#16's pathologic replays

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Replaying Pathologic Classic before I play Pathologic 3: Quarantine

Part 2: The Haruspex

Artemy's got this really funny habit of being both incredibly stubborn and weirdly suggestible

Like he'll obviously take offense at something like Bad Grief calling him Ripper, then refer to himself that way. Or be super offended when Daniil just casually asks him to kill one of his fellows in the Kin for their heart, but do it anyway

Very set in his goals, but perfectly fine being led around while he follows them - which weirdly gives the impression he gets lied to a lot less then Daniil. Like people don't always tell him things (Oyun + Aspity + Aglya), but less outright lying

2. On the one hand a W, bc this means if Daniil's theme is "desperately seeking truth, constantly deceived", then Artemy's is "indifferent about being deceived, getting truths"

On the other hand a total L, bc this is the attitude of a man who will jump into a massive hole and break his neck bc the guy he knows is lying to him told him to

2. If my Pathologic 2 kids are always trying to die of the plague, then my Pathologic 1 kids keep trying to get themselves killed starting turf wars with muggers

Notkin is such a problem child in any game

3. It actually comes up a LOT (I counted 3 times at least) and gets repeated into pathologic 2 that Artemy knew and remembers Maria from when they were children - and this is a big part of the reason he distrusts and dislikes the Kains

This seems to imply Isidor and Simon have been very close for a while, but unlike his dad Artemy doesn't seem to like any of the Kains - notably he doesnt' seem to give shit Simon's dead

This is like almost weirdly emphasized, I think Rubin's and Bid Vlad are the only other people Artemy mentions remembering AND they kept it in Pathologic 2

He'll still run quests for her though, lol, see 1.

4. I wish Pathologic 2 hadn't disincentivized organ collection so hard, nothing beats running around with 43 livers in my pocket

yes really, i have some many herbs too bad they aren't as useful here

5. Artemy's pretty metaphorical and flowery in his writing but most of his spoken responses are very short and terse (excepting his introduction to Daniil last route), especially for this game

It actually reminds me, he seems much more formal and metaphorical when he's keeping the Steppe language or around the Kin in Pathologic 2 - I wonder if he's terse because he's aware he's automatically seen as a dumb savage by most non-Kin characters?

He'll even make a similar joke to Daniil that he did to Yulia at the end of Pathologic 2, where he'll pretend not to understand the big words they used

No idea if this is the same in Russian

6. lol, Artemy shading Vlad Jr.s notes on the Kin

Also i keep getting lost in that stupid well

7. I feel like something not really talked about is that Artemy also really likes Aglya back, and a big part of that is that she's really the only adult, non-Kin character in the game that takes their beliefs seriously and gives a damn about how horrific it was to lock them in the Termitary like that

Like you can almost see his affection for her triple when she first talks about how 'all myths are true' and the importance of understanding a place's problems with local wisdom

Also there is a funny parallel with Daniil, in that Aglya and he both really hate the town, really hate the Powers that Be, and are both implied to be majorly screwed if Artemy ends up solving the Plague instead of them -with Day 7 also being the day Artemy basically stops helping Daniil (bc he throws his lot in with the polyhedron) and starts helping Aglya (who after their first conversation does express a desire to save the town)

8. ohh, it is really obvious given how Daniil is struggling in this route how hard he latches onto someone that actually, genuinely wants to help. Like I talked about it in his route post, but he really started this game at the end of his rope, no wonder he's noted to be very attached to Artemy this route

Also Daniil's dramatic-ass on day 7 "well we're both dead, at the very least I'm glad we didn't live long enough to become enemies 😔"

Seriously, Eva or Artemy or someone needs to give this guy a hug

Actually, this is another reason Day 7 sucks for Daniil, he either loses Eva's support or he starts to lose Artemy's trust

That being said, as his desperation ramps up towards the end Daniil's attachment becomes really, really obvious. I would say at the end of this route, he's not trying to win so much as desperately convince Artemy to switch to his side

9. Love that Clara and Dankovsky are both sending angry letters like "The Inquisitor has DECEIVED You!!!" and this barely seems to register to Artemy, I don't think reading those even opened a new dialogue prompt with Aglya

Though funnily enough, Artemy does get a dialogue option a little bit later about how he feels Daniil is trying to trick him into thinking it is Simon's soul that is the udurgh, and he sounds more than a little hurt by it

10. Finally, it is interesting how even though this route is technically 'harder' and has the player killing more civilians - it still manages to engender a more loving attitude towards the Town.

