The Signal - Tick Tock Achievement - 30G

TEXT WALKTHROUGH:
LOCATION #1: OH DEER DINER
After facing the group of Taken in Oh Deer Diner, the first alarm clock can be found in the kitchen area to the right, just before you leave through the back door.

LOCATION #2: PLAYGROUND
After fighting the poltergeist in the playground, the second alarm clock can be found on a park bench nearby a fallen tree.

LOCATION #3: CHURCH BASEMENT
The third clock can be found on an arm chair near the stairs leading outside. Be careful, a large Taken will attack you when you go to get it so make sure you put a flare down first so you can get your bearings after picking up the object.

LOCATION #4: WOODS - BROKEN TRAINS
During the DLC, Wake will stumble across a large section full of broken trains where "Fireworks" and "Boom" is hovering above. Several Taken will also attack you, so make sure you're on top of the situation. The clock is by a train on the path to the right.

LOCATION #5: TENT
The fifth alarm clock can be found inside a red and white tent. The tent is also protected by a light you can turn on which will be able to save you extra time for the Taken that sneak up on you. Make sure to place down a flare before picking up the alarm clock, for extra protection against the Taken.

LOCATION #6: TELEPHONE POST GRAVEYARD
While in the telephone post graveyard, Alan will drop down twice onto a level below. Just before going down the second time, go right to find a wooden fence. Follow it until it leads you to a small alcove where an alarm clock is. Make sure you put down a flare since the Taken will be very close behind you.

LOCATION #7: DEATH RALLY ARENA
During the DLC, there will be a death rally where two monster trucks will attempt to kill Alan. First take down both trucks as you will need to trek some distance to get this clock. When both trucks are destroyed run over to the far right corner of where you entered the arena (Also if you face the silo doors that you need to go through next, the alarm clock is to the left) it will be next to a pile of wood.

LOCATION #8: PIER
This is the one in the DLC which can be easily missed, mainly because you have to backtrack on a section which you've been...But you haven't. During the level, you goes underneath a wooden bridge where he is attacked by several Taken including one large tough one behind him. After defeating them all (or running away) you have to create a ladder. After climbing the ladder turn 180 degrees and run across the wooden pier that you can see directly behind you. At the end is an alarm clock.

LOCATION #9: AFTER CHAINSAW ATTACK
The Taken seem to be rather fond of chainsaws...And your face. However there's only one chainsaw-wielding crazy guy in the DLC who introduces himself throwing a box in your path. After defeating him head to the metal mesh fence at the back of the area he was in to find an alarm clock tied to the fence.

LOCATION #10: WAKE'S HOUSE
When you return to Wake's house go to the room where Alice asked you to look at the book covers in the full game. The office also contains the book series and several awards. As you enter the room, the final alarm clock is on your right.

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH:

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The Signal - Videos

HOW TOs:
- How To Redeem Your Alan Wake Code

TRAILERS
- The Signal Trailer

E3 2010
- GamerLive Interview (with Oskari Häkkinen)

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Fan Section - The Signal

If you have any fan work that you wish to share on this site, please contact me at jadenmorretti(at)yahoo.com and send your work over and I'll add it to the site and send you a link over to you when it goes live : )

• Fan Fiction

• Fan Art

• Fan Films

• Other Fan Creations

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The Signal - Cutural Reference

• Mirra Was Here
  In the bathroom, the final cubicle has the words "Mirra was here". This references the Address Unknown series in Max Payne 2. John Mirra was the antagonist who the hero thought he became. Through out the series it is believe that Mirra killed the hero's girlfriend.
   
• Verizon GPS
  In the cabin at the start of the game, Zane tells Alan to follow the GPS signal on his phone. Since his phone is a Verizon brand then he would be using the VZ Navigator app.
   
• CHRISTINE!
  After Alan walks outside to find that the location has changed, the red car directly in front of the house is a 1958 Plymouth Fury. The car is Christine in book by Stephen King.Despite the car being ultimately (and understandably) evil in the book/film, it is the old car which doesn't try to kill Alan as he makes his way to the bookstore on the other side of the road.
   
