Stanger's talking boat!

paramiteabe · #1 12-10-2003, 01:09 PM

There is already tons of theorys on the characters of OW4. But we have neglected his boat and whats its purpose.

Ive on a few occasions heard that his boat can actually talk and Stranger has a connection to it. What do you think of this idea of communicating with a boat? I would admit that is very strange. In the card it mention how the ores of his boat moaned. What is it? Think his boat can be some sort of new Oddworld creature that takes on different forms? And maybe on land Stranger's Boat shrienks and transforms into some sort of pack to capture the bounty? And then once on water his pack regrows and turns into his boat again? Hmm thats intresting. a liveing creature as his tool to capture his bounty and to get around almost like meetles and Mugs only wierder. I am starting to think that his boat could be an old bounty he caught years ago and well kept it sort of as a pet as odd as that may sound. and since he is weak minded he would talk to his boat all the time. Hmm what do you think the purpose of the boat is all about other than rowing down a river? Here is some pictures.

Esus · #2 12-10-2003, 01:37 PM

I dont know about your idea

but I think it is living somehow, in the fact that it has a consciousness and in teh card it mentioned "oar and sinew", implying the boat may have muscle and thus be a living creature rather than a wooden boat.

***Xavier*** · #3 12-10-2003, 02:42 PM

hmmm, the boat could be a living creature true

oh I think it's time to refrech some minds, here is what the Electronic Gaming Monthly said about the boat:

:

Apperently, it involves a half-monkey, half-horse, centaurish main character who's got a psycic connection to (get ready for it...) his boat. Yes, I said boat. Your job is to transport some "things" down a river in said boat. The monkey-horse man and his talking thinking sentient boat have gameplay relationship similar to Ico's (from Sony's Ico) relationship between the mute princess Yorda.

Al the Vykker · #4 12-10-2003, 06:53 PM

Maybe the boat could be enchanted or have a ghost or spirit haunting it, or living inside of it. Just a thought though.

***Wil*** · #5 12-10-2003, 06:54 PM

An interesting topic to bring up PA. I mention this specifically because I've thought about it often, but never made a topic about it. However, it does strike me as perculiar that you insist you fully respect OWI's decision, and their reasoning behind it, to keep quiet on the next game, and yet for someone in such a mindset you create an inordinate number of topics relating specifically to the content of the game.

Anyway, I think it's possible that Stranger's boat will be a living thing, although perhaps not an animal per se - maybe some kind of animal/plant species, not like Pokemon, more like a sentient, fleshy-yet-woody thing. We know there are Elderlings, which go through a lifelong transition from plant to animal, so maybe the boat could be along the same lines, possibly the same kingdom/genus, which is certainly something unheard of on Earth. I love the way OWI make lifeforms that don't conform to Earth taxanomy, such as 'insects' with skeletons, 'lizards' with feathers and teeth, 'mammals' with feathers or 'birds' with mammary glands, whichever it turns out to be. Maybe both.

The psychic connection would be interesting, and the relationship between Stranger and his boat could provide GameSpeak in Oddworld 4. I think the boat's potential is one of the most intriguing and original devices in the upcoming game - I have to say that now you've brought it up, I'm looking forward to learning about it almost as much as I am playing the actual game!

The card also mentioned noises coming from Stranger's ammo pack. Skunk bombs anyone? Maybe even more exotic live projectiles. Oddworld 4 is meant to be about using the environment to our advantage, after all. Perhaps if open-ended hunting is involved we can actually go around capturing ammunition from the forest. That would be a nice twist on things.

(Yes, I'm breaking curfew, but I'll get on with work now)

EDIT: Oh thank God it posted! I clicked the post button but it came up with SafeSearch (page not found). I had done a copy of what I'd typed, but then stupidly copied a URL over it!

But it all worked out.

Abeguy · #6 12-10-2003, 07:41 PM

1: i don't know?

2: why do you keep on calling him "Stranger???"

Abeguy!...

oddguy · #7 12-10-2003, 07:46 PM

I like the idea of capturing skunks etc for ammo, Max. Anyway, about the boat.........what if the boat is haunted by the spirit of the previous owner or something? You always hear about the captain has to go down with the ship. Maybe when the owner of the boat dies, his spirit follows the boat and guides the next owner. Maybe the boat is more important than we think. We know Grub Hunter is chasing Stranger for some reason. Maybe Gruby wants the boat.

-oddguy

EDIT: We learned that Steef is the name of the species.......not the main characters name. The christams card told us that his name is Stranger.

Mac the Janitor · #8 12-10-2003, 08:30 PM

:

Originally posted by oddguy
We know Grub Hunter is chasing Stranger for some reason.

I actually think that Steef was a really great hunter and had killed and sold all these beasts and stuff, but then somehow he is groutesquely transformed into that centaur beast who has the big horns. So, now Stranger has to disguise himself when going anywhere, always being cautious and living in fear. Somehow Grub finds out Stranger's secret. These horns are particularly rare and will go for a high price, so Grub wants to now hunt Stranger and kill him for the horns/antlers things. Thus, the hunter finds out how horrible it is to be the hunted. That seems like it'd be a moralistic story OWI would do, like slavery and animal cruelty.

