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By popular demand posted:There are definitely some interesting people you meet and have a chat with and then never see again. Because a lot of those people are Kickstarter backers.
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Apr 18, 2021 21:54
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Shen is a cool person who can also kill you with a toothpick.
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Apr 18, 2021 22:02
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Obligatum VII posted:Every single one of the vendors has a lot going on. None of the NPCs in Heoi are really throw-away characters. Maximum Law is a cocky nerd, like a more annoying Blitz. He can be grating, but is deliberately written that way.
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Apr 19, 2021 00:55
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achtungnight posted:I recognize Aberdeen as a district of Hong Kong also featured in the game Sleeping Dogs. Wanchai Market is a common area of Hong Kong referenced in that game and another- Deus Ex. Hong Kong has a very different geographic layout in both those games and this one, so we can’t yet be sure what other common areas will pop up. Any that do, or any references from one game to another, are quite welcome in my opinion. So, Sleeping Dogs did terrible, terrible things to HK’s geography to make it more of a video game map. All those in game neighborhoods you mentioned exist and are located on Hong Kong Island proper, some of them separated by the fact that Hong Kong island is mountainous as gently caress and you need to traverse some tunnels or seaside arterial roads to get between them. Wan Chai is another affluent high rise commercial and residential area (IRL location of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center) on the North Shore of Hong Kong Island adjacent to the central business districts of Central and Admiralty (where the IRL HK government complex is, and again full of high rises) to the West and Causeway Bay to the East. Further to the East on Hong Kong Island along the North Shore is where North Point is. For HK geography, there are 3 main parts of the territory to keep in mind: Hong Kong Island, which is capped by Victoria Peak and with the main commercial districts along the North Shore of the island, facing Victoria Harbour and the Kowloon Peninsula (where even in Shadowrun, the main commercial focus of the megacorps are and where the Executive Board of the Free Enterprise Zone meet), plus smaller communities on the southern shore of the island facing the Pacific (where Aberdeen and Kennedy Town are, amongst other neighborhoods); the Kowloon Peninsula, where Heoi and the Kowloon Walled City (duh), plus the former Kai Tak Airport (now an open smugglers’ haven and where we first got to HK in this game) are located, and where the Whampoa we’ll be visiting is further down said peninsula; and the New Territories, which were what the British leased for 99 years from the Chinese following the Opium Wars, in part for defensive depth and fresh food and water supplies to their new settlement, most of which is former farmland and outlying villages now heavily urbanized, especially in Shadowrun, and are located to the north of Kowloon Peninsula and connect Kowloon to the Chinese mainland. The New Territories also includes a number of outlying islands, most prominently Lantau Island, which is west of Hong Kong Island, and the IRL location of the current Hong Kong International Airport, the famed Giant Buddha statue, and HK Disneyland.
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Apr 19, 2021 02:40
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Kanfy posted:Very handy for a player decker, in Is0bel's case there is the minor catch that one of her two Lvl 4 crew abilities gives her a version that's twice as good and won't stack with it.
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Apr 20, 2021 12:07
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Xander77 posted:Huh. Really twice as good? Should I update the "before I play" wiki? The one available now is just the +20% version as opposed to +40% from Dual Routine Boost, but I did actually forget that you can eventually just buy Dual Routine Boost from the store rather than it being unique to Is0bel. So yeah, buying it for her is an option there. E: Had some wrong information here, it's what I get for double-checking from the unofficial wiki instead of the game. E2: I adjusted the BIP wiki page a bit myself, there was a tip claiming items given to companions disappear in this game which is not true unless there are some specific circumstances for it happening that I don't know about. Kanfy fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Apr 20, 2021 |
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Apr 20, 2021 12:44
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Kanfy posted:
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Apr 20, 2021 18:44
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they patched it in the bugfix patchmod that kanfys rollin with, i thought?
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Apr 20, 2021 18:59
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bob dobbs is dead posted:they patched it in the bugfix patchmod that kanfys rollin with, i thought?
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Apr 20, 2021 19:04
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bob dobbs is dead posted:they patched it in the bugfix patchmod that kanfys rollin with, i thought? That sounds like an issue that would be beyond the bugfix compilation's capabilities to fix, and I can't seem to spot it in the changelog at any rate. Obviously you can never tell what kind of bugs arise with this game, but while there is the issue of your companions' items disappearing for the mission's duration if you overwrite them (as I mentioned in the first update) I at least could not reproduce your own items vanishing whether I overwrote things or not. With the 3 attempts I gave it trying this and that, they'd be gone from your personal inventory at the end of a mission, but each time they were always properly present and accounted for in the stash. Kanfy fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Apr 20, 2021 |
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Apr 20, 2021 19:14
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Shenmue taught me about Hong Kong unfortunately it didn't quite have the level of detail to really recreate a slum so I thought the OG Kowloon Walled City seemed like a rad place to live.
