Downpour Gameplay Advice Thread

[Progmetty]

Since I didn't know where to post my question; I'll just keep using this thread to help and be helped on gameplay issues here and there while playing downpour.
I'm really frustrated with my inability to fight the screaming woman without getting heavy damage in the process, is that normal? I mean I already met the ceiling monster and I found it much easier to defeat him without getting damage, I just keep moving so he doesn't land on me or behind me and blocking works with him. The screaming woman hits me through my blocking. I defeat her but at great damages every time. Any tips?

[five5sixers]

What sort of weapon types do you normally go for? Light and wieldy or the more heavy types? Do you block often? Do you try to run or kill everything in your path?

I've found that if you're getting pounded, it's usually best to either run the hell away entirely or, if you can't, distance yourself for a moment to regain your bearings and then come pounding in like hell. Through the game I've mostly used wrenches, crowbars and fireaxes if I can find them and they have been helpful, but I found the crowbars to be the best because they're both strong and fast. You just need to keep hitting them until they go down.

I also really do not recommend fighting ANY monsters if they're in groups if it can at all be helped because that gets really difficult very quickly. I tended to run from the monsters that were out on the streets but it's much more difficult to do so with ones that are in buildings. I would highly recommend getting your practice in with the ladies now, though, because there's going to be worse creatures down the line with increasingly strange tactics.

[Progmetty]

Thanks for replying. That was helpful!
It was before I got to Silent Hill and had vast spaces to run, which I just arrived at.
In the Devil's Pit I usually had wooden sticks or bottles as weapons, I also used punching often as soon as the weapon breaks. Why even give me the option to punch or block with my arms if it's futile? But also I couldn't avoid the screamers and just run as due to the need for exploring the area they're hanging out at, I assume that's gonna remain a problem. I just wish there was some kinda trick to killing them with minimal damage.
Even now at Silent Hill I encountered a third enemy, who seems like a short version of zombie Liu Kang for some reason, that's still easier to kill than the screamer to me.

[five5sixers]

Hmm... it's a little hard for me to remember quite how I dealt with them early on now that I've beaten it, but the combat is going to take some getting used to. I CAN tell you, though, that towards the end I was good enough that on a couple of enemy encounters (the screamers and those Liu Kang guys) I didn't take any damage at all so it depends on your weapon, your environment and practice. Try to experiment a little, I'm sure it's frustrating but you'll figure out what works for you soon enough! I'm glad my initial advice was helpful to you in some way, though c:

[Eric-3]

I'm only playing on Easy combat difficulty, so this may not work on higher difficulties. But with Screamers (and some other enemies), I normally just run right at them (assuming they're just standing there or walking towards me, and not in the middle of an attack) when I see them and attack until they're dead.

It sounds reckless, but the point is to attack them before they even get a chance to attack me. I tried playing defensively at first, but it wasn't working that well since it was dragging out the fight and giving them more opportunities to try and hit me.

Also keep in mind that your health regenerates up to 40% after a battle (again, at least on Easy. Not sure about other difficulties). So don't eat through first aid kits if you don't have to.

[phantomess]

Also keep in mind that your health regenerates up to 40% after a battle (again, at least on Easy. Not sure about other difficulties). So don't eat through first aid kits if you don't have to.

That must only be on easy, because I'm playing on normal and I haven't noticed any such thing.

[Progmetty]

Love your sig phantomess.
A few things:
* Can I switch the combat from normal to easy mid game? I can't find that option and they was gonna be there before the game came out. Health regenration sounds awesome especially that I can count the first aid kits I found since I started the game on one hand. I'm 20% complete now.
* Why is there no option to hide the game completion percentage that shows up when you're loading a save? It's such a bummer for me to always be reminded with how much or little I have left to enjoy the game. I really don't like that.
* Murphy not continuing the long time Silent Hill tradition of a written on-screen comment on random shit when you press X is a bummer.
* I miss picking up important stuff sometimes cause every time I approach something assuming it's an important item it turns out to be a brick or a bottle, of course then I have to drop it and pick up the weapon I had before. A boring process, especially if there are other bottles or bricks on the floor and Murphy keeps picking them instead of the weapon he initially dropped.
* The bottles does zero damage on enemies, it would hurt them more if I threw my shirt at them.
* The enemy I call zombie Liu Kang is the most not-Silent-Hill thing I've ever seen in a Silent Hill game. The guy fuckin kicks and makes martial arts stances! The fucker has blocking moves! Who thought of that?!
* The map doesn't have most building names in Silent Hill! I find a note about Silent Hill historical society and I can't act on it cause I dunno where it is!
* I'm stuck at the painting.. puzzle is it? I'm in the room where I put the 3 paintings I collected on the table and Murphy says it's a map then an X command shows up on screen and it says "use" and when I do press X nothing happens. What the living potato fuck is the problem here?!
Oh and the lags are annoying me so much. I wonder if the xbox people have that problem.
Otherwise I really am enjoying the game so far

[phantomess]

Love your sig phantomess.

Do you mean one of the quotes, the Charger, or Wilm Hosenfeld? Either way, thanks.

* Can I switch the combat from normal to easy mid game?

I don't think you can.

* The bottles does zero damage on enemies, it would hurt them more if I threw my shirt at them.

LOL. I've never tried using the bottles, because they seemed like something that would break immediately.

* I'm stuck at the painting.. puzzle is it? I'm in the room where I put the 3 paintings I collected on the table and Murphy says it's a map then an X command shows up on screen and it says "use" and when I do press X nothing happens. What the living potato fuck is the problem here?!

