Guest Game 1: Circuit's Edge - Final Rating

Trickster's Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuit's Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

First and foremost, sorry for the negativity. I did not hate the game so much as dread playing it. A fine distinction I'm not sure I'm describing well in words. It's not bad. I just did not have fun. I'm not sure how clear that is, but I'll try to expound on it through a system developed by Trickster to evaluate graphical adventure games (a genre this dips into ever so slightly). Any parts of the game I don't touch upon were adequate.

Puzzles and Solvability
Puzzles... puzzles... yeah, I guess you could call them that. In reality, most puzzles are presented in such a way that you either have the item or skill necessary in which case the solution will be obvious, or you don't have the item or skill and you'll have to stumble across it without any idea of what you're looking for. Now, there were times that required me to pick up on certain keywords and use them in questioning others. It came down to either a trivially easy solution, up to clever investigative work, to "I hope you bought the necessary item there's no clue about buying." Once I generated enough funds to buy everything up, the game grew on me. It was then that I needed to rely on finding the correct person to ask about a subject, and the game once again became a pain. Searching for the one location to ask a specific keyword with little indication isn't my idea of a good time. Even when I was doing things right it felt like it was wrong, but that's due to the fault of the interface (although partially my own).
Rating: 5

 

Most of the puzzles are solved through dialogue, which would be fine if the characters could carry a conversation.

Interface and Inventory
The inventory, both items and chip implants, are limited. I understand having a limited inventory, even if I don't like it. However, implementing one forces the player to become creative with their items, like having a pile in their apartment and a separate pile down the alley. Chips aren't such a big deal as you can carry 10 even when only 4 are equippable at any one time. Inventory on the other hand is limited to 11, but that's already taken up by a space for kiam, the chip rack, the belt phone, and a banking disk; none of them felt optional, although I suppose I didn't always need the banking disk. The interface on the other hand left much to be desired. Beyond the fact that I was able to break the game just by using an item in the wrong location, I ran into many issues where I used the wrong keyword yet had no indication what were the alternatives. All but a single keyphrase (odd woman) were single words, words that the parser picked up on very well. In fact, a little too well, as when I asked about "ice pick" characters thought I was asking about a "lock pick." The limited responses to key items in the game (ice pick was the murder weapon in the beginning) didn't allow me the freedom to explore the world, to get lost in it. Instead I was playing the game the way the developers wanted. The game does have mouse support as well as a much more responsive single key menu. It does have it's quirks though, such as trying to pick up item 'E' which is also the key to exit buildings (guess which one the game always assumes you want to use). One of the best features is the ability to recall up to fifty events. These are the exact descriptions for situations of note that have passed. This may be one of the first games with an in-game journal.
Rating: 4

Hoarders 2: Using the Streets

Story and Setting
One of the most unique settings I've seen constructed in a coherent manner, wrapped in a story of taboo and intrigue. The Budayeen is said to offer up any opportunity for debauchery. It's said to be a lot of things that really don't come through in the experience of the game. Even with the in-depth back story, learning about all the characters close to Marid, I found myself lost trying to understand the connection between what I was told and what I needed to find out. I'll cover dialogue below, but I want to touch on how many of the characters are one time use and act as generic NPCs the majority of the time. The story unfolds bit by bit with many false starts (and false false starts). The small bits of information gathered at each location, with each interaction, are just enough to pull more information. The feeling of ignorance didn't lift until the final moments where the story decided to wrap itself up in a long exposition followed by an anti-climactic scene. I appreciate that it's a game that tried something different.
Rating: 5

Seems we'll have to wait a couple hundred years to confirm this game's lore.

Sound and Graphics
The music and graphics are well done. I'm easily amused when it comes to both though, so don't take me on my word. Still, I'm fairly sure it looks better than most games released at the same time. It's a bit Spartan with the number of unique locations, but given the size and scope of the Budayeen I won't knock it for reusing its graphics. Sound effects are missing altogether (save some beeps and boops when saving and loading). The main theme was quiet enough to break the silence every once in a while and leave me able to explore without distraction. Fight music was upbeat and intense, even if the fighting was not.
Rating: 6

Because I promised Trickster and everyone on this blog that I would.

Environment and Atmosphere
Dark. Violent. Lawless. These all describe the atmosphere of the Budayeen. The main street offers a wide area to explore, map, and discover; however, the rewards for doing so are small. The game is just large enough to get lost looking for a particular person who you may or may not know the identity of. The combat, and generally most of the RPG-elements seem ill-fitting with the framework of the rest of the game. Take the stats, useless outside of combat, and hidden unless a certain chip occupies one of the precious slots. Requiring rest, food, and a careful watch on the passing of time adds a sense of anxiety to leisurely exploration. Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll are all muted in this game, a game that takes place where anything goes. Talking about sex with anyone but a hooker results in a "not with you buddy." Hookers ask to meet up later, but never tell you where. Taking any drugs results in thugs beating you to near-death. Alcohol only serves to reduce stats. Combat is a serious affair, until you get your first weapon or combat moddie. Also, outside set fights (I count three) I ran into maybe four random encounters. I even tried looking for trouble on occasion to build up some cash, ducking through alleys, and couldn't drum up any action. The option to fight random people is there, but if you attack first a cop will find out and attack you afterwards. Characters aren't even mad after you fight them. I beat down Chiri until she ran away, then called her up to have her say she was at the medical clinic where she happily chatted with me. I'd like some realism in my realistic game. The descriptions and general writing (outside of dialogue, which comes next) is enough to bump this up from the 3 I thought about giving it.
Rating: 4

If you didn't want to wait for me, then you should have told me where you were going.