• The Conspiracy
  "I guess the pen is mightier-"
  "Finish that sentence and you're fired."
  "...Mightier than the sword."
  "Your fired!"
  When Alan uses the words to create a large explosion, Barry quotes The Conspiracy, a play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton called Richelieu.
  
• Death Rally
  Close to the end, Alan will come across a wide gravel track with two possessed monster trucks who are both trying to kill him. Barry who is standing in the centre on a log pile calls it a "Death Rally" which the title and gameplay of Remedy's first game.

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The Signal Walkthrough

After the short introduction to the episode, the game starts with Alan walking into the Oh Dear Diner. He notices that something wrong as the atmosphere is darker and heavier and the characters are distorted. The first thing that the player needs to do is to walk to the back of the diner and to the bathroom just like in the first level of the full game. Also like the full game, Odin will call you over to ask you to play Coconut, which you can do but the music comes out distorted just like the other character's voices.

When you get to the men's bathroom, the door will be jammed, press B to make Alan break the door in. Inside the room is a large mirror, which Zane communicates to you through. He tells you that you are going deeper and Alan is going into insanity. Zane shows you what is happening inside Cauldron Lake Lodge, Alan is on the floor, mumbling to himself and caught up in his own self-madness. After a short speech, a flashlight and a revolver will materialise through the mirror. Press B to pick them up.

EASTER EGG: In the final cubicle is the words "Mirra was here" this references back to the Max Payne games and the Address Unknown series involving the antagonist named John Mirra.

After arming yourself, walk back into the main diner. On the way back the protagonist will experience the first of a series of waves which changes the location slightly. When you arrive back where you started, Alan will appear on the television screens which are dotted around the area. The TV tells you that enemies are about to attack Wake, including one that will smash a door down. When you have control again, head to the front door of the diner, despite what you're thinking this isn't the door which the TV mentions but rather it's the door leading to the kitchen on the opposite side of the room. You will have a few seconds before the ambush begins, so train your flashlight on the kitchen door since one of the big tough enemies will enter through there.

Four enemies will attack you. The first is one of the big strong Taken who will smash down the kitchen door. The other two are not as strong but incredibly sneaky. One of them will appear from behind the counter and the final two appears from the hallway that you just left. Since you have no flares this battle can be a little tricky. You can follow these tips to survive:

• The first one on the right is the fastest, so take him out first. 
• Make your way to the second one in the hallway, but always have your torch boosted at him to drive him back. 
• Turn around, the big Taken should be close by now but you can always back up now that you have the hallway. Focus on him and take him out. 
• Stay in the hallway since this means you don't have to worry about surprise attacks. 
• The final one should be on the left sneaking up, wait until he enters the hallway to use the light. If you shine the torch at him early then he can jump to the right and avoid it. 

Now that the fight is over enter the kicten. To the left is a fragile wooden door. Press B to make Alan smash it. Now walk out into the light which leads you into the woods, the light fades slowly but the source of it is your target, however there are dangers in your path. As you begin to walk you can hear the sound of two fast Taken. You can either kill them or you can run past and head towards the light. Fighting them may loose ammo but you can always pick up some more later. If you also stand to fight than there's a chance you will also loose health, whereas with running you can preform the dodge. Running away is the easier option, but you will need to dodge about three times to avoid any blows. Press the left button whenever you hear the Taken close behind you.

The light leads you inside a house, when you enter the front door will close behind you, for now you are safe. Follow the light to the back of the house, and press B to pick up the manuscript page on the floor. Picking up the page will initiate a cutscene in which Alan uses the torch against hovering words. Using the light on the words makes them come true. Now Alan has a phone including a GPS system to guide him through his fractured memories. Go through the house to the front rooms. In the hallway you can see the word "flashlight", use the light of the torch to make the item appear. Now Alan is equipped with a heavy-duty torch. Another way will surge through Alan's mind and the location outside the cabin will change. You can go outside via the main front door that you entered previously, but I suggest you don't just yet. Instead walk into the room on the left to pick up a flaregun, one flaregun ammo and a box of batteries. Now leave the house through the front door.

