I just started playing last night and I have to say I’m confused! Every option I go to choose is either locked or listed as impossible, I’m not making any progress and even if I try and do the impossible tasks and my levels rise, is it still is giving me a better chance of completing these tasks as they are still say impossible! I’ve raised my levels but I don’t know how to see what they are currently at and what levels I need for the impossible tasks to make them with a bette chance of me completing them.
Please help, it’s all seeming a bit pointless at the manure :-(
The rates your chance of success at any task as a percentage, and helpfully summarises it text / colour. If you click on the ‘impossible’ text, it’ll tell you what the actual percentage chance of success is, which will improve as your stats improve.
You can see your stats on the ‘Myself’ tab, but you can’t see how many CP (change points) you need to move up from one level to the next.
The way that stats work are that each level needs one more change point than the one before (although it plateaus out at 70, IIRC). Every success and failure gives change points (more for success, and more when your chance of success was low).
I’m sorry that you’re struggling right now, but please keep posting to the forums - there are a lot of people who would be delighted to help you.
Welcome to the game! I know it can be overwhelming at first, but pretty soon the world will open up and you’ll start to discover all the delicious stories.
The first thing to say is that failing is good. At first you’ll fail a lot, but failing difficult challenges will build your skills faster than succeeding on straightforward ones. Don’t worry about getting sent to prison/the colonies/madness/death - those areas are fun to explore & pretty easy to leave, and they don’t do you any lasting damage (although avoid repeated jail trips if you can).
The next thing I’d suggest is that you start out by picking one of the main skills and spend some time progressing it. All of them except shadowy have recently been revamped to make your early levels faster and clearer, and as you gain in skill you’ll progress through a series of stories (for example, writing a poem about mushrooms and then seducing a jewel thief or an heiress) which will bring you into the world & introduce you to the characters.
If you have any particular questions please feel free to ask.
Edit: your current stats are listed on the left of your screen, below the appropriate icon (the bear is dangerous, for example). If a challenge is locked, you can see what stats you need by hovering over one the little square icons next to the ‘go’ button - it will say something like ‘requires 20 persuasive (you have 10)’ for example. edited by Màiread on 10/20/2015
You might want to unequip your adorable Talkative Rat for a while, until you are well-acquainted with game mechanics. It should let you progress significantly faster.
Oh yeah, that rat will be lowering all of your stats by 25 - take him off and the challenges won’t be impossible anymore. edited by Màiread on 10/20/2015 edited by Màiread on 10/20/2015
I’d also recommend sending out a few calling cards and making some acquaintances. Even the most experienced players are usually willing to accept them, and once you are acquainted (and have a roof over your head!) you can perform social actions (e.g., Coffee at Caligula’s) that will provide you with Second Chances, which can be very helpful. And definitely don’t fear failure, for the forseeable future you won’t lose any stats if you screw up an action. Although you might be somewhat inconvenienced in other ways: I went insane my second day out, but I think that was just the game acknowledging reality.
– Mal
And remember, it’s very rare for options to be completely impossible. Though many options open or close with particular qualities and items, and may even be hidden without certain requirements, only branches that need the Impossible! quality are actually impossible. Those and any locked without a Key of Dreams, which is a developer item used for locking content in testing.
Some content does require Fate to complete; you’ll accumulate small amounts of Fate by playing but not generally enough to purchase any major stories. Fate-locked stories are generally additional lore or unusual rewards but are never actually required for the main game - they’re more something to do after exhausting the other options. A few Fate stories are particularly good for low-level characters, specifically A Trade in Souls (giving some lore early and unlocking some options throughout the game) and The Blemmigan Affair.
I meant to say, you can also raise your stats by using the training professions. Once a week you’ll get some items and a big boost to one of your skills (up to level 70) - you can sign up for one in your lodgings.
Wow, thanks for all the help and advice guys :-) I never realised that having the talking rat was such a hindrance, as soon as I unselected it, lots of the previous impossible challenges were doable, so I’m making good progress again now. Thanks again
That rat will be useful when your stats are higher as eventually you will start out-statting certain cards or storylets. Equipping the rat will let you go back to them.
Stat-lowering items are also useful for raising stats at high levels, since harder challenges give more CP, but at end-game there aren’t many challenges difficult enough on their own.
Oh, and I’d recommend saving up for better lodgings from the Bazaar - the cheapest three-card ones should be obtainable without too many actions. Each will also unlock a new Opportunity Card with options specific to that lodging, one of which always gives some Certifiable Scrap that can be traded in on other cards. Those three four-card lodgings at the bottom of the list also have alternative cheaper methods of purchase.
And on the topic of saving up, don’t sell your items unless you need to! Most actions in Fallen London require items rather than money, so it’s only worth selling items when you need the money or know that you’ll otherwise lose them unnecessarily. edited by Optimatum on 10/21/2015
If you want to communicate with a player directly in-game, social actions allow attached messages or you can just send a letter at your lodgings for one penny.
Because you can attach messages to any social action, it is advisable to send a message with another social action, such as Neath’s Mysteries or coffee at Caligula’s. That way you get something else out of your action.
Yes, exactly that. Please don’t waste actions writing letters - it costs a penny (which can sting - just a little - when you’re just starting out and echoes are so precious), and doesn’t benefit either sender or recipient.
Also - I think I play Fallen London a lot more because of the lovely people in the forums. Thank you guys!
Because you can attach messages to any social action, it is advisable to send a message with another social action, such as Neath’s Mysteries or coffee at Caligula’s. That way you get something else out of your action.[/quote]
I don’t mind using an action just to send a message, sometimes, for the flavor of doing so. But I agree that coupling a message with a social action is a more efficient use of social actions.
Thanks for that perspective! I was thinking more that when I was a newbie, I really wanted to get on with the game. There was just so much content and so few actions, especially since at that point I hadn’t yet bought Exceptional Friendship.
Edited to add: I think letter writing also has the benefit of reaching anyone in the Neath, so you can send one even if the recipient is out of London (in the Tomb Colonies, out at Zee, etc). edited by navchaa on 10/22/2015