Welcome, streamers, video content creators, and let's-players of all stripes! If you'd like to play The Shadow Over Cyberspace for your audience, here are some tips and tricks that may help you.
Up front, let's be clear that we have no restrictions on creating let's play content of this game. Our music will not result in DMCA strikes, and we have no concerns about 'spoiling' the story for people by showing off big plot reveals and late-game content. There's no 'wrong' way to play it and we want you to come at this in whatever manner you're comfy with.
We recommend your facecam be placed in the lower left or lower right position. The upper right is where most text appears and the upper left frequently has pop-up indicators.
In the options menu, you can select your font -- by default it uses retro computer fonts, but if you find it hard to read, you can switch to a basic sans-serif font. For maximum accessibility, you can use the OpenDyslexia font. You can also disable the retro visual effects and animations if you have photosensitivity issues.
Depending on your streaming setup you may find the music to be too loud, particularly during voiced scenes. You can turn down various sound elements independently in the options menu -- music, sound effects, voice, ambient sounds, and the classic 'chat beeps.'
Within individual scenes, you can use your mouse wheel to scroll back and forth in time and change decisions. This can allow you to back up if you accidentally lose trust with a character, but we recommend a "let the chips fall where they may" approach unless you're aiming for a specific character's ending.
You can save at any time using the save icon in the corner of the screen, or by hitting the Escape key to bring up the menu. This can be done even during choices.
If you'd like to take a screenshot, use the S key.
No spoilers, don't worry! But we should explain the basic structure of the game...
It's not possible to "lose" the game. You may not get the ending you want, but you'll always get all the way through the game and to an ending -- there are no premature game overs.
There is a hacking minigame styled like Minesweeper. There is no penalty for failing the minigame other than not having access to certain lore and story moments -- and you can click the "Cheat" button to force your way through if you want. This minigame is just for fun! Not as a skill gate.
On the night of December 29, the game will prompt you to save before making a final decision -- this is a point of no return for endings, so we recommend taking advantage of that. Similarly you'll be prompted to save before a final conflict.
The game takes place from November 30 to January 1, 1999. Each calendar day, you'll have a daytime phase where you explore the house, typically ending with some web browser research in the kitchen. You advance to nighttime by returning to your bedroom and sleeping.
At night you'll have access to the television (watching it progresses the TV storyline!) and the laptop computer, where you'll have extensive conversations with the Old Ones. After each night is finished, you'll be prompted to save your game.
This game is intended for a mature audience that's comfortable with some level of political discussion, dealing with bigotry, and sci-fi horror themes. We recommend you review the content warnings for the game, and provide this link to your viewers as well. While the game can deal with some triggering subject matter, we don't feel you'll need heavy disclaimers and warnings -- there are no graphic and shocking depictions. Just make sure those who want to see the CW have the link available. The game itself will provide the URL on-screen when you first start playing as well.
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