Posted October 23, 2020 by Minoh Workshop
#walkthrough #major announcement
Hello, everyone. Tonight we are releasing a quality of life update to Minotaur Hotel, as we mentioned a while ago on our Twitter. This build, like 0.2.5, is not a major release and does not continue the story. It does, however, add a lot of QoL improvements and polish to the game.
Again, no new content, but this should make the overall experience of playing Minotaur Hotel better. Further down you'll also find a walkthrough for Build 0.3's content, but before we get there we'd like to talk a bit about some news regarding the game's development.
One of the things we worked on for this update was improving the SFW Mode, which wasn't nearly as robust as it should have been.
You see, originally we didn't plan on making a SFW Mode. We had a story in mind and the fullest version of it would include showing characterisation through adult scenes, which is why we were hesitant — a SFW Mode would be a comparably incomplete version of the game.
But, lately, after some reflection we figured out ways in which the scenes with adult content could be made complete without showing nudity or sex in a way that satisfied us. This came as a response to a significant number of people who asked for a more robust SFW Mode and, perhaps most surprisingly, for a build of the game with NSFW content permanently disabled. Their request caught us a bit by surprise, they wanted it so they could show Minotaur Hotel to their non-gay friends. Again, we didn't expect that but we are happy to hear that our game got that reaction.
So... We are also releasing a version of Minotaur Hotel that is permanently locked on SFW Mode. That one difference aside, the game is identical to the original version.
If you like Minotaur Hotel and have rated our game before, consider going Minotaur Hotel: SFW Mode and give it a good rating. As always, each rating helps.
With that said, let's go to news about Build 0.4's development.
Right off the bat I can say that Build 0.4 is going well. We are on a nice writing pace, we are satisfied with the scenes, the plot and characterisation are moving along at a good pace. As always we are focusing on quality first and foremost and we will only release the build when we get to a certain point in the story where it all comes together. We are very thankful for your patience and trust.
I won't talk much about Build 0.4's content because I know that generates some anticipation, which we'd rather avoid for now. But we will make a few changes to the game when 0.4 rolls over which I'd like to talk about now.
For starters, most likely we will change quite a few of Minotaur Hotel's music. We won't go as far as commissioning original songs — unfortunately that is quite expensive and it's not easy finding people who work with ancient instruments. Instead what we plan on doing is licensing songs from iLicenseMusic, which offers a selection we are pleased with under a more accessible price tag. We think this will mark a big improvement in Minotaur Hotel's quality.
That said, it does come with an issue. What iLicenseMusic offers is a license that allows us to put the song in the game. That is nice and all, but it does not encompass other people uploading those songs to Youtube, be them from a raw mp3 or in the form of gameplay footage. What this means is that Let's Players, if they upload game footage with audio, might get copyright strikes via Youtube's ContentID system.
We haven't made the change yet, we are taking our time to think this through. There aren't many people who upload furry VN LPs to Youtube, but even if their numbers aren't high we don't feel right just making this decision like it's nothing.
Ultimately, there are work arounds. If you stream Mino Hotel on Twitch or Discord for your friends there should be no issue. If you are uploading LPs to Youtube then it would be best if you turn the music off while recording and then overlay other songs. But even with that in mind we'd like to hear what people have to say about this. Whether you support or disagree with this proposal, please tell us! If we learn about more issues we can still look for other alternatives.
We figured this new version might encourage some returning players to replay the game while we wait for 0.4 to come out- so I made a handy guide for 0.3's content, if you feel like trying out new things.
Asterion will appreciate it if you intervene during the Kota/Luke confrontation, and if you address him as "our finest host" or "a man" later on when Greta and Ismael arrive.
As with most scenes taking place in the lounge, things will play out differently depending on whether you chose Luke or Kota first. A big portion of the dialog about the internet will depend on your character's background.
If you sent Asterion out to the valley during your first encounter with Argos, he will have a panic attack here. It's recommended that you give him space if it happens — assuming you want things to go well, of course. Either way, the breakfast scene the following morning will not happen.
When trying to cheer Asterion up during breakfast, players with the speedrunner background get an additional option, but this choice doesn't have significant impact.
You are given a choice between two accessories to give Asterion when you get to the bedrock. These are just two different clothing options, your choice really comes down to what you prefer. However, the speedrunner gets an additional third accessory to choose from. that does make Asterion more affectionate.
The player's background has an effect on the team sessions:
On this first session you are locked into picking Asterion and Kota/Luke (whichever you picked first) for R&D. You can't get any rewards yet.
When talking to Ismael in the lobby, your taste/lack thereof in anime will affect events later.
Luke/Kota will receive an extra tech point after this session is finished for collaborating with Greta.
Asterion will talk to Luke or Kota at night, whichever character is not leading the lounge.
Here you will encounter Argos. The scene will play out differently depending on your first encounter with him:
Argos will give you your task here, and unless you picked the Speedrunner background, will let you question his statements. Most backgrounds get three tries, but if you have the Leader background you can convince him to give you five tries. Out of these options only two really matter:
All three characters are now at your disposal, but Luke and Kota will ask you to reorganize the teams if you put them together. From here on the amount of variables begin interlocking and piling up, and all I can give you is some general recommendations:
Just follow your heart.
You and the exploration team will go out and explore the valley. If Asterion is the only one in the team, you will get a chance to send him back and regain some affection, but you will not get any rewards aside from the bundle.
If your exploration team is not empty and you questioned one of the correct statements on your second encounter with Argos, you will find an additional tablet memento here following his clues.
If you did things right, it's possible to complete the internet project here in the second day. You may also have gotten some memento rewards from exploration.
Asterion will get an additional scene with you here if you didn't send him to the valley.
The scene here will, again, play differently depending on whether you chose Luke or Kota.
Before the team sessions start, if you questioned one of the correct statements on your second encounter with Argos, the player gets the idea to do the sacrifice in the hotel instead. You're given the choice of making the sacrifice:
This choice will be impactful in the future.
You are now given full control over the three characters. My recommendations still stand from the second day.
At the end of the day, you will meet Asterion again. The scene here will play out very differently depending on how nice you've been to him and how many times you sent him out to the valley (including on your first encounter with Argos).
If Asterion is wearing his modern clothing, they will rip as the wine heals his wounds.
You will now get one of three outcomes:
The bad outcome will get some additional content in the next build, that will make trying it worth a shot (even if survey data shows most people don't want to hurt Asterion). Otherwise, you get a happy conclusion to the build, and a teaser of things to come.
Your ranking at the end is determined by how affectionate you were to Asterion.
There's some other choices and a lot of dialogue variations that depend on your choices (which I didn't get into because they're less relevant and I'd be here all day). I hope this guide encourages people to replay the game and try different things while you wait for 0.4.