CHECKPOINT

Alan is now opposite the Oh Deer Diner, the target now is to get to the book store to the right from the current posistion and on the opposite side of the road. The only issue is that poltergeists will try to kill you. Walking forward will cause the three television sets in front of you to come to life. The screens shows Alan lying on the ground, the voice telling him that the cars will turn against the character and try to kill him.

EASTER EGG: A 1957 Plymouth Fury is parked outside of the house, this is a reference to Stephen King's Christine. Ironically it is one of the only few cars that will not turn against you.

The cars which will become poessed by the Dark Presence are:

• A White Car (First wave)
• An Orange and Red Pick-Up (First wave)
• A School Bus (Second wave)
• A Rusty Tow Truck (Third wave)

The easiest method is to just run to the bookstore which will save you health and ammo. If you are detirmined to fight the cars then I suggest using the flashlight on everything apart from the school bus. Since the bus can cause more damage, the best thing to use against it is the flare gun you picked up from the house.

After getting to the bookstore, use the flashlight to burn away the possessed door so you can enter.

CHECKPOINT

Inside there is another ambush waiting. Inside there's a word reading "Tools", when you use your flashlight on this, it will give you three flares, shotgun ammo, a shotgun and revolver ammo. Now prepare yourself for a fight. As you walk into the next room on the right, two Taken will appear behind you. Three more in the room in front of you including a large Taken.
Here are tips for surviving the fight:

• Immediately place down a flare. 
• Switch to your revolver
• Turn to the two that are sneaking up behind you. 
• Take out the one closest to you then the one behind. 
• Walk into the other room but not completely in so you will get overrun. 
• One Taken should jump out at you so prepare for this and take him out quickly.
• There should be a large Taken behind him. 
• Switch to your shotgun.
• Back away slowly but make sure you don't back into a corner. 
• When the darkness is burned away, two shots are all you need to kill him.
• There's a small Taken who will appear. Switch to your revolver and kill him.

Walk out of the door, and into a car park covered with red laterns. You will get another call from Zane informing you that you are still sinking. The call is followed by another surge of force and the locations change again.

Walk directly in front of you to the stack of wood piled up against a wire fence. Climb on the wood and over the fence.

CHECKPOINT

Alan is now on a street which has been destroyed. You can hold the left analogue stick to get a better view of the broken road. Your destination is directly in front of you but I reccomend going left down the road instead to pick up several items. On a porch you can get two packs of batteries, revolver ammo and shotgun ammo. Further down the road on the corner, you can get a flashbang and a flare.

STATUE #1 - SARAH BREAKER
If you continue to travel around the corner you will also find another flare as well as the cardboard statue of Sarah Breaker.

If you went to get the items/statue, return back to the fence.

Cross over the road by using the broken pathway and head into the park directly in front of you. Once again it's another ambush, not just by the Taken but by a flock of crows. There are a large group of Taken, so I highly recomend running up the stairs directly in front of you and following the path to the street light. Use flares to keep the Taken away from you and try to run when you aren't using them.

If you detirmined to fight against the Taken, then you're insane. But you can use these tips:

• Don't fight straight away, instead back away so that the Taken gather in a group. 
• Equip your flashbang by pressing the down button on the directional pad twice. 
• Throw the flashbang at the group. 
• As the crows swoop down, use a normal flare. 
• Take note where the remaining Taken are and back away in the opposite direction, your main focus should be on those birds.
• After defeating the birds, return to any remaining Taken.

I highly recommend not using the flare gun during this fight for reasons that will become obvious later on.
 
If you do defeat all the Taken, you can get the Tools which are located at the back right corner of the park which will give you a pack of revolver ammo, 2 flares, a pack of batteries and a pack of shotgun ammo.

Now run into the streetlamp light. to restore Alan's health.

