Learn English – which one correct “I wish i could get more info. or “I wish i could have gotten more info.

wish

I was playing a game called "The Evil Within 2" in which the male protagonist is searching for his daughter Lily. In search for her, he enters a building and finds an injured person laying on the ground. Upon inquiring about his daughter the person tells him that he knows his daughter's whereabouts. But he breathes his last before he could tell him anything. After that the person looking for her daughter says this sentence "I wish i could have gotten more info." but according to me the following sentence can also be used "I wish i could get more info." So which one is correct and if both of them are then please tell me the exact difference between them.

Best Answer

I wish I could have gotten more info.

This means "my source has died; I am no longer able to get info from this source, and I wish I had gotten it before the opportunity passed." It feels like the correct usage for this situation.

I wish I could get more info.

This one means "I hope to be able to gather more info in the future", presumably not from this source, because he's dead. It's a perfectly grammatical English sentence but doesn't fit the context. You wouldn't say it right after the source has died, because it implies, "I'd like to continue interrogating this deceased person." It's not outright incorrect, but it would sound very odd.