Dialogue and Acting
What I felt most lacking in the game was the ability to interact with the characters in interesting ways. Instead, all characters gave stock answers for certain things, even when plot related events were happening to those characters. Abdul-Hassan was kidnapped, yet asking anyone about him while that was happening just pointed me to Hassan's store. Asking about something unimportant to the plot results in an "I don't know" while something important although unrelated to the character I ask results in "Sounds familiar..." Something that's absolutely unhelpful. Instead of offering hints like, "wasn't so-and-so friends with insert store owner" or "I think I've seen them often around 15th street," I'm left to crisscross the main street searching for the lone character that knows what I'm talking about. The back story did so well at describing these characters. It feels wrong that they've turned into interchangeable set pieces. Ask Chiri about Fuad or Saied, and you get another stock, "everyone knows <INSERT CHARACTER NAME>." Thanks game for drawing me in. Lastly, before I forget again, each moddie imparts skills that belonged to someone. In addition to the skills the personality quirks spill through and at times take over. While walking down the street while Super Spy is jacked in Marid will comment on how he could really use some imported cigarettes (which I can't buy) or how he'd feel better with his Walter PPK (which I can't buy either). In addition to the random innocuous musings (Kung Fu Master say: "Dog with bone in mouth does not bite."), the personality will interrupt a conversation and replace what you wanted to say with a random positive or negative comment related to the personality. (I found Super Spy complimented women more than any other, but that may just have been my experience.) Enough of these negative comments can cause the conversation to end, and did a couple of times, before you can gather all the information you need. It was already aggravating enough trying to guess keywords, but being interrupted mid-sentence doesn't feel... bored now.
Rating: 3

He should, you were just talking about him but forgot to tell me where I could find him.

Alright, so that's 5 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 4 + 3, which equals 27, divided by 60 equals 0.45, which is exactly 45 when multiplied by 100. (Trickster's words, my numbers.) Maybe I'm jaded in my words, but it's not a bad game. I think this is a fair score.

I'm glad I played it here as opposed to on my own, as I don't think I'd have finished it otherwise. I'm looking forward to what Chet thinks of the game when he gets to it some time this gaming year. So, did anyone guess that? Well, look at that. Ilmari guessed 45 on the dot, and with that happenstance I turn the duty of guest blogger over to him.

100 CAPs for Zenic Reverie
• Guest Blogger Award – 100 CAPs – For blogging his way through the game for our enjoyment

30 CAPs for Ilmari
Companion Assist Award – 20 CAPs – For helping Zenic out throughout the course of play through
Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – For correctly predicting the score Zenic would give the game

25 CAPs for TBD
• Sponsor Award - 20 CAPs - For sponsoring the blog with free games
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on Steam

20 CAPs for Lars-Erik
• Companion Assist Award – 10 CAPs – For helping Zenic out throughout the course of play through
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on GOG
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on GOG

20 CAPs for Canageek
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For announcing a new adventure game on Steam

5 CAPs for Kenny McCormick
• Confidence Boosting Award – 5 CAPs – “Don’t hate the game, hate the player! Muahahaha!”

Guest Game 1: Circuit's Edge - Won!

Trickster's Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuit's Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

Final Night: "I've uncovered the identity of Tamara Carter. With this knowledge I wrapped up the whole affair of who was behind the death of Kenji Carter. I'm now sitting at the side of Papa, enjoying a nice dinner as he contemplates her fate. I sit, eat, and soak in the events of the week keenly aware of how dangerous a world the Budayeen is when in the company of Friedlander Bey."

Now here's how I imagined the conversation going the first time.

So, as I left off the last post, I found myself at a dead end. Not truly a dead end, but one enough that I reached out for help. Luckily I found the issue, as the hints provided weren't precisely what was missing; in fact they were exactly what I was doing. I considered the fact that I had broken the game, or at least found a bug in the game, where I reached a piece of dialogue from such a disconnected location that I feared I'd missed a trigger in the code. In anticipation of this I visited the nurse, and used the holoviewer in her presence. I thought this was enough, but it wasn't. I needed to use the show command instead.

She was so excited to get a snake!

The earrings delivered to the nurse freed her of ethical obligations as she revealed Tamara Carter was now going by the name of Arissa Lockhart. I get a good description of her new appearance before I head out to the best place for information, Chiriga. When I arrive, I just so happened to run into none other than Arissa. In fact, I think I've seen Arissa here many times throughout my journey. I'm sure there was another trigger in all this that allowed Arissa to open up, but when I confronted her about "Tamara" she confessed that was her true identity.

A notebook I could have found if I knew where you lived.

She confessed to killing Marco Herrera after he threatened her. Of course, the sole reason she was in his presence was to confront him about killing her father. Abu Salah seems to be the main killer behind all this, or at least the one who employed the other Herrera brother. Arissa flitted off to procure the notebook tucked in her apartment. She promised she'd call when she had it. I tried to finally rest for the night, but was awoken once again by my belt phone. "Meet me at my apartment!" Arissa invited. Great, not this again.

