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[Fallen London] et al.: Sunless Skies is out!

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Posts

  • akajaybayakajaybay Registered User regular
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.
    The biggest change I had to make in my behavior was to be more bold about venturing out into the unknown instead of trying to build up cash by making small nearby runs. Everything tends to have diminishing returns, so the longer you stay in one area you're going to quickly run out of resources. Also if it was specifically mentioned in the game I missed it, but the Z Bat button on the ship will help you find nearby undiscovered landmarks, and running with the lights off does increase your terror faster but saves a ton of fuel and helps avoid enemies.

  • Steel AngelSteel Angel Registered User regular
    akajaybay wrote: »
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.
    The biggest change I had to make in my behavior was to be more bold about venturing out into the unknown instead of trying to build up cash by making small nearby runs. Everything tends to have diminishing returns, so the longer you stay in one area you're going to quickly run out of resources. Also if it was specifically mentioned in the game I missed it, but the Z Bat button on the ship will help you find nearby undiscovered landmarks, and running with the lights off does increase your terror faster but saves a ton of fuel and helps avoid enemies.

    Running sans light is one of the biggest things to do starting out. Eventually you'll want to stop since terror is bad on longer trips but early on you won't be cramming more than 15 fuel in the starter engine since you'll run out of supplies before you can do a big circuit.

    The stealth is also a big benefit as you'll want to run away from everything but the tiny crabs. And even those some of the time.

    Big Dookie wrote: »
    I found that tilting it doesn't work very well, and once I started jerking it, I got much better results.

    Steam Profile
    3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.

    It's not realIy about buying low and selling high if that's what you're looking for. I'm still pretty early in and I make most of my ticking over cash from a combination of port reports and general adventuring into the unknown and then selling my knowledge loot to the scholar.

    I will just point out that the Alarming Scholar is actually a poor choice for selling stuff, because anything he (she?) will buy off of you will probably be necessary for a quest down the road. I usually only sell to her (him?) if I'm very hard up for cash or if I know there's no chance that I'll find a use for an item any time soon, and it's just cluttering up my inventory (which is rare, because most of the things the scholar buys don't take up space in the hold). Also if I have a lot of something, I'll sell a few, but make sure I keep at least one.

    Strange Catches, Live Specimens, Fluke Cores, etc... most of those have important quests associated with them.

    Oh, and one more tip: If you find Nuncio, do the quest there. It's pretty awesome, and that island's inhabitants are damn heroes.
    Also blemmigans open up a unique option in Nuncio.

  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    akajaybay wrote: »
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.
    The biggest change I had to make in my behavior was to be more bold about venturing out into the unknown instead of trying to build up cash by making small nearby runs. Everything tends to have diminishing returns, so the longer you stay in one area you're going to quickly run out of resources. Also if it was specifically mentioned in the game I missed it, but the Z Bat button on the ship will help you find nearby undiscovered landmarks, and running with the lights off does increase your terror faster but saves a ton of fuel and helps avoid enemies.

    Running sans light is one of the biggest things to do starting out. Eventually you'll want to stop since terror is bad on longer trips but early on you won't be cramming more than 15 fuel in the starter engine since you'll run out of supplies before you can do a big circuit.

    The stealth is also a big benefit as you'll want to run away from everything but the tiny crabs. And even those some of the time.

    Yeah, the "tiny" crabs (merely as big as your boat) can mess you up if they catch you out of position.

    I think that the most important skill to learn in this game is how to kill pirates and monsters. Your terror drops substantially every time you kill an opponent, and raiding pirate holds or gutting monsters for food is how you stay afloat on long periods at zee. Better engines and getting a ship with a forward gun are very helpful in this respect... of course, this requires an investment (and, for the best gear, quest completion).

