الوسم: roadside research

  • How to Manage Suspicion While Completing Roadside Research

    How to Manage Suspicion While Completing Roadside Research

    As you set up your roadside research gas station and start earning Alien Points, you might be tempted to add many of the available extras. However, it’s important to proceed carefully. Some of these extras can raise suspicion, which you’ll want to keep in check to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

    Your suspicion level is displayed in the top right corner of the screen, below your cash and Alien Points. When the suspicion bar is short and green, everything is fine, and there’s no immediate threat. But if it moves into the orange or red zones, you need to watch out for agents.

    Your base suspicion is shown by a striped color on the bar, while any additional suspicion caused by your actions appears without stripes. When suspicion levels rise high enough, agents will arrive and begin their investigation. They start with a basic check, then may proceed to interrogation, sabotage, or even a full-blown hunt.

    If suspicion remains high over time, agents will keep coming back, conducting interrogations that involve tricky mini-games. Failing these mini-games or having suspicion stay too high can lead agents to hunt you directly, without interrogation. In such cases, you might be “conked” and lose Alien Points, or you may have to defend yourself using a laser gun and neuralizer.

    Many upgrades can increase suspicion, especially items purchased with Alien Points. For example:

    – Wacky Inflated Entry Enforcer raises suspicion by 20%
    – Photographic Posing Billboard adds 10%
    – Auto Trashcan adds 10%
    – Photobooth increases suspicion by 20%
    – Price Propaganda Caster adds 20%
    – CCTV adds 10%
    – 360° Activity Recording System raises suspicion by 20%
    – Automatic Posterior Investigator ups suspicion by 5%
    – Auto-Prober increases suspicion by 5%

    Some items also increase suspicion only when customers interact with them. These include:

    – Hypnotic Image Projector, which makes customers suspicious of their own behavior
    – Spy Plushies (Alien Toys), which increase suspicion when purchased

    You can also raise suspicion simply by acting suspiciously while interacting with customers. This includes:

    – Letting customers see you take photos of them or others
    – Recording videos of customers or bystanders
    – Failing probes or interrogations

    Conversely, suspicion can be reduced by removing unnecessary items that cause suspicion or adding upgrades designed to lower suspicion. Available items for decreasing suspicion include:

    – Brain Washer Barrier, which drops suspicion by 30%
    – Auto-Brain Washer, which reduces suspicion by up to 50%

    Balancing these items is key. Keep suspicious items to a minimum until you can afford more advanced upgrades like the Brain Washers. If agents keep showing up too often, consider removing items that raise suspicion until your upgrades are ready.

  • Achieving the Best Store Layout in Roadside Research Through Completing and Solving

    When you start at your own human gas station in Roadside Research, there’s not much to do and limited space. Initially, you have just one shelf, a water cooler, and one working gas pump outside. But as you earn more, you can expand your station.

    As you level up, you’ll be able to add more items to your store, which can make things more chaotic, especially if you’re not organized. Here’s everything you need to know about setting up your store with the best layout for efficiency.

    Best Gas Station Layout in Roadside Research

    After a few days of selling cereal, black tea, and pumping gas, you’ll gather enough money to buy a store expansion from the Upgrades tab. The first upgrade costs $1,100. Later, there are additional upgrades costing $1,400 and $1,700.

    Having more space makes it easier to take photos and videos without being noticed. With the extra room, you can add more stock, extra shelves, and refrigerators full of drinks. But there’s more you can do beyond just stocking up.

    When space allows, place shelves in the center of your store to maximize the area. This not only optimizes space but also lets you sneak around more easily to photograph or record customers. Use a small backroom for storing extra goods and backup stock, making restocking easier and keeping everything organized.

    Outside, set up fuel racks for gas cans so you can quickly restock and refuel the pumps. This is especially helpful if you’re playing solo, as it reduces the amount of running around.

    Alien Items and Upgrades

    Adding alien items and upgrades adds a layer of chaos and excitement. Each item serves a purpose, such as increasing or decreasing suspicion, helping you capture human behaviors, or defending against agents hunting for you. Many of these upgrades contribute to your Alien points, unlocking new features like the camera or other devices.

    Once your store layout is organized, consider using areas like the ashtray, water cooler, ATM, or toilets for placing CCTV cameras. This allows for automatic monitoring of customer activity, reducing the need for manual filming.

