Recognize Augs Before You Shoot
Check a customer's pupils, expression, implant chip, movement, clothing and speech, then confirm a suspect with the Aug Scanner before shooting. Avoid calling Security to identify an Aug: its communications are compromised, and shooting an innocent may trigger a manslaughter investigation.
Use the Identification Guide and Aug Scanner
Use the Augmented Identification Guide as your reference, and make the Aug Scanner supplied by Dr. Jackson your confirmation tool. The scanner gives a definitive result, making it the clearest way to settle a suspicious appearance or line of dialogue. Build your routine around noticing the signs, checking the suspect and deciding whether to fire.
The demo hides open item windows during customer examine and shooting modes, then restores them unchanged afterward. Expect those windows to disappear while you inspect a visitor. Their disappearance does not mean you need to reopen or rearrange everything before continuing.
Signs That a Customer Needs a Closer Look
An Aug is a person controlled through a compromised brain implant. Its clues can appear in the customer's face, movements, outfit or wording. Treat an odd behavior as a prompt for closer inspection, and reserve the shooting decision for a confirmed identification.
- Unusual pupils: inspect the customer's eyes carefully. A magnifier-type tool helps you see the pupil details clearly, giving you something more concrete to check than a vague impression.
- An uncanny expression: look for a face that seems stiff or holds its expression unusually long. Use that appearance as a reason to examine the visitor more closely.
- A visible implant chip: check the customer's head for exposed hardware in the inspection view. A visible chip belongs among the signs you should compare with the identification guide.
- Unnatural stillness: pay attention when a visitor appears unnaturally motionless. Follow that suspicion with a closer examination and a scanner check before making your decision.
- Twitching: unusual involuntary movement is another identification clue. Notice it alongside the customer's expression and dialogue so movement does not become your entire reason for firing.
- Excessively formal phrasing: unusually formal speech is also a clue in the identification guide. Combine it with your inspection and scanner result before deciding how to handle the customer.
Inspect, Confirm and Handle the Aug
- Consult the Augmented Identification Guide. Use its appearance, movement and speech clues to decide what deserves closer attention during the customer's visit.
Read the customer's full dialogue. Suspicious wording can draw attention to an Aug and gives you a reason to continue checking the visitor.Playing this video connects to YouTube.
- Examine the customer's appearance. Check the pupils, expression and head hardware against the identification clues so your suspicion rests on observable details.
- Use the Aug Scanner on the suspect. Its definitive result lets you confirm the identification before committing to a shot.
Complete any optional trade with the confirmed Aug before firing. You can buy and sell goods with Augs, and haggling with them does not cost reputation.Playing this video connects to YouTube.
- Shoot the confirmed Aug with your gun. Security checks a correctly killed Aug and rewards you for dealing with it.
Understand Rewards and Mistaken Kills
A correct Aug kill earns credits and Security reputation. The credit reward grows as you kill more Augs. That makes accurate identification useful to your shop, but the reward is a reason to get the decision right before firing.
Shooting an innocent can trigger a manslaughter investigation. A wrong kill also appears on the Mistake Counter and costs reputation. Check that record after a mistaken decision so you can understand the fallout and avoid repeating the same identification error.
A request for painkillers alone does not identify an Aug, because ordinary customers buy medicine too. Return to the appearance checks and scanner if the request is your only reason for suspicion. Keep the customer's shopping needs separate from the signs that justify further inspection.
Missed Augs, Hard Mode and Rock Bottom
| Mode or Scenario | What It Means for Augs |
|---|---|
| Ordinary-mode demo play | Letting Augs leave increases the threat, but missed Augs do not end an ordinary-mode run through the Augmented ending condition. |
| Hard Mode in the demo | Missing too many Augs can end the run with the Augmented ending. |
| Rock Bottom starting scenario | Rock Bottom is the hardcore start with nothing. Distinguish that starting setup from the Hard Mode rule governing the Augmented ending. |
An older playtest bug allowed shooting an Aug in Hard Mode to advance the Aug game-over meter. The developer fixed that behavior. Treat it as an older bug when comparing your run with playtest footage.
For the full release planned for October 28, 2026, the developer has announced four difficulty choices after selecting a starting scenario. That selection system is an announced full-game feature. Use the demo's Hard Mode rule when assessing the missed-Aug risk in your current demo run.