Haha nah, I don’t have a perfect memory either. It’s just that I recently started a full playthrough of the game from the beginning again. After finishing it, I went back to revisit a few specific scenes so I could properly respond to the points we discussed.
There’s just too much time between my sessions, and all the other games I play in the meantime, for me to remember everything clearly. Plus, DS seems to have had a few small changes here and there that didn’t ring a bell until I played it again.
I get what you're trying to say, though I don’t necessarily think their use of that machinery is the most pertinent or noticeable element for drawing the Mad Max comparison, at least not from my perspective. That’s actually why I found the similarities much more noticeable when it comes to the Raiders, for example, rather than the Decayed. Anyway, it's just one example, and of course, everyone has their own take on it. ^^
That we´ll do it. I think the last time I played was when the game launched on Steam and all those reworks happened. The Mad Max similarities are very in your face with the Raiders, but you have to look for them with the Decayed. I just know I saw them working the machines and trains, and also controlling the fuel supply and I immediately thought Mad Max.
Personally, I’m still unsure about the exact circumstances surrounding Lord Abrax’s rise to power. I can’t say for sure whether the Decayed already had a basic fuel operation in place when he arrived, or if he was just the one who expanded it into a fully organized system.
What I do recall is that he mentioned to Zaton that, even though not all Decayed groups formally acknowledge his rule, he says that all the Decayed depend more or less on him and his faction. That could also be a way of saying that all the Decayed, including the other groups, depend on him and his faction for the supply and distribution of fuel around Old Cairo, which is a possibility that holds up.
That said, it’s hard to pinpoint when exactly he became involved with them. It might have happened fairly recently. Still, before he became known during the events of the game, that fuel had to be coming from somewhere ...
It’s also unclear whether Abrax's faction is the sole supplier or producer. They seem to be leading in that field within the region, but it’s likely the fuel changes hands and spreads beyond their direct reach.
I see your point about the influence Abrax may have had once he got involved. He probably helped the Decayed become more structured and efficient, possibly laying the groundwork for a more industrialized way of operating, or at least pushing things in that direction.
There are a few signs that support this idea. For instance, their population appears to be growing at a faster and more stable rate. Zaton points out things like an industrial slaughterhouse set up to produce meat, which clearly surprises him. That kind of infrastructure feels like a recent addition.
In earlier encounters, the other groups spoke of cannibalism more as a grim necessity in conditions of scarcity and survival. These other groups, however, capture their victims and consume them in a more traditional or rudimentary way by comparison. Now, it seems they could be shifting toward a more organized food supply system, which might reflect their attempt to sustain a larger, expanding community.
Zaton also brings up the trains, which is another strong indicator of change. He’s caught off guard by the fact that they’re up and running, and later learns from his former master that they’re being used to transport refined fuel from refineries to the Decayed’s main base of operations, now commanded by Lord Abrax.
Abrax´s faction is so much ahead the other groups when it comes to organization and efficiency that I´m sure every Decayed group kind of relies on them to keep things running, even if they don´t like Abrax. As for the fuel, I think it´s pretty fair to assume that the fuel in the region is pretty much comes from Abrax´s facilities. I don´t know how the smaller groups that are scattered through the area have access to it, but I´m pretty it comes from there. Maybe they have someone on the inside to give them some on the side or maybe Abrax doesn´t notice if some of it gets stolen. He is an efficient leader, it seams, but it doesn´t mean he doesn´t fail. It could also be an agreement between groups, where Abrax gives them fuel as payment for them to keep tabs on what happens in the region.
The Decayed are growing in population but how do they reproduce? Like the name says, they´re humans who are falling apart probably from their exposure to the radiation from the Zone, but somehow I can´t picture them fucking and having kids. This is probably a dumb question, but somehow I always assumed that their condition was something like leprosy, that spreads with too much contact and that´s how they made more.
With the introduction of slaughterhouses, it seems like cannibalism isn´t exactly a necessity as much as it´s becoming a main food source. That could be a major setback in relations with Zeta, if we have to deal with cannibalistic tribes. The trains are something that must be very new for everyone. Zaton seems to know about them, but being surprised they are working means that they weren´t for a long time.
I don’t think these Decayed groups are one and the same. Although the game doesn’t go into much detail on the matter, neither Zaton nor Abrax talk about it in that way. It is mentioned that Zaton had a deal with the first group encountered to supply fuel and that this faction was indirectly connected to Abrax and his faction, likely because they also sourced fuel from the same network to redistribute and/or sell it later.
On the other hand, the second group caused trouble for Abrax since they refused to join his faction which he saw as a rejection of their people’s unity under one leadership.