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Apr 21, 2021 06:52
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I also played it at release and got the disappearing items bug. From what I remember, any items, including spells and guns, you gave to companions at the start of a mission they would have for the entire mission. However, when the mission ended their whole inventory reverted back to default, and anything you loaned them was gone forever. I lost a unique gun by giving it to Duncan, that way. The bug persisted at least to when they released the FLC postgame missions. Maybe it got patched sometime after that?
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Apr 21, 2021 13:23
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I dont know posted:I also played it at release and got the disappearing items bug. From what I remember, any items, including spells and guns, you gave to companions at the start of a mission they would have for the entire mission. However, when the mission ended their whole inventory reverted back to default, and anything you loaned them was gone forever. I lost a unique gun by giving it to Duncan, that way. This bug is also the flipside of another equally common bug of items appearing where they're not supposed to. Let me tell you: you're not supposed to be able to use Matrix programs outside of the Matrix on account for the math being entirely different. It kind of shatters the game difficulty when you can do 75
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Apr 21, 2021 21:24
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GhostStalker posted:HK’s geography If Kanfy's cool with it, I can post the map that was provided to Kickstarter backers. It's got some names of places we haven't learned of yet, so that may be a touch spoilery.
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Apr 22, 2021 20:26
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those all exist in actual hk tho, lol
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Apr 22, 2021 20:28
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Negative_Earth posted:If Kanfy's cool with it, I can post the map that was provided to Kickstarter backers. It's got some names of places we haven't learned of yet, so that may be a touch spoilery. I had that same map since I backed it as well, but damned if I remember where on my old hard drive it is. And yeah,  . It’s all IRL locations (or just about, accounting for some fudging for gameplay reasons and lore fuckery, plus devs based in Seattle/wherever FASA was based (Chicago?) and freelancers not knowing the nuances of HK geography and not bothering to look it up on a map, since I guess easy resources such as Google Maps didn’t exist at the time they wrote it).
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Apr 22, 2021 20:52
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ks map was 2015something, I thought?
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Apr 22, 2021 21:52
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I don't know what that particular map looks like exactly, but Hong Kong place names are certainly no secret.
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Apr 23, 2021 08:12
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The release was in 2015, but the SR era was 2056.
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Apr 24, 2021 14:30
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Part 13 - CSI: Hong Kong NEW MUSIC:  (There's a couple of track names that allude to the content of the mission, so I've abbreviated 'em just to be on the safe side. I really like this track though, in my opinion Hong Kong easily has the most atmospheric music in the series and this is amongst the first examples I always think of.)   [Surveying the streets, Duncan's shock at the scene is readily apparent.]  drat... I expected this place to be a total dump. This just looks like anywhere else in Kowloon. Why did you expect that? The Whampoans are squatters - they moved into the mall after the Crash of '29. I'm used to the squatters in the Barrens. I guess after 25 years, they've had a chance to really make the place a real home. Saudade, maybe? [She shakes her head.] No, that's not it. It's close, but...[She lets the sentence trail off into nothingness, clamping her mouth shut for a moment.] [Is0bel sighs heavily.] This place seemed like heaven, after the Walled City. Like the whole world had unfurled in front of me, and anywhere I turned there was the promise of a good life. Turned out this place was just as crappy as everywhere else. Everyone was still in it for themselves. Such is the way of most of life. It's up to you to find meaning beyond survival.[Racter glances down the street in the direction Is0bel is staring.] If their ways didn't strike a chord for you, so be it. Make your own way. If my own life in the Barrens taught me anything, it's that if you can find people worth sticking with, they'll save your life. You live for each other, watch each other's backs.