resurrect each other even without the birds being present? Is this how resurrection totems work? What if the birds are killed, one, several, or all of them? Where does the Mudokon’s spirit go then? Do even smaller birds emerge from the dead birds, or maybe something else?

This is very interesting: about the limbo I can say that the Mudokons can keep the Mudokons with a bad quarma. I think the birds can teleport themselves because in AO and in AE Abe (and Big Face) sometimes teleport themselves to other places. I didn't understand what are the totems. I think if the birds are killed, the spiritual life afterlife is interrupted and so he couldn't revive. I think the spirits of the dead Mudokons go to the Necrum: at the beginning of AE we can see some flying birds in the Necrum. I didn't understand the last question. These are my supposition.

[Nate]

I'd go for the FMVs over game mechanics, since FMVs are less restricted in that aspect, and since Oddworld is more sort of 'movie based' also with movies being in development now rather than games.

Yes, but even within the FMVs there is inconsistency between the bad ending of AO (where Abe is crushed and there are no birds) and that of AE (where Abe is zapped and there are birds).

[OddYouko]

Here his hands look normel size. In Abe's Oddysee.

And in Munch's Oddysee Abe's hands look a lot bigger..maybe it's just me.

[abe is now!]

What is really "Elum Chubs"? And all the other strange products of Rupture Farms? Why aren't they mentioned in AO and what creatures have been used to product them? And why are they discontinued or not available? I link to the page of Oddworld.com with this products. http://www.oddworld.com/firsttenyears/rf_catalog.shtml

[Jordan]

What is really "Elum Chubs"? And all the other strange products of Rupture Farms? Why aren't they mentioned in AO and what creatures have been used to product them? And why are they discontinued or not available? I link to the page of Oddworld.com with this products. http://www.oddworld.com/firsttenyears/rf_catalog.shtml

This catalog was a sort of a bonus and it didn't really fit in with the game.
Elum Chubs sort of look like sausages, but made from Elum.

[Zerox]

Elum Chubs are a proper product that fit in with the games. I believe they are similar to sausages.

[Wil]

There’s an Elum Chub poster in the game. Screens R1P18C10 and R2P18C10. It’s more easily visible in the PS demo version, because there isn’t an electric wall generator in the way in that early glimpse of the game.

[Bullet Magnet]

Here his hands look normel size. In Abe's Oddysee.

And in Munch's Oddysee Abe's hands look a lot bigger..maybe it's just me.

I still can't see it. If anything it is an optical artefact of the redesign.

[OddYouko]

O__o I guess but..maybe he could be older? -shrugs-

[Zelda--Fan]

O__o I guess but..maybe he could be older? -shrugs-

Mayhap the transfer from 2D to 3D made the devs make his hands larger