However, We At C.A.I. Believe in Second Chances - Let's Play Miss Management!

[Robindaybird]

Boy, I can tell that Duncan will be a thrill to work with and I'm 100% sure Pearl will VERY quickly tire of him and his sexist ways.

Sadly I think she's the kind of older lady that thinks that kind of sexism is perfectly okay and the young ladies are ungrateful to even have a job.

And yeah, Swarthy is something you saw a LOT in literature as late as the 1980s and given they're often used to describe villains giving the word some very negative connotations, Mahavir is rightfully irritated at the use of it.

[Quackles]

Boy, I can tell that Duncan will be a thrill to work with and I'm 100% sure Pearl will VERY quickly tire of him and his sexist ways.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Duncan write-up. He has the same "arrows" on his desk as Mahavir, so I'm actually curious if he even has any difference compared to Mahavir or he's essentially a "Mahavir #2".

Sorry, Pearl. The cure is worse than the disease.

[LPFinale]

Duncan Writeup







Task Type Stats

Art Tasks

• Work Rate: 7; Trainable to 9, then 11
• Moodifier: +3

Financial Tasks

• Work Rate: 7; Trainable to 9, then 11
• Moodifier: +3

Technical Tasks

• Work Rate: 7; Trainable to 9, then 11
• Moodifier: +3

Writing Tasks

• Work Rate: 7; Trainable to 9, then 11
• Moodifier: +3

Likes/Dislikes Summary

Duncan, like Tara, uses the Whiteboard to relax. In his case, however, he draws plans for his motivational seminars... by which I mean he draws meaningless graphs that he thinks mean something in the grand scheme of things. It's super average at a -3 Moodifier, but that's pretty good considering the circumstances we'll discuss a bit later.

Duncan's LIKES section... never really comes up. His Goals are all over the damn place, and he doesn't even get additional Stress reduction from talking to others unless he has a Goal for it. This man's existence is eclectic and wavering, much like the resolve of a middle manager.

Duncan's DISLIKES are completely irrelevant. Tara left before he even got here, despite that picture. And that mention of "femininity"? There's a behavior that comes up that fits that to a T, yet it STILL doesn't stress him out, at least in gameplay. Absolutely nothing will ever generate Stress for Duncan besides work, and you can use that to your advantage. I find it also accurately paints him as completely oblivious to everyone around him unless he's addressing them, and even then, flip a coin. Weirdly non-interactive, but hey, it shows character.



General Summary

In terms of gameplay, Duncan couldn't be any plainer. Literal white bread would be more interactive than him. At least white bread would probably get stressed out from being burnt when overcooked in a toaster. Nothing anyone does can bother him, so the entire way he's made an obstacle is by inflicting Stress on others, and even then, he doesn't do that exceptionally often. However, I suppose it IS a strength to be available to complete any Task type at a reasonable speed with a relaxation point that only the local Stress Sink is going to dislike him using.

His stats are the utterly average ones I compare to when evaluating everyone else, but combined with his inability to be get Stressed from anything besides work, he acts as like the inverse of a Stress Sink Employee in that he can siphon stressful work away from others. Not too shabby, if more of an overanalysis of his state among the others than anything else. He can do any Task type, any time, and does them just under 50% faster than his closest comparison, Mahavir, in exchange for slightly more work-related Stress.

Overall, Duncan's gonna be fine to have in the office from a Task-related standpoint, despite his middle management mania. Certainly more useful than Mahavir ever will be, at least, though he's not too interesting otherwise.



Burn Out Sprite



Also, it's literally impossible to see his Stress Threshold state while at his desk, so here's that:

[Junpei]

I guess Duncan was so boring nobody had anything to say in reaction to this profile.

[Quackles]

It'll probably make more sense once we find out how he plays.

[Blastinus]

I feel like his persona of "pretends to be smart but actually knows nothing" does make sense for 4 dots all around, but in terms of gameplay, that means that he's not as quirky as the other characters we've been having to juggle thus far. But as mentioned, we haven't seen him in action yet, so I could be proven wrong.

[Junpei]

Have you ever worked with someone who reminds you of a character from this game?

[LPFinale]

Have you ever worked with someone who reminds you of a character from this game?

To be honest, Duncan reminds me a lot of one of my managers right now, minus the sexism and another thing. Just this constant barrage of things we're doing now because that's his plan. Has more of a temper than Duncan, though, so a bit more intimidating of a prospect to get something wrong.

[LPFinale]

Episode 13: Gameplay Update, "The Man Himself"

Video:


Alright, so we've got a habitual Water Cooler menace to deal with this time. No big deal.



Aside from taking up nearly the entire initial Goal list, I guess. WOW.

Anyways, the key to getting this done quick is knowing what's most efficient to get done ASAP. In this case, that'd be Luke's Goal for reasons that will become apparent when we unlock his Optional Goal.



