Incredible game, one of the only games to ever scratch the itch that obra dinn gave me. If I had to sum it up it would be Obra Dinn meets Agatha Christie. William if you see this, please consider making another game in this style and selling it because myself and many others would definitely pay for it.
a fun game! Normally I feel too slow for such deduction, but since this was a slow text-based game I actually felt comfortable making my own notes and spreadsheeting everyone's locations over time.
As a 'walkthrough' here's my completed spreadsheet (though it's missing one or two key items). Anyone should be able to use it to find any scenes they're missing. However this is FULL GAME spoilers, so don't look at this unless you're desperate, or you like seeing the methodology of others.
DO NOT CLICK IF STILL PLAYING, WILL SPOIL FULL GAME
Wonderful game, had a ball! but i think either i'm confused about something, or the rest of the commentariat here is:
N ybg bs pbzzragf frrz gb vzcyl gur CP vf va qnatre rfcrpvnyyl vs gurl ernq 00-qernz ohg v whfg qba'g guvax gung'f gehr. Lbh unir gb erzrzore fbzrbar gb trg tbg ol gur phefr. Juvpu zrnaf lbh unir gb unir xabja gurz va yvsr. Evtug? Gurer'f ab vaqvpngvba jungfbrire gung yrneavat nobhg n ivpgvz gung lbh _qvqa'g cerivbhfyl xabj_ vf qnatrebhf. Znal crbcyr yrnea gur anzr bs n ivpgvz (sebz Ivp'f yvfg, sbe vafgnapr) naq vg qbrfa'g uheg gurz ng nyy vs gurl qba'g znantr gb qerqtr hc npghny zrzbevrf bs vagrenpgvat jvgu gung crefba.
Fb, gur CP vf va ab qnatre, evtug? Gur oevrsvat vzcyvrf gurl'er n lbhatre ntrag jub fgnegrq nsgre gur "ubeebe qnlf," fb gurl'q arire unir zrg @. rira vs gurl yrnea uvf anzr, lbh pna'g erzrzore fbzrbar lbh arire xarj. Rira jvgubhg shyyl haqrefgnaqvat gur phefr, gur ntrapl pyrneyl haqrefgbbq gung zhpu (be creuncf @ yrsg n abgr jvgu vafgehpgvbaf?) orpnhfr gung'f jul gurer'f n yvfg bs crbcyr jub ner haqre ab pvephzfgnaprf nyybjrq gb gbhpu @'f pbzchgre: vg'f crbcyr jub xarj uvz naq gurersber ner va qnatre bs erzrzorevat uvz. Rirelbar ryfr vf fnsr nf ybat nf gubfr crbcyr fgnl va gur qnex.
WRT the game itself, wonderful, super fun solving process, really enjoy the SCP-esque vibe and the gradual revelation of the "murderer." Vg vf n yvggyr qvfnccbvagvat gung gur svany "fbyhgvba" vf "bu guvf jnfa'g gur fgneg ng nyy naq lbh qba'g trg gb svaq bhg nalguvat nobhg ubj vg ernyyl fgnegrq be jul be ubj" ohg gung bcra-raqrq zlfgrel vf pyrneyl ba checbfr naq V pna qvt vg. Really really good stuff, ty.
I'm purely commenting this just to yap about how much I enjoyed playing this game. It's easy enough for someone to follow along, but still requires you to use your head. Plus once you get the flow of things it's becomes like second nature. Initially the plot and storyline were kinda confusing, and I was mainly focused on just trying to find the files, but then as you continue you'll start piecing things together which is why it's so interesting. As soon as you think you kinda know what's going on, you're hit with another twist that just makes everything come together. I'm genuinely surprised I even managed to finish considering I have a pretty bad attention span when it comes to things like this, but this game was definitely addicting. I wish I could play this again without having any recollection of what happened because ugh it's so good, so kudos to you William.
i really and truly adored this game. i stayed up all night last night playing it and haven't been able to stop thinking of it since. please make more like this!!
I'm loving the game but there's one piece crucial feedback I have: please add a confirmation for loading a save. I just lost a few hours because when I remembered I haven't saved in a while and tried to do so I slightly misclicked, loading my previous save and apparently the autosave also happened as soon as it was loaded, so I couldn't use that either. Having the save and load buttons be separate in different places would also help with this
Ahh gosh, I'm loving it, but i've gotten myself stuck right almost right out the gate. i've only just unlocked one 07 file, but everywhere else i'm getting confounded!
if you look at the reference numbers next to the file number, you’ll see how many scenes you haven’t seen yet. Some file numbers will be the same, kind of. Like 03-KI-1-4 scene will be happening at the same time a 03-DI-6-10 scene is going on. These are just examples not actual file numbers. You’ll have to figure it out yourself but if you get the private billiard conversation with 6 and 9 then you’ll work your way through to act 2. Sorry if this doesn’t help, haven’t finished the game yet either.
I just finished this today. Great work, I was enthralled. If I wanted to nit pick I could say that the charactes don't always react very believably, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of unraveling the sequence of events.
hey, i've almost completed it, i just can't realize from where you can find the final note? i know there is one thanks to the comments, but I don't understand where it comes from.
I had to reset my password to log in to my account (LMAO) and yet it was worth it to say how much I loved this game!!!! So simple yet so ridiculously clever and effective, with such a cool and unique premise. It's hard to do simple well!!! With a game so bare in its UI, the puzzles and story need to be ridiculously engaging, and this is exactly what TYPE HELP manages to achieve. I can't imagine this game done in any way except within its current iteration. TYPE HELP was built exactly as it needed to be built to achieve exactly what it did, and it was engrossing and engaging from start to finish. Once I started this game, I couldn't stop playing until I'd hit the end; I completed it all in one sitting. I can't wait to recommend it to my friends!!
