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(3 edits)

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.

(+2)

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.