how to not suck

[P 15-4704]

can anyone give me tips for this games?, i have 36 gameplay hours and only completed the first 2 misions a few times in experienced, with iron man setting. right now i'm using prisma with internationale (both in their default skin), and seed + rapier.
there's any efficient way to play this game?
is really inavoidable to use the stun gun or i'm really unlucky?

[Geothermal1159]

Why would you not use the disruptor if I may ask?
In any case yes you can beat levels without using them you just need to know the tricks to doing it.

1) Using one agent to distract guards by having them run which causes the guards to investigate where they ran by while your other agents slip by unnoticed by the investigating guards.
2) Give every agent at least level 2 in anarchy to pickpocket guards without needing to knock them out.
3) Moving through the half shaded parts of the guards vision cones to get to where you need to be or, just doing things within this part of the cone to lure guards away to again let other agents slip by.
4) Bringing in Banks to hack through the security door (the ones that need basic security cards) so that you don't need to bother searching guards for the security cards.

[K. the Land-Surveyor]

I'm skeptical of the Seed+Rapier combo. The two programs don't really have synergy between them. Of the "free" energy Seed gives you're not using it until alarm level 3, and then you're only using it to break 1 firewall.

I don't know if you're committed to that combo, but it might be worth switching. If you really want Seed, Golem or Mercenary work better; if you want Rapier, I'd suggest Power Drip or Fusion.

Without other infomation, other tips are a bit hard to provide. Keep in mind that as long as the guards/cameras never see you, each level stays exactly the same for the first 15 turns (outside of activating certain objectives). Use that time to scout around and develop a plan. If a guard wanders into visual range of a camera you control, you can still observe him, even if he's outside visual range of your agents. Use that info as part of your plan to figure when it's safe to move into certain areas.

[vokiel]

I didn't find a way to not suck at Beginner in this game other than uninstalling it and investing my play time with more rewarding games. There are huge balance problems in this title.

[Geothermal1159]

Originally posted by vokiel:

I didn't find a way to not suck at Beginner in this game other than uninstalling it and investing my play time with more rewarding games. There are huge balance problems in this title.

Balance isn't a problem especially in beginner which is a piece of cake.

[cyberboy2000]

The problem with using your disrupter all the time is that knocked out guards become alerted when they wake up, making them more unpredictable than when simply patrolling. Plus it's poor habit later in the game when armour becomes an issue and on higher difficulties were knocking guards out raises the alarm. That's not to say that you shouldn't ever use your disrupter, when you've explored most of the mission the risk of guards waking up doesn't matter if it's in an area you won't return to, and later on you will have the manpower to keep a guard pinned for a good portion of the mission. Even on Expert Plus it may be worth it if it would take several turns to sneak past them.

For general advice: As said, sprinting is a great distraction, but you can also use it even with only one agent. This is because you can turn off sprinting even if you move a few tiles (to be exact, after moving you must have at least as much ap as your default ap). I also highly recommend getting speed upgraded asap. Anarchy is great and all but sometimes staying alive is a greater priority than getting some extra money. Another thing is to learn about guard blind spots and being efficient with your ap. This mainly requires experience, although there are a couple videos about blind spots. Finally if you really want to make sure you improve you can record your playing. If you check the video it should become easier to tell when you're being inefficient with your ap or making needlessly risky decisions.

[Hekateras]

1. If you haven't yet beat the game, then play on Beginner, or at least with rewinds. It's the training wheels mode for a reason. It will teach you the base mechanics without being too punishing.
2. It's better to waste some AP than to leave your agent in a risky spot without cover. I see this mistake in beginner LPs ALL the time, like there's some unwillingness to let movement go to waste. Sometimes you may even have to stay still for 1-2 turns completely while waiting for a good opening. That's okay.
3. As Cyberboy said, KOing guards is a short-term solution, so it's not always a good idea. Learn how to manipulate guards (that is, change their behaviour) without alerting them. Opening doors, moving through peripheral vision, sprinting, etc.

[TripSin]

Seed + rapier is bad. Stick to fusion or power drip for power generation and parasite/rapier/lockpick until you get better. Weird to me you've spent 36 hours and still can't handle experienced. Get the "UI tweaks" mod. If you can't handle iron man, just give yourself a rewind or two until you get better. Play Beginner until you understand how the game works. Are you not understanding basic concept like guards have a patrol they go back and forth on? Generally, you don't want to knock out guards if you can avoid it. Look at this video to learn more about guard manipulation tactics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP-Bbyu-8MI

Originally posted by vokiel:

I didn't find a way to not suck at Beginner in this game other than uninstalling it and investing my play time with more rewarding games. There are huge balance problems in this title.

lmao, if you can't even handle beginner the problem is that you're absolute garbage. the game does not need to be easier for ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like you, you just need to git gud or stick to games more your speed. Maybe Steam has a games for children section you can check out?

[P 15-4704]

Originally posted by Hekateras:

1. If you haven't yet beat the game, then play on Beginner, or at least with rewinds. It's the training wheels mode for a reason. It will teach you the base mechanics without being too punishing.

i beated the game in beginner, i guess i'll play it again until i get use to it

Originally posted by Twitchblade:

I'm skeptical of the Seed+Rapier combo. The two programs don't really have synergy between them. Of the "free" energy Seed gives you're not using it until alarm level 3, and then you're only using it to break 1 firewall.