Oops!!! Almost forgot; one last thing: V NZ EVPUNEQ YBATYRL
Unbelievably good! Got the twist somewhere in Act II but it still was pretty fun. Actually loved the cataloguing system. Unlike many other games of this type it felt intuitive and after only an hour I found myself typing these numbers and letters almost instinctively
Nyy bs gur yvaxf gung V pna rnfvyl svaq eryngrq gb gur uvtuyvtugrq fprar eryngr gb Qvaare (Npg V), be gur Qvavat Ebbz (Npg VV), be gur guvat orvat cbherq ng gur raq bs gur fprar. Gurer'f ab qevaxvat fbhaq; jurer pbhyq guvf crefba or gnxvat vg?
Thank you for a fantastic game Willam! So far it's the frontrunner for my GOTY, and I'll be following closely to see what you'll do next.
I can't believe this is a free game, like other have mentioned you should consider commercializing it. Evil Trout did a great job helping publish Roottrees are Dead and the release has been very successful. Or at least have a donate button.
V guvax va 1-DH-1-11 ur'f pbzcynvavat nobhg gur zhq, nf vg vf envavat naq ur vf cebonoyl jrnevat ryrtnag fubrf. V gubhtug ur fubbgf uvzfrys ng gur raq, ohg gurer vf ab thafubg, fb ur cebonoyl whfg whzcrq orpnhfr ur gubhtug ur xvyyrq Naavr
Lrnu sbyxf cerggl fher uvf qrngu vf gur fnzr nf Ryrnabe'f znal lrnef orsber: Whzcvat sebz gur Nggvp jvaqbj. Bgure guna jung jr urne nobhg Ryrnabe gur erny sberfunqbjvat vf va 02-RA jura gur qbyy vf xabpxrq sebz gur nggvp ol Gbal hc gurer jvgu Naavr, nyzbfg snyyvat ba Wbua. V jvyy fnl gubhtu gung 26 jnf bar bs gur svefg fprarf V tbg, fvapr @ cbvagf lbh va vg'f qverpgvba, naq bar bs gur zbfg ubeevsvp gb ernyvfr gur vzcyvpngvbaf bs bapr ergheavat gb vg ng gur raq. Cbbe thl fhssrerq jbefr guna nyy gur bguref orpnhfr bs ubj fybj vg jnf.
fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. My gf and I have been engrossed in this all weekend. Truly one of the most horrifying concepts to center a mystery story around, and fantastically written. I'll definitely be watching this author's future projects with interest.
I really enjoyed the game, other than the hiccup I wrote about before, it was great. I've heard about it from Tom Francis' vlog. He talked about some inconsistencies, but I don't see them.
I think people assume that gur phefr unf fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu anzrf be bowrpgf orybatvat gb gur qrnq crefba. Ohg gur phefr bayl jbexf nsgre lbh erzrzore gur npghny crefba. Gung'f jul gur qrgrpgvir bayl qvrf nsgre qvfpbirevat gung ur xarj bar bs gur qrnq crefbaf va erny yvsr. Naq gung'f jul rirelbar pbhyq unir orra gnyxvat nobhg Ehcreg jvgubhg nalguvat unccravat gb gurz. Nyfb gur phefr pna bayl nssrpg bar crefba ng n gvzr, fb nsgre vg genafsref gb gur arj ivpgvz, abguvat jvyy unccra vs lbh guvax nobhg gur cerivbhf crefba (vs lbh pna rira rire erzrzore gurz ntnva).
Nyfb V yvxrq gur guvatf gung bguref pnyyrq erq ureevatf. Gung'f ubj vg jbhyq ernyyl unccra, abg rirelguvat gung crbcyr gnyx nobhg jbhyq or pbaarpgrq gb fbzrguvat terngre, naq bs pbhefr gur gurbevrf gung rnpu punenpgre jnf qrirybcvat jba'g or evtug. Bayl jr pna znxr n evtug bar ybbxvat ng gur jubyr cvpgher. Gung'f jul V qvqa'g chg gbb zhpu jrvtug ba gurz naq gurl qvqa'g pbashfr zr ng nyy.
That being said I sometimes found myself guessing new scenes, but just when there were a handful of possibilities, so I don't mind it that much. But because of the nature of the story it became easier and easier with time.
I also enjoyed the scenes like "everyone gathered in X", but then you realize that you are not quite sure what "everyone" means at that point.
I mean, goddamn. This has the seal of quality upon it, I just spent several nights fully gripped until I was done. You might consider commercializing this the way that Roottree did!
I never thought I'd find something that came close to Obra Dinn (my all-time favourite game) - Type Help finally did it! What a joy to play and complete :)
That was amazing, so engrossing, I loved the rhythm and I just cannot fathom how you managed to get such a deft balance in difficulty. The YES moment when a filename attempt works is so good.
William just so you know I'll blindly buy any next game you're making :)
V zvffrq gur svyr 10-RQ-8, ohg V qvqa'g xabj nobhg vg orpnhfr nyy gur svyrf jrer fubjvat 0 yvaxf gb haqvfpbirerq svyrf. Fb V nffhzrq V fbyirq gur tnzr naq fgnegrq ernqvat gur pbzzragf gb svaq bhg nobhg 00-svany-abgr naq jnf pbashfrq nobhg ubj crbcyr sbhaq vg. V ernq gur svany abgr naq gur qernz sebz pbzzragf, naq V qvqa'g xabj V zvffrq n fprar hagvy V glcrq uryc gb frr ubj znal svyrf V sbhaq naq frra 97, fb V unq gb ybbx guebhtu zl fcernqfurrg naq svaq gur zvffvat fcbg. Fb V thrff gurer pbhyq or n yvax sebz nal bgure fprar gb 10-RQ-8. Nyfb znlor vs V xarj V jbhyq trg n zrffntr nsgre svaqvat rirel fprar, V jbhyq ernyvmr fbbare gung V jnf zvffvat bar fprar rneyvre.
