Post by Rob in Type Help comments

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The focus on the character numbering system makes it sound like it has to follow specific rules. (Namely the order people die in.) But the numbers are really just the agent's shorthand for the different voices he's transcribing. It could have been anything. In fact I think it would have been better to have them in random order since the system isn't really death order because Hobbes dies after Katherine and he's not part of the chain. So I don't think using 13 instead of "K" would be "highly confusing".

As for Rupert (01-ST-12) being harder to find; I guess that's another example of people having different views on difficulty. ~~It was stated in 00-audio-recovery that there were "twelve victims found in and around the house" so I think it's clear that there should be a number 12 death somewhere~~ (edit: the audio-recovery file was found at 01-ST-12, so it can't be a clue) and with the only unaccounted thunderclap being in timeslot 01, it's just a matter of finding what room it could have been in. I found it easier to find just because it did follow the normal scene code naming convention where persons have numbers. So it was logical that the number would be 12 (or possibly 0). It would have been MUCH harder if had been named 01-ST-R or something.

btw, another confusing clue I was reminded of now was the statement in 00-audio-recovery: "they were only able to recover about a minute from the thirteenth body" which refers to someone as number 13. Another suggestion that there should be a person with that number.

CrabHelmet8 days ago(+3)

Spoilers

Working out the agent's shorthand follows a particular order is one of the central puzzles. Having the numbers in a random order would detract massively. Being able to instantly infer who was the most recent death is useful to advancement in a lot of scenes.

Also, the agent created the number 1-12 system *before* the agent himself worked out Katherine was relevant. You can see that here:

"[@] Edit: looking back at all the deaths, it's clear there's one that doesn't quite fit the pattern. It took me a while to track it down, but I've now added one more scene that should complete the chain of events."

Katherine can't fit into the same numbering system the agent used because the agent only realised Katherine was relevant much later and her scene was gathered much later.

Rob8 days ago (1 edit)

Fair enough. I didn't really mind the numbers being in death order, but I also think it wouldn't have bothered me if they were in a random order because it did feel a bit like cheating once you realise they are dying in order. From then on you're never surprised at which person is next to be erased.

In fact, it might be a missed opportunity to create a situation when you're not really sure who has been eliminated. Once players figure out that the thunderclaps signal a death, they would want to know who it is but with this system it's never a mystery. It could have been a fun little puzzle to try to deduce some deaths that aren't obvious (people dropping in the middle of a conversation etc.)

btw my favourite death scene was 09-ED-6-10 where it's heavily implied that Eddie is in the middle of having sex with a dead Eve... X-)

joshg2 days ago(-1)

eww, no, please delete

TheFriendlyEnemy8 days ago(-1)

Spoilers

You can't use 00-audio-recovery as a hint to find 01-ST-12, because that file is found inside 01-ST-12.

Personally, I think the numbering system being the way it is was a good call. On a meta level, if the numbers were random then the player would at one point have to be directly told a number for Rupert, which would have been extremely conspicuous since he's a non-speaking character. It's also logical in the story that the agent numbers things in a consistent order (at least, before he realised the K thing) rather than assigning them randomly. And as other comments say, if the number system stays, K has to stay, unless you're willing to number her 1.5.

I kind of agree on the thunderclap - to me, rolling thunder isn't quite the same as a thunderclap. Personally, I would've liked a bit more of a hint to Wintercote specifically, e.g if Victoria had said "We'll drive to Wintercote, it's only 10km away" and then scene 25 said "thunder can be heard about 10km away". Distant could mean absolutely anywhere, and the only real clue to Katherine is the phone call.

zamaj7 days ago(-1)

What is rolling thunder, if not a thunderclap heard from a distant location?

TheFriendlyEnemy7 days ago(+1)

The key word is "clap", which evokes the idea of a short, loud burst of sound. Rolling thunder is quieter but longer - it takes time for a sound to be "rolling".

P.S I didn't know this before writing this, but there are actually defined lengths and pitches to classify different types of thunder, which is neat! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder#Types

zamaj7 days ago

I don't think that a thunderclap and rolling thunder are distinct phenomena. A thunderclap at Wintercote would sound like rolling thunder at Granger House, since those locations are quite far apart. (I'm not a meteorologist, but preliminary research seems to confirm my intuition: rolling thunder is essentially just the result of a thunderclap reverberating, and the rolling sound travels farther than the clap). However, I agree that the only clue that tells you who died is the phone call. The rolling thunder by itself doesn't tell you anything, but once you realize there was thunder at Wintercote, then the rolling thunder pins down the time.

Rob7 days ago (6 edits)

For me, "rolling thunder" implies a longer, more stretched out low rumbling sound. Not the sharp whip crack of a thunderclap. It's also heavily implied that the death sounds in the game are not actual thunderclaps, they just sound similar. So they are not originating from a storm or anything. The rolling thunder line is much more ambiguous and could be read as bad weather approaching.

Deleted post7 days ago

Deleted 2 days ago

TheFriendlyEnemy7 days ago

I'll rot13 my spoilers from here on out because it's easier than dots.

Lrf, ohg vs gur znva ryrira jrer ahzorerq 1-11 ohg jvgubhg qrngu beqre, lbh pbhyq ernfbanoyl unir Ehcreg nf 0 be 12 - gurer'q abg or n tbbq jnl bs xabjvat juvpu jvgubhg gur ntrag gryyvat lbh. (Znlor rira 13, vs Xngurevar vf 12).

Crefbanyyl, V guvax gur bayl jnl gb unir n enaqbzvfrq beqre naq unir Ehcreg fgvyy or fbyinoyr vf unir Ehcreg nf 12 (ohg arire fgngrq), naq Xngurevar nf 13. Bapr gur cynlre frrf Xngurevar sbe gur svefg gvzr, gurl'q xabj bs punenpgref 1-11 naq 13 jvgu n pbafcvphbhf tnc vzcylvat fbzrbar unf orra ynoryrq 12, urapr ehyvat bhg 0.

itch.io

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