Working alone is tied to the specifics of my experiments by definition. I am always in the shadows since our “normal” society has no understanding of my scientific pursuits and my refusal of being limited by conventions and so-called ethics. I cannot trust anyone – but sometimes, you can find certain organizations also operating in this shadowy underground, which can put my creations to good use. And I can put the resources they can provide to even better use.
That is why I am always connected to the...
Dark Web
This part of the internet is inaccessible to the uninitiated, where people with very specific and very illegal needs seek the services of eager creative minds like myself.
Funnily enough, the system which is used to post Dark Web contracts is similar to a message board that could be found on the “normie” internet. I can access it from my hidden computer system, which I also use to coordinate missions in the city. By selecting MSGBOARD, I get to access a list of contracts from many different shadowy organizations: “evil” corporations, fringe science initiatives, cults, revolutionary movements, and many other entities beyond the knowledge of the public. They are grouped into several factions. With time, there are more and more contracts appearing on the message board. You can also see the type of goods you need to deliver and rewards in the form of symbols next to each contract.
Of course, when I open a specific contract, I can see the needs of the employer in more detail. Those can fall into several categories. The employer may ask for mutagens with required properties. They may also order me to deliver one of my custom-made limbs or even a whole mutant creature with a certain set of those.
However, I have to mind time constraints. There is always a set deadline to deliver the goods – and you can also find sprint contracts, which have a very strict time limit. Sometimes they will be done only if I already had the required resources stored in your lab. If I fail the contract, I will lose my reputation with the employer’s faction, which means fewer contracts from them and fewer rewards for a set period. However, if I’m doing well with a faction, I will get more contracts with stronger rewards. So you need to strategize and set priorities when taking up any of those jobs. If I decide to accept a contract, it disappears from the message board and lands in a separate ORDERS menu, from which I can monitor them and deliver the requested resources.
But what do I get out of those contracts? The employers offer me the most needed things for my experiments – new substances and dead bodies – and they are great alternative sources for those. This allows me to put my mutants in harm’s way less often to bring them from the city. But perhaps the most valuable rewards are tokens. Tokens are single-use “favors” I can gain from different factions through contracts and select from a separate TOKEN menu. They vary from special implants that can temporarily strengthen my creatures, to sabotaging the army bases, destroying evidence of my presence in the city, or even getting volunteers to help with my missions. Some stronger tokens are specific to one faction, so you have to keep your reputation in check and take up advanced contracts to access them. Tokens usually take effect immediately, although some provide bonuses lasting one day.
This was our ninth regular “Scientist Log”. As you can see, Dark Web is a great addition that works as an optional side quest system, from which you can immensely benefit during your quest for The Ultimate Mutagen. It adds such a fun layer to the gameplay that we dedicated a separate stretch goal in our Kickstarter campaign for an extended edition (running till January 10th) to a mobile Dark Web app. If you want to help us make it a reality, you can support our Kickstarter linked below:
You can also provide us with your feedback via Discord:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1309990/Creature_Lab/