The GWJ CRPG Club - Game 14: Disco Elysium

I really can't get Cuno's voice out of my head today, and I want to respond to everything with, "What the f***? Cuno doesn't care about that sh**. Cuno does what he wants. You got that, pigmeister?"

Edit: I'm so gonna get fired this week.

HARD CORE!

This is a question about the 'Take On *La Responsibilite*' quest. I literally don't know what to do next. I've even googled it without getting a specific solution.

Spoiler:

I've worked through all the tasks upto 'Find someone with technical expertise to contact the coalition'. I assumed this was the lady in the church working on the computer but there's no dialogue options that let me fully explore this. Is there someone else with technical expertise to help me or have I encountered a bug?

I feel it's stuff like this that's had me running around fruitlessly trying to find the right person, wasting time speaking to people who have no new dialogue options. There was Measurehead's thought process that blocked my entry to the docks. I literally thought there would be some other way past him by talking to someone, finding an alternative entry etc but my weak physical stats lead to failed white dice rolls & blocked progress

Spoiler:

including one for knocking him out

This really stilted progress & my desire to play on.

I've also a question about the

Spoiler:

Get Two Signatures For Evrart quest, are the only two options I have to either find someone else to sign the document or forge the signatures myself? I talked to the old lady that let me use her little cabin to sleep in & then Lilienne but I've never had any intention of letting them sign the documents that will let that condescending, know it all prick destroy the peacefulness & lives of the few villagers that live there. What's my best move to screw Evrart here? It again feels like I'm stuck. The two tasks I've mentioned seemingly lead to this Youth Centre getting built & Evrart getting his way.

Spikeout wrote:

This is a question about the 'Take On *La Responsibilite*' quest. I literally don't know what to do next. I've even googled it without getting a specific solution.

Spoiler:

I've worked through all the tasks upto 'Find someone with technical expertise to contact the coalition'. I assumed this was the lady in the church working on the computer but there's no dialogue options that let me fully explore this. Is there someone else with technical expertise to help me or have I encountered a bug?

I feel it's stuff like this that's had me running around fruitlessly trying to find the right person, wasting time speaking to people who have no new dialogue options. There was Measurehead's thought process that blocked my entry to the docks. I literally thought there would be some other way past him by talking to someone, finding an alternative entry etc but my weak physical stats lead to failed white dice rolls & blocked progress

Spoiler:

including one for knocking him out

This really stilted progress & my desire to play on.

I've also a question about the

Spoiler:

Get Two Signatures For Evrart quest, are the only two options I have to either find someone else to sign the document or forge the signatures myself? I talked to the old lady that let me use her little cabin to sleep in & then Lilienne but I've never had any intention of letting them sign the documents that will let that condescending, know it all prick destroy the peacefulness & lives of the few villagers that live there. What's my best move to screw Evrart here? It again feels like I'm stuck. The two tasks I've mentioned seemingly lead to this Youth Centre getting built & Evrart getting his way.

For the last question,

Spoiler:

you can have the drunks on the southern portion of the map near the fishing village sign it.

Spoiler hints:

Spoiler:

Screwing Evrart is exactly what I did.

And the person with technical expertise is one of the ravers I think. You might have to finish much of the quest with them first to gain his trust. If you ran them off, I’m not sure there’s an alternate path.

Thanks for the responses folks.

Sundown does having

Spoiler:

the drunks sign it lead to Evrart getting his way & their signatures being enough for the construction of this Youth Centre to go ahead?

gewy I think I'm screwed then

Spoiler:

I knew I should have helped them ravers setup their live music venue in the church but I told them all to clear off

It's irritating that this shows up as if it can be completed in the tasks. Frustrating.

I wouldn’t sweat it for this reason:

Spoiler:

Successfully completing the quest ends the game immediately with you running off and joining the Moralists. For this reason, I can’t really imagine it’d be considered part of your game’s narrative unless you’re playing your character as a true believer in the Moralist cause and don’t care about the hanged man case.

There’s a few tidbits of interesting lore, a mildly memorable scene, and an achievement. You can probably just find a video to watch if you’re really interested in the specifics (no achievement though

For the moralist quest:

Spoiler:

You can also have the researcher in the church help you contact the Moralintern. I had her help, and not the raver. But I also wasn't able to get her help -- or even ask for it, I think -- until after I had helped the researcher find that dead zone, and helped the ravers set up their nightclub in the church.

Re: Evrart and the signatures:

Spoiler:

You totally don't have to do this quest. I left it unfinished and it didn't hurt me. But I think that finishing this quest is necessary to finding your gun, and having a gun is pretty important when the mercs finally decide to call that tribunal. There is another gun you can get, though.

