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

AdolfSatan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,871
No, that's not it. If you can tell them to carry on so convincingly that your wife's boyfriend is able to stay, ah, firm of purpose, that's savoir-faire. The test is whether they believe you.
Gotcha. Still, I think the way it's presented there lends itself to both interpretations, it's a bit ambiguous if one comes without the foreknowledge of it.

I don't see what's pompous about the joke--it's a notoriously difficult concept to translate into English
Precisely that: you don't translate jokes. It comes across as pretentious and it never works.

Anyway, I like how they're implementing it in No Truce, along with a skill for drug abuse and all sorts of other fun stuff. Marat Sar has delusions of grandeur, but he's right that METRIC looks like it has the potential to be the greatest character creation system ever devised.
Agreed on that. Please don't fail us.
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
Disco skills: http://zaumstudio.com/2018/03/13/meet-the-skills-psyche/

Meet the skills: Psyche



In a previous blog post, Lead Designer Robert Kurvitz introduced the Intellect skills, which allow you carve up the world every which way, and assemble new and wondrous things from the pieces. Now I’ll talk about the six Psyche skills — Volition, Inland Empire, Empathy, Authority, Suggestion, and Esprit de Corps.

Generally speaking, these six unstable dudes will make you into a more sensitive person. This is both good and bad. Of all our four Attributes, Psyche is the most schizophrenic. You will be a magnetic personality able to pick up on other people’s feelings, a powerhouse of imagination and charisma. But this will also make you a greater burden on yourself.

VOLITION


Volition is the foundational skill for Psyche, as Logic is for Intellect. However, while Logic may sometimes succumb to the temptation of intellectual arrogance, Volition is more consistent in getting you out of trouble. It’s your inner good guy.

Volition is all about having a moral compass and the willpower to resist temptations — from the sweet smell of liquor to unsavory urges. Yes, you can bear the profound tragedy of human existence, Volition tells you. No, you do not need to take a swig from that bottle of vodka to help you do it.

And when your ego is being inflated by self-congratulation and flattery (say Logic and Authority are having a big old party in your attic, egging each other on), Volition intervenes to cut you down to size before you do something abominably stupid because you’re feeling almighty. Volition is the party pooper.

It’s also the skill associated with your Morale — one of the two life bars in the game, along with Health. It represents your will to finish the investigation, redeem yourself in the eyes of others. Run out of Morale and you’ll give up in a series of excruciating “I don’t wanna be a cop any more scenes” where your friends get exceedingly tired of talking you back from the ledge.

INLAND EMPIRE


Inland Empire is your unfiltered emotions, dreams, and forebodings. Basically, Inland Empire has a lot of interesting (read: wrong) ideas about the world. It lets you know when there might be something mysterious or spooky going on. Why would you want to be just a regular old cop when you could be a para-natural detective, groping your way through invisible dimensions of reality? it asks you. (Inland Empire is, after all, the Lynchian skill.)

Inland Empire can also offer helpful hints via gut reactions – though you can never be sure when and to what extent to trust its enigmatic messages.

Of all the skills in the game, Inland Empire has been one of the wildest to write, since it also represents your uncontrollable imagination. When Conceptualization under Intellect is an art critic, Inland Empire is an unwitting creator. It turns inanimate objects animate and lets you have conversations with your gun, the corpse of the deceased – maybe even one of your items of clothing. The information it provides may prove right… in retrospect.

EMPATHY


Empathy is your ability to pick up on subtle cues that indicate that something is happening beneath the surface of other characters. Not that they’re lying to you, exactly — Drama (under Intellect) is your go-to for picking up on lies. Rather, Empathy lets you know when there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Perhaps a hidden sadness that a good detective should be able to coax out of the people he’s questioning. Or hidden resentment toward the detective himself.

Have too little of Empathy and you turn into an ungainly beast who is unable to read basic social circumstances and may or may not be forced to become a virulent… well, let’s just say, you may not have as much control over some of your politics as you’d like. Empathy is not all honesty and feelings, it’s also a basic social survival skill that makes you come off as caring and emotionally intelligent. (Even if you’re not!)

AUTHORITY


Authority is the skill that likes to fly into a rage when it feels like you and your profession aren’t being RESPECTED. It constantly urges you to reassert your dominance over those around you. Was there a hint of sarcasm in that elderly scientist’s “It’s a pleasure to meet you, officer?” Demand that he change his tone, or else!

Every so often, Authority also supplies useful information. For example, it can help you understand the power dynamics of a group of thugs, or let you know how far you can push someone before they push back. But, to be honest, it’s mostly about displays of self-assertion, which are quite important in police work.

Authority is perhaps the craziest skill to have little of. Yell at teenagers, start crying while you’re angry, verbally abuse your partner to no avail. Threaten to arrest people, then back off. If you constantly fail at asserting yourself as a police officer, you run the risk of becoming the fabled Meltdown Cop.