It is hard to describe, but it felt more like Artemy was working with the Town, his fellow healers, and the Inquisitor to fix things rather than having to struggle against them

[tkmedia]

Forget the past, England want to make history against Germany

10:00 AM ETContained within a video montage shown to the England squad on their first day at St George's Park this summer was the moment that defined manager Gareth Southgate's playing career. His decisive penalty miss against Germany in the semifinals of Euro '96 gave the centre-back an unwanted place in the catalogue of disappointment that has stretched back 55 years since England won their only major international trophy, the 1966 World Cup.Southgate has meticulously attempted to redefine the national team's relationship with its past, deconstructing his personal experience by underlining why penalty shootouts are something to be prepared for rather than pathologically feared.But one of Southgate's biggest challenges during his time in charge has been to instigate a mental shift from the burden of the weight of history to creating their own in a high-pressure environment.2 RelatedSouthgate took over from Sam Allardyce (who was in charge for one game) after Roy Hodgson's England were knocked out of Euro 2016 by minnows Iceland at the round-of-16 stage, with Tuesday marking a five-year journey to the same point. The occasion takes place against a backdrop of countrywide Euro '96 nostalgia, which has taken on greater prominence since it was confirmed Germany would be England's opponents (noon ET; stream LIVE on ESPN/ESPN+).In many ways, contests against Germany down the years encapsulate the eternal struggle in the English sporting consciousness, with the joy and lasting hope created by winning the 1966 final balanced against tournament exits in 1970, 1990, 1996 and 2010.Germany certainly revelled in the moment 25 years ago, appropriating England's "Three Lions" anthem by singing "Football's coming home" on the balcony of Frankfurt's Civic Centre when celebrating with the trophy. The song reached No. 16 in the German charts that summer and could be heard ringing out in Berlin as recently as 2014, when around half a million fans celebrated as Germany paraded the World Cup.- Euro 2020 on ESPN: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only) - European Soccer Pick 'Em: Compete to win $10,000 - Euro 2020 bracket and fixture scheduleHowever, the general perception is that Germany view this sporting rivalry differently. England's lack of pedigree in the latter stages of tournaments -- they have won just one knockout match in the Euros, compared with Germany's 11 -- means the four-time world champions winners place greater importance on those in closer proximity, such as Netherlands, France and Italy.And while the English public has spent the week stirring up images of Southgate's miss, Sir Geoff Hurst's 1966 hat trick and Frank Lampard's "ghost goal" of 2010, the squad have appeared somewhat bemused by the entire conversation.Southgate has placed great stock in reconnecting with the fan base after acrimony created by past underachievement, but this is one instance where he will be more than happy that his players are seemingly able to emotionally disengage from the noise around them.play1:19Marcus Rashford says that Jadon Sancho's experience in Germany will help England on Tuesday at Wembley.Dominic Calvert-Lewin put it bluntly, when asked by a reporter approaching 50 years old, how he perceived the dynamics of England vs. Germany. "It's not as personal as perhaps someone of your age," said the Everton striker with a smile. He isn't wrong: Eleven players in England's 26-man squad were not alive during Euro '96.Many of this group have cited memories of Lampard's strike in 2010, though. England were 2-1 down in their round-of-16 match in South Africa when the Chelsea midfielder's shot hit the crossbar and bounced down over the line, only for the officials to wave play on. With FIFA resisting the implementation of goal-line technology, England were left with a sense of injustice as the match slipped away, eventually losing 4-1.For today's England players, it was merely an isolated incident, rather than the latest entry in a long-running German grievance, but Southgate & Co. can learn from their worst performance at Euro 2020, which was against another team where the intensity of the rivalry was