ABSOLUTELY adored this game. Love love love. SO fun. Needed help with a friend to get some of the last stuff and a few missing scenes but it's so great! Definitely going to look into any other stuff you do/have done.
Made an account on here just so I could drop in and say I LOVE this game. I thought the writing was great, I had so much fun puzzling this out, please do more. Excellent work.
I absolutely loved playing this. I didn't actually make the final deductive leap into what was *actually* going on, but I loved uncovering all the pieces of the story using deductive logic (and the odd bit of trial and error). It was so fun to explore the mystery in little parts, and felt like a proper detective linking these insane characters and their stories together. I made a Google Sheets to track everyone and it was very satisfying.
In the end, I came to the comments here to read about other people's theories about the ending. It didn't satisfactorily resolve for me in the way I had quite wished it would - despite having unlocked 97%, I hadn't understood the specifics on *why* the events were happening as they were.
Thank you for making such a cool thing, and I wish for many more cool things like this in the future.
Regarding the ending (look away if you haven't played!):
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Having reflected further on this, it very much fits in the gothic tradition and does not 'need' to have a declarative ending. Maybe this is what was intended, especially considering the byline of 'the unsolvable mystery'. If so, well played. In any case, I had a blast and have been inspired to look at Twine myself.
(Spoilery constructive feedback for the author below)
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1. I wish there was an easier way to `find` text not only across scenes but also within scenes. Right now what I had to do each time is to first type the command `find ring` and then Ctrl+F and use my browser's search to directly highlight the instances of the word `ring`. This felt janky because the game window kept shrinking/expanding (fullscreen switches) and the browser kept finding words in the itch.io comments. I would really much prefer it if, after clicking a scene through the Find results, the searched word would be underlined in all its instances.
2. I felt that there were a few too many puzzles that required me to figure out the layout of the house itself -- characters going "upstairs" or "downstairs" and the reader expected to know where they end up, at least approximately. The positioning of rooms was not fully intuitive (e.g. a kitchen below the dining room... until I learned about the dumbwaiter), and I found myself wishing for more help there. I know @ says "I couldn't find any records of the layout, so I can only go off the names that I've found within the audio", but, I wish at least the player was more obviously told to write down the layout of which rooms are "upstairs" and which are "downstairs".
3. The name of the game isn't great (I'm sorry).
4. The time delay between deaths was very confusing and as far as I know it was simply left unexplained, which I found dissatisfying. I loved the fact that the rate keeps going up, with more and more bodies dropping, but I couldn't find any explanation for why the deaths are accelerating.
I'll expand on this with very major spoilers in ROT13:
V haqrefgnaq gung rnpu gvzr fbzrbar qvrf sebz gur nagvzrzr phefr ("gur cerivbhf ivpgvz"), gur arkg ivpgvz orpbzrf rvgure gur ynfg crefba gb unir gubhtug bs gurz be gur svefg crefba gb guvax nobhg gurz ntnva (abg pbhagvat guvaxvat nobhg vgf hasnzvyvne obql). Rirelbar sbetrgf nobhg gur cerivbhf ivpgvz naq eryngrq zrzbevrf va gur zbzrag bs qrngu, ohg gur arkg ivpgvz jvyy fhqqrayl ertnva gurfr zrzbevrf gur svefg gvzr gurl guvax/gnyx nobhg gur cerivbhf ivpgvz (hfhnyyl unccraf guebhtu n culfvpny bowrpg gung erzvaqf gurz), juvpu gevttref gur "pbhagqbja" sbe guvf arkg ivpgvz'f qrngu.
V qb abg ng nyy haqrefgnaq jul, va-jbeyq, gurer jnf n uhtr gvzr qrynl orgjrra gur qrnguf bs gur svefg srj punenpgref (Ehcreg, Uneel, Rir) juvyr gur ynfg qrnguf unccra rkgerzryl dhvpxyl nsgre rnpu bgure (Rqqvr, Znegun, Gbal). V gubhtug vg zvtug or gur "culfvpny zrzbenovyvn" pbaarpgvba, ohg gung'f abg pyrna rabhtu naq snvyf gb rkcynva gur beqre (r.t. jul Gubeagba pnzr nsgre Ehcreg rira gubhtu Wbua jnf unaqyvat gur xrl), fb zl orfg thrff vf gung vg'f n pbzovangvba bs "jnf guvaxvat nobhg ivpgvz nf gurl qvrq" naq "vf erzvaqrq bs gur ivpgvz guebhtu fbzrguvat arj".
5. I enjoyed the large amount of red herrings, but I felt that there were a few too many of them near the end which were left unresolved in a way that doesn't exactly convince the player if they are or aren't connected, even by the time the final theory is completed. Perhaps one or two of them should be blatantly deemed false by @, in one of the very last documents? Just as a final confirmation.
V'ir fcrag gur cnfg unys na ubhe ernqvat gur pbzzragf urne gb gel naq svther bhg gur fbyhgvba sbe gur unatzna tnzr naq V unir gb fnl V qvfnterr jvgu gur abgvba gung gur "ynfg chmmyr" jnf gbb uneq, gubhtu V thrff V unq gur yhpx gb cynl gur nyernql hcqngrq irefvba. Nf fbba nf V ernq gur ynfg gjb ragevrf V jnf fb pbashfrq nobhg Wbua'f qrngu.
V fgvyy jnag gb xabj gur fbyhgvba gb gur unatzna gubhtu. gur hcqngr fnlf gurer vf bar naq vg vf qevivat zr penml.
Bgure guna gung V guvax 00-qernz vf n ovg gbb qvssvphyg gb svaq.
