Topic: Disco Elysium

@Kidfried It can take some time to get used to how you select items too; once you press X, your guy will then wander around to the right position to interact with it no matter how close you are.

But yeah, talk to everyone, checks are sometimes meant to be failed, and don't be afraid to go weird!

@Kidfried The time is pretty sketchy. Some things move it forward and others don't. I'm by no means an expert but I did keep an eye on it because I wondered the same thing, and I found that I think that conversations that advance the story in some tangible way move time forward while general chit chat seems to not. So like just going round and exhausting all conversation options will not advance time every question, but just the one that gives you the bit of information you need to progress.

I think.

But I also think the time doesn't matter that much either.

@Kidfried I definitely don't want to say 100% as I used no guides when playing and winged it - so there might be something I didn't notice or just didn't come across - but in my experience no, not really. It doesn't seem to matter. Like it's not a ticking clock like in Persona where a certain thing is going to happen on a certain day and woe betide you if you messed about at the batting range or taking your girlfriend to the burger shop.

In Disco Elysium time moves on but then once you've been to bed and you're back at it everyone is kinda just back where they were. So certain things can perhaps be only done at night - but it doesn't matter which night. Certain things you need to wait for a specific time but it doesn't matter if it's today or tomorrow. From memory there were no hard cut-offs where I specifically needed to do a thing and couldn't because I spent too long talking to the locals.

Also, deviating from the main path is actually useful. And honestly recommended. I know that your partner will chime in and be like, "Hey this is nothing to do with our investigation," or whatever, but there's no negative consequences to taking on side-quests. It helps build your character. You should do every quest you can, unless you disagree with the quest on moral grounds or whatever.

@Kidfried Time advances when you interact with anything except bubbles. Usually when you talk to someone or read a book and such.

@Kidfried Time stops at 2am but there’s normally very little going on at that time.

It feels like you need to do as much as possible but I don’t think there is actually a rush. One part of the map doesn’t open until after a bit of time but I don’t think the story pushes on at a certain point but more once you’ve hit certain points.

Basically, don’t get too hung up on it.

@Kidfried How're you getting on with the game?

And has anyone else tried a hardcore run of the game yet?

@Kidfried Yeah, the game’s definitely made by Europeans for Europeans, the unique post-Soviet perspective is what grounds an otherwise made-up world in reality.

@Kidfried I think the game is quite clever in subverting your expectations of a game. The start felt to me like it was intentionally vague with things to go with the fact you don't know anything about yourself or what is going on. It is a bit discombobulating but it almost seems like it's supposed to be. It also wants you to play it differently by mocking you for being boring, saying sorry etc.

With stats, I thought it would be more interesting to go all in on certain areas to get higher level access to some options but by the end of the game, I had so much XP that I had pretty decent stats across the board but with some especially high. The amount of clothing I had also meant I could tinker with stats to normally get the level needed to pass checks. As for checks themselves, it's clever that the game WANTS you to fail some.

Minor spoilers incoming for early game stuff!
The biggest example would be the check that Joyce gives (to do with your badge I think?). Failing it unlocks the task of investigating the drug smuggling which reveals more stuff about the case. Pass the check to start with and you'll never get that task and part of the story.
Spoilers end

Glad to hear you're enjoying it though. I really want to do another run at some point, probably in hardcore mode, and just go off the deep end with hedonism and fascism, and maybe a later one as a paranormal detective.

@Keith_Zissou Yeah, just figure out what kind of person you want your guy to be and roll with it. The game encourages you to be a bit weird and it’s probably most fun to lean into some specific character trait.

Also, don’t worry about failing speech checks as sometimes that leads to more interesting things and if you find yourself at a dead end there’s almost certainly someone else to talk to..

Enjoy!

young man, pick up guilty gear strive or kingdom hearts 3

@DivinityTaste

Started DE last week. It's great and unique in many ways. I like the political nature and the bizarre thought processes are amazing.

The intro is great, the menus are boss and the creativity is ingenious.

On the end day 2 about to go to bed and have a decent handle on what I need to do. I've put most of my points in Rhetoric, Encyclopedia, Drama and Conceptualisation. Playing it straight, avoiding drugs and drink.

Pretty cool brain cabinet idea I learned was one which is giving me 1xp every time I click on a bubble. I think I got that off the lady on the boat.

@themcnoisy The jamais vu thought is pretty overpowered and means you can end up ridiculously levelled up by the end of the game. I had that plus Art Cop which gave me XP for arty responses and I had a ridiculous set of stats in the end.

It sounds like your style is going similar to mine and probably quite a common way to play through the game.

The story opens up even more once you get to the second half of the map too. Enjoy!

@Thrillho I'm almost at the end of Day 3 now. Strangely I've just compartmentalised Art cop and that's right over another cop one I wish I didn't do (average cop or something). I've browsed some of the earlier comments in this thread and like @kidfried wish I knew what I was getting into with the thought cabinet. Not being able to deselect it and potentially wasting a point is frustrating. But that does kind of sum up my playthrough. Initially I wasn't worried if I said something crazy - that's changed now. I want to play my character sober and nice. I kind of have to as Volition is at 1 and Authority is -2!!!

I chose art cop as I wanted to get the paint off the girl who lives above the apartments. My conceptualisation stat is quite high already so fingers crossed when I stick it back on I have more dice rolls against it. Kind of wish I didn't click on everything to start with now!

@themcnoisy I finally ended up finishing that side quest with the girl’s paint on literally the final day 😂

@nessisonett Day 3 hero over here. I picked something about light shining over darkness. Glad @Thrillho mentioned the 2am thingy as I went to bed at around 9pm the previous nights. Picking up tare with my bag and flashlight, bringing home the bacon.

@themcnoisy Once the map opens up, you’ll have a little more to do at night-time. My favourite scene in the game can only happen when you’re on your own without Kim after he goes to bed!

@Kidfried Loads to think about. I'm having conversations with my limbic system as we speak, mine has a nicer voice though tbh. My electrochemistry on the other hand is smashing me in the face asking for coffee and Turkish delight. It's 9pm mate, if I have that now I won't sleep! 'only 9pm, this isn't like you at all. Are you an old mangled corpse or the life of the party' - select middle option 'im neither of those'.

Shivers 'at 3pm last night you heard a groan coming from a bedroom next door'

internal empire 'maybe you should investigate that'

logic 'ay it was probably next door having sex'

electrochemistry 'sex yes that's why you want to stay up until 3am in the morning'

1- take coffee
2 - what's sex
3 - ask Jean about the proliferation
4 - buy booze

@Kidfried Congrats! Hopefully you’re pleased with the outcome although I was a little let down that it all eventually got pinned on the random bloke that you meet right at the end.

I’d be interested to see how it ended up for you but I guess it won’t be too far from how it finishes for most people.

@nessisonett Which scene is that you’re talking about?

@themcnoisy Most of the time there’s not much to do by 2am but there is a long “side quest” on the second part of the map that runs late at night. Ultimately though, using more time doesn’t make too much of a difference I think.

And I like this thread being bumped as it always nudges me a bit more towards my second run of the game