Fallen Hero: Retribution release thread! (Book Two) (Spoilers Inside!)

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4444

Well, my main Step has the following

Herald was humiliated on camera (%+20 subtlety is too good to pass up)

Ortega is sympathetic to their quest for revenge despite ending with a broken arm

Lady Argent considers them cheaters (didn’t want to make her suspicious, just used subtle telepathy)

Chen thinks they’re a mystery (and I deliberately increased his suspicions until he confronted my Step, only to erase them and have only the doubt remain)

Dr Mortum tolerates them (Puppet vouched for the boss and they delivered the gun)

And HG thinks they’re dangerous despite sending the puppet to the meeting (might have something to do with the massacre at the auction)

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4445

Hm, anyone else just itching for the farm to get involved?

I love the interpersonal drama of course but I am so looking forward to our little heroes getting a rude awakening about the farm and maybe understanding sidesteps fears on a whole new level.

I really hope there are some interesting things happening not only in the background ( still itching for those) but having Danny and Ortega getting confronted with the severity of what the farm and the system they are working for actually is

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4446

Well I haven’t been really thinking about it before but now I am!

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4447

your-very-welcome-meme

Welcome to the dark side, we have cookies.

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4448

Ortega is sympathetic to Mercenary’s cause (that museum monologue, speaking from the heart, was part of it even if he didn’t let her respond. That and he killed no one). Steel wonders if Mercenary is even a villain (he’s not a killer, and he did help save the trapped workers at the Carter mansion). Argent enjoys fighting Mercenary and respects his ability (though he did turn her down on the bridge. Other times she sees him as a scummy cheater). Herald was humiliated by Mercenary at the museum and hasn’t forgotten about it. Mortum and the Puppet (and by extension Mercenary) are business associates, nothing more or less.

Depending on whether I’m going Ending 1 or Ending 4, Hollow Ground either sees Mercenary as a danger (one who has a resemblance to his lost brother), or an upstart who sent an underling to meet him instead of following directions.

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4449

for my mc, unlike all these beautiful people…mine has a different outcome!

You see, it’s very hard work to be a Bombastec Vilain. Everyone wants an autograph from you when you are out there. You are mysterious, and probably the sexiest thing alive in Los Diablo! :smirk:

Just think, even the King Pin of Los Diablo added you to their facenuke, a rare privilége.

Nocturne: Hey, why is she on your friend list???
Hollow Ground: Hm, oh she accepted? YES!
Nocturne: When I asked you to add me you told me I must have 10k followers first before you added me!
Hollow Ground: well yes, I’m not adding just anyone to my facenuke :roll_eyes:
Nocturne: But you added her?! Just like that?!
Hollow Ground: I did and look, as soon as I did she sent me this discount coupon for Los Walmart for a moustache trimmer…aint that great?
Nocturne: You don’t need it!
Hollow Ground: Yes I do! I want Jake to trimm his bushes!

Meanwhile in the Rangers HQ

In a meeting room

Steel: All right, let’s put this to a vote. Say Aye and we invite her to join us.
Ortega: Sorry Chen, but that’s my girl. If anyone is going to invite her it would be me.
Lady Argent: Can we move this along already!
Steel: I have spoon, she like spoon. Therefore I should be-…
Harold: Hm guys can I say something?
Lady Argent: Sigh I’m starving…
Ortega: Scoff You think you can win Her with your dog? She actually like cats! Because-…
Harold: Guys?
Steel: Dogs are better!
Ortega: Spoken like a dog lover! Shake head Sorry, but the Smoochies between us give me the right to be the one to invite her to join us.
Steel: You’ll probably forget to invite her, that’s why I should be doing it!
Harold: I could do it…she is my hero?
Ortega: Forget? Forget?! Seven years she was gone! And I didn’t forget! And you know why? Because I still need to-…
Lady Argent: Heavy Sigh Who cares! Can I leave?
Steel: That’s beside the point! I have seniority and I’m the Marshall here!
Ortega: Oh no, you don’t get to pull that card in this situation!
Harold: Nobody listen to me :sob:
Lady Argent: Shut up or I’ll eat you!
Ortega: So it’s decided: I win! I’ll call her!
Steel: Oh no! I’m doing it, I need to get spoon for his run, I will-…

