This Ready or Not Theory EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!

[@Tehstampede]

The story of Ready or Not feels like you're watching the first stage of a complete societal collapse

[@lobaandrade7172]

@bugsyseigel7592that is a very apt description of Los Suenos

[@Trench1919A4]

@bugsyseigel7592 I know "Shane, please shut up" mentioned it.

[@CennoSoldier]

Excited to see where they take the game

[@rimanahbvee]

@bugsyseigel7592 so just punk, no cyber :)

[@RingworldTyrant]

The feeling of civilizational collapse was the entire intent of the original design of Ready Or Not. The Los Suenos PD, in the original design, were said to be going to war with crime, literally, because the situation had deteriorated so much. This received some criticism, and the Devs toned it down some. Personally, I miss the tone of the Early Access version, best embodied in the old subterranean police station.

[@semitrock4214]

30:40 There are no subtitles, but if you turn them on in game, Blue means good like teammates/TOC yellow is civilians and red is enemies. Fisa commander is shown as red.

[@pakalolivera3043]

It's going to be real interesting to see where this game continues to go. Playing as Judge in a final mission against the USIA or FISA would be so dope

[@CosmoCrank]

good point completely forgot about that

[@DylanJo123]

​@@pakalolivera3043 ya i suspect the same thing too. There might be a turning point in the game where judge turns rogue and goes after the conspiracy. That shit would be so cash

[@RedactedBrainwaves]

This is something Call of Duty Cold War does as well. When it is revealed you were brainwashed by the CIA to reveal soviet intelligence you get a choice to betray the CIA team and lead them to an ambush. If you take this choice all their subtitles change from blue (friendly) to red (enemy).

[@tonypeppermint5329]

Ooo

[@sentient_trash]

Despite closing the door, I think Judge is currently on the road to being the good guy. The fact that he even for a moment pushed back on FISA’s orders is, to me, an indication of his ‘programming’ showing cracks. If he was fully gone, truly the robot that the USIA is trying to make, he would have been far more compliant. It wasn’t the clean-cut, measured “Understood” you expect from Judge. It was said with some effort and a venomous contempt. My idea of the timeline is the raid on Gerard happened recently before Port Hoken. I also believe that in that moment, when the FISA ordered them to leave the women behind, *David* started to look back to what he saw in Gerard’s compound. He’s starting to wake up.

[@DylanJo123]

God im so hyped man. I hope theres a turning point where judge turns rogue and goes after the conspiracy.

[@tonypeppermint5329]

Hell yeah.

[@tonypeppermint5329]

​@@DylanJo123I also feel like it could work well where the head of a criminal faction is able to learn about the project, getting into the inside, ane eventually taking over, as a nice tool of irony to the organization.

[@ninjabot7945]

I mean the ATF are absolutely enemies IRL but yeah

[@sentient_trash]

@@ninjabot7945 well, that’s a given Abolish the NFA

[@operator-chan1887]

One of the most realistic dystopias ever

[@Ladis1]

Maybe not necessarily "realistic" as the events in the game are pretty exagerrated. However, it's not too much of a stretch that any of the missions in the game are 100% *plausible*

[@Rahd21]

​@@Ladis1 i believe every events inthe game is actually happening right now... just happens people haven't know it just yet

[@Ladis1]

@@Rahd21 They predicted Trump's assassination attempt with Brisa Cove a little bit lol

[@theyseeyou7283]

​@@Ladis1 the last part happens the most

[@RingworldTyrant]

@@Ladis1 Attempts on political figures are not wholly uncommon, and Ready Or Not's mission with Brisa Cove portrays an implicitly Right Wing, military group taking action against a Senator who wants to take a support net away from Veterans. So it is neither predictive per se, nor is it analogous to the attempted assassination of Don. It would have been extremely ballsy, however, for the Devs to include a Trumpian figure the SWAT team had to save in a mission.

[@Likeusb1]

Correction on the ARG! As someone who's working on it right now, it has reopened with proper, refound enthusiasm and passion, and we're going quite fine so far! Would love to see proper coverage of ARG2 as not one person on the team understands a thing being talked about

[@bobbleheadeater3209]

Where can I find it?

[@starstruckp4808]

Can’t wait to find more on it. I’ll have to do some digging wherever it is or will have to wait for our dude to over it!

[@Likeusb1]

@@bobbleheadeater3209 It's on the official DC server for Ready or Not

[@lobaandrade7172]

Has it reopened with the 1.0 release or with the Home Invasion DLC?

[@Likeusb1]

@@lobaandrade7172 It reopened after the trailer for the DLC dropped

[@EpicGamingKid245]

Judge's therapy is "TOC, we have a dead suspect here."

[@ZippoMan747]

One thing worth mentioning that furthers this theory, in early access pvp lobby screen you can see that Judge has Langley written beneath his name, well Langley, VA is where CIA's headquarters is located

[@fronker7581]

Isn’t Langley also a nickname for the CIA in general?

