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jjohnstongames

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A member registered Jul 11, 2021 · View creator page →

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Yes and no. The main game is mostly the same, and you would have to complete it again. But it comes with a free expansion/sequel called Roottreemania that is more like an extra challenging second mystery.

 Our discord (on the main menu) would likely be the best way to contact us.

At the moment Steam is the only platform where it is available and we have no plans for other platforms.

I'm really sorry to hear that! On the bright side, it's usually a lot easier to catch back up to where you were and sometimes by redoing searches you'll notice new things that might have seemed less useful the first time before you knew as much about the family.

Also, if you're enjoying it enough, it might be worth getting the Steam version (if possible) since you have to start over anyways. I know it might sound like I'm trying to make a sale, but that's not my intention.

The Steam version contains a bunch of extra hours (about 6-8 depending on how stuck you get) of more challenging content than this version of the game in a new mystery, but you can only experience the second mystery in the Steam version by finishing the main story, so if you had to re-do that work anyways it could go towards unlocking that

Right now we're working on The Incident at Galley House. It's a remake of a game called "Type Help".

I would estimate the earliest it could possibly be released is maybe March or April of 2026 but it's not really possible to know for sure (until we're closer to actually being able to test which is still a ways off) so to be safe I'd estimate sometime after that even.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3641000/The_Incident_at_Galley_House/

In the meantime I'd be sure to check out Return of the Obra Dinn and Curse of the Golden Idol if you haven't already. Those are probably the most often recommended games similar to Roottrees.

This game is meant to be played in a browser so there is no downloadable executable. There is a newer, better, downloadable version of the game available on Steam (but it is not free like this version)

I do believe if you use the itchio client you might still be able to download this free version. (I am not sure, this is just what I have been told by other users)

If it's truly the only thing you need, then it is probably already in your inventory. It's impossible to get one of the other images without first getting the one you're asking about.

This is the original version of the game. It's different than the version on Steam, which has updated puzzles, changes to content, a better UI, and a whole expansion that does not exist in this version.

The history of the game is that I made this version and released it for free due to its use of AI art, then worked with another developer named Evil Trout to remake it from scratch for Steam with actual art and a MUCH better interface.

If you're stuck in the tutorial there's likely something wrong with your answers, but in very rare cases your browser might be preventing the game from saving, which can cause issues. If you come to the discord server using the link in the game and post screenshots of what is happening people can help you diagnose the problem.

Which part are you stuck on?

If you search for her name on the computer it gives you a bit of a hint as to why you can't find her name in the dropdown list. (It's not a bug, that's part of the game)

I'm not sure what could cause this. Have you tried a different browser by any chance to see if it's a browser issue?

At the moment we have no plans to continue with the Roottree family. We will be announcing a new project in the next few weeks (I will announce it here and also on our discord, as well as in the mailing list that you can find from the main menu of the Steam version) but it is not anything Roottree related. 

That ending was meant to be a bit of a joke as opposed to a real teaser, Iam comfortable saying that if I were to make another family tree game it would be centered around a different group of people.

You do not need to restart the game from the beginning. It is intentional that the name is not in the list.

Sorry to hear that. One thing you could try is to switch browsers. It writes to your cookies, so if it is unable to do so for any reason, the saving will not work.

I apologize, I'm not sure what could be causing this issue. The only thing I can think of is that hitting F5 on your keyboard  or some other hotkey in your browser could be refreshing the page.

I'm sorry. One thing you could try would be to switch browsers. If the game isn't saving, its unable to write to your cookies for some reason.

The evidence paper with Notable Roottrees is the best place to start. Pay attention to the yellow stars on the tree, because they are associated with that list. You should be able to place all of them (except one, but it should be clear which one when you look them up) just from doing research into them on your computer.

If you need specific hints after that I'd recommend coming to the discord from the menu link. People there are happy to help!

