Disco Elysium Pre-Release Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Daedalos]

How much cock do I have to suck to get a copy right now?

I can't take fluent and junta's constant hype comments! Make it stahp

 

[fantadomat]

ITT: Wah wah, all you get to do in this game is click through dialogue, where's the challenge?

Also ITT: What do you mean it's game over if I lose the only health point I chose to give myself???

+1

We went from "Fuck this game for not being an RPG" to "Fuck this game for not being walking simulator" pretty quickly.

I am all for "Fuck this game for not being out!".

 

[fantadomat]

bataille how is the game,is it up to your liking ?

 

[barghwata]

If you set your fysique at 1 and don’t put an extra point into endurance, you’re going to die every time you fail a check that causes you to lose health.

I will add: if you set your Psyche at 1 and don't put a point in Volition, you're going to give up and lose every time you fail badly enough at anything to lose a Morale point. If you make a super fragile build, it's gonna be hard -- you're effectively one snake-eyes away from Game Over. But you absolutely can do that if you want to.

I have absolutly no issue with this, stats should be very important in defining what your character can and cannot do, that's fine, my problem isn't with stats it's with skills, the game should at least allow you freedom in how you spread your skill points, it's fine if a build doesn't work and gets you killed, but not if it blocks you from advancing in the game because of certain skill checks you're forced to go through.

i am completley for the idea of your character failing due to their incompetence, in fact i generally play CRPGs with perma death when it's possible, when i die or fail i delete my saves and try again (i hate all sorts of save scumming and SP hoarding), but getting blocked by the game is just unbearable, because then you're left with two choices:

1- get triggered and stop playing, wasting all of the time you spent on your run or..........
2- spend your points in skills that go against the type of character you wanted to roleplay, both of these options suck for me.

If the game gives you enough ways of circumventing the skill checks or making them easier, i can certainly live with that.

 

[Terenty]

(You still might have to waste a skill point from time to time though. Suck it up bucko.)

I still maintain that all plot related checks should be red ones, where you either risk it and live with consequences (for example someone dies, some evidence is lost forever etc which leads to unsolved case after 50 hours of playing) or look for alternative solutions.

But the game never should just stop in its tracks waiting for you to spend a point on unwanted skills.

 

[barghwata]

(You still might have to waste a skill point from time to time though. Suck it up bucko.)

I still maintain that all plot related checks should be red ones, where you either risk it and live with consequences (for example someone dies, some evidence is lost forever etc which leads to unsolved case after 50 hours of playing) or look for alternative solutions.

But the game never should just stop in its tracks waiting for you to spend a point on unwanted skills.

Indeed, i prefer my character getting fucked over for failing skill checks and living with the consequences, then having to give up the type of character i wanted to roleplay just pass those checks.

 

[Prime Junta]

Dudes, let's not blow this out of proportion. Having to spend a skill point or two in some way you didn't plan for isn't "getting your character fucked over." It's just "not getting exactly what you want," which is kind of a running theme here. You absolutely do not have to do that often enough to seriously skew your build, and if Kyl Von Kull is right you might not have to do it at all.

The bare fact of the matter is that yes there are white skill checks blocking progress in important quests, and it is possible to fail enough of them that you'll have to spend a skill point if you want to progress in them rather than just letting them drop. I do not know for certain what repercussions this has for progress in the game as a whole.

 

[Zombra]

Thanks for clarifying the skill point thing Prime Junta. I was slightly drunk when I read your post so please don't think your wording was the only thing at fault.

 

[barghwata]

Dudes, let's not blow this out of proportion. Having to spend a skill point or two in some way you didn't plan for isn't "getting your character fucked over." It's just "not getting exactly what you want," which is kind of a running theme here. You absolutely do not have to do that often enough to seriously skew your build, and if Kyl Von Kull is right you might not have to do it at all.

The bare fact of the matter is that yes there are white skill checks blocking progress in important quests, and it is possible to fail enough of them that you'll have to spend a skill point if you want to progress in them rather than just letting them drop. I do not know for certain what repercussions this has for progress in the game as a whole.

It's a matter of degree, if the game does this alot it's a problem, if it does it only a few times, it's not that big of a deal

 

[Zombra]

I will admit to some disappointment that you can't fail at every single mission/skill check and still continue the game if your character is alive. Something to work on for the sequel. But to be honest I am going to try to complete missions anyway, just using different builds, so the reality is it's not going to change my experience at all.

 

[Terenty]

Dudes, let's not blow this out of proportion. Having to spend a skill point or two in some way you didn't plan for isn't "getting your character fucked over." It's just "not getting exactly what you want," which is kind of a running theme here. You absolutely do not have to do that often enough to seriously skew your build, and if Kyl Von Kull is right you might not have to do it at all.

The bare fact of the matter is that yes there are white skill checks blocking progress in important quests, and it is possible to fail enough of them that you'll have to spend a skill point if you want to progress in them rather than just letting them drop. I do not know for certain what repercussions this has for progress in the game as a whole.

Yeah, no point in arguing, lets see when the game comes out

 

[Prime Junta]

Another thing about builds. Skill points are just a part of it, Thoughts are at least as important and at least I intend to be pretty systematic about them in my second and subsequent playthroughs, once I've discovered what the effects are.

Remember that (1) you only have 16 Thought slots, (2) you only get 4 of them for free, the others cost a skill point each, and (3) forgetting a Thought costs a skill point, which is then completely wasted. So, basically, THC slots are a scarce resource that you'll want to use as effectively as you can.

Mechanically, Thoughts do two things: they give bonuses (and/or penalties), and they raise learning caps.

Consider Volumetric Shit Compressor. It raises your Endurance learning cap to 4 and resets all Endurance checks (or was it all white checks?), and adds a situational bonus to the hurl check.