[Duncan shrugs.] That's about as deep as it gets for me. Perhaps, then, that is enough. If it works for you, good. I've seen pictures. It looks like a yacht. [She nods, lips pursed.] That's the one. Kinda hard to miss, and it's been a fixture since late last century. These days, it's just a squat. Shops are family affairs, not corporate ones. Is there anything I should know about the Whampoans? They're all tech-heads, tinkerers, and self-taught scientists. Despite the fact that there's no formal education system, everyone here is pretty smart. They apprentice kids to skilled workers so they can learn a trade. Elder Gao taught me decking, and I left after she got brain-fried trying to crack a Mitsuhama network. Elder Ip taught me to shoot. He should still be here. Come on, let's go see what they have to say for themselves. Aside from the whole serial killer thing, Whampoa Garden sounds like a pretty decent place to end up in for our first real job. Before we put our murder investigation hats on though, we have not only one, but two crew members to look through as we still haven't properly introduced Is0bel and Racter only just signed on.   The crew tech wiz is mostly brains over brawn as expected, but Is0bel clearly did also pay attention during Elder Ip's lessons as she can fire a gun almost as well as Duncan. She has no cyberware other than the Datajack she needs to do her job and which enables potential Smartlink weapon usage. Fun fact, her base attributes at this level are actually 100% identical to those of Blitz from the previous game.  Is0bel's physical firepower is quite considerable. Her Customized Slivergun causes minor bleed damage innately and comes with a burst fire function, of which the latter in particular is a pretty nice feature. Pistols as a weapon type have the lowest direct damage potential, but the second highest accuracy at range after rifles, and the highest variety of both abilities and available gun types. At very high ranks non-revolver types can take shots at multiple targets at once, and there's even a ranged disarm at 9 Pistol skill, though reaching that requires deeper dedication for handguns than most people have for their own children. Her Mini-Grenade Launcher packs a strong area damage punch mostly limited by its miserable ammo count of 2 and the risk of friendly fire. Certain crew advancement upgrades can power up her basic shots, though at least right now her Remote Mines are generally the superior option anyway. She of course also has a cyberdeck which, as mentioned in the previous update, is currently the equivalent of the second-tier Renraku Kraftwerk-1.  In addition to some basic healing supplies (but no Trauma Kit), Is0bel carries a Smart Proximity Grenade that sticks to the ground and deals 16 area damage to anyone who is in or enters its radius. Unfortunately a fancy grenade is still a grenade which means it costs 2 AP to throw and relies on Is0bel's pitiful throwing skills for its range and accuracy, so she tends to prefer her explosives launched rather than lobbed. Is0bel obviously has no spells to go through, but she does have one non-weaponskill ability apart from the Remote Mines that we've already covered:  Mark Target 1.0: Marks an enemy, making them 10% easier to hit for 1 RND. Uses Decking skill for accuracy. Cost: 1 AP. Cooldown: 1 RND.The classic decker utility skill returns once again, though it's likely to see less use here than in Dragonfall. Is0bel's Decking skill is slightly worse than Blitz's was, and she tends to prefer shooting and/or blowing up people herself over helping the squad do it better anyway. In addition, her current proficiency in Pistols and her unique Slivergun give her a couple of weapon skills:  Aimed Shot: Single shot with +15% accuracy and which pierces 2 Armor. Cost: 1 AP. Cooldown: 3 RNDs. Burst Fire: Two shots with high critical hit chance using 3 bullets. Cost: 1 AP. Cooldown: 3 RNDs.Aimed Shot is the standard basic firearm ability which we saw with Duncan and which Gobbet has since acquired as well. It's slightly more effective than those as it has the additional trait of piercing 2 Armor, but its primary role of finishing off low-HP enemies remains the same. Burst Fire is an innate ability to her Slivergun and it is pretty awesome, just as strong as Duncan's assault rifle version but only for 1 AP with the tradeoff of having a hefty cooldown. As with the standard variant, the crit chance hovers around 90% and two near auto-crits for 1 AP and a possible follow-up shot can really wreck anyone out of cover. If she hits, of course. As a final bit of trivia, Is0bel originally carried a sniper rifle rather than a pistol, but this was changed in a very early version of the game. At least one bit of missed dialogue still refers to her carrying a rifle though.   Racter is the first dedicated rigger crew member in the series, although his actual drone skills are surprisingly low for that role. In fact Racter has the lowest stats of anyone by quite a margin, with only 68 Karma's worth of points at level 2 while the rest range from Is0bel's 85 to Duncan's 91. He has some skill in firing a handgun but nothing you'd want to rely on. Like Is0bel, he has a Datajack to help him make the connections necessary for leading the rigger lifestyle. Unlike Is0bel, his installations extend further than that, but we'll let Racter himself tell us about what else he's got goin' later on.  His low stats aren't as big of an issue as it would be for most, as Racter's own role is pretty much just to act as support for his drone, Koschei. For this he comes with the unique Drone B&R Kit that allows him to give various power boosts to his buddy, or theoretically any other drone he has equipped. More on that below.  As a clear sign of dedication to his partner, Racter has packed more healing for Koschei than for himself. It's all Tier II stuff too which is welcome, what with basic level medkits and repair kits being pretty much obsolete from the start. A Trauma Kit would still be nice, though...  