Guides · · 3 min read
Get your story straight: how a heist crew beats Detective Ivana's questions
A bank job doesn't end when the car loses the police. In Malta Living, the free life sim you play in your browser, Detective Ivana opens a case on everyone in the crew, and she asks each of you the same things. Now the crew agrees a cover story first, the part every heist game cover story leaves to luck.
A crew chat, right after the job
When a job with two or more of you settles, a crew chat opens with everyone who stayed in, named after your crew. The first thing in it is a card: Get our story straight.
It lists the four things Ivana asks about:
- where you were,
- how you got about,
- who you were with,
- and the money.
Each has the same two stories she'll offer at your door: at home or the cinema, the bus or a lift, on your own or with friends, savings or extra shifts.
Pick, see who picked, lock it in
Tap a story to pick it. Everyone's face sits on the story they chose, so you can see straight away that two of you said the bus and one said a lift. When everyone picks the same story, the topic turns green and locks: that's what you're all saying now.
If the rest of the crew has already settled on one, a big button offers to pick it with them in one tap. You can still disagree, but a story that doesn't match costs everyone when she compares notes. A different answer from a crewmate's puts 25 on everyone's evidence. The same answer takes 5 off yours.
Tip-offs, never the questions
When Ivana visits one of you, the rest of the crew gets a tip-off in the chat: who she's with, where, and the topics she's asking about, such as "how you got about" or "where you were". It never shows her exact questions, so the crew can line up the story but not rehearse the script.
At her door, nobody reminds you
When she gets to you, a topic question shows the same choices your crew picked from, as three tiles, with nothing to say what you agreed. A crew that agreed and remembers will match. The fourth tile is still "Tell her what really happened", for whoever wants out.
Her second or third visit has a twist: she asks about a topic your crew never agreed on, marked new. That's where a story falls apart, so it's worth agreeing all four.
Where to find it
Open the card in the crew chat, or tap Our story in your case file (tap the bank stars under the top bar). The case itself, from her knock to the cell, is in the aftermath at Harbour Bank. Planning the job is in alone or with a crew, and inviting friends is in bring anyone on the job. New to the island? Start with the Malta life simulator guide.
Comparing stories is how real detectives test an alibi: separate interviews, the same questions, and a look at where the accounts differ (Wikipedia: Alibi).
Questions people ask
Do I have to agree a story?
No. You can skip the card. But Ivana compares your answers with your crew's, and a mismatch adds 25 to everyone's evidence.
Can I change my pick?
Yes, until the topic is agreed. Once everyone has picked the same story it locks.
Does a job on my own get a crew chat?
No. A crew chat and its story card only open for a job with two or more of you.