At this point I'm fairly sure it would be entirely expected.

Inside the apartment I found it obscenely disordered. The only thing of note was a note addressed to me from Abu. "Meet me at the warehouse where Manny died, I have the girl and the notebook," it said (paraphrased). Thus began the ending sequence. Upon arrival Abu Salah launched into a monologue where he laid out the entire plot. The notebook is one of Friedlander's workbooks where he details many of his dealings. He fears keeping such information in a computer because it's so easily infiltrated. So, this notebook came into the possession of Kenji Carter who felt the need to blackmail Papa.

Oh, and did I mention Arissa was strapped to some torture contraption?

Abu decided that he could control Papa with such information, and set out to retrieve it from Kenji, killing anyone who got in the way. Kenji and Manny were in cahoots with Abu at first, but instead of giving it to Abu were about to sell it back to Papa. The McDix were roman numerals all along, and the connection to Mack Dixon was a red herring. 1409 was the combination to the safe in Arissa's apartment that contained the notebook, a fact completely irrelevant to my interactions. Strangely 1409 is said to be the birth year of Papa... is this a different measurement of time or is this game based in the past? With the back story completely wrapped up to this point Abu levels his pistol at me, and the fight of the century begins.

Just kidding, he was a pushover.

Abu slumped to the ground, dropping the notebook. Arissa pleads to be released, but the only thing immediately available to interact with was the notebook. Picking it up, or attempting to, causes Abu to revive just enough to activate the torture device. As it whirs to life, a timer starts to countdown. Seems it needs about an hour to reach full torture potential.

Oh! You mean this black key I've been carrying around for half the game?

Dangle it in front of the lock for the next 58 minutes? Sounds like a plan...

I'm really not sure how it takes an hour for me to cross the room.

Injecting such tension when there's really none seems par for the course. The game enters its final moments with the grace of a hippo in heat. Saving Arissa causes her to collapse into my arms whimpering. Then in a strange turn she suggests we meet up later on so she can properly repay me. I'm fairly sure that won't happen though as the game appears to be wrapping up. Last step is to report to Papa.

Maybe if Marid asks nicely he'll be able to question her.

Papa is pleased I kept Tamara alive for questioning, and returning the notebook is what this whole sordid affair was about. To summarize the rest of the exposition, it's a rough life to live in the shadow of Papa, but Marid may come out of it a little better with the knowledge of what happens when you cross Friedlander Bey. After all this an epilogue scrolls by, a letter from the project director to Lt. Hajjar. It reads as an advertisement for the author's next book.

In fact, it ends with one.

And that concludes the adventures of Marid Audran for this blog. I'm fairly sure this is the only game entry for this series. If there is another, I won't be jumping at the chance to delve into it any time soon. This game just did not click with me in any way. Thank you for reading through the posts, and I hope you found something to enjoy about it. Sorry to have dragged it on for far longer than it deserved. I'll leave it up for comments to decide if I should wrap it up properly with a PISSED score.

Session Time: 0 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 13 hours 00 minutes

Guest Game 1: Circuit's Edge - Teetering on the Edge

Trickster's Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuit's Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

Night... I've lost track: "I'm out. That's it. No more leads. I ran around searching for Abdul-Hassan the past few nights. Now my final bit of information lies with Tamara Carter, and a single bullet found in the Herrera apartment where Marco was found dead. Will I ever unravel this web of connections?"

Well, I suppose I've wasted enough time being lazy.

Truly sorry about the delay. I've been procrastinating on this game for a few reasons. Mostly I'm not having fun with it, and that's partially due to the game's asinine way of presenting itself. In fact it's gotten to the point where I'm stuck. We'll get to that and the official request for assistance soon enough. So, on to the game. While exploring I accidentally left the game running for a number of hours. I'm not sure how long, but I discovered two things. I can't die from starvation or exhaustion, and the task to recover Abdul-Hassan has a time limit. A hidden one. Oh how I detest timers in my games, especially hidden ones. I restored my save (did I mention there's only one save), and set out to solve what I originally assumed was a side quest.

Finally a response to showing someone the ransom note.

I wandered through the night, reviewed my notes, and decided the best place to look for a lead on that bullet was Crazy Abduls. Before I got to that though I found I needed to solve the case of the other Abdul. The ransom note didn't mention a date or place to drop off the money. I started down my list of usual suspects and hit upon Saied. When I showed him the note he broke down crying. This exchange reminded me that the manual mentioned them being involved... maybe I should read it over again. Still, it wasn't all that helpful on the surface; however, at the mention of cologne I realized I might have a lead. There is a fragrance shop; maybe they could identify the scent.

I'm not sure how anyone could identify a single smell here, but like most logic in this game let's put that aside.

The shopkeeper identified the flowery aroma as that from tiger orchids. They're in short supply at the moment, but there's only a single "odd woman" that purchases the cologne made from these flowers. Next stop, the flower shop. There I learned the tiger orchids are imported from Brazil, but are currently held up by customs at the docks. The docks are another area outside the Budayeen described as the type of place I would hang out in if I wanted to get jumped. A cab ride later I looked up the address the florist gave me for the warehouse; it was completely locked up, although the description helpfully pointed out a high window.