Koschei with his cute front sawblade straight out of Robot Wars is a hybrid melee/ranged drone, and combat-wise the obvious main star of the duo. He doesn't have an official attributes screen, but in case you're curious, here are the drone-relevant stats: HP: 50 Armor: 4 AP: 2 Movement: 6 Body: 5 Strength: 5 Throwing Weapons: 2 Close Combat: 3 Quickness: 6 Dodge: 2 Ranged Combat: 3 These stats will increase when Racter reaches levels 3 and 5 and as he gains skill in Drone Combat. Koschei is fairly tanky and his remarkably high Quickness, decent Ranged Combat and the combined +10% accuracy boost from Racter's Drone Combat and the level 2 upgrade we picked actually make him the most accurate marksman in our crew.  Like any package deal that's worth anything, Koschei comes with a set of free grenades, currently a Fichetti Frag Grenade and a Phosphorus Grenade which lights targets on fire and strips a bit of armor while at it. His situation is the opposite of Is0bel's in that he has very respectable throwing(?) skills and no other area damage options, so he can make pretty good use of these. He also has the following basic abilities:  Single Shot: Koschei's basic ranged attack, dealing 12 damage. Target Locked Shot: Single shot with +12% accuracy. Cost: 1 AP. Cooldown: 2 RNDs. Smack: Koschei's basic melee attack, dealing Strength + 3 (so currently 8) damage. Kneecap: Melee attack that deals an additional 2 AP damage. Cost: 1 AP. Cooldown: 2 RNDs.A base damage of 12 makes Koschei's turret the strongest weapon in our crew right now, but as neither Single Shot or Target Locked Shot have any kind of damage boosting properties, he's more about steady and reliable damage output and finishing off stragglers than big flashy bursts. Smack (which is a pleasantly disrespectful name) is objectively worse than Single Shot as an attack, but does knock targets out of cover. Kneecap is quite nice though, being a one-hit stun for much of the game against most enemies on a very reasonable cooldown. Duncan's Subdue is the obvious synergy here, but having a drone running around busting people's knees is just a good time no matter what. And we're still not done because as mentioned, Racter himself can use his Drone B&R Kit to give short power boosts to Koschei even though drones are normally immune to beneficial spells. All of them have an AP cost of 1 (and Racter only has 1 base AP to use with an active drone anyway):  Servo Tuning: Racter manually tunes the drone's servos, giving it +1 Strength and +1 Quickness for 1 RND. Overclock: Racter overclocks the drone, giving it +1 AP and +2 Movement for 1 RND. Cooldown: 4 RNDs. Manual Focusing: Racter manually aims the drone's optics, giving it +8%-12% accuracy for 1 RND. Cooldown: 3 RNDs. Repair: Racter remotely reroutes the drone to use backup circuits, repairing the most recent instance of damage. Cooldown: 5 RNDs.An important thing to note here is that the initial turn effects like this are applied doesn't "count" against their duration, so in practice all these abilities last for 2 rounds, provided that Koschei hasn't used up his actions for the initial turn yet. As for the abilities themselves, Servo Tuning is largely filler for when Racter really has nothing else to do while Overclock, Manual Focusing and Repair are pretty much drone-affecting equivalents of Haste, Aim and Heal Wounds. Overclock in particular is extremely good, providing a great boost to both AP and Movement and serves as a key ability for giving Koschei real presence on the battlefield. Like with spells, Racter must have Koschei in his line of sight to be able to target him. One pretty big caveat is that these buffs only half-work or don't work at all in the unpatched game. I mentioned in the LP intro that the worst bugs in this game affect core abilities of characters, and that mainly referred to Racter - trying to have him buff Koschei will simply have the abilities "miss" or only work partially. Specifically, the Movement boost from Overclock and Manual Focusing do not work properly, stripping Racter/Koschei of a big chunk of their effectiveness. Thankfully this was fixed in the Bugfix Compilation. Anyhow, while obviously not on the power level of a dedicated player rigger, Racter and Koschei bring a slightly different twist to the usual rigger archetype which is cool. In general HBS did a good job making the various crew members feel mechanically distinct this time around.  While we're at it, our accumulated 18 Karma nets Taz increases in Charisma, Willpower, Strength and Close Combat, the last of which unlocks a permanent Close Combat Defense Bonus of... some nature. There's no in-game indication of what exactly the effect is, or if there really is one at all. But hey, we have it now. We can now hit things pretty reliably and the karma injections required for increasing our muscle mass further are starting to get pretty costly, so we'll probably start looking into doing some actual Adepting soon.  That was definitely enough mechanics babble for one day, time to get things moving. First we need to learn the details of the case from whichever Whampoam Elders are still enjoying the privilege of remaining unmurdered, so we pass by a crowd gathered around a nearby building and enter the Whampoa yacht itself (which by the way is an actual mall in the actual Whampoa Garden in the actual Hong Kong.)  Nice boat. Pretty messed up that these guys get an arcade while we're stuck with that octopus monstrosity and its jealous guardian though.  