I'm not sure! It depends on what the conference is and I'd have to do. If you'd like for me to answer any questions, I can. I recommend you get in touch with me via the discord link in the game. Myself and Evil Trout are both in there.

Although another developer created the Steam version from scratch, I helped with design and feedback during a handoff period (which means the Steam version contains a lot of content that is new to it) 

As part of the deal we came to an agreement  at the time that both of us are still very happy with.

Yes, if you open the settings menu while on the main menu there's an option in the upper right to reset the game. You have to hover over it for a bit, I didn't want people to use it accidentally.

I appreciate the kind words. If you ever do have the funds, I recommend checking the steam version out. It comes with a whole lot more gameplay in the form of a second mystery. (It's a smaller family tree but it usually takes people about as long to finish as the main game)

I'm not fully in charge of the Steam version (which would be the only one that could be ported) because it was made by a different developer. Even so I imagine it's unlikely. 

The game is very heavily based around typing for "searching the internet" and highlighting text to make notes. While it is possible to bring up an onscreen keyboard all the time, using a controller to type has never really been a great solution.

Yes. If you buy it you get it added to your Steam library and can download it whenever you'd like. It also comes with Roottreemania, a second mystery. (Though you have to complete the  main game on Steam for it to unlock)

It's been a long time but I am pretty sure I remember... I believe it looks for groups of consecutive people with either the same pants or the same shirt and moves the largest group it can find to the back of the line.

I cannot remember what it does in case of a tie, unfortunately.

I apologize for the confusion. I am not the developer of the Steam version, it is handled by a different person and publisher. I still highly recommend it if you are able, it is better in every way.

It's not a bug, her name does not appear for anyone.

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I apologize, but the only versions of Roottrees still supported is the steam version. The itchio version will remain in the browser inefinitely as it was when I released it but the  itchio version is no longer hosted anywhere externally, nor will it receive any more updates.

The itchio version and steam version have no code in common (I did not work on the steam version, it is just based on the story from the game I made, with my blessing) so there is no way to take progress from one into the other. 

Plus you have to play the first mystery before unlocking the second one so you will need to start over in the steam version anyways to get all of the content.

Please, take a look at the full version! It's way, way better! Plus it has a whole new second mystery included, which is kind of like a pseudo-sequel!

On the main menu with the newspaper if you open the settings it will show you a reset button. There's also a Steam remake coming out in a five days with a lot of improvements and a new mystery. 

Thanks! If you'd like to play more, the steam version comes out in 10 days and has a whole lot of new content (though to get to it you have to fill out the main tree again, which should be pretty easy now that you know how to find everything)

I won't give you a hint, but if you need one there's a discord link in the game and people there are pretty good about not spoiling things.

I will say that as a general rule (because sometimes people forget that they exist) don't forget about the intuition numbers in the evidence.

Hey there. We do have a few reviewers on our radar and were planning on sending out keys at some point.  Are you a game reviewer? If so, would you like to reach out to myself or eviltrout (the other developer) on our discord?

Thanks, glad to hear it!

If you'd like to begin again without that risk and have a windows computer, come to the discord via the link on the main menu/in the settings, and someone can get you a downloadable version of the game that will save locally. (The web version saves into your browser cookies, so some ad-blockers/extensions/browsers have issues saving)

Their names share a connection.

This is not a bug. If you search for her name on the computer you may receive more info about why someone wouldn't be in your list of names.

Thanks for the kind words! The Steam version has an entire new set of content, so it won't just be the same game again.

There's a small chance your antivirus/browser is preventing the game from moving forward. The hints you are looking for involve things on the page about the Roottree Sisters. One hint involves jewelry the other a shirt.

If you have definitely have them in the right spot, then try simply refreshing the browser tab. If you can't skip the opening newscasting scene, then your browser isn't allowing the game to save. If you do have a skip button now, it may autocomplete when you enter the game?

If you're still having trouble please come to the discord using the link in-game. Someone can get you a downloadable version of the game that doesn't require browsers to behave.