Not sure why I couldn't just use my lock-breaking skills.

To bypass the security system I once again used the Phantom moddie (cat burglar skills). In a more traditional adventure game this would have required rope, a grappling hook, and clippers to disarm the security system. Instead I'm asked to answer what skill chip should I use this time? The description of Alpine Jack when equipped is that he wishes he had something to climb, and was eager for colder climates. Fairly obvious I needed it to scale something. Inside the warehouse it was too dark to see what each package was, yet still light enough to make out two from Brazil. I grabbed both and made my escape. In the moonlight I identified one package as tiger orchids, and the other as Cuban cigars. I took the tiger orchids back to the fragrance lady, who would create a new batch of cologne and call me once the "odd woman" picked it up. With the down time I followed up on my other lead.

Is explosive a colorful term, if not then how was there a bullet left to examine?

Well now I know the gun, and it's obvious from the description there's only one in the whole Budayeen. Every street dealer I've spoken to has only redirected me towards Abdul's shop when asked about a magnum. Seems this lead is going nowhere for now. I tried to sleep off the night's events back at my apartment, but was rudely awakened by the fragrance shop owner. She told me the woman picked up the cologne, but didn't leave her name or address; however, there was a number on the order form. The number was to Muhammad's Glass Shop, and the first place I was stumped. I called, left my name and number, and rested for the night... no call back. So, I paid him a visit instead. I asked him about the tiger orchid, "go see the florist." I asked him about Abdul-Hassan, "He's behind the counter at Hassan's store." I showed him the ransom note, "not interested". I asked about scent, aroma, flowery smell. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. With no other description and at my wit's end I asked about "odd woman."

How could I give a description when I was never given one?

The odd woman was none other than Madame Mimi, the local fortune teller. Before I left Muhammad's, I forked over 150 kiam for a finished crystal ball she was expecting. I figured she would feel better about talking with me if I did her this favor. Her building was just down the street. Her place was decorated in books on various occult subjects. She sat at a table with a crystal ball, which had a slight crack, and a pack of tarot cards. Showing her the new crystal ball elicited no reaction. I had to hand it to her to begin the exchange, which ended as quickly as it started. At least she repaid the 150 kiam. So I sat there staring into the new ball. Asked for my palm read, my fortune told, my tea leaves interpreted... nothing worked. I asked about tiger orchids, nothing. I asked about... I think you know where this is going. I searched through my notes for that one keyword that would allow me to continue. Aroma, no. Scent, no. Ransom, no. Abdul, Tamara, "odd woman;" no, no, no. Cologne! That was it.

Well that's helpful, another dead end it seems.

These random quips are so rarely fitting.

"Very close to death" obviously meant the cemetery just outside the Budayeen on the opposite end of the street from Bill's taxi. As soon as I arrived I saw a man. A man I had seen before. This time Marid recognized him immediately as the one who assaulted him at Kenji's place. A heated fist fight followed. With the help of my Kung Fu Master moddie and steelfists I beat him down until he ran away. Left behind in the aftermath was a radio direction finder. It was damaged beyond repair, but I took the frequency it was set to and entered it into my own. It lead me to a locked warehouse.

An explosion? How am I possibly going to do that?

After all the different ways I've picked locks, circumvented electronic locks, and bypassed unknown security alarms, I now needed to blow a door open with explosives. Seriously? Well, this line seems to have dried up at this point. I took stock of my possessions once more, and reviewed my potential leads. Tamara seems unrelated to finding Abdul at the moment, and the bullet doesn't seem to be much help either. Only thing left are these Cubans. Maybe they belong to the smoke shop just around the corner from Marid's apartment.

What? No. These are cigars. Here, just let me light one up.

Turns out I was carrying around plastic explosives. That takes care of that. Back to the warehouse! This should be simple: 'use' plastic explosives on warehouse. Yeah, not that easy. The game helpfully informed me I didn't seem to have all the parts I needed. Well, how the heck should I know how to use this stuff? I looked through everything I had and noted a wire and a countdown timer. Seemed logical, but once again I was told I didn't have everything I needed. I stumbled back into the street trying to drum up a clue. I started asking everyone about the terrorist. Eventually the clue about the smoke shop owner reading about him hit me over the head as I entered the Maq'allah's News stand.

If he's so infamous, why haven't I heard of him?

Luigi Casolari, now there's something I could use. Maybe there are some designs at his apartment. I hopped on the cop's computer terminal only to find they had no record of him. No record? Really? This game really hasn't covered all its bases. It's so constricting. Asking anyone about Luigi results in the same response as asking about "terrorist." That is anyone except the mortician. Luckily I kept the morgue pass around just in case I needed it. His only belonging was a moddie called the demolitionist. With that chipped in I instantly knew the missing item was a detonator. Crazy Abdul easily furnished one from off the menu. This game really makes very little sense. He got upset at me for inquiring about a .357 magnum, but happily sells me a detonator. The hypocrisy is outstanding.

You're not going to use it for anything illegal, right?

