june 11, 2024
I picked up Disco Elysium again today. I'd tried it once, back in 2021, but I only made it in a day or so and I really wasn't in the right headspace for it. I also chose the default "Thinker" build, which didn't help.
Anyways, a few days ago I watched a friend stream some, and resolved to pick it up again and lean much harder into Half Light. I like Half Light. It's a kind of threat-detection skill - making snap decisions around the ability to harm or be harmed. Understanding what it means to be in danger, what it means to be dangerous. I went with a pretty well-rounded build, otherwise - certain skills in Intellect and Psyche were too important to turn either of those into dump stats, but I didn't mind putting Motorics a little lower. Spiked wrecking balls don't need to be dextrous.
I'd watched a friend play through most of the first day that same week, so the first few hours were pretty easy-going. A Half-Light roll gave the option to "hound" Garte about his involvement in the murder, which I found really entertaining.
I did try to keep it cool around Kim. I wanted to seem competent, and reasonably under control. I greeted him politely, didn't mention the amnesia, and revealed that I'd lost my badge with grace. I did poke a little as to whether this might be a sexy case, though.
After checking out the body and speaking with the bookstore family, I rolled by the Union and spoke with Mañana and the scabs. On my first playthrough, I managed to kick past Measurehead despite a 1 in Physique with a lucky pair of sixes. I decided to repeat the miracle here.
( I did actually have a high enough Physical Instrument score to win the roll without the crit, though. )
As far as I know, spin-kicking through a Formidable check is the standard way to get through here. I've certainly never seen it done any other way.
The apocalyptic thoughts really opened up after talking with Evrart. I really appreciated that Half Light's Danger Detection extended to the large as much as the small. This is an aspect I'm very excited to see more of - I'd already leaned into it a bit in the earliest conversations.
After running back and forth between Evrart and Joyce all day, I finally managed to get the body down around 20:00. Measurehead's (slight) deference after being bested was neat to see. My primary regret here is that picking a "None of your business" response when accosted by the strikebreaker seemed to shut down a conversation before it could get anywhere. I desperately want to get under that guy's skin.
The autopsy was a joy to witness. I'd played for longer the first time I picked this game up, but I hadn't gotten nearly as far down this line of tasks - by the afternoon of Day 2 I hadn't even gotten the body down. Kim is just a wonderful guy. He's a wonderful character, and I love seeing him in his element. Getting to speak a bit with the bloated corpse was a nice touch.
That last hour or so of progress didn't end up mattering, though, because I got myself softlocked as soon as the day was over. This line of dialogue normally follows some set of animations - Kim strikes a pose, and your inner Authority responds accordingly. However, I'd started a conversation with Kim as he was going to his room, and his model being offscreen (presumably unloaded) meant the animation could never play, and the conversation could never continue. I couldn't even open the menus. I'd saved right after watching the gate for Measurehead, but it was still pretty disappointing.
The end of the night was much quicker the second time around. Luckily, I still managed to hit the tough Physical Instrument check to clip the noose off. With the last of my time before 9:00, I ran over to Joyce, spent a skill point to upgrade Volition, and got enough money to pay my debts after failing with a terribly low roll earlier in the day. The nightly debrief was beautiful. Kim's answer to the question of "Have you killed anyone?" really made me smile. He's such a great guy. It's early enough in the game for the "He's such a great guy" feeling to overwhelm more nuanced thoughts around him, but I just love him. I love his character. I love who he is in this world and I love who he is in the story. I wasn't friendly enough with him today.
I decided about 3/4 of the way through this first day that I'd really try not to use or abuse substances. I think that will be a neat twist to put on things, going forward, especially with a high Electrochemistry score. I did end up putting two points into Volition the first day - I'm very excited to see how that trait interacts with the rest. It's already jumped out with a few "I don't trust these other guys" responses.
Like kicking Measurehead in the face, never ever looking into the hotel's bathroom mirror is a tradition carried over from my first playthrough. I don't think The Gloaming needs to see that in detail to know what's coming.