I don't know if you're committed to that combo, but it might be worth switching. If you really want Seed, Golem or Mercenary work better; if you want Rapier, I'd suggest Power Drip or Fusion.

i'll give it a try

Originally posted by BFTPaul1159:

Why would you not use the disruptor if I may ask?
In any case yes you can beat levels without using them you just need to know the tricks to doing it.

i think it's a short term solution like cyberboy said, and it'll bite me in the balls later

Originally posted by TripSin:

Weird to me you've spent 36 hours and still can't handle experienced.

i'm trying to do it in iron man mode, but clearly i'm not ready yet

Originally posted by vokiel:

I didn't find a way to not suck at Beginner in this game other than uninstalling it and investing my play time with more rewarding games. There are huge balance problems in this title.

it's your money, not mine

[Hekateras]

I misunderstood. If you already beat it on Beginner, by all means keep trying harder modes.
First time I tried Experienced I failed quite badly, haha. Keep at it.

I would stay away from the video Trip Sin linked until you've played a bit more, it's fun to discover these yourself, and I'm not a fan of spoiling every gameplay mechanic and exploit for new players right off the bat. However, it's true, guard AI is the enemy's main weakness, you may not yet realise all the ridiculous things you can get away with. So yeah, the game really does not need to be easier (although anyone who gets off on telling people who struggle with a game to check out the"children section" probably needs to get a life, just saying.)

[Hekateras]

By the way we have a Discord server if you want to make your learning curve a more shared experience :D https://discordapp.com/invite/aQrXEse

[Geothermal1159]

Originally posted by sissel:

[snip]

Originally posted by BFTPaul1159:

Why would you not use the disruptor if I may ask?
In any case yes you can beat levels without using them you just need to know the tricks to doing it.

i think it's a short term solution like cyberboy said, and it'll bite me in the balls later
[snip]

While it is a short term solution it is still a viable solution.
For story mod you should be able to use the disruptor for every mission without much difficulty (armor penetration wise) and, when you gain an agent or 2 then you have people to pin them down if need be.
Just a note that in endless after a few days past what the story mode ends at the guards will start to get more and more passive armor to the point where getting penetration power is more of a hassle than it is worth.

Now while it does take them out of their patrol routine it does have the benefit of taking them out of their patrol routine.
To explain further lets say that the elevator/macguffin has a bunch of guards patrolling it.
You can knock out a guard or 2 so that when they wake up then can run off to some corner of the map looking for you while you take out/sneak past the remaining guards.
Or maybe the guard has an annoying patrol path the you would rather they not follow you can again knock them out then pin them or let them wake up and again they will search all around the map including far off corners that are away from you at time.

I would of course suggest having them wake up later if possible and also once you reach I think alarm level 4-5? The guards are automatically set to high alert.
So you can start knocking out guards 3-5 turns ahead of time since they will all no longer be patrolling a predictable route anyways.

[Hekateras]

Short term solution means just that: It's a solution, and it's short term. So if you do that, you should be prepared to deal with the long-term consequences. It's not a problem if you can keep a good awareness of his movements so he won't surprise you by busting into a room and blowing your cover with 1-2 stationary/patrolling guards around all coming to swarm you, but beginner players often don't have that skill yet.

About predictable guard behaviour, one thing to watch out for is that in Site List missions (and the first mission you get in any campaign), all guard patrols change immediately when you loot the objective, which can be really dangerous. It's often a good idea to hold off on getting the site list until you've explored the adjacent rooms, at least.

[vokiel]

Originally posted by TripSin:

lmao, if you can't even handle beginner the problem is that you're absolute garbage. the game does not need to be easier for ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like you, you just need to git gud or stick to games more your speed. Maybe Steam has a games for children section you can check out?

You're lucky and you think you're good because of it? How old are you exactly?

Originally posted by sissel:

it's your money, not mine

Unfortunately it isn't my money anymore, now is it?

[Zorlock Darksoul]

The advice I always give to new players is to not worry about clearing the entire level. It's good to try, but it's never necessary to swipe from every safe. If you run low on time or come across something too heavily guarded, just skip it. You won't always have the best tools or the best agents to cover every situation the game might throw at you.

And yeah, maybe skip Iron Man mode for now. The game has a pretty steep learning curve; no need to make it harder than necessary until you know a bit more about how things work. The rewinds are helpful for learning what does and doesn't succeed.

[P 15-4704]

Originally posted by vokiel:

Unfortunately it isn't my money anymore, now is it?

what i meant is you're free to make your opinion on products or service you buy, but it's your opinion, not something objective

Originally posted by Zorlock Darksoul:

The advice I always give to new players is to not worry about clearing the entire level. It's good to try, but it's never necessary to swipe from every safe. If you run low on time or come across something too heavily guarded, just skip it. You won't always have the best tools or the best agents to cover every situation the game might throw at you.

And yeah, maybe skip Iron Man mode for now. The game has a pretty steep learning curve; no need to make it harder than necessary until you know a bit more about how things work. The rewinds are helpful for learning what does and doesn't succeed.

that make sense