[After a brisk nap]

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

I'm willing to accept that. Actually, I thought about it some more, and my problem was really about that particular dream (which served no purpose storywise, and therefore felt more like an obligatory 'dream of the day').

It does in fact serve something of a purpose. In Yahtzee's commentary, he explains that:

Spoiler:

It is meant to make you think that the older DeFoe killed his son, and thus act as a red herring.

But that's the exact problem: there's too little backstory, and therefore it comes across as heavy-handed. It worked better on the first day (like the thing with the owner killing his wife and himself, which made you realise that something was going on), but this time it doesn't: you've got this big library with potientially lots of information, and the only thing the game gives you is that story with the father and his son. There's absolutely no reason (yet) to think that it should be especially relevant, apart from the fact that it's the only thing that the game chooses to dwell on. That's what I call a huge lack of subtlety.

I'm really trying to follow your argument here, but I don't understand what you're saying. As I pointed out above, there's plenty of backstory. In addition to everything you learned in Day 1, you also find out in Day 2 about a hidden tomb and a secret staircase. How can you simultaneously complain that the game distracts you with irrelevant information and that there isn't enough backstory?

I think there's good reason to expect a book on the history of the DeFoe family to be relevant. Let's step through Trilby's reasoning:

1. He discovers that he's trapped in the house, and that both windows and doors mysteriously refuse to let him out.
2. He find out that others have also been captured, in ways that defy natural explanation.
3. He learns that the house has a history of disappearances going back centuries.
4. He hears about the mysterious, out-of-character murder/suicide of the last DeFoe heir.
5. He notices that the house is full of artefacts from the original owner, whose personality has clearly set a deep mark on the building.
6. A painting of the original owner changes overnight.

I have no difficulty understanding why Trilby believes the house is haunted, and that it has something to do with the history of the house and the family that built it and lived there. A history of the DeFoes is much more likely to be relevant than, say, the complete works of PG Wodehouse.

Well, to me there was, as I didn't immediately think of looking in the swimming pool. And there's another character who seems to appear and disappear mysteriously: AJ. I mean, he's disappeared from the start of Day 1, but his body only turns up in the swimming pool on Day 2. Where was he during Day 1? I hope the game explains that later, because for the moment it just feels like that problem with magically disappearing characters.

Well, I think we know enough already to start answering that question. Wherever he was hiding during Day 1 (and if you think about it, it shouldn't be that difficult to work out where he must have been), we know he broke into the library that night, and did some research. Then he was killed, by someone or something, either in the library or somewhere else, and his body was hidden at the bottom of the pool.

And, once again, this is a story-telling problem. This game is basically sending two contradictory signals:
1) Be careful, people are disappearing and dying, you should make sure to check if you can find them, because they may turn up dead any moment. Be afraid. MWAHAHAHAHA!
2) Well, characters are there when the designer needs them, and then the rest of the time they're just nowhere. Don't worry, move along, there's no point even noticing that.
You see the problem? And the consequence of that is that the game can't let the player realise that someone is missing and start worrying about finding them, and instead has to rely on the other characters repeating that someone is missing. Once again, this lacks subtlety.

Well, the only time (so far) that people have gone missing for no reason is during Day 1 when you're trying to gather people in the lounge. And I agree, that's confusing. However, I don't think it's a particular problem that the other characters keep telling you that they don't know where AJ is, since it's completely natural for you to ask them about it.

I think it all depends on how you play the game. If you first notice the 'thing' in the pool, then it's quite logical that your mind would be set on finding a way to drain it. On the other hand, I started the day by talking to Jim, then going in the library (which was the 'new thing' of the day, and therefore (I thought) would be where the plot would progress), and got in my head that the goal of the day was to explore that secret passage in the kitchen.

That can't be right. You cannot look at the map until after you've talked to Philip and you've asked him for the metal detector. So you had at least some hint about another possibility to explore.

Why then would I even consider having a look at the pool? I think the problem for me worked in three steps, three connected design flaws:
1) The problem of the appearing / disappearing characters. See above. And that's why I didn't think AJ would materialise in the pool, and therefore I didn't think of looking there until much later.

Again, I don't get it. It's been made very clear that AJ's disappearance is of a different kind than the other characters' random dematerializations. It's also obvious that this is a horror game, so there's a good chance he's dead. So why shouldn't he be in the pool?

2) The game relies too much on random backtracking. I mean, it's been two days, and it has already happened twice: Jim in the tree and AJ in the pool. I'm completely willing to have a look around each room everyday, of course, but if that means having to look at / use everything in every room in hopes that something will have changed, then I don't like it. Actually, I find that even worse than the eagle in KQ1 (which I mentioned in the BASS playthrough as an example of bad backtracking). Also, note how in both cases this problem is related to the first one (the characters moving around magically).

It would have been better if there was some visual indication that something was up with the pool, definitely. However, it's possible to attempt and solve the puzzle without actually planning to drain it, which is a bit awkward, but at least means that it shouldn't be a player obstacle.

3) The designer expects you to play the story in a special order (that is, seeing that there's something to do with the pool first), instead of thinking that you could be seeing things a completely different way (and looking for a way to access the hidden passage).

Well, there's nothing to keep you from attempting to access the hidden passage. You just won't get very far right now. I think the question is whether the path that is open is signposted at all. And yes, I think it is:

• Your first task of the day should be to talk to the others. (For one reason, just to make sure they're all still alive.)
• When you talk to Philip, there'll be a dialogue option about borrowing his metal detector. If you can prove the tomb is not in the back yard, you can have it.
• Once you get the map, you'll see two things: a hidden staircase, and the location of the tomb.
• Clearly, you can then use the map to convince Philip to give you the metal detector.
• Once you have the detector, a careful player will be methodical and scan every likely surface, starting with the current screen.
• Scanning the garden will inform you that you "need a point to start"
• Move left one screen, and the pipe will provide that point.

If you missed one of the steps in this chain, well... that's what adventure games are about, right? You're not supposed to always be able to do it straight away. You're only supposed to have a fair chance.

You're right, he probably just materialised there the exact instant you first decide to look in the pool on Day 2.

What?
No, his body was probably hidden there some time during the night. He has probably been underwater for only a couple of hours. It isn't like he was drowned.

It would be interesting to consider this game as if we were playtesters, and make suggestions for ways to fix the problems we perceive. So far, I have:

• The interface
• Animation during the intro
• Trilby's initial motivation for trying to get out of the house
• Not have people disappear unless they're supposed to
• Allow Trilby to find the others in any order
• Dynamic conversations that take into account things you do and learn during the day
• Explain what the characters eat, and also where the others sleep
• Some visual (or other) hint that something is up with the pool
• Clearer indication that you're not supposed to be looking for the hidden staircase (yet)