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May-10-2005 05:05

is it helpful at all? one of my detectives purchased this and sometimes all it does is make everything more confusing.

May-10-2005 05:15

it just tells you when the suspect or townsperson is about to clam up. I've never had much use for it...

May-10-2005 06:43

I find it quite useful. If I had someone and I could only ask one more question, and I knew thr alibi. I can check if I have all the suspects/motives I need and if I do, I know not to waste the question on that suspect.
If you see what I mean.
The same with the towns people.

May-10-2005 17:13

This is very true Nancy. But, it kind of depends what other useful skill she still needs.

I really can't judge, as I got stress detection last, and never started with it. I heard someone say it is only useful when you just start playing. The reason why I am saying the below, is when you start playing, you really need so many skills REALLY badly.
This makes me lean towards not getting it, but getting something else. But I could be wrong...

If CHM purchases the rule bending, and the sweet talking skills. She would make a better investment then stress detection. She would actually get extra questions, instead of just knowing she is about to not be able to ask anymore questions.
Also if she gets research, she can knock off a suspect. Or if she gets the basic smart skills like hair, she also needs to ask less questions. Or if she gets lock picking, she can ask every game one question more, to two suspects/witnesses.

So it is really a choice. Does she want to be able to ask more questions, or does she want to just know that she can not ask anymore soon.

Not knowing you can not ask anything more, is something that you'll know at some point. You also learn to play the game in a way, that you never waste questions.

May-10-2005 20:37

I bought stress detection and now it seems that everybody is stressed out. Even the bartender is clamming up on me. What's going on?

May-11-2005 03:00

It's what stress detection does - not stress them, but show you when they (suspects as well as townies) get too stressed to talk anymore, which you couldn't see before you got the skill. Nothing besides that has changed, they don't clam up faster than before if that's what's worrying you :) - maybe you moved up a level?

May-20-2005 06:15

Stress detection just tells you how many questions they'll answer before shutting up.

Here's a simple guide based on what i've observed:
Intermediate and below = Average of 2 questions willing to answer, occasionally 1. Sweet Talking yields +2, +1 occasionally. Threats yield +2 occasionally, +1 almost all the time for me.

Hard and above = Average of 1 question willing to answer, occasionally requires some kind of persuasion outright.

Always ask for their alibi, as other suspects can usually be obtained through other suspects. Besides, it's better to save those 'valid questioning coupons' for determining who is the criminal.

May-20-2005 14:08

I disagree about asking for the alibi first. I think it's better to have a complete suspect list, since you can always count alibis using responses from those who don't clam up. If you don't have everyone on the list, you might have missed the guilty one and if your first suspect clams up before you get any other names from him or her...

Some suspects give a huge list of names, some only give one or two. Besides, research gets one of the pesky alibi questions out of the way...

May-21-2005 11:43

I hapen to be found of Stress Detection, but then again I'm a new player myself. It frustated me before not knowing when I would have one shot left in asking a question. Now, as long as I know I have all of the alibis accounted for, I can always ask the townspeople for their notes.

I fully agree that having a full suspect list first is a good idea. I once had to quit a favor case because I couldn't find the motive. Frustrating like crazy.