If you haven't grabbed up this game, or pre-ordered it yet, and if you're an Indy fan, you might wanna rush out this weekend and pick it up. It's a pretty good game. Granted, the graphics are nowhere near those of Omega Stone, Arx Fatalis, etc., but it's a great adventure/action game. The controls are a little difficult to get use to compared to Infernal Machine and others, but all the same....it's definitely worth the $29.99

I'm wanting to know if there's anyone out there playing this game, and if they know of any PC cheats? Saving in this game is impossible on your own (which is extremely frustrating if you're having a difficult time getting past any particular area....if you die, you have to retrace your steps according to the "auto save" from your last spot). A patch for this would be great, allowing the gamer to save at least once during any particular level.

Any news out there?

Amen, Linda!

The save system stinks! I've managed to get to level 2 & I killed all the hunters once, but it's frustrating having to do it all over again if I quit the game.

I'm having a hard time getting anywhere in level 2. I swung over to the other side, but I can't get to the box. I can't make him walk or sneak around the corner, so he keeps falling off the ledge. Do you know how to make him walk? I'm getting irritated watching him run all over the place! I see that "left alt" is supposed to toggle run/walk,and "e" is supposed to make him hug the wall, but they don't work.

Other than that, I think it would be a great game.

Hope we can get some dialog going & see what everyone else thinks of the game.

Barb

Yes, well, sorta! lol

I've customized the controls on the keyboard (not using a gamepad or joystick) so that to enable him to walk, I use the ` key (above the TAB key). Hold that key down and he'll walk while you point him in the direction you want him to go.

I believe that the DEFAULT WALK key is the LEFT SHIFT key, but not sure. CHeck your OPTIONS/CONTROLS and scroll down the list. It's the last one...
WALL HUG is (by default) Q and X, I think. Check those, too.

Thanks, Linda, I'll try it. I thought I WAS using the left alt, X, and Z, but nothing seems to work. I reconfigured the keyboard so I could use the arrow keys for movement, but he just runs so fast that it's hard to make him go where I want him to!

How far have you gotten? I THINK I need to get to that box hanging by a rope at the opposite end of the hunter's camp. I'd sure like to finish this level, but I imagine it's just going to get worse!

Barb

Well, I'm still on Level 1, but I'm at the Idol of Kouru Matu (sp?)...I have to defeat a HUGE crocodile and then make my way across a broken bridge to the idol and the exit.... This is level 1I, I think. You can find a walkthrough at this location, if you're interested.
http://www.theindyexperience.com/etomb.shtml

Hi Linda
I'm trying to play without a WT. I guess I'm still on level 1, then. Hopefully it starts over at the "sublevels" so you don't have to play the whole level over.

Barb

Yes, as soon as you see a CUT SCENE, you'll know that you've auto saved.
I'm not using the walkthrough, but I found it and posted it on my Adventure Games Website for others. I only know the location (Level 1I) because I didn't hear what Indy said (about the Idol).....

Hi, Linda and Barb.

Glad to hear you're liking the game (over and over ). So far, the only PC cheat is a completely useless one (so far as gameplay in concerned) that unlocks an art gallery. Can't see how that will help the save situation.

I'm afraid that save issue will result in me waiting quite a while for the game. Idiotic decision by LucasArts.

Jack

Hi Jack,

Do you think they'll ever actually do it? I know several people who aren't going to buy the game because of that one glaring fault.

Still trying to figure out how to hug a wall,

Barb

Linda, You might want to tell gamers where to get the game for $29.99. I paid $39.99.
Gee, I'm glad to hear others are having trouble moving around with this game. Found the only way to walk (which I really need to do to learn how to operate everything) is to constantly hold down the toggle switch. Also, wish that the first person view did not require one to constantly hold down a key. I would like to have the choice of first or third person view.
Went back to Omega Stone and will try Indy again when I finish Omega.
I was wondering if the way this game is set up has anything to do with the fact that it is also an X Box game.
Will have to reconfigure the keys also. I, too, was thinking about changing the movement keys to the arrows. Please let me know if you solve that problem of Indy running too fast by using those keys for movement.

Good point, Joanie. I was under the impression the game carried the higher price tag, too.

Barb, I can't answer that question until I start to hear some mass feedback. Only (and I mean ONLY) if this game gets hammered for its save feature will LucasArts consider a fix. Otherwise, for the occasional people like those you know, the Indy name will still sell itself. Besides, I'm sure the greater concern is the console sales, so the PC version will be largely an afterthought (if it wasn't, they'd have made it "properly" in the first place! )

So my inclination is to say no, but I'm hoping!!

Jack

OK, Joanie, I'll let you know if I figure it out, & you tell me if you do! Using the arrow keys for movement makes it much easier for me, because that's what I'm used to. I can't make him walk even holding down the toggle switch. I could probably get through the game even with the awkward controls & the save problem, but if the controls don't work like they're supposed to, I'll have to hang it up!

Linda, did you get that alligator yet?