    I would like to clarify about running without your light. You should usually run with it off (saves on fuel and prevents monsters from noticing you), but if you're passing next to a light buoy or a well-lit island, you can actually reverse progress towards your next point of Terror with it. Watch your Terror gauge; it should be surrounded by red dots. If those dots turn orange because you're near a light source, flip on your ship headlight. The dots will turn green and disappearing. If all the green dots disappear, turn it off. When the Terror gauge turns orange again, even with the light on, turn it off. I don't think this will reduce your full Terror points, but it is the most efficient use of your light in terms of fuel vs. Terror gain.

    Improving your engine will also reduce overall Terror gain, because you'll be getting to your destinations faster.

  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.

    It's not realIy about buying low and selling high if that's what you're looking for. I'm still pretty early in and I make most of my ticking over cash from a combination of port reports and general adventuring into the unknown and then selling my knowledge loot to the scholar.

    I will just point out that the Alarming Scholar is actually a poor choice for selling stuff, because anything he (she?) will buy off of you will probably be necessary for a quest down the road. I usually only sell to her (him?) if I'm very hard up for cash or if I know there's no chance that I'll find a use for an item any time soon, and it's just cluttering up my inventory (which is rare, because most of the things the scholar buys don't take up space in the hold). Also if I have a lot of something, I'll sell a few, but make sure I keep at least one.

    Strange Catches, Live Specimens, Fluke Cores, etc... most of those have important quests associated with them.

    Oh, and one more tip: If you find Nuncio, do the quest there. It's pretty awesome, and that island's inhabitants are damn heroes.
    Also blemmigans open up a unique option in Nuncio.

    Eh, I need the cash early in and if I find a quest that needs these things, then I'll start saving them. All these connected points have to be going somewhere as well.

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    I've just started Sunless Sea, and, uh, how does one make cash? I'm dangerously close to unable to buy food or fuel, and I'm not finding much profit anywhere.

    It's not realIy about buying low and selling high if that's what you're looking for. I'm still pretty early in and I make most of my ticking over cash from a combination of port reports and general adventuring into the unknown and then selling my knowledge loot to the scholar.

    I will just point out that the Alarming Scholar is actually a poor choice for selling stuff, because anything he (she?) will buy off of you will probably be necessary for a quest down the road. I usually only sell to her (him?) if I'm very hard up for cash or if I know there's no chance that I'll find a use for an item any time soon, and it's just cluttering up my inventory (which is rare, because most of the things the scholar buys don't take up space in the hold). Also if I have a lot of something, I'll sell a few, but make sure I keep at least one.

    Strange Catches, Live Specimens, Fluke Cores, etc... most of those have important quests associated with them.

    Oh, and one more tip: If you find Nuncio, do the quest there. It's pretty awesome, and that island's inhabitants are damn heroes.
    Also blemmigans open up a unique option in Nuncio.

    Eh, I need the cash early in and if I find a quest that needs these things, then I'll start saving them. All these connected points have to be going somewhere as well.

    The main issue with selling to the Scholar is that the availability of some of the items are gated by quests. So, you can find yourself unable to complete objectives late game with a particular captain because you sold too much to the Scholar. This isn't an issue for every item - trophies are a farmable resource, for example - but you really only should be selling to the Scholar when playing those desperate early captains. The same is true for the Admiral and Great Game tidbits.

    Basically, with the exception of providing the Venturer's requested items, selling sunlight to the Bruiser and a few other (mostly illegal) transactions, you want to avoid selling anything in London if you can help it. Sometimes you have to clear hull space, but even then you are making a trade-off.

    Other than fuel and food, the same is true for buying trade goods in London's stores. There's always a better use/market out there somewhere, so you will always be sacrificing late game benefits for early survivability when trading in London.

    Phillishere on
  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    That all sounds needlessly complex.

    Anyway. Confused game mechanics question:

    Father's Bones Quest spoiler:
    The Fathomking asked for a laundry list of ridiculous tasks, and then only two of them went into my journal. What gives? Has the game bugged out?

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    That all sounds needlessly complex.

