I think intelligence should matter more than it actually does… Why can we just dump the stat and still be able to hack computers, install cbm and create mutagen c’mon…
I think they should implement organs. Like, if you’re really dumb, your intelligence stat is based on your brain organ, so you may want to upload your consciousness temporarly into a computer then upload it back into a vat body, where you would be prompted to choose what the characteristics of the body you wish to grow inside that vat, like hair, skin, eye color, height etc… And then wait for a time, depending on the quality of the vat, how fast it can grow the body without complications. Then once the body is grown to your set age, you can upload your consciouness into the body’s brain. Meaning a 4 int character would get a 8/8/8/8 stats across the board due to the vat grow bodies being of average stats, with other more advanced vats allowing for increased stats if one so chooses. I think this should be possible.
Sounds almost like the concept of Alpha mutation - unlocks human potential and forcefully genetically alters the human genome to correct to a more optimal state without the body swap.
In universe, your idea could half work in the way Exodii function if it is expanded to allow you to become an exodii candidate,they are essentially brains( and whatever necessary organs) in a metal suit. I not sure on their organic to inorganic ratio but they have a lot of bionic knickkacks that imply that their biology works in tandem with their machinery and could open up potential that you use machinery to compensate for your weaknesses… although current bionics do give you some flat passive bonuses which you can try min/max with mutations.
And there are primers and specific mutagens in the labs if your character is too low intelligence to make it. Although getting the exact mutagens can be tricky if you can’t make them specifically.
I don’t know if it will ever have isometric fallout level of intelligence detail, but I personally handwave it away that if you have your facilties then you are “intelligent” enough to learn albeit at various degrees of success thanks to the chemicals in the water.
Not the greatest answer, but it helps me with my suspension of disbelief
And I stand my ground on intelligence mattering more that it currently does, a 4 int character shouldn’t be able to get into making fucking mutagen and shit, maybe have npc’s do it for you along with installing cbms from nurse robot or other appliance that does it automatically too.
As a low int character you cannot read crucial books, even introductory chemistry probably. You have to stumble through your practical experiments, wasting tons of time and hard-to-get ingredients in failed attempts. I think this checks out from both gamist and simulationist perspectives. I mean, even someone really really stupid can learn to accomplish physical tasks (eventually) and we have specifically “applied science” in the game, not abstract theories.
Sorely tempted to ask you to create an Int 4 character and report back to us with you accomplishments, once you do reach the point of cooking up mutagen 😀
All this talk is inspiring me to look at the int 4, illiterate character… still need to decide on a theme.
Did do a brief look at it the idea in game and the character has a lot of 50 % failure rates for your starting recipes and is too stupid to know how to put a saddle on a horse or even to ride a horse 😂
You could try play with an illiterate character and with low intelligence then npc training is emulated on how long your character takes to get the knowledge via physical example. Being illiterate a lot of crafting is off the table, including mutagens.
Npc companions do share their recipes and do help with construction if they have the necessary skill so that could be interpreted as them offering advice in construction.
Bionics, if you can reach exodii can install the stuff with good success rate and as bionics is their baby it can be implied it is biotech or tech that is smart enough to learn based off a strict set of instructions. So you can make a case that lockpicking, safecracking and hacking can be AI assisted when installed.
Which then can be used to get past the security for primers and mutagens from labs - or with difficulty, destroying terrain. You wouldn’t get what you wanted but it is a path I can imagine a low int character can take.
It is by no means perfect, but I am just trying to think how a low intelligence character could get the high level stuff in a, in my understanding, way of the lore.
I see intelligence as “how fast i can grasp this concept” type of stat instead of how clever a person is. I suppose it is a more high abstract view of that everyone possesses intelligence and the truly intelligent just get things quicker.
So a high intelligent person can grasp how to mix and match various animal parts into a smoothie to make their own diverse personal anime harem in say a week, while someone of low intelligence would still get the concept after repeatedly trying to understand it until it finally clicks after a month
At least that is how I see it shown in game as high intelligence increases reading speed and how fast you gain skill levels. So intelligence is to me at least is an expression of learning ability and how fast you can process information into easy to understand concepts
Personally and I am not sure if it is high intelligence when talking to Rubik you can understand and see a summary what he is actually saying and find out he is screwing with you with its speech style as it has the ability to speak normal, but chooses not to. Also can surmise that exodii implies exodus with an int check I think… need to double check
Update: There is a couple of intelligence checks with the Exodii ( around 9)
I was able to get CBM installed by them just talking to them without fetching anesthesia and I see with Xedra evolved has some stat checks to ask about further details about “fairies and vampires” but that has an int or deduction skill check.
I agree and as far as I understand this is how it works in the game currently. I haven’t created truly dumb characters to see if it would take ages to read, but minimal intelligence level to read each book also exists I think. So this is also a soft barrier to acquiring higher levels in skills.
Confirming on the minimum intelligence level, without enough intelligence you get an learning malus, like weariness system, towards how fast your character learns as they need more time to understand the difficult concepts in the book. So as you mentioned it is a soft barrier.
Funnily enough I was thinking the other day intelligence is the stat you take to get into the crafting and maintainence aspects of the game and to avoid as much boring sitting and doing nothing sections as I try to make gear and equipment (proficiency training and gain minimum skill requirements to shorten crafting time)
For a restricted challenge playthough , where you don’t worry about crafting, it is still possible to do well as there is npc faction stuff that can cover most aspects - food, shelter, armour, weapons, currency and would work well with a nomad playthrough ( your “intelligence” is then your characters instincts and adaptability to a new world instead of using the knowledge of the past to build your future)
Seems you can now swap between npcs to act as a new “leader” in a basecamp now, so roleplay to your hearts content as low int influencer and let the sla… i mean followers do all the hard work for you … you’re still doing the work but you can now build your charcters more specifically and directly now. ( I upgraded to a newer version)