supposedly confined to the stands.Scotland came to Wembley and deserved a 0-0 draw, with England seemingly inhibited by their tactics or the event itself. Since then, Southgate has publicly claimed that the "unique occasion" may have been a factor; if so, there is an element of uncertainty how the second-youngest squad at these finals will handle a similar environment of booing anthems and disparaging songs.Yet hostility from the assembled 45,000 -- twice the number present against Scotland -- will be weighted heavily in England's favour and it is undeniably an advantage to play in their home stadium for the fourth consecutive game, one that some in Germany believe has been exacerbated by UEFA's decision not to allow Joachim Low's side to train at Wembley before the game.The governing body insists this is down to the amount of rain expected in London in the 36 hours before kickoff, but it counts as another small win given England have two exact replicas of the playing surface at St George's Park.Conditions look inviting for England, then, down to the chaotic feel of Germany's qualification from undoubtedly the toughest group: losing to France, hammering Portugal and scraping a draw against Hungary. The structure Southgate has instilled in England looks serene by comparison, even if it has come at the expense of some attacking intent. It should therefore come down to a question of whether England can truly inhabit the moment. Germany have a habit of peaking when the serious stuff starts; England, categorically, do not.The FA has sought to address in recent years by arranging high-profile friendlies. Since Southgate took charge in October 2016, England have played exhibition games against Spain, Germany (twice), France, Brazil and Netherlands, with one won (1-0 vs. Netherlands in March 2018.)There was further progress in the inaugural UEFA Nations League, defeating Spain away from home and beating Croatia at Wembley, with the ultimate aim being that England acclimatise themselves to the toughest challenges so the gap does not feel as big when tournament football comes around.Marcus Rashford, who scored in that Nations League victory in Spain, believes the approach has reaped dividends and was perhaps a key factor in England reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals."I think it has helped massively," the Manchester United striker told ESPN. "I remember a few years ago, we were performing well but we weren't getting results against the big teams."It was something that we had to concentrate on and try and change. In recent times, we've got that a bit more, we've got better results and played better against them. It is the fact that we've been exposed to these games which is probably why we feel calmer going into this game and ready for the game. Germany are obviously a top team with top players but we are not going to let that hold us back in any way. We are just going to go and try to win the game; try and be positive."play0:50Gab Marcotti feels Gareth Southgate may lose his job if England are knocked out of Euro 2020 by Germany.Both sides have key decisions to make. Low is facing calls to replace Ilkay Gundogan with Leon Goretzka in midfield after his match-saving contribution against Hungary, while Leroy Sane's place on the wing is under threat from Thomas Muller as he continues to recover from a knee injury.Germany are likely to retain their 3-4-2-1 shape, posing the conundrum for Southgate whether he switches from 4-2-3-1 and matches up with something similar -- as England did in many of those preparatory friendlies -- to give greater control in midfield.Phil Foden is pushing for a recall alongside Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, but forwards Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka performed well against Czech Republic, as did centre-back Harry Maguire on his return to the team following an ankle injury.Whatever he plumps for, Southgate says he gives his players the same message before every game.Writing on The Players' Tribune, Southgate said: "The reason that I repeat it is because I really believe it with all my heart. I tell them that when you go out there, in this shirt, you have the opportunity to produce moments that people will remember forever. You are a part of an experience that lasts in the collective consciousness of our country."He knows that better than most. Read the full article