Yep, I think all that pretty well aligns with my experience too.

About the moralist quest:

Spoiler:

I helped the ravers get the nightclub up (HARDCORE!), and they helped me by turning that statue in the central area into a giant antenna. But you actually have to do much more to succeed in the quest. There are multiple skill checks among multiple skills, an item I think you need (might be possible without?), and some dialogue options to navigate correctly. In my run, I successfully contacted the fleet and somehow got the skill checks, but failed on the dialogue choices when I thought I could ask about something in a serious way that turned out was hair-brained and bolloxed my credibility to them.

It's a long scene that plays out, with no opportunity to save, so anything that goes wrong toward the end isn't worth save-scumming to get all the dice to fall your way. It's a fun bit of story if you can get it to progress, but I don't think there's much impact, if any, on the main story outcome.

Edit related to the very end of the game:

Spoiler:

I think Kim might have mentioned that particular thread when extolling Harry's virtues and dedication as a police officer, but I might be remembering that wrong, and I doubt it had more than a minimal/cosmetic impact on how that sequence played out.

Spikeout wrote:

Thanks for the responses folks.

Sundown does having

Spoiler:

the drunks sign it lead to Evrart getting his way & their signatures being enough for the construction of this Youth Centre to go ahead?

Spoiler:

I assume it does, since it requires those specific signatures to get the go ahead. When I talked with Evert afterwards, all he said was "one of my boys saw you put the letter in the mail, thanks for that. It'll take a few days to get here, but I trust you." If there were results from the sabotage stated in game, I never saw them.

So. I've just played this to the point where you wake up.

Thing is - and this is real life - I've just suffered two recent bereavements. One was one of my pet cats (boy do I miss that little furball) and the other was a very close friend of mine. After a couple of months battling a very aggressive form of cancer he finally succumbed two weeks back. It's slightly complex but I travelled back home to see my folks a few weeks ago, but also to see him. I knew he was ill, just not that ill. I saw him and spoke to him on the Monday and he was gone on the Wednesday. All I'll say is that I'm still really processing that.

Point being, whatever this game is doing it can wait until I'm in a better - much better - frame of mind. I'm not finding life that easy at the moment. I really don't think this is a game to help that mindset. At all.

I've made it to day 4, working on bringing the club to the church, and, apparently, literally sniffing out Communists to recruit. I also managed to sing karaoke AND find my missing badge. I don't recall exactly what I have next to do as far as the actual case goes, but I'm still having fun exploring and talking to everyone I meet.

Yeah, good call -- this is not a game to play right now if you're suffering through loss. Sorry for your loss, Sorbicol. Hang in there.

Man, Sorbicol, that's a lot to carry, especially all at once like that. I hope you're doing OK (under the circumstances), and I hope both you and your friend's family have lots of love and support around.

As to the game, yeah, might not be the best thing right now. Everybody processes differently to be sure. There are times where, for me specifically, it's better to just go down into the pit (as it were) and just immerse myself in and process all of the feelings. For that kind of experience, this game isn't necessarily a bad place to go. I think there can be something to all the character's internal mindsets/personalities that can be oddly cathartic. But I definitely get it if that's not a good space for you to be in right now, and you're absolutely right to set it aside. Take good care of you!

LastSurprise wrote:

Yeah, good call -- this is not a game to play right now if you're suffering through loss. Sorry for your loss, Sorbicol. Hang in there.

Thanks for the best wishes - I'm fine (honest!) it's just I'm going to need a little time to process it all. I really want to play this but it might have to wait for the retirement home for me. I knew it wasn't a particularly jolly game but that start does not pull its punches. Not what I need right now...

ubrakto wrote:

As to the game, yeah, might not be the best thing right now. Everybody processes differently to be sure. There are times where, for me specifically, it's better to just go down into the pit (as it were) and just immerse myself in and process all of the feelings. For that kind of experience, this game isn't necessarily a bad place to go. I think there can be something to all the character's internal mindsets/personalities that can be oddly cathartic. But I definitely get it if that's not a good space for you to be in right now, and you're absolutely right to set it aside. Take good care of you!

It might very well be that's what I need just not now. Funeral not for another 2 weeks. Maybe after that. He was one of my core friendship group (He married one of my oldest friends, I've know her since we've been about 3 year old) and it's a lot to unpack. None of us are finding it easy. As for the cat I posted about that in the pet thread. Me, Mrs Sorb and mini-sorb are still process that too - it's a lot to go through!

