Is there an ACTUAL downside for high Volition?

[Kain]

So far it only made good things, sometimes it will even heal me, sure it will sometimes suggest you don't do certain things, but so far it never led me astray like Drama and some other persuasive skills.

[trippywood [QC]]

Volition: Go.

[ZAToM]

i dont get the whole skill system, i just unlock for new thoughts lol

[Kain]

Originally posted by ZAToM \\{{~*~}}//:

i dont get the whole skill system, i just unlock for new thoughts lol

The skill system is like..... voices on your head helping you understand the world, but these voices can only see through the lenses of it's purpose, for example, if you have high Physical Instrument, it will always help you solve things through strength, if you have high Drama, it will try to make you convince people on your point of view, or convince YOU of it's point of view. I love the skill system in this game, because they dont jsut randomly helps you with checks but share their inputs of the world.

[meowbeast]

If you fail a volition check in a specific spot, you can rest in it and find medicine.

[Du-Vu]

I don't know that it comes up all that often, but high Volition can shut down some of your other skills if they're not that high, which cuts off the occasional funny bad idea. It's not really bad for your character, but it does kind of punish you as a player :\ It makes you more boring, basically.

[taciturn(o)]

Yes, it can hide a huge part of the main character backstory from you. I actually never found out about his... ex-something on my first playthrough because Volition was my main attribute.

[Kain]

Strange, Volition never stopped me, he just urged me to do it... but then again, same happened to most my skills none of them wants you to find out about the ex-something.

But SOME parts I did notice it cutting off other skills, like later on when it shut down Electrochemistry

[taciturn(o)]

Originally posted by Kain:

Strange, Volition never stopped me, he just urged me to do it... but then again, same happened to most my skills none of them wants you to find out about the ex-something.

But SOME parts I did notice it cutting off other skills, like later on when it shut down Electrochemistry

It never stopped me, it just suggested something and, since I was role playing like a drunk trying to get his ♥♥♥♥ together, I listened to it. It was quite surprising to know about the ex-something right in the end of the game.

[Dan]

I don't think the game necessarily signposts all the times when something is prevented from happening or fails to happen. Times when your Volition speaks up about something, very well might be times when a different skill may have interjected with something less sensible had it not taken priority.

As ever, don't assume that the only relevant things that happen or fail to happen in the game are the ones it tells you about.

[Jotun]

Originally posted by taciturno:

Yes, it can hide a huge part of the main character backstory from you. I actually never found out about his... ex-something on my first playthrough because Volition was my main attribute.

Same for me!

[Snobby Hobo]

Originally posted by Kain:

Originally posted by ZAToM \\{{~*~}}//:

i dont get the whole skill system, i just unlock for new thoughts lol

The skill system is like..... voices on your head helping you understand the world, but these voices can only see through the lenses of it's purpose, for example, if you have high Physical Instrument, it will always help you solve things through strength, if you have high Drama, it will try to make you convince people on your point of view, or convince YOU of it's point of view. I love the skill system in this game, because they dont jsut randomly helps you with checks but share their inputs of the world.

Drama is mostly for seeing through lies or constructing them yourself.

Afaik most "skills" can be wrong or simply not depict the whole truth. It's part of the game's message to not blindly follow a single instinct. I believe the only talent that has literally no downsides is "encyclopedia" - though it will give you sporadic ridiculous and unrelated dialogue options no sane person would pick.

[Narz' thiccDew™]

Originally posted by Incredibly average:

Originally posted by Kain:

The skill system is like..... voices on your head helping you understand the world, but these voices can only see through the lenses of it's purpose, for example, if you have high Physical Instrument, it will always help you solve things through strength, if you have high Drama, it will try to make you convince people on your point of view, or convince YOU of it's point of view. I love the skill system in this game, because they dont jsut randomly helps you with checks but share their inputs of the world.

Drama is mostly for seeing through lies or constructing them yourself.

Afaik most "skills" can be wrong or simply not depict the whole truth. It's part of the game's message to not blindly follow a single instinct. I believe the only talent that has literally no downsides is "encyclopedia" - though it will give you sporadic ridiculous and unrelated dialogue options no sane person would pick.

Honestly I think the frequency of Encyclopedia showing up IS the downside of a high Encyclopedia. It's like a narrator that gets in the way of the story.

[Du-Vu]

It believe there are times when it can barrage you with trivia to the point you miss some small but key details, and hijack the conversation to correct people or overexplain something, similar to Rhetoric. Which can get people annoyed at you, and make it harder to talk to them.

[Snobby Hobo]

Originally posted by Du-Vu:

It believe there are times when it can barrage you with trivia to the point you miss some small but key details, and hijack the conversation to correct people or overexplain something, similar to Rhetoric. Which can get people annoyed at you, and make it harder to talk to them.

This is actually not untrue. It does have offer a few dialogue options that are of minimal importance. It also offers a few options that are ridiculous to the degree of making yourself look insane(relating arbitrary facts to unrelated subjects).

But encyclopedia is never *wrong*. From my experience it is usually extremely obvious when picking encyclopedia isn't the way to go, which also happens to be very often. It adds to the world building and allows you to make better choices overall.

Perhaps it is not entirely without downsides then, but only very minimal - especially in comparison to other instincts which might offer you wrong advice.