Miasmata - Ye Olde Cartography, Falling Down Hills, Drowning, Getting Eaten by a Grue Simulator

[Tanukitsune]

I finally reached the end of the line from the last note which seems to lead to an ingredient for the cure. My main worry now is... just how big is this island? The region I uncovered on the map looks so tiny that I'm worried this island will be as big as Just Cause 2 or something ridiculous like that.

I really don't like that fever seems to be main ailment here, I fell from a cliff trying to reach a landmark and... got a fever... What?! As someone who has the flu and has just experienced a real fever this is just ludicrous.

[Lu]

As a survivor of the flu, sniffles and fever, I can confirm that it's silly to get a fever from falling off a cliff.

[brkl]

I figured you get feverish from the weirdo plague you have when you get physically hurt.

[Tanukitsune]

It's a bit of a stretch, but it's the symptoms that really seem silly, When you start blacking out and seeing fuzzy or double due to a fever, you are probably too sick to even walk. Hmm, this game seems to be more or a bad influenza sim that anything else if you think about how the character acts.

[Erkki]

I think I finally figured out what's wrong with the mapping & compass: nothing, just that the sun is in the north in this game so the island is in the southern hemisphere. That had me puzzled for a while, everything seemed wrong about the directions.

[Erkki]

No, wait, the sun is in the south. Now I'm even more confused. Also, is it just me or does the character keep forgetting things he has already researhed?

[Erkki]

At moments this game is infuriating. At first it didn't bother me but after a while the slipping, rolling down a hill and getting a fewer is getting annoying. Plus the beast -- at times it just leaves me alone for a long time, and then it finds me 5 times in a row near the same place, not letting me get to a specific plant for one of the enhancement potions. That bastard!

[Erkki]

Finished it. I must admit I cheated and looked up the location of the last piece of the cure that I was missing. That probably made me rush through the final areas more than I would have, but damn it was I sick of traipsing around those hills and rolling to my fever.

Once I had the cure I just basically swam to the boat landing, but I assume the creature doesn't show up any more?

This game had promise, but the execution was mediocre at best. I really liked the way movement was handled overall, but the rolling down the hill thing was getting annoying as shit. Especially if it was a high hill and it took half a minute. I'm not a grenade, dammit!

Wish there would have been more options for

dealing with the creature. There was only running plus hiding (which I didn't fully realize until I got the sneak enhancement thingie). Knives and axes lying around everywhere, also stones, yet they did nothing -- I wish it would have been possible to cause the creature to flee with a few successful hits.

[Tanukitsune]

I have a hunch that the beast is just protecting some ingredients, speaking of which. I'm guessing each ingredient is probably far away, so how would I even make the cure? Would I have to carry each flower which me at all times?

[Erkki]

I have a hunch that the beast is just protecting some ingredients, speaking of which. I'm guessing each ingredient is probably far away, so how would I even make the cure? Would I have to carry each flower which me at all times?

Didn't you read the tutorial? You can put the plants on those trays in the houses/tents. There's six slots there and they are magically made available everywhere those trays are. The six slots were plenty for me.

[Tanukitsune]

Yeah, I read the tutorial, but I didn't understand that they'd magically appear in every lab, I thought I'd have to trek back to which ever lab had them, that's a relief.

[Erkki]

I'd like to see a speedrun of Miasmata. Didn't find any on google, and probably not going to bother trying one myself. This is your chance to create the only Miasmata speedrun on the internet!

[brkl]

I don't know how you finished it so quickly. I've been enjoying finding my way around and doing cartography, mostly, although I have to admit I haven't played for a while since dealing with the monster isn't my favourite thing in the game. I'd love a safe version of the game. Honestly, night and terrain provide enough challenge to me.

BTW, the monster does spawn near areas of interest, especially important flora.

[Erkki]

I played a few very long sessions. 14 hours total.

[Tanukitsune]

I finally had some time to play this game again and I saw the monster.... Wow, it looks... more cute that scary? When I figured out it would only infect me with fever and then leave, I just let him.

I was getting frustrated because the path I needed didn't have landmarks until it hit me... Just follow the lake, you dummy! I finally reached the next outpost with a new flower to examine... and the game crashed the moment I examined it.

I'm not giving up, but if this keeps happening I will. :|

EDIT: I finally found

the bio-luminescent algae! During the day, because I just can't do anything at night.