Meanwhile, in some secret Hideout

Dr.Mortum: Tell me ma cherie, how does it feel?
Mc: It’s such a burden to be wanted by everyone…Sigh
Dr.Mortum: I know I was good, but not that good
Mc: Oh you are, and while the armor you made me makes me look good, believe me…it is all me
Dr.Mortum: you are so humble ma cherie Kiss Mc hand that’s why I love our partnership Kiss hand some more
Mc: Yes…I know it is such a burden being me.
Dr.Mortum: How about some cheese ma cherie?
Mc: Cheese?
Dr.Mortum: Caviar of course…
Mc: Caviar? You shouldn’t have…
Dr.Mortum: Only the best when you are here ma Cherie :kissing_heart:

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4450

Alright guys, I have just done 2 builds, one where the rangers have the highest reputation possible (and something interesting I found out is that flirting with Argent actually increases reputation as long as you’re not a killer) and one where their reputation is as low as possible (which includes being a known telepath in order to make Argent kill a Civilian) and now I wonder, why?

Why did I make two runs to optimize a stat that doesn’t have any effect yet in the series?

Do you guys think it will play an important role in revelations, or even the unnamed fourth book? How do you think things will change between high and low rep and high and low individual ranger doubt?

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4451

I suppose at some point you’ll be able to recruit the Rangers and situations may occur where it’ll be their word against the propaganda machine or other superpowered parties’ rep. And if they stay your enemies, there can be some checks of their rep vs your influence/infamy.
And many other potential checks. Similarly to Blaze fight you may fail to intimidate the civilians when fighting a Ranger if their rep is too high. If their rep is low, the higher-ups may be less inclined to provide Ortega and Chen with the best equipment and mods, their potential allies like Blaze’s team will be less trusting etc. Lots of possibilities.
Considering that Sidestep is aiming for war with the Farm it can be a fairly important stat even if you are not on the Anarchist path.

As for the Rangers’ rep in relation to doubt stat specifically, I don’t see many potential connections, but maybe you can mentally break somebody (you know who) if the doubts are high enough and rep is low. Smth like that.

Heh, I guess people like some suggestive villain on hero action as long as the villain is more of a mysterious troublemaker than merciless killer.

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4452

Checking the code about that, there is no special variable for if Blaze kills a Civilian, unlike if Argent kills one, which I honestly find disappointing. Making Argent kill a civilian is also such a beautiful thing to do, specially with an anarchist that plants hatred on Rahim’s mind, but the fact it exposes you as a Telepath without fail and also takes at least 20% of armor damage to do is a big price to pay for it.

I actually didn’t think about this. Makes sense though considering Blaze’s powerset that when he becomes desperate he might hurt a civilian or two without meaning to. I mean, if your step has Telepathy and Armor and you try to kill everyone while keeping the dampeners on, that is exactly what you see, a desperate Blaze, trying to save himself, who ends up burning everyone alive.

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4453

Doesn’t that just imply it’s not the first time in Blaze’s case?

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4454

Oh yeah, that was my theory too…
Still, would have figured Blaze would at least hold a grudge against the villain for this if he survives.

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4455

Fun! Here are almost all of my Sidesteps villain relationships with the cast (with the exception of Mortum since I almost never know what the relationship there is and I can’t remember purely from code)

Summary

Heartbreak:

Ortega: Nemesis

Chen: Heartbreak is one of the priority targets for Steel. He’s fully aware who the villain is by the end of the game

Lady Argent: Respects Heartbreak’s abilities → maybe flirting or not (given that she scars them after villain reveal in the Rangers HQ’s I think the flirting is off)

Herald: Humiliated by Heartbreak

HG: Dangerous recruit (aware what HG’s powers are)

Sidestep:

Ortega’s opinion on Sidestep: Nemesis

Steel’s opinion on Sidestep: Priority target that needs to be brought in. Fully aware who Sidestep is at the end of book 2

Lady Argent’s opinion on Sidestep: Respects Sidestep’s abilities → Flirting with Sidestep (but Argent also blinded Sidestep from one eye after villain reveal so don’t think the flirting will continue in book 3)

Herald: Afraid of Sidestep.

HG: Considers Sidestep to be an dangerous recruit (Alex was caught by HG’s red-threads)

Sidestep: (second one!)