We'll have to take a better look around later, but for now let's not keep our elders waiting.   Welcome! Welcome to the Whampoa, my friend! I am Elder Ng, and these are Elders Tang and Ip. [Ng gestures to the elf and human, who each incline their heads respectfully.] Thank you so much for answering our request for help. We had nowhere else to turn. As long as you can pay, I can help.   I'm glad you're still alive. When you chose to walk your own path, I was disappointed. But I still understood why you had to leave.[Ip pauses, tasting the air as he chooses his next words with care.] I hope my lessons have helped you prosper. [Is0bel blinks several times, and then looks up at Ng, her expression clouded.] Where is Yetunde, anyway? I expected her to be here.[Ng shakes her head sadly. She reaches out a hand toward Is0bel, who shrinks away from it.] She's dead. So are Gan and Nakamura. And Tong was killed just tonight. So much blood. You have to stop this from continuing.[Is0bel's expression remains impassive, but her knuckles grow white as her hands ball up into fists.] That's... That's what we're here for. We'll stop the killings.[Ng lifts a hand, wiping away tears from her eyes.] Thank you, Is0bel. Is0bel's sure had a recent increase in the body count of her previous acquaintances. Alright, let's start digging into the details and see if we can't do something about this troublemaker. What can you tell me about the murders? [Tang nods, running his palm over his forehead.]  The rest have been the same. Always at night. Always dismembered. Each scene is like a nightmare. And every time, nobody has seen anything. It's like a ghost.Sounds like a hell of a way to retire. Hopefully we're not dealing with an *actual* ghost eviscerator here though, we happened to leave our spirit expert at home and proton packs just don't fit into our budget. What happened to Tong? The same thing that happened to the rest of the victims. Evisceration and dismemberment. We sent a guard to keep people out of his shop, but he'll let you in. When did he die? [Seeing Ng's inability to continue, Ip takes over.] ...Inside looked like a bad horror sim. Just like all the other murders. It had to have happened after sundown, because I saw his shop was open when I was on my way to get some noodles for dinner. Why didn't you call the police? The Hong Kong Police Force isn't welcome here. They've tried to force us out several times before, or come hunting for someone to pin a crime on. We do a lot of favors for local gangs and triads - handle their Matrix security, fix up their gear, and make sure they have access to the Hong Kong shadowlands hub. We're too valuable a resource for them to lose, so they protect us when the HKPF or anyone else decides we're an easy target. They handle our physical security, and we make sure to send the message via the Matrix. The last time the HKPF made trouble, we started airing the Assistant Chief's dirty laundry over the trid. They got the picture and backed off.So no need to worry about bumping into any police looking for international terrorists in this neighborhood. That's good, chasing a serial killer while ourselves being chased by cops might have some potential comedy value, but that's not what we get paid for. Have you made any enemies lately? [Ng shrugs helplessly.] Not that I can think of. We keep to ourselves. We buy and sell technology. We're not mercenaries or criminals, we're merchants and deckers. And even if someone was cheated in a deal, this kind of response is unthinkable. Whatever did this, it wasn't human. The violence and savagery... It's a monster, whatever it is. Plenty of metahumans are monsters too, Ng. Just because it's horrible doesn't mean it's supernatural.Glad you don't need separate swords for the two types these days, we could barely afford this one. What do the Whampoan Elders do, exactly?[Is0bel snorts derisively.] They make the rules, and kick people out who don't obey them. They're a bunch of petty tyrants, that's what. You're being unfair, Is0bel. Our laws are for the good of the community. [Tang turns to address you.] We keep the Whampoa and its residents safe. We review trade agreements with outsiders, to see if they're good for the community. We provide a guiding vision - like a town council. Well, rules are made to be broken.[Elder Ip laughs, quickly stifling it as Ng and Tang give him a dirty look.] I can see why Is0bel is on your team. You and she are very much alike, I suspect.Us and authority figures never really got along, and the corporate-sponsored vacation didn't really change that much. So, your individual roles here?  She's a shaman, that's all. She's just got some kooky spin on it. Claims her totem is some kind of all-encompassing machine god that lives in circuitry.[Is0bel pats her deck, looking at Ng.] Ancient gods and ancestors are one thing. My deck? It's mine. I built it. The only spirits it's got in it are the ESPs I load it up with.[Ng gives Is0bel a look of deep sadness.] Just because you cannot see or touch a thing does not mean that it does not exist. Just because you do not believe in it does not mean it does not protect you from afar. I can't touch programs, either. But at least I can prove they have an effect on the physical world. Your superstitions are just that: bullshit.[Is0bel glances at you, jerking a thumb toward Tang.] This guy treats drones like they're living things. Is that right? Really? What a fascinating and spiritual spin on things.