[@Foxtrot19]

that's just the steam username you currently have. i made that video lol

[@-Seeker-]

@@fronker7581 It's more like saying "Get Washington on the line" meaning White House / Government. It like saying "Central HQ"

[@tonypeppermint5329]

Ooo

[@ZippoMan747]

@@Foxtrot19ohhhh that explains a lot lol

[@adityaparam8736]

What if his shows of emotion are just an act? Like when Judge calls out a dead officer, his inital talk to TOC is calm, but when he says "Officer down!" he's actually shouting like he's stressed. Like he's been programmed to communicate robotically, but also to show some emotion when people die, so as to maintain his cover slightly better. These orders clash resulting in that stilted comment.

[@wolfensniper4012]

@@adityaparam8736 nah it's just system difference. The whole line use two different sets of voice file, the "Entry team to TOC" used the generic prefix files, but "officer down!" use another sets of more emotional voice files, that make the tone different.

[@jaredmiller9149]

The fisa officer sounded pretty pissed off that he didn't immediately close the crate. If he was truly compliant I doubt he would have hesitated

[@kkm9966]

"Judge"ment

[@The-Nie]

And thy punishment... is SWAT raid!

[@randomusserlol]

CRUSH

[@Dust_Death]

Weak

[@jujuhoon6640]

Thy end is now!

[@altf4755]

D(own on the ground!)IE

[@032_m.alfathcirrus5]

The "Cycle"? Main character who's literally more than meets the eye? Perhaps the real Ready or Not is the Trepang2 that we made along the way.

[@Thatoneisaac604]

No the real ready or not was the F.E.A.R we made along the deathloop

[@032_m.alfathcirrus5]

@@Thatoneisaac604 Hmm... maybe the true Deathloop is the Dishonored that we made along the way.

[@Thatoneisaac604]

@@032_m.alfathcirrus5 and the other ending of deathloop was the prey we made along the way

[@Jester4460]

@@032_m.alfathcirrus5Man I’m having a Crisis 3 about making a joke

[@Artobacco]

206

[@Tommykins27]

I remember hearing that the theory that judge was USIA is quite popular. It is backed by Scott (as ex-USIA) seemingly knowing Judge to some extent on a personal level; Judges background being unknown and coming from 'out of state'; his excellent handling of all kinds of firearms as well as the references in early builds to Langley (being of course, the real world headquarters of the CIA)

[@Tommykins27]

That being said the description of Judge from the game, really closely mirrors the original player description from SWAT 4 which RoN is largely based off so it is possible this is just them porting across the idea from the original

[@normalpolearm2]

i like this theory, bleak but not completely hopeless, which is very fitting considering ready or not's themes.

[@lobaandrade7172]

The overall theme of RoN seems to be that the world is fucked up, but there is some hope and you need to cling onto it if you want to help the people around you

[@DylanJo123]

​@@lobaandrade7172 Bring Order to Chaos

[@blackjacka.5097]

​@@DylanJo123By arresting the homeless

[@blackjacka.5097]

​@@lobaandrade7172Well thing is, there is no hope, you're just a bandaid for the actual societal issues.

[@DylanJo123]

@@blackjacka.5097 good

[@TheThing4444]

The theory reminds me of the Judge Dredd universe. For those unaware, it's a comic about a post nuclear world where most of humanity are holed up in these huge "Mega-cities", giant cities that strech across vast amounts of land. In this world, these Mega-Cities are policed, legislated, and ruled by the Justice Department, made up of people called Judges, who literally act as judge, jury, and if need be, executioner. This system was brought about because the pre-nuked world was rifle with crime and chaos, to the point that such a system seemed reasonable. The titular Judge Dredd is actually part of a set of clones of a man called Eustace Fargo, the founder of the Judge system and its first Chief Judge. He was known to be incorruptable and was saw as the perfect person for the position. He largely was, but he grew to love a woman romantically and had sex with her, which is something Judges are not supposed to do, as Judges are meant to be celibate. On his last day of life, he met with young Dredd and his clone-brother Rico, and he explained to them what they have to do and his personal objections to the same system he fostered. Judge Dredd himself, by the time he's an actual Judge, is practically incorruptible and practically allocates all of his life for his duty. What free time he does have, he uses it to study the system or even just to rest, which usually takes five minutes thanks to advanced technology, and yet even he is shown to change across the comic's long history, shifting from a hardcore Judge that doesn't excuse anything, to a still stone-headed yet relatively liberal Judge. Judge's name could allude to the comic and hinting what the hidden powers want for the world, and that these men, however much experimented upon and treated, are still only mortal men, which might be its ultimate downfall.

[@RingworldTyrant]

It's funny, I thought there were literary inspirations for RON too, but from Kent Anderson's novel "Night Dogs", an extremely dark and brutal novel about police in Portland Oregon in the late 1970s. The protagonist is a former Green Beret from Vietnam and I guarantee it will leave you thinking longer than many other pieces of literature that you've ever read.

[@tonypeppermint5329]

Interesting point.

[@Innevitable]

the fact that judge doesnt need therapy is both wrong and right, your right. we dont ever see him go to therapy or anything, BUT if you look after missions in your officer tab where you see your crew and stuff, a doctor leaves a note, checking on judge and how he's doing. this may just be the ingame version of CIA spying on him but i think its a real doctor checking on him.

