• Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:

    1. The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
    2. Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration

    Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.

Outer Wilds [SPOILERS] - Flung Into Space Repeatedly w/ A Couple of Wooden Sticks

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
I just started playing this game! IIRC people said this game was like Subnautica in space but with a time loop. And all of those things that I am interested in playing with.

But, like it took me over a year to get around to playing it. My bad. But, so far I am loving it! The cottagecore-in-space aesthetic, the mystery of the ancient race. The spooky statute. I'm going to be talking about what I find in this game and won't be spoilering it. That is why I put the tag in the title! You've been warned. Twice now!

What I do not like is the controls. I am very, very bad at them. There are a number of times where I've flung my little ship into the sun or myself into the void. Or thought I was just barely boosting myself only to slam and crush my body back on the planet. Interacting with the gravitational effects is not fun, so far. I'm hoping that I either get better at it or that I get some tools to mitigate my deficiencies.

My first stop was the Moon. I did some reading there and found out about another portal thing, I spoke to the guy on the moon. Then the sun blew up. That's what happened, right? And then reset! Cool. Next trip, I went to the Giant Green Planet located a landing spot. Went down into it. And then after exploring for a few seconds all the water on the planet seemed to flip around and flung me around and I died.

Third incarnation - Head to the Ash Twin. Thought I noticed their moon, tried to fly to it. The moon seemed to disappear and then as I tried to fly back to the twins I crashed in the sun using autopilot.

Fourth incarnation - Back to Ash Twin found something on the North and South Poles. Realized that the dirt on the planet gets sucked to either one pole or the next, revealing the different structures that are located there based on where the Fiery Twin is. I was able to do a little bit of exploring until I got sucked into the pillar of dirt connecting the two planets and then died.

Fifth incarnation - Ash Twin again. Found some more stuff. A scroll, a died astronaut, began running out of oxygen and then when I tried to go back to my ship I realized it had got sucked up and over to the fiery twin. Asphyxiated.

I've got quite a few rumors to work off of now. Thinking I might try and locate the harmonica on the home planetoid. Or at least locate all the Camps on the other planets and meet the other astronauts. After that I might try doing some more risky or off the wall things.

I haven't used the scouts much. The pictures they take are so blurry I dont know if they're going to be that useful. I think I understand how the microphone scope works.

Anyway, I'm excited to be exploring this game finally!
 

jpfriction

(He, Him)
I dip in and out of this game every couple of weeks. I like it but seems like there are some finicky platforming sequences and a fair amount of waiting around for stuff to happen. Doesn’t seem like you can unlock shortcuts to get into places after you figure it out the first time, like the launch codes, which is a bummer.
 

JBear

Internet's foremost Bertolli cosplayer
(He/Him)
Outer Wilds is a GOAT.

It's remarkable how differently you're playing it from me, False. I would just pick a planet and then explore it thoroughly before heading anywhere else. I was over 20 hours into the game before I first set foot on The Attlerock (aka "The Moon", or Timber Hearth's moon).
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
It doesn't seem like there is much on the Moon really.

The next and last few sessions I played I spent all my time on Timber Hearth. I found a big giant ugly looking seed that I was able to shoot a scout into and it went somewhere... I also noticed that the Harmonica sounds, that the guy on the moon identified as Feldspar (an early astronaut) seems to be coming from the seed. I tried to hop in it a couple times but was unable to.

I also went into the very large geyser and located a Mining Site of some sort, it seems the ancient astronauts needed the ore on this planet for something they're doing on Fiery Twin. They also seemed to have found the ancient ancestor of the Timberians, and left a little picture. There was some sort of energy tube here, but it wouldn't let me step into it. I also located some sort of receiver device here there were two pads and a stone I could take to either of them and when I placed it on them the screen goes black and there are just these five stylized alien heads. Nothing happens though. So, I'll have to come back to that.

There's also a grove where there's more of that quantum rock that bounces around. I realized that you can hone in on it with the microphone if you switch frequencies. Don't know how useful that will be.

I think that is almost everything on the home planet, so I think I'll try heading out to the Twins again. This time though to the fiery one. There's that core thing there and I think I should be able to explore more of it at the beginning of the cycle. That way Im not wasting time on Ash waiting for it to empty out.

Im I going to get any additional tools? Do the two I have make more sense at some point? They dont seem that useful right now...
 

JBear

Internet's foremost Bertolli cosplayer
(He/Him)
Am I going to get any additional tools? Do the two I have make more sense at some point? They dont seem that useful right now...
Presuming that these questions were not rhetorical (if it were me, they would be, but most folks are not me):

One of many cool things about this game is that it never expands your abilities, it just expands your knowledge. You wont get new tools, but you'll figure out new ways to leverage what is currently at your disposal.
 