Barb

Actually, Barb, you can't kill the crocodile. It's a difficult part, that's for sure. When you reach the Idol of Kaoru Matu, move to the left of the screen, watch the crocodile until he goes behind the idol island (in the middle of the water), jump in and immediately swim to the left (there's an opening there) and again, get out of the water on the left. Go up, pull a lever and then jump in the water again (there's a glitch here, or at least in my game because the crocodile stays swirling in circles in the water and leaves me alone!) and move to the cages that lowered at the top of the surface of the water. Jump up on top of the first cage, and then over to the 2nd cage. From here you have to jump to a chain hanging from the ceiling and then jump to another chain before jumping to a ledge. I can't figure out to jump from one chain to another.

I have my controls set as follows (which I have to reset to default each time I swing from a vine or rope because he won't "swing" back and forth with the W or the S keys):
Forward = up arrow
Back = down arrow
Left = left arrow
Rigt = right arrow
Primary Attack = Left Ctrl key
Secondary Attack = Left Shift key
Draw/Put away weapons = Left Alt key
Action = Tab
Inventory = I (makes sense to me)
Inventory Previous U (left of the I key)
Inventory Next = O (right of the I key)
Inventory Close = K (below I key)
Guard Position = Right Shift Key (never use this one)

Those are most of the controls that I use, but like I mentioned.....whenever I swing on a vine, if I don't jump and grab a ledge or something before he stops swinging, I have to use the escape key and reset controls to default so I can swing with the W and S keys. A real pain in the rear.

I did find out, however, that using the ALT+F4 key is an EASY way to exit the game....since that, too, takes forever.

Just finished that whole rope swinging/crocodile section. If all the subsections (between saves) were like this, this game would have to get shelved until a patch; thankfully, they're not all like this. But for those of you struggling, here are a few things I've found useful for those of us without the reflexes of a 10 year old...

When you have to swing from one vine/chain to another, once you're on the first vine, wait for Indy to stop swinging. When you're stable, use the arrow key to have him climb up a bit. Not too much. It seems the higher you climb, the less you swing. But often you can obtain a better vantage point. Then use the A or D key (or the mouse) to turn Indy so he's facing the next vine dead on.

I have found the W and S keys in this key combination to work great for me to get onto the next vine. I hit W to start the swing forward, then hit S as Indy's butt is coming towards me, then hit W for that last momentum swing and the space bar to jump, making sure to hold onto that W key all the while, and he'll grab the next vine or chain. Experiment with this before you use that space bar. I always check to make sure he'll swing enough by using the W-S-W keys (without the space bar) to judge that he has enough momentum to reach the vine and that I'm pressing the keys at the right moment. If it doesn't look like he has enough momentum, I might go down the chain a bit; or if it looks like he won't reach the chain, I go up a bit. I experiment like this with each and every vine swing, and when I feel confident about it, give it a try for real with the space bar.

Note that I'm using the default keys and I don't remap any.

After doing this section more times than I want to count, I can now do the entire vine/crocodile section without error using this technique.

Oh, drats, I am having such a tough time with this game.
Playing with left thumb permanently stuck to the alt key to keep Indy walking and turning without madly running ahead. Having a continuing problem with his face being a gray blob of paint (yes, I have the game at 32 bit). Now, restarting for the 4th time because I quit before it saves anywhere, I have had part of the ceiling (or something) collapse when picking up the machette. At that point, all I can see is the debris that fell instead of Indy. Wherever I move to, its the debris that moves instead of Indy. Any ideas here?
All I want to do at this point is load up the Infernal Machine and fly free with Indy.

I understand your frustration completely! Trust me! I've asked Peggy to send her saved game just past the HUGE Crocodile and chain-jumping sequence because I get so frustrated I just hit the ALT + F4 key to exit the game!

Try going into your CONTROL PANEL and set your resolution to 16 Bit or 24 Bit.....THEN go into the game and see if that helps you.... Leave your game set at 32 bit..

Please post back if this works for you...

Joanie, what type of video card do you have?

I gotta say that I had to get used to Indy running all the time. Couldn't play the game with thumb permanently stuck to ALT key. The good news is you can get used to it, just take it in short bursts. I could do it, and I'm a spaz.

The movement is not great in the game. Sometimes you get Indy stuck in a corner or something and you don't see him, you just see the object in front of you or whatever. Whether to hit the "w" key for forward or the "s" key for backward is not very intuitive. Keep your mouse pointed in the direction you want to go and try all the keys (not all at once, one at a time) until you get Indy out of his stuck spot.

Make sure all computer resources are as free as you can make it before starting the game to see if you can get better resolution (Indy's gray face). Disable virus checkers, make sure your video card's antialiasing is disabled (if you have this), don't have any other programs running in the background. If your video card is suboptimal, you may not be able to get good clarity. And what resolution do you have the game set at...1024, 800x600, etc. Lowering that might help you. Oh, and in the game options, disable shadows, as well.