Ortega: Suspects something is going on → Thinks the villain has made some good points

Chen: Unsure whether Sidestep really is a villain. I think by the end of book two after the villain identity was revealed the relationship was “Complicated” but not sure if remembering incorrectly.

Lady Argent: Respects Sidestep’s abilities.

Herald: He was humiliated by Sidestep.

HG: Valuable recruit (Aware what HG’s powers are)

Enigma:

Ortega: Nemesis.

Chen: Enigma is a priority target that needs to be brought in.

Lady Argent: Cheater → Nemesis (after Enigma saw Lady Argent’s body melt and turn to smoke during a fight with Catastrofiend)

Herald: He was humiliated by Enigma.

HG: Never met the villain since Puppet went to the meeting, but given that HG ordered Jake to kill the Puppet I don’t think she’s very worried about the new villain’s threat level.

Verity:

Ortega: Just another villain.

Chen: Unsure whether Verity really is a villain.

Lady Argent: Cheater.

Herald: Humiliated.

HG: Useful recruit

Sovereign:

Ortega: Suspects something is going on → Thinks Sovereign has made some good points → Afraid of Sovereign.

Chen: One of the priority targets for Steel. Chen is fully aware by the end of the book 2 who Sovereign actually is.

Lady Argent: Cheater → Nemesis (after she killed a civilian thanks to Sovereign’s manipulations)

Herald: Afraid of Sovereign

HG: Considers Sovereign to be a danger. (Sovereign is aware what HG’s powers are)

Anathema:

Ortega: Thinks Anathema has made some good points.

Chen: Unsure whether Anathema actually is a villain.

Lady Argent: Respects Anathema’s abilities.

Herald: Believes that Anathema is a villain.

HG: Considers Anathema to be dangerous (Anathema broke his nose!)

Then there’s one final Sidestep, but I haven’t played her playthrough yet so don’t want to say too much about it yet.

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4456

Eight? :open_mouth: :sweat_smile: I have 3 versions of villain (some with similar choices, tho) + one for testing paths that I’m not usually interested in.

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4457

It’s nice to see someone else with Ortega as their nemesis too lol though Argent also sees my Step as her nemesis (because he stole the regenerator from her), and Herald is afraid of him because of his knee. There’s only Steel who thinks Step is trustworthy enough to let him go inside his mind despite knowing he’s the villain.

(Apart from the Rangers, Hollow Ground thinks the villain is dangerous and Mia sees him as a rabble-rouser)

I only have 3 and I already think it’s too much (but with the way I like to make several playthroughs with the same MCs trying different things, I think it maybe can be a little too much)

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4458

I like seeing different playthroughs and relationships! :smile:

Although at first my other Sidesteps (besides the first one) were mainly just tools for me to use to explore different paths/scars/motives/villain careers/relationships in the game. I started fleshing out the other Sidestep characters more after playing their initial playthroughs

Having both Argent and Ortega consider Sidestep’s villain self their nemesis feels like such a dangerous ground lol

I kind of like the idea of having all of the Rangers consider Sidestep their nemesis (or priority target for Steel) and HG consider Sidestep to be a danger just because it feels like it would be fun to watch that mess unfold

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4459

I was just reading the FH Wiki and I’m wondering about Step’s age… Why 2002? I looked at the timeline and there’s nothing mentioned about it

2002: Ortega joins the Rangers. Sentinel officially starts to transition, and there are a lot of rumors that Hood shuts down. Sentinel is not fired.

Only:
Late 80s: Estimated birth of [name], later known as Sidestep.

Screenshot_20231123-230336_1
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I assume 2002 is when they were decanted so “born” properly, and the 1980s is when Sidestep was first given life and also assumed to have been born by most people. Sidestep is physically about 30 or so in the first game.

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I know, but where did this information come from? The author confirmed somewhere? I mean 2002.

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Oh, then it’s confirmed by Malin, the author.

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I think they based it on this Malin’s answer from a recent Reddit AMA:

Sidestep were force-grown and decanted as a teenager. So they are physically in their thirties. Time-wise they are twenty or so, but mind/memory wise I would say they are more like forty, since the AI chip they were installed with came with memories from experienced soldiers and the like in their twenties and thirties.

By the end of Retribution it’s probably already 2022, so that’s how they got 2002.

Btw, can someone please explain to me what exactly the term “decanting” means? I’ve never understood it properly. :laughing:

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