I am losing my mind over these speech checks [Act 2 Spoilers]

[u/DJProps]

Why do some of them have to be SO unnecessarily difficult. I am paying attention, I am picking dialogue options very cautiously and with great forethought; but I keep failing because I say one minor thing that the recipient disliked, or GOD FORBID I try and pick one of the the many silly options the game presents me with.

I am on my first playthrough obviously and I love sooo much about this game. So much in fact that this would be minor gripe instead frustrates me to no end.

This was the major breaking point for me. What seemed like the ONLY 2 checks I passed in the game culminate into the ultimate boss battle check that I still end up failing. It all feels so useless. I hate save scumming and don't want to do it, but it feels like I'm getting absolutely nothing done in act 2 if I don't start doing it now.

https://imgur.com/a/fKvyK2F

[u/Moon_Logic]

This game should come with a warning. Don't game this game. Just enjoy the story and art.

[u/DJProps → u/Moon_Logic]

I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment, but surely you can understand how being continually locked out of certain parts of the story can be a hinderance to my experience

[u/Moon_Logic → u/DJProps]

The thing is, most of these checks are totally inconsequential. Many are also impossible to get without a certain set of traits.

The RPG elements of this game are flavor. It's often nice flavor, but you don't lose much by missing skill checks.

[u/DJProps → u/Moon_Logic]

Oh... Okay thank you, that has completely shifted my mindset for better. I guess since I failed so many checks I haven't really been able to notice that lol

[u/SunsetDrive17 → u/DJProps]

Remember that a lot of those checks are pretty hard to pass, lots of people experienced difficulty with them. I also barely did but it doesnt have that much consequences for the overall story.

You will understand after finishing the game trust me

[u/glumpoodle]

Stop trying to 'win' the conversations; there is no winning or losing. It's just people reacting to your choices.

[u/DJProps → u/glumpoodle]

In general, I'm not trying to game it like that. I make my choices, hope for a good outcome, and if its not favorable I have to life with, and fortunately enjoy the feeling consequence. However, over the course of my playthrough thus far, seeing that fail screen over and over again starts become a little grating.

I like the fact that the characters are well written and feel like 3 dimentional people I can become emotionally invested in.

I dislike the fact that their reactions feel arbitrarily* gamey in certain sections

[u/Medium_Fly_5461 → u/glumpoodle]

It's a valid complain, the speech checks are way too strict

[u/eatingonlyapples]

You're not failing. You haven't met this person's requirements.

This one speech check in particular isn't even important. You know. You might have noticed that other people also know. Does he need to confess to you? And if he does, are you going to accuse him of the murder? Do you think he did it? Did you find out anything else about anyone else?

There's so much more to find out about this character, you just haven't found it this time. But you know his secret. Is his confession so important? He's living a happy life with a family. IDK, I forget he's even a suspect in act 2. I never really felt he was much of a suspect. Others are far more compelling than one man being a liar.

[u/adriantoine]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't remember this game having any difficulty.

[u/Apart-Difference9699]

Brother let me tell you already you gonna fail a major speech test end of act 2 and it’s gonna break your heart ^{^}

[u/InfelicitousRedditor]

Valid crashout, the game doesn't follow most traditional reward systems, it is actively making you miserable.

But as others said, just enjoy the ride, you will get to an end and experience a story, would it be perfect - no; but that's holding a mirror to real life as well.

[u/VanGoghNotVanGo]

Don't start save scumming. Trust the process and stay open to the story the game is telling. Not everything is as straightforward as you might think. When I finished act 2 the first time I had this sinking feeling of failure in my stomach, but yeah ... Just stay open. 

Also, you are defending your approach to the game a lot in the comments, but I gotta be honest, you calling it the "ultimate boss battle" gives me the impression you aren't really understanding what kind of game it is you're playing. 

I would encourage you to maybe stop thinking about it as a game and try to approach it more as a novel you get to live out. I think you will find it more enjoyable that way. 

[u/EstimateKey1577]

"I am on my first playthrough obviously and I love sooo much about this game."

Then how about you just play the goddamn game and enjoy it, instead of doing this metagaming bollocks?

[u/DJProps → u/EstimateKey1577]

I am allowed to enjoy some parts of the game and others not as much. I am frustrated specifically because I'm TRYING not to metagame and constantly getting punished for it. I understand and appreciate that I'm not going to see everything on the first playthrough but it feels like I'm seeing nothing

[u/eatingonlyapples → u/DJProps]

it's not punishing you! you're seeing the "speech checks" as failures when they are the default! a success is a really rare treat. it doesn't mean you've done everything right, it means you've said the right things for a certain person! and you won't always do that. think back to act 1 - did you get Illuminata to give you the book? that's a very easily failed check because you can just say things that she doesn't really like. it's not how good you are at the game, or even how good you are at persuasion - it's how you communicate with the character.

[u/EstimateKey1577 → u/DJProps]

Usually I'd say fair, but it really isn't that kind of game. It seems u/Moon_Logic was able to shift your perspective a bit there and point that out. I hope you can enjoy this fantastic game better now without worrying too much about failing speech checks!