    Stock Solutions

    A good store layout is both organized and well-stocked. To restock quickly, display similar products together. For example, group breakfast foods, teas, and juices; keep camping and car items on one shelf; display alien toys together; and keep all sodas in one fridge area.

    Place shelves in the center of larger spaces to maximize room usage and give you more spots to crouch or hide when taking photos of humans. Use a small backroom for storing spare goods—items you sell regularly or backup stock—making your restocking smoother during shifts.

    Outside Fuel and Extra Features

    Position fuel racks near the gas pumps so you can re-stock and refuel easily without moving too far, especially useful when playing alone.

    When you’re happy with your store’s organization, start thinking about unlocking additional features from the Alien tab. Items like cameras and probes can help document customer behaviors and collect valuable research data. You’ll get prompts when you unlock new tools, and many add to your Alien points, letting you access more upgrades.

    Monitoring and Surveillance

    Place surveillance devices like CCTV cameras where they can see areas such as the ashtray, water cooler, ATM, or toilets. This way, they automatically record activity without requiring your direct involvement. For sneaky photography, position activity points in open areas—preferably in clear view of the cash register or gas pumps—to stay hidden while capturing human behavior.

    Outdoor Arrangements

    Place tables near the smoking area so the alien working at the gas pump can see both the area and the customers. Around this spot, add ads or subliminal messaging devices to influence everyone passing through, increasing your experimental data.

    Using this layout creates an organized, efficient station that supports your research efforts while maintaining the chaos and sneakiness needed for success.

  • How to Clean Your Store in Roadside Research by Completing and Solving

    How to Clean Your Store in Roadside Research by Completing and Solving

    Many shop simulation games focus on the repetitive task of maintaining order—ordering enough stock, restocking shelves, and watching profits increase as inventory depletes. However, in Roadside Research, there’s a different challenge: cleaning. People track in dirt constantly, and suddenly, it’s your fault when everything gets grimy. To make money and stay under the radar, you’ll need to dirty your alien hands before they get clean again.

    How To Clean Stains

    The main issue you’ll face is stains—everything leaves a mark. Most stains will appear in high-traffic areas like near the cash register and around shelves. The more stains there are, and the longer you leave them, the less happy your customers become.

    Sometimes, stains are out of sight, such as dirt on the sidewalk where customers walk toward your store or beneath stairs leading inside. It can be everywhere, so careful inspection is key.

    Customers will show a dissatisfied icon over their heads if they see dirt, which helps you locate where cleaning is needed most. To clean, go into the restrooms where you’ll find boots with sponges attached on the walls. Pick up a sponge and swipe it back and forth over the stain until it disappears.

    While cleaning, you’ll notice bubbles and hear squeaking sounds indicating you’re doing it correctly. If you don’t see or hear these, adjust your position to improve your cleaning accuracy, especially around gas pumps.

    Tip: You can leave a cleaning boot near the pumps so outdoor stains are easier to tidy up later.

    Don’t forget to clean the cash register—its surface is often worn and dirty, making stains tough to spot. Regular scrubbing keeps it looking neat.


    How To Easily Get Rid Of Trash

    Trash is another big problem. People love tossing their rubbish just about anywhere, especially outside. If there’s no bin nearby, they’ll leave trash everywhere. Inside the store, trash can be hidden behind objects like water dispensers, so check thoroughly.

    At the start, you’ll need to pick up trash piece by piece and dispose of it in the large trash bin behind your store or in the Research Bin inside the alien room. Once you have 50 Research points, you can buy Trash Bags, which let you collect multiple pieces at once, saving time.

    Tip: Some trash, like empty containers, can’t be researched. For those, consider investing in a second dumpster outside your store to keep things tidy.

    Proper trash bins can automatically guide customers to deposit their trash, preventing littering. Research these bins for 300 Research points. However, bins do fill up, and once full, customers will start littering again, so be sure to empty and research their contents regularly. You can place multiple bins to buy yourself some extra time before littering reoccurs.

    There’s also an upgraded bin that automatically researches trash inside it, so you no longer need to empty it manually—though use this carefully, as it can increase suspicion levels.


    Dealing With Gloop Spills

    As an alien, sometimes you leak a bit of goop. Whether you’re running or just walking, you’ll leave behind small puddles of slime, marked by a distinctive sound. The color matches your alien hue, making it easy to identify and possibly blame your friends when it appears.