Ludendorkk

(he/him)
This is an incredible game but I fell off when I figured out the game wanted me to do a goddamn stealth sequence with the spaceship on Dark Bramble. I decided I didn't want to end up hating the game so FUCK. THAT.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
Jbear, I might read spoilered stuff eventually in here. But right now I'm just thinking out loud.
 
I don't want to spoil your experience, but there are two mechanical things that might make your play more comfortable if you don't already know them.
1. Camera angles on your space ship. The controls are a bit different between the different views and some people absolutely swear that one view or the other is playable/unplayable. So fool around and find what works, you'll want to be comfortable with flying and landing in a space exploration game :)
2. Your signal detector will bookmark individual frequencies if you get close enough to their source (while pointing at them). This is occasionally really convenient to have and not onerous to do. I think this is actually mentioned in the tutorial, but I watched Extra Credits' Dan go 70% of the game without doing it.

Figuring stuff out is the fun part, so if this is old news so much the better.
 

zonetrope

(he/him)
Don't be afraid to look stuff up, too. The game is really good about dispensing info and lore in general, but there are definitely some locations I wouldn't have found and connections I wouldn't have made purely on my own.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
Fiery Twin Report - (two runs) I made it there pretty quick so I had a bit of time! The first thing I found was a tunnel into the planet. Did quite a bit of wandering around, it is very mazelike. I thought I was following the directions spread everywhere but I was unable to find this 'core' that other texts have mentioned. I did find a window that shows an Anglerfish skeleton. I haven't figured out how to get there but I've only done the one run there. I I also found Chert but all he talked about was how all the stars were dying and everything was going to go supernova. I think I need to come to this planet again and try and make a bee line for Chert or for the Core Lab. Maybe some more time will let me get to it or maybe Chert will have something else to say if I talk to him earlier?

Giant's Deep - (two runs) I decided to give this one another shot as well. I found Gabbro. He knows about the Time Loop! He also told me about the island he found a statue on (I have't found that one yet...) He also mentioned something in the atmosphere shooting something at the beginning of the loop. (I managed to land on part of this thing in my second run on Giant's Deep but I didn't find anything there. Just looks like alien stylized buildings.) I also made it to the island that just seems to be part of the Bramble (like on Hearth) there was a recording from Feldspar there that hints at how to get into the core of the planet, but it didn't make much sense to me.

I also went back to the building I originally went to and found more information there. Including a hint that there is a model on Brittle Hollow that could explain how to get to the core of Giant's Deep. Also found texts about the orbital cannon, it muse have been built at this location and then raised into orbit. It also seems that it is overpowered and that is why it is breaking? At least that is what the texts seem to be hinting at? I walked upside down on some walls. Used another one of those transporters like I found on Hearth, using them this time does show something else. So, it might not be broken. When I try to walk into the other area though it fades back to where I was. I'm wondering if this is like a hologram of different place? That would mean that the one I found on Hearth that is pitchblack might be in an area with no light?

I think I need to go back to the Twins and spend a lot more time there. Especially try to find the core and get to the angler fish skeleton. Once I think I have all of that I'll come back to Giant Deep and find the Statue Island.
 

MrBlarney

(he / him)
I spent a few weeks absolutely enamored with the game earlier in the summer, but it's such a hard game to talk about since it is completely about discovery, learning, and exploration. Learning anything about the world outside of the game takes away a lot about what it means to actually play the game. So I would suggest holding off as much as possible to look things up outside of the game in order to preserve that message. I will admit that I got stuck in the very final parts of the game and needed out-of-game assistance, but by that point it was only a few loose ends to tie up and I feel satisfied with my experience.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
I do not plan on looking for things right now. If I do I will do so here first. Probably for vague hints that might point me in the right direction. Before, I did anything like looking up a FAQ or Wiki.
 

Destil

DestilG
(he/him)
Staff member
I’m going to ask a question on something I think Should work, but god damn if I can make sense of how to actually do it, in game,

How the hell do you use the jellyfish to get into the center of Giant’s Deep? I bet I’ve wasted 5 loops trying various things...
 

JBear

Internet's foremost Bertolli cosplayer
(He/Him)
Generally, to the matter of looking stuff up, I'll just say that I never did and found the experience richer for it, but I'm also much more spoiler averse than your average person.

I’m going to ask a question on something I think Should work, but god damn if I can make sense of how to actually do it, in game,
First, note that the game does eventually explicitly spell out what to do for you, if you'd prefer to find out that way. IIRC, you'll want to poke around Dark Bramble to find that explanation. However, if you just want an explicit spoiler answer to your question:
Just enter one from directly underneath and then chill inside while it does the rest. It'll carry you below the barrier.

I was inordinately pleased with myself for figuring this one out before the game spelled it out for me.
 

zonetrope

(he/him)
Generally, to the matter of looking stuff up, I'll just say that I never did and found the experience richer for it, but I'm also much more spoiler averse than your average person.

