I know you have this!
3 Likes
Essentially, I’m thinking of creating another text input command and creating a variable for it that will make it so the player can investigate the room(s) they can search. For example, at the end of the description you’ll be asked, “Where should I investigate?” and a text box will appear. If you type in and enter “Bedside Table” or “The Bedside Table” it will take you to a scene where you investigate the bedside table, then at the end of that scene overwrite the variable to make it go back to the text box option so you can type in another place you want to try to investigate.
Maybe I’m implementing something that is just extra steps towards the same goal of giving people choices, but I figured this would allow the player to experience a potentially completely unique scene to others, and it would also allow me to add in some more easter eggs potentially. I’ll weigh the pros and cons of this while I’m writing up the lead up to the actual investigation scene still.
Oh yeah, definitely. I would essentially specify on the screen that it would be exact words that were used in the description of the area. For instance, the example I’d give is, “In the corner of the room stood a small ornate nightstand, one of it’s legs chipped and broken.” To investigate this, simply type in “Nightstand”.
This will probably add a decent amount of work to the game moving forward, but honestly, I’m pretty excited about it. We’ll see how long that excitement lasts when I’m halfway through adding another passage that almost no one will ever actually find though LOL It’s worth noting, if you type something in and get a description from it, it’s possible that there will be another word from that description you could type in to investigate something further. But that will definitely be much more of a rare case so as to not overdo it.
11 Likes
Oh, this sounds amazing and I’d love it. It does run the risk of running afoul of needing specific phrasing to do stuff (see: Zork’s “attack troll with sword” v “kill troll with sword”), so you need to give very clear guidelines in the prompt page, but if you can swing it it’d be awesome.
As a curiosity: considering that most possible entries will just return a “That doesn’t sound like it’s worth investigating” result (I dunno coding, but I presume it just runs down a list of valid entries and then has a if_else_then_bupkiss line at the end or something), how much more work does this give you over the usual manner?
4 Likes
Samurai if Huga 3 has this mechanic. On the page with the text input you are given a short description of the scene, so you choose your inputs from there.
1 Like
Without fair warning, text entry as a means of interacting can fall flat. I remember very distinctly going “What is this? What does it want?” in SoH3 because it felt out of nowhere being the very first time it happened, and if it hadn’t happened so early in the book, there’s a high chance I would have been too irritated by that fill-in-the-blank to continue. I did get it right without a reset (and learned nothing about what it was for until I got one wrong later), but the abrupt nature of being presented with the entry field after nothing but bullet point choices the whole way 'til then was off-putting.
Not saying that will be the case here, but how you present it, and the first impression is going to matter. It should also be noted that many people with vision impairment can play these games using text readers, so the first impression I’m talking about matters in this way, too. A blank text box on a page with very little description as to why it is there (a la SoH3) isn’t the best way to go about it, imo. 
6 Likes
SoH also has a no-input mode, which is useful for all of those grievances and speedy reruns.
2 Likes
Just getting around to being able to comment on this. I will for sure keep this in mind and make sure it is super clear what the player is to do. For instance, it’ll probably present along the lines of:
"Insert description of the room here What should I investigate more thoroughly in here? Insert text box here
Author’s note: This is a text box entry investigation system. To investigate something, simply type the name of whatever it is you wish to investigate WITHOUT any adjectives, descriptors, or definite articles (the, a, an, etc.). For example, if the description was ‘a slightly wobbly white chair is sitting in the corner of the room’ you would simply type in ‘Chair’ to investigate the wobbly, white chair.
A more comprehensive formatting will be released with the full game so as to give you a way to look back on descriptions you’re given from investigating items, so that you may also investigate items even further if you so choose. For instance, if you type ‘Chair’ and get the text ‘The chair seems to be wobbly due to a partially broken chair leg’ then get taken back to the text box, you can then type in ‘Leg’ to investigate the leg of the chair even further."
Hopefully this looks good and isn’t confusing at all. The plan is that, when the case files are available in the final version of the game in the stats menu, these descriptions you get will all be available in the case file as a sort of noteworthy entry your Agent made in their copy of the case file they have with them, so you’ll be able to view any important descriptions you unlock at any point during the scene.
