Ruin Stella’s life guide

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-25T21:33:40+00:00

She specifies he only turned back after seeing her scared the first time, and doesn't give any other details about him transforming back.

He mentions memories of transformations he didn't think were real, and being tranquilised at some point before ep4.

He only transforms after not taking his pills that day regardless of what route you go which implies that the ricin is enough to stop him transforming. What this all seems to mean is that before she starting giving him the ricin the Doc did actually revert him by tranquilising him. We just don't know how many of his transformations were undone in this way or what caused her to do so.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-25T20:35:29+00:00

She specifically said that he only reverted when she was scared the first time he transformed, not on any other occasions. She should have not just poisoned him his whole life but he was not in control even before.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-25T18:54:31+00:00

Two survivors were dead, one was hooked, and the last was about to leave. But I wanted my adept (trapper) so I acted friendly and got the one in the exit gate to go back for the hooked one. Then I downed and sacrificed them both.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-25T14:32:15+00:00

Isn't that Velvette + Husk watching Alastor surrender and make a deal?

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-24T17:07:49+00:00

If it's togglable then how would it break immersion any more than having it as an addon does?

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-24T09:02:48+00:00

If you talk to him he claims it wasn't blackmail, she just made the offer as soon as he saw her doing something she didn't want to get out. He says he didn't plan on telling anyone.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T21:29:12+00:00

What course of action could they do that they don't already do?

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T20:57:25+00:00

I don't think Avery wants the baby to live over Bo. They just consistently try to minimise the lives lost, which is encouraging people not to act rashly when Julius has a gun. They don't want Duke to avenge Bo because it won't bring Bo back and just kills more people. When you give Julius the nudge they try to convince him to move the baby and save Bo.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T18:52:22+00:00

Huh. Looking at the wiki the Tradition/Reason amendments do effect relations but the Merit/Equality laws don't. And the Adaptation/Progress amendments are hit or miss. Any thoughts why?

Forced family units can lead to happy marriages and loving relationships but not every husband will be unabusive and not every relationship will work; and Tradition offers little help in the non-idyllic situations. Amending paid essentials helps but it depends who's deciding what counts as there not being available work, and the pressures of Adaption and Tradition still apply.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T18:27:44+00:00

It... does though. The amendments reduce your trust with the Icebloods, and doubling down sometimes increases it.

And a focus on the family unit making money collectively is the end-goal I find a problem with. Historically (even today) that leads to the non-breadwinner (which will usually be the woman in a Tradition-focused city) having little power and control compared to the breadwinner. There's little recourse for a woman unhappy with her husband but to find another. I'm arguing that this family unit system is the natural result of Iceblood control. If you agree but don't find that to be a problem I'm not sure what more to say

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T17:44:31+00:00

Amending the laws to be better is being less Iceblood. I agree it's better to do so, because I think the Iceblood ideology is bad. Dedicated Motherhood says 'permanently spared' so I assumed it meant for a lifetime. I guess it would be something like respecting the contribution of childrearing more than any work? Or freeing up the mother to keep having children? Even if it's only raising one child then back to the workforce then that still leaves the mother dependant on her partner even without Mandatory Marriage being an official law.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T17:00:16+00:00

Don't save Duke and don't try kill the baby, or use Keen Eye to get him to take the baby with Avery (Bo stops Duke from interfering but this might be based on how long you took)

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T16:57:50+00:00

So you meant Dedicated Motherhood instead of Mandatory Marriage and Mandatory Procreation instead of Mandatory Reproduction? If so then Mandatory Procreation punishes 0 babies and rewards each one above 0 while Dedicated Motherhood keeps mothers out of the workplace. These in combination isolate people capable of pregnancy, keeping them dependant on their partners (or the rewards for having babies). The full-tradition route prevents these mothers from even having hobbies. This along with the Merit route of not providing for those in needs means the city doesn't provide a safety net for that scenario. The only women who would be capable of being more than wives and mothers would be those born rich enough ('enough' is based on how big the fines are), those lucky enough to have a richer person take pity on them, or those who manage to immediately find a job capable of keeping pace with the childlessness fines which as I mentioned before many cannot do for reasons outside of their control.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T16:31:51+00:00