In the end I think it is kinda cool that some mysteries about the people here stayed mysteries (gur fbhepr bs Naavr'f zbarl ceboyrzf, vf Ivpgbevn certanag?, jung vf gbalf erny anzr) because that's the way a real murder investigation would have also ended. I still want to know the hangman solution though.
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I'm at 93 files and I could use some hints as to how to deduce the last few? And how I can learn A.T. and @'s names?
Incredible game, one of the only games to ever scratch the itch that obra dinn gave me. If I had to sum it up it would be Obra Dinn meets Agatha Christie. William if you see this, please consider making another game in this style and selling it because myself and many others would definitely pay for it.
awesome game! can't wait to drop dead at my computer
a fun game! Normally I feel too slow for such deduction, but since this was a slow text-based game I actually felt comfortable making my own notes and spreadsheeting everyone's locations over time.
As a 'walkthrough' here's my completed spreadsheet (though it's missing one or two key items). Anyone should be able to use it to find any scenes they're missing. However this is FULL GAME spoilers, so don't look at this unless you're desperate, or you like seeing the methodology of others.
DO NOT CLICK IF STILL PLAYING, WILL SPOIL FULL GAME
FULL SOLUTION
DO NOT CLICK IF STILL PLAYING, WILL SPOIL FULL GAME
Wonderful game, had a ball! but i think either i'm confused about something, or the rest of the commentariat here is:
N ybg bs pbzzragf frrz gb vzcyl gur CP vf va qnatre rfcrpvnyyl vs gurl ernq 00-qernz ohg v whfg qba'g guvax gung'f gehr. Lbh unir gb erzrzore fbzrbar gb trg tbg ol gur phefr. Juvpu zrnaf lbh unir gb unir xabja gurz va yvsr. Evtug? Gurer'f ab vaqvpngvba jungfbrire gung yrneavat nobhg n ivpgvz gung lbh _qvqa'g cerivbhfyl xabj_ vf qnatrebhf. Znal crbcyr yrnea gur anzr bs n ivpgvz (sebz Ivp'f yvfg, sbe vafgnapr) naq vg qbrfa'g uheg gurz ng nyy vs gurl qba'g znantr gb qerqtr hc npghny zrzbevrf bs vagrenpgvat jvgu gung crefba.
Fb, gur CP vf va ab qnatre, evtug? Gur oevrsvat vzcyvrf gurl'er n lbhatre ntrag jub fgnegrq nsgre gur "ubeebe qnlf," fb gurl'q arire unir zrg @. rira vs gurl yrnea uvf anzr, lbh pna'g erzrzore fbzrbar lbh arire xarj. Rira jvgubhg shyyl haqrefgnaqvat gur phefr, gur ntrapl pyrneyl haqrefgbbq gung zhpu (be creuncf @ yrsg n abgr jvgu vafgehpgvbaf?) orpnhfr gung'f jul gurer'f n yvfg bs crbcyr jub ner haqre ab pvephzfgnaprf nyybjrq gb gbhpu @'f pbzchgre: vg'f crbcyr jub xarj uvz naq gurersber ner va qnatre bs erzrzorevat uvz. Rirelbar ryfr vf fnsr nf ybat nf gubfr crbcyr fgnl va gur qnex.
WRT the game itself, wonderful, super fun solving process, really enjoy the SCP-esque vibe and the gradual revelation of the "murderer." Vg vf n yvggyr qvfnccbvagvat gung gur svany "fbyhgvba" vf "bu guvf jnfa'g gur fgneg ng nyy naq lbh qba'g trg gb svaq bhg nalguvat nobhg ubj vg ernyyl fgnegrq be jul be ubj" ohg gung bcra-raqrq zlfgrel vf pyrneyl ba checbfr naq V pna qvt vg. Really really good stuff, ty.
I'm purely commenting this just to yap about how much I enjoyed playing this game. It's easy enough for someone to follow along, but still requires you to use your head. Plus once you get the flow of things it's becomes like second nature. Initially the plot and storyline were kinda confusing, and I was mainly focused on just trying to find the files, but then as you continue you'll start piecing things together which is why it's so interesting. As soon as you think you kinda know what's going on, you're hit with another twist that just makes everything come together. I'm genuinely surprised I even managed to finish considering I have a pretty bad attention span when it comes to things like this, but this game was definitely addicting. I wish I could play this again without having any recollection of what happened because ugh it's so good, so kudos to you William.
i really and truly adored this game. i stayed up all night last night playing it and haven't been able to stop thinking of it since. please make more like this!!
I'm loving the game but there's one piece crucial feedback I have: please add a confirmation for loading a save. I just lost a few hours because when I remembered I haven't saved in a while and tried to do so I slightly misclicked, loading my previous save and apparently the autosave also happened as soon as it was loaded, so I couldn't use that either. Having the save and load buttons be separate in different places would also help with this
Ahh gosh, I'm loving it, but i've gotten myself stuck right almost right out the gate. i've only just unlocked one 07 file, but everywhere else i'm getting confounded!
if you look at the reference numbers next to the file number, you’ll see how many scenes you haven’t seen yet. Some file numbers will be the same, kind of. Like 03-KI-1-4 scene will be happening at the same time a 03-DI-6-10 scene is going on. These are just examples not actual file numbers. You’ll have to figure it out yourself but if you get the private billiard conversation with 6 and 9 then you’ll work your way through to act 2. Sorry if this doesn’t help, haven’t finished the game yet either.
This is a masterpiece. Thanks for creating it!
I've just checked all the games I've played the past year and my suspicions were confirmed. This is the best one.
And just like that, its over. Although I swear that name is familiar...