SUGGESTION


Suggestion is the skill of manipulators and charmers. Need to talk someone into something or out of something? Suggestion will hint at the right approach to take.

In contrast to baton-flailing Authority, Suggestion is all about soft power — why threaten someone when you can make them believe their interests are aligned with yours instead? You’ve just gotta find the right words, man.

Suggestion also lets you know when someone is trying to charm you, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s just an innocent flirtation – but how can you be sure?

Suggestion is also what people in Brittain call a slimey-limey. It’s oleaginous, even when it succeeds. And when it fails… oh boy. If you thought failing at Authority was bad, try failing at Suggestion, Casanova Cop. Aka Copponova. Aka Romeo Returns Alone.

ESPRIT DE CORPS


Esprit De Corps is your “meanwhile, back at the ranch” skill. It’s distinct from all the other skills in Metric in that it supplies the player with information that is beyond the scope of the protagonist’s present experience. Not in a para-natural way – rather, as literature. Esprit de Corps produces flash-sideways mini novellas of your cop friends, doing their cop stuff while you do yours.

Thus it draws parallels between your travails and those of your fellow officers all throughout Revachol. Esprit de Corps represents your connection to the RCM – Revachol Citizen’s Militia – the police force you’re a part of. And, more specifically, your Station – Precinct 41.

Esprit de Corps also looks in on your partner, Kim Kitsuragi, when he happens to be away. Thus, this system allows us to show what your party member is doing when he’s not in the party.

Take this skill if you like postmodern trickery. It’s a luxury skill, of course. But we see great potential for it in future titles. Esprit de Corps tells you: it’s not all about you. There are other stories happening parallel to yours. There’s a constellation of cops out there, solving cases, giving up and picking themselves up again…



That’s the gang this time around. Max out on Psyche in character creation, and these skills will argue, fight, and play tug-of-war with one another, attempting to make you follow this or that irrational impulse. It’ll be a blast, but make sure to buckle up!

A high Psyche goes well with most builds. Combine it with high Fysique for an absolute raving mad man. Or high Intellect for a mental bastion. Or high Motorics for one cool cat and charismatic leader.

Till next time!

 

Kyl Von Kull

The Night Tripper
Patron
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
3,152
Location
Jamrock District
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Oh my fucking god. If they're half as good at writing this game as they are at describing it, I will be the happiest man alive. I may self immolate in protest like a Vietnamese Buddhist if doesn't come out this year.

Also, Ms. Moskvina appears to be a better writer than tovarisch Kurvitz, at least in English. :shittydog::shittydog::shittydog:
 

Madawc

Educated
Joined
Mar 6, 2017
Messages
66
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
You had me at Inland Empire and Esprit de Corps. When can I start throwing my money at this?
 

Lhynn

Arcane
Joined
Aug 28, 2013
Messages
9,825
At least it will be better than PoE2.
No way to be sure. PoE 2 could end up being the arcanum done right we have been waiting for. It could be the intellectual take on BG2, it could be the gameplay improvement to a PST-like narrative we have been praying to get, it could be the bloodlines without the flaws we can only dream about. It could very well be the Deus Ex of RPGs.
 

fantadomat

Arcane
Edgy Vatnik Wumao
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
37,087
Location
Bulgaria
At least it will be better than PoE2.
No way to be sure. PoE 2 could end up being the arcanum done right we have been waiting for. It could be the intellectual take on BG2, it could be the gameplay improvement to a PST-like narrative we have been praying to get, it could be the bloodlines without the flaws we can only dream about. It could very well be the Deus Ex of RPGs.
It will be a game about Voltron being possessed by a buggy god....we could be fairly certain about not being a masterpiece. It could end up being a decent game,but i am fairly certain that i will like the writing more in disco elysium.
 

Prime Junta

Guest
I wonder though, if I roll with a high-Volition cop, how would I have ended up a terminal-phase alcoholic half-naked on my face in a pool of my own vomit in the first place? What manner of tragedy would have broken my iron Revacholian will?

:mystery:
 

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
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Messages
11,539
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I wonder though, if I roll with a high-Volition cop, how would I have ended up a terminal-phase alcoholic half-naked on my face in a pool of my own vomit in the first place? What manner of tragedy would have broken my iron Revacholian will?
Simple. The pregame is where you hit rock bottom. START GAME is when your spirit tiger awakens and your Volition score explodes in a powerful transformative moment.
 

Marat Sar

ZA/UM
Developer
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
49
Whether any of this happens in the game or not, it's entertaining reading now :D

We try not to use examples of skill use that aren't in the game. When the !!PROMOTIONAL COPY!! says you invent the future of dance music, start crying in front of a teenage girl, or Jean Claude Van Damme spin kick someone, we want to be at least 80% certain you'll get to do that with the right build. I'm sure we end up mentioning some things that get edited out because they don't work. (For dramatic or production reasons). I can't think of one right now, but I'm sure there will be some.

Candidly speaking, I like to keep my bullshit at 20%.

