Loser Tips

## Tips for Big Ol' Losers

Note: some of these tips may contain minor spoilers. For bigger spoilers, you would likely do well to read the pages on the various characters, as their ATs are the major puzzles of the game.

* Check the Loser Starting Skillset page for more info, but each start (Athlete, Persuader, Gamer) gives different bonuses, unlocks different things, and makes some things faster or slower to learn.  All skillsets are viable, and all obtainable scenes can be reached with all starting skillsets, but some are better for certain starting strategies than others.  Gamer and Athlete are generally considered strong starts at time of writing (v. 0.09.02), Persuader somewhat less so.
* Unlocked skills at level 0 raise to level 1 faster than locked skills thanks to the +5 exp bonus to gains in that skill via 'beginner's luck.' Does not apply beyond level 0 of any skill.
* SAVE OFTEN, AND IN MULTIPLE SLOTS!  This game is very well-designed and heavily bug tested, but unity itself can be a bit buggy and it's not impossible to get into a situation Baal (the dev) didn't foresee.  Keep at least two recent saves so if something does go wrong or you do get stuck, you don't lose too much progress.
* Skills are associated with particular stats that boost those skills' exp gain.  Mental skills are based on Smarts, social skills are based on Charm, physical skills are based on Physique, and generic skills are based on the sum of all your starts (and thus get the highest bonus of any skill all the time; only Trivia seems to be a generic skill). These bonuses are in addition to the bonuses for each stat point listed.
* Trivia is one of the most important skills to raise early on, at least to level 1.  In addition to being the fastest-to-level-up skill in the game due to being a 'generic' skill as described above, level 1 of it unlocks the main skills of the other starting skillsets, and level 3 gives you the very important +1 to Smarts and Charm and +5 focus.
* You can only check your inventory and change (or refill!) your topics in certain rooms, and your room is the only one where you can access your wardrobe. This is important when talking to a character several times in a row, as even permanent topics need to be replenished between uses.
* Every player starts with some free topics in their inventory.  These can either be used in conversation with other characters or can be used in the inventory screen to boost stats (NEVER throw a topic in the trash, at least in the early game!  Always use the 'thinker' icon).  I prefer to use them in the inventory screen since they convert for free to skill points with no lost in-game time, unless they're very hard-to-get topics (aggression, for example) in which case I keep them for use on an appropriate character later.
* Watching videos on your computer is a great way to train early skills!  Educational videos train trivia, and entertaining videos trains entertainment.  For anyone but a Gamer the latter may seem way too slow (probably 1 exp per action at 0 Smarts with entertainment locked), but it also can occasionally drop video game topics that give you points in the videogames skill that are very hard to come by otherwise until it reaches skill level 2.
* Some skills unlock permanent topics at certain levels, ones that you can re-use as many times as you like without cluttering up your inventory.  These are great, and very important for pushing characters through archetypes without having to farm temporary topics to do the same job.  In some cases, you can even use these to level up the skill that granted them via dialogue with characters.
* The conversation minigame resembles a collectible card game, except you get to set up and use your deck exactly as you like without having to worry about random draws on your side.  The character screen for the character you talk to tells you the topics they like or dislike, allowing you to plan your game in advance.  Bear in mind that using a hated topic generally nullifies the benefits of a conversation, and that in most cases it takes using two liked topics to overcome using one disliked topic.  If the 'relationship' (+/- value) at the end of the conversation is 0 or greater, the person you talk to will gain exp in any skill topic you used that they already do not have at 100. This tends to mean, strategically, that if the character you're talking to needs to gain a skill they dislike, you need to use two other topics they like (even if it doesn't directly help you to use those cards in and of themselves) to raise their interest in that desired skill each time you talk to them.
* Skills go by different names sometimes.  Hover your mouse over them in the skills screen to see those names, to better know what topics use what skills.
* Archetype change is (idiomatically) the name of the game.  You're here for the sex, right?  Well, almost nobody's first archetype will do anything sexual with you.  The sexable ones (and some others too) need to get to 100% in specific skills to change archetypes (watch out, you can accidentally change them BACK if you aren't paying attention! Fortunately, this process is not automatic and there is no loss aside from time in giving a character an interest unrelated to the archetype you want to change them to).  You can see what secondary interests they need for an archetype at the bottom of the screen (example: Richard needs Critical and Workhorse to become a Career Father; the Critical secondary interest for him needs civility and selfishness at 100% to get).  Once the secondary interest's skills are at 100%, encourage them (thumbs up sign) to make that one of their upcoming interests.  When they agree to both correct secondary interests, the arrow-circle icon will become available at one of their interaction location/times, and you can promote them to another archetype.  Remember: you cannot always un-promote somebody, so be sure you want them at the new AT when you use that button!
