Monkey Island 2: SE

[Kolzig]

So, anybody else going to get the special retail version of Monkey 1 & 2 that is coming out this week in EUROPE?

I have had it on pre-order for a while along with Rage from Amazon.co.uk. I'll get it when Rage comes in October so I have to either shut my eyes from the internet for a month so that the special extras won't be "spoiled" in for example upcoming Mojo review of the product.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Pre-ordered

[Zeusthecat]

This seems like the best thread to post this.

 

I am still playing Monkey Island 2 and am stuck again (which doesn't bother me at all, I am having a great time at work going over all the possibilities in my head).

 

I have a dog that never smells anything interesting, a charter ship that can go anywhere but no clear indication of where the Mad Monkey sank, a dude that I can do a drinking game with and switch out my grog with a colored drink which he then notices isn't colored correctly and gives me his grog, and a telescope that shines a light into an empty mirror frame in the drinking dude's house. There is also some fish in the kitchen in Elaine's mansion that I can't get to because of the asshole chef and a hut on top of a tree with a pile of maps.

 

I'm thinking some possible outcomes of these factors are as follows:

1. No idea yet what the dog might be used for. I've tried to get him to smell everything everywhere but I'm sure I'm being stupid and just overlooking something.
2. I keep visiting the library thinking there will be a book that will clue me in to the location of the Mad Monkey. Beyond that I am just keeping an eye out for a pair of numbers somewhere in the game that might represent the GPS coordinates.
3. I'm not quite sure about the drinking game. I'm pretty damn sure I'm supposed to dump the grog out on the tree and refill the glass with one of the colored drinks but I've literally tried every one and he always says the color is weird. I'm thinking it's possible that I need to find a mirror to put in the mirror frame to reflect the light from the telescope into my glass with the colored drink to make it the right color or something. The only problem is that fucking parrot in the shop on Booty Island needs his mirror and that is the only one that seems possible to obtain. I have an empty bag of parrot feed and a beware of parrot sign but I don't yet see any way to use those or anything else to get that parrot or his mirror. But this could be a huge waste of time trying to figure that out if I am wrong about the mirror thing.
4. I figure I need the fish from the mansion's kitchen to show to the fisherman (pretending I caught it) so I can get his fishing pole. Then maybe use his fishing pole to get the map piece hanging on the edge of the cliff. I've banged that trash can and blown my horn so many times and can't seem to find a way to distract him when he comes out so that I can sneak in and grab the fish. I need to figure out some way to maybe have something else make noise so he doesn't think it is me, allowing me to sneak in.
5. I thought the dog would come into play with the pile of maps in the tree hut. Maybe sniff out some useful map that will show me the coordinates of the Mad Monkey or something.

I figured I'd share this with everyone since most of you have probably played this and might enjoy seeing how someone else is going about trying to solve these puzzles. Please don't post any solutions unless they're in spoiler tags (although if I get too frustrated I might ask for vague hints later).

[miffy495]

Re number 3: (VAGUE hint)

What do you think the bartender would do if you didn't have any ID?

 

I'll leave you to the rest on their own. Man, I should play MI2 again.

[Zeusthecat]

Re number 3: (VAGUE hint)

Did you ever mix primary coloured paints in school?

 

I'll leave you to the rest on their own. Man, I should play MI2 again.

 

You have no idea how tempted I am to click that tag.

[Zeusthecat]

I fucking got it and I swear to my video game collection miffy that I never once clicked your spoiler tag. Just you saying "Re number 3:" in your post was enough of a hint. I will never ever ever click that tag and what you posted will forever remain a mystery to me.

 

So I basically sat at work all day thinking about what I was missing and how everything had been pieced together so far and became convinced that I was on the right track regarding item number 3 in my original post. Based on all of the interactions I'd seen so far with switching out the grog with the colored drink and the telescope shining a light into an empty mirror frame I knew that there was only one possible solution. I had to get that fucking mirror. To get the mirror I would have to distract the parrot.