Well, that took care of that door puzzle. Inside the warehouse I found my assailant from the cemetery. It turned out the man wasn't Tamara Carter after a sex change. It was Alejandro Herrera. I didn't get the chance to ask him about his brother or Tamara. He jumped me immediately. With nowhere to run this time he quickly fell. As he drew his last few breaths, he admitted to the kidnapping, but it was his boss' idea. He then claimed to have killed Madame Mimi, although I wasn't aware of that at all. At the end, he half-warned half-threatened that his boss would get me.

I wonder if I had English 101 daddie in place if I'd have understood his yammering. I didn't care to check.

After a full night I returned to my apartment and found Papa's muscle men hanging out. They passed me a note and money. The note congratulated me on the good work finding the boy, and encouraged me to continue my investigation. Mahmoud Hassan was equally pleased, and rewarded me with a portable holodisk viewer and a static pistol (an electrical weapon). A holodisk viewer, what use could that be? Hmmm, maybe there was something more to the message Tamara had left. It turned out no, but the game surprised me in a completely new way. In such a way I didn't expect. I mean, for all its faults in strict linear progression with no outside the box thinking possible, this one response blew me away.

Who's eyes? Tamara's? Was there more to the vid... no wait, this is wrong.

Well, I broke the game, and reached another dead end at the same time it seems.

Against medical ethics, but a nice bribe would be nice.

Okay, obviously I skipped over something. It seems the code for this item wasn't programmed correctly, and doesn't check my location. Based on the conversation I figured the person I must be "speaking" with in the above screenshots was the nurse from the medical clinic. I confirmed this by visiting the clinic and asking about Tamara Carter, and received the response that the nurse was terrible with names, but might recall if I had a picture. In any case, I followed the trail of emerald earrings from the jeweler to a street dealer, to a dancer named Lily. The street dealer described her as a blonde, maybe. A couple of other dancers claimed Lily had some new emerald earrings. Asking anyone about Lily seems to produce only an unhelpful "seems familiar" phrase. I thought this was definitely the next step. But, when I finally found Lily, something must have been lost in translation because she didn't know anything about any earrings.

Yes, you, earrings, have?

I wonder if accessing the conversation with the holoviewer at my apartment messed up my game. I wonder if there's a completely different Lily I should be stalking. I wonder why the hell am I still playing this game? Well, at least it isn't Les Manly. In any case, I'm officially requesting assistance. If I can't make heads or tails of what I need to accomplish next, then I'll use said assistance, but I have a feeling I'd be stuck here for quite some time without it. My only leads are Tamara and a mystery magnum. Lily sure isn't providing any assistance. Specifically, I'd like to know if I'm doing something out of order, if there's a different Lily, or if I should be tracking down that magnum. I feel like I'm all out of options though and Tamara seems the best lead for explaining what's been going on.

Session Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: I've written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of Zenic requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for him...unless he really obviously needs the help...or he specifically requests assistance. In this instance, he has made a request for assistance! Thanks!

Guest Game 1: Circuit's Edge - Success Brings Much Confusion

Trickster's Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuit's Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

Night 4: "I found the star sapphire! With it safely back in the jewelers hands, he eagerly parted with his Japanese language chip. I feel like this is my first quest completed. My reward, however, is about as helpful as any other lead I've received: near zero at current. My immediate leads are a bullet, a ransom note, and a black key. I learned Tamara is Kenji's daughter, and suspect she's behind the killings. Based on the holodisk I believe she is a he now, and exacting some kind of revenge or covering her trail. I'm not sure how I'll track her/him down."

Apparently it means 300 kiam and a Japanese chip to you.

Here we are once again, following another night of clues in the hope it leads somewhere. I chose the most obvious to follow, and headed for the Shimaal Mosque. I was fortunate to arrive at 12:30 am, and only had to wait another 30 minutes. Waiting in deadly silence at a Mosque in the middle of the night somehow unsettles Marid. To kill some time I asked Bill about some random things in my notes. "Tamara" generated something interesting. "Tamara Carter?" he said, "Never met her." Well, that was a bit of a surprise. The same Tamara that was involved with Manny is the daughter of Kenji. Well, it's almost 1 am; I suppose I should wait inside.

Which Carter are we talking about now?

Back in the Budayeen no one seems to know who Marco is, and no one has ever met Tamara. I started asking around about the cop computer since I have a password. Chiri suggested I might find Marco in that computer if I could learn his last name. Hmmm, where could I find a police computer? The police station possibly? At the very least I could ask Hajjar, although I was certain he would just brush me. I was right, Hajjar was no help, but in the corner was a computer, accessible through the action menu. Good job interface.

Officers only... good thing I picked up this badge.

From the computer I learned that Tamara was last known to stay at The Red Dunes Apartments, and confirmed Kenji Carter was her father. I asked around about Red Dunes, but no one knew where it was. My map revealed no current business by that name; however, a place called The Sahara seemed close. My hunch was correct. Just my luck though as she no longer lived there, and left no forwarding address. Cycling through my notes I realized I never paid Guido a visit. He might be interested to learn his hired hand had been severed.

Manny's dead? Marid, do you want a job?

Apparently Guido isn't too broken up about Manny's demise. Asking about Marco and Tamara met with the same lack of information. Instead I got a job to visit Persian Rugs to collect some money, a job Manny was in the middle of before he died. Sounds safe, let's do it. Persian Rugs was closed at the time, so I took a nap. I awoke with a start as my phone went off. Mahmoud, the owner of Hassan's (a shady operation dealing in import/export of any item desired), asked me to come over immediately. When I arrived he said everything was fine; however, the young boy that normally tends his store was strangely absent.