[@bluetroublehh]

but at the same time judge never responds in any way to these notes, they always ask but never receive. you don't have the option to talk to that doctor, i think he's a real doctor who is worried by how unaffected judge is by these missions

[@bigboyepic8598]

What about that one trailer with that stubby fingered therapist? Wasn’t that Judge in the chair?

[@SeedButter]

Thanks for watching! A few notes I have on the DLC, now that I’ve played it. I was actually wrong about the rich people in the mansion! They seem to be one of the better people we’ve encountered actually. You can read an email in an office in the house where it’s revealed the husband offered live-in positions for his staff to keep them safe during the hurricane, and their families. So they actually seem pretty nice! (And not human traffickers) I was pretty much spot on about the Los Locos gang and the suburban map lol The homeless camp is really interesting, and may have opened doors for an entire new theory. I’m curious to see if you guys can guess why… Anyways, I really loved making this video. I can’t wait to come back to this game!

[@gabrielniklasschildt5612]

I don't know how well versed you are in analytic psychology and religion, but there are a lot fo things in the homeless / drug addict storyline which seems almost as if under the influence of drugs, the drug addicts and homeless where made aware that the storm was coming, and the whole point of digging towards the draining pipes was an attempt to block the water and flood the city, which has, in symbolic terms, become a dry desert.

[@orderofdusk2382]

​@@cagneybillingsley2165what is this "j" are you referring to? Is it a certain ethnic/religious group?... I can see what you're doing here okay, just piss off with the Nazi shit.

[@GamerMarine89]

I feel like this video put me on a watch list... I love this game so much, the devs are something else.

[@iniabifreely2352]

You know, I did close that door, because I was so close to that S rank and I wasn't going to throw it away. I guess that makes me a good little dog for the USIA. But, I don't think you need to, I think you can still complete the mission without doing it. That kinda makes it unique as a RPG element in the game, even if it amounts to nothing and you end up in Dorms regardless. Also, I don't think the ARG is scrapped, it was simply benched for a bit. The iconography of the ARG has resurfaced in Dorms.

[@lobaandrade7172]

The “S” in S rank stands for “Sucking up to the USIA and FISA (Yes I have S ranked all the levels, how can you tell?)

[@adrenalewie8135]

I just beat that mission recently, and it was the first time i played it since the major update adding commander mode. You cannot, in fact, complete the mission without closing the doors. It's a mandatory objective

[@kinosthetic]

@@adrenalewie8135 would be interesting if deliberately failing the mission then at that point did something

[@kommaripangari]

Imagine if they added some Armoured Core type alternate ending where Judge goes insane and starts blasting feds

[@ElliFong]

It would be nut if the final mission is just you, no team, no toc communication. Against your former squads plus a squad leader that replaced you, as stoic as you.

[@michaelkolano8686]

And you're going to hold out, in your own cabin, out in the woods

[@DylanJo123]

​@@ElliFongthat shit would be so fucking awesome

[@Borz321]

@@ElliFongit could even do that thing that some games do where it tracks your performance and the rival squad leader will be just like how you played leading up to the mission if you spend time and move tactically so will the enemy and if you run through levels recklessly blasting everyone so will the other squad leader

[@buchol7364]

😊

[@zer0deception706]

the fact that the small details in the maps do make me stop and think in the middle of playing is pretty cool

[@Kid574]

That's on the top 3 list of things i love about RoN

[@NoPeacekeeper2008]

Guys guys liver4t is a reference to deadmau5

[@Mr_Schizo]

"Life rat" "Dead Mouse" They are twins.

[@bigchooch4434]

Liver fort

[@tateranus4365]

I mean I only just found out like 9 months ago that it was deadmouse not deadmau 5...

[@hantorfolezproductions4402]

RON 2 being a departure from SWAT to Judge and D Platoon becoming an anti-USIA deathsquad would be wild

[@kafka6309]

Just saw the iceberg video. It would be really cool to see a DLC where it visits scenarios from neighbouring law enforcement groups across countries from Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. I, myself, would love to see a DLC set during the "pacification" of some of the slums in Brazil, specifically "Complexo do alemão", circa 2012-16. Coming from that absolute **hellhole** to a first-world country made me realise how desensitized I've become as a result.

[@bigchooch4434]

Another thing that could be coincidental, but I choose to believe adds to this theory, is that there's a drawing in "A Lethal Occasion" with a line pointing to the head of a police officer with the caption "controlled by the Godhead." In the context of ALO, the Godhead is likely a term for the USIA, with the Godhead Complex being their HQ. So again, maybe just coincidental phrasing, or maybe a more literal hint at who is controlling them, and exactly how.

[@leroyjenkins2830]

Judging by some dialogue on Brisa Cove, it's safe to say that Judge knows how to play piano

[@flandrescarlet8967]

USIA probably hates non-lethal player characters

[@arturosl6445]

22:40 his name is mentioned in some missions, for example in Brisa Cove, his teammate makes a comment about his piano skills and mentions his name.