 

What had me stumped was that the parrot seemed uninterested in the empty bag of parrot feed and there didn't seem to be any way to obtain any parrot feed. After thinking about it for a little while I remembered that the description for the bag of parrot feed when you 'Look at' it was something like "There is a picture of a parrot on the front". I know I had already tried using the bag with the mirror to try to distract the parrot and seen no results so I had dismissed the thought. After thinking about it some more and remembering the description from the bag I figured that had to be it and I was missing something. Maybe I could hang it from Indy's Whips on the second rack or maybe there was something else on the second shelf I could hang it from.

 

So I finally got on tonight, went straight into the store, and saw it immediately. A fucking hook.

 

At least I was only stuck on that in-game for a little over an hour. Would have been much longer if I hadn't had time to think about it today. This game is fucking amazing. It's literally the 2nd adventure game I've ever played next to Secret of Monkey Island and it is so fucking good. I'm also kind of a purist so I'm playing the original version on Scummvm. Not sure if I would ever want to play the special edition because the classic graphics are just too fucking charming.

[Nappi]

At least I was only stuck on that in-game for a little over an hour. Would have been much longer if I hadn't had time to think about it today. This game is fucking amazing. It's literally the 2nd adventure game I've ever played next to Secret of Monkey Island and it is so fucking good. I'm also kind of a purist so I'm playing the original version on Scummvm. Not sure if I would ever want to play the special edition because the classic graphics are just too fucking charming.

 

The Special Edition has audio commentary (with Gilbert, Schafer and Grossman), and you can switch between the old and new graphics seamlessly. Definitely worth checking out at some point.

[Zeusthecat]

The Special Edition has audio commentary (with Gilbert, Schafer and Grossman), and you can switch between the old and new graphics seamlessly. Definitely worth checking out at some point.

 

It does sound cool for the audio commentary part. I'm not necessarily against updated graphics either but I feel like when I play a remake of a game with new graphics it changes my whole perception of what that game is. I'm also not too keen on the idea of the characters having voices although if that can be shut off then I guess it's not really an issue.

 

But who am I kidding? I'll probably play it eventually anyways.

[Nappi]

The "old mode" will of course only have the subtitles. I think they did a rather good job with the graphics and the voice-overs (unlike with the special edition of Monkey Island), and it was quite fascinating to compare the two editions.  

[Ben X]

The "old mode" will of course only have the subtitles. I think they did a rather good job with the graphics and the voice-overs (unlike with the special edition of Monkey Island), and it was quite fascinating to compare the two editions.  

 

I thought they allowed speech with the old mode for MI2SE: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/06/23/six-changes-to-monkey-island-2-special-edition

[Jake]

I thought they allowed speech with the old mode for MI2SE: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/06/23/six-changes-to-monkey-island-2-special-edition

Yeah MI2 had more controls over what was happening and not happening.

[tegan]

I bought the 1&2 special edition bundle on PSN a while back. It's a shame, but the bit in MI1 where you have to shoot yourself out of the cannon on the ship is borderline impossible to do without mouse control since it requires that you do a whole bunch of things within seconds through a clunky interface not at all designed for it. MI2 is significantly more playable, but still.

[Merus]

Re: number 4 (again, vague hint):

 

If the chef is an asshole, maybe you can use that against him. It's not like he'll catch you.

[Nappi]

I thought they allowed speech with the old mode for MI2SE: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2010/06/23/six-changes-to-monkey-island-2-special-edition

 

Ah, didn't realize that. I didn't switch between the modes that often. 

[Zeusthecat]

I'm curious what the general sentiment is regarding the difficulty of this game. Am I considered good at it if I am stuck for a few hours and eventually figure it out or am I considered a baby for getting stuck for hours at a time at all? I feel like I am doing fairly well but I'm not sure if that is because of my own problem solving abilities or because of how well this game is designed and how it subtly nudges you towards the solution as you spend more time exploring the possibilities.