Loved it :)
I just finished this today. Great work, I was enthralled. If I wanted to nit pick I could say that the charactes don't always react very believably, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of unraveling the sequence of events.
ok, now just completed it, i only want to know:
who is A.T? is it even relevant?
and how you find the @'s real name?
amazing game btw
@ unq n qernz gung ur jevgrf n svyr nobhg. vg'f nabgure 00 svyr, fb lbh fubhyq or noyr gb thrff vg frzv-rnfvyl.
yes i found that file, maybe im to dumb to deduce the name of @ from the file, could you tell me how?
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I'm sure you can figure it out
(Was that a good enough hint?)
sure it is, but i don't speak english natively, so maybe i don't fully understand it jej
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it's very straightforward, look at the words
hooollllyyyy moooollllyyy my brothers and sisters in gaming, we have ourself a GOTY contender. this became a short-term hyper-fixation for me
hey, i've almost completed it, i just can't realize from where you can find the final note? i know there is one thanks to the comments, but I don't understand where it comes from.
once you've found every scene, you will get a 2nd mail in your inbox. if you don't have that mal in your inbox, you're still missing something
i've never checked the inbox, thank you very much
I had to reset my password to log in to my account (LMAO) and yet it was worth it to say how much I loved this game!!!! So simple yet so ridiculously clever and effective, with such a cool and unique premise. It's hard to do simple well!!! With a game so bare in its UI, the puzzles and story need to be ridiculously engaging, and this is exactly what TYPE HELP manages to achieve. I can't imagine this game done in any way except within its current iteration. TYPE HELP was built exactly as it needed to be built to achieve exactly what it did, and it was engrossing and engaging from start to finish. Once I started this game, I couldn't stop playing until I'd hit the end; I completed it all in one sitting. I can't wait to recommend it to my friends!!
Oops!!! Almost forgot; one last thing: V NZ EVPUNEQ YBATYRL
Unbelievably good! Got the twist somewhere in Act II but it still was pretty fun. Actually loved the cataloguing system. Unlike many other games of this type it felt intuitive and after only an hour I found myself typing these numbers and letters almost instinctively
V tbg gur gjvfg nf jryy, gurer ner gjb jubyr npgf yrsg!! bu ab
Fgvyy cerggl sha! Vgf yvxr n pne penfu. Lbh xabj jung vf pbzvat ohg whfg pna'g ybbx njnl. Cyhf gur zrpunavp vgfrys vf cerggl fngvfslvat naq gur @ pbzzragf ner sha gb ernq
Tbbq yhpx!
I need a hint
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I am also missing one reference from 02-LI-5-8-9
Nyy bs gur yvaxf gung V pna rnfvyl svaq eryngrq gb gur uvtuyvtugrq fprar eryngr gb Qvaare (Npg V), be gur Qvavat Ebbz (Npg VV), be gur guvat orvat cbherq ng gur raq bs gur fprar. Gurer'f ab qevaxvat fbhaq; jurer pbhyq guvf crefba or gnxvat vg?
thank you that was the bit of help I needed
Loved it! Going to check out Cellar from your repertoire next.
Amazing game, thank you for the experience!
Non-spoiler easter egg (?) but you can not only name @, you can also name # yourself (if you find being username2 boring)
Thank you for a fantastic game Willam! So far it's the frontrunner for my GOTY, and I'll be following closely to see what you'll do next.
I can't believe this is a free game, like other have mentioned you should consider commercializing it. Evil Trout did a great job helping publish Roottrees are Dead and the release has been very successful. Or at least have a donate button.
it took me a second to realize what happened in 26 exactly, but then I looked back at the start and realized exactly what happened.
cbbe Wbua unf gur jbefg yhpx. V zrna frevbhfyl, ur znantrq gb nibvq gur phefr bayl gb gevc ba gur qrpx naq qvr nsgre uvggvat uvf urnq. yvxr lbh pna frr vg va 1 d 1 11, orpnhfr ur nyzbfg gevcf gurer, naq Gubeagba whfg pngpurf uvz fb ur qbrfa'g snyy.
Edit: Okay yeah no that makes sense. I connected the wrong dots.
V guvax va 1-DH-1-11 ur'f pbzcynvavat nobhg gur zhq, nf vg vf envavat naq ur vf cebonoyl jrnevat ryrtnag fubrf. V gubhtug ur fubbgf uvzfrys ng gur raq, ohg gurer vf ab thafubg, fb ur cebonoyl whfg whzcrq orpnhfr ur gubhtug ur xvyyrq Naavr
Fprar 24-QV-1, naq gur vzcyvpngvbaf bs gur 25 fprarf ("Jung oebhtug gurz gurer gung qnl erznvaf hapyrne.") zngpu hc ernyyl jryy jvgu gur vageb, fb gur "zna va uvf rneyl sbegvrf" yvxryl *vf* Wbua.
Lrnu sbyxf cerggl fher uvf qrngu vf gur fnzr nf Ryrnabe'f znal lrnef orsber: Whzcvat sebz gur Nggvp jvaqbj. Bgure guna jung jr urne nobhg Ryrnabe gur erny sberfunqbjvat vf va 02-RA jura gur qbyy vf xabpxrq sebz gur nggvp ol Gbal hc gurer jvgu Naavr, nyzbfg snyyvat ba Wbua. V jvyy fnl gubhtu gung 26 jnf bar bs gur svefg fprarf V tbg, fvapr @ cbvagf lbh va vg'f qverpgvba, naq bar bs gur zbfg ubeevsvp gb ernyvfr gur vzcyvpngvbaf bs bapr ergheavat gb vg ng gur raq. Cbbe thl fhssrerq jbefr guna nyy gur bguref orpnhfr bs ubj fybj vg jnf.
fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. My gf and I have been engrossed in this all weekend. Truly one of the most horrifying concepts to center a mystery story around, and fantastically written. I'll definitely be watching this author's future projects with interest.
