Dead End Mysteries

[RosCo]

Keep in mind, this is actually not a complaint, just need clarity and help exploring options.

Unsolved Mysteries are my favorites. I loved the old tv show.

With that said, anyone else ever pursued virtually every lead only to come up empty?

Person was murdered.

1. Lover/partner that was living with them disappeared, so that would be most obvious, but they are gone and nowhere to be found even after asking around...I followed leads only for people to finally start making me go back in forth on major street names.
2. The partner had a secret(?) lover was also a dead end, as nothing places them at the crime scene, like no fingerprints. The only connection I have is a love letter and an email I found at their work place.
3. The employer the victim worked for does not seem to have any sinister motive (checked emails and computers at work place), they seem to be legit, as far as neon-punk corps go or concerned.
4. Suicide was ruled out (plus I don't think that is even an option in the game...yet...), because the murder weapon in question was not in the room where the victim was located, since the autopsy indicated a rifle wound...only small pistols or revolvers in the house.

Not sure what I did wrong, outside of maybe finding their lover/partner, arresting them and hoping for a confession. That was perhaps the one thing I was not able to get done to at least properly rule the missing partner out.

I actually lingered on the jaded lover angle for quite some time and even spent a small amount of time on the suicide option before finally ruling it out naturally.

Tried submitting names of the victim, their partner, and their partners lover only for the city hall to tell me I was wrong.

Like this was a deep one compared to the first mystery I did (new to the game).

I actually didn't mind this one being a dead end, but it would be nice to know such things are a thing.

Are dead end cases a thing or has anyone else had similar issues getting a mystery to ground?

Tell me your stories.

[Isabelle]

Originally posted by RosCo:

Keep in mind, this is actually not a complaint, just need clarity and help exploring options.

Unsolved Mysteries are my favorites. I loved the old tv show.

With that said, anyone else ever pursued virtually every lead only to come up empty?

Person was murdered.

1. Lover/partner that was living with them disappeared, so that would be most obvious, but they are gone and nowhere to be found even after asking around...I followed leads only for people to finally start making me go back in forth on major street names.
2. The partner had a secret(?) lover was also a dead end, as nothing places them at the crime scene, like no fingerprints. The only connection I have is a love letter and an email I found at their work place.
3. The employer the victim worked for does not seem to have any sinister motive (checked emails and computers at work place), they seem to be legit, as far as neon-punk corps go or concerned.
4. Suicide was ruled out (plus I don't think that is even an option in the game...yet...), because the murder weapon in question was not in the room where the victim was located, since the autopsy indicated a rifle wound...only small pistols or revolvers in the house.

Not sure what I did wrong, outside of maybe finding their lover/partner, arresting them and hoping for a confession. That was perhaps the one thing I was not able to get done to at least properly rule the missing partner out.

I actually lingered on the jaded lover angle for quite some time and even spent a small amount of time on the suicide option before finally ruling it out naturally.

Tried submitting names of the victim, their partner, and their partners lover only for the city hall to tell me I was wrong.

Like this was a deep one compared to the first mystery I did (new to the game).

I actually didn't mind this one being a dead end, but it would be nice to know such things are a thing.

Are dead end cases a thing or has anyone else had similar issues getting a mystery to ground?

Tell me your stories.

1. Partners of victims are typically made homeless if the murder happened inside their home.

2. Unrelated. There's infidelity side jobs, and that sounds like they happened to be the cheater in one of those.

3. I dont believe this is a question so i wont attempt to answer

4. Suicide does not exist in the current build of the game. Murderers will always remain the same NPC until the player catches them and turns in the case; you can wait until your killer strikes again to potentially get more information.

General tips-

Search nearby food shops, pawn shops, weapons dealers, etc- when NPCs purchase something, it leaves a log in the shop's sales ledger. You can look for purchases of weapons or ammunition that way.

In general, there are no dead ends. Every single time a killer kills their victim, they drop a piece of key evidence. This is sometimes an anagram on a note, a business card, a toy car, etc. The killer's prints will be on that, except for the occasional corpo killer, which is slightly bugged and will sometimes put the victim's prints on the key evidence.

It's very important to point out that killers don't have motives yet; there are four (five? if snipers count as a killer type) "motives" that determine the general targets of the murderer, but none of them are related to in-game relationships or actions.

For example, Corpo killers almost exclusively kill people who work in the same company as them.
TLDR- you've missed something crucial to the case at the crime scene.

[RosCo]

@Isabelle

Thanks for feedback.

One thing that occurred to me right after I posted this was that I don't think I checked the phone logs like a smart person would.

The only evidence laying around on the floor was connected to the partner (note card in connection to their work), and I traced something they bought at a shop, but it wasn't a weapon connected with the crime (from what I could tell).

Good to know about the homeless situation...that has to suck going from 2 bread winners to 1 bread winner that can't live in a crime scene.