[Racter inclines his head toward Tang.] I'd be interested in hearing more about your philosophy, once we're done with the job. I think I may find your perspective to be very interesting. This guy seems pretty alright, let's hope he's not our killer. Speaking of, it's probably about time to go check out the murder scene itself. That's all for now. It might be wise to ask the residents of Whampoa Garden if they've seen or heard anything, after you've gone to Tong's Sensory Carnival. They may have seen or heard things we have not. Good to know. We apparently passed by the Sensory Carnival and its guardsman on our way to the elderboat, which explains all the curious onlookers gathered here.  Not really, no.We got the basic idea, but no real details.  Frankly, I'm not surprised. I don't even know if words can do it justice. You ever see what happens when a goat gets hit with a grenade? I... Does that happen a lot? I was in vacation in Cambodia a couple of years back. They still have mines from drat near a hundred years ago out in the backwoods, right? Unstable as hell. Some of my friends out there get drunk and use hand grenades to set off clusters of 'em. Lob one out, take cover, watch two or three mines go up in smoke. Pretty clever, actually. Using explosives to clear explosives, I mean. What does this have to do with Elder Tong? I'll put it this way: Elder Tong and that goat? They're about the same consistency. Not sure what the late Elder would think about that particular comparison, but it's maybe best that we see things for ourselves.    drat, guess there really was something to that guard's story, this guy has been positively goatsed.  [Is0bel's face twists into a disgusted grimace, and she turns to look away.] Looks like someone dropped him into an industrial meat grinder, almost. Except they brought the grinder with them. Who the hell kills like this? Someone with a highly evolved need for ritual murder, I suspect. This manner of pathology is not seen in sane individuals.[Racter gestures at the body impassively.] Look, parts of him are missing. Curious.[Duncan puts the back of his hand against his nose and stifles a cough.] I've seen my share of corpses, but this one's a new kind of messed up. Looks like something you'd find in a medical waste dumpster. If this had happened outside, I'd almost guess he'd stepped on a mine or something. That's a hell of a mine, to blow off his skin. Hey, I'm not a detective. I've just seen a lot of dead bodies. Whatever did it, though... Well, it was pretty drat thorough. Our current biotech knowledge falls a little short on being able to make any confident deductions from a pile like this, but we get the sense that Mr. Curious there has a knack for this kind of thing.   The knife marks are methodical. The killer doesn't seem to have been interested in preserving the skin as any kind of whole. It was removed a bit like one fillets a fish - the path of least resistance. Some of the strips of skin have a more ragged edge than others. The ragged edge looks consistent with a claw, rather than a blade.[Racter makes a curious noise as he examines the remnants of Tong's face and neck.] His neck's been severed between the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae. Scoring across the bone indicates a bladed weapon, and a sharp one at that. Doesn't match any of the other wounds.[Racter stands and looks you directly in the eye.] If I had to guess, I'd say he was killed with the blow to the back of the neck. Everything else was subsequent damage. Why would someone kill him and then skin him? Honestly, I have no idea. Perhaps whatever did the rest of the damage was secondary - an action of opportunity or the like. Without further information, I'm not comfortable guessing.No doubt better that way around as far as Tong himself is concerned. So we're looking at a blade of some kind, and maybe something claw-like? Guess that's something at least. Maybe a change of planes will help shed some more light on what happened here.   So... the victim was struck in the neck from somewhere unseen with something bladed, and whoever did it felt really cool about it afterwards? Hrm. Interesting. That would mean the initial attack was definitely premeditated and executed with precision. I doubt a madman would be able to perform such an act, unless he was a mundane kind of madman. A serial killer or the like. Serial killers are predictable. That's a defining feature of their pathology, in fact. That and the escalation of violence. You know, that actually makes me feel a lot better. Somebody with a knife or a sword? I've dealt with that more times than I recall. Packs of rabid paracritters are a hell of a lot less predictable. But if this was a precision strike, then why have this guy's vital fluids been squirted all over the place like he was a bottle of ketchup that someone left unsupervised in the hands of a giant baby?   So they painted his walls with blood? Why? Do I look like a psychologist to you? Maybe 'cuz they're a freak. Maybe they're one of those sick serial killers that sees their murders as art? I got no clue. All I know is what normal blood looks like on a wall, and this ain't it. You might be on to something there, Duncan. But if this is art or a ritual, it's awfully amateur. Most serial killers escalate both the complexity and violence of their attacks over time. This is sufficiently violent for an advanced offender, but has none of the complexity of action. Some people have a bad grasp of art. I knew this guy in Kwan Tung who used to make music out of stray radio static and panicbutton calls. Called it "Crisiswave." It was awful. Someone's definitely been up to something weird here. But whatever images they were painting with the victim's guts, the back area of the shop seems to have been outside their canvas.  