    Anyway. Confused game mechanics question:

    Father's Bones Quest spoiler:
    The Fathomking asked for a laundry list of ridiculous tasks, and then only two of them went into my journal. What gives? Has the game bugged out?

    They only list a few of them in the journal at a time, but they are all individually available for reference in the collection of statuses and items that don't take up hold space.

  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    That all sounds needlessly complex.

    Anyway. Confused game mechanics question:

    Father's Bones Quest spoiler:
    The Fathomking asked for a laundry list of ridiculous tasks, and then only two of them went into my journal. What gives? Has the game bugged out?

    It's in line with the way the game works, in general. In the first few runs, you are desperate to survive, so you sell whatever you can for a bit more fuel and supplies, and if you are lucky you can scrape up enough for a house and a will before you are eaten by bats. After a few deaths, you start to survive long enough to realize that there are better things to do with the items and other ways to make money.

  • Edith UpwardsEdith Upwards Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Port Reports and Admiralty commissions are your friend. Not too far from Home waters means two squares away. If you want to take ships and slay Zee Beasts you'll want a Flensing weapon. Your starting ship lacks Aft and Forward slots. Engine Power decreases fuel efficiency. Cannibalism is fun and has no downsides. Justice is worth pursuing. You will always be my delicious friend. :heartbeat:

    Edith Upwards on
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    You only have one soul, but, shit, it's there to be sold, right?

  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    heirlooms stay put until somebody sells them or you forget to make a will

    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    As Paladin says, Heirlooms are passed along. Two games ago, I used six of my twelve Heirlooms when I started, saved the other six. This game, I sold everything to buy a Frigate, meaning that I'll have to earn back twelve heirlooms if I want to pass something nice on to my heir. Unfortunately there's no way to keep your ship at this time (I kinda wish that was your bonus for retirement instead of getting sunk/dying far away; you got to keep your last captain's ship, however gutted and mothballed).

    You do, however, get to keep your house. Provided you have an Iron-Clad Will. There are a few other items you can pass along; specifically items that give +25 to a stat. You get these for big accomplishments and completing quest chains. For example:
    If you complete the Merchant Venturer's jobs and escort him to his final destination, you can actually go with him; this will end your game, but your heir will receive the Horizon Codex, which gives +25 Pages, and is passed down the line to their heirs.

  • Steel AngelSteel Angel Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    Look, sometimes a captain winds up helping anarchists blow up London and has to end his career in an unexpected manner. And then his son manages to do the same via a totally different sequence of events. Things happen.

    As others mentioned, heirlooms are permanent but you may need a will to pass them down. How many you want to keep on hand is a matter of judgment. It's not terribly hard to get a few treasures to convert into heirlooms once you learn certain events. I like having at least 2 for a new captain to cash in though. Getting a mansion took a while so being able to make a will first thing is handy as is cash for a few immediate upgrades to the ship.

    Big Dookie wrote: »
    I found that tilting it doesn't work very well, and once I started jerking it, I got much better results.

    Steam Profile
    3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Has anyone discovered a way to advance the Monkey Foundling to Officer? They imply that you can do it when you pick her up. That said, she's one of the best Mascots, though I have to keep her hidden if I want to romance Maybe's Daughter.

  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    Of course standard perma-death game rules apply and shortly after this post I lost all but two of my crew to an unfortunate event and had to limp across the sea home at an agonisingly slow speed, finally crawling into London at 90 terror.

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    Of course standard perma-death game rules apply and shortly after this post I lost all but two of my crew to an unfortunate event and had to limp across the sea home at an agonisingly slow speed, finally crawling into London at 90 terror.

    I had one game where my Terror hit 90 and members of my crew just kept mysteriously falling off the ship. Like four in a row. I just don't know what happened. :hydra:

  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    This is only my second captain and I've explored half the map and made some nice things. You guys talk like you run through them like peanuts.

    Heirlooms: Only used for a single generation right? So no point making them if I could do with the money right now thank you?

    And will my successor get my ship after the inevitable end or is it just my house?

