What's his motivation?

Cypres · Post by **Cypres** » 16 Aug 2009

Ok this is assuming I (me) know nothing of Silent Hill in a real life situation.

So if I were Travis and saved the girl from the fire I'd probably go to the hospital and find what happened. So he is told she is dead when he gets there and hospital is turned into a hellish place with demons. And he goes to the sanitarium just because some random nurse said she's going there? that makes no sense. I would be too freaked out of what I saw to stay in that town. I would just turn around and try to find my truck.

Post by **Burning Man** » 16 Aug 2009

I don't think there was any motivation initially. Simply put, Travis' situation is a bit like that of Cybil. When I played the game, I didn't see any motivation to go to the sanitarium just yet, so I tried to make it out of the town. Unfortunately, all the paths were blocked, and you had absolutely no other choice but to go to the sanitarium if you wanted the game to progress.

I could see that Travis wanted some answers to what was going on, and maybe thought that Lisa could help him. If you think of it that way, then he has a motivation.

Website · Post by **angelofROOM302** » 16 Aug 2009

Well, Travis is kind of being pulled into Silent Hill by Alessa.
Right? Lmao, it's been so long since I've been in this section.

Anyways, I feel that Travis' motivation to go to the Sanitarium wasn't because Lisa said to, but that he felt that he needed to go there because of the memories of his mother Helen were calling out to him.

Post by **Pentelikon** » 16 Aug 2009

^ This.And once he entered the sanitarium,he gained himself a respectable amount of motives to make him move on further into the story.

Post by **Returbuliz** » 16 Aug 2009

The whole game's like a nightmare imo, you can expect ultra logical descisions when you face horrible monsters & odd environments in your way. You just stick to your instincts. Travis was somehow 'attracted' to the sanitarium, the place his mother used to be kept, without himself realizing at first. So it's not just about Alessa, it's got to do with his own life as well.

Post by **Video Gamer** » 16 Aug 2009

Returbuliz wrote:The whole game's like a nightmare imo, you can expect ultra logical descisions when you face horrible monsters & odd environments in your way. You just stick to your instincts. Travis was somehow 'attracted' to the sanitarium, the place his mother used to be kept, without himself realizing at first. So it's not just about Alessa, it's got to do with his own life as well.

If the game were an actual dream, than this explanation would be acceptable, but it isn't. They're on another plane of existence, not dreaming.

I think this was really laziness on the developer's part. Would it be too hard to have Travis go "Alright, let's try and get out of town now," then once he finds that all the ways out of town are blocked, THEN he decides to go to the Sanitarium?

Post by **Returbuliz** » 16 Aug 2009

Video Gamer wrote: If the game were an actual dream, than this explanation would be acceptable, but it isn't. They're on another plane of existence, not dreaming.

I think this was really laziness on the developer's part. Would it be too hard to have Travis go "Alright, let's try and get out of town now," then once he finds that all the ways out of town are blocked, THEN he decides to go to the Sanitarium?

I mentioned 'Like a nightmare' not exactly a nightmare. I don't know what to call the SH realm, it could be a sub-conscious alternate reality, or purgatory or whatever. And we, playing as Travis find out the roads are blocked when we walk around the town, I guess.

Post by **crucifix** » 16 Aug 2009

travis' motivation is completely up to the player to decide. i'm pretty sure that at one point he flat-out says he has no idea why he's doing this.

Cypres · Post by **Cypres** » 16 Aug 2009

Video Gamer wrote:
Returbuliz wrote:The whole game's like a nightmare imo, you can expect ultra logical descisions when you face horrible monsters & odd environments in your way. You just stick to your instincts. Travis was somehow 'attracted' to the sanitarium, the place his mother used to be kept, without himself realizing at first. So it's not just about Alessa, it's got to do with his own life as well.
If the game were an actual dream, than this explanation would be acceptable, but it isn't. They're on another plane of existence, not dreaming.

I think this was really laziness on the developer's part. Would it be too hard to have Travis go "Alright, let's try and get out of town now," then once he finds that all the ways out of town are blocked, THEN he decides to go to the Sanitarium?

Yes that makes more sense.

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 16 Aug 2009

It's called Bad Writing. Deus Ex Machina Asspull Explanation: Alessa's making him do it.

Post by **Alessandro** » 19 Aug 2009

^ that.

Plus, hot nurse+ lone sanatorium = good time

Post by **AuraTwilight** » 19 Aug 2009

As for the Theatre, he totally went there because Lisa was totally gonna take off her top. It said so on the ticket.

Cheapskate whore didn't even go through with it, though.

Post by **Pentelikon** » 21 Aug 2009

Video Gamer wrote:
I think this was really laziness on the developer's part. Would it be too hard to have Travis go "Alright, let's try and get out of town now," then once he finds that all the ways out of town are blocked, THEN he decides to go to the Sanitarium?

Correct,but it depends on the way you approach this subject.E.g. Travis he could have well been thinking of getting the hell out of there,but what happens when every road comes to a dead end and it seems that there's really no way out?He did the most rational thing and went to find the only person sane in a city that apart from dangerous,its also abandoned.I bet you would have done the same thing.

Post by **Video Gamer** » 21 Aug 2009

Pentelikon wrote:
Video Gamer wrote:
I think this was really laziness on the developer's part. Would it be too hard to have Travis go "Alright, let's try and get out of town now," then once he finds that all the ways out of town are blocked, THEN he decides to go to the Sanitarium?
Correct,but it depends on the way you approach this subject.E.g. Travis he could have well been thinking of getting the hell out of there,but what happens when every road comes to a dead end and it seems that there's really no way out?He did the most rational thing and went to find the only person sane in a city that apart from dangerous,its also abandoned.I bet you would have done the same thing.

But we really don't know if he did the most rational thing because he never indicated that's what he was planning to do.
See, you have to fill in this blank for yourself, when really, it wouldn't take much work on the developer's part to fill it in for you. No other Silent Hill protagonist's motive has been so vague. It's laziness.

Post by **Axel_98** » 21 Aug 2009

=/ honestly i blame the programmers like said earlier. Laziness... But food for thought isnt the motivation really because umm... he cant really go anywhere else?

Post by **Pentelikon** » 22 Aug 2009

Axel_98 wrote:=/ honestly i blame the programmers like said earlier. Laziness... But food for thought isnt the motivation really because umm... he cant really go anywhere else?

That's what I said before.Well putting in a cutscene,or some line that will stand for Travis thoughts who obviously can't leave the place,wouldn't be a bad idea,but one could say that there's no point doing so,by the time you already know that you're not gonna leave so soon.Anyway,I really had no problem with the way the story line evolved,but that's just my opinion.

Post by **Video Gamer** » 22 Aug 2009

They could've at least given a better clue that we had to go to the Sanitarium, besides "lolz the hot nurses is goan be there"

Post by **KiramidHead** » 22 Aug 2009

I think that Travis entering SH in the first place lacks in motivation. It seems like he ran after Alessa because he was pissed about almost crashing. Either that or you take the idea from the Zero Punctuation review and that his only reason is retardation.

Post by **Returbuliz** » 22 Aug 2009

I think Alessa was just one of the excuses for Travis to enter the town, he had strong personal (family concerning) reasons too.

Post by **dmcmaster550** » 24 Aug 2009

Alessa was pulling him into the town originally, and the town has a strange power of keeping people within it's grasp. I think Travis wasn't motivated to go and he'll probably never know why he did, but something in his mind told him to. His mom was in the institution and he had to go face his demons.
That and cause you can't leave either way so why not follow the hot flirty nurse around.