    While human customers might notice these stains and become suspicious, stains hidden in the alien room or behind the store are less risky. That said, agents might investigate if they see or find evidence, so it’s best to keep things clean.

    Gloop stains are slippery—anyone walking over them will slip, which can hurt customer satisfaction. To prevent accidents, clean these stains promptly with your sponge boots just like any other stain.

    Note: If you get killed—say, by a car or an agent—you leave a large goop stain behind, which takes more effort to clean up afterward.

  • Key Insights Before embarking on Roadside Research: Completing & Solving

    Key Insights Before embarking on Roadside Research: Completing & Solving

    Roadside Research is a quirky single-player or cooperative gas station simulator with a twist. You and your co-workers are aliens studying humans while trying to avoid detection by the Men in Black, who often show up unexpectedly and take an interest in your activities.

    Your tasks include observing human behavior, predicting what they will buy, and recording their appearances. At the same time, you need to run a successful gas station and stay out of trouble. There are strange features, upgrades, and alien investments to explore. Our beginner tips will help you get started in Roadside Research.

    Since the game is currently in Early Access, some details might change later on.


    Don’t Get Hit by a Car

    It might seem obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to get run over in the full version of Roadside Research. In the demo, collisions don’t cause damage, but the developers wanted a real challenge for the full game. Standing too far into the road when at the gas pump can result in a car crashing into you and ending your run.

    While this doesn’t hurt you because you respawn instantly, it can make your life harder by raising suspicion levels, leading to messes to clean up and suspicious customers. So, stay out of the road whenever you’re pumping gas.


    Keep It Clean

    Customers prefer a clean, welcoming environment, but they also tend to be messy themselves. Some dirty spots are obvious, like the bathroom and gas pumps, which emit a green cloud when dirty, indicating it’s time to clean. However, not all dirt is so obvious.

    The store entrance, parking lot, and cashier’s desk can get dirty too, even if you don’t see signs like green clouds or flies. If customers seem unhappy with the cleanliness and you notice no obvious mess, grab a sponge and give everything a quick clean—especially the cashier’s desk, which often gets overlooked.

    Pro tip: Don’t wait for areas to be filthy before cleaning. Regular maintenance keeps suspicion low and your station shiny.


    Be Very Sneaky

    Part of your job involves taking photos of customers as they visit, using a camera that you unlock during gameplay. You are given three targets at the start of the day, and with the camera, you must photograph each one without being noticed.

    You must remain unseen by the customer you’re photographing, but also avoid eye contact from any other customers. Anyone witnessing your spying will raise suspicion on your station. Even if the targeted customer spots you, the suspicion increases with any witnesses to your sneaking.


    Watch Out for Game Glitches

    Since the game is in early access, bugs can happen. One common issue is losing items when they’re dropped outside of their designated tool areas. For example, if you carry a camera, sponge, or extra supplies outside, they might end up scattered in the parking lot if you don’t place them correctly.

    If you lose an item, check the surrounding area before panicking. It’s normal to experience some glitches at this stage.


    Adjust Prices Carefully

    You can tweak product prices from the beginning, but you might worry about upsetting customers. However, small, gradual price increases often go unnoticed or are tolerated. Avoid making drastic jumps—adding a large amount all at once can anger customers.

    If a price increase causes complaints, simply lower it back down and adjust more subtly next time. The “Hypnotic Image Projector” device can help customers accept larger price hikes, but it may also attract suspicion, so use it wisely.


    Manage Resell and Refunds

    Buying items in bulk and then upgrading can lead to frustration, especially if you lose money upgrading later. Luckily, when you delete items through the construction menu, you get full reimbursement of the cost.

    To do this, enter “Edit Mode” in the construction menu, select the item you want to remove, and get your money back. It makes managing your supplies much easier.


    Simplify Payments with an ATM

    Accidentally giving away too much change at checkout can be costly. Installing an ATM encourages customers to use their card instead of cash, speeding up the checkout process and preventing accidental freebies—saving you pennies over time.


    Be Careful When Shooting

    As your alien points increase, you unlock new tech to use against customers—some humorous, some harmful. Use caution with your alien weaponry because attacking agents or witnesses can lead to immediate retaliation.

    For example, if you shoot a Men in Black agent with a laser gun, you’ll quickly be assassinated once they wake up. While it might seem funny, getting taken out is no joke, and it could end your game prematurely.