[@lobaandrade7172]

No way, got a link to that voice line? I’ve never heard it

[@arturosl6445]

@@lobaandrade7172 Sadly not, but the voice line played for me almost every time i went into the music producer’s room. It goes something like this: “Hey Judge, time to brush up on your piano skills.” I might replay the mission again and edit this comment accordingly.

[@lobaandrade7172]

35:51 I don’t think these are specifically Judge’s kids and wife since you can equip these items on every and all officers. I think they’re customization items to humanize your teammates and to make it extra tragic when you lose an officer during a mission. I do agree that Judge had a brief moment of break from his brainwashing and training when he opened the container, but it’s not because of his family (let’s be honest, a brainwashed super-cop is probably a loner and single) but seeing suffering on a tragic scale, his humanity shined through due to the magnitude of pain he just witnessed

[@4biddenflow]

Someone can say “Ready or Not” is set in literal Hell and I would honestly believe it.

[@yaldabraxas]

While i find the video quite interesting, i have to point out that rosary most likely doesn't belong to Judge. The name of the rosary mentions Santa Muerte, which is a mexican cult that mixes some of the catholic and some of the local religious non-catholic traditions and is looked down upon by the actual Catholic church. So either Judge isn't truly catholic and is a mexican of indigenous decent or the rosary isn't connected to Judge.

[@SuddenFool]

I got the game this month and been playing it through with my homie in a 2 man team going for full non lethal where ever possible, and it's been an amazing time. Just like when i played SWAT 4 with him years ago. Really hope they keep the story going in a believable, but tough path. That way it'll help people who may not understand the gravity of what first responders deal with, and how to best help them forward in life. The game is very well done, and feels fantastic to playthrough. There have been missions where, once i saw the depressing story bits show their ugly heads, in the first 3 missions, i started to have that gnaw in the back of my head. Doing follow up missions thinking " I better not find what i think i'll find in this mission. " Only for it to happen and call out to my teammate, as we take the moments in, in complete silence on voice. Accepting this is just part of the reality we live it. This shite happens all around the world, and we just don't see it. Good video and sorry for the yapping. Stay safe my guy.

[@molinamj2007]

The polarity between RON and current reality

[@nimroids6587]

I think RON will go down in history one day as one of the greatest, most eye opening, and creative examples of social commentary seen in a video game

[@tateranus4365]

@@nimroids6587 sadly enough at this rate we have maybe a decade before this is the reality in commiefornia...

[@josesanchez1011]

Wait they dropped the ARG? 😢 Aww man. I really liked the implications of an Eldritch conflict playing out in the city between the Yellow King and Purple Emperor. I always liked thinking that the actual player was an Avatar of the Purple Emperor being used to fight the Yellow King's influence.

[@gagekellstrom3978]

I need a good overall coverage of the ARG, I saw one video on it that made it out more that it was an online forum of sorts that brainwashed police, or those struggling with trauma, felt lost in the world they were in, almost resentful of it, and “HOME” guided them to forgiveness, or forgetting. Which tied into the Mariposa enemies iirc

[@adamtruong1759]

I personally like to imagine that while everyone in Los Suenos has an agenda of some sort, all the guns are caught in the middle of it with simpler goals. Guns like the 5.56 and 300 Blackout rifles care only about helping their officers deliver justice efficiently, while guns like the SA-58 and shotguns demand the blood of the bad guys (with latter playing US marching songs as it works). It's a quite weird, but all these weapons have a rich history to them which makes each of them standout. Edit: Rewording/grammar.

[@sentient_trash]

The AK wants the civilians too

[@adamtruong1759]

@@sentient_trash The AK is probably also doing a series of stretches as it tiredly says "here we go again."

[@bbutler3230]

This ties into something I have observed, that the police department is very militarized in its equipment, with lots of gear designed for explicit military applications. I tried to stick to weapons that are stated to be designed for law enforcement and found that that leaves very little.

[@adamtruong1759]

​@@bbutler3230 I mean, weapons designed for military uses can easily also be used in law enforcement, either in the form of hand-me downs or with PD's with the funding.

[@Fjdjfjsz92938]

Gfl ahh

[@catrardellybird2526]

Don't forget about the 'end me' command. No sane person would order their team to end then.

[@swordsman1_messer]

This is a great video, however, I do have some criticisms; First, the idea of an implant modifying human behavior is always an interesting idea, that is still a technology that is sci fi than real. We can’t even interpret the electrical signals of human thought, so the idea of subliminal training via a hidden implant is way too far out of left field for what VOID has shown of the world. That news article could just be fluff or even a red herring, because behavioral modification and training are real techniques and have been (and are still being used), are much better understood, and require less setup. Even if the USIA is manipulating the current conditions of the US to their benefit, that’s way too much of an investment on probably their greatest success that could easily be destroyed by one crack addict with a 12 gauge sawn off. The other is the container at Port Hokan. You said it yourself, it was an FSI/LSPD joint op, but you didn’t factor in the sting operation being conducted at the postal facility earlier in the game. Internal resentment over cases and jurisdiction is very much alive and well, and regardless of whether or not Adams was corrupt (I mean, look at the guy’s model compared to the usual FBI agent), FSI would rightfully be antagonistic over the LSPD for treading too close to one of their open cases. While I don’t disagree about your conclusion regarding the container, I do have issue with the motive for the order.