What more can you tell me about Abdul's disappearance?

Would it kill anyone to date their time sensitive messages?

Persian Rugs was still closed, so I rested until it opened. Abu Salah was quite amiable about the situation and happily retrieved the 1,000 kiam he owed Guido. On my way out I ran into a man that looked familiar somehow. Like I'd seen him before, briefly. Almost like I could make the connection, but Marid could not.

You look familiar. Have you ever killed Kenji Carter before, or hit me over the head in his apartment?

Do I need to whip out the ransom letter and smell it again?

I returned to Guido, and found him in a good mood. Seems getting his money will do that for him. He let drop that Abu isn't on the up and up (but who is in the Budayeen). He went on to say Abu recently hired two heavies, brothers, Marco and Alejandro Herrera. He suggested I should break into his shop and check it out. Guido gave me my 10% cut for delivery of the cash, and bid me well. Back at Persian Rugs I found the lock easily broken with an electronic lock breaker I bought during one of my spending sprees. In the back of the shop were notes about various people in the Budayeen. Among them the name McDix was crossed out, and the numbers 1409 written above. Next to that were scenes of medieval torture, and a black key. I noted the connection to the plot, and stored the key safely on my person.

This database sucks. Why isn't the information just cross-referenced?

With a new mysterious key, and the number 1409 appearing once again in connection with McDix, I've reached a new level of lost. I figured I could look up Marco at the police station now. The information they had was about as close to useless as I expected. Next, I tried to look up Alejandro Herrera; however, before the readout came up, a scripted event occurred. An officer who knew me kicked me off the computer and took my badge. I guess I can't get back on that computer now.

Another way you say?

Back at my apartment I sorted through all the junk on the floor. I grabbed my Data Terminal and Uplink Cables, jack in my Rad Hacker moddie, and dial up the cop computer. It asks for my remote login code: Gravity. With that out of the way, I now had unlimited access. Alejandro Herrera was living at the Medinah, and that's where I'll find Marco as well. When I arrived I found the door locked, and the landlord happily took my 100 kiam "bribe" without offering to open up the door. I picked up The Phantom moddie back at my place, swapped it for the Hacker I had left in, and deftly picked the lock back at Marco's place.

Are the bodies wearing name tags?

Well, there goes Marco. I carefully looked around the apartment. Clenched in the corpse's fist I caught a glint of light. The star sapphire! I pocketed it quickly. Before heading out I fished out a bullet slug from the wall. I quickly took the gem to the jeweler, and collected my reward. The 300 kiam is nice, but the Japanese daddie goes right in once I returned to my apartment. Now for my prize...

Sorry, I didn't catch your name... first and last please.

If I'm to believe Tamara has had a sex change, then this is probably not her, although I might be mistaken by the clues. The holodisk has her saying, "one last look before the new me." Her landlord mentioned her saying there were big changes in her life before she moved out. However, I can't think of any other female voice that would be speaking Japanese on Kenji's machine. Maybe her voice hasn't changed yet. In any case, I tried the apartments I've visited, and I can't enter any of them anymore. Seems I'll have to set this line aside once again. Abdul-Hassan is still missing with no leads as well. My one follow up is this bullet slug I retrieved from the Herrera's wall. Maybe Crazy Abdul can identify the gun this exact bullet went to, and suggest who owns it. Nah, that's probably too crazy for this game, but it's what I'll try next time I start out.

Session Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 9 hours 00 minutes

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: I've written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of Zenic requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for him...unless he really obviously needs the help...or he specifically requests assistance. In this instance, he's not made any requests for assistance. Thanks!

Guest Game 1: Circuit's Edge - Holding On By a Thread

Trickster's Note: The below post (and indeed all posts for Circuit's Edge) was written by guest blogger Zenic Reverie.

Night 3: "I'm down to my last lead. If it ends like all the others then I'm well and truly lost. My lead? I'm tracking down a Japanese daddie, apparently the only one in all the Budayeen, that should allow me to understand the rest of the message left on the answering machine. A jeweler has it, but he won't part with it until I retrieve some stolen goods for him. Why sure, of course I'll track down a big muscular man with serpent tattoos to find your stolen gem. With total disregard for my life as bodies keep popping up around me, I carry on."

Talk about a lead drying up completely.

I was grasping at straws once again in the sprawling Budayeen. My map needed some fleshing out, so I started visiting everywhere noting the options available. The acupuncturist, the pharmacist, and the smoke shop strangely offer nothing for sale (even though my Super Spy moddie has me jonesing for some imported cigs). A florist sells four kinds of flowers, and a pet shop has three animals. At present I don't see a use for them, but they were inexpensive enough that I bought them and dumped them in an alley to fend for themselves because my apartment was getting full. If someone takes it, then so be it... I can always buy more later.

Allow me to describe all the things you cannot buy.