Duncan's stats are the literal definition of average; he's the baseline that I compare everyone else to. He's a bit faster than Mahavir, with a slight bit more Stress. In practice, he gains barely more Stress than Mahavir per Task at a much faster rate (ex., 3-Bar Task: Duncan gains 15 Stress for 5 Seconds of work while Mahavir gains 14 Stress for 7 Seconds of work), aside from Writing Tasks where he easily comes out on top in terms of Stress.

In addition, unlike Mahavir, who gets stressed by oddly-specific things that are very rare, Duncan never gains Stress from anything besides Tasks, despite his DISLIKES section; the Whiteboard never, ever comes up since Tara's gone, and while there's a behavior later that by all means should stress him out according to both this dossier and the cutscene it's introduced in ("femininity"), he never gains Stress from that behavior.

He's basically the opposite of a Stress Sink Employee, where he can siphon work away from people who need a break without gaining Stress himself aside from said work. His Stress bar can be reduced to "This is how long Duncan can work" as a result, and he makes himself at least more useful than Mahavir by taking advantage of this. Plus it paints him as super aloof that he causes Stress for others with his Goals but never gains Stress from anything himself, I suppose.



Writing Manual. A lexicon of untold techniques employed by savants of the quill and keyboard to weave together subtly enrapturing works. Also it has nice flavor text. That's all.



Starting positions. Only Mahavir's stressed a bit, for whatever reason.



Right away, we get Luke and Duncan to the Water Cooler while we turn on the Radio. Luke takes more Stress from this than anyone else, so we'll need the Radio to keep him sane for the entire time.

Oh yeah, and I need to correct myself; Luke DOES still get his Moodifier for the tea if he's talking to someone else, but it won't increment his Goal timers (except in Episodes 9 and 12, where it's bugged; there may be more, but it's always working as intended in Episodes where it matters). In fact, the game has to apply an absolutely silly Moodifier of +8 while talking with Duncan to get it where it needs to be because of that. I'll amend the writeup if I said otherwise in there.



Still, Pearl's getting super pissed at the Radio plus that Water Cooler talk, so we're gonna need to get some things to keep her calm since we can't really let her be in the Smoking Lounge very much (it'd negate the effect of the Radio, as it calms Luke as much as Smoking stresses him out).



Like so. The Donuts will keep Pearl calm, and then the Coffee will be ready for Duncan when he gets back from the Water Cooler to work on his Task-based Goal.



...well, mostly. We still need to send her to have a smoke break while we grab another Donut for her, which gives us a good opportunity to see the animation for it:



Okay, so apparently Mahavir was not even exaggerating when he said "smokes like a chimney," wow. She's really going at it.



I take the opportunity to grab the Tasks she and Mahavir were working on to add to Duncan's pile, which he'll get started on in a moment. He's just about done talking to Luke, and about time, too; that trip to the Smoking Lounge really did a number on him.



There we go. Now we can turn the Radio off and leave Luke at the Water Cooler, because...



...his Optional Goal requires him to drink his tea, meaning there's now a Goal that lets Duncan be away from the Water Cooler without wasting any effective Water Cooler time!

Which reminds me, now's a good time to see Duncan's utterly average showing at wielding Coffee:



As advertised, it's just okay.



With Pearl nearly calmed down and roughly half of Duncan's Task Goal complete, it's about time to get him started on another pep talk.



As luck would have it, it's Pearl's pep talk. Though she didn't seem to take issue with his plans at the start of the day, she still gets a decent chunk of Stress from listening to him. Hmm... I wonder...



Quite literally nothing interesting happens for 20 Seconds, and now the Day's almost over. Nothing's gonna change about this setup by then either, so... might as well mention something that those of you watching the video have LONG since noticed.

Notice that Art Task on Mahavir's desk? Notice how it has 4 Bars? Yup. Season 3 marks the first appearance of 4-Bar Tasks, the most efficient in terms of petty cash but while applying an equal Overdue timer to 3-Bar Tasks, making them feel a bit volatile. They're mixed in with some 2-Bar Tasks to keep it from being overwhelming for now.



And there we have it. Uneventful way to end, but that can tend to be how this works when making steady progress.



All in all, we need 105 Seconds of Water Cooler time today, and both of Duncan's Water Cooler Goals need to be done first. Aside from that, there's not much to today's breakdown.



Starting positions and Goal progress popups, standard fare.



Gonna wrap up this pep talk and get to work once he's done. Simple enough.



...and then I remember why Pearl's needed to be next and switch the Tasks and Coffee over to her desk instead. You can probably guess why.



There we go. Plenty more Tasks coming in as well, so this'll be quick.



With Pearl's ego needing to be fed its ritual sacrifice of Tasks, we have Duncan begin his final pep talk instead of doing these himself.



I just can't get enough of how Pearl's Danger State animations look when freeze-framed. It's absolutely wonderful.



Though the Stress reduction from smoking isn't as effective as we'd like since two people are at the Water Cooler, the Morale Boost from wrapping up her Smoking Lounge Goal makes up for it.



And now that she's done, we can send her away and give her current Tasks to Duncan's pile.