But now I'm really stuck, it seemed like the game gave a map to next area with each new place found, but not this time... Now what do I do?

[brkl]

That's never happened to me, so it's probably rare. The monster will totally kill you though, perhaps not every time.

[Erkki]

I finally had some time to play this game again and I saw the monster.... Wow, it looks... more cute that scary? When I figured out it would only infect me with fever and then leave, I just let him.

It killed me several times. And I do mean quite several, perhaps tens (well, some of them might have been me falling to death). Maybe because I was throwing rocks or otherwise threatening it?

But now I'm really stuck, it seemed like the game gave a map to next area with each new place found, but not this time... Now what do I do?

Explore. Take some other paths leading away from the first few areas that are near the center of the map.

[Tanukitsune]

Wow, am I stupid, I don't I think understood the triangulation system until now. Today I found out that one you know where you are you can mark OTHER landmarks you haven't discovered and if you do it somewhere else, you triangulate it's position.

I got the position on a head on island and slowly followed the coast line until I reached a ten to a new area where I got a TON of items and now I have all the "powerup" items, but the character is still rather pathetic "QWOP"ing around and tumbling at the slightest misstep.

I really messed up at the end of this area, I had the final ingredient for the muscle treatment and went for a quest ingredient in the near swamp ruins, I dropped the ingredient in the swamp got the other got chased by the beast, picked some non-vital item and when I was final safe, I somehow lost the other vital ingredient and ended up way off course.

Is it me or do light a twig the moment you pick it up? Does it do anything? I thought the beast was impervious to anything?

I'm going to continue off the coastline and eventually I'll find a new tent and be on my way,

If the beast is more aggressive near the end, does it help to NOT make the cure until the end? I have ingredient for one part, but haven't done anything with them yet.

[brkl]

Wow, am I stupid, I don't I think understood the triangulation system until now. Today I found out that one you know where you are you can mark OTHER landmarks you haven't discovered and if you do it somewhere else, you triangulate it's position.

Climb a hill. Often you can climb next to the giant heads. Once you find your own position by finding two landmarks you know, you can draw lines to all the unknown landmarks you see. Later, when you're somewhere else, you can do the same thing and if you find the same unknown landmarks, drawing another line to it makes it a known landmark. Eventually mapping the island will seem less impossible as long as you can find vantage points.

If you throw a lit twig, the monster will look that way for a couple of seconds, allowing you to hide.

I know all this but I've played way less of this game than either of you.

[Tanukitsune]

I've reached the beginning area because there is a big unexplored area near it and... yep, it's definitely explain it's right the first time... How did I get anywhere without knowing this?

I don't know what I've done, but I haven't seen the beast in ages? Could it be because I'm hogging all the ingredients until I have everything?

And to prove how stupid I am, I didn't know you could hide from him until very recently, but like I said, I haven't seen him since... I guess if I see him again that means I'm close to the final ingredients? I wonder if he won't appear since I think I may have left the first ingredients for last? (Did I mention I'm stupid?)

[vimes]

These last few posts makes me want to play this game so much: terra incognita + cartography + dangerous faunae with pattern you cant quite get = perfect exploration simulation?

[Tanukitsune]

Mild spoiler about an awesome experience:

Wow, getting the final ingredient was a doozy, the beast appeared THREE TIMES IN A ROW. I had taken the clarity potion so I could make a mad dash from one ingredient to the next and then to Outpost Rigel. On my way the beast appeared and then again when I was close he appeared again and again until I right next to it. The beast didn't seem to be happy about it and in the end I had to hail tail to Outpost Rigel he attacked me when I thought I was hidden and my fever was very dire when I barely made it to the hut.... The character is still "QWOP-y" when cured.

I'm calling this plague "QWOP plague" due to how graceful it makes you. I still have to escape, but the island is so much fun to explore now!

[Tanukitsune]

Has anybody else found this strange statue? It's so out of place and it's NOT a landmark.

[Tanukitsune]

I just noticed that the outposts are named after stars used for navigation... Polaris, Rigel, Sirius... HA HA! Also, I bought a compass today because of the game... ¬_¬U

[Tundra]

Just had to point out Dr Sanchez and Dr Dagless probably are an easter egg to the leads in the British faux 1980s tv comedy show Garth Marenghis Darkplace that aired in 2005.

Set in a hospital all the doctors carry weapons and evil demons appear in each episode its hilarious. check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Wlj2DpfJnVg

recommend all episodes apart from the first.