HELP REQUEST: Guide to starting thoughts for maximizing funds and XP with minimal plot impact

[JungleJollies[]]

This is really frustrating. I talked some friends through an opening strategy in the game and took the time to compose a brief, reasonable guide. However, I cannot post this guide on Steam without having first purchased the game through Steam. For the record I bought it through GOG.

I wanted to post it here, complete with the image that I formatted, so that some folks could at least see it. If anyone would be willing to post it as a steam guide -- I would be most grateful. You have my explicit consent to post it under you account. If you could just give me a shout out in the description, that would make me smile.

IF YOU DO, LET ME KNOW VIA REPLY. THAT WAY I CAN EDIT THIS POST, SO AS TO ENSURE NO DUPLICATES ARE POSTED.

Image
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1907131039

Brief Description
There is so much in this game, that it is almost impossible to see everything in a single play through. There is no correct combination of skills one can take to play the game effectively; however, there are a number of thoughts that one can develop very early in the game, so as to cumulatively yield a large quantity of money and experience without forcing the player down any particular plot path.


A General Overview

This guide will detail the steps you will need to take in order to get three “Thoughts” as early as possible in the game. The thoughts, ranked by the order in which you will receive them, are: Hobocop, The Fifteenth Indo Tribe, & Jamais Vu (Derealization). By learning these thoughts, you will gain experience and money every time you click an orb – thus the benefits of these skills will be most fully realized if you develop them very early in the game.

You will have to play the very beginning of the game with an odd tactic:
You will not click on the orbs that appear on the map, but you will click on the orbs/arrows that appear near your head.

Later, after you have developed/fully researched the first two thoughts, you are free to click every orb that you lay eyes on. The third thought (Hobocop) will ultimately allow you to get the most money from recycling trash (allowing you to spot more of it, and giving you more money from the act of recycling). So, in this respect, you don’t want to trade in any bottles until you’ve researched Hobocop.

I will now describe the individual steps that you will need to take in order to learn each of the three thoughts. Keep in mind, you will not need to invest any XP in order to develop these first three thoughts; however, you will need to pay with XP in order to unlock later thought cabinet spaces. Researching each thought takes time – it is advantageous to start researching each of these thoughts the very instance it becomes available to you. You can do this mid conversation, by clicking the thought cabinet icon on the lower right corner of the screen.

1. When you first wake up, find your basic clothes. They’re all on the top floor of this structure. Speak with the blonde woman and exhaust as many dialogue options as you want to.
   
2. Walk down stairs and speak to Kim at the front door. Then speak to Garte (the man behind the counter). After your action, click the blue circle by your head, and reflect on the fact that you may not have a home. This is your opportunity to embrace the first of three thoughts: Hobocop.
   
3. Before leaving the hotel, explore all available conversation options with Lena (the woman in the wheelchair). It is essential that you talk to her about your memory issues, and that you explore conversation options with her until you get a new task: “get the lowdown on reality”. Once that’s done, leave the hotel.
   
4. Walk west and down towards the dock. Holding the tab button (which is going to be your best friend from now on), find the plastic bag and equip it. From here-on, you will be able to spot bottles/cans, which will be a non-trivial source of your income.
   
5. Walk North West until you spot Joyce (rich woman on the boat). You’re going to spend a lot of time talking to her. You will need to ask her about her company, her boat, and other details until you get the get The Fifteenth Indo Tribe. Over the course of this conversation, you will get the option to ask her about reality. This is a large, branching discussion. Somewhere along the way, you will get an option to ask her detail about “Revachol”, and one of these dialogue options will give you access to Jamais Vu (Derealization).
   
   Note that because a good deal of time will pass while you’re talking with Joyce, it will be advantageous for you to start researching each of these thoughts immediately (i.e. mid conversation). Once you’ve done that, spend a few more hours exploring, and talking to people.

Once the thoughts are realized, you’re free to play the game normally (i.e. clicking on every orb), getting bonus money and experience along the way. In the late game, once you have gathered all the bottles and clicked all the orbs, you may well find it advantageous to forget some of these skills, but that choice is yours to make.