* Once you have added the right secondary interests to a character, hovering over the new possible AT in their character screen will tell you what additional requirements they need to get to advance to that archetype.
* The 24-hour clock in this game is no joke, and neither are days of the week. Stuff only happens at certain times of day or days of the week, based on the archetypes characters are at a certain time. Consider taking notes if you have trouble remembering, and bear in mind that certain actions may unlock special events with characters at other times of day.
* Archetypes don't actually change until the next day even if you've done the interaction with the character to change them, so don't be surprised if their outfit/schedule doesn't change immediately.
* Different archetypes like and dislike different stuff (though not all of it always changes), so check the character screen and adjust your topics once you advance an archetype for a character. They could even suddenly dislike something they previously liked, or vice versa!
* While there are a few other shops available in the game, the main way to access the most frequently useful of them is on your computer.  Skills (like shopping and fashion) may be required to open up some of those shops.
* Embracing lifestyles has costs and benefits.  Some actions can only be used when certain lifestyles are embraced, making certain skills much easier to get, but some lifestyles lock out other actions and might raise or lower your max focus/stamina/health while the lifestyle is embraced (embracing laziness, for example, removes all extra benefits and costs of the tidyness skill).  They also take a long time to be able to change back (14 in-game days), so be sure that you can handle the costs of embracing a lifestyle. Still, some lifestyle changes make certain in-game challenges significantly easier (or harder), so consider testing them out. In general, a 'negative' lifestyle choice (disorder as opposed to order, for example) makes your day-to-day harder, but unlocks unique interactions. 'Positive' lifestyle choices tend to do the opposite: make more money, give you more stats, but take away more hidden benefits. Pay close attention to skill unlocks to see what each does.
* You're always responsible for how clean your room is, and often for how clean the living room is.  A dirty enough bedroom, if you leave it 'disgusting' long enough, is the only way to lose the game at the moment (as far as the author of these tips is aware).  Until you level up your tidyness skill, you need to clean a room once a day (2 hours each action) just to maintain it at the same level of cleanliness.  This never entirely goes away, but can be minimized by raising your tidyness skill if you haven't embraced laziness, such that you need to clean less and less often to maintain or improve cleanliness of a room.  If you embrace laziness, it's like you always have level 0 tidyness no matter what as far as your cleaing is concerned. Note that in spite of gameovers only happening in your room, there are consequences (up to you to determine 'good' or 'bad') to leaving the living room, bathroom, and kitchen filthy. In general, it's worth regularly cleaning your room and the living room; the others depend on circumstances.
* Every skill has a use, even the 'bad' ones, and most skills with a major downside (unhealthy, for example) can have their effects turned off by embracing their opposite (healthy, in this example).  What skill to embrace at a time generally is a strategic choice, and there is no one-size-fits-all example I am aware of.  The middle choice in all lifestyles is usually the 'safest' choice and generally allows the most flexibility, but be aware that this game rewards experimentation and exploration. Often, it will be useful to embrace a 'bad' skill despite its drawbacks because of the advantages it brings.
* High stats are by far one of the best early investments to make (after finding a job).  Even just maxing out Trivia and the skills that level 1 Trivia unlocks (Videogames, Fitness, and Charm), all of which max out at 300 exp each, gives you a free 1 Physique, 2 Charm, 2 Smarts, plus whatever bonus your starting skillset gives you.  That's 6 out of a possible 9 stat points!  As a result, literally every skill you try to learn from then on will improve that much faster for the whole rest of the game.
* Smarts level 3 is the hardest stat to get for anyone other than a Gamer, because it requires the very rare and difficult psychology skill.  However, a very Healthy character might find a workaround to access that skill early...This is a good reason to work toward the gym job rather than streamer job first and, paradoxically, to start as a gamer so maxing all your stats in short order is relatively easy.  Psychology is still such a good skill that it's worth getting early anyway, even if level 3 takes a very long time, even for a Gamer.
* Check out the neighborhood bar once you get your unhealthy skill to 1!  Lots of cool stuff happens there, and sometimes only there!
* Becky unlocks a lot of cool stuff (see: the party), but she's very slow-burn.  There are few times to interact with her and she likes difficult-to-get skills for her early ATs. One of her preferred skills requires heavy investment in Charm-related skills to get a free version of the topic, but there are several available gifts that can fill the gap. The latter way, however, ain't cheap.