Strike Witch · #9 12-11-2003, 06:47 AM

Living objects have been done before. Soul Edge anyone?
It's a boat-like creature that communicates with Stranger with teleknesis and might have some special powers....

Or Stranger is just crazy.

***Xavier*** · #10 12-11-2003, 10:33 AM

What Max says just sounds amasing

I have some troubles for the names
the main hero is called Stranger ans his spiecies is Steef, righ?
what about the "Grub" hunter, is this official, made up?

paramiteabe · #11 12-11-2003, 11:04 AM

All of ya sport some good points about Stranger's boat and the over all plot of the game. Especially you Mac. Your idea of the reason Stranger is being hunted is do to his transformation and those horns. That theory relates to how African Elephant poachers go after elephants for their tusks to make products from. Infact that theory might not be so far fetched on the over all pridiction of the plot of the game.

I love the idea of the boat being an Ederling. The Raison we already know at one time was once a tree. Thus trees are made out of wood. In this case these trees that are Elderlings have some sort of high conscious obvieously. So maybe one time Stranger choped down an Ederling in its early stages of life when it was a tree and built a boat out of it. That could be possible. Thus resulting in the boat haveing a consciousness. A spirit hunting a boat is not far fetched eather. Which means we could see more spiritual guides in future games.

Great theories people. And Max its all cool I generally like to theorize about up comming games. And games like Oddworld are really good games to come up with theories because Oddworld is more like a story than a game. I just like talking about it.

Paramiteabe...

Mac the Janitor · #12 12-11-2003, 11:30 AM

:

Originally posted by Xavier
What Max says just sounds amasing

I have some troubles for the names
the main hero is called Stranger ans his spiecies is Steef, righ?
what about the "Grub" hunter, is this official, made up?

It's Mac you fools

Yeah, you've got the Stranger/Steef thing down. The poacher is called Grub because Sligslinger claims he took the X-Factor video apart or something and heard Lorne say "The poacher, Grub" while pointing at his prod art.

***Wil*** · #13 12-11-2003, 11:50 AM

:

It's Mac you fools

Quiet, you! He was speaking about me.

:

Living objects have been done before. Soul Edge anyone?

Living objects are indeed nothing new. Moya from Farscape was a living ship, and didn't Star Trek's Species 2469 pilot living vessels? Wasn't the Wicked Witches mirror a living/haunted object? Why, there's even a religion that believes all objects have a consciousness - animism (not animalism, which is quite different). Just so long as Oddworld doesn't do a body swap story, they're doing fine.

Mac, I love your idea of Stranger getting a taste of his own medicine, that would be the first time such a plot device has been used on Oddworld (Supernatural Spooce Cannon aside, but then that didn't make the game). I think the centaur guise is the Steefs' natural body, and that he's infiltrated industrial society by disguising as a more humanoid character, esentially without the horns, but with enough other anatomical differences not to raise others' suspicion. Like someone else said, it could be the blobs that perform this disguise. Previously I'd suspected it was the Vykkers, but since OWI say they are creating an entirely new cast for OW4, I'm not sure they, Sligs or Mudokons will even be in the game.

***Xavier*** · #14 12-11-2003, 12:14 PM

:

Originally posted by Max the Mug
Quiet, you! He was speaking about me.

I was indeed talking about Max... and not about Mac, even if Mac's idea was quite good too!

All this ideas are realy good! And odd even!

oh so about the Grub, there is nothing sure, okay, thanx

paramiteabe · #15 12-11-2003, 01:56 PM

:

Originally posted by Max the Mug
Quiet, you! He was speaking about me.

Living objects are indeed nothing new. Moya from Farscape was a living ship, and didn't Star Trek's Species 2469 pilot living vessels? Wasn't the Wicked Witches mirror a living/haunted object? Why, there's even a religion that believes all objects have a consciousness - animism (not animalism, which is quite different). Just so long as Oddworld doesn't do a body swap story, they're doing fine.

Mac, I love your idea of Stranger getting a taste of his own medicine, that would be the first time such a plot device has been used on Oddworld (Supernatural Spooce Cannon aside, but then that didn't make the game). I think the centaur guise is the Steefs' natural body, and that he's infiltrated industrial society by disguising as a more humanoid character, esentially without the horns, but with enough other anatomical differences not to raise others' suspicion. Like someone else said, it could be the blobs that perform this disguise. Previously I'd suspected it was the Vykkers, but since OWI say they are creating an entirely new cast for OW4, I'm not sure they, Sligs or Mudokons will even be in the game.

Sligs and Mudokons and Vykkers are in the game. they were in the X-Factor.

***Wil*** · #16 12-11-2003, 04:15 PM

That's exactly my point, OWI have stated before that they may try to mislead us with material, so maybe this is what they've done. It may seem a bit far fetched, but they also claimed they were using a completely new cast. Bring the two together, and it's quite clear what happens.

Of course we'll have to wait and see, but like I say, I'm not sure. If Mudokons were to appear in the game, it would make me wonder why there's a need really for the salamanders. Again, we'll just have to wait and see. My, there is a lot of waiting.