Omigosh! Thanks for all the quick advice.
First of all, thanks for the "move the mouse in the direction you want to go" tip. Still stuck in the Infernal Machine mode. Never occurred to me to also use the mouse. What a pain it has been trying to get Indy to go "straight". That has REALLY helped.
Did all the other suggestions and it is worse.
Changed to 16 bit in the control panel. Left it at 32 bit in the game.
Changed resolution to 800 X 600.
Disabled shadows.
I now get the "debris" look when I get close to anything like trees and such. It seems to go into 1st person view at that point.
My video card is 64MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce3 TI 200 graphics card with DVI. I don't know about the antialiasing thing.

O.K., went back to 1024 X 768 and 32 bit resolution in both control panel and game options. Put shadow back in. Now, the gray blob of paint on Indy's face is there at certain angles but, at least some of the time I can see his face.
When that "debris" field comes up I get the message:
Abort! An invalid floating point camera matrix was passed to the D3D.
Hope this means something to you all.

Joanie, your video card *is* supported by this game, so you should be good to go. I would keep everything at 32 bit (both the game and the control panel display. I would keep the resolution at 1024x768. I do believe antialiasing is off by default, but you should check it only because it seems Lucasarts mentions antialiasing often as screwing things up visually in this game.

So doublecheck that you have it turned off: Go to Control Panel. Open up DISPLAY. Go to SETTINGS. Go to ADVANCED. You should have a tab for GeForce3; click on that. Click on ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES. The first tab should be antialiasing properties. You should be *either* at "allow applications to control antialiasing" or in the radio button selections below that it should be "off." Either of those options are fine.

You might make sure you have the most current direct X driver (I believe there's one on the Indy disk).

If after doing all this, you still hate the way it looks (and my Indy's face looks like a generic Harrison Ford), you might think about updating your video driver.

But go ahead and up the resolution to 1024 now that I see your card can handle it; maybe that will improve things a bit.

Peggy, excellent advice on everything. I am taking notes for future reference....although my attempt to play this game would probably resemble nothing so much as a total clown show.

Marian, there's nothing like trying to play a game a 10 year old can whiz through before his Coca Cola loses its fizz...whereas I have to have a little lie down after outracing a crocodile because my heart is pounding so hard.

I'm still hoping for a save-anywhere patch. They did it with Aliens vs Predator and I think also Vampire the Masquerade. I play a game for fun and not for frustration. But I'll keep on with the game until I hit a real bad sequence. If it's any consolation, I do see that I've gotten better at rope swings after having to do them several times repeatedly to where it's become an art. Sometimes you can teach an old dog!

Ditto, Peggy!
I finally got past that dang crocodile and cage/swinging chain sequence, only to be captured by the Germans! Now that's a fine howdy do for ya!

I'm in Prague now, and trying to figure out how to whip past that huge and very, very deep cavern. Did you pass that? And all those blades and stuff, I'm dizzy from all the somersaults I had to do to run and get past those! Geez...

I'm sure, however, that with all the complaining and no doubt e-mails that LucasArts has and will be receiving from folks about complains for stupid control defaults and twitchy controls they'll put out a patch....hopefully for saved games, too.

Playing each sequence over and over makes me mad, and frustrates the you-know-what outta me. I usually get so frustrated and mad I just hit the Alt +F4 to get outta the game quick and take a breather....clean house, vacuum, dust, laundry, cook dinner...you know, the usual stuff you're supoose to enjoy doing! I slam pots and pans, curse out loud to myself, punish the cat (not really), and a few other things all the while thinking about the game and what I should try next!

Take care and if there's anybody out there who knows ANYTHING about an upcoming patch for ET for saved games or any other patch for this game, PLEASE post here! :-)

Greetings!

A few comments for all from my first few sections of this game:

1.) Barb, the "sneak" function where Indy creeps along a ledge seems a bit skittish, but I got it to work. First, make sure you put your whip away (you have just jumped across, so it could be still in your hand). Second, make sure Indy is walking straight into the wall with the gray strip along the bottom and then press the E key (or whatever you have mapped to the ACTION command). You'll know you got it when Indy flips around with his back to the wall. Then just use the RIGHT and LEFT keys to slink him along the ledge. He won't fall so you don't have to be skittish once he is in the "sneak" mode. Click E (ACTION) again to release him from the wall on the other side.

2.) Movement is indeed tough with the way they made the keys work. I have had success with this:
- Use the mouse to continuously have the point-of-view facing the direction you want to walk. Try it... the mouse movement will cause the view to slide LEFT and RIGHT (or UP and DOWN) and this way I keep Indy always facing the direction I want to go, so I only need to press the FORWARD button to move. I still use the WALK button (LEFT ALT) a lot when I am near a place where I can fall. And I use the C button (1st person view)a lot to aim him precisely before a jump.

3.) JoanieS, I haven't had a problem with the graphics going screwy (I'm at 32bit), but I have a pretty hi-end machine. Try 16bit sometime after it saves next.

I am a devotee of the Tomb Raider movement controls, and "The Infernal Machine" was OK. This engine will need some getting used to.

Keep in touch. I will help if I can!

Dadguy

I finally figured out how to hug the wall. But having to hold down a key while moving to make him walk is really awful. For me, anyway, because I can only use one hand. I'm having a ball with the game so far, even though it's extremely frustrating! I've made it to the 4th sublevel.

Good luck, everyone,
Barb