Vhole's Run Recording

Summary:

Can I 'speed run' to save my life? Let's find out!

Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 28 Mar 2009 23:13

I'm recording this run in some detail to offer it up for examination, and make it more interesting for me. Let's see how our run styles differ! First off, let me note that I never equip a gun, and never use a gun-related technique (even micro-rocket is iffy, but grenades are fine). This is something of a moral code for my character, to make the game more interesting. So the long and short of it is, I'll only be using melee attacks and occasionally etheric, and the only time I'll even have gun techniques in my deck is early on, when I need to avoid running out of options (I still never use them).
Actions are not in order, I just tallied each type as I went along. The equipment I list after each area was equipped at some point in the area, not all afterwards. Same with end-of-day consumption records.

DAY 1&2 (I reset a few minutes before 5:00, so I played these 50 turns all at once)
Southside Park: 12 turns
Got the quest, let's find the Eclipse (I accept the 50 credits signup)
won fight x6
lost fight x1
rested x2
gave trenchcoat to bum (1)
asked bum about Eclipse (1)
equipped old switchblade

more Southside Park: 10 turns
I talked to Lo and all, but I desperately need more melee techniques. By the way, if you wonder why I didn't go the Carlos path, it's torture for pugilists when you can't train with the bum. So I hang around here and ignore choice encounters, waiting for the bum to offer training.
won fight x6
trained x3 (equipped all new techniques)
rested x1
equipped dirty old trenchcoat, garbage sticker, smelly old pants

Docks: 2 turns
Yeah, got really lucky here
won fight x1
blackmailed guard for fang hideout location (1)

Fun in the Sewers: 17 turns
Well, at least it's a good place to train Strength.
failed wall x4 (gained Strength)
won fight x7
ran out of options x1
followed graffiti x2 (also used a bunch of ganger maps)
rested x1
dug in the sewage x1
passed the wall (1)
equipped light armored vest

A united Germany. Er, post-wall sewers: 5 turns
(this is when I took the eclipse mentioned at the end of this day)
won fight x1
etheric strength xp from rat x1
lost fight x1
rested x1
followed fairy to hideout (1)

Sewer hideout: 4 turns
(then I ran out of energy)
won fight x3
lost fight x1

END OF DAY 2
Stats: 3 3 5 3
Substats to next Stat level: 7 2 8 7
Consumption for the day: 1 Eclipse tablet
Hunger: 20
Body: 19

Reflections
Seems like I still need more techniques, but went pretty well all in all. Got unlucky with the Medicine Cabinet and only got Castor capsules and painkillers though.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 28 Mar 2009 23:24 by Vholes Show more

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 28 Mar 2009 23:23

Day 3
As you recall, I still need to clear out the old Fang hideout. Fortunately I have that as the last place I visited, so I don't have to find it all again. 25 energy for today, as I doubt I'll be gaining any energy from food and drugs yet.
Sewer Hideout: 20 turns
ugh. this is most of today. I knew I'd need more stats to defeat the boss, though, so I intentionally avoided killing large numbers of them through choice encounters. Maybe that was a bad idea, I don't know.
won fight x10
lost fight x2
ran out of options x1
rested x2
burned guards x1
slipped Eclipse into coffee x1
gained Dr. Thomas contact (1)
fighting gang boss: ran out of options x1, rested x1

Training in Southside Park, again: 5 turns
That didn't go so well. I'd like to defeat this guy, so I'm going to need some more techniques. As before, I'm ignoring all choice encounters besides the training. Now I've run out of energy.
won fight x3
trained x2

End of Day 3
Stats: 4 5 5 4
Substats to next stat point: 9 10 2 5
Consumption for the day: 2 Omnitech trauma bandages
Hunger: 30
Body: 27
GAINED SKILL: Pugilism

Reflections
Let's see… the bandages helped a lot, they seem worth the 1 body each to me. Strength is ahead of the rest of my stats, but not as much as it was yesterday when 8 substats made more of a difference. I don't think I can beat this gang boss yet, though, and I'll need to get down to him again. I'm thinking I should have trained in Southside more before going down there, that would have worked better. Pugilism should help a lot. My deck is still awkward, though. Here it is:

6 Kidney Punches
2 Lashes Out (this is the bad part)
11 Punches
10 Dives for Cover
(I try to reduce the last two to give myself better ratios, but when fighting enforcers and the gang boss I need it all)

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 28 Mar 2009 23:24 by Vholes Show more

Re: Vholes' Run Recording

Vholes 29 Mar 2009 05:50

Day 4
First order of business, get strong enough to defeat the gang boss. Hanging out in the Docks will also let me get some stolen crates, and hopefully some sushi in them. I'm going to need to use up at least 10 hunger and body today or it will be wasted.
Docks: 11 turns
stolen crate x4 (results: knit caps, protein bars, my little idoru dolls, and sushi (dried fish and sushi rice))
won fight x4
get cups of joe x2 (this was probably useless)
ocean song x1
equipped knit cap, but soon replaced with giant paper mache head. Also my little Idoru

Okay, got my fish, let's find the boss again. Eclipse should help. Spending two accidental turns in the docks after taking it won't.
Sewers: 5 turns
won fight x1
tied fight x1
rested x1
etheric rat strength xp x1
followed fairy (1)

Sewer Hideout: 2 turns
defeated boss (1)
stole crates (1)