Walking into the street will make Zane phone you again. He informs you again that Alan is sinking. Another surge will destroy the phone connection. Over to the left hand side of the road is a blinking light, head in this direction. Use the boxes to climb over the wooden fence. Prepare yourself for another ambush. One Taken will jump down from the roof behind you with three other Taken in front of you and a fifth walking downstairs. You can run up the steps to the right and use a flare to get past the Taken walking down. Quickly jump over the fence to the left. Or you can fight them all, here are tips if you want to do that:

• Light a flare
• Take out the enemy that is sneaking up behind you first. 
• Run down the alleyway you just came from.
• The Taken will all charge at you at once, so share the flashlight beam between them all keeping them a comfortable distance. 
• Once all of the Taken have had the darkness burned away shoot up them. 

Now run up the stairs to the right and jump over to the other side of the fence.

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An Introduction to the Alan Wake DLC Packs

There are two DLC packs for Alan Wake. They continue the storyline, after the events of the main game, but they are also optional content.

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The Signal is the first DLC pack released by Remedy Entertainment on 27th July 2010. The pack contains episode seven which continues Alan's journey into the dark.

Fans who bought Alan Wake new will be able to download the episode for free using the discount code on the back of a postcard located next to the manual in the game box. To redeem your code, press the shiny menu button on your controller and go to the tab called "Market place". There's an option to redeem your code, click on it and type the code on the back on the postcard.

In the level, Alan must face his internal struggle, and travel through his subconscious, a distorted image of Bright Falls, to save himself. The only thing to guide him through the hellish nightmare is a GPS signal and Zane's guidance.

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The Writer is the second DLC pack released by Remedy Entertainment on 12th October 2010. The pack contains episode eight which continues Alan's journey into the dark.

The pack can be purchased from the XBOX Marketplace for $6.99 for console version of the game, however if you have the Alan Wake Collector's Edition, the DLC comes included. If you're playing the game on the PC, the packs will come with the game.

In the level, Alan continues his journey through his subconscious to save himself. The landscape is faltering away now, turning even more into a nightmare.

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The Signal - Cardboard Companions Achievement - 25G

CARDBOARD STANDEE #1 - ODIN ANDERSON
When you enter the car park with the red lanterns, turn left and head down the little alleyway to the side of the building you just exited. The image is turned around so it can be hard to see.

CARDBOARD STANDEE #2 - SARAH BREAKER
As you come across the road which is completely broken turn left and walk down the path. Follow the path of hovering flickering text.  When you get to the end of the road, turn left and the statue is by the white van.

CARDBOARD STANDEE #3 - BARRY WHEELER
As you enter the church, turn left. Barry's statue is in the corner of the room by the first window.

CARDBOARD STANDEE #4 - CYNTHIA WEAVER
As you are about to enter a section with a TV surrounded by books and bookshelves. Turn around and go through the gap between two train

CARDBOARD STANDEE #5 - TOR ANDERSON
Before going over the fence towards the Death Rally, the fifth cut-out is in the corner of the small area near the rock wall.

CARDBOARD STANDEE #6- ALICE WAKE
Before using the crane with a box of cargo to cross over the water, go over to the word "Switch" On the opposite side of the area to the word is the final cutout.

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DLC #1: The SignalReview

• IGN
  "I can safely say that in this episode the demented mind of Alan Wake takes full control. He must battle his demons across a shifting dreamscape that resembles the setting of Season One, only far more twisted, and a lot more interesting."

• The Telegraph
  "The Signal offers players some new variations from what they've come to expect from Alan Wake. First off, the beautiful and atmospheric Pacific North small town environments have been filtered through the fractured lens of Alan's neurotic subconscious. Vast chasms have opened up in streets, different environments spiral into each other without rhyme or reason and characters Alan has met before appear as ghostly phantoms."
  
• Eurogamer
  "Alan Wake is best when it's ending. That's a compliment. The game hits an aesthetic high whenever one of its episodes draws to a close, with a stark title screen and a cut of music that's perfect for the moment. I savour those few seconds when the text ("End of Episode Five" or what have you) slinks on-screen in tendrils of smoke, and I love that the song makes everything you just played feel like a grand journey."
  
• Gamespot
  "The chilling atmosphere that made Alan Wake such a scary experience has been replicated faithfully in The Signal. Many of the environments you travel through have been borrowed from the original game, but they have been changed in the transition. Because this episode takes place entirely within Alan's mind, the world has undergone some transformations. "
  

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