During these exploits, name dropping Mack Dixon at every opportunity, I happened upon another fellow who had seen him. He had checked in early that evening at the Budayeen Hotel with a lady friend. Apparently even though he'd paid for the entire night, he was not satisfied with the accommodations and departed after a couple of hours. I have a feeling he was satisfied in other ways if his earlier habits are any indication. An interesting tidbit of information nearly sneaked by as the proprietor mentioned Mr. Dixon had a package delivered during his stay. Interesting I thought, and tried to pry a bit more from the man about this mysterious package.

I feel like the game is mocking me at this point.

As I wandered down the street in a haze after that conversation I stumbled into another  beggar, this time more conspicuously on the street. I passed the man 5 kiam and wished him good health. At the same time I was thinking how could I convince the attendant at the Eyes of Texas to trust me. Then it struck me... maybe I could bribe him. I don't know why I hadn't considered it in the first place; I mean this is the Budayeen, money talks here. I blame the interface partially, I mean there's no bribe option to guide a conversation in that direction. The only option is to give the money away, and hope for the best.

I could have tried a lower amount, but 100 seemed like a good round number. (Also, SUCCESS!)

At long last I'm standing in my apartment with Mr. Dixon's number in hand. I dialed it with much anticipation, and on the other end heard only gibberish, which must be English. Are you telling me even though this entire game is in English that Marid doesn't understand English? This confused me for a moment before I realized I'd bought an English 101 daddie. Popping that in I dialed him right back, and was invited to come by and speak with him in person.

We've traced the call, it's coming from inside your room!

I was now more convinced than ever that Mack Dixon wasn't the killer. The Hotel Del Palazzo is outside the Budayeen, but it's still a quick taxi ride away (still free). The hotel is a little nicer than the run down buildings of the Budayeen with a plush and elegant lobby. As I reached room 921, I noticed the door was ajar. That can't be good. As the first screenshot indicates, no more McDix. Somehow in a short time span (couldn't have been more than an hour) there are already flies buzzing around the body, and the blood is dried. Seems he was tortured rather mercilessly for unknown information. All this intrigue and no deadly connection between the three deceased leaves me quite confused.

That doesn't help me at all, and I don't think it's going to help the cops much either.

Before heading back to the Budayeen I stopped by Papa to see if he'd heard anything new, and maybe ask him what he knew about Mack Dixon; however, he was indisposed. I stopped by the police station (and the morgue as well), but they knew nothing about any 'Mack Dixon'. Seems he's not remembered by anyone. As I left the morgue two of Papa's thugs blocked my passage. Apparently my stop at his place was interpreted as a request for money, and he sent his muscle to deliver an envelope filled with 500 kiam. Dazed and confused, with little hope, I wandered the streets.

There's a murderer on the loose. He's wiedling an ice pick... no, I didn't say 'lock pick'.

In this round, I noted potentially valuable shops I might need to know about in the future. I marked down the ones that appeared to be out of business, which ones serve food, and special interest businesses that are not obvious based on their name. I ended up back at Chiriga's, and found a street dealer sitting in a dark corner. He was selling some interesting items, so I started buying them up. Once I got to something called a Tri-phet, I realized some of these were drugs, and I just bought one. Not only that, Marid took it right away.

What? I just wanted to buy them to get a closer look, I swear!

Once again, the interface is it at odds with my intentions. The only way to get a better description of items is to buy them, and then examine them in your inventory. The drugs never even hit my inventory, but I did get a nice description of them. Well, one hit shouldn't mess me up too much, but I'll try to be a little more vigilant when dealing with these guys. Unfortunately, word spread fast and as soon as I reached my apartment Habib and Labib (Papa's thugs) wanted a word with me. Papa's message is he doesn't want me investigating while hopped up. To show they mean business I'm suddenly stripped of my moddies and daddies, and beaten within an inch of my life. Luckily they didn't take anything, but it set me back some kiam healing up at the medical center.

A strange time to show your affection.

After healing up at the medical center--which offers various healing packages that all basically do the same thing--I started my rounds through the businesses on the south side of the Budayeen. I went on another spending spree, buying up the Kung Fu Master moddie (I'm hoping it increases my hand-to-hand fighting techniques) and The Phantom moddie (which implies it's useful for cat burglary). I ran into another street dealer, and this time avoiding the drugs, picked up a Korean language chip and a detective badge.

I just realized that "you can view your hologram disk" refers to the one in my inventory, not the one I just rented.

In the many times I visited Adult Video Holos (you know, for science) I had glossed over, failed to make the connection, and was oblivious to the fact the holovideo that showed the Japanese girl was the same one in Kenji Carter's possession. I'm guessing it's of his daughter, but you can see how a girl coming on screen after renting an adult holo could give the wrong impression, right? Anyway, this new insight led me to believe the oriental language on the answering chip was Japanese, but after going through all the shops, hotels, and dark alleys, I could find no one selling it.

Distant cousin of Crazy Gideon.

I ended up at Leather Goddesses at the end of my search for the missing daddie. Strangely, I found myself falling back on old habits and asked about Mack Dixon, even though that lead went dead (literally) earlier in the night. I found out he was something of a regular there, had a specific girl he liked to see and all, Stormy. The only way to spend time with her though is to pay. She mentioned he had plans to amuse himself, with no further explanation, in the Budayeen. It's strange to get more information about someone who's no longer living. There's no way to break the conversation and report his death either. We put that business aside and got on to the other; I mean I did pay for the time, might as well enjoy it. I'm not even sure how to describe what happened next, but it was rather unexpected. I guess they couldn't do much different.