No signs of the culprit having properly washed their hands afterwards either. Not very classy of them.   A Whampoan Elder with no money in his safe? My rear end. Somebody cleaned him out. Probably grabbed the key fob out of his pocket.Guess if you go to this much trouble to mess someone up, you might as well take his stuff as well.   We know just enough about machines and computers to conclude that is something we should not make the mistake of touching.    [Is0bel studies the screen in detail as letters and numbers scroll by.] Looks like Tong was cooking some BTLs here. He's hacked the peak controller output cutoffs. The delta levels on sim chips are usually about 4 to 5, 6.5 for Cal Hots. His delta peaks are pushing 12. That's brain-burning territory, Taz... And all the drives and chips those BTLs were stored on are missing. A possible hint for a motive then, though it wouldn't explain why someone tore apart all those other old boots. This is about all we can gather from the crime scene itself, let's head back out.  So we might have an inkling of how and when Tong was murdered, but we don't have much on the why or the who of it. Let's check a couple of things with Porter Lam now that we have more information to work with. Hey there. Need something else? What do you do around here, Porter? It's a catch all category, I guess. I work for Elder Ip. It's a bit like being a deputy - I make sure people don't break the rules. Protect people who need protecting. Mostly, I just do whatever Ip asks me to. It's a pretty quiet job most days. Today's not one of those days. I also handle a lot of maintenance. I don't actually do the repairs, but I've got most of the keys. It makes it easy to ensure only authorized people get into sensitive places. Electricity goes down? I let in the electrician who fixes the wiring. Toilet's clogged? I let in the drone guy who opens it back up.So he's the keymaster around here, something to keep in mind if we need to get somewhere that's locked up. It looks like somebody went through Tong's things. Has anyone else been inside? Not since I've been here, but before Ip found him? Coulda been anybody, really. Ip had a key to his place, but the lock's total crap. Anybody half decent at cracking maglocks could have gotten inside. What's missing? His BTLs, hard drives, and credsticks are all missing. Sounds like the killer looted his place, to me. All this talk of monsters... Yeah, sure, there are scary things that go bump in the night. But most of the scary bumps I hear are from handguns and gangers. Our investigation is off to a decent start, from here it seems wisest to follow Elder Ng's advice and question the locals, figure out if anyone knows or saw something of relevance. But we'll get to that next time, so until then.  Showcasing a couple of exchanges involving the absent Gobbet. From the start of the mission: ...Turned out this place was just as crappy as everywhere else. Everyone was still in it for themselves.[Gobbet claps a hand on Is0bel's shoulder, who flinches and pulls away.]  That's a great life lesson, Izz. I'm serious! At the end of the day, life's a raw deal. You've got yourself, and a handful of friends, and that's it. Nothing else. A curious philosophy, Gobbet. Certainly no objective meaning can be applied to the human experience, but the sum total of culture and progress since the time of homo erectus has shown that humans are capable of self-organizing into beneficial-- Bo-riiiing![Gobbet makes a show of yawning very loudly toward Racter.] You definitely got some strange ideas about life. Sure, life's a meat grinder. But come on, there's gotta be more to it than just surviving. Does there? What makes you the authority on that?[Is0bel waves a dismissive hand.] I'm done talking about this. Anyway...--- When examining the wall smears in Tong's shop: Whoa, check that out. It's like a paint-by-numbers game, except using ugly wallpaper and a dead guy's guts. They sure didn't teach me that kind in kindergarten! You went to kindergarten? Well... No. But I've seen a lot of trid shows! It's all sitting around fingerpainting, cutting up paper into stars, and learning how to code your first program, right? And it's always taught by somebody in a stuffed animal suit.[Is0bel rolls her eyes.] Gobbet... Just... Stop talking, please.
Kanfy fucked around with this message at 06:43 on May 18, 2024 |
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Apr 24, 2021 20:33
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Kanfy posted:Part 13 - CSI: Hong Kong (rest of crew got sensible Cha score in both games, I might add) quote:Racter toolkit bugs quote:When examining the wall smears in Tong's shop:
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Apr 24, 2021 21:07
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I honestly don't remember any of the dialogue in this mission and I'm glad for it because it's great and it's like I'm discovering this for the first time. I only wish that would have been the case for Dragonfall's KNIGHT KINGS OF LIGHTNINGHOLD mission.
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Apr 24, 2021 21:44
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And that explains why I didn't really end up using Racter. I don't think I noticed the specific working/not working, but I would've felt something seriously wrong with how he functioned.