So the case has been solved, the mystery of my identify/situation has (mostly) been explained, and the credits have rolled.

I really enjoyed myself about 80% of the time with this game: drinking in the aesthetic in general and the voice-acting and writing in particular; seeing how random plot threads resolved and/or came together; learning about this world; and, of course, collecting garish clothing.

The 20% I did not enjoy was in the middle of my playthrough where I felt directionless. I did not see an obvious task to pursue and spent WAY too long hoofing it from one end of the map to another, and back again, checking and re-checking dialogue options with various NPCs. Also some of the task solutions were a bit too adventure-game-y in their puzzley-ness.

Fairly long, dull, and spoiler-y blow-by-blow:

Spoiler:

I played my Harrier du Bois as a down-the center moralist, boring cop. Picked the “thinker” premade archetype at the start, of course.

Day 1: I was not able to get the body down. think that maybe you’re supposed to? I actually got a game-over once after being fun of so hard by Cuno that I gave up police work :/

Day 2: Got the body down but I really wanted the boots, so let it sit overnight. I remember being a little offset by the Hardies admitting guilt, but this certainly paid-off down the line. I ended up with not too much to do and had to read a book to get to nighttime.

Day 3: Excited to cross the waterlock at last. Took the washerwoman’s room offer and left the Hostel because I couldn’t imagine coming up with $20 every day. I really enjoyed exploring the abandoned building, but the freezer bit was a weird because no sooner had we put the body in there than Kim took him off to the station. I assume that this was because it was Day 3 and the body would have chilled long if I’d got it there on Day 2?
I think that discovering your motor-carriage is a perfect example of how many tasks resolve: both unexpected but unsurprising.

Day 4: The low point. After having a whole new part of the map to explore on Day 3, I was short on new things to do on this day. Spent a fair amount of time on the church/rave quest since I was given that task in a dream because I’m a moralist(?). Turns out that I had been ignoring a critical skill check: impressing the Hardies. Once I stacked Authority I passed it and, bam, a whole bunch of content came my way. Liked that the murder became interesting again.

Day 5: Played this day twice, actually, because the first time I didn’t realize it would lock me out of the Political Vision quest (“La Responsabilite”) I’d spent too much time on in Day 4. Naturally I failed all the checks on that quest when I did it….
I think Ruby was nicely foreshadowed and her intimation that you’re a corrupt cop adds a nice bit on tension (as the player no more idea than Harry himself). I failed to stop the machine because I was a weakling (the first time through the Day I succeeded) and she escaped.
During the Tribunal I managed to shoot the merc leader and dodge the first bullet. All the merc died along with some Hardies that I didn’t really remember well even then.

Day 7: Apparently I shook off being shot right quick and was back up on Day 7. Didn’t have many loose ends to tie up, and didn’t bother with the ones I did have. Went right to the island, had a super sad dream about my ex-wife, and caught the perp. Can’t help but feel that it was a bit of a letdown, having the murderer appear at literally the final moment, but it did tie in nicely with the history the game presented. Oh, I also saw a grass monster bug thing.

In the end, I apparently made a nice enough impression on Kim that he’s coming along to my precinct. What a pal!

I haven’t read this thread at all because I wanted to go through the game with no foreknowledge.. Looking forward to seeing how different others’ experiences were.

I'm making great progress. I found

Spoiler:

Ruby, and despite having to reload after trying and failing to destroy the Pale emitter, it ended about as well as I could hope, I suppose.

I'm stuck on the church/club quest because I'm unable to retrieve the filament memory needed to progress, so that's just stuck for a while. I'm pretty invested in the main mystery though, so I may just push to the end. I think I can finish in one or two more play sessions? We'll see.

Most excellent. I got stuck lots while playing, too. The whole “push on the soft spots” seems to be a good strategy for this game.

I did finish this a few days ago. How things ended up for me:

Spoiler:

Kim was shot in the confrontation with Krenel, but seemed to be recovering okay in the hospital. Cuno ended up joining me and, while I was skeptical at first, ended up pulling his weight. Several of the Hardie Boys were killed. Klaasje ran off, and I think the thing I regret the most is not arresting her and finding out exactly what her deal was, because I feel like nothing she said at any point can be trusted. If this replay had been closer to my original, I think I would have remembered that, but I mostly took her at her word.

Otherwise, the RCM appeared to take me back, though nobody seemed enthused about it.

I never did end up getting the club up and running at the church, but I was so focused on the main story that I couldn't tear myself away.

