The Tunnel Discussion Thread [CAUTION: Spoilers!]

[BTGBullseye]

I loved it. I only wish there was an actual ending.

I suspect that a good way for it to end is to reference it in the next episode of CP... Make it sound like an extremely weird series of coincidences and oddities that got them into that position, and out of it again...

 

Excellent as-is even without an ending IMO.

[shaken_bacon]

Edit: Perhaps this should have been posted in the other thread. Sorry if this is the wrong spot.

 

I've only be a moderate fan of civil protection...until now that is...

 

I don't have enough good things to say about this episode. First and foremost, I thought this was the funniest piece Ross has done for both Civil Protection and Freeman's Mind. I know it wasn't supposed to be one of the funniest shows, but I laughed quite hard during many scenes. (Most near the start of course.)I just like “nerd” humor, such as radio signal speeds and such. I also was very impressed with the animation and have NO idea why Ross was worried. The animation is very near professional level, and I can only think of a few exceptions that I noticed. (The British guy pushing the boxes wasn't quite A+.)

 

As for the story, it kept me on the edge of my seat, I thought the visuals and the direction of the episode were done very well and once again it looked like a real movie or T.V. show. (Many people may not respect the thought and care that goes into direction, but I do.) This next point is completely random, but made me fall in love with the episode even more...During the exploration of the tunnel; many shots reminded me of the classic Resident Evil video games. It was just the way the camera angles were, the horror genre, etc. I couldn't help but have some sort of nostalgic feel, even though it has nothing to do with that gaming series.

 

The only thing that makes me really sad about this episode is that I doubt we'll see another Civil Protection for quite awhile OR at least one of such high quality. I don't know how you did it Ross, but that was very professional, and it was the best machinima/ fan media project for a game I've ever seen. I really wish you had 10 animators on staff, a level designer, a few voice actors, and a good budget. I know if you had some resources we'd have something really special here. It's just unfortunate that your been limited by resources as you obviously have a creative mind, and I'm sure you have plenty of fantastic ideas...Who knows maybe one day machinama will become so main stream that you'll have a T.V. show or at least a T.V. show budget.

 

I could go on and on about how awesome you and your videos are Ross, but it’s time for me to go to bed. (12 hour working days, and it’s 1am for me.) So on that note Ross, keep up the good work, and I wish you well on your future projects.

 

P.S. Sorry if there are any spelling errors and such, I'm half asleep typing this...

[Trar]

I enjoyed this episode. Ross did leave a few questions unanswered, but hey - not everything's perfect. I think i'll go watch it again.

[KoopaTroopa]

After a very thorough revision of this episode, watching it over and over again taking detailed notes and amplified screenshots in High Definition, with added investigation of the works referenced, I am safe to conclude that the explanation is aliens. Or demons. Or, quite possibly, the elusive alien demon.

[Doom Shepherd]

At first, The Tunnel left me scratching my head. Not necessarily a bad thing - I'm rarely puzzled, so it was a nice change.

 

It took another viewing before "Oh, DUH, this is a Lovecraft story!" to sink in. Then I was all

 

I look forward to some form of continuation. Don't handwave it!

[Crux]

It seems everyone's forgotten Cthulhu.

The second very clear Lovecraft reference (the one word that stood out to me in Dave's mumblings was clearly: Cthulhu).

I'm guessing Dave was saying this: Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.

Which translates to: In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.

I'll go into detail later.

Anyhow. The point is those things that get Mike whens he's cocooned, can't possibly have put the two of them up there (height issues). The stalker is also unlikely to have done it.

I don't think ghosts and their likes are involved.

 

My best guess: The thing with Cthulhu is that he's sleeping in the depth in the oceans, not in Bulgaria. He is however, the high priest of the Great Old Ones. I believe that this tunnel (the one behind the steel door) leads to a place deep underground where one of (Lovecraft's) Great Old Ones dwells. I think this offers a pausible explaination for the appearance of the wierd creatures and the disappearance of Dave, later Mike. Think about it, that is a pretty strong reason to abandon that tunnel, you know if half the workforce disappeares in a week. I reckon that the crazy dude fell victim to the evil that the Old Ones spread (I think of it as an aura or something like that, in which evil breeds ) or he actually found them and now serves them (horrible work hours and conditions - look at the guy no sleep, no clean clothes to wear).

 

Anyway, thats my interpretation. Thats how I'd like to think it fits together.

Great episode. This really takes CP to a new level, don't get me wrong I love all of the episodes, but this one stands out in so many ways not just from CP but from things beyond Machinima.

Peace

[Taste]

I really loved this video, and see it about four times complete. It is the second best video of Civil Protection in my opinion (I like more Aliens, since the humour there is priceless), and by far much better than any Freeman's Mind.

