Last night we set out to conduct some field research on miss Jaeger, so I've compiled some intel and working theories about her mechanics for those who would like the heads up.
(spoilers under the cut for those who want to experience the learning curve themselves)
Massive shoutout to our lil research team: @traitorousfruit, @mustymausoleum, @trial-n-harerror, @elgarwhore, @cyberneticslasher ✨
Note: I planned to include a video compiling a bunch of clips but tumblr is being funny about it, so I've made a few key snippets into gifs instead to give a general idea, and included one clip of what is either a possible bug or a more complex mechanic.
What we knew:
When she spawns, she targets the person closest to the insertion gate.
You can't hide from her, you can only evade her. Her only real weakness is her speed, but she will continuously pursue the target for the duration of the trial and will always take the shortest route towards them.
The regular insertion gate siren will sound, and then a second louder and deeper alarm will sound to indicate that Henrietta is spawning.
What we learned:
If she grabs you, it's an instakill. There is no knocking or downing, she will simply grab the target and begin to execute them. This can be prevented by another person kicking her.
If she kills the target, she will instantly select the next nearest player and begin to target them. If the original target is revived, she won't switch back and will continue to pursue the new one.
If you get directly between her and the target she'll take a swing at you. Each successful hit does a full bar of damage, and if you remain in her way she'll keep hitting you until you're downed. These hits are surprisingly fast, so if you're in a confined space you'll go from full health to incapacitated within a few seconds.
Her hit range is pretty large and she can lunge a good distance - if you're not fully blocking her but are still within that hit range along the path she's following, she'll lunge at you (covering a fair bit of distance quite quickly). Her movements are still relatively slow when lunging though, so in open spaces these swings can be dodged.
Rigs do not work on her. She is invulnerable to all of them - even a stun will simply knock her slightly, similar to how a brick or bottle would knock a heavy ex-pop (she will still flinch when hit with throwables, and can also be momentarily distracted by them).
It doesn't matter who's closest when the normal siren starts, or when the insertion gate actually opens - it seems that whoever is closest the moment her specific alarm begins will become the target (additional theory below).
She will spawn when you start the main objective, but she will also instantly return to the nearest insertion gate once that objective is complete - this can be a little scary the first time you see it because she'll speed up slightly (note: in Teach the Police Officer this actually occurred upon simply locating the reel, not replacing it).
You don't have to be in front of the insertion gate to become the target - being in a room behind the gate can also trigger selection if no one else is closer.
Normal player walking speed is fast enough to keep away from her. You don't have to sprint, you just have to keep moving. When we were experimenting we were looping her around a car and found that continuously walking will allow you to consistently widen the gap between you.
Working theories:
There were a few instances where Henrietta would switch target after deployment - we're unsure what is part of an intentional mechanic, and what could potentially be buggy teething pains. If it is intentional, then we're still trying to figure out exactly what does and doesn't trigger this. Our working theory is that kicking her out of executing a target may cause a switch, but this doesn't seem to be consistent so far - this could be because of a bug, or could be a chance based mechanic (e.g. 50% chance of switching target if kicked).
I am wondering if, when two people are the exact same distance from the gate at the point when her alarm sounds, it is either causing a bug or could be a mechanic which makes her essentially flip flop between the two people as targets (this is easier to understand with the clip below).
She will jump down co-op shortcuts if the target goes into a lower floor, but we still need to test if she can climb up or even potentially jump across shortcuts, but I'm doubtful this will be the case.
If you get too far from her (changing floors, sprinting too far away etc.) it appears that she may just respawn from a closer insertion gate, but we also need to test this more.
Hopefully this will be helpful, and if anybody wants to add to this or counter anything with their own experiences please feel free! I'd love to hear what people think of her.
In summary I think she is a really interesting and genuinely nervewracking antagonist. Red barrels have honestly hit it out of the park with her character design, her interesting mechanics, her heartbreaking dialogue, and the incredible sound design (from the chilling spawn siren to the cracking of the radio and the subtle suspenseful music that accompanies her). Season 3 has started with a bang and I can't wait to see what comes next.