I mostly mean the final loop, which I personally would not have figured out on my own. For the most part this is very much a game that rewards finding things yourself.
 

karzac

(he/him)
I’m going to ask a question on something I think Should work, but god damn if I can make sense of how to actually do it, in game,

How the hell do you use the jellyfish to get into the center of Giant’s Deep? I bet I’ve wasted 5 loops trying various things...

For what it's worth, this is one of the things I looked up for myself.

I dip in and out of this game every couple of weeks. I like it but seems like there are some finicky platforming sequences and a fair amount of waiting around for stuff to happen. Doesn’t seem like you can unlock shortcuts to get into places after you figure it out the first time, like the launch codes, which is a bummer.

There actually are a number of shortcuts in the game to get to locations faster, but their more the Dark Souls-style level design sort, rather than the "remembering the launch codes" sort. Figuring some of them out is extremely helpful for some of the trickier bits of execution.

Regarding the controls: I understand why they frustrate some people, and there were definitely some platforming bits that I struggled with, but honestly I found it a joy to just move around in this game. Flying around with complete 3d control was really fun. It was super satisfying to pull off tough maneuvers, and usually pretty funny when I fucked up.
 

jpfriction

(He, Him)
There actually are a number of shortcuts in the game to get to locations faster, but their more the Dark Souls-style level design sort, rather than the "remembering the launch codes" sort. Figuring some of them out is extremely helpful for some of the trickier bits of execution.

I’m assuming you mean more of a “ledge that you think just falls to a pit but is actually a shortcut” rather than “one-way door you open and it stays open after you die”.
 

Destil

DestilG
(he/him)
Staff member
First, note that the game does eventually explicitly spell out what to do for you, if you'd prefer to find out that way.
Well, I would say it does not as I’ve found that and spent multiple loops trying that it it’s never worked. But I guess I can try again.
 

karzac

(he/him)
I’m assuming you mean more of a “ledge that you think just falls to a pit but is actually a shortcut” rather than “one-way door you open and it stays open after you die”.

Yes, basically.

You also just become more familiar with the environments as you play and are able to traverse them more efficiently.
 

JBear

Internet's foremost Bertolli cosplayer
(He/Him)
I’m assuming you mean more of a “ledge that you think just falls to a pit but is actually a shortcut” rather than “one-way door you open and it stays open after you die”.
There are a lot of back doors you leave out of that aren't readily visible until you know where to look.

Well, I would say it does not as I’ve found that and spent multiple loops trying that it it’s never worked. But I guess I can try again.
You took the portal from Dark Bramble to Giant's Deep and climbed inside the jellyfish corpse to find the note inside the corpse held there with a pickaxe? I mean, I'm not sure what they could do to make it clearer. You literally have to do the thing that it wants you to do in order to find the note, but even without, I just sort of looked at them and thought "I wonder if this will work?" and then it just... did. *shrug*

Can you maybe describe what's going wrong? Are you trying to do it with the ship or without? Maybe try whichever one of those you're not trying?
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
I just started playing this today. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing! Also, put me in the "controls are frustrating" camp.

While I understand the whole "explore everything and figure stuff out" vibe, it would be nice if the game limited you at least a little bit from the start. I feel like I have too many options and that's kinda paralyzing.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)
You can do it how Jbear does and that i exhuast a planet until you think you've found everything there is to do or how I do it and sort of just jump around and use the pinboard in the ship to follow up or look into things.
 

JBear

Internet's foremost Bertolli cosplayer
(He/Him)
I sort of like how it just takes off the leash and sets you loose in the playpen. For me, from literally the moment I blinked my eyes open for the first time, I was obsessed with figuring out everything there was to figure out about what you see in that first moment, and everything I did was driven by that obsession, which means I went Giant's Deep orbital cannon -> Giant's Deep -> things that led organically from there based on the story threads I found in those two locations.

ETA: I'm someone who hates open world games because of opportunity paralysis, but the possibility space here is just constrained enough that I never felt overwhelmed.
 

karzac

(he/him)
Same JBear. I'm hit or miss with open world games, but here the breadcrumb trail was perfectly calibrated for me
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
You can do it how Jbear does and that i exhuast a planet until you think you've found everything there is to do or how I do it and sort of just jump around and use the pinboard in the ship to follow up or look into things.

My gut instinct is to jump around and use the pinboard, but controlling the ship still feels pretty awkward so I feel more inclined to stay on one planet at a time. Then again, I've only had one play session so far. I'll see how the next one feels.
 

karzac

(he/him)
One very helpful tip if you're having trouble controlling the ship: the auto-pilot is very handy for travelling between planets, as long as you don't accidentally send yourself into the sun.
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
You know, it's not so much the traveling between part that's troublesome as it is the landing or taking off. I don't think I've had a landing yet that didn't break something on my ship (which I haven't bothered to repair after the first couple of times, because lol I'm gonna be dead before I come back anyway).
 
Top