Additionally, Queen Merneith sends Zaton and Shani to a different region. If both groups were the same, Zaton probably would have recognized them immediately especially since he knew some members of the first faction by name such as Shaqiq and Kinzi.
Still, it seems Zaton is well known among the Decayed. The queen even mentions that they are somewhat familiar to him and the second group appears to recognize him at first sight when he arrives with Shani. One of them calls him Stalker right away.
Right from the start near Old Cairo, Zaton says:
"But I know some of this place and its people. And I am known to them."
Maybe I´m confusing groups, but when Zaton and Shani rescue Kyra, Zaton is familiar with the local leader. IS that the group that opposes Abrax or is it some group later?
Maybe they know Zaton himself, or they can tell he is a Stalker by the way he dresses and the gear he has. They are probably learned how to spot a Stalker, since it could mean danger for them.
You’ve got a good memory, but that was a choice you could only make in the game before, which has since disappeared with the latest changes the developer made. In fact, this entire scene was altered. You can no longer spare the Decayed, negotiate Kyra’s release peacefully, or turn against them and eliminate them.
Now, your options are either to leave Kyra to her grim fate or to free her. However, if you choose to free Kyra, Zaton kills the Decayed “butcher” who intended to kill her and takes the raider with him.
I find that a bit disappointing, especially since Abrax could have commented on it later and appreciated the choice of a peaceful approach to resolve the situation. I believe they were still enemies to Abrax, so ultimately it wouldn’t have helped him much anyway.
I’m not saying diplomacy wouldn’t be an interesting path in the story; maybe it is possible, though I’m doubtful at this stage of the game. Still, considering how difficult it is to change the rigid customs and strict principles of Zetan society regarding mutants, such a scenario would likely be unimaginable without deep social and political upheaval shaking the city, possibly even sparking internal conflicts.
I’m not sure the founders of Zeta are behind the Red Mist plaguing Old Cairo. That’s more my interpretation of Abrax’s cryptic words when he talks again with Zaton after Shani’s success in the Zone. I’m unsure what exactly he meant: was he referring to the ancestors, the people of the old world responsible for a war and the chaos that followed, or the founders of Zeta, or maybe both ?
Either the ancestors or their opponents might have been responsible for the Red Mist in a war that went badly for them. Later on, the first Zeta founders could have learned the truth about this man-made meteorological phenomenon but chose to preserve it as a warning and to discourage others from reverting to the old ways of the fallen civilization they despise.
I think that’s a plausible explanation and fits with their desire to build a civilization reconnecting with ancient Egypt while rejecting anything too modern or technological.
Of course, these are just hypotheses.
What remains to be seen is what Abrax wants from this device. He hasn’t asked us for the glowing object found in the Zone yet, but he does seem eager to meet Zaton again, probably to tell him more about what might be coming with all this.
We must indeed wait and see. ^^
I wish the options were still there, I like resolving my issues with everyone being at least content with the outcome. I always chose the peaceful agreement, but if that´s gone, so are the Decayed, then. I can´t leave my Kyra in there.
They way I see it, Zeta is an autocratic monarchy where the Queen (and her ministers or senators) get the last say on how things are done. So for me, if they suddenly decided that they needed to start making peace and deals with Decayed, Mutants and the sort, then that´s what happens, or else... Besides, do people really need to know there´s some deal with a group of people who live far away to make them stay far away?
The Red Mist seems to have been used as an excuse to breed fear into people about the dangerous civilizations that came before and that they needed to build a different society.
I´m not sure if the founders knew what caused it, because that brings the question: how long after the collapse of civilization was Zeta founded? Was it a few years? Or centuries? We know that Zetan society was formed around 400 years before the events of the story, but we don´t know much else. At least I don´t remember it.
From the start, Zaton had planned to send his daughter to the newly emerged Zone that had recently appeared. To break it down step by step:
Step 1: Zaton talks to his wife Zahra in their bedroom, telling her it’s time for Shani to prove herself by going to the new Zone. He reassures her, calming her fears and confirming that their daughter is ready for the challenge.
Step 2: Zaton heads outside Old Cairo to meet his usual fuel suppliers, but when he can’t find them, he ventures deeper into the ruins and stumbles upon the Decayed’s headquarters. His former master, Abrax, spots him and invites him to his palace. There, Abrax speaks of the mystery affecting Old Cairo and tells Zaton that a map points to an important object that could help him understand later what’s going on.
Initially, Zaton thinks he’ll be the one to retrieve it. However, Abrax reveals that it will be Shani who goes, as Zaton had already planned to send her, since the object is located in the Zone. This gives Zaton the chance to test her in real-world conditions while uncovering more about the mystery Abrax is hiding.