That is funny about the infidelity stuff, and knowing that was a false lead. I can actually appreciate that, because that is the way I viewed that like halfway thru the investigation before I decided to dump it.

The other thing I have to figure out is how to crack computers when an obvious login is not just laying around.

[Isabelle]

Originally posted by RosCo:

@Isabelle

Thanks for feedback.

One thing that occurred to me right after I posted this was that I don't think I checked the phone logs like a smart person would.

The only evidence laying around on the floor was connected to the partner (note card in connection to their work), and I traced something they bought at a shop, but it wasn't a weapon connected with the crime (from what I could tell).

Good to know about the homeless situation...that has to suck going from 2 bread winners to 1 bread winner that can't live in a crime scene.

That is funny about the infidelity stuff, and knowing that was a false lead. I can actually appreciate that, because that is the way I viewed that like halfway thru the investigation before I decided to dump it.

The other thing I have to figure out is how to crack computers when an obvious login is not just laying around.

To crack computers you can use the "codebreaker" item purchased from gear vendors at city hall. (Those are the vending machines with tools in them)

Call logs are important, though not every killer will make a call to the victim.

[Isabelle]

I edited my first comment to provide a little bit of extra context, also.

[ezra!]

Suicide is not an option in the game.
Secret lovers don't (normally) have anything to do with it.
Have you explored the crime scene? Any calling cards? Cracked windows? If there are cracked windows, it's likely a sniper. Calling cards may include crumpled papers, graffiti on the wall, etc.

With that, here's my story:

A murder was reported; City hall, Juniper Ward. I go to the ward immediately, and I was quite confuzzled. I eventually came to a rather sloppy conclusion of a coworker, solely based off of an aggressive email sent from her co-worker. This, needless to say, was incorrect. I look around the crime scene some more, spot a few bulletholes in the wall, a lil marking on the window, but no calling cards. Odd. Next strike: Rose Ward. Same sitch. Shot in range of a window, bullethole in the wall, crack in the window. This goes on for one more ward and two (Maybe 3) enforcer divisions. Finally, on the third enforcer division, i decided that it had to be a sharpshooter or sniper, so i choose a room to wait in. I chose Kappa enforcer division solely because there was a little hideout right by the window. I know that the murder will happen eventually because there was a murder every 1-2 days. So, I wait, and eventually our poor victim strolls on scene. Poor guys gets shot down, but I see the outline of the murderer and what floor they're on. I immediately book it over to the apartment, and i convince the fool to let me in. Right in the hallway is the weapon. Get her ID, and turn in the case. Eventually, all the wards and divisions were no longer crime scenes (whew!)

[Isabelle]

By the way- from what it seems, you got the Corpo killer bug where the victim's prints replace the killer's on their business card.

If the card says something along the lines of "KILL TO GET AHEAD", or "DIDNT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES", that is a Corpo killer.

[RosCo]

Originally posted by Isabelle:

By the way- from what it seems, you got the Corpo killer bug where the victim's prints replace the killer's on their business card.

If the card says something along the lines of "KILL TO GET AHEAD", or "DIDNT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES", that is a Corpo killer.

Good to know, going to file that in the back of my brain should it come up again.

Originally posted by ezraaee:

A murder was reported; City hall, Juniper Ward. I go to the ward immediately, and I was quite confuzzled. I eventually came to a rather sloppy conclusion of a coworker, solely based off of an aggressive email sent from her co-worker. This, needless to say, was incorrect. I look around the crime scene some more, spot a few bulletholes in the wall, a lil marking on the window, but no calling cards. Odd. Next strike: Rose Ward. Same sitch. Shot in range of a window, bullethole in the wall, crack in the window. This goes on for one more ward and two (Maybe 3) enforcer divisions. Finally, on the third enforcer division, i decided that it had to be a sharpshooter or sniper, so i choose a room to wait in. I chose Kappa enforcer division solely because there was a little hideout right by the window. I know that the murder will happen eventually because there was a murder every 1-2 days. So, I wait, and eventually our poor victim strolls on scene. Poor guys gets shot down, but I see the outline of the murderer and what floor they're on. I immediately book it over to the apartment, and i convince the fool to let me in. Right in the hallway is the weapon. Get her ID, and turn in the case. Eventually, all the wards and divisions were no longer crime scenes (whew!)

That is cool and silly at the same time.

One of my first cases involved someone working at city hall, really let me know that nobody in this city can truly be trusted at face value.

[Graknorke]

Originally posted by ezraaee:

I see the outline of the murderer and what floor they're on.

Is there some setting that lets you see into windows? For me all the buildings are wrapped in a static (ish, I think it has variants for if the lights are on or off) texture that obscures the actual 3D rendering. I thought it was always like that.

[Depaskala]

Originally posted by RosCo:

(new to the game).