[@nationalcathousing]

behavior modification tech isnt sci fi, it exists. Look up havana syndrome. They just dont have a way to explain it to the public without the public freaking out.

[@Foxtrot19]

4:52 fwiw, the rebels rejects are still present. except it's only one unnamed character, but with the dialogue of a cut unique character.

[@dagonspringer7941]

I think that the pausing to consider things on the last mission is him attempting to choose right but being unable to in the current situation. So he is going to go down the (good path?) but that is the moment that triggers it

[@spencerdameo4449]

I think they chose the Mariposa Lily just because it's native to the area (Mariposa is near LA). It's also possible that it could be a reference to the Lily White movement, an anti-black movement within the republican party in the late 19th century, but that might be a bit of a stretch.

[@Chonkems]

Also, MLO is the acronym not only for the Mount Laguna Observatory in LA, but also a violent group based out of Malibu, California. The Mariposa Lily is also similar to Edelweiss in profile, a flower most associated with German warfighters, even today, which is fitting if the old description is still canon, which said they were former military and police.

[@quagmoe7879]

Mariposa isn’t anywhere near LA lol, and it probably has more to do with the butterfly = change connection.

[@lobaandrade7172]

25:53 I thought that room gave credence to the alternate history theory where the US won the Vietnam war. Also i don’t think Scott was using that room while Judge was working for the LSPD, the game takes place in the 2020s while the room has cold war era technology

[@Klamdeff]

0:41 is that THE crowbar like that crowbar

[@MaggieBrashears]

Half-life 3 confirmed!!!

[@MaggieBrashears]

Half-life 3 confirmed!!!

[@mil0xcy]

34:20 Ive always thought that FISA makes you close the container soley so they could pretend to discover the women and take credit, which is why its listed in the news broadcast in the dispatch room that the LSPD,FISA, and USIA discovered the women when it was the LSPD that did all the work. If you take into consideration that FISA was likely under heavy scrutiny by both the public and more likely even the government, due to one of their agents being caught working with cartels (post office), it’d make sense they’d want to be back on the publics good side. However since the ATF would also be there, FISA knew they’d need to one up whatever the ATF finds, thus leading them to force judge to close the container so they could stage its discovery and get all the glory.

[@ZippoMan747]

Or realistically it's about admin stuff, leaving a container filled with terrified, mostly foreign women with no supervision might end in them dispersing all over the port and making it more difficult to actually help them

[@asspills]

​@@ZippoMan747It wasn't just closing the door though, it was also them denying your call-in for medics & rescue services for the girls.

[@ZippoMan747]

@@asspills I mean yeah, the scene wasn't cleared yet

[@callmedoc2147]

​@ZippoMan747 that's fine, Judge called for TEMS, tactically trained EMS.... which should be on the swat team but there's generally more on a standby role

[@kkm9966]

Just finished watching the entire video and holy crap dude this is so good!

[@DispicableWii4628]

Idk if you saw this or not, but in the evidence from the 1st mission (Gas), there are Andre's Notes and it shows plans for their robbery. One thing that stands out, the paper that details the Debanco times are more clean than the plans of the robbery itself. You can tell the plans were made by the perps, but the money delivery times are not only in a different font/handwriting, but it has significantly less markings and doodles. It could be a hint that the debanco schedule was given.

[@TheLastArbiter]

I really enjoyed this video. Excellent job! Captivating. Didn’t realize this overarching narrative was hiding. I never found that shipping container I guess… didn’t spend much time on that map yet. Holy shit. “It’s not a crime when we do it.” Definition of government.

[@ReadyOrNotCommunity]

Amazing video, I'm shocked somebody actually took the time and understood the "Judge being a government plant" story and all the connections it has. I can understand why people don't really look further into it due to the game's iffy state at times, but it's still something really intriguing. Me and a team of other OG supporters (playing the game since 2018 and the original alpha) worked together somewhat earlier this year on doing a much similar video ourselves, a deep dive into the lore but with a much more narrative and cinematic aspect to it (we wrote an entire script and all!), unfortunately we're all busy with real life and at the time of our writing, we kind of realized a lot of interest in RoN at the time was minimal since the Home Invasion DLC had not come out yet and no real news was posted. However what we wrote was very extensive. I'd actually love to chat with you further if you're interested in discussing lore and sharing notes. I'd also like to mention this little tidbit, being a OG supporter and all that, I got to speak with a few of the devs here and there. Primarily the writer of the game if I recall his position. I may be incorrect about this as I'm doing this entirely from memory but I recall him stating on one occasion (post PVP streamer event) that the story of the game remained relatively unchanged, and from looking over old supporter only newsletters, it seems to be the case. The main story has remained consistent as far as I'm aware, with some new additions here and there. I only put this here as you mention that the removal and cutting of certain content in the game disparaged the lore. Overall it remains intact, but I can absolutely understand your point and don't deny that some certain aspects (Such as the Rebels Rejects removal) did create voids in some minor areas. Although your point with the ARG is absolutely spot on, many new players are unaware of the original CARCOSA ARG Ready or Not flaunted in it's freshman days, which led to nowhere unfortunately (except for a lot of people watching True Detective for the first time). Sorry for the fat paragraph, got kinda carried away. Either way I hope this was somewhat enlightening maybe? And if you'd wish to chat further on the topic, please let me know!