I REEEEEEALLY want to know what people think of this, as your feedback may help shift how this is implemented. I think this would really help make it feel like a detective game, like you’re actually solving the crime.
19 Likes
anticipation intensifies
3 Likes
Although it’s more hustle, I would suggest to edit the discription of the investigsted items. Like text “there are a table, a chair and a bed in the room. You can feel dusty smell of a room nobody entered fir a long time” would turn into "there are a table, a chair and a bed in the room. The table has some scratches on it. The chair has a wobbly leg. There are some blood stains on the duvet which covers the bed. Yo can feel the dusty smell of a room nobody entered for a long time".Or maybe add even less like “there are a scratched table, chair with a wobbly leg and blood-stained bed”. It’s just a bit of the life quality thing, just a bit of care for less than concentrated players.
3 Likes
I’ve hated text boxes since Zork kicked my ass in the 80’s. Maybe add a toggle to skip?
5 Likes
At least here we aren’t at risk of being eaten by a Grue. 
2 Likes
Maybe add a selection option? One option to opt in for the text box and one for the current selection method where you choose. Or just italicize or bold the things you can investigate, for instance “The chair in the corner.”
3 Likes
I feel like that would detract from the goal of making it more investigative. Vi might as well save herself the trouble and just do the usual choices method instead of that.
1 Like
I remember that one of the Samurai of Hyuga books had an investigative system along similar lines. Book 3 specifically was the one where the MC plays detective with the input boxes. Perhaps checking out how other people have done it could help?
3 Likes
I think that this feature is unnecessary tbh as the story is more of a supernatural drama tragedy with an emphasis on character development.
Why shift the genre to more of a detective mystery?
Yeah my advice is that ditch this idea and focus on a good story, maybe a little bit of action and introduce a good villain while giving the MC some motivation.
I would want by MC to be an active character and be doing something that is personal or important and not just be the therapist of the team lol.
I think this is why mystery stories or detective aren’t that popular because its “yeah I joined the police force or supernatural agency and solve crimes” and with the exception of the eccentric Sherlock mystery police stories don’t become mainstream. That’s just my take on it
5 Likes
Yeah man, nobody ever heard of those obscure things like Agatha Christie, Poirot, Nero Wolfe, Miss Marple, or Perry Mason. We didn’t just have two hugely successful mystery movies with Benoit Blanc. Murder She Wrote only had checks notes 12 seasons, and Criminal Minds a measly checks notes again 16 seasons.
Truly the mainstreamless of genres. 
8 Likes
Actually by listing a bunch of movies and shows nobody has heard of you kind of proved my point thanks.
I’ve heard of the name Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot but thats it, its definitely not mainstream in most countries. The rest that you listed idk who they are.
Had to google this, so a show no one knows in the 80s?
Had to google this, so this is the movie that won a bunch of awards but people don’t really talks about it and apparently has a sequel. I remember this a bit because it had Daniel Craig and Chris Evans in the cast.
Ah yes a cop show. To be fair cop shows are mainstream but full on mystery detective shows are not really thats why every detective show features a outsider who works with the police (Lucifer, The Mentalist, Castle, Bones) even then most people I know have never seen these cop shows but I will admit that cop shows are part of the mainstream.
I don’t really want to argue and derail the topic, mystery isn’t the most mainstream of genres and most people don’t really care about it unless its a Sherlock story or a cop show.
Also my biggest point was the story so far felt like a supernatural drama tragedy and my take was adding a mystery detective element was not needed.
I feel like static investigations kind of diminish replayability. Like, I’ve put an embarrassing amount of hours into Wayhaven and I think because the focus is on the characters and less about the situation it adds that sense of “How would so-and-so act and how does my personality change that.” so you go and play it 50 more times.
2 Likes
You mean YOU didn’t hear about it, but it’s nobody’s fault that you can’t pick up a book. Getting a lot of “Rowling is the first famous female author” vibes here.
FFS, pick up a book. Or don’t, Perry Mason currently has a show.
People so not talk about it that not only did it make EIGHT TIMES its budget at the box office but it’s already gonna go for its second sequel.
Like, just because you don’t know what’s going on anywhere at any time doesn’t make it true.
5 Likes
Y’all really gonna short Scooby Doo like that?
Give the dog some love.
6 Likes