* Gifts are one of the biggest reasons to start making money early.  They can be used instead of topics in conversation to not only give an interest to another character, but also to train Nathan at the same time in that skill.  Beware that gifts are basically always one-use, but often contain multiple skills.  Those multiple skills can be a curse in disguise as easily as a blessing, if the character forbids one of those interests. Magazines are a good start for some early AT characters who don't hate cheap gifts, for example.
* If you don't have the car (which you mostly won't, as it's rarely a good investment early on to borrow the keys), it takes time to get downtown or to the bar (1 hour). Factor that in before going out.
* Even if you do start working as a personal trainer, it's a good idea to switch to streaming eventually as it becomes as good or better money for much less time and energy, but it takes a big investment of both cash and skills to get there (without better cameras and high relevant skills, the pay is pretty low).  The big initial hurdle is getting to level 2 videogames, as until then you only get one video game action per day.  This is by far the hardest of the three main skillset skills to train, and a big reason many people like Gamer as a start.  Once you get to level 2 video games, you never get 'bored' of them, so you can play them on the computer as much as you like (mobile games in the living room are still limited by selfish actions) until you get to videogames level 3 which unlocks the streamer job. Once you get the money flowing, many more options to quickly boost your skills or income or speed through archetypes start to become available.
* Dinner's at 18:00 in the kitchen, don't be late.  Dinner gives you +5 focus, stamina, and health as well as some reputation points with all available characters at dinner, all for 1 hour of your time.  It's almost always a good idea to go to dinner every day because of how good a bonus this is compared to almost any other way to replenish those resources.  Other times, you can eat between one and three daily snacks that each take an hour, rely on a certain skill, and give a mix of 1, 3, and 5 health, focus, and stamina.  Using that hour on snacks is often a strategic choice.
* Focus will likely be your hardest stat to manage early game if you don't start as a Gamer.  Playing video games and watching TV (as well as the meals/snacks noted above) can help restore this, but you are likely initially limited to 1 TV watching activity per day and 1 video game session per day, depending on skills.  Thus, it is valuable to raise video games, entertainment, and/or laziness.  Naps and resting can help slightly with focus, but are better ways to get stamina or health back than focus.
* There are two kinds of daily activities.  You can work a job once every calendar day, but you can only eat one of a snack every long sleep (6 hours).  Thus, there may be times where you want to sleep multiple long sleeps in a day, or you may want to skip a long sleep to get extra hours in a day to complete some task.
* When a room says '???' for the character present, this often means you can do a special activity there for a limited time.  Weekend nights, for example, are a time to keep a lookout for special events in the early game.  Based on your skills and what actions you can still do that day, you might get access to special scenes or actions at these times.
* There are a bunch of sex skills.  Get started unlocking them by watching a bunch of porn on your computer to start unlocking sex scenes.
* Research is very powerful, to balance its cost in resources and time. Not only can it help powerlevel whatever skill you research, but it can also grant you a more difficult-to-find secondary skill in addition to giving you a range of potentially useful temporary topics. Since some skills don't come with permanent topics, this can be the best way to give a character a difficult-to-find interest.
* Check your topic inventory periodically, and make sure there's always room for more topics! Especially later in the game, you may find you get multiple topics from one action even though you might only see a notification for one. Special events also sometimes give special topics, and if there's no room in your inventory, you just miss out on it.
* Selfish actions are very powerful but limited. Consider boosting your selfishness skill by using some more obviously narcissistic actions (ex: social media, looking in the mirror in the bathroom) to be able to do more selfish actions per day. Use the permanent selfish topics at skill levels 1, 2, and 3 to raise your skill faster or train other characters faster in selfishness.
* If you go to the bar on Monday or Tuesday starting at 22:00, you can meet a hottie who can unlock a new and very useful location downtown.  This, of course, assumes you have a high enough unhealthy skill to get to the bar in the first place.  Make sure you have a wad of cash to burn before going to said new location!
* Diane is one of the easiest characters to advance in archetype in the game for the first couple changes. But, she also has some very useful likes and actions that are only available during her early archetypes. For example, magazines (which you can buy in bulk early on in the game without any skill unlocks as soon as you start making money) are a 'cheap gifts' item. Not only does she like them in her early archetypes, but she's available most of the day during weekdays as long as the living room is clean. That means you can shove stacks and stacks of magazines at her every day, at $5 each with several different topics, up to what your income limits you to, and powerlevel lots of skills at once. Also, watching TV with her gives you points in the rare 'romance' skill which eventually grants you the third charm stat point that all archetypes but persuader need. This won't max your romance skill fast at first, but if you raise your charm stat via trivia (for example) it's much quicker than with your starting charm stat. Note: while this strategy pairs well with the streamer job's more flexible work schedule while conflicting with the trainer job schedule, streamer's low initial income can limit how quickly your skills improve.