Been playing the game for a while solo without using social actions much, which is a thing I’m trying to change - I notice a LOT of people’s signatures include something along the lines of "accepting all actions except trailing the affluent photographer."
Why is this particular storylet so universally reviled?
After you get both rewards available from pursuing this storyline there really isn’t any reason to continue playing it. The note is there to help avoid wasting the sender’s actions and resources without feeling pressured to accept the invite. It’s the same reason I put the note in my signature regarding Seeking Mr Eaten’s Name.
For the same reasons people dislike chain letters. The photographer is a literal chain letter, “so and so has tagged you. Now you must tag two more. If you don’t then these extra high frequency cards we added into your deck will haunt you until you do!”
And maybe its interesting or funny the first time you see it, but there’s only like 2 lines of text to the whole thing and it gets repetitive really fast. Not to mention its chain letter nature means that if you open yourself up to it, and pass it among friends, you aren’t just going to see it once or twice or even just 10 times. Like Mr Bones Wild Ride it never ends.
Finally, because it’s written with only like 2 lines and no variations thereupon, every time you investigate the photographer (and you will do it a lot) it’s always your first time. Your player character is all “aaa what is this, what is a revolutionary I… don’t… understand”. That kind of anachronism, or break in character timeline can be quite jarring to players out for a good roleplay. Why -doesn’t- their character remember any of this? (a: irrigo). I guess in a way that makes it a bit of creepypasta to boot.
Wow, that was quick and really comprehensive. Thanks. :)
Yeah, it’s mainly that it’s an opportunity card that keeps cropping up - even if you’ve already obtained all of the rewards for it. Because it’s a social action too, even if you’re done with the thing, others see the card for the first (few) time(s) and send the request your way. It doesn’t benefit you in any useful manner, and is basically the equivalent of junk mail.
As for why some people don’t like the extra cards floating about their hand/deck, players in the late-game often attempt to streamline their deck as much as possible.
The purpose of this is to increase efficiency in card drawing, as well as to increase the number of lodgings cards they draw, which in turn increases how much scrap they gain per card drawn, quickening the goal for the relicker items worth 3200 scrap.
A decently streamlined deck can average 33 scrap per day (or 13 months for all four of the most expensive relicker items), a less streamlined deck might average 20 scrap per day (21 months). At least, that’s what Carlos’s non-streamlined alt’s account averages per day.
Wait, there’s a way to get those d*mn cards out of your deck? I thought every time you finished the cycle it automatically started again.
You can always get extra copies of the reward items and sell them, which is what I do (though that’s probably less efficient than other ways of making Echoes). If you can’t find anyone to participate, you can choose the “going alone” option to proceed through the story to the reward point.
Unfortunately I think Cecil was referring to the general practice of thinning out one’s Opportunity Deck, rather than removing that particular card.
Just a thought on that card… If the starting card were split into two different cards - one which is locked when you have the Anarchist’s Sable, and the other locked when you have a Neddy Suit - it would mean that those of us who already have both rewards wouldn’t draw the Affluent Photographer anymore.
(It would mean players who have neither item would have the chance to draw both cards at once, so perhaps another restriction on the card would need to be that you hadn’t already progressed further than the card would allow.)
edited by Kittenpox on 7/20/2015
I would rather like to introduce the Affluent Photographer to a certain Struggling Artist I am acquainted with. Perhaps they could entertain each other for a good long time.
Unfortunately I think Cecil was referring to the general practice of thinning out one’s Opportunity Deck, rather than removing that particular card.
Just a thought on that card… If the starting card were split into two different cards - one which is locked when you have the Anarchist’s Sable, and the other locked when you have a Neddy Suit - it would mean that those of us who already have both rewards wouldn’t draw the Affluent Photographer anymore.
(It would mean players who have neither item would have the chance to draw both cards at once, so perhaps another restriction on the card would need to be that you hadn’t already progressed further than the card would allow.)
edited by Kittenpox on 7/20/2015[/quote]
I was, yes, and, what I would give that the card would lock when you already had both…
Also, it is very much optional with no interesting payoff or functions - it is one thing to help other enjoy the game with menaces, Saint Arthur and newspaper report, it is quite another to help someone pursue a pointless and recurring side story, especially one that you could just solve it out on your own.
It is kind of like a chain letter that you explicitly know that will never come to fruition AND have the post-script saying "or you can just do a few push up instead of sending a letter to bother your friends".
edited by Estelle Knoht on 7/21/2015