And there's our indicator to begin, as well as unlocking a rather low-priority Optional Goal.



Mahavir wants a nap, what else is new, but this time it's only 30 Seconds. Easily doable thanks to how we cut back on wasted time on Day 1.



Our new positions. Thankfully, Duncan's inability to be bothered by things makes him great to pile work onto as long as he's got a Coffee.



And there's Duncan's Task Goal complete. Now things are just a matter of time we already bought.



Also getting interrupted by a quality of life feature that I don't use.



Mahavir's done with the second-shortest Couch Goal he's ever had, tied with Episode 2's Couch Goal.



And there we have it. Luke'll feel that infusion tomorrow, but we're fine for now.



And thus the 2-Day streak continues. When will it end, and why? All these questions and more, answered... eventually.

Next time, we see what other... creative ideas Duncan has in store for us. See you then.

Goal Writeup

Time Per Day: 140 Seconds

Task Types

• Art Tasks: 25%
• Financial Tasks: 25%
• Technical Tasks: 25%
• Writing Tasks: 25%

Task Bursts

• 2-Task Burst, Applies Delay of 10-11 Seconds: 50%
• 1-Task Burst, Applies Delay of 9-10 Seconds: 50%

Task Sizes

• 2-Bar Tasks: 25%
• 3-Bar Tasks: 50%
• 4-Bar Tasks: 25%

Required Goals

• "Have a motivational pep talk with Mahavir at the water cooler. (60 Seconds)" Unlocks Optional Goal #1
• "Have a motivational pep talk with Pearl at the water cooler. (60 Seconds)" Unlocks Optional Goal #2
• "Have a motivational pep talk with Luke at the water cooler. (60 Seconds)" Unlocks Optional Goal #3
• "Take advantage of the smoking lounge and have a few cigarettes. (60 Seconds)"
• "Complete fifteen tasks to show leadership ability. (15 Tasks)"

Optional Goals

• "Take a quick nap on the couch. (30 Seconds)"
• "Complete eight tasks to be a role model of productivity. (8 Tasks)"
• "Relax at the water cooler with a mug of medicinal herb tea. (50 Seconds)"

Connecting...

Checking Status: Online

Chatroom Created





Oh godddd
Say it with me.
Middle
Management
Just, agh, everything from the lower rungs of work just came flooding back in an instant and I'm getting another headache just thinking about it.
Welcome to the real world, where failing upwards gets you into a position of moderate power. Just glad I didn't cash in all my favors for the initial camera feed, the central office was a somewhat different beast thanks to being higher on the food chain.
We both knew you could do it from the start, let's be real here. You just wanted a chance to brag, I'm sure of it~
I'm not going to confirm or deny that. What I'll confirm is that Denise will no doubt be facing all sorts of bass-ackwards plans pushed forward by Duncan, and it's going to put her to the test. Perfect for getting her ready, wouldn't you say?
You're not wrong. Let's just hope there's something salvageable in whatever he throws at her.
Hopefully. Also, if you've got a headache, I doubt all that high-strength coffee is gonna help it, you know. Maybe put the cup down?
Never
Don't make me come up there.
Touch it and die
Fine, then. Stopping your coffee intake by this point may well be an on-demand headache, anyway. Unfortunate.
Glad we're on the same page on this. See you next time?
Sure. See you then.

Chatroom Closed

[yamiaainferno]

Bass-ackwards? I'm surprised that this game went for an almost cuss, given that it seems pretty family friendly. Though Pearl's smoking is also not something you typically see in that kind of game, so maybe I'm just letting the cute aesthetic fool me.

[Taiyo]

Boy, we've certainly come a long way, huh? From having nice, relaxing days to days where everyone just wants to scream.

I wonder what Duncan has for us in the store. Maybe he would make everyone do tasks they're not good at? That's certainly going to be interesting if it happens.

[LPFinale]

Bass-ackwards? I'm surprised that this game went for an almost cuss, given that it seems pretty family friendly. Though Pearl's smoking is also not something you typically see in that kind of game, so maybe I'm just letting the cute aesthetic fool me.

Ah, that might be because that's me inserting stuff; the disc talks are a thing I've inserted after the fact. It started as a idea I got when I migrated the thread and wanted something new for the reposts, but I decided to keep going with it since it turned out to be kinda fun.

But yeah, the game's not afraid to throw out a "dammit" or two, and I do think the story goes beyond what the toony style would imply, especially later on.

[Yapping Eevee]

$69 of petty cash, nice.

This game continues to have so much charm, even if it's starting to really put the boot in if you want to go crazy efficient.

[DKII]

That was well done. Interesting how the dynamics change up each season. This one almost seemed easier with half the people (Mahavir, Duncan) not really getting stressed out by much. I assume we'll be getting an easily-stressed artist replacement soon to shake things up again.

[yamiaainferno]

Ah, that might be because that's me inserting stuff; the disc talks are a thing I've inserted after the fact.

Ah, okay. That makes more sense. I had thought at first they were narrative additions, but then people talked about "knowing" who they were, so I thought maybe they were part of the game? I'm an easily confused creature.