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Replaying Pathologic 2 before I play Pathologic 3: Quarantine

Nice

I'd played it on a lower difficulty the first time, mostly bc I suck at combat

I didn't have too much difficulty with food/thirst/infection this time around even keeping all the Bound alive and saving babies, but god the combat

Like 5/7 of my deaths were the Worms in the Abattoir. Though got to say, I did really appreciate the Living Blood more given that I had to bleed for it.

2. Things 2 does that I like better than Classic

The Combat - I know it just complained it was harder, but once you've played a bit the combat in 1 is just too easy. I didn't even have to save scum to kill the Foreman

Infection/Immunity - Mechanically, just greatly improved. Not only in that I often felt immunity didn't do shit when I was playing 1, but also in that it adds to the story/characterization for the Haruspex to be far better at surviving the play with his medical knowledge coming partially from the Earth

Difficulty settings - From an accessibility and just a spirit of fun, I think all games should have these. Even if "Pathologic is supposed to be hard" is the point, what a 'hard' game is varies between people. I only believe in the 'git gud' philosophy of gamine for fishing minigames

A lot of character stuff - The moving portraits are gorgeous and expressive, and the characters in general feel so much more alive and fleshed out. I makes it so much easier to have a strong emotional reaction as the player, whether that is a 'good reaction' ( i would die for u, Murky💕) or a 'bad one' (sending Big Vlad to the pit😎)

The Herb Brides and the Abattoir and even the Worms are in general all so much more developed as concepts. The Abattoir specifically is gorgeous and awe-inspiring rather just a big cave. I had chills the first time I played that section

3. Things 2 does that I like less than Classic

I miss the first game's writing style. I do understand why they had to tone it down if they wanted you to really connect with the characters, but still...

I don't dislike P2 Aglaya , but she just isn't on the level of P1 Aglaya who came to town doomed but seething with betrayed spite wanting to at least take down her in-laws, accidentally seduced/got seduced by one protagonist, developed a will to live which she expresses by cucking the other protagonist out of his "Unlikely Ally, Maybe More ❤️?" role and shoving off her "Doomed Love Interest" fate onto bc she's meta aware

Really, really downplayed the Ripper aspect of Artmey's character - the games incentivizes being a goody two-shoes doc hard, and deincentivizes too much organ harvesting :(. Well, at least Artmey continues to have lots of lines where I genuinely can't tell if he's trying to be funny, trying to flirt, or threatening someone's life -at least we still have that

4. This rolls back to 2, but god the emotional core of this game hits hard.

You could let everyone die and still "win", you could leave that baby to cry the reward isn't that good, you could just care about yourself - but you won't because for Artemy the game is about love

And there are so many moments where that love just hurts - Notkin being infected and begging you to protect his friends, Murky saying she's always loved you, the children in the Tower where Artmey can't follow saying they send their love, cutting Nara while she promises this is all okay, the Earth's heart after all the pain and blood it took to craft saying it loves you, Sticky infected and saying to save the others first, that you can end both plays saying you chose to end as Artemy - as someone who loves and is loved

5. Death is my friend

One one hand, like in the sense that the Dead Item Shop is so, so useful.

But like theme wise, death is your fellow traveler, it is something inevitable and accepted, it does not have to be "Defeated" just temporarily overcome while you still need to keep living

Mark Immortell will even comment at the end that he didn't like Artemy's play because he wasn't afraid of death

6. "Hey, they bring up adults hitting their children a lot in this game where one of the big themes is trying to understand why your parent did something" -> killing Isidor Burakh was the one valid thing Oyun's ever done

No like really, a lot a lot. Sometimes it's serious like the Fellow Traveler's dialogue at the Dead Item Shop, sometimes it is silly like Artemy jokingly asking if Lara's going to cane him during the School House dream segment, sometimes it is oft hand like while he's grousing that Maria's father should curb her behavior

Which ties back into the constant talk that Isidor (one of the town's collective "father figures") wasn't afraid to break a bone if it set wrong, unafraid to use violence to fix something that wasn't 'right' - and then his violence of releasing the Plague onto his metaphorical child, the Town

Like you can choose to say that he never hit Artemy as the player, but that guy definitely hit his kids

7. The diagnostic + treatment mechanic is cool as fuck

And while it is very video-gamey, it does correlate amazingly well with the actual practice of medicine - that you have to treat pain while balancing out that pain is often your leading diagnostic clue, that you can't just say 'antibiotic' you have to know What/Where you are treating

Also just that to understand or cure means that you have to hurt/cut the human body. Like yeah doctor's aren't typically taking infected kidneys to brew antibiotics, but they do order painful biopsies to cure cancer, take living organs for transplants, etc.

i feel like someone on the dev team worked in medicine at some point

8. Actually, I like the endings. I think they fit perfectly into the Haurspex's famous, "Any choice is right as long as it is willed."

I will die on the 'they are both equally good, equally painful endings" hill

Either choice is about love, about choosing to live. Either choice requires you to take that step - forward or backwards - by killing.

9. The Albino creature thingy is so cute, the bulls are so cute, Murky's ugly little doll is cute!!!!

This doesn't have anything to do with anything, I just think they should fund Pathologic 3 with bull and creature plushies. This is bad idea, but it would make me personally very happy.