Hello all.

I have ascertained from some of these posts that the game is divided into days. Without spoilers, I would like to know possible reasons for my death. I believe I am still on day one, and just casually walking around the town exploring people and buildings - I randomly die. I check my stats and none of them seem wildly out of order - the immunity, all that.

I went to sleep once and died. I tried to open a door several times and died. I left my computer to get a coke and became distracted for a few minutes and when I returned I was again at the "load game" screen - dead.

Is there some "hidden objective" I need to complete within a time limit or I die? Should I just follow the "main quest" without exploring other buildings and talking to different people along the way?

Can anyone shine some light on what might kill you, day 1, that has nothing to do with your stats -hunger& such- being out of whack. Without spoilers for the game plot, if possible.

Yes, it's necessary to finish the main task before midnight of day 1, otherwise your char will die.
Other days are not so strict, but still there will be consequences if you don't finish your task for that day in time.

It may sound demanding, but if you plan your actions, there is still time to walk around the city and talk to different people (and it's worth it to do so).

Thanks!

I hate to be constantly asking questions but I really love the premise of this game, it came to me so highly recommended & I know next to nothing about it -storywise- and would like to keep it that way - that I am afraid to look at a walkthrough and spoil the story. As long as kind folks aren't bothered - I felt it might be more prudent to ask here - to avoid unnecessary information.

Regarding that DAY 1 quest: is there a point that I will know it is "finished" and can begin looking at other houses and speaking to other people without hurrying through? I ask, because I have actually done a few of the "main quest" steps, talking to the Kain family - going to find the second person is actually dead too. Will I be notified at some point when I no longer have to focus on scurrying from main quest objective to main quest objective? I was afraid -a hang up from old rpgs- that if I did the "main" I would miss all the side things.

1,000 pardons for so many questions. And thanks to any who can provide info.

You're welcome, and there's nothing wrong in having a lot of questions. After all, this game can really be challenging in some aspects.

Well, the easiest way to tell if the main quest is finished for the day is to look at the map. If I remember correctly, main task locations are marked with a red hand, and secondary ones with yellow. So if after completing another step you won't see a red-hand mark on the map, it means that the main task is done. Also (at least in the Russian version) the last entry in the journal should be marked by 3 asterisks.

Thanks for the warm welcome and the tips.

I think I am slowly getting the feel of the game, but I do have two questions more.....

When I did complete the DAY 1 "main quest" all the little side missions I had picked up along the way -finding out about the children playing doctor & such- just disappeared from my missions. I was able to complete one (helping a lady bury a body), but all the others vanished. I can't seem to pick them up again either. Is that the way it is set up? You need to do "Main Mission" and "All Side Missions You Can Fit" within the allotted time period?

It might be worth starting over if that is the case, now that I know my way around a bit more and am familiar with some of the mechanics.

Also -yet unrelated to the thread title- are there any materials you can pick up along the way? I checked manically during the beginning in the first few houses I visited, but I didn't find anything to interact with -apart from a microscope I could not get to function. But I read someone say that they "scavenge" for most of what they need. Should I continue investigating every nook and cranny of every house for items that can be picked up, or is that in reference to corpse looting?

Yep. The quests of the previous day will disappear in the morning. The 'deadline' is midnight for Day 1, but for other days you'll have time until 6 or 7 a.m.
Also a small tip: try to visit the Theater every night. It's not essential, but will help get more insight on things that are happening in the game.
No, it's not necessary to explore every house (though you can find some food or other things in the desks and cupboards). Dumpsters, on the other hand, are quite useful, and you can check them a few times a day. The junk you find inside (needles, hooks, empty bottles etc.), you can swap with passers-by for some useful things. For example, you can fill bottles with water (at the big barrels on wheels) and give them to drunkards for bandages. Children will give you ammo and medicine for hooks and needles and some other stuff.