    Of course standard perma-death game rules apply and shortly after this post I lost all but two of my crew to an unfortunate event and had to limp across the sea home at an agonisingly slow speed, finally crawling into London at 90 terror.

    I had one game where my Terror hit 90 and members of my crew just kept mysteriously falling off the ship. Like four in a row. I just don't know what happened. :hydra:
    "Oh man. Everyone keeps falling off the ship. what is going on?! How mysterious...and where did we get all this food from? Even more mysterious"

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Geth is very interested in such mysteries.

    Dracomicron on
  • AlazullAlazull Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.Registered User regular
    SS: So turns out you can farm Lifebergs for Outlandish Artifacts...

    Until one catches you on the lip of shoreline of Codex and pounds you into the ocean.

    Tell my wife it was never really about her, it was all in the pursuit of the 'zee.

    User name Alazull on Steam, PSN, Nintenders, Epic, etc.
  • AistanAistan Tiny Bat Registered User regular
    There has to be a better way to deal with nightmares than this. I've been abusing the Feast of the Exceptional Rose event, doing the watchful check for 10 free tickets until I have a ton then going to the carnival itself and partaking of hot wine until my nightmares are manageable, then going to church until my inevitably raised scandal is back down.

    It's kind of a pain, but I don't want to send them to other people.

  • milskimilski Poyo! Registered User regular
    Greyfields 1868 first sporing gives you a fair amount of persuasive up and nightmares down.

    I ate an engineer
  • Steel AngelSteel Angel Registered User regular
    Aistan wrote: »
    There has to be a better way to deal with nightmares than this. I've been abusing the Feast of the Exceptional Rose event, doing the watchful check for 10 free tickets until I have a ton then going to the carnival itself and partaking of hot wine until my nightmares are manageable, then going to church until my inevitably raised scandal is back down.

    It's kind of a pain, but I don't want to send them to other people.

    Drinking at a party so crazy you have to confess your sins at church the next day seems like a pretty great way to deal with nightmares to me. (I did the same thing but with Shadowy).

    Big Dookie wrote: »
    I found that tilting it doesn't work very well, and once I started jerking it, I got much better results.

    Steam Profile
    3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
  • 38thDoe38thDoe lets never be stupid again wait lets always be stupid foreverRegistered User regular
    Holy crap I just wasted almost all of my everything to do an expedition at the forgotten quarter and I failed and got nothing.

    38thDoE on steam
    🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀
    
  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    A bigger boat! A forward gun! My heir wiped out by a curse (yet strangely also still available for pleasant evenings at home)!

    It's all happening and I'm still only on captain number 2.

    My Word.doc of port notes is up to 6 pages.

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • MaddocMaddoc I'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother? Registered User regular
    38thDoe wrote: »
    Holy crap I just wasted almost all of my everything to do an expedition at the forgotten quarter and I failed and got nothing.

    After doing a few expeditions, I recommend bringing 50% more than the requested number of supplies. Eventually you're going to have to start spending supplies to hinder rivals as well as reach your goal, and the progress goal always seems to be the same as the minimum number of supplies you can bring. (20 supplies required to start means you need 20 progress to finish the expedition, bring 30 so that you've got some to spend on failed checks and/or sabotaging your rival.)

  • 38thDoe38thDoe lets never be stupid again wait lets always be stupid foreverRegistered User regular
    Where do you get secrets and or dock connections in that bulk?

    38thDoE on steam
    🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀🦑🦀
    
  • MaddocMaddoc I'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother? Registered User regular
    It's tedious as hell, but going to Ladybones Rd and taking the Strange Lights in the Forgotten District action gets you 1-100 Whispered Secrets. I've been looking for a better way to farm them more efficiently myself.

  • AistanAistan Tiny Bat Registered User regular
    Trying to get as many carnival tickets as I can before the event ends. 344 so far. You'd think at some point the carnies would stop letting me in to see the exhibit.