 

As far as my progress goes, I haven't had a chance to play since I figured out how to get the mirror but I did get a chance to try it out and found that the reflected light beam goes several feet above the table and into the back wall. Based on the fact that it "burned" the brick where the mirror was supposed to go I had assumed it might be used to change the color of your drink but now I'm not so sure. I keep thinking about the fact that the camera pans into the house when the light beam goes in and pans all the way over to the far wall which you can't reach when you are normally in the house. But then there is also the fact that it still shows your mug on the table if you left your mug there when you went out to put the telescope back on the statue. Maybe I need to find a way to elevate the mug so it is hit by the beam. I am also pondering whether I am supposed to find a way to permanently fasten the telescope to the statue since it falls out after a few seconds. That would enable me to go back into the house and possibly interact with the light beam. And then there is that hole near the beach but I am led to believe that I come out of that hole after going down the trapdoor in the house rather than going into it (since Guybrush is too short, unless there is an object he can climb on to reach the hole). 

 

Thanks Merus for your vague hint but as with miffy's I don't plan on clicking that tag unless I reach my breaking point, which is entirely possible (but I will never do it, ever, probably not, maybe). The fact that you referenced number 4 makes me want to re-visit that a bit more after I try a few more things with the light beam.

[syntheticgerbil]

Gosh, I have no idea how well designed the game actually is. I mean I replayed it two years ago for the special edition and really tried to pay attention to the design of the adventure this time. Everything seemed very nicely in order outside of the infamous monkey wrench and the stupidity of picking up the dog, but I might have glazed over some bad design because I already knew the solution. I remember as a child with no hint book or internet, it took me months to finish it on the hard (or regular) setting. Once I got fed up on part 2 in the hard mode, I just went ahead and finished the game on easy so I could see the story and then returned to normal afterwards.

 

That said, last time I played it, I did the speed run trophy for the SE on PS3 and made 7th place on the leaderboards without actually trying. I've beaten Monkey Island 2 so much that the order of puzzles are just ingrained in my head. I know the original puzzle I was stuck on for a few months involved sawing

the peg leg

.

 

The one you are stuck on was definitely a tough one. You are on the right track though.

[Twig]

The puzzles were okay for me, but where Monkey Island (1 and 2) get really annoying for me is the shitty world map traveling. It takes so long to get from point A to point B, and when you're stuck, even if the puzzle's not really that hard, you have all the options in the world to choose from... I gave up and used a guide on most of it when I played those games recently because I didn't want to waste my time traveling across the world. U:

 

I am not ashamed. That was bad design.

[syntheticgerbil]

Haha, yeah the double click traveling they added in Curse of Monkey Island was a god send.

[Udvarnoky]

Am I considered good at it if I am stuck for a few hours and eventually figure it out or am I considered a baby for getting stuck for hours at a time at all?

 

If you can complete the game on your own in any amount of time, you are good.

[Zeusthecat]

Everything seemed very nicely in order outside of the infamous monkey wrench and the stupidity of picking up the dog...

 

I realized these two things have sabotaged the way I think about subsequent puzzles. Most of the puzzles and items are somewhat realistic or at least make some level of logical sense but using a

hypnotized monkey

as a monkey wrench was pretty out there. Now when I'm stuck I try ridiculous stuff because I'm not too sure how far out there some of the other puzzles or items are.

 

So, yesterday I got a chance to play for a couple hours and I ended up finding 2 more map pieces. I was pleased to see that (I figure I should probably put this shit in a spoiler if I'm asking other people to do the same)

my assumptions were more or less correct regarding the use of the fish, the use of the dog, and the location of the coordinates to the Mad Monkey.

I just happened to be browsing 'S' in the library and came across "Shipwreck" which referenced "Disaster" or something like that. I had tried looking up so many random topics before that to try to find the coordinates but it apparently never crossed my mind to look under "Shipwreck". From there it was easy.

 

Also, I feel kind of proud for figuring out the fish problem but kind of stupid for not thinking of it sooner. It was a cool moment though because I was just sitting there staring at the trash can and randomly thought "I wonder what would happen if I hit the trash can and then ran away." I instantly had a feeling it was going to work because I remembered the music that is played when he comes out of the door is classic 'chase' music. Sure enough, I ran around the house, got the fish from the kitchen, showed it to the fisherman for the rod, rod for the map, then dog to sniff out the map in the map pile. I think this game definitely has good design because most of the puzzles, like this one, end up following a very logical sequence and end up making you feel both smart and stupid at the same time (which I think is a good thing).