 

I think that Dave at the end is really speaking Bulgarian (Maybe mixed with some gibberish, but I think some Bulgarian must be there), and that they don't die. I see the hints on those two things at the start, the one being said directly (Dave knows Bulgarian) and the other with the car running over Dave... They start to compliment the body armor, and states that is REALLY good. Later, in the end, Mike keeps complaining during the credits about the monsters, but he didn't scream, or says that he is in pain. The most annoying things these creatures are doing to him is that "He can't even see". So, I think that he can survive this, thanks to his body armor, although I don't know how they can escape.

Another thing that says that they survived is the post from Ross Scott saying that this chapter really deserves a sequel. Since Civil Protection are these two characters only, if they didn't survive, a sequel couldn't be possible.

 

I really hopes that he can make a sequel for this, since the story seems really good to me.

[Bravetriforcer]

I must say that I loved this whole thing. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but that's the thing with making a horror story about "The Unknown". Nothing the maker can come up with can live up to whatever our sick minds imagine is going on in the pitch-black. But despite that, you really are good at this sort of thing. It's scary, but it's also light-hearted enough to prevent the nightmares from starting up again. Also, am I the only one who thought "Cthulu Dogs!" when the Whatever-Those-Ares showed up at the end? Either way, it's a nice little reference to Freeman's Mind if it was intentional, a Brick Joke even.

 

My favorite part is definitely near the end of Dave reading the British guy's journal. He's trying to get away from the Combine and everything, but ends up getting into a situation where the Combine would be preferable. Great work overall, and can't wait to see what your "Mind blowing" ideas turn out to be.

[zazzorik]

I'd like to point out that both Mike and the guy that wrote the journal mentioned that the place looked comfy or better than their current living space, possibly meaning that it makes you want to stay. Also, the tunnel, since it was unlit was likely sealed by that door for a good reason, as it was just dug out and had nothing in it (Aside from whatever was following Mike and Dave). That'd imply that the construction crew may have found the tunnels and sealed them before being killed (Hence the burnt body) or abandoning the whole place.

 

Edited, just adding that the guy from the journal also states that the tunnels are an attractive housing option and is full of food and seemingly perfect. It's possible that this is how whatever lives there feeds, by luring people in and killing them, before moving on to the next person.

[jclfjanet]

That dude FREAKED me out when I saw him, all creepy, smiling, evil and maniacal looking. KUDOS to Ross and the entire team who worked on this because it was truly, truly a scary and creepy story!

 

Anyhoo, here are MY opinion on how things went down:

 

>>I think the car was someone who had maybe stumbled onto the caves or the creepy guy and managed to escape, hence his haste and not stopping after hitting Dave. He was also honking pretty hectically, maybe trying to warn Mike and Dave that there was danger?

 

>> I think the canned goods and supplies are obviously, as mentioned by some other people here, a trap to lure unsuspecting victims for the creatures.

 

>> I also think that the creatures are maybe combine? Or from a combine world? Because a stalker (the skeleton thingy) seems to be serving them? Or is at least living among them. Mike also recognizes it ("one of those body mod junkies") so the fact that a stalker is living among it might mean that the creatures might be combine, or might have taken a stalker to do their bidding?

 

>> The creepy guy: I guess maybe the creatures have taken him prisoner? Maybe have him under their control (if they're capable of mind control). That's why he locks Mike in the tunnel instead of helping him out. Clearly something happened to get the guy to work for the creatures.

 

 

 

Things that make me curious:

>>Why is EVERYONE gone? Mike and Dave note that the city is dead, even "the dunk guy who lives in my stairwell is missing." So I wonder why there's a vast disappearance of people?

 

>> Does the Bulgarian stuff have any deeper meaning? A lot of people say that Dave might have been speaking Bulgarian, but has this been confirmed? Maybe it's from the same family of languages.

 

>> What capabilities do the creatures have? Are they combine?

 

>> Why is that guy under mind control by the creatures? If not, why is he helping them out by feeding them Mike and Dave? Is the guy the one who snatched Dave?

[Koach]

idk... anyways, great episode, ross. it wasnt very scary, nor very comical, but it was well balanced, with a touch of humor, a bit of scary stuff, some weird things and loose ends. i would really like to see a sequel in which the loose ends get tied up, like a rescue OP, or mike and dave manage to get away, or vortigaunts takin them to safety, or sth like that.

u know, after i saw the episode i had (and i still have) a sensation of being watched... and that somebody's behind me, looking at me from the dark lol.....