[Quackles]

Ah, okay. That makes more sense. I had thought at first they were narrative additions, but then people talked about "knowing" who they were, so I thought maybe they were part of the game? I'm an easily confused creature.

People have been spitballing that the anonymous chatters are supposed to be characters we met or have yet to meet.
My money's on Winston and someone new.

Also, Duncan is surprisingly boring for someone who's kind of a low-key jerk and talks too much.

[LPFinale]

Episode 14: Story Update

Video:


Last time, we juggled an utter Water Cooler menace. This time...

I wonder what Duncan has for us in the store. Maybe he would make everyone do tasks they're not good at? That's certainly going to be interesting if it happens.

True, honestly, and it would've been even easier if Pearl hadn't consumed the entire kitchen's worth of microwave popcorn before coming here.

Speak for yourself! You're just running around like you always do. I actually had to work!



Especially not when Denise's work is 5000% work. Imagine the kind of cardio that goes into running around the entire office most of the day and occasionally running across the street for Coffee and Diet Sodas. Seriously.

Oh, also Winston's baaaaack

Ah, Winston. I'm glad you're here!



Oh hey, someone besides Luke used the Bathroom for once. Dynamic way to have Pearl enter the scene, anyway.

Uh... Hi, Duncan. I'm just here to fix a router someone said wouldn't boot up...
No, no! Heheheh.



What? You got me all the way down here to...

...yyyyyyyeah, this ain't gonna be pretty. I'll just pop over to OfficeTown, maybe grab a couple Coffees for the work day. Maybe this'll be over when I get back.



An integral part of the team!



Am I right? A strong hand on the rudder.
That's fine, but can't I go and...
Tell me honestly, son.



...or maybe doing hard time, as they say?

So hey, I was gonna get the Coffees, but then I remembered Denise likes the Diet Sodas and we didn't have the cash to- ...um.





Oh! Uh... such a taxing job. I'm sure he never had time to shoot hoops with you.



Actually, we go fishing every year at...
But that's besides the point. You all need a role model, a father figure.

...huh. That's... oddly specific. Kinda sounds like he's had some kind of way the world works foisted upon him at some point, to me.



We're going to try something new again today. Get excited!





Today, you lads will be 'cross-training' your skills!

Duncan, we went over this with Pearl, that doesn't work, it's just gonna-

Mahavir, you're well-rounded, but you could use some work on your writing.

Or he could keep explaining the plan as if it's gonna do anything but cause headaches, sure. Mahavir's probably a justified case, anyway.



This one's weird, though. Luke handles those just fine, and also those seem to fall under network maintenance mostly, so...

Whatever, man.
What? You can't let that hippie touch my...

For the record, Winston won't gain Stress when Luke's working on a Technical Task, though that'd make sense.

Ah, don't think I've forgotten about you, Winston!



My what?
So you'll be doing art tasks today. Why don't you try doing them all with your left hand?

The Art Task Prophecy, it inches further to completion... any further beyond this point may doom us all!

Um, sir...



I can continue handling the financial tasks...
No, no, Pearl. I have something different in mind for you.
Hmm?



You've been working so hard.



Oh. Oh boy. She's not gonna like that.

We don't want your osteoporosis acting up!

Acting up from working at her desk??? I mean, I guess if her posture's bad it could get her spine, but she seems like the type to sit upright, at attention. Admittedly, there's no symptoms until a bone breaks, according to Wikipedia, but...



But you might, at your age! And we wouldn't want the company to have to pay for a hip replacement!

Seems more likely to be the spine from what I'm reading, but eh, he probably didn't think this through for very long, anyway.



Meanwhile I will be improving my hand-eye coordination at the arcade.





All right everyone, let's get to work!



You never what? Never thought this through? Never actually made a plan beyond "Get us transferred"? Never caught on that things might not go as well as they do in your fantasy world?

...god I miss Tara.

All of you... just keep your hands off my game machine!



Oh yeah. I'm sure that'll make working on Art Tasks not a complete nightmare for him.

Next time, we begin yet another case of futile cross-training. See you then.

[TeeQueue]

Pearl: HAHA I'll throw everyone at this middle manager who will force Denise to do things she won't like!

Duncan: /also forces PEARL to do things she won't like!

Pearl:

[yamiaainferno]

Gotta love a manager who shoots their team's efficiency in the kneecaps for a passing whim. The specific kind of dipshit who doesn't comprehend the pointless meaniality of the job and wants it to be a meaningful, self-improving experience while also not understanding it or being invested whatsoever. These are the kinds of people who make questions like "why do you want to work here?" and "how do you think you can improve the company?" mandatory in interviews for minimum wage jobs.

[Blastinus]

Yeah, to Duncan's credit, at least he's an equal-opportunity menace to his underlings. That means there's a possibility of everyone banding together to get rid of him.

[Taiyo]

Ouch. Looks like everyone will be driving each other crazy during this episode due to all the "cross-trainingstressing" everyone will be doing.