Ooh yes. The post was screaming it before reaching this parenthesis.

When I started the game, I was also expecting way too much, in terms of plot and motives. "Take your pills", and all that. I was speculating on big pharmaceutical plots covering paranoia side effects of meds, was trying to trace the doctor who prescribed them, I was trying to read between the lines of emails, etc...

Nope. Not working like that.

The game randomizes killers, often from limited pools (the victim's contacts/coworkers), and randomizes a "motive" (a vague uninvolving, interchangeable thing such as "being unforthy" or "being work competition") which never effects the investigation. Basically, the game connects a killer and a victim, and leaves physical clues such as fingerprints. Don't overthink it, don't look for a story - or just make up your own story in retrospect, to fill the blanks. "Project" it, but don't expect the game to have processed it.

It's an awesome game, but it's a basic puzzle game with accidentally emeergent "narratives" (in the player's mind), it's very very far from story-driven RPGs or adventure games.

[RosCo]

Originally posted by Depaskala:

Originally posted by RosCo:

(new to the game).

Ooh yes. The post was screaming it before reaching this parenthesis.

When I started the game, I was also expecting way too much, in terms of plot and motives. "Take your pills", and all that. I was speculating on big pharmaceutical plots covering paranoia side effects of meds, was trying to trace the doctor who prescribed them, I was trying to read between the lines of emails, etc...

Nope. Not working like that.

The game randomizes killers, often from limited pools (the victim's contacts/coworkers), and randomizes a "motive" (a vague uninvolving, interchangeable thing such as "being unforthy" or "being work competition") which never effects the investigation. Basically, the game connects a killer and a victim, and leaves physical clues such as fingerprints. Don't overthink it, don't look for a story - or just make up your own story in retrospect, to fill the blanks. "Project" it, but don't expect the game to have processed it.

It's an awesome game, but it's a basic puzzle game with accidentally emeergent "narratives" (in the player's mind), it's very very far from story-driven RPGs or adventure games.

Honestly, it is just nice to know that I was overthinking it and the solution was perhaps a simple one that I somehow overlooked.

With that said, still having a blast with this game.

I hope they consider adding more types of cases in the future or maybe even consider a sequel where that might be more of a thing.

As silly as it sounds I would love to have the dead end be because there was no murderer...idiot forgot to take their pills.

[Depaskala]

Originally posted by RosCo:

Originally posted by Depaskala:

Ooh yes. The post was screaming it before reaching this parenthesis.

When I started the game, I was also expecting way too much, in terms of plot and motives. "Take your pills", and all that. I was speculating on big pharmaceutical plots covering paranoia side effects of meds, was trying to trace the doctor who prescribed them, I was trying to read between the lines of emails, etc...

Nope. Not working like that.

The game randomizes killers, often from limited pools (the victim's contacts/coworkers), and randomizes a "motive" (a vague uninvolving, interchangeable thing such as "being unforthy" or "being work competition") which never effects the investigation. Basically, the game connects a killer and a victim, and leaves physical clues such as fingerprints. Don't overthink it, don't look for a story - or just make up your own story in retrospect, to fill the blanks. "Project" it, but don't expect the game to have processed it.

It's an awesome game, but it's a basic puzzle game with accidentally emeergent "narratives" (in the player's mind), it's very very far from story-driven RPGs or adventure games.

Honestly, it is just nice to know that I was overthinking it and the solution was perhaps a simple one that I somehow overlooked.

With that said, still having a blast with this game.

I hope they consider adding more types of cases in the future or maybe even consider a sequel where that might be more of a thing.

As silly as it sounds I would love to have the dead end be because there was no murderer...idiot forgot to take their pills.

Yes, this game is a blast. We just get mislead in our investigations early on because we expect more scripting and intricate plots.

And it's only in EA, so new kinds of (minimalistic) plots appear from time to time. I play by phase : play it a lot, until the crimes become routine (the plot structures and assorting solving methods too familiar), then I put it on hold until a couple more updates add to the content.

My hope is still that it eventually manages, at some point, to link plots and culprits in "Covert Action"-like conspiracies. But I don't know if the devs intend to or not.

[ezra!]

Originally posted by Graknorke:

Originally posted by ezraaee:

I see the outline of the murderer and what floor they're on.

Is there some setting that lets you see into windows? For me all the buildings are wrapped in a static (ish, I think it has variants for if the lights are on or off) texture that obscures the actual 3D rendering. I thought it was always like that.

Well, not exactly. When somebody is aggressing on either you or another citizen, they get a temporary red outline. So, when they started shooting, i could see they were one floor above me in an adjacent building.

[MadDawg2552]

The first murder case I had to do (apart from the tutorial) happened on the street, in the rain. All the prints and other evidence was gone, so all I really had to go on was the type of weapon that was used. I couldn't even identify the body.

I never did solve that one.