Step 3: After his meeting with Abrax, Zaton shares what he learned about his former mentor, Zosar, with Zahra.
Step 4: This step may vary. If Zaton hasn’t discussed the Zone with Zahra yet, they may talk about it here. However, Abrax’s words make it clear that Zaton had already planned to send Shani before their conversation. Then, Zaton equips Shani for her mission to the Zone. The following day, the queen’s guards stop by Zaton’s home. Sharifa informs him that the queen has summoned him to the arena, saying:
"The Queen mentioned that she is aware of the upcoming departure of your pupil, and that she must speak to you, Stalker Zaton, before this happens."
At this meeting, the queen reveals to Zaton that her scout has disappeared, and since Shani is about to leave for the Zone, she must also carry out a mission for the queen at the same time.
So Shani was convenient to send by the Queen, since she was already going anyway. Now I fully understand Zaton´s anger about the Queen sending Shani to such a dangerous place on her first mission.
I don’t see any particular reason why Shani would be less likely to get involved in such situations. However, her behavior largely depends on the player's choices, whether you guide her toward adopting a more altruistic and caring attitude toward others, possibly making her more dependent on Zaton, or lead her to become more selfish and independent.
Additionally, while her sexuality is relatively new, shortly after her first experience with Zaton, we see her engaging in sexual activities with Zahra and Ain, and later with both Zahra and Ain, along with Zaton.
The way I´m playing my MC, I´m choosing for her to be independent and live how she wants, but also to help people when she can, if she can. The way she was introduced in the game was always a mini female version of the MC, so I always treated her like that.
When it comes to possibly sharing her in a sex scene, my concern was actually on how to make that happen without pissing off a part of the fandom. There are a lot of people who don´t want Shani doing that, for a variety of reasons.
Outside of that, I don´t have any problem with the option of sharing her: first of all, the Dev would most certainly give you the option to do it or not; second, it would be hot as hell.
We could argue that her sexual experiences began would the people she was most comfortable with, so it´s not that far-fetched that she did stuff with Zarha, Ain and Zaton. The boldest and most unexpected move was obviously what she did with the Queen, because of Shani being "new to the game" and because she did it to the most important person in the nation. But still, a lot of people were fine with it because it was for Zaton´s benefit.
I´m fine with whatever the Dev makes, there´s always going to be an option, but there´s going to be bitching about it.
I don’t think Zaton’s plan is for Shani to leave the family home and start her own, but rather to take over the reins of the family after his death, or if he’s unable to do so due to illness or old age. To me, it’s quite clear that the game expresses this dual inheritance for Shani: to become a Stalker like him and take over his role, as well as eventually take on the leadership of the family. In this context, I presume that she would logically inherit the house and all the family assets.
I also remember Ain mentioning to Shani during one of the ceremonies to welcome one of the slaves, that only Shani could truly appreciate these solemn and ritualistic moments, thinking that she was likely envisioning herself taking over Zaton’s role to lead them later.
On the other hand, Ain was destined to be married off and leave the family home to join another, as it is, according to Zaton, the customary tradition for women in Zeta. Shani escapes this fate because she is the eldest and the designated heir.
I guess I didn´t see it that way. There´s the possibility of Zaton becoming a counselor to the Queen, moving to the palace full time, Zahra moves with him, along with the servants, Ain either moves too or gets married to someone and Shani gets the house for herself, where she can start making her own household.
I never thought about Shani being the heir because she´s the oldest. To me it was always because she showed more interest in being like Zaton, so he made her his heir because of it.
Speaking of swinging content, it wouldn't surprise me at all of there's an option for it on the next date with Igor and Savana, possibly including Zahra too. It was pretty heavily foreshadowed if you choose to share Kateryna on their last visit.
It honestly wouldn't surprise me if there's an option for Zahra to get involved too next visit. There's already been one other time you can share her and Ain with Igor (though she doesn't go particularly far that time), so it wouldn't even be something completely new.
It is heavily implied that it´s going to be a double date, so Zahra will definitely be there. I assume swapping partners will be an option, I´d be surprised otherwise. At the very minimum, Zaton will enjoy Savanah because she was flirting heavily with him, at the house and at the slave market (so much so that I thought something would happen with her).
It is also hinted that Savana does with MC something on the extraside, I think this game is well balanced, from my perspective, you as player can avoid content you dislike, it is well flagged in game, you have interesting plots and factions ongoing, and a good amount of H scenes, and headpats, nosebumps, handholding and similar perversions are avoided
And yet people will still complain...
PS: I don´t think Savanah does something to the MC, but she definitely is open to start doing it.