I really enjoyed the game, other than the hiccup I wrote about before, it was great. I've heard about it from Tom Francis' vlog. He talked about some inconsistencies, but I don't see them.
I think people assume that gur phefr unf fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu anzrf be bowrpgf orybatvat gb gur qrnq crefba. Ohg gur phefr bayl jbexf nsgre lbh erzrzore gur npghny crefba. Gung'f jul gur qrgrpgvir bayl qvrf nsgre qvfpbirevat gung ur xarj bar bs gur qrnq crefbaf va erny yvsr. Naq gung'f jul rirelbar pbhyq unir orra gnyxvat nobhg Ehcreg jvgubhg nalguvat unccravat gb gurz. Nyfb gur phefr pna bayl nssrpg bar crefba ng n gvzr, fb nsgre vg genafsref gb gur arj ivpgvz, abguvat jvyy unccra vs lbh guvax nobhg gur cerivbhf crefba (vs lbh pna rira rire erzrzore gurz ntnva).
Nyfb V yvxrq gur guvatf gung bguref pnyyrq erq ureevatf. Gung'f ubj vg jbhyq ernyyl unccra, abg rirelguvat gung crbcyr gnyx nobhg jbhyq or pbaarpgrq gb fbzrguvat terngre, naq bs pbhefr gur gurbevrf gung rnpu punenpgre jnf qrirybcvat jba'g or evtug. Bayl jr pna znxr n evtug bar ybbxvat ng gur jubyr cvpgher. Gung'f jul V qvqa'g chg gbb zhpu jrvtug ba gurz naq gurl qvqa'g pbashfr zr ng nyy.
That being said I sometimes found myself guessing new scenes, but just when there were a handful of possibilities, so I don't mind it that much. But because of the nature of the story it became easier and easier with time.
I also enjoyed the scenes like "everyone gathered in X", but then you realize that you are not quite sure what "everyone" means at that point.
All in all, it's a really great game
Finished yesterday after 6 hours and many pages of notes. Incredibly well put together!
It's early, but this is probably my Game of the Year.
I mean, goddamn. This has the seal of quality upon it, I just spent several nights fully gripped until I was done. You might consider commercializing this the way that Roottree did!
Got sent here by the Failbetter games newsletter and had an absolute blast - definitely one of the best deduction-type games I've played!
im halfway thru the game and it literally seems like no one know who tf is living in the house omg
Wow, that was a lot of fun! Very well written and a really unique premise
I never thought I'd find something that came close to Obra Dinn (my all-time favourite game) - Type Help finally did it! What a joy to play and complete :)
That was amazing, so engrossing, I loved the rhythm and I just cannot fathom how you managed to get such a deft balance in difficulty. The YES moment when a filename attempt works is so good.
William just so you know I'll blindly buy any next game you're making :)
Hey, this ruled. Super clever, super fun to figure out. Huge fan!!
V zvffrq gur svyr 10-RQ-8, ohg V qvqa'g xabj nobhg vg orpnhfr nyy gur svyrf jrer fubjvat 0 yvaxf gb haqvfpbirerq svyrf. Fb V nffhzrq V fbyirq gur tnzr naq fgnegrq ernqvat gur pbzzragf gb svaq bhg nobhg 00-svany-abgr naq jnf pbashfrq nobhg ubj crbcyr sbhaq vg. V ernq gur svany abgr naq gur qernz sebz pbzzragf, naq V qvqa'g xabj V zvffrq n fprar hagvy V glcrq uryc gb frr ubj znal svyrf V sbhaq naq frra 97, fb V unq gb ybbx guebhtu zl fcernqfurrg naq svaq gur zvffvat fcbg. Fb V thrff gurer pbhyq or n yvax sebz nal bgure fprar gb 10-RQ-8. Nyfb znlor vs V xarj V jbhyq trg n zrffntr nsgre svaqvat rirel fprar, V jbhyq ernyvmr fbbare gung V jnf zvffvat bar fprar rneyvre.
Exactly the same for me.
ABSOLUTELY adored this game. Love love love. SO fun. Needed help with a friend to get some of the last stuff and a few missing scenes but it's so great! Definitely going to look into any other stuff you do/have done.
Made an account on here just so I could drop in and say I LOVE this game. I thought the writing was great, I had so much fun puzzling this out, please do more. Excellent work.
I absolutely loved playing this. I didn't actually make the final deductive leap into what was *actually* going on, but I loved uncovering all the pieces of the story using deductive logic (and the odd bit of trial and error). It was so fun to explore the mystery in little parts, and felt like a proper detective linking these insane characters and their stories together. I made a Google Sheets to track everyone and it was very satisfying.
In the end, I came to the comments here to read about other people's theories about the ending. It didn't satisfactorily resolve for me in the way I had quite wished it would - despite having unlocked 97%, I hadn't understood the specifics on *why* the events were happening as they were.
Thank you for making such a cool thing, and I wish for many more cool things like this in the future.
Regarding the ending (look away if you haven't played!):
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Having reflected further on this, it very much fits in the gothic tradition and does not 'need' to have a declarative ending. Maybe this is what was intended, especially considering the byline of 'the unsolvable mystery'. If so, well played. In any case, I had a blast and have been inspired to look at Twine myself.
Fantastic game!
(Spoilery constructive feedback for the author below)
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1. I wish there was an easier way to `find` text not only across scenes but also within scenes. Right now what I had to do each time is to first type the command `find ring` and then Ctrl+F and use my browser's search to directly highlight the instances of the word `ring`. This felt janky because the game window kept shrinking/expanding (fullscreen switches) and the browser kept finding words in the itch.io comments. I would really much prefer it if, after clicking a scene through the Find results, the searched word would be underlined in all its instances.