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Apr 24, 2021 21:59
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quote:Why would someone kill him and then skin him? I really hope we're not dealing with a certain race of alien hunters here. Those ugly mo-Fos are known for that. Then again, nobody is mentioning uncommon natural heat. It’s probably not them. quote:So... the victim was struck in the neck from somewhere unseen with something bladed, and whoever did it felt really cool about it afterwards? Or a certain ancient order of murderers following a certain Creed. Then again, the Whampoan Elders don't seem much like Templars, so maybe we're safe there. quote:it's always taught by somebody in a stuffed animal suit. I especially hope the murderer doesn't end up dressed in one of those. Furry Serial Killers are just the worst. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Apr 25, 2021 |
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Apr 24, 2021 22:52
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This run illustrates something I really like about SRHK, which is that all of your runners contribute something. They're not just along for the ride with the PC, they're solving the mystery too.
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Apr 24, 2021 23:19
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quote:
I never understood this question. I mean, trying to skin a person and then kill them just seems much more difficult. No one wants to have their skin ripped off, and I can assume that they would have fought back against said skinner if they tried the skinning portion first. Really, whoever did this was just being practical. As for why someone would want their skin in the first place...that's a more pertinent question.
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Apr 24, 2021 23:36
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I feel like Racter's stuff definitely worked when I played the game. At least the extra AP and movement. I guess it's jumping to conclusions but "the victim was killed instantly/painlessly, then the corpse was mutilated afterwards" means that even without foreknowledge it seems pretty clear to me that this is some kind of professional assassin only pretending to be a wild beast or freak, seems odd that the party hasn't suggested it. bewilderment fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Apr 25, 2021 |
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Apr 25, 2021 02:44
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SimplyUnknown1 posted:I never understood this question. I mean, trying to skin a person and then kill them just seems much more difficult. No one wants to have their skin ripped off, and I can assume that they would have fought back against said skinner if they tried the skinning portion first. Really, whoever did this was just being practical. Yeah, I think it's just weird phrasing. The question isn't "why would someone kill AND skin them" so much as "if they wanted to skin them, was the murder anything other than practicality?".
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Apr 25, 2021 02:46
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bewilderment posted:I guess it's jumping to conclusions but "the victim was killed instantly/painlessly, then the corpse was mutilated afterwards" means that even without foreknowledge it seems pretty clear to me that this is some kind of professional assassin only pretending to be a wild beast or freak, seems odd that the party hasn't suggested it. They seem to be very particular and specific about the flaying though, not just hacking away with a knife for a bit and calling it good.
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Apr 25, 2021 03:03
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bewilderment posted:I guess it's jumping to conclusions but "the victim was killed instantly/painlessly, then the corpse was mutilated afterwards" means that even without foreknowledge it seems pretty clear to me that this is some kind of professional assassin only pretending to be a wild beast or freak, seems odd that the party hasn't suggested it. My guess is something more magical in nature, a ritual purpose.
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Apr 25, 2021 03:43
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The Lone Badger posted:They seem to be very particular and specific about the flaying though, not just hacking away with a knife for a bit and calling it good. No, quite the opposite really Kanfy posted:
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Apr 25, 2021 04:51
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Stroth posted:No, quite the opposite really They didn't want the skin, but they did want the skin off. They weren't just slashing away they were doing a proper job of it.
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Apr 25, 2021 05:20
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I'm curious - how many people here played the game, and how many didn't?
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Apr 25, 2021 14:12
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I got it during a sale but never got around to it and probably won't have the time for it any time soon. Thus, me reading this LP.
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Apr 25, 2021 14:18
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I've played, but Kanfy's commitment to detail and optional dialogue means I'm seeing/remembering stuff I didn't pay much attention to before or didn't properly get. The entirety of Whampoa's structure is something that my brain somehow just didn't 'get' the first time through but now it seems pretty straightforward.
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Apr 25, 2021 14:27
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I've played it, and I'm keeping my dang mouth shut.
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Apr 25, 2021 14:27
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I played it but fell off around lategame. It's interesting to see what choices other people make though.
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Apr 25, 2021 14:28
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Backed it, played it, beat everything but the bonus campaign, and here to loredump when necessary.
GhostStalker fucked around with this message at 14:39 on Apr 25, 2021 |
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Apr 25, 2021 14:33
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3 playthroughs 2 playthroughs of bonus and 10 years off and on of occasional sr gming
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Apr 25, 2021 14:47
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| # ? May 28, 2024 22:09 |
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bewilderment posted:I've played, but Kanfy's commitment to detail and optional dialogue means I'm seeing/remembering stuff I didn't pay much attention to before or didn't properly get. 
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Apr 25, 2021 15:29
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