When we mention stat raising and lowering effects (low Electrochemistry makes you a bit frigid, low Empathy makes you into a brute), expect there to be at least 1 or 2 moments in the game's writing where a low skill score actually does play out like that. Do NOT expect to find those instances on your first playthrough, however. This is a game that rewards repeat sessions. And do NOT expect them to be super balanced. Of some things there are many, other are rare. That Electrochemistry thing happens like, once. Being a brute because you have low Empathy comes up way more often. Succeeding Empathy checks currently gives you over 200 occasions of correctly reading people's emotions. (Honestly, we should dial it down a bit)

Curious if the game will have a console commands,would love to replay the game with a max stats guy.

I'm on the fence about a new game + mode that adds maximum buffs. I would rather have players roll a different character and pick a different approach to police work the 2nd time around. Find out the differences that way. There is a bit of a Groundhog Day vibe to some of the more heavily designed parts of the game. Supraman (what we call the maxed out test dude) sort of ruins that. Imagine if Bill Murray just did all those things at once...

I wonder though, if I roll with a high-Volition cop, how would I have ended up a terminal-phase alcoholic half-naked on my face in a pool of my own vomit in the first place? What manner of tragedy would have broken my iron Revacholian will?
:mystery:

Perhaps the national socialists in the news comments are right and we really do have a bias toward white middle aged men? Who said you yourself are at fault for being this way? Perhaps you were... royally fucked over?

Technically speaking though: Volition can also be a stubborn idiot. There's an occasion where the guy strongly advises you to forego talking to one of the most important characters in the game, because he wants you to take a seat. I'm interested to see if some players take that advice. The game certainly allows for it. Also, having a high Psyche and thus a high Volition also means you have a high Inland Empire. And that guy causes all sorts of trouble. It's a paradox in Metric: the same Attribute that gives you self control takes it away. We wanted Psyche to ramp up the internal struggle, not just give willpower.
 

Kyl Von Kull

The Night Tripper
Patron
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
3,152
Location
Jamrock District
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Whether any of this happens in the game or not, it's entertaining reading now :D

We try not to use examples of skill use that aren't in the game. When the !!PROMOTIONAL COPY!! says you invent the future of dance music, start crying in front of a teenage girl, or Jean Claude Van Damme spin kick someone, we want to be at least 80% certain you'll get to do that with the right build. I'm sure we end up mentioning some things that get edited out because they don't work. (For dramatic or production reasons). I can't think of one right now, but I'm sure there will be some.

Candidly speaking, I like to keep my bullshit at 20%.

When we mention stat raising and lowering effects (low Electrochemistry makes you a bit frigid, low Empathy makes you into a brute), expect there to be at least 1 or 2 moments in the game's writing where a low skill score actually does play out like that. Do NOT expect to find those instances on your first playthrough, however. This is a game that rewards repeat sessions. And do NOT expect them to be super balanced. Of some things there are many, other are rare. That Electrochemistry thing happens like, once. Being a brute because you have low Empathy comes up way more often. Succeeding Empathy checks currently gives you over 200 occasions of correctly reading people's emotions. (Honestly, we should dial it down a bit)...

So, just out of curiosity, how much do you think is written at this point?

Also, will your novel be translated into/published in English before No Truce comes out?

Perhaps the national socialists in the news comments are right and we really do have a bias toward white middle aged men? Who said you yourself are at fault for being this way? Perhaps you were... royally fucked over?

National socialists are never right about anything except maybe fiscal policy. I certainly trust an artists’ collective to portray substance abuse correctly, but it worries me that you guys are so abstemious (at least according to Prime Junta). Fingers crossed that at least the electrochemistry checks are written under the influence.
 

Marat Sar

ZA/UM
Developer
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
49
So, just out of curiosity, how much do you think is written at this point?

Also, will your novel be translated into/published in English before No Truce comes out?

I would rather not bring out the measuring tape at this point. All I can say is: things aren't looking bad.

The book will sadly not be released before the game. It would have been a hell of a conceptual move, but 1) Interest before the game launches would be minimal 2) Both the author and translator are hard at work on La Discothèque D'Elysium. It will (probably) be released some time after the game.


I certainly trust an artists’ collective to portray substance abuse correctly, but it worries me that you guys are so abstemious (at least according to Prime Junta).

Oh, we've snorted the entire alphabet. You don't quit before you've done too much.
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
Marat Sar can't find proper words for this update, and even picture.

What I want to say - be careful, our shit Universe won't let such beautiful things like your game to exist, so be very careful what you eat, and when crossing the street look left, then right, or opposite in UK.
Also, I have no idea about my future even month ahead, and more to say today is election day, Russia electing "new" old executioner, so what level of the opression will be achieved after that nobody knows.
So, I have found a perfect man for advertasing or marketing for Russian audience, if you intend to do something like this at all I doubt you will find someone more profesional and I'm sure you wont find anything remotely close rpofessional for that money.
If you interested, let me know, I'm not sure if I should make it publicly or better use PM.
 

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