[@JohnSmith-xv2ob]

Based on the information, I like to think that seeing the women and being told to leave them broke Judge's programming, and I think of the next three DLC maps as Judge's first operations since waking up. The DLCs are based on helping people in need, not tackling huge organizations. One is helping homeless after a shooting to relocate so they aren't trapped in a collapsing building, another is saving an oil magnate after being attacked by who I call "JSO With Guns", who are very intent on killing civilians, and the last is helping a FISA Agent who gave you the intel for many of the maps in the game, so the direction has turned from going after the bad guys to saving the good guys.

[@kielgardoll3278]

The feel is like a prequel to Judge Dredd or more likely the first Mad Max film, which has highway patrol police in the last days of a collapsing society

[@o__math]

I didn't watch the full video yet, but one thing that you've made me think is... (ESL, bear with my English please) When you kill too much people, you get the secret command to order your teammates to kill you. This doesn't really make sense, Judge talks like he repents what he had done. What if, going along with your theory, Judge being a war vet trained to kill in a war scenario, when he kills too much people, he does this because he's recovering consciousness and asking for his teammates to end his suffering?

[@lobaandrade7172]

And he’s eerily calm when you use the “kill me” command. “I fucked up” “Make it quick will ya” “Just finish it” Maybe he non-canonically “wakes up” after killing too many civilians and surrendering suspects and he wants his life to end like Gerrard because he can’t bear what he has become

[@tiagobelo4965]

​@@lobaandrade7172note that the command (iirc) instantly shows up should you kill one of your fellow officers, meaning that the conditioning could've itself easier to break in some circumstances

[@o__math]

@@tiagobelo4965 @lobaandrade7172 Sorry, saw your replies now. Exactly that what I was thinking

[@starstruckp4808]

One heck of a video covering the current 1.0 version of the game, with a slight caveat on being done right before the Home Invasion DLC. I truly can’t wait to see some coverage on that. With how much Los Sueños is boiling over, I worry at how far chaos and disorder will arise in future updates/DLC, along with the underlying influence from the “deep state”. Also, even if it was just a few seconds, I can never hear that Banger 2022 song the same way ever again, thanks to that small coverage on Valley of the Dolls back at the RoN Iceberg video.

[@Richard-nu4fb]

In my mind ready or not is a prequel to Trepang2. the Judge is one of the first in the cycle and 106 (Trepang2) is well the 106th in the cycle. The games are just so far apart that technology advances so far and yet brainwashed individuals continue to Break The Cycle. I know, there is little to no evidence but it is now my head cannon . Plus I think these are my favorite FPS games ever.

[@ARS_FICTA]

Love both of these games that’s a wild crossover headcanon haha

[@Richard-nu4fb]

@@ARS_FICTA And It's all thanks to this video

[@BlaulingHD]

This vid and channel deserves way more attention

[@mrcurry5262]

Wait so judge has 3 daughters, but judge had nothing to say in the valley of the dolls mission. The other operatives did say something and how they felt , but judge was oddly calm.

[@SeedButter]

hmm speechless maybe? Obviously crazy traumatizing so I’m not sure

[@quagmoe7879]

Further evidence that he’s undergone some kind of conditioning if you ask me. He’s emotionally numb and so he doesn’t react.

[@mrcurry5262]

@@quagmoe7879 Yeah now I think about it maybe, cuz like I feel like Port Hokan was probably judge’s breaking point. I wanna see if going Gerard’s place had some affect on judge.

[@MoosenOggen4343]

​@SeedButter I actually just finished that mission, and when I found THAT room, I walked in, all the teammates said something, and I just like looked around, speechless. It was terrible, I can see a cop or SWAT officer being totally shocked silent

[@adanpiumpium2613]

Hope we can see what the devs intended for RoN one day, perhaps they can still shape it to what they wanted originally

[@MrMightyZ]

The headgear that the leader is wearing looks like part of a set of bomb disposal armor.

[@davidmadison5582]

I have over 150 hours in this game and NEVER put any of this together 😂 I didn't even know the main character was named Judge. This is really really cool

[@V12Maniac]

You have fully convinced me to get ready or not. I'm getting this as soon as I can

[@igodreamer7096]

EDIT: Great video, SeedButter man. Ready or Not really is the most terrifying kind of horror game, the kind too close to home. But that is only a theory 👁 Keep up the good work, man! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@metalfusion1319]

It’s gonna be dope to see the ways they take this. I’m totally cool with it telling a nonstandard cop story, they could do some crazy shit with commander mode where you have to recruit rebels and felons for your war against the government

[@Fishsquish69-p7i]

wow what an interesting video. I never thought there would be any kind of lore

[@Felixda1st]

Wish we had more video essays like this on KZbin 😭

[@IAmVenix]

I usually hate these kinds of videos but this was COOL. It's crazy how much lore is in Ready or Not unfortunately lined up to be almost totally missed or ignored.

