This post discusses the game endings and thus is a big spoiler.

So I reached two different endings in this game last night.

The first ending was at the "quantum foam" signal site. This is the one the broker warns you to stay away from. If you go to the site you won't find a signal to scan, but rather a flaring pit that looks like a big signal source. If you go into the pit you will eventually trigger an ending that shows the planet and the space fleet orbiting it. The fleet is then destroyed by energy from the signal and credits roll.

The second ending was at the Surveyor detonation site, where the broker urges you to go and set off the charge that will destroy the signal source. Again, I did not find a signal to scan, so I triggered the detonation. The same ending scene begins, but this time the fleet jumps away and the planet is destroyed. Credits roll.

In neither ending is there any text or other form of game "closure" beyond the cutscene itself. The endings feel very abrupt. I am wondering if there is a third "true ending" which is more involved. Or is it just that you are supposed to gather the story from playing, and the ending is just the final act of that narrative?

I have the same two endings. But, I haven't found all 60 pieces of informations, so perhaps this have something to do with the other ending. If any other option exists. But to be honest, I would love some "alien" ending. And yeah, a bit of explenation at the end.

Thanks for the confirmation. And it would be cool if locating all the data unlocked a further ending, perhaps revealing the true nature and purpose of the "planetary data storage" mechanism.

Same two ending here as well.

I too have not located all "globes" to scan so have no idea if it will change anything.

Either way, I was not impressed in any fashion with either ending.

I really have no desire to spend hours more walking the landscape to locate items to scan to maybe get a real ending.

Glad you two completed the game and would have liked a better ending as well.

Unfortunately, unless someone can provide a conflicting account, the only reward for scanning everything is simply the ability to read the notes for each scanned signal...

According to my 'Data Library', I have 58 out of 60 signals surveyed, and that is after searching far, wide, high, and low for the remaining ones, even after completing all of the 'mazes', as well as a certain other platformer-type course.

I assume that the last two are meant to be the last two 'missions' that lead to the two different endings (but, of course, for both, there is nothing to scan). Also, the number of signals surveyed does not increase after loading my 'completed' (with either ending reached) save file.

From what I have experienced, we start out with Connection Data Note (which has a red 'data snooper' icon to the side).

The 57 other notes are comprised of the following:

37 'Data Snooper' notes (also has a red 'data snooper' icon to the left side, these are acquired by scanning the red 'data snoopers' strewn throughout the map).
20 'Mission Report' notes (indicated by a blue icon, these are scanned during the 20 'missions'.

I hope that the developers at Big Robot eventually update the game to include more substantial endings (and the ability to somehow scan those last two signals). Having said that, overall, playing The Signal from Tölva was a very pleasant experience. (^_^)

Palestine, thanks for the update and information. It is good to know it was not worth keeping the game installed to search for nodes when it is unlikely they all can be found and scanned. Thanks for all the hard work and sharing it with others.

I have the same two endings, as everybody, and 58 out of 60 signals surveyed. I don't believe is another secret ending. This is just a small story in the vast Magnitudes universe. The Lorebook (it's inside the game folder and your GOG library) is an interesting read, which explains a lot about the whole setting.

According to a developer on Steam forums:

"There's a free expansion with a new campaign coming shortly. We're just wrapping that over the next month or two. I have some ideas for after that, too, but we'll see how it goes." That ghost appears possibly near every mission (blue) signal and you'll hear a specific noise when it appears and disappears. I've encountered it around ten times and missed it a few. If you analyze it with the binoculars, you get a message with missing parts which differ on every appearance. See the attached pictures.

Here is the whole message:

Exigent demands on access overwrite tectonic shutdown
All attempts to activate must collapse into one lattice
Trace mineral intelligence down to single response versus
Signs of sentient behaviour necessitate direct response
Unable to engage data release without third-party intervention
Network in stasis, we'd help if we knew how_

Well, probably "Unable to engage data release without third-party intervention " is that you actually do in "go to source" ending.

Also, about ending - closer to end you get several snooper which reveal
1) Zealots worships Other, which is probably one who build Tolva and other derelicts. And they have somthign to do with Signal
2) Surveyors tells that Zealots secretly worked on something on Tolva for long time.