  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    It's really hard to go through sunless sea without becoming unaccountably peckish

    I've only eaten humans by accident, but I have found that being a cannibal is a straight buff. There are so many options that depend on you knowing what long pork is

    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    38thDoe wrote: »
    Where do you get secrets and or dock connections in that bulk?

    You can buy an Engraved Pewter Tankard which gets you docks conncections for 3 actions and 150 glim. That's how I do my expeditions.

  • EtiowsaEtiowsa Registered User regular
    Yeah, it's weird how non-menacing most of the menaces are. I have yet to find a downside to not having a soul. On the other hand, maybe they didn't want to fuck with people too hard with conditions you can't get rid of.

  • milskimilski Poyo! Registered User regular
    Alternate secret grinding: exploring the Flit is 65 secrets per with no requirements to get in and no penalty for failure. Also a good way to grind shadowy.

    I ate an engineer
  • AlazullAlazull Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.Registered User regular
    It's also possible that a lot of stuff hasn't been implemented yet. It could be possible in the future that certain quests and/or factions become inaccessible if you don't have a soul. Or perhaps Terror will go up faster, stuff like that.

    I mean there has to be a drawback, because otherwise you might as well get your Wildweald status up ASAP and sell it for as high as you can to get a nice buff of cash to start with.

    User name Alazull on Steam, PSN, Nintenders, Epic, etc.
  • Steel AngelSteel Angel Registered User regular
    Alazull wrote: »
    It's also possible that a lot of stuff hasn't been implemented yet. It could be possible in the future that certain quests and/or factions become inaccessible if you don't have a soul. Or perhaps Terror will go up faster, stuff like that.

    I mean there has to be a drawback, because otherwise you might as well get your Wildweald status up ASAP and sell it for as high as you can to get a nice buff of cash to start with.

    There actually is at least on interaction that is locked out without a soul I believe. One of the strategic information contacts won't just hand over what you need if you have no soul.

    Big Dookie wrote: »
    I found that tilting it doesn't work very well, and once I started jerking it, I got much better results.

    Steam Profile
    3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
  • EtiowsaEtiowsa Registered User regular
    Alazull wrote: »
    It's also possible that a lot of stuff hasn't been implemented yet. It could be possible in the future that certain quests and/or factions become inaccessible if you don't have a soul. Or perhaps Terror will go up faster, stuff like that.

    I mean there has to be a drawback, because otherwise you might as well get your Wildweald status up ASAP and sell it for as high as you can to get a nice buff of cash to start with.

    There actually is at least on interaction that is locked out without a soul I believe. One of the strategic information contacts won't just hand over what you need if you have no soul.

    No, he still does, he just says scary things to you, so you get some terror and fragments as well.

  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Paladin wrote: »
    It's really hard to go through sunless sea without becoming unaccountably peckish

    I've only eaten humans by accident, but I have found that being a cannibal is a straight buff. There are so many options that depend on you knowing what long pork is

    I've actually only become peckish once in nine games, and I really had to try. Then I only had one use for it, at the Empire of Hands, but it saved me some time and trouble.

  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited March 2015
    Paladin wrote: »
    It's really hard to go through sunless sea without becoming unaccountably peckish

    I've only eaten humans by accident, but I have found that being a cannibal is a straight buff. There are so many options that depend on you knowing what long pork is

    I've actually only become peckish once in nine games, and I really had to try. Then I only had one use for it, at the Empire of Hands, but it saved me some time and trouble.

    I found lots of uses for it around a certain island and also on the cities along the southern coastline, which everybody seems to not be going to

    and really really a whole lot for a certain officer

    Paladin on
    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • NeadenNeaden Registered User regular
    Oh hey, I just remembered I can invite people to the Temple Club, a kickstarter exclusive from something a long time ago (I also remembered that I never actually played The Silver Tree so I should get on that.) Anyone want an invite? Don't embarass me in front of my important friends and I'll let you come.

This discussion has been closed.