2. I felt that there were a few too many puzzles that required me to figure out the layout of the house itself -- characters going "upstairs" or "downstairs" and the reader expected to know where they end up, at least approximately. The positioning of rooms was not fully intuitive (e.g. a kitchen below the dining room... until I learned about the dumbwaiter), and I found myself wishing for more help there. I know @ says "I couldn't find any records of the layout, so I can only go off the names that I've found within the audio", but, I wish at least the player was more obviously told to write down the layout of which rooms are "upstairs" and which are "downstairs".
3. The name of the game isn't great (I'm sorry).
4.
The time delay between deaths was very confusing and as far as I know it was simply left unexplained, which I found dissatisfying. I loved the fact that the rate keeps going up, with more and more bodies dropping, but I couldn't find any explanation for why the deaths are accelerating.I'll expand on this with very major spoilers in ROT13:V haqrefgnaq gung rnpu gvzr fbzrbar qvrf sebz gur nagvzrzr phefr ("gur cerivbhf ivpgvz"), gur arkg ivpgvz orpbzrf rvgure gur ynfg crefba gb unir gubhtug bs gurz be gur svefg crefba gb guvax nobhg gurz ntnva (abg pbhagvat guvaxvat nobhg vgf hasnzvyvne obql). Rirelbar sbetrgf nobhg gur cerivbhf ivpgvz naq eryngrq zrzbevrf va gur zbzrag bs qrngu, ohg gur arkg ivpgvz jvyy fhqqrayl ertnva gurfr zrzbevrf gur svefg gvzr gurl guvax/gnyx nobhg gur cerivbhf ivpgvz (hfhnyyl unccraf guebhtu n culfvpny bowrpg gung erzvaqf gurz), juvpu gevttref gur "pbhagqbja" sbe guvf arkg ivpgvz'f qrngu.V qb abg ng nyy haqrefgnaq jul, va-jbeyq, gurer jnf n uhtr gvzr qrynl orgjrra gur qrnguf bs gur svefg srj punenpgref (Ehcreg, Uneel, Rir) juvyr gur ynfg qrnguf unccra rkgerzryl dhvpxyl nsgre rnpu bgure (Rqqvr, Znegun, Gbal). V gubhtug vg zvtug or gur "culfvpny zrzbenovyvn" pbaarpgvba, ohg gung'f abg pyrna rabhtu naq snvyf gb rkcynva gur beqre (r.t. jul Gubeagba pnzr nsgre Ehcreg rira gubhtu Wbua jnf unaqyvat gur xrl), fb zl orfg thrff vf gung vg'f n pbzovangvba bs "jnf guvaxvat nobhg ivpgvz nf gurl qvrq" naq "vf erzvaqrq bs gur ivpgvz guebhtu fbzrguvat arj".5. I enjoyed the large amount of red herrings, but I felt that there were a few too many of them near the end which were left unresolved in a way that doesn't exactly convince the player if they are or aren't connected, even by the time the final theory is completed. Perhaps one or two of them should be blatantly deemed false by @, in one of the very last documents? Just as a final confirmation.
V'z abg ernyyl fher jung lbh zrna ol gur gvzr qrynl vffhr. Gur guhaqrepync vf pnhfrq ol erzrzorevat gur cerivbhf ivpgvz. Vg gnxrf fbzr xvaq bs fgebat rzbgvbany cebzcg gb or noyr gb "qrsl" gur zrzbel renfvat rssrpgf naq erzrzore gur cerivbhf ivpgvz - hfhnyyl n culfvpny vgrz fgebatyl nffbpvngrq jvgu gung crefba.
Ehcreg Tnyyrl qvrf irel fubegyl nsgre erzrzorevat Nzryvn, pnhfrq ol svaqvat n cvnab erpvgny fur unq bapr cynlrq - ur erzrzoref whfg orsber gur fgneg bs fprar 01 naq qvrf jvguva fprar 01.
Uneel Gubeagba qvrf irel fubegyl nsgre erzrzorevat Ehcreg, pnhfrq ol orvat tvira Ehcreg'f xrl gb gur puncry - ur erzrzoref gbjneqf gur raq bs fprar 06, ng juvpu cbvag ur vf erpbeqrq ng ehfuvat njnl, naq ur qvrf nyzbfg vzzrqvngryl vagb fprar 07.
Rir qvrf irel fubegyl nsgre erzrzorevat Uneel, pnhfrq ol qevaxvat gur ubg pubpbyngr va Uneel'f qvfgvapgvir fglyr ur unq whfg cercnerq sbe ure - fur qvrf, rez, yrg'f fnl 5 zvahgrf yngre jvgubhg zrnavat gb or pehry nobhg Rqqvr'f fgnzvan.
Uryra qvrf dhvgr fubegyl nsgre erzrzorevat Rir, pnhfrq ol erprvivat gur snzvyl evat fur unq tvira Rqqvr gb cebcbfr jvgu. Gurve qvfphffvba vf jung, cebonoyl n srj zvahgrf va erny gvzr? Fur qvrf nyzbfg vzzrqvngryl vagb fprar 12.
V qba'g ernyyl frr ubj nal bs gurfr ner vapbafvfgrag jvgu jung unccraf yngre. Va nyy pnfrf, gurer'f znlor, 5 zvahgrf be fb orgjrra erzrzorevat naq qrngu. Oebnqyl fcrnxvat, nf gur ahzore bs obqvrf cvyr hc, gur vaunovgnagf bs gur ubhfr ehfu ebhaq zber, rknzvar zber guvatf, naq cebzcg zber gurbevrf, juvpu anghenyyl pnhfrf gur engr bs qrnguf gb fgneg fcrrqvat hc. Gur bayl erny bqqvgl gung V pna frr vf creuncf Znegun va fprar 05 - fur'f gbyq gur anzr Ehcreg Tnyyrl, naq tvira uvf xrl gb gur puncry, whfg nsgre univat frra Ehcreg'f qrnq obql. Guvf pbzovangvba bs guvatf jnf rabhtu gb pnhfr Uneel gb erzrzore, fb vg vf fgenatr vg vfa'g rabhtu gb pnhfr Znegun nf Ehcreg'f jvsr gb erzrzore.