Still a fantastic game, still one of the best written games I've ever played, and still one of the most interesting game worlds I've experienced.

Finally picked this up during PS5 sale.

Warning: I'm trying to start this and I may not even be an hour in:

When does it "click"? I was prepared for a ton of dialog, that doesn't really affect me and I realize the beginning of games like these are really there to just set rules and get you used to things, I'm just wondering how long I need to prepare myself to push through. For example, Persona games can be 4-10 hours before you aren't just "learning the game". Divinity OS2 was...idk, maybe 5hours for me? (I switched from PS4 to PC so I had to restart and I knew what I was doing the second time around though)

I ask this because I know if I don't sit and push through to get to where the game is like, "here go play" i'll stall and possibly fall off.

KozmoOchez wrote:

Warning: I'm trying to start this and I may not even be an hour in:

When does it "click"? I was prepared for a ton of dialog, that doesn't really affect me and I realize the beginning of games like these are really there to just set rules and get you used to things, I'm just wondering how long I need to prepare myself to push through. For example, Persona games can be 4-10 hours before you aren't just "learning the game". Divinity OS2 was...idk, maybe 5hours for me? (I switched from PS4 to PC so I had to restart and I knew what I was doing the second time around though)

I ask this because I know if I don't sit and push through to get to where the game is like, "here go play" i'll stall and possibly fall off.

Hard to answer, I think. To me, all it took was those first bits of voiced narrative on a black screen to feel like, "OK, I'm in." And how you interact with and see the world doesn't change much throughout—just the sets and characters evolve as you progress. Put another way: content does gate based on your progress, but I wouldn't say the game "unlocks" in any substantive way where there is a set point that turns you loose into the world. By the time you've moved outside the motel, you're pretty much in the game as it is and will continue to be.

Yeah it's a pretty self-directed game. They limit the explorable area for the first couple in-game days, but you still have plenty to keep you busy early on as long as you're constantly poking at everything you see. Did you make it out of the hostel with Kim, at least? It's hard to say how you'll like the rest since it's not clear how much you actually did. In my first playthrough, it took a while for the addiction to kick in, where I was invested enough to really want to see how all the various plot threads played out. But I enjoyed it even early on.

The first hour is fairly indicative of the entire gameplay experience. There are very few "systems" to learn.

I'm not out of the hotel yet. I stopped playing because something came up, but I have the next two days off from work. I'll try while my daughter is at daycare so I can get into the game without distractions. I'm playing on PS5 and the controls were not explained so it took me a bit of time to figure out what the hell I was doing and how to interact with stuff. Also, I saw a ton of options for upgrades and such, and I sort of read that I shouldn't go looking for "builds" and such, but that is almost an automatic reaction for me - it also can ruin the game trying to play a specific way that has already been lined up.

So, I've finally sat down with this made a start. I'm in a much better headspace right now so that helps enormously, and I can already see why some people love it. I've just found the body so right at the start, and I'm trying to work out how the game works, but it's really not quite like anything else I think I've ever played in about 35 years of gaming. That's quite something in and of itself.

I have no idea if I'll get this finished before the time-limit is up but we'll see how we go.

Regarding being in the right headspace:

For what it's worth, as the game progressed, I found the tone to be strangely hopeful, despite tackling multiple depressing themes (both on a personal and societal level). Possibly some of this is dependent on the choices you make though.

Looking over the list of CRPG Club games, I think this takes the number 1 spot for me as my favorite, beating out Witcher 3 and Dragon Age.

gewy wrote:

Regarding being in the right headspace:

For what it's worth, as the game progressed, I found the tone to be strangely hopeful, despite tackling multiple depressing themes (both on a personal and societal level). Possibly some of this is dependent on the choices you make though.

Looking over the list of CRPG Club games, I think this takes the number 1 spot for me as my favorite, beating out Witcher 3 and Dragon Age.

I'm a couple of hours in now, and yes it's not quite as bleak as it feels in those opening couple of minutes. I do feel like I'm floundering a lot though - there's a lot to unpack. I suspect I'm playing cop a little too straight to be honest, I possibly need to a be a little more into my alcoholism.

Lordy. Progress is slow and I'm slow beginning to understand that while there's not really a wrong choice as such, therefore definitely bad choices.

The pace is actually a bit of an issue for me. I think - fantastic as it is - I'm going to have to
Look at the dialog options and turn some of it off. It takes a longtime to listen to it all otherwise

I ended up reducing the amount of voiced text as well. It's impressive how much there is, and the generally high quality of it all, but it really does add literal hours of time to the game if you listen to it all.