Mahavir hates Writing tasks and Pearl being on the couch will drive him crazy.
Winston hates Art tasks and Duncan being on the arcade will drive him crazy.
And I'm pretty sure Pearl doesn't get any negative moodifier while she's on the couch, so Luke will drive her crazy by constantly going into the bathroom and/or (likely and) being at the water cooler.

Yikes. Looks like Luke and Duncan would need to carry the team through this one. Glad I'm not Denise!

[Junpei]

God it would suck to have this guy as a manager IRL.

I mean, it's mostly annoying because there's no specific EXP system in this game to 'improve' weak points, but even IRL it would be annoying to be told to do things you're not good at.

[Commander Keene]

Even moreso because there isn't any real reason for it, the boss just decided we need to be shoring up our weak points. Like, Winston's right there, why does Luke need to do the Tech tasks. I can imagine most of the upcoming updates will be spent having people do their proper Task types, and then having the "right" person be the one to email the work in to the boss. It's probably what I'd do IRL if faced with that kind of idiocy.

[Quackles]

I have no sympathy for Pearl at the moment, not gonna lie. More like schaedenfreude.

[Taiyo]

You know, something just popped up in my head.

Luke is weak with Financial tasks. Why didn't Duncan assign them to Luke when he's just going to have Pearl sit out anyway?

Though, I think it's likely not to make the episode exceedingly difficult. Who knows?

[Robindaybird]

Probably because it would irritate Wintson character-wise, since Timothy would be the one freaking out about people doing financial tasks and he's not here.

But yes, it's great to see Pearl not exempt from petty boss stupidity.

[Mopey Dick]

I worked under a Duncan type before; she was obsessed with making everyone in the team interchangeable (so yeah, putting people on tasks they hate and are not good at was a common occurence, usually followed by an innocuous "what took you so long, but see, you're developing, do it faster next time" talk upon delivering) and at the same time endlessly, stupidly positive: if she walked by you and you weren't smiling, or didn't greet someone within her hearing with a full name and a polite inquiry on how they are, A Talk was guaranteed to come within minutes, complete with amateur psychodiagnostics of what is wrong with you that day.

Ugh. I did not leave that job peacefully.

[LPFinale]

Just nudging the incoming update over to the next page, don't mind me

[LPFinale]

Episode 14: Gameplay Update, "Captain of His Ship"

Video:


Well, it seems we're going to have to deal with a weird "cross-training" exercise today that will benefit no one. Just another day at the office.



And today's the kind of day where getting things done efficiently is not directly in your hands, considering everyone has a specific Task type they need to spawn. Ooof.

As for Pearl, she's an interesting case since she's an extremely rare occurrence of someone being made to go to a relaxation point that increases Stress instead of lowering it. This, combined with Duncan being at the Arcade Machine, means she'll be gaining Stress slowly but constantly throughout the day. Also, we won't be able to take advantage of the Water Cooler, Radio, or Bathroom without disrupting her, so we'll have to play it carefully with Donuts instead.



Starting positions. Again, only Mahavir has some starting stress.



And now we have what things will look like for most of the day: random 2-Bar Tasks coming in, Duncan at the Arcade Machine, Pearl on the Couch, both causing Mahavir and Winston to gain just enough of a Moodifier to be unable to relax over time.



And since Mahavir has a Moodifier coming in, Writing Tasks push him over the stress state threshold.



With Writing and Art Tasks causing irreversible Stress for most of today, we'll need to go get some Donuts to keep those two from Burning Out.



Went ahead and put the Donuts on the unoccupied desks so they're more readily available for use in a moment. Oh, and this level says it has an equal spawn rate for all Task types (aside from Financial, which don't spawn), but it always feels like there's a lean towards Art Tasks in most every practice run I've done of this Episode. This one's no exception.



Because of this, I have Luke take care of most of this Art Task in Winston's place. Luke's pretty much the only one of the three who can relax over time right now, so his Stress meter is a valuable resource here.



With all those Art Tasks that've come in, it's finally time for the first Donut. Got a few Technical Tasks too, thankfully.



I brought the other Donut down here for convenience's sake, and Winston will need it soon. Also, I tried to have Luke whittle down a Writing Task for Mahavir but, uh... oops.



Duncan finally finishes his hand-eye coordination exercises in time to keep people from overloading themselves.



With that done, Winston gets his own Goal for the Arcade Machine, and Duncan's return to his desk makes him an ideal candidate to chip away at the Art Tasks for Winston to complete.



Sent Winston to get a bit of his Goal done and relax while Duncan does the Task Tango with the Art Tasks. Also, I really like the way Pearl's sprite makes it look like she's giving a death glare right now.



Now that Pearl's done pretending to knit on the Couch, Winston's calming down more and can return to his desk soon.



That Couch goal actually unlocked two separate Goals: one for Pearl's smoke break, and another for Mahavir to take a nap.



Day's nearly over. I have Winston head to the Arcade Machine instead of dealing with this Art Task; there'll be more than enough of them tomorrow, and he's kinda losing his mind anyway.



