Discrepancy

Example of a "picture does not match usual character" discrepancy.

A discrepancy is a gameplay term used when there is a conflict between two or more in-game facts, particularly in inspection mode. For example, the name of the entrant might be spelled incorrectly on two different documents or a photo of the entrant might not match their actual appearance. A discrepancy might involve a lack of compatibility or similarity between document features, or involve other various sources of information such as the rulebook or bulletins.

Gameplay

Conflicting information is always a problem for legal and correct entry approval, regardless if it is identified by the inspector's actions in-game or not. However, when the discrepancy is formally identified in inspection mode the inspector may decide whether to ask the entrant for more information via an interrogation. As a result the entrant can either provide a missing document or verbally respond and other options may be enabled. These options can include buttons for detainment, fingerprints, or a body search.

At the start of the game, the inspector is authorized to simply stamp the passport with denial as soon as they are aware of any conflicting information as a player, without actually using inspection mode or identifying the discrepancy. However since day 18 (or on Endless modes 3 and 4), a reason stamp is required for denial, so the inspector must inspect and interrogate first in order to enable the reason stamp, if they wish to carry out immigration protocol and avoid a citation.

Protocol is checked based on whether there are any discrepancies at the moment the entrant leaves the inspection booth, regardless of whether further checks might correct those discrepancies. As a result, any discrepancy that brings up an option for a fingerprint check or body scan can immediately be used as a reason for denial without causing a citation, even if the entrant should rightfully be permitted entry. However, if you do decide to perform those checks, the new information must be considered correctly in order to avoid a citation.

Types of discrepancies

There are two types of discrepancies in the game's mechanics for generating entrants. During the game development, it was realized that having more errors per entrant actually makes the game easier, not harder (because there would be more discrepancies to spot while finding just one is enough to detain or deny the entrant). Each procedurally generated entrant can only have up to one error in each category below:

1. Minor discrepancy: Incorrect spoken statements or missing documents, but these issues can be resolved through Interrogation. An entrant may be missing a document (except for a diplomatic authorization) but they may present it if asked to. Or, they can initially state a duration of stay or reason for travel that conflicts with their documents, but amend it later with a valid duration of stay or reason for travel.
2. Major discrepancy (conflicting information in the documents or name on the wanted list). See the section below for a complete list. Note that some of these are severe enough to warrant detention, but they can be denied entry. Finally, there are classifications of major discrepancy based on which information is conflicting: see "document features" for more information.

It is a protocol violation to ignore a discrepancy simply because the entrant makes an excuse for it or claims it is not a discrepancy, unless the only source of the discrepancy was a spoken statement that has already been amended.

Typos

In addition to completely different names on two documents, the game may generate misspelled names of issuing cities and Arstotzkan districts. These are not generated completely randomly. The English version has six groups of characters where the game may arbitrarily change one character in the group to another in the same group, e.g. the district of Gennistora may become Gannistora but not Gynnistora. The groups are:

• a e i o u
• i u y
• p g q
• l j
• c k
• b h

List of discrepancies by document

See also: Category:Document features for a comparison of which documents can conflict with each other.

Passport discrepancies:

• No Entry from said Country of the Passport origin (Day 1, Day 19 and Day 25)
• Expiration date has passed
• Invalid issuing city
• Conflicting Names
• Mismatching Date of birth
• Non-matching photo
• Incorrect sex (Require search to confirm the sex matches the document)
• Passport number is inconsistent

Identity card discrepancies:

• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Invalid date of birth
• Non-matching photo
• Invalid district
• Invalid height
• Invalid weight

Entry permit, access permit and identity supplement discrepancies:

• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Invalid passport number
• Expiration date has passed (all documents)
• Forged or missing seal (entry permit and access permit)
• Invalid nationality (Access permit)
• Invalid weight (Access permit and ID supplement) - note that this frequently means contraband.
• Invalid height (Access permit and ID supplement)
• Invalid description (Access permit and ID supplement)
• Mismatching thumbprint (ID supplement only) This can be checked and counts as a discrepancy only if there is another reason requiring you to check the entrant's fingerprints. You can safely ignore the thumbprint if there is no other reason to check the entrant's fingerprints.

Work pass discrepancies:

• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Forged or missing seal
• Work End Date has passed
• Work End Date and Duration of Stay do not match

Entry ticket discrepancy:

• Date has not passed

Grant of asylum discrepancies:

• Forged seal or missing seal
• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Invalid country
• Invalid passport number
• Invalid date of birth
• Invalid height
• Invalid weight
• Non-matching photo
• Non-matching fingerprints
• Document Expiration has passed

ID Record (Fingerprint) discrepancies:

• An inconsistent name is not listed as an alias
• Fingerprints do not match

Diplomatic Authorization discrepancies:

• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Forged or missing seal
• No access to Arstotzka
• Inconsistent/different issuing country
• Invalid passport number

Certificate of Vaccination discrepancies:

• Invalid name (against other documents)
• Invalid passport number
• Vaccine Expiration has passed (i.e. issued more than three years before the current in-game date)
• Missing vaccine (i.e. polio not listed)

Other discrepancies:

• Missing documents: if they cannot be pointed to, compare the document's rule with the counter. (They may give the Missing Document or claim they don't have it)
• Obsolete documents: e.g. from day 27, using entry permit and ID supplement instead of access permit. (Third Entrant on Day 28 that claim they didn't heard of it)
• Names listed on written notes or the newspaper (Dari Ludum, Vince Lestrade, Simon Wens) on certain types of passport (e.g. non-Arstotzkan on day 1); and criminals in the wanted list; can all be used in inspection mode, and count as "discrepancies"
• Nathan Cykelek's Kolechian passport – compare with his Arstotzkan passport
• International Press Identification is effectively the same as an obsolete document.

See also

• Inspection mode, used to highlight any discrepancies shown in documents
• Category:Further action