What this means is that Volumetric Shit Compressor is a complete waste of a THC slot for anyone with Physique 4 or greater, because your learning cap is already 4 or more. The only thing you get is a free re-roll, while using up one of your precious THC slots. So if you're unlucky with that vomit check and still want to examine the corpse, it's smarter to spend a skill point on raising your Endurance for a reroll than to internalise the thought for the same result: you won't waste your THC slot, you'll permanently gain a point in Endurance, and you'll improve your odds of beating that check.

The character-building thing is that different Thoughts are more or less beneficial for different builds. Shit Compressor for example is extremely nice for a Physique 1 character, because it really is nice to have more than 1 hit point, so having the option to buy more is highly attractive. OTOH the Some Kind Of Superstar Thought would be a bit of a waste if you're pretty cool anyway, whereas it's not a waste at all if you're actually kind of a dork. Eventually we'll have a full list of Thoughts and their mechanical effects and we'll be able to plan builds around them, the same way we do for, say, prestige classes in D&D or power builds in the Pillars games.

 

[bataille]

Any bugs on preview build?

Only a few. At one point, the screen refused to show anything despite the sound indicating that the game was still working (happened after a loading screen). The options seem to reset occasionally, but that may be due to me playing offline. Pathfinding is sometimes unresponsive, and you have to move the cop somewhere else before interacting with objects. Some older resolutions are a bit glitchy. There hasn't been anything major, however, or anything really annoying. Just the usual small stuff.

Speaking of bugs: in a certain basement, there is a freezer that requires you to equip your prybar to open it, but even with it in hand, the check still tells me there's a -20 penalty to the roll for not having a proper tool. Is this a bug, or maybe I need a different tool?

 

[Prime Junta]

Is this a bug, or maybe I need a different tool?

Bumped into the same thing. Assuming that I need a different tool, because I don't think you can attempt it at all without the prybar. Could be a bug though? Kras Mazov

 

[bataille]

Aaaaaaa, what's in the box? What's in the effing box?!

 

[Terenty]

The bare fact of the matter is that yes there are white skill checks blocking progress in important quests, and it is possible to fail enough of them that you'll have to spend a skill point if you want to progress in them rather than just letting them drop. I do not know for certain what repercussions this has for progress in the game as a whole.

Sorry to bring this up again, but i just read Robert Kurvitz blog post on white skill checks and he specifically talks about them as gates to side content(loot, side quests etc)

Any thoughts?

 

[Lithium Flower]

Any thoughts?

Ice cream is tasty.

 

[lobsterfrogman]

Another thing about builds. Skill points are just a part of it, Thoughts are at least as important and at least I intend to be pretty systematic about them in my second and subsequent playthroughs, once I've discovered what the effects are.

Some clarification on how thoughts work please. When you discover a thought you don't know what it does and you have to "research" it (from a lack of better word), yes? But once you research it you are stuck with it unless you spent a skill point to clear your mind. Is this a guessing game or do you get a message what the thought does before you research it fully so you can abort it if you don't like it? If so, what happens when you abort? Do you lose the thought forever or you can swap it out and resume research later?

 

[Helly]

If I have only one thing to say about Disco Elysium, it's good fucking luck to anyone that'll try translating it.
I'm not even saying this because of the 1 Million Words (tm), but mostly because the writing style feels so peculiar that it would be fairly easy to make it lose all its charm and coherence in the process.
Anyway, for better or worse I'm as hyped as I was for Torment 2.0.

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

Aaaaaaa, what's in the box? What's in the effing box?!

fluent's dildo stash?

 

[Kasparov]

I will admit to some disappointment that you can't fail at every single mission/skill check and still continue the game if your character is alive. Something to work on for the sequel. But to be honest I am going to try to complete missions anyway, just using different builds, so the reality is it's not going to change my experience at all.

Holy shit you guys. Too much text to go through and so much confusion clogging the Codex pipes tonight.

You can absolutely reach the end of the game by being an absolute loser, dead body swinging until the very end and everything. The game will react to those choices and present you with a different ending from, say, a parallel playthrough where you excel at something or other.

Forget saving skill points for white checks!

Spoiler

Unless you want to, of course – I guess power gamers / speedrunners might want to have more control after a couple of playthoughs with different builds.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Is this a bug, or maybe I need a different tool?

Bumped into the same thing. Assuming that I need a different tool, because I don't think you can attempt it at all without the prybar. Could be a bug though? Kras Mazov

You need a different tool. If you checked everything in the bear fridge in the same room, you’ll know what’s in the box and have a clue about who might help you extract it.

 

[Prime Junta]

Some clarification on how thoughts work please. When you discover a thought you don't know what it does and you have to "research" it (from a lack of better word), yes? But once you research it you are stuck with it unless you spent a skill point to clear your mind. Is this a guessing game or do you get a message what the thought does before you research it fully so you can abort it if you don't like it? If so, what happens when you abort? Do you lose the thought forever or you can swap it out and resume research later?

It's a guessing game. You takes your risks and you rolls with them.

That said it's far from random. The Thought description gives a fairly good idea of what to expect, for example it shouldn't be a surprise that Some Kind of Superstar makes you cooler, or at least increases your potential for coolness... with perhaps some negative side effects.

I would imagine that character building geeks (me f.ex.) will spoil the fuck out of themselves for subsequent playthroughs, for minmaxing goodness.

(Thanks for clearing that up Kasparov, and apologies for the fake news.)

 

[Kasparov]

Haha, no problem. Just thought I’d interfere before there’s an all out panic

 

[Terenty]

Haha, no problem. Just thought I’d interfere before there’s an all out panic

Thanks for the clarification!