After one last Writing Task comes in, we're done for the day. See what I mean by it seeming like there's a preference towards Art Tasks, by the way? 12 of them came in today compared to 5 Writing Tasks and 6 Technical Tasks. I've had runs where Technical or Writing Tasks were the majority, but they were rare, and I ran this Episode a LOT for reasons we'll get into later.



Now, I'm sure this Goal list looks feasible to 2-Day compared to everything we've done so far. And it sure would be, under most circumstances. We'll see the reason it's not so simple near the end of the Day.



Starting positions, Goal progress, you get it by now.



I'd have sent Winston to the Arcade Machine right away, but wouldn't you know it, an Art Task came in right away. I could really use any other type of Task right now, and lots of them, anything but these things.



And ANOTHER one immediately comes in afterward, letting Winston get this out of the way so he can go play his game while leaving Duncan to do the Art Tasks.



I counterbalance Pearl's smoking by letting Luke take a break or two at the Water Cooler. He doesn't need to be at his desk until the Technical Tasks finally come in, anyway.



Pearl's finally done, which means I'll have her migrate to the Water Cooler instead. Not really a pressing matter, but it lets Luke calm down again.



Winston wraps up his game, too, letting him come back to sit around and do nothing since all the Tasks that aren't Art need to be taken care of by the other two cross-trainers.



Enough Technical Tasks finally come in for Luke to finish his batch of Technical Tasks. Now if only the Writing Tasks would show up in time to finish off the day...

Oh, and remember when I mentioned there's a reason that 2-Daying this is a lot less feasible than it looks? Well...



This. We'd essentially need to have enough Technical Tasks to come in that we have 90 Seconds remaining on Day 2, and considering that weird lean towards Art Tasks despite what the code says, good luck with that. It's out of your hands.

I had exactly one run where that happened, and guess what? I ended Day 2 on 11/12 Writing Tasks. I didn't waste any on misplays, either, the game just only spawned 11 of them thanks to good ol' RNG. This Episode's not worth all the retries it'd take to 2-Day it.

Oh, and Mahavir finished his nap, I guess.



Getting a taste of that now. The Writing Tasks refused to spawn in earlier, leaving us near the end of the day with no hope of completing Mahavir's training since the guy takes 5 Seconds per 2-Bar Task. Bleh.



And would you look at that. Even if I hadn't misplayed that one Writing Task yesterday, we wouldn't have had enough time to complete the Goal with how the Writing Tasks spawned. Maybe if I'd given him a Coffee 15 Seconds before the end of the day, but if that's the kind of insurance you need to put a bandage on this, that's really reaching. Besides, I'd need to get the Radio Goal in time in the same run.



And there we have it, our first visit to Day 3. It's a much more mundane, out-of-control reason for going to Day 3 than I envisioned, honestly.



Such a meh Day we're about to have, honestly



Got the Radio going, sent Mahavir to get that starting Stress out of his meter. And now we wait.



Thankfully, the game has mercy on me and spawns in the Writing Tasks pretty quickly. Now we get to wait for the Radio, too.



Finally. If only I could unlock you sooner.



Well, that was probably the first Episode I'd consider to be kind of milquetoast. Sadly, I think they may have developed themselves into a corner with 4 Optional Goals, 5 Required Goals, and 3 of the Required Goals being based on specific Task types spawning in. I don't think the game can display 7 Goals on-screen at once, so they couldn't just have Duncan's Goal unlock both of them like Pearl's. There's honestly a better approach to this kind of Goal we'll see later, but I can't remember if the Episode overall is any better.

Next time, we experience managerial whiplash. See you then.

Goal Writeup

Time Per Day: 140 Seconds

Task Types

• Art Tasks: 33% (I swear to god it's higher than this but I can't prove it, hnnnnngh)
• Technical Tasks: 33%
• Writing Tasks: 33%

Task Bursts

• 1-Task Burst, Applies Delay of 7 Seconds: 50%
• 1-Task Burst, Applies Delay of 5 Seconds: 50%

Task Sizes

• 2-Bar Tasks: 100%

Required Goals

• "Duncan wants Pearl to relax and knit on the couch. (100 Seconds)" Unlocks Optional Goals #1 and #2
• "Duncan wants Winston to cross-train by doing twelve art tasks. (12 Art Tasks)"
• "Duncan wants Mahavir to cross-train by doing twelve writing tasks. (12 Writing Tasks)"
• "Duncan wants Luke to cross-train by doing twelve technical tasks. (12 Technical Tasks)" Unlocks Optional Goal #3
• "See what this arcade game is all about. (80 Seconds)" Unlocks Optional Goal #4

Optional Goals

• "Take a smoking break in the smoking lounge to calm her nerves. (80 Seconds)
• "Take a nap on the couch. (60 Seconds)"
• "Listen to the radio for a while. (90 Seconds)"
• "Play on the arcade machine. (75 Seconds)"

Connecting...