***Xavier*** · #17 12-11-2003, 05:06 PM

I think it would be surprising to have a journey on Mudos, without seeing one single mudokon...
anyway, that's just a tought

Oddsville · #18 12-11-2003, 07:33 PM

Well, whenever I think of Strangers boat I always imagine him being the only one who can hear it. Such as, throughout the whole game we never see it do anything that would imply that its alive. But it has a backstory such as it was Strangers grandfathers (or any other familly member.) boat and when his Grandfather died Stranger belived that his soul was still in the boat.

To me this would give the whole idea of a "living" boat so much of an actual backstory and emotion.

Mac the Janitor · #19 12-11-2003, 08:20 PM

:

Originally posted by Max the Mug
Quiet, you! He was speaking about me.

:

Originally posted by Xavier
I was indeed talking about Max... and not about Mac, even if Mac's idea was quite good too!

Heh, I know. I was only joking. I was hoping that little tounge smiley face would make it clearer, but apparently not.

oddguy · #20 12-12-2003, 01:22 AM

Wow, Mac. Everybody is misunderstanding yer jokes these days. I knew ya were kidding though.

-oddguy

***Wil*** · #21 12-12-2003, 05:21 PM

I understood you Mac, that's why I myself included Mr Licky here.

Jacob · #22 12-12-2003, 07:37 PM

Haven't read the entirity of this thingy...i hope its not a real, live boat but more of a delusion Stranger has set himself up with, to talk to himself.

Like in 'Six Feet Under' were the characters spoke to themselves, but through the corpses. There was a word for that...forgot what it is now though...hmmm...dramatic monologue i do believe.

Mac the Janitor · #23 12-12-2003, 08:02 PM

:

Originally posted by Max the Mug
I understood you Mac, that's why I myself included Mr Licky here.

Phew, good. I still love you then.

:

Originally posted by Jacob
Haven't read the entirity of this thingy...i hope its not a real, live boat but more of a delusion Stranger has set himself up with, to talk to himself.

That sounds absoultely amazing...I hope they actually do that. To kind of escape from reality, he talks to his boat.

oddguy · #24 12-12-2003, 10:05 PM

Like Wilson in "Castaway" with Tom Hanks. For those who haven't seen it, Tom is stranded on an island for a loooong time by himself, so he talks to a volley ball.

That would also make more sense to what Lorne meant when he said he wanted the audience to get connected to something before they actually knew what it was. I doubt OW will do that, but then again ya never know. It would be quite ODD, wouldn't it?

-oddguy

Sekto Springs · #25 12-12-2003, 10:32 PM

Castaway, i love that movie!

Anyway...
as we all know we are to benefit from the enviroment in this game. Camouflage. Perhaps lizard-like qualities are part of his talking ammo-sack. But i think something like that would fall too closely along the lines of an invisability option or something which i find way to unatural for oddworld. Whatever, i just shot a hundred holes in my theory...oh well.

As for the boat thing....well, i dunno. There's so many good theories here i can't decide which i agree with most.

GrigtheSlig · #26 12-12-2003, 10:46 PM

Ummm, I've been gone for a while, and I don't really want to read all of this HUGE thread, so can someone sum up all that is going on?

Al the Vykker · #27 12-13-2003, 12:22 AM

Well Id love to help you out and summarize this but its getting late and I just got home from Jazz Band.

Not that that is an excuse, but you could also ask your brother (Oddguy, for people who didnt know), to explain most of whats going on.

Anyways I was just thinking maybe the Steef Species is being hunted for their horns as someone stated, but maybe this Stranger fellow is in disquise and hiding and masking the fact that he is one of them also, so that he is not hunted.

It could work think of it this way. At the start you see the Steefs being hunted, and then this stranger who at the start of the game is a bounty hunter is revealed to be one of the most sought after prey by bounty hunters in that region. Just another thought, I can go into detail more about what I was thinking of if anyone would like me to expand and build on it I'll gladly do it.

Sekto Springs · #28 12-13-2003, 12:55 AM

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Originally posted by GrigtheSlig
Ummm, I've been gone for a while, and I don't really want to read all of this HUGE thread, so can someone sum up all that is going on?

well the topic was originally about Stranger's boat and how we beleive he can talk to it somehow, based on rumours, pictures, and hints from some OWI members

Al the Vykker · #29 12-13-2003, 01:09 AM

:

Originally posted by sligslinger
well the topic was originally about Stranger's boat and how we beleive he can talk to it somehow, based on rumours, pictures, and hints from some OWI members

Also adding onto what SS summed up nicely for you. Is that the rumor about him having this connection to his boat was posted in EGM last March, when we first heard anything new about OW4, and rumors about the new character.

***Alcar*** · #30 12-13-2003, 03:10 AM

It was a physic connection between Stranger and his boat. I don't remember them mentioning actual conversation via sound waves between the two - maybe they did

Anyway, one thing I've noticed in the picture PA posted, is that it looks nothing like Oddworld. I could have sworn it looks like Zelda: The Wind Waker. As the colours are bright, and match suitably. The boat, looks like the Red Lion and that building in the background looks like a would-be Hyrule Castle.

Alcar...