Why is my hat expendable?

Perhaps the new change in method for Ridiculous Hats and Bottled Oblivion was logical for wine, but it certainly isn’t for hats.

All jests aside, the new system for these stat-dropping items rather defeats the purpose of stat-suppression to begin with. I don’t know about y’all, but I use stat-detracting items in order to increase the rate at which I may grind for change points. If the stat’s base value is permanently dropped, the incentive is entirely gone.

If the intention is to prevent the gaming of the game system, might I suggest that storylet/opportunity card-unlocking and change point rewards be based on stats’ base level, and stat boosts be used purely to raise success probability?[li]
edited by Tranquilled on 7/9/2013

Huh! I hadn’t noticed that. Good for the people who wanted a reliable way to lower their stats. Also, casts the Bottled Oblivion in rather a new light, of a very peculiar shade. Curious that the Talkative Rattus Faber isn’t among the new options… though I’m not sure I’d enjoy a process that consumes a rat.

While this new change is certainly unpleasant, it is clearly done on purpose. Nothing to be done.[li]

There already exsisted a way to reliably decrease stats, it’s called Eyeless Skull Card. The real question is, why would anyone want to do that? suddenly sweats I hope some weird de-leveling mechanic is not introduced next.

Doesn’t sound reliable to me. Not to mention that the cards only lower one stat each, and you have to wait to draw them. Not as reliable as buying something from the Bazaar and using it.

While I appreciate the release of new and simple methods to permanently drop attributes…I still miss the older versions of the Ridiculous Hat and Bottled Oblivion which gave temporary reductions.

I pray for the introduction of an equipable item or pet which provides -30 to major attributes. The Talkative Rattus Faber isn’t burden enough when I want to get properly smashed for an evening.

>I pray for the introduction of an equipable item or pet which provides -30 to major attributes.[li]

[color=#009900]And interestingly, this is almost exactly what you’ve just got, as the last change goes through and the TRF now applies an alarming -25 to all attributes.[/color]
[color=#009900]
[/color]
[color=#009900]All told, this change[/color]
[color=#009900]- continues to allow players to apply a temporary -25 to their stats;[/color]
[color=#009900]- allows players to reduce their attributes as much as they like in the long term, if they desperately want to replay earlier content;[/color]
[color=#009900]- disallows a small degree of fine-tuning around precise odds, although of course players can still mix-and-match with bonus items.[/color]
[color=#009900]
[/color]
[color=#009900]Enjoy![/color]
[color=#009900]
[/color]
[color=#009900]In the longer term, we’re dramatically reducing the number of minimum and maximum requirements on storylets (you’ll have noticed some of this lately), and moving away from highway-ability story tracking; at some point the Talkative Rattus Faber will be repurposed. But he’ll be around for a while.[/color]

Well, shunting all the (major) stat reductions to one item is very welcome, especially since I am no longer allowed to use Dave’s Wardrobe/Total Value script.

Now, I hesitate to call this a bug as it was so easily correctable, but when I logged on today, my head was bare, as expected as I was wearing a Ridiculous Hat when I logged off yesterday, but I was also still holding my Bottled Oblivion. Fortunately when I wielded a different weapon, the Bottled Oblivion buggered off to Curiosities where it now belongs.

Edit: Interestingly enough, Bottled Oblivion is still on sale at Carrow’s Steel, and Ridiculous Hats at Maywell’s Hattery.

ReEdit: An unexpected dividend for those of us working on hunting down our Nemesis, Myriad Keys just became quite a valuable stat-reducer.
edited by Abraham Bounty on 7/9/2013

[quote=Alexis Kennedy][color=#009900]And interestingly, this is almost exactly what you’ve just got, as the last change goes through and the TRF now applies an alarming -25 to all attributes.[/color][/quote]OH?! runs to check inventory …OH! YAY! Thanks! Now I can get back to failing good and proper. I like to read failure text slightly less than I enjoy reading success text – which is a whole lot. I mean, I don’t want to fail repeatedly but I do want to see any failure content at least once.

Aha, with TRF now boosted all is very well indeed.

Is there a place where were news about changes such as these are published?

Sometimes:

More often, twitter and the blog will provide news on major changes. Generally, watching the forums is the way to get the most up-to-date info.

Oooh, are these targeted stat reduction items or are they across the board stat reductions? Can you pick and choose? I’d be interested in say, something that lets me choose to only reduce watchful. I tried that with skulls, but the deck clogging can’t discards was a bit more than I bargained for. Also the expeditions it takes to get the skulls raise watchful a lot, defeating the purpose.
edited by NiteBrite on 7/10/2013

They’re not very targeted. I conducted some unethical experiments, and can reveal that Bottled Oblivion reduces each stat by 50 change points, while a Ridiculous Hat reduces Persuasive by 100 change points and Watchful and Shadowy by 50 change points.I’d be interested in knowing if there’s a rare success. I have 90 Ridiculous Hats, so I could probably find out, but… it took me a long time to get my stats above 140.
edited by Flyte on 7/10/2013

Dang. Well, its less than ideal, but I suppose this is as good as its going to get. Guess there’s no time like the present. Time for me to bite the bullet and consume 165 bottles of oblivion, otherwise I’m never going to get those old storylets.

Edit: Found the rare success spoilers below:

it gives an eyeless skull, a searing enigma, a memory of light, and a tale of terror. Text is echoed to my profile

edited by NiteBrite on 7/10/2013

Go aaall the way to zero, NiteBrite! Go for the gold! Find storylets and cards unlocked with 0 attributes! FOR SCIENCE. Not our collective amusement, nope. Just good ole Science, yep.

You might want to use the Ridiculous Hats instead of drowning yourself in Bottled Oblivion. With the hats, your Dangerous will be untouched (unless that’s a bug?) so you’ll still be able to access high Dangerous storylets and cards to earn a great deal of money. But that’s moot if there are any low Dangerous stories which interest you.

I’m doing it zeedee, I’m going all the way back. Time to forget it all and start again.
edited by NiteBrite on 7/10/2013

I salute you, you obsessive compulsive quasi-time traveling alcoholic science soldier clothier…you! sheds a bittersweet tear May the Heiress’ path ever please you.

edited by Zeedee on 7/10/2013

I think it’s technically method #6, seeing as Alexis’ post predates this change. Unless he was mistaken or something I dunno
edited by Spacemarine9 on 7/10/2013

[spoiler][quote=Alexis]- there are now five ways to get an Eyeless Skull, although two of those are very hard to find.[color=000000][/quote][/color]http://community.failbettergames.com/topic4030-coming-soon-a-return-to-the-forgotten-quarter.aspx?messageid=36450&Page=9#post#post34796

I’m probably being extra paranoid; I couldn’t take his announcement as an out-and-out indication that &quotthere are now 5 fully released and accessible ways to get an Eyeless Skull&quot when he posted it. I’m also not sure if he’s lumping together the 2 Curios storylet options as a single method. How is the man counting?? Is there another method out there? Like a rare success at Corpsecage Island or something?[/spoiler]

>_< Dude, I’m having horrible flashbacks to the Mirrorcatch Box hunt. I need to exit this thread and hug my teddy bear.