Checking Status: Online

Chatroom Created





...what did I just watch?
The culmination of what I can only assume to be a rather uneventful young adulthood lacking in any challenges to one's worldview. At least, I'd hope the guy just doesn't know better. That was outrageous.
Like... what??? ...you know what, I'm gonna set that topic aside, it's mind-numbingly dumb what he said and we'll get nowhere with it. Instead, let's discuss the concept of irrelevant exercises in the workflow.
Not only will the overall quality of the work coming out of that office be lower, further exacerbated by it being the CENTRAL OFFICE, employee morale took an intense dip. If he doesn't course-correct soon, this could get ugly.
While I'm all on-board with getting people more generally capable of handling work in an emergency, just throwing people into this kind of work on the job instead of arranging for some kind of training program will just throw several wrenches into the company's pipeline. This was a rookie move, even moreso than Pearl's meddling with the Writing Tasks.
God, yeah. Central's gonna come under a lot of fire soon if this doesn't change, and that's no good for ANY branch of C.A.I. I'd pity the kind of wrath he'll bring down if this gets any worse, but those last few days were an utter gongshow. This policy either laxes, or the reins tighten; I'll be more than happy to see the latter enforced if it comes to that.
True enough, I know full well you'd enjoy that. I might too, a bit. It'd be refreshing to have some way to keep the new girl from facing this kind of stupidity after it's long since overstayed its welcome in terms of getting her some experience in dealing with this. I'll contact you again if this develops any further, okay?
Got it. Can't say I'm optimistic, but I'll talk to you then.

Chatroom Closed

[Quackles]

Yikes. Well, at least the next episode's got to be less of a headache, right?

Right?

[Taiyo]

Yikes. Well, at least the next episode's got to be less of a headache, right?

Right?

Looks like we'll be meeting a new employee in the episode select screen, so... who knows?

Knowing how the game is progressing, you can bet she's going to be a pain.

[LPFinale]

Episode 15: Story Update

Video:


Last time, we beat our heads into a brick wall doing work we're terrible at. This time...



I guess he's going back on that? And we'll have a fresh face in the office, too, though we already have all 5 desks taken up, so... hmmmmmm...





...ha. Haha. HA. OH WOW.

So, uh, yeah. Pearl had never actually met Duncan aside from maybe a few policy-level encounters. Clearly this plan had no flaws whatsoever and was going to go exactly how she thought from the start.

You weren't around when he got hooked on his motivational speaking fad.
Well, telling me to sit around and knit is really too much, I...



Heeeeere we go again.

Attention, everyone! I have some more announcements to make!
Oh, good lord, what now?



What? He's actually changing his mind?

Whaaaaaaa

And as I've always said, the hallmark of good leadership is flexibility. So starting now, as the captain of this ship I'm declaring some shore leave!



Luke being amazing aside, Duncan really goes all-in on the Navy metaphors. Makes me wonder if he might've picked up some of this mindset there or something. Can't say I'm familiar with whether the Navy's the kind of place this sort of mentality would take root, but I'd believe it.

Heh heh heh. Well, we actually do have to get some work done, no avoiding that!



...wait. Five people, four tasks each, that's twenty, and the lowest possible amount of Tasks yesterday, in a notably slow work day for the cross-training, was...

...twenty. With a high end of twenty-eight. On a somewhat SLOW day.

Four tasks? Only four in a whole day?!



As much as none of us are fond of listening to her, she knows the company's workload rather intimately. Denise would have a complete breakdown by the end of the day if we did that.

Hmm. Now surely...
Um... Perhaps we could take turns?



Right you are, Denise. And call me Duncan!

This line confuses me. I think there was supposed to be a "sir" in Denise's previous dialogue like in yesterday's script, but it might've missed proofreading. Whoops.

I'll leave you to sort out the details. Ah, and one other thing.

The new hire, I assume?



Well, that at least explains how we're getting around the 5-desk limit, but... care to get to the point that's been standing next to you for the past several minutes, Duncan?

Right... I'm sure he was dog-tired from all that napping.
Four tasks in a day and we're short an employee?

You don't even have him do work in the first place.

Oh ho ho ho.



She's quite the little graphic designer... this is Ashley.



I'm sure we'll have a marvelous time working together!
Pleased to meet you, Ashley!

Well, she certainly looks like she cares about appearance, and I guess that translates over to her work, if the desk arrows are any indication. Nice to have an Art Task specialist again.





Powder your nose?





Well, that would explain why there was no new relaxation point. But, uh... somehow I doubt she needs to powder her nose when she already has enough on her face to pass as a geisha.



I believe this pun flew right over my head when I was younger. My time revisiting the game has been rather enjoyable, I must say.

No, sir, just makeup.



Um, all right everyone, back to work!

Something tells me "Uncle Dunky" isn't all too familiar with his niece, if that interaction was anything to go by.

Gracious. I need a cigarette...
I need to beat my high score on challenge mode.



Right there with ya, Luke. Poor guy managed to get his desk put right next to the Smoking Lounge, too.