[@Captinistaken]

You missed one small point about judge’s name. In the steam description it says David “Judge” Beaumont

[@snow-storm371]

I feel like Ready or Not we have rn is like the prologue for what happens or happened to Judge and D platoon (amazing vid btw, keep up the awesome work!)

[@ballisticpug6764]

I liked this video and it made me think. I always thought it was the other way around and that the Sullivan's Slope level was supposed to be a strawman of Ruby Ridge and Randy Weaver and I had thought the game was Fed propaganda, even though I had a lot of fun. I'm excited for the DLC! Ready or Not was the first game I got on my computer and I would love for it to be new to me again

[@gagekellstrom3978]

Yeah a lot of people called RoN “copaganda” when it came out-when the entire message of the game is “you’re a cop in a dysfunctional government and city, evil is real and rampant, you’re just another part of this broken system” which is the opposite of copaganda. It paints you as the bad guy in multiple levels, “ends of the earth” being the most obvious example, but you’re also doing all you can to bring good to the world despite every card being against you.

[@ballisticpug6764]

@@gagekellstrom3978Do you think ends of the earth is supposed to maybe contrast? You run through levels about human trafficking and very awful things, but then in the middle there’s just a raid on a bunch of athletic young men who are trying to help their grandma by printing unregistered firearms. I agree with you that I think what the police did was objectively wrong, especially so since most player/ didn’t play non-lethal, but I figured the message was more so about the moral ambiguity of being a police officer and that I was just projecting my own political opinions onto it.

[@gagekellstrom3978]

@@ballisticpug6764 I think it’s possible to even view Gerard Scott and the left behind as good guys as well depending on the level of corruption you believe the RoN government is on. If we are dealing with actual MKUltra shit then they are literally the only good guys doing bad things because it’s all they can do

[@SymboL727]

This was an amazing video and super insightful, thank you! Ending the game closing those shipping container doors for the first time was so odd to me but I never thought about it again until now.

[@raddivant8840]

Sounds really interesting. Like a mix of Strategy of Tension and MK ULTRA shenanigans - I'm really interested to see how this plays out.

[@MrStupidactivities]

Edit: I loved the video, I’m almost done with the game as I finally bought a PC that could play it. I don’t mind the spoiler because it’s going to allow me to know a lot more about the lore as I finish the last couple missions. I feel like I’ll have more of a personal/emotional attachment to the missions. I’m definitely going to play through it again after knowing all this and I feel like it’s gonna be like playing a whole new game. You gained a subscriber and a like and I don’t do that often. I’m now patiently waiting for more 😩🙏

[@john-doe7271]

Excelente video, es una teoría muy buena. Nunca le di mucha atención a Ready or Not en su tiempo, pero luego de la 1.0 todo se volvió más interesante y videos como este solo me dan mas ganas de jugarlo. Saludos desde Argentina!

[@darkbolts3302]

I wished they added a career campaign mode where you start as a low budget police department only having revolvers and pump actions to start and eventually getting better weapons armor equipment etc

[@oodam]

Damn I knew when I saw this game for the first time that it was some kind of social commentary... but I didn't think that it went this far. Great video Seed! Now I'm super amped to watch more of your videos :D

[@Foxtrot19]

11:10 could this have been addressed toward eve nader or elaine raskin, given he's already explicitly addressed a tape to her, AND Eve also speaks of him in her tapes and physical evidence in the case of "Agent Raskin"? additional mention, one of gerard's arrested lines is "What happened to me, will happen to you." i can FEEL them. 28:35 what about the rogue secret service agents featured next up on Sins? they are already deep cover on the senator's protection detail 31:30 in older builds of the game, TOC himself advises ahead of time without interruption that the FBI HRT gave orders that "the women need to remain where they are-- get positive IDs, call them in, and drop lightsticks for trailers." i'm very glad you pointed out how changing the FBI into FISA is a way to make them easily portrayed to be evil easier, because TOC wasn't interrupted in the old build and it seems like a very reasonable order.

[@KristijanRisteski-zp7bx]

I left the door wiiiiiiide open

[@laupatual7137]

The said underfunded police force having NVGs and a ludicrous amount of weapons to choose from. Anyways good stuff keep it up!

[@RingworldTyrant]

The original lore and theme of the game was that all the funding for upkeep of the station(which was underfunded to begin with) was instead being dumped into ammunition and gear, because the police force had become so desperate they decided that was the best they could hope to go with in their situation. That's why in the Beta, the station looked like it was in an underground subway station, walled off and walled in, falling apart, with boxes and boxes of ammo and military gear lying around. The cops were militarizing, even if it was futile and it killed them, at the expense of everything else.

