I’m at the point in my stats where I am getting cards for day-trips to new sections of Town, and I’ve already unlocked the Forgotten Quarter and the Docks. According to the Beginner’s Guide, it is not worthwhile to pay for access to new parts of town if your stats aren’t ready for them, so I have a question, viz, when it is "time" to get to a new part of town, will the Opportunity turn up in the card deck to get there without payment? In Veilgarden, for example, if I totally rig myself in +Persuasion gear I get the "Unfinished Business" storylet even though I haven’t seen the inside of the Shuttered Palace yet. I’d have thought Making Your Name would unlock the next area, but my Name Signed With a Flourish is already 3, and there doesn’t seem to be any way to increase it further in Veilgarden (I’ve already published the short story, which is why I am at 3). A bit puzzling, since the other two areas didn’t open until "Name…" was at 4, and of course there is now no Make Your Name in Spite.
– Mal
Many areas are opened up for free when you reach the appropriate stage of stat-based story tracker ("A Name Signed with a Flourish," etc.). Once stories become available for you by making progress there, the game lets you get to those areas. Having "paid my dues" for access to those places before the tracker system came in, I assure you that this is a superior method of getting about town. :)
In your particular case, you won’t get to the Palace before the quality reaches 4. Work on becoming the Darling of the Ambassador’s Ball, and that’ll happen.
edited by Zareen Bakara on 10/28/2015
Ah, silly me. I’d been worried that I didn’t seem to be getting access to the Palace, and that my "Name" was at 3. Totally missed that I have to get to the Ball before I can get to the palace. I did pay to get to the FQ because I got a free street sign and wanted to start archaeology ASAP. It can be quite lucrative (compared to the stuff available in the starting areas!).
I do wonder how it works with the Flit, though, since they haven’t finished the "Name" content for Spite yet.
– Mal
edited by malthaussen on 10/28/2015
Oh, I definitely agree: the Forgotten Quarter is the one exception I’d suggest for everyone, in terms of buying access to areas. Great progression for Watchful from those tough challenges.
If I remember correctly opening access to the Flit from the storylet in your lodgings only needs you to be shadowy enough. For the University I would recommend using the Scholar of the Correspondence option.
Ah, yes, you are right about that. As for the University… that is a bit of a way off for me. I have barely started in the FQ. (And the Feast has put some plans on hiatus, especially since I’m trying to maintain a charity service).
– Mal