Done what one? What's happening?

Oh it's like role-playing.

If you're wondering what that red arrow is, it's an expensive signal detector that hasn't detected anything since I got it.

I'd prefer a good or sufficient massage if you can manage.

Yes, I'm all better now, so now we can get on with more strenuous activities.

Hmmm, should have played hurt more.

And that concludes today's lesson that sex does not exist in this game, and drugs are bad. Back to mindless exploration of a city I've rounded through nearly three times. At the tattoo parlor I realized that Franco, the guy who runs the place, must have put the tattoo on the girl in white. I mean he's the only tattoo artist in all the Budayeen. He did remember doing such a tattoo, and the woman was bragging about her boyfriend who was some hotshot Japanese businessman. She went on and on about some plan to make a million kiam. Maybe all the killing is about a bad business deal, or just money.

Oh yeah, tell me more... maybe her name?

I keep setting myself up for this thinking the game is smart enough to follow conversation threads.

Following that, I asked about the Japanese businessman hoping for another lead. Turns out the parser only picks up on a single word at a time. This time it took Japanese, and thought I was asking about a daddie that instilled Japanese in the mind. This got me thinking... there really was such a chip out there, somewhere. I started asking everyone about it, until someone told me I should check out one of the mod shops. Of course! Why hadn't I thought about that? I stopped by Laila's who said she had one, but already sold it. (No I couldn't order another; that's the only one in existence.) She remembered the man was a jeweler, but nothing more. I looked through my list of businesses for my answer.

Name your price, I'll whip up a few thousand from the gambling hall.

Or you can send me on a wild goose chase.

Well it turns out the jeweler fellow (still don't know his name) has a bit of a problem. His prized star sapphire was pilfered. He suspects to get past the security system would take an expert, and that someone must have staked the place out prior. Quite clearly the jeweler remembers a man with serpent tattoos on each arm came into the store twice before the gem was stolen. My prize for bringing the sapphire back is the chip I desire and an extra 300 kiam. This small pittance has me convinced his exorbitant price for the chip could be met easily in less time at the gambling hall than it would take to track this gem down. I suspect there really is no price that would allow me to skip all this nonsense. At this point though, the Japanese chip is my only lead. The tattoo parlor seems like a good place to start since Franco was so helpful already.

I thought businesses like this keep records of their transactions.

Sounds like I have a full night of name dropping these two blokes to anyone that will listen.

The name Marco sounded familiar. I'm fairly sure I ran across him during my travels, but I didn't mark down any names (a large oversight I know). The used holosystem didn't click at the time, but I could try one of the many hologame shops (or even the adult holo videos again, you know for research). So, I focused on Manny. There were the docks outside the main street, but "worked with sharks" had me thinking "card shark" for some reason. I stopped by the gambling hall. Karim, who runs the place, immediately knew who I was talking about.

It's a good thing no one has the same name; otherwise, this could get confusing.

Karim went on to describe a girl that came around with Manny. She had red hair and green eyes, a not too common sight in the Budayeen. I stopped by every bar looking for such a girl. It didn't take long to find her working at the Red Light Lounge. I'm sure it was just dumb luck, but Fanya was most helpful in directing me towards Manny.

I wonder how Guido took it.

The ad-Dur House looks like every other apartment building. I found Manny on the nameplates in the lobby only knowing his first name. His door was unsurprisingly locked. I spoke to the landlord hoping to find out where Manny had gone. His only response (summarized) was, "What? I'm not unlocking that door for you. Manny is a big guy." I think he protests too much. Slipping him 100 kiam convinces him I'm a stand up citizen who won't get into trouble, and he unlocks the door. Inside the apartment I found a crumpled note. The note suggests a meeting at one of the warehouses with someone named Tamara. Well this can't be good, meetings in this game always seem to end up with someone getting killed.

Definitely not looking good for Manny.

The crate was tied with a rope, which required a knife. I happened to get one from a fallen mugger. The sight was rather gruesome. A body, who Marid immediately identified as Manny, tumbled out. His limbs were beaten to a pulp, all identifiable bits (toes, fingers, eyes) had been snipped off. Lastly, he was flayed, so I'm not sure how the body was identified as Manny). With very little blood present, it seemed the body was only stored there. Strangely there was something in his mouth glinting off the dull light. Marid suppressed instinct to run out while gagging, and took the metallic object. A half a ring made of brass.

1 AM, got it... what day? Why is this engraved on a ring? Why is the ring broken into two?

At least I'm not without leads now. Sure Manny is a dead end (I should probably stop using that term), but there's still this Tamara to seek out. Marco may prove to be another avenue. I wish the game was sophisticated enough to allow me to question the jeweler to find out if it was a big guy or not. Also, the messages (QUE 1 A.M. SHI -- MAAL MOS) on the ring parts seem to spell out Shimaal Mosque 1 A.M. Seems like a strange time to go to a mosque.

Session Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: I've written a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no points will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of Zenic requiring one. Please...try not to spoil any part of the game for him...unless he really obviously needs the help...or he specifically requests assistance. In this instance, he's not made any requests for assistance. Thanks!