[@ironguy366]

This video and theory is really great! but I remember a variant of this theory but meh I'll just chime in my own 2 cents. I've always liked games where the gameplay or just a game mechanic is actually canon, like in Ultrakill where all of the gameplay is canon, including the ps1 graphics being there so that V1 can render its vision in high fps so it can perform the best that it can. And with talks from Scott about a "cycle", I believe the USIA experiments on the brain, Is *us* the player controlling these people. If we take the old PvP from the Alpha builds of RoN as canon. Then it also explains why the MLO are playable characters, because they were experimented on themselves. And the reason Judge has no emotions, its because we are controlling him, thus softening his emotions compared to his peers. While we don't know how Judge felt at Voll after we see the basement. Its *us* who chooses to kill or arrest Voll. And while Judge breaks character at the container part, again, its Judge not letting his emotions getting to the best of him and it's *us* who closes the door. In my opinion, it seems the USIA is the antagonist who works behind the scenes, I think FISA might just be the Anti-Hero behind the scenes, while people might see the FISA agent shooing off Entry Team at the container to be malicious, I just thought that our job was to take care of suspects and civs, having a bunch trafficked women out in the open or even arrested would look really suspicious to D-Platoon and the other agencies, and it was FISA who chose to work with the LSPD, if they wanted to they could just go solo, I mean they have their own SWAT team and HRT unit. And the irritated Agent might be just that, irritated, this is a trafficking operation after all, It must have been really taxing on your mental to be working on it, so I just think that FISA is just trying to do their job, parts of FISA might be corrupt as seen in the LSPS mission, but I believe their Mission is just.

[@phiNjustin]

Bro casually makes the best ready or not video. Good job, love you bro theories are tough but goddamn do they make good content. Love the video wish it never ended.

[@Calhounlaw12]

This game has such an interesting story and themes. Its a shame that such large parts of its community seem to hate it. Bad updates and failure to fix issues are genuine problems with the game though.

[@DrevvDman]

Video argues Judge is the only mindless cop with a computer implant running him like a puppet (at least at the lspd). Ready or Not SWAT AI "Am I a joke to you?"🤣

[@cs-ty6ho]

Regarding the ending, the FISA agents voice reminds me of the FISA agent you arrest in the post office map, and they are defiantly corrupt as the FISA agent is covered in gold and chains

[@mordecaiandrigbone.5107]

FINAL MISSION: Port: Folio, judge and D-Platoon raid USIA headquarters backed by the atf in a last-ditch effort to stop whatever they are planning, and finally prove judges humanity.

[@loopooillohg]

defs keen to hear about the ARG

[@Fo3AR]

I always liked the idea that creating an incorruptible officer, it made them incorruptible by either side of the law. Basically succeding so well that even the USIA can't use Judge to their advantage.

[@yaoting524]

i did not know ready or not had a arg would love to see it covered

[@SheppLab]

Very interesting and well documented, hats off man 👏

[@eislia9418]

Thank you for another good one my man

[@PseudoCommando]

seedbutter gaming

[@fredd0255]

gambutter seeding

[@charleszgela7339]

geedbutter saming

[@David-sf9ut]

small correction, the "santa muerte" (36:05) bracelet is not part of the Catholic faith, its a cult in Mexico. There is, however, an arm tattoo of Mary I believe which is a bit more close to the faith.

[@razzamatazification]

wow! thanks for the effort you put in that video, i really enjoyed watching it!

[@Frilabird]

Turning a swat simulator into a campaign like you said would be so cool ngl 🔥

[@gemini4704]

6:06 go for it! I was heavily interested when I heard about it!

[@OptimizingNetwork]

The story behind Ends of the Earth mission changed my mind state on that mission After realizing that the family is selling weapons to support a mother with stage 4 lung cancer, I played that mission with non-lethal approach with pepperball

[@OpenWgamer]

I blame led poisioning for sucking at the game.

[@SeedButter]

Me too bro

[@stupidt9595]

This was VERY interesting! Great essay.

[@pontuswendt2486]

AMAZINGNES!!! And yes would like to see a video on the alternate reality!

[@jamilvints]

Bro cooked, wtf! Im questioning things now.

[@grantsrants665]

I am for the ARG video. I need entertainment while undergoing my daily mass-calorie intake sessions.

[@rockzen8050]

While Judge does have a Robotic nature in his Bio, He for sure has a Heart and means well for the innocent , As seen with the SA women in the Container an issue for his Shadow Overlords , I have a feeling we might end up with a end game that deals with his team attacking a Main compound of the Cia in game, but I also could foresee Judge becoming a Villain but in the sense that the Brain implant or drug induced subservient takes over, like in zombie Media in which the Victim can still sense everything around them normally but cant control them selves would be a very Sad end to Judge but one I could see happening in this dark gritty game - Great vid cheers

[@Praisethemooon]

Such a good video! Well done

[@terrellturner485]

I really hope this is true, it makes so much sense. Awesome video!

[@gibletti]

god stuff like this makes me wish they'd make a scenario that leaned into some real freaky occult shit like it doesn't even need to be canon or anything i just think the devs would kill it with some kinda paranormal / demonic themes

[@TheIssacMorgan]

Killer video dude!!