Gura jul qvqa'g Wbua orpbzr gur frpbaq ivpgvz jura ur ercrngrqyl nfxrq nobhg Ehcreg Tnyyrl, ybbxrq ng uvf vaivgngvba juvpu jnf jevggra ol Ehcreg Tnyyrl, gura gbbx gur xrl sebz Ehcreg Tnyyrl'f obql? V thrff vg'f whfg orpnhfr ur jnf fyvtugyl yrff snzvyvne jvgu uvz, fb ur qvqa'g ernpu gur guerfubyq bs rzbgvbany pbaarpgvba...?
Be Rqqvr erzrzorevat Rir vzzrqvngryl nsgre gnxvat gur jrqqvat evat sebz ure unaq?
V nqzvg gung lbhe gurbel jbexf cerggl jryy gbb, orpnhfr vg bayl erdhverf n fvatyr "gevttre" zbzrag, naq... V nqzvg V jebgr nobhg gjryir zber yvarf qrsraqvat zl gurbel orsber ernyvmvat abj gung lbhef vf zhpu "pyrnare" naq zvar ynetryl unccraf gb jbex ol nppvqrag engure guna ba checbfr: zl gurbel jnf onfrq ba gur crefba jub gubhtug bs gur ivpgvz *va gur zbzrag bs gur ivpgvz'f qrngu*, naq V guvax vg graqrq gb or evtug abg orpnhfr bs pbeerpgarff ohg orpnhfr gur tnzr vf qrfvtarq va n jnl gung fubjpnfrf gur zrzbel ybff zber boivbhfyl, juvpu vf jul zber punenpgref trarenyyl graq gb fcrnx bs ivpgvzf evtug orsber naq nsgre gurl qvr.
Fb V gnxr onpx zl pbzcynvag nobhg gur gvzvat. V qb guvax vg'f fyvtugyl naablvat gung Rqqvr'f gvzr orgjrra erzvaqre naq qrngu jnf whfg n zvahgr be gjb (n fvatyr fprar) juvyr Gubeagba jrag guebhtu gjb fprarf naq gjb ebbzf va guerr qvssrerag sybbef, nf qvq Ivpgbevn. Ohg zhpu zber haqrefgnaqnoyr.
Thanks for helping clarify this for me.V qba'g frr nal vapbafvfgrapvrf. Gurl qba'g qvr sebz erzrzorevat gur anzr be frrvat n obql. Gurl qvr sebz erzrzorevat GUR CREFBA. Fb Gubeagba pbaarpgf gur xrl gb gur Puncry jvgu Ehcreg, orpnhfr cebonoyl nf gur ubhfr xrrcre, ur vf irel snzvyvne jvgu jub unf gur xrlf gb jung, Znegun qvqa'g fb fur qvqa'g pbaarpg vg gb ure uhfonaq. Lbh pbhyq vzntvar gung va gur cnfg, jura Znegn jbhyq unir yvxrq gb ivfvg gur Puncry fur jbhyq nfx ure uhfonaq jurer gur xrl vf, ba gur bgure unaq Gubeagba jbhyq xabj jub unf vg ng nyy gvzrf.
Nf jvgu Rir, V guvax Rqzhaq jnf nyjnlf va ybir jvgu Ivpgbevn, fb gung'f jub ur jnf guvaxvat jura frrvat gur evat. Bayl Uryra unq fhpu n fgebat pbaarpgvba orgjrra ure qnhtugre naq gur evat gb erzrzore ure.
Orpnhfr crbcyr qba'g qvr sebz guvaxvat fbzrguvat vf fhfcvpvbhf, be zragvbavat gur anzr be na bowrpg, ohg sebz npghnyyl erzrzorevat gur erny crefba.
I decided this @ person deserved a name, but he clearly doesn't have one, so I named him David Langford.
(Lrf, guvf vf n ersrerapr; fcrpvsvpnyyl gb Ynatsbeq'f fubeg fgbel Oyvg.)
Love, love, loved this game. I had caught 97 Pokémon by the end, but the 98th was a bit too hard to find without looking in the comments.
This game is amazing.
V'ir fcrag gur cnfg unys na ubhe ernqvat gur pbzzragf urne gb gel naq svther bhg gur fbyhgvba sbe gur unatzna tnzr naq V unir gb fnl V qvfnterr jvgu gur abgvba gung gur "ynfg chmmyr" jnf gbb uneq, gubhtu V thrff V unq gur yhpx gb cynl gur nyernql hcqngrq irefvba. Nf fbba nf V ernq gur ynfg gjb ragevrf V jnf fb pbashfrq nobhg Wbua'f qrngu.
V fgvyy jnag gb xabj gur fbyhgvba gb gur unatzna gubhtu. gur hcqngr fnlf gurer vf bar naq vg vf qevivat zr penml.
Bgure guna gung V guvax 00-qernz vf n ovg gbb qvssvphyg gb svaq.
In the end I think it is kinda cool that some mysteries about the people here stayed mysteries (gur fbhepr bs Naavr'f zbarl ceboyrzf, vf Ivpgbevn certanag?, jung vf gbalf erny anzr) because that's the way a real murder investigation would have also ended. I still want to know the hangman solution though.
Gur hcqngr nyfb fnlf gung ur vapyhqrq n wbxr va gur oht frpgvba bs gur punatrybt, ersreevat gb unatzna orvat znqr fbyirnoyr ;)
oh god, I hate that even more. Glad to have the peace of mind though