"Keep the circus going inside you. Keep it going, don't take anything too seriously. It'll all work out in the end." — David Niven
Every RPG player knows the 'MMO outfit' problem. This is where you wear whatever clothes increase your stats most effectively, regardless of the visual effect. This is where you end up looking like you woke up in a bin after a wild night out. This is cleverly co-opted by Disco Elysium, where Harry DuBois actually has woken up in a bin. It works that he sometimes dresses like this:
This remains a problem if you're Spencer Hobson, the best-dressed member of the Suppression Bureau, inspired in part by David Niven:
We hope to crack the MMO outfit problem in Travelling At Night by turning it into a mini-crafting system where you combine individual items into one visually coherent outfit. The stats of that outfit may change based on the components used to construct it, but the visual won't change. You'll always look good. Maybe swapping your Ribbed Pique Shirt for a Pleated Bosom Shirt will up your White Tie outfit's Sophistication bonus, or adding a Cornflower Boutonniere will augment its Dignity buff. I should say before AK puts an edit in here that these are example ideas I am painting for effect, and not actual details in the game right now - but you get the main idea.
Here's a current, very janky, first look at some of the outfits in-game. Please excuse Weird Bug #3525238473248 where Spencer's eyes have turned Secret Histories pink.
Let's take the Father's Day outfit (name not necessary final!) as an example. Here are the current items you can combine to create it:
Torso inner |
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Legs |
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Feet |
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You'll need one of each of those categories to create this look. More complicated outfits will include an outer jacket as well as a hat - making them harder, but potentially more rewarding, to craft. Father's Day is simple! And extremely fetching!
Hopefully this will keep the fun of finding new, distinct pieces of clothing - cashmere-blend Errols! A single-breasted gallivant jacket! MONK SHOES! - without making you look like a lunatic. I've done a bunch of historical research into men's fashion of the 30s and 40s to source the component parts, which should add some nice period flavour. Did you know the reason most pockets today are 'patch pockets' (pockets with an open, unfastened top) is because materials were more difficult to come by during the war, so it was considered thrifty and patriotic to eschew the formal flap pocket? Did you know that the gabardine trench-coat was first devised for the British Army in WW1, but became a fashion staple once Bogart wore it in Casablanca in 1942? Did you know that high-waisted fishtail trousers are incredibly flattering on a gentleman? As a heterosexual woman who's watched lots of Gene Kelly films, I did know that.
One more thing we're experimenting with is where you find these things in the first place. I can't tell you how many times I've killed a mountain lion in Oblivion and gained a lion pelt, the arrow I killed it with, and a spoon. Why the mountain lions of Cyrodiil go round carrying cutlery is a secret only known to Bethesda. Perhaps they are employed by Skooma-addicted Khajiit. Perhaps there's a big lion cave on the Gold Coast I haven't discovered yet where all lions go for gumbo lunch. This knowledge is concealed from me. What I do know is that every time I find a spoon on a cat it breaks immersion, and we very much want you immersed in Travelling At Night.
So we don't want you finding a Silk Topper under a rock. And there's no combat, so you can't find a pair of Oxblood Brogues on some guy you just shot. You'll find items throughout the world in reasonable places (made-up but representative examples: Strathcoyne's wardrobe at the Sanitarium; a costume trunk at the Rosa Mundi; etc). You'll also probably know a tailor in every major city, because you have a reputation for knowing all the best outfitters in Europe. You can then order any pieces you particularly want - provided the tailor has them - to be delivered at your next city, adding a little bit of strategy to the mix. More on that later when the design is locked down.
Adrien - our returning freelancer who drew a lot of BOOK OF HOURS and is responsible for most of the environmental art you've seen recently - sent me this as part of his research for bombed-out Caen:
This is Holland House in Kensington, 1940, after a night of the Blitz. It *also* may have a special second meaning that we will reveal in due course, but more on that later...
This photograph is such a testament to humanity's ability to get on with things, even in the maddest and darkest of times. Spencer's been through a war and Worms have been through him. But he's damned if he's going to drop his standards because of one or two little catastrophes. A man still needs his tailored suit, his fitted jackets, his freshly-pressed silk scarves. It makes him who he is, in a world that has unmade itself. Also, the Maids-in-the-Mirror like it. I hope you will, too.