You need more than three paintings- six, I believe. I currently have five. When I first came across the puzzle I only had three, also. You have to continue on and then backtrack once you have the other paintings. I'm starting to wonder if I missed finding one, though.
I'm not sure why nothing happens when you press x at the table, though. When you press x to "use," it should show you the grid where you can view and arrange the paintings you've put down. Did it let you do that?

[Progmetty]

I'm not sure why nothing happens when you press x at the table, though. When you press x to "use," it should show you the grid where you can view and arrange the paintings you've put down. Did it let you do that?

It finally did, I'm still 2 paintings short if the total should be 6. Let alone that I moved on so much into the game that I forgot where the painting riddle was. I guess that's gonna become a problem later unless it's a side mission in which case I'm gonna need to figure it out before the end of the game cause I really wanna get all the side missions.
Did anyone find a coat for the homeless guy standing by the fire in the underground thing? I already gave him a candy bar and he gave me a paper that I can't really understand how to use, why didn't it just imprint the short cuts onto my own map instead of having to go back and forth. Any insight into how to make better use of this homeless guy map of shortcuts?

[phantomess]

unless it's a side mission

Yeah, it is, and I'll have to do that one next time, because I never found that last painting before the game ended.

Also, I tried going into every entrance I found to the underground area, but never got past the locked doors. I figured I'd find a key at some point. Then a guy at Gamestop told me he'd heard that an item was left out of the game, a fishing rod, which was supposed to get you into the underground area- but, as I told him, I found a fishing rod. I never did use it. I might not have tried entering the underground after finding it... seems like I found it fairly late in the game.
Is that what you used to get there, Progmetty?

[Progmetty]

unless it's a side mission

Yeah, it is, and I'll have to do that one next time, because I never found that last painting before the game ended.

Also, I tried going into every entrance I found to the underground area, but never got past the locked doors. I figured I'd find a key at some point. Then a guy at Gamestop told me he'd heard that an item was left out of the game, a fishing rod, which was supposed to get you into the underground area- but, as I told him, I found a fishing rod. I never did use it.

I never found the fishing rod you're talking about, where did you find it and how do you think it should be used?

I might not have tried entering the underground after finding it... seems like I found it fairly late in the game.
Is that what you used to get there, Progmetty?

I'm sorry I didn't get the references in that, please rephrase your question Whats the "that" and where is "there"?

[phantomess]

I can't remember for certain where I found the fishing rod- it might have been on the docks. I assumed I would need it for a side quest of some sort, but I never found a use for it in my playthrough.
Someone told me the creators of the game forgot to include the fishing rod in the game, but that's incorrect, since I found it. This person also told me that the fishing rod is supposed to be used to get into the underground area, but that must also be incorrect, since you went underground without the fishing rod.

Every time I tried to use an underground tunnel, there were locked doors that stopped me. How did you get past these doors? Was there a key or tool I missed?

[Eric-3]

Every time I tried to use an underground tunnel, there were locked doors that stopped me. How did you get past these doors? Was there a key or tool I missed?

Did you talk to the homeless man in one of the subway entrances? He starts a sidequest that you eventually need the Fishing Rod for. I THINK he's in one of the subway entrances in the second part of the town you go to (the one after Hillside). Pearl Creek.

[phantomess]

Nope, evidently I missed that particular subway entrance because I never found the homeless guy. At least I'll have plenty to do on my next playthrough!

[Progmetty]

So sorry for the delayed response. I had very little time to get on the forums the last couple of days.
Let me clarify; the homeless guy is in a subway entrance but you can't use the subway tunnels to get around town from he's standing, his subway tunnel was not that far into the game but what I remember clearly about it is that it was right across the street from another similar subway entrance that goes nowhere. There's one of those shadow light things that prompts you to open your inventory in the subway entrance where the homeless guy is, it's actually pretty close to where he stands.
He asks you for food in exchange for details on "tunnel" shortcuts to get around town faster. I got him a candy bar and he gave me the map I found useless then. He asks you to find him a coat to keep warm but I couldn't find that yet.
Much later after that in the game, across the street the docks I found a ladder that took me to the sewers and once inside the sewers tunnel I checked my map and it turned into the homeless guy map, which I guess means that he was talking about sewer tunnels not subway ones. Right by the sewers entrance was the fishing rod you were talking about and which I have not found a use for yet. The sewers tunnels was a dead end cause I didn't have a key to unlock a door I came across very soon after entering the tunnel so I doubled back and headed into the area where you have to lower a bridge to continue. (Couple of side quests in that area; one with restoring a human heart which I finished and the other is the house with the shadow lights map, which I'm assuming I'll have to keep going back to just like the paintings riddle)
There's a whole bunch of things I have to keep in mind now! Lots of loose ends to tie.

[Progmetty]

I got the key to the boat but I have a gutsy feeling that I won't be returning to town again so I'm trying to wrap up all loose ends.
2 things left:
A- The last shadow light, the one in the alley connecting the two maps.
B- The riddle at the cemetery (inside the grave) which the painting riddle map pointed me to. I went back to the paintings and I still can't understand what to press at the cemetery.
I also have a weird problem/glitch, I'm already done with everything in St Marie's orphanage place and now in front of it's gate on the map there's a red mark, when I go there a sound indicating I found a new written note is played and the symbol at the bottom right of the screen appears as usual with notes found but this one doesn't open and it's not in my notebook, any idea whats going on there?

[Progmetty]

Anybody care to help me with the stuff I mentioned above?

[Aerith Gainsborough]

^No need to double post, especially in a short amount of time. You'll have your question answered.

I'm not sure about the shadow light, but concerning the mark on the map I had the same thing, and just assumed the game had a minor glitch. If anything, you can look up side quests and all that stuff online if you get really stuck.

[Progmetty]

Sorry for the double post