[BTGBullseye]

u know, after i saw the episode i had (and i still have) a sensation of being watched... and that somebody's behind me, looking at me from the dark lol.....

Unfortunately I always have that problem... It's called paranoia... Pretty cool actually when you figure out that it actually also works as a 6th sense... (or 7th/8th/9th if you have more than 5 senses like I do)

[Blue]

u know, after i saw the episode i had (and i still have) a sensation of being watched... and that somebody's behind me, looking at me from the dark lol.....

Unfortunately I always have that problem... It's called paranoia... Pretty cool actually when you figure out that it actually also works as a 6th sense... (or 7th/8th/9th if you have more than 5 senses like I do)

Most people have nearly twenty, but they're far more mundane than you'd think.

 

Balance, pressure, hunger, physical mechanical stress, physical maintenance stress, emotional stress, acceleration/decelleration, etc.

[crs]

I'm from Bulgaria and Dave is not speaking bulgarian. Ross probably choose to add this because the art director (or however it's called) of Half Life 2 is bulgarian, and they designed parts of City 17 by Bulgaria's capital city Sofia. So technically Half Life 2 is in Bulgaria. (good to see how the alien dictatorship race rules my country better than the current parlament *self irony here*) So it's probably just a fun-fact thing.

 

PS. Hoorray for the tunnel finally out!

[icthulu]

I've yet to read Lovecraft (although I do want to start), Julie

 

His stories are available online for free. They are usually short stories, so you can read through Call of Cthulhu or Horror at Red Hook or At the mountains of Madness in an hour online. dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

 

Enjoy. He was a great inspired writer and, far as I'm concerned, ushered in an entire genre.

[J.C.]

I've yet to read Lovecraft (although I do want to start), Julie

 

His stories are available online for free. They are usually short stories, so you can read through Call of Cthulhu or Horror at Red Hook or At the mountains of Madness in an hour online. dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

 

Enjoy. He was a great inspired writer and, far as I'm concerned, ushered in an entire genre.

 

I agree. The man was awesome.

[Mr. 13]

Here's are my theories as to what's going to happen:

 

1. Mike and Dave fight their way out in a badass fight scene killing all that stand in their path (unlikely)

2. This is actually Dave's apartment, and it's just another normal day for him and Mike had no clue and the crazy guy is the drunk man in Dave's apartment stairwell he mentions at the beginning of the episode (somewhat likely)

3. This is an elaborate prank played by Dave because he's an Aquarius (a little bit more than somewhat likely)

4. Mike wakes up from a dream sequence like the Wizard of Oz (kind of somewhat not unlikely)

5. Dave turns out to be Duke Nukem and Mike turns out to be Gordon Freeman and they uncover a massive conspiracy by Master Chief to rid the world of them so he can be the most badass video game hero (most likely)

[Julie]

I've yet to read Lovecraft (although I do want to start), Julie

 

His stories are available online for free. They are usually short stories, so you can read through Call of Cthulhu or Horror at Red Hook or At the mountains of Madness in an hour online. dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/

 

Enjoy. He was a great inspired writer and, far as I'm concerned, ushered in an entire genre.

 

Thank you very much for the link! I will definitely check it out. I was always a little bit afraid of the scope of his work. Meaning that I didn't know "where to start". But, I will check out the ones you mentioned. Thank you again.

[Flasheneitor]

Well, Im really surprised by the theories but guys, Cmon! Its just cmon sense, nothing will happen after this, is like halloween safety. It never explains how they got out alive, nor in freemans mind 10.5, It was a special, Its like south park, we see kenny die every episode but the next one he is alive and it doesnt explain how he got back to live. this is a series of episodes, not like freemans mind which has a chronoligical order, This is Civil Protection. Doesn´t have a Series plot, its just episodes, fun though but just episodes, You dont need to whach the other episodes to understand this one.

 

However, If Im wrong (Im a human its possible) maybe there will be a sequel with all the hype this has. I certainly want an explanation but I know it just ended there. Hope they make a new episode, but dont tell yourself if this has a continuation or an explanation, its unknowkn, but I really hope you guys stop cracking yourselfs for explanations, It just happened and the next CP will be another topic, another subject and no references to the past. I really would want a continuation episode, but I know that is unlikely.

 

Hope I made my point

 

Flasheneitor

[Lord Sinister]

I reckon the creatures seen at the end are not the ones responsible for their current predicament, and that they themselves are currently fleeing something else. I suspect they're simply heavily mutated people-things living underground, and they might even free Dave and Mike. It's either that or they eat them, and that would mean no more Civil Protection so I doubt that'll happen.

 

Also, who knows what Dave was saying at the end. It doesn't have to be Bulgarian, after all he 'gets around'.