---

gave PDA to Lo, got job from Dr. Thomas, got 500 cred from Mikhail, got job from Squatter King. Phew. Let's deal with that last one.
Docks: 11 turns
won fight x3
lost fight x2 (one of which attempt to defend guard from ghoul)
rested x2
gave crate of Eclipse to dockhand (1)
got fishing pole x1 (might have been stupid)
got crate of medicine (1)
traded for explosives (0) (1 microrocket, 2 handfuls white flakes)
bought sushi kit at the U, plus caramel bar b/c I needed energy to make sushi (d'oh!) (0)
stole crate x1 (protein bars) (pointless)
fished x1 (bluegill) (lucky me)
equipped riot baton, temporarily old fishing pole

went to Sif's office, then hit the quad
Quad: 2 turns
waste of turn x1 (got caught in protest w/o sign, depressed to no effect)
learned Dr. Myers' office # (1)
got sampling kit, quest (0)
equipped Myers sampling kit

Docks: 3 turns
rested x1
saved guard from ghoul (1)
got lake serpent sample x1
gave it to Myers (0)
accepted David quest from Lo (0)

---

Big departure from the 'speed run' here. I'd like to try out the asylum again, so I'm going to head there instead of skipping it. I will skip over david by contacting Hawk, though, after I rescue Dr. A myself. This means I have to find her first.
Happy Hour dance floor: 18 turns
won fight x5
lost fight x2
rested x2
apologized (ref. + will) x3
bought a round x1
listened to news x1 (that costs energy? oops.)
got drink from third eye x3
talked to drunk third eye x1 (unlocked Boiler Room)
equipped dirty old trenchcoat for duration, then back to light armored vest afterwards

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Long day, that's what eating will do to you. I have 5 energy left, but only 7 hitpoints, so I'm going to use 2 tablets of Eclipse to get down to 30/40 Body, then head in to the Asylum tomorrow once I'm healed.

End of Day 4
(natural) Stats: 5 6 7 6
Substats to next stat point: 7 13 12 13
Consumption for the day:
5 tablets of Eclipse, 1 megavitamin
1caramel bar, 7 helpings of dried fish sushi, 1 bluegill sushi
Hunger: 22
Body: 30

Reflections
Eh, made a lot of mistakes I suppose - I doubt that fishing and acquiring those cups of Joe were really necessary, and the fishing even cost me a fight. Add asking news from the bartender, forgetting to leave energy so I could craft sushi (and having to waste turns of sugar rush to make it because of that), accidentally wasting two turns in the docks instead of the sewers, spelling my name wrong in this thread title…
But eyes on the future, I need to get more chain 2 techniques. I haven't worked out how exactly one gets Brutality, but I really need it. Is it only from certain opponents? I only have two seq. 2 techniques (and 8+ 1, 3, and 4), both lash out. I'm not training from the bum in southside again unless I get really stuck in the asylum, though.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 30 Mar 2009 01:01 by Vholes Show more

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 30 Mar 2009 01:06

Day 5
30 Energy today since I had some left over yesterday. Add 32 Hunger and 40 Body and I should be able to play for quite a bit, assuming I find good food and don't run out of real-life time.

The Asylum: 30 turns
opened with Etheric (10 energy) left over from yesterday
lost fight x4 (dammit) (one of which chanting door)
rested x5 (this is hard)
won fight x13
got tome of binding from shelves, equipped it (1 turn)
got the asylum journal - from the desk! haven't gone here since the change (1 turn)
read asylum journal x2 (damnit didn't realize that took energy)
got 4 old pill bottles from the desk (1)
defeated spectral patient (1)

(got crystal spike and hound crystal from twisted hounds with the sampling kit… cool)
(learned Brutality x2 from third eye guards)
(learned Cruel Slash from gang TV)

End of Day 5
stats: 6 7 8 6
substats to next point: 7 8 17 1
Consumption for the day:
Omnitech trauma bandage, Eclipse, 5 megavitamins, 2 pep pills
chocolate gelt
Hunger: 29
Body: 28

Reflections
Okay, both things happened: I didn't find good food, and I ran out of real life time. I'll take a couple pep pills and wait until tomorrow rather than waste a turn resting. I'm going to have to figure out how to rescue Amundsen now that it's been changed, although for all I know I can just walk in there. We'll see!

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Last edited on 30 Mar 2009 03:14 by Vholes Show more

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 31 Mar 2009 00:11

Eh, got bored, I'm not OCD enough to continue when no one else is on these forums.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 31 Mar 2009 00:38

Heh. Well, casually, let me tell you that Saber is crazy hard now. Don't do what I did… rescue David first, trust me. Bone Spikes, Pep in Your Step and even Fae Blessing couldn't save me.

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In the beginning, men were mortal.

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

aleister_baum 11 May 2009 13:45

Bah, I wish you were still updating this. I am curious to see how your run ended. I am experimenting with this first run through, and I have been really enjoying the game. Now I am just trying to figure out the science of the mechanics and all of that. Detailed write ups like these are always really helpful.

Re: Vhole's Run Recording

Vholes 11 May 2009 17:47

Welcome to the forums. The game's population has almost quadrupled since I last updated this (I can't believe I just worked that out looking at player profiles), so if I do another speedrun, I'll definitely write up a report like this (maybe even breaking my no-guns code, gasp!). I'm not sure how soon that will happen, though - preferably I won't reset until after I've explored the (imminent?) gang warfare update.

Now, if you want to talk to the expert, Lord Finisher is on his 21st playthrough, and you can see if he's willing to let you know his trade secrets. ;)

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In the beginning, men were mortal.