Disclaimer: these are just our observations, they may be technically inaccurate, and will likely be subject to change/development in further updates.
Just stumbled upon the work of Emily Youcis, and I'm not quite sure what to make of her. She's apparently alt-right, but so much so that it almost seems like an act for the sake of controversy.
"Alfred Alfer" is clearly the product of someone with deep-seated issues, or someone trying way too hard to be "edgy". I love dark humor and horror, but particularly the first two episodes of her work are transparent attempts to invoke disgust: Gross for the sake of being gross, and awash in painfully annoying repetition meant to convey mental illness. To her credit, it is unsettling, which is likely the point.
Around the third episode is when a wild narrative appears. There's honest development. As a VA, when actually taking on important dialogue, Emily does an admittedly decent job. There's a twisted but interesting dynamic between traumatized dog "Alfred", and his alter ego created out of hatred, passion for revenge, and a thirst for power.
Emily does exhibit a genuine knack for incorporating music into her work in a purposeful way. Her choice of a G.G. Allin track in one short continues to speak of her white nationalist leanings (which do seep into her work later on, but again--it's so over the top that it comes off more like parody, which again leaves me to question the validity of her affiliations).
On the one hand, the extreme taboos and deviancy in her work might be seen as "cringe" to many nowadays. It's easy to take it at face value, and dismiss it as such. On the other hand, there are the seeds of something legitimately different and compelling there. Her work is a descent into madness that somewhat justifies its actions. When the titular pooch begins delving into necrophilia (which is...not held back in the slightest. Again, this is some truly warped animation) the implication is that he--not unlike Jeffrey Dahmer--just wants someone to love him, and never leave.
Emily has showed marked improvement in animation, style, and technique over time, including branching out into other mediums (I'm as-yet unsure if this is only her doing, as there are others listed in the credits). She had apparently been working on a full "Alfred Alfer" film, and released it in chunks on Newgrounds (in no discernible order). From what I've seen, there is real talent at work here, but between the subject matter and the creator's personal views, it's hard to know how to feel about it.
"Alfred Alfer" makes Salad Fingers look like a Disney cartoon. Does it go too far? Oh, yeah. Like... I could definitely do without the scenes with "The Littles" and Alfred's other imaginary friends sexually violating him (scenes which are simultaneously sad, considering the "playhouse" is supposed to be his escape/comfort/safe space, yet even there, he isn't safe from abuse). If the aim is to disturb, it is certainly accomplished in spades. In the end, one gets the impression that Emily herself may be carrying a few personal demons.
I cannot fault the highly graphic and disturbing nature of the material, as it has a purpose. Her unsavory beliefs notwithstanding, I support the right of art to take dark turns into even darker territory, even into unimaginable places--hence why I defend the work of such auteurs as Fred Vogel, Marian Dora, Gaspar Noe, and other directors known to dabble in extreme cinema.
What instantly sets Youcis apart from these others is the dedication to not just filming, but animating atrocity, giving it an entirely different impact. Animation has no boundaries--nothing to stop it from becoming as depraved and inhumane as possible. It's also the medium least expected to do so (that's not to say no predecessors exist--Mike Grimshaw is one animator that springs to mind, as does the infamous Mike Diana, who contributed an animated short to 1999's Hospital Brut). I could go on longer about Mike Diana, but his most controversial work was on the comic book page, and goes far beyond Youcis in terms of graphically disturbing content (which he was famously prosecuted for in 1994).
Reviewing material like that of any of these creators is walking a fine line: "Why would you watch that? Why would you want to see that?". That's harder to answer. Morbid curiosity, perhaps? "Do you support the acts portrayed? Do you support the artist's ideology?" Christ, no. I myself am more fascinated by the fact that someone allowed it to escape from the confines of their brain, and leak out into "polite society". Better yet--what made them even think of such things? What does that say about them? About US? And how do you approach content whose creator's values not only clash dramatically with your own, but are ultimately harmful to society at large?
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