Oh hey, the new girl's health-conscious, too?

Nicotine could affect my hair color, and this style cost $800!

Oh.



He, uh. He doesn't look all right. Almost like he's experiencing something that should be stressing him in gameplay but it doesn't, for some reason.

Oh! Yes, yes...
Denise, will you show Ashley around for me?
Oh, ah... sure! She's your niece, is that right?
Well, sort of.



Oh hey, another Luke situation. Good to see those are still the best way into this office, for some reason. Connections'll get ya places, it seems.

Barely know them, not really my type of people, you know?
Well, yeah, I can show her around!
Thank you, good lass!



I feel like I'm watching an 8-year-old boy look out from over a bush in unsure confusion at why the heck the neighbor girl is playing with what looks like a small, plastic human.

Um... I'm a girl too, sir.
Oh, of course, I know that!





Now, what's this I hear about a new videogame high score? Perfect place to show my competitive camaraderie with good old Winston!

What universe do you live in? It sounds like it has a similar energy to those black-and-white family PSAs from ages long past.

Trousers like a man?



Denise, you rock that look, don't let anyone tell you different. ...whether they mean to or not, in Duncan's case. Wow.

Next time, we get introduced to Ashley and handle a rather interesting set of Goals. See you then.

[clearcardinal]

This writing is way more charming than expected for a Diner Dash-style game. Poor Denise haha.

[Quackles]

I can appreciate how everyone's going to be confounded in this office sooner or later.

Also, we've now met all but two of the cast on the main page!

[Taiyo]

The arrows on Ashley's desk though! Hopefully she's even BETTER than Tara to counterbalance her downwards arrow in Writing, right?!

...right?

...right???

[yamiaainferno]

...Ugh. Hopefully Ashley gets some shading. I really dislike the "rich bitch" archetype. Also, nepotism! Gross.

[Junpei]

I find it weird how Mahavir's flirting is treated like a harmless minor quirk but Duncan's almost-sexism is an actual problem.

[LPFinale]

Ashley Writeup







Task Type Stats

Art Tasks

• Work Rate: 12; Trainable to 14
• Moodifier: +2

Financial Tasks

• Work Rate: 3; Trainable to 5, then 7, then 9
• Moodifier: +2

Technical Tasks

• Work Rate: 3; Trainable to 5, then 7, then 9
• Moodifier: +2

Writing Tasks

• Work Rate: 3; Trainable to 5, then 7, then 9
• Moodifier: +2

Likes/Dislikes Summary

Ashley's only relaxation point is the Bathroom, already discussed in Luke's writeup, and that can make her difficult to work with. It's an amazing spot to lower her Stress, of course, but it also applies a heavy, heavy Moodifier to Luke (+4!!) on top of annoying the Stress Sink Employee a bit. Her relaxation needs to be handled with care or it'll spiral out of control.

Her LIKES are... well, they're tangentially related to her Goals, at least. Most of the time she'll ask for a ton of trips to the Bathroom to put makeup over her makeup, but other times she'll want to talk to someone about things that interest her. Sometimes it'll be a one-sided conversation, sometimes it won't. It's a lot less consistent about that than Mahavir's flirting, but you'll probably be able to tell whether her talking partner is into it based on the Goal description.

The big talking points here are her DISLIKES. Luke using the Bathroom applies the same Moodifier to her as she does to him, and it's brutal on top of hating people using the Smoking Lounge in addition to both of the possible global relaxation points. Beyond that, the things that bother her are kinda specific, but that's already a long list. We're just lucky she has the Bathroom to counterbalance all this.



General Summary

Ashley is a perfect mirror of Luke's specialty when it comes to Art Tasks; she's just a hair slower than the average specialist (like Tara's 13 Work Rate), but she gains less base Stress while working. As much as I'd like to say that makes her overall better than Tara at Art Tasks, her stressors are unbelievably universal and common, meaning it's like a Pearl situation where she'll often be working under pressure from others. She'll still take care of them faster and more Stress-efficient than anyone else in the office, but it'll be rough.

Her Down Arrows are... weird, okay, they're horrifically weird. She gets the same Moodifier as working on Art Tasks, but with the lowest base Work Rate in the game at 3 Work Rate on all deficient Task types, she'll gain a decent chunk of Stress just with how long she takes to do anything with them. To put that in perspective, a 2-Bar Task would take her 8.33 Seconds to finish while giving her roughly 16 Stress. Even if they don't Stress her too quickly, the overall Stress is still pretty bad, and all that lost time will hurt in the long run.

Overall, if Ashley's proficient Task type were anything besides Art, she'd be one of the worst Employees in the game. However, because it's Art, she's middling; so many people can't handle Art Tasks very well that having that one trait makes her feel just meh to use instead of an active detriment.



Burn Out Sprite

[TeeQueue]

And lo, the terrier stands triumphant atop the defeated body of his longtime oppressor.

[Taiyo]

Why do I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of "bathroom wars" between Luke and Ashley going on forth?