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Research or Adv Analysis?
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T. Roab
T. Roab

Nov-22-2009 04:14

I'm struggling at Really Really Hard and above... I have Advanced Thread and Hair already. I can usually solve RRH, but almost never solve anything harder than that.

I'm thinking that adding advanced foot or handwriting would be very beneficial because I could further narrow my suspect pool, hwever I have heard research is a very useful skill too.

Skill points are coming slowly now, so while I will get all of these somrday, I was wondering which skil everyone thoght would be the most effective to help me gain back some momentum?

Toughness:1
Smarts:6
Charm:6

Skills:
Hypnotism
Intermediate Sweet Talking
Interrogation
Advanced Rule Bending
Advanced Thread Analysis
Advanced Hair Analysis
Flirting


Replies

Vulkie3
Vulkie3
Haynes

Nov-22-2009 11:00

Firstly,get the advanced smart skills,then research. There's nothing better then a developed analyzer then a researcher who has no clue about evidence. Get your charm levels up with some better equipment and you'll solve those cases in no time!

Secret_Squirrel
Secret_Squirrel
Safety Officer

Nov-22-2009 14:42

get the auto-case solver. oh wait there isn't one of those. nope, I've got nothin'.

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-22-2009 17:20

(Luv the pic, Ctown. Thought you said no funny stuff for avatars, Squirrel?? ;-D )

Like Ani said, you're gonna get a billion and one answers here. They're all valid (mostly--ignore Nephi's ;-). You'll need to decide which works with your particular skills, your personality, and your style, and which would prob'ly work best for you. All of these people are highly-seasoned, very exceptional detectives, and are among the best that Sleuth has to offer. So none will steer you wrong. (And even Squirrel's got a whole lot more between 'is ears than nuts, despite the answer he gave you. ;-)

Like Irene, I'm a bit surprised that you're not signed up with SOME kind of agency, 'specially since you're subbed. I think you'll find that it'll make life a whole lot more easy on yourself if you try this road, even if it's only til you get on your feet a bit. Your agency-mates can help you handle cases that you hit a brick wall on, they'll have access to equipment you don't (and may even give you some), and include you in on a whole bunch of new fun stuff that you can't do on your own. They can also hand off cases to you, and help you get those elusive skill points that much sooner (that'd be sweet, huh?? ;-)

As for which skill, I'd say it's a toss-up between the Advanced Sweet-Talking and Research. Adv. Sweet will definitely let you advance up the food chain beyond your Really Really Hard levels currently. Research cuts out one false suspect from your list from each case. Sooo, like I said, it's a toss-up. Either way, both are high on the priority list, I'd say.

Anyway, good luck. If you're lookin' for a job, come see me. ;-)

Hope all that helps.

Breit

T. Roab
T. Roab

Nov-23-2009 16:43

So, I was up pretty early the morning I posted this and actually ended up making my decision before the first reply. I went with the advanced analysis skills (footprints to be specific) and right away this has made a huge difference for me with the IH mysteries. I even solved a SH mystery, although i spent more on bribes than I made, but hey I solved it. I'm making short work of RRH.

My thought process leans more towards logical elimination (I liked games like Clue and Guess Who!) so this works for me. Also I figure that researc will only eliminated 1 suspect, however more Analysis skills can potentially eliminate multiple suspects in a single swoop.

Thanks for all the input though. Seems like a great community. i played both Noir and Shades for about 10 days. Then I decided that despite the excellent production values in Shades, there was something about Noir that I was enjoying more so I decide to get a 3 month sub.

Not really sure how to pick an agency and i wouldn't want to join one just to help myself unless I was genuinely contributing something.

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-24-2009 13:49

Well, the best way to pick an Agency is to go have a look at some of 'em. A good way to do that is through three ways:

1. Go have a look on the Recruiting Board. You'll find groups that need people all the time. You can find out what they're looking for (if it's anything specific besides being Subbed), how long they've been in business (tends to be an indication of their reputation and dedication, both to sleuth and to their members), and who's on their Roster board (click on the person who posted the ad, that'll take you to that person's profile, and the name of their agency [that one lights up at the top of the screen in yellow]. Click on the agency name, and voila, you're at the roster. ;-) From there, you can have a look at how active the agency is (if all their members are Unsubbed and Inactive, it's prob'ly not one you wanna go with), how experienced their members are (the more the better), and how old and experienced the Agency itself is (that'll be directly on the Agency page. It'll tell you when the agency was formed, how many fame points it has [basically the equivalent of a detective's experience points], and how many hunts they've solved [most will usually have at least a few under their belt]. From there, you can contact (via PM) the ones you're interested in, see if they're hiring (most are willing to take a look at you, though they may not be actively hiring at the moment), and start getting a feel for the ones you may like.