 

Now I just need to solve the light beam drinking game puzzle. I had an idea today that maybe I can mix my drinks in the governor Phatt wash basin thingy. I remember one of the in-game books saying something about the dude making grog in a bathtub or something so maybe I need to mix my drink in the wash basin. It's a longshot but I'm getting desperate. I've even tried mixing Green, Red, Orange, Green (G.R.O.G.) which of course didn't work. Ugh.

 

I have also realized that these puzzles seem to all be independent of each other and can be tackled in any order. I had originally thought that items from one map piece puzzle would have been applied towards one of the other puzzles but most of the items seem to have a one-time use within the game. So I guess me thinking that the puzzles needed to be solved in a certain order was incorrect.

 

I also looked and I'm at 19 hours in this game so all in all it feels like I'm going pretty slow (which I don't mind at all, this game rocks).

[Udvarnoky]

I'm quite envious of someone playing through Monkey Island 2 for the first time.

[Zeusthecat]

I'm quite envious of someone playing through Monkey Island 2 for the first time.

 

It does feel really weird posting about my progress when I'm pretty sure 95% of people here have played through this before.

 

Speaking of progress, I have pretty much hit a wall. I just cannot figure out the drinking game puzzle and I spent several more hours this weekend. At this point I'm considering just going to every single area in the game and using every possible item with every interactive object until I've exhausted all possibilities. I'm worried though that that would be a waste of time and I am just not seeing some "outside the box" solution to the puzzle. 

 

Last night I tried a few more things.

I noticed that the saw is a "well polished" old saw and that it is shiny and sharp when I "look at" it. I figured that was an odd thing to call attention to and that maybe the saw is used to reflect the light beam a second time. Unfortunately I tried using the saw with everything in the house and everything in my inventory and had no luck.

I also started thinking about the music that plays when you enter the house. For me it evokes the same kind of feeling as when I hear music from a carousel. That made me think that maybe I just need to have the guy bring me out a new glass many times in a row and he would eventually just give up. I was even more encouraged by this thought when I noticed that his response and Guybrush's lines of dialog can be slightly different each round. But dammit, I tried about 10 times in a row with leaving an empty mug on the table and about another 10 times with one of the colored drinks in the mug. I even rotated through every possible color and of course had no luck.

 

I guess I still have some motivation left in me because I haven't gone back and clicked any of those spoiler tags yet. I'm thinking of taking a break from this for a little bit to let this run in the back of my head while I move on to some other games. I also have considered writing down a list of every object that I have and making another list of every environmental object in the game and just poring over it to see if there is a good match between anything that I haven't noticed. 

[Zeusthecat]

Einhorn, Finkle, Finkle, Einhorn.

 

Einhorn, Finkle, Einhorn, Finkle.

 

FUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK!!!! Why can't I see it ARGAAHAAGH!!!

[Ucantalas]

Einhorn, Finkle, Finkle, Einhorn.

 

Einhorn, Finkle, Einhorn, Finkle.

 

FUUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK!!!! Why can't I see it ARGAAHAAGH!!!

Jekyll jekyll hyde

Jekyll hyde hyde jekyll

Jekyll jekyll hyde jekyll hyde

[Zeusthecat]

Jekyll jekyll hyde

Jekyll hyde hyde jekyll

Jekyll jekyll hyde jekyll hyde

 

I am so pathetic. I watched that whole thing very intently thinking there might be some kind of clue (I'm still not convinced there isn't one in there somewhere). This puzzle has ruined me.

 

At one point I even thought Use Clean White Napkin with Rum Bottles, Use Light Beam to ignite Molotov Cocktail and burn his fucking cottage to the ground. I was sad when that didn't work.

 

My main focus is on the shiny saw and the clean white napkin right now (but I'm at work so can't try anything till later). I am suspicious of attention being called to the fact that the napkin is clean and white and that the saw is shiny.