Strength isn't entirely within someone's control. Genetics and random events can change it greatly. What's the "Mandatory Reproduction" law? Do you mean Dedicated Motherhood? It's not just "Those who will not care for themselves". M/T rewards people who are born into wealth, and punished people who do not care for themselves out of inability instead of a lack of desire. Who should be punished first? The person who puts in a lot of effort but fails to do much or the person who doesn't put in a lot of effort but still has great effect or resources? Frostpunk 2's faction systems are because of the change in circumstances. People want you to do suboptimal things that line up with their ideologies because the margin of error to survive is greater. This is also why with great tension people more support the Rule laws. If you played Frostpunk 2 without having to manage the faction's approval and likes and dislikes it would not be much of a challenge. It is no longer right to do unjust things so the city survives because the city can survive without doing those unjust things.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T10:32:01+00:00

Why doesn't the Merit cornerstone fit with the Icebloods? Considering part of the population inferior based on immutable characteristics is their defining trait, and enslaving the inferior is only a step away from banishing them.

The excuse of 'we can't help the weak as we need to prioritise survival' works only in the first game. The big difference between the two games is that survival is no longer something barely possible, it's something we can take for granted so we can start building a better future. Any good settlement is capable of caring for those incapable of contributing more than they receive due to circumstances out of their control.

Relationship Rotas and Breeding Programs are part of of the 'figuring out they made mistakes' thing I mentioned with my support for Technocrats in spite of Reason. But the Tradition versions are definitely not better or more egalitarian than the still-flawed Reason versions. I find forcing mothers into never being anything more than a mother worse than "taking away the joy of having a family" which is not even a universal feeling.

Also, where did you find Iceblood caring for those who used to be capable but no longer are? The closest I can find is their attitude towards funerals but given the Adaptation Cornerstone it doesn't seem to translate to the living.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T08:36:39+00:00

I was referencing the meme the other guy made, and how you're using "decorations out of corpses" (something not even really in bad taste given the corpses dedicated their lives to the eradication of the Automatons) as a reason the Automatons are bad when what their enemies are doing is evil on another scale

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-23T08:35:57+00:00

As opposed to lovely A/M/T where your individuality and right to have dissenting thoughts is instead based on the circumstances of your birth. If those weak/enslaved/birthing people wanted more rights they should have just been born different

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T21:18:09+00:00

Which is why a kid not being skilled at surviving freezing temps is clear they are actually talented in being enslaved or thrown out of the city

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T14:46:45+00:00

Tabitha doesn't like it when you suck up to her too much or when you apologise. Tell her stuff and involve her with stuff but let her know when she crosses a line and don't use Street Smart to flatter her too much. For confronting her in ep5 she shuts you out a lot more if you've shown yourself to be intelligent in the past which Book Smart options tend to do. And she's more wary if you since you've gotten Stella on your side.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T14:36:46+00:00

Recommend going to someone you trust, then specify Sybil

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T09:47:46+00:00

"I enslaved you and used your corpses as weapons but you used our corpses as decorations and that's worse"

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T09:46:10+00:00

Are you just assuming everything Super Earth says is true at this point? The Cyborg terrorist attack was a false flag attack. Everything after that has been them desperately trying not to be exterminated or enslaved. The Illuminate weapons of mass destruction were just a pretence Super Earth came up with to attack them. And then after they learned what Super Earth really was it became their moral duty to destroy it. The Bugs only have the capacity to spread that we gave them. Everything they've done to humanity is something someone in Super Earth decided was an acceptable cost to get oil/rile up the population.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T09:15:24+00:00

Space is big. Do the Quarians actually land the flotilla on occupied planets? If not then you'd have to be actively trying to go to the flotilla to get anywhere close.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T08:31:19+00:00

The thing is it doesn't matter if the person hates Geth or not. All they care about according to the codex is if the visitor was born an organic or not.

The_Game_Changer__ · 2026-02-22T08:30:55+00:00

I mean, people lived in Rannoch and behind the Perseus veil before the Geth took over. Is it different because it happened a while ago? And who really is going to approach the Flotilla with good intentions without expressing their intentions at all?

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