2. Have a look at the High Scores List. Most people see all the Lists for Detectives, but many tend to miss the ones off on the right side of the screen that deal with Agencies. There's six total, I think, one for each main Sleuth city, and an overall high scores one. These are THE most active agencies in Sleuthville. They do a LOT of casework, hunts, and AVH stuff, but they also tend to expect to expect their members to be active regularly (and will kick out the ones who aren't). Go through the same process I mentioned in #1. Find some groups you like, and contact them. See who bites on the hook, so to

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-24-2009 13:50

3. Go back to the Recruiting Board, and post an ad there about yourself. Tell us what you're looking for in an Agency (do you want one that's ultra-competitive, or a bit more laid-back? Do you want a group that does a lot of Treasure Hunting, or not? How bout Arch Villain stuff? How bout rules? Do you like having a lot of order and knowing what to expect, or would you rather have a group with only a few rules, and tends to be more flexible? I could go on for volumes here, but I hope you get the idea.

Second, tell us about yourself. (We don't need to know how much experience you have and if you're subbed, etc. We can find that stuff out on your profile. Skills aren't necessary either at this point in the recruiting process.) How active do you PLAN to be (we all realize that life happens, and things change. This is simply what you think you'll be able to do.)? What kind of a person are you? Laid-back or take charge? Like to work on your own a lot, or d'you like working with the team more? What kinds of things are you wanting to accomplish in the next few weeks/months here on Sleuth? Would you like to try Treasure Hunting, or is doing basically a scavenger hunt not something that floats yer boat? Yada, yada, yada. ;-)

Lastly, do NOT get talked into something you don't want to do. Agencies have a much broader pool of possibilities to choose from than from your end. Make VERY sure that the group you choose is one you think you'll like, and can work with. And remember, no agency on Sleuth can force you to stay. If you don't like the one you're with, say sayonara, and go find another group. Trust me, it's not the end of the world if you end up having to try several groups before you find one you REALLLLLY like. Chances are, in the end, that group's gonna be the one you stay with ad infinitum.

So. There ya have it. Pick one (or more), and go for it. And like I said before, if you're lookin' for a job, come talk to me. ;-)

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-24-2009 13:50

Hope all that helps. Good luck with your search!! You're doing just fine. I promise. ;-)

Breit

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-24-2009 13:53

By the way, glad to hear that the casework's goin' better!! You'll be solvin' AI's like Ctown on a Cape Hunt before ya know it!! ;-D

T. Roab
T. Roab

Nov-24-2009 16:51

So what's the deal with Agencies and Cities? What does it actually mean for an Agency to be based in a certain city?

Breitkat
Breitkat
Pinball Amateur

Nov-24-2009 17:32

All Agencies have one city as their 'home base,' so to speak. That means that that's where their Headquarters are located, where you'll find most of their people (usually), the Equipment Locker (where all the Agency's equipment is stored, and members can make use of it), the Office Safe (which is what the rent's paid out of every night at midnight, server time, to keep an Agency in business), the Crime Lab (where group members can help each other out with evidence they can't identify on cases), the agency's Message Board (yep, each Agency has one of their own, just for their own little group), and the Trophy Room (where all of the Agency's treasure hunt Trophies are stored). All of these rooms are available for use by all members, though different ranks have different levels of privileges in some (ie--the Locker).

Now, in each of the other FOUR cities that's not the Agency's main HQ city, you'll find 'Field Offices.' These are basically satellite offices of the Agency's main HQ, but have fewer amenities. The Locker, Safe, Crime Lab, and Trophy Room are only located at the Main HQ. The Message Board and a couple smaller rooms are found at all offices.

So, most of the time, you'll be at your Agency's Main HQ (wherever that may be). When you're on some Treasure Hunts, looking for contacts, or Villain Hunting, you'll be using the various Field Offices.

By the way, there are no Offices of any kind in Shangri-la, or on the Sleuthetania (the boat that travels back and forth from New York to Shanghai). You won't be able to access your Agency HQ tab while you're at those locations.

Hope all that made sense? ;-)

Breit

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