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potatodude
potatodude

May-11-2005 07:14

hmmm now i'm stuck.

my detective isn't ready yet to deal with really hard mysteries, yet i can't earn any more skill points on hard ones anymore.

should i start stacking up money on intermediate/hard mysteries, to prepare for bribing townies for information?

or should i just wait for favors since i always seem to get 1 skill point from favors...

or should i just look at the way i'm solving mysteries, see if there's anyway i could improve (i.e. waste less questions)...

i'll be doing all i guess, but i just wanted some suggestions. thank you all.

Replies

P. Rockwell
P. Rockwell
Well-Connected

May-11-2005 11:01

Dude! Are you from Idaho?

(I am!)

potatodude
potatodude

May-11-2005 21:00

uhh nope.
good potatoes they have i've heard.

Sir Kittithaj
Sir Kittithaj

May-14-2005 03:59

I had the same problem until now.

I had all smart skills and 2 basic charming skills: Sweet Talking and Rule Bending. Then I attempt at the big skill - Hypnotism - since I already had a good relation with the Order of Socrates.

Big mistake.

After getting Hypnotism I found that Hard level mysteries didn't gave me enough experiences anymore. I also got really cocky from the newly acquire skill. So I went to Really Hard level. I did some successful cases, although I bribed my way through them, adding to my already large hubris.

Then, when I stuck with some case, I just guessed, trusting my calculations that the chance to be wrong was minimal (see "False accusations?" for more.)

And that was my downward spiral.

I not only made one false accusation, but THREE of them. Combined with one earlier mistake in the beginning of my career, they were four wrongs which had to be erased - twice.

I lost about $12,000 for that.

I went back to Hard level immediately and painstakingly solved them for 4-5 days until I got enough point to learn the skill Flirting, also got the tailor as my second contact along the way.

Now I was ready for the Really Hard case.

By the way, I had the same difficulties when I went from easy level to intermediate. Got 3 false accusations (later the last one added up on my recent mistakes,) on my last dime, almost retired.

So the moral of the story:
1. Learn basic skills first!

Hypnotism is a good skill which might give more suspects per question, but Flirting will help unclamming half the suspects and townspeople.

2. Do not switch level if you're not ready!

Stick to the old level. Although you get measly experiences, some day you'll have enough points to learn an important skill to help you advance to the next level.

Elsa
Elsa
Well-Connected

May-14-2005 09:52

another lesson might be to get your advanced skills (sweet talking and rule bending) before you go for the faction skills.

jstkdn
jstkdn
Well-Connected

May-16-2005 04:30

I agree with Elsa on this. Sir Kit, I think the moral of your story under 1 in to learning the basic skills first is good, but mentioning hypnotism and flirting is not the greatest idea.

For tough either in combination or not with smart:
You are better off with getting beyond the first intimidation and interrogation. Then research and lock picking, and some smart skills. Except the smart skills of the smart contact you have.
The faction skills like hypnotism, should come after that.

For charming either in combination or not with smart:
You are better off with getting beyond the first rule bending sweet talking. Then research and lock picking, and some smart skills. Except the smart skills of the smart contact you have.
The faction skills like hypnotism, should come after that.

Flirting can be considered another charming interview skill, that only works for the opposite sex. In that sense, I would get that as a charming person after the more advanced rule bending and sweet talking, research and lock picking. Which you can use in every game, on any gender that it is relevant to.

That flirting unclams 50% of the time, depends on what level you play at, in combination with the equipment you have, and other skills. For you the 50% may hold true, but for most others it most likely won't.

Sir Kittithaj
Sir Kittithaj

May-17-2005 01:09

Well, I was talking about my own experience here.

As you can see, my character is a very smart type. So I started by learning every smart skills available - Research, Hair and Thread Analysis. I thought, from reading detective stories especailly Sherlock Holmes, that hair and thread would be the most likely to be appear and used to caught killers (and also because they're the cheapest.) So I went with them and they worked really well for me. I then learned every smart skills one by one. It worked for me since people didn't clam up that much during the first levels. And most of the time I could bribe through them and still stayed profitable.

After all had been learned, I went with charming skills, just in time to unclam people on harder level. After I had both Sweet Talking and Rule Bending (and Hypnotism,) Hard level was a cruise for me. But I stuck at the Really Hard level.

At that point, I had to play Hard level mysteries for 2 days per 1 point. It was really terrible and I wanted to get out of it quickly. That's why I learned Flirting immediately and switched level. If I wanted to learn Advance Sweet Talking or Rule Bending I would have to wait another week. No thanks.

Since I had both Sweet Talking and Rule Bending, and was wearing smart and charming items, it was my greatest interest to learn Flirting at the time since I would have the full benefit of it. And although I didn't learn Hypnotism, I would learn Flirting before both advance charming skills anyway, since it was cheaper (I was using greedy algorithm there.)

And no, I didn't mean that Flirting unclams 50% in that sense (although it could be true, I don't know.) What I was saying is Flirting will help unclamming women - which were half of the population. There 10 townspeople you could talk to - 5 of them are women. Also if distributed fairly, half of the suspects should be women too. That's why I said it will help unclamming half of the population (of course, it doesn't work anytime.)

Sir Kittithaj
Sir Kittithaj

May-17-2005 01:19

So, trying to generalizing the lesson I learnt, I came up with 2 moral: learn basic skills first and don't switch level too early.

The Hypnotism vs. Flirting would be a bad example to you, but it worked in my case. What I'm trying to say is: if you have to choose between them, choose the basic one first.

Also, I don't know if the lock picking would work for me, since I have no toughness item at all. I frown upon having a tough and sometime law-breaking detective, at least the one that bears the same name as me. I am planning to start a new vicious character however, after I'm done with this one. But that is in a far, far away future...

jstkdn
jstkdn
Well-Connected

May-17-2005 04:32

Sure. But in advising newbies, maybe it is best to advise on their game. I tend to not advise people on how I gathered my skills and equipment. I never sought advise, and bought charming skills as smart/tough detective. I got research way too late. And I purchased too much useless stuff in the detective shop and wasted money. I also paid Shady too much, by guessing.
Luckely, I did decide to not advise newbies, until I figured this game out completely both on the charming, smart, tough side of the spectrum. I figured there is no use in advising someone, without having some of the skills that I am advising someone else to get over there other, and to understand your archtype.

I am sorry you picked to be a very smart detective. You'll know what I mean once you start playing rediculously and impossibly.

Sir Kittithaj
Sir Kittithaj

May-17-2005 05:14

Hmm... although I'm not that experienced, I think my advise is generalized enough to be used by anyone expecially newbies.

I consider myself to be an advanced newbie, who can give an advise or two to people who're younger than me and have the same problem as me - like potatodude.

However, I think I understand enough about skills I have learnt, whether it be Flirting or Hypnotism. I will not touch anything that I'm not familiar with - like the whole Tough skills. I also think I understand about my archtype quite well, although may not as much as you.

About the Very Smart archtype: it serves me well until now. I will deal with the highest level problem later (it would take a long while.) Correct me if I'm wrong, I personally think the Tough and Smart would be the weakest skill to begin with since it's opposite of each other and the gears normally would cancel themselves.

However, aren't all archtypes supposed to be equal? Balancing them should be very important job. I think Ben would not let any archtype to have great advantage over others or it will ruin the game.

Sir Kittithaj
Sir Kittithaj

May-17-2005 05:17

A little mistake:

I personally think Tough and CHARMING would be the weakest skill to begin with, since it's opposite of each other, and the gears normally would cancel themselves.

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