DirkBogan on 10/5/2020 at 02:09
This is the right way to make a puzzle FM. It isn't cryptic on account of withholding or giving misleading information, but challenges the player to think without interrupting the flow. Discoveries are paced very well, and you always have a sense of where to go and what to do next, even while exploring areas that seem to be ancillary to those objectives. The way that access to the Seasonal Suites wrapped around back to the balcony flowed perfectly.
As the mission progresses, the layout becomes increasingly fascinating. Lots of creative terrain and object brushwork. The double spiral staircase was a joy to discover. Some of the decor gave me an uncanny feeling of being too spartan, but it was all meticulously aligned. The implementation of infinite terrain (endless staircase, falling outside with an endless facade) was flawless. I had to check in DromEd to confirm how these were achieved. And of course, the puzzles were excellent, none frustrating but all rewarding: I figured out that I should get the Aleph Stone in Brouwer's Painting World without even trying it in the 'real' world first, so it's possible that might be frustrating otherwise.
I only have two general criticisms: 1) many guard patrols were far too simple, and presumably came an afterthought (e.g. the dining area with lots of gold dishware could have had one or two guards who only patrol there, instead of the two who merely pass through it). 2) the stock and custom resources, especially the ambients, often clashed noticeably. However, custom resources are often poorly chosen and poorly used in other FMs, whereas all of them were wonderful here. It is only when the two are juxtaposed that it became an issue.
Maybe some secrets were a bit easy (e.g. getting into the locked Captain's room via a flowerbed felt like a secret, but crouching to find two gold goblets or looking behind an armoire didn't). But if that's the level of nitpick I have to stoop to, this is clearly a great FM. Especially in light of the ending, I eagerly await the follow up!
EDIT: Oh, a gameplay point I forgot to make! Having to hold in the Staff Room button before doing the Penthouse code was a great way to introduce a non-standard mechanic.
prjames on 10/5/2020 at 02:09
I'm stuck in the same place Galaer was, but I don't even have a meeting room key.
Playing at Bachelor's difficulty.
- prjames
trefoilknot on 10/5/2020 at 02:30
@DirkBogan
High praise, thank you kindly! I agree with all your criticisms, but I'm glad they didn't sap your enjoyment too much.
@prjames
I'll reiterate my earlier hints:
Quote Posted by trefoilknot
@Galaer
Minor hint: The
note to Kevel will provide the indications for what to do next. There are several important hints contained within it.
Bigger hint: The
Staff Only Area and
Penthouse should be your next steps.
And further clarify that if you have the
note to Kevel you already have everything you need to progress.
Task 2 tells you exactly how to get into the Staff Only area.
Galaer on 10/5/2020 at 08:05
I'm stuck again. This time because I need few keys. I need keys for Hotel Administration, Chef of Staff and Autumn Suite. And also I never found keys for glass showcases with Builder's Hammer and Chisel. I still didn't found any use for LimeAway and Wet Sponge. Also I think something broke with Brouwer's Painting. It teleports me back in front of painting instead to some sealed area. I have access to whole hotel, but nothing changed and game thinks I'm in painting. Weird.
urgrue on 10/5/2020 at 08:29
Quote Posted by Galaer
I need keys for
Hotel Administration, Chef of Staff and Autumn Suite. And also I never found keys for
glass showcases with Builder's Hammer and Chisel.
You first need to
gain access to the Chief of Staff's room. Try to find another way in.Quote Posted by Galaer
Also I think something broke with
Brouwer's Painting. It teleports me back in front of painting instead to some sealed area. I have access to whole hotel, but nothing changed and game thinks I'm in painting. Weird.
That's what should happen.
Galaer on 10/5/2020 at 09:28
How to open color safe? I tried divide numbers from list by number of switches and I got 51324, but it's wrong. Tried to use switches in order from smallest number to biggest and I got 52341. Also wrong. Then I decided to search for letters corresponding to colors and use them in order. So I got: white, sea, green, violet, red. It gave me 15342, but it's still wrong. Then I decided to press color switches number of times that were on the list. In other words I pressed 1st switch 20 times, etc. But this didn't work either. I am really clueless.
radogoal on 10/5/2020 at 09:53
i stuck also at the beginning. i have a sponge a lime and 1 bunch of keys.
but how can i get into staff only or penthouse or one of the floors :confused:
urgrue on 10/5/2020 at 10:07
@Galaer: Have you read the auditor's note on the desk in that room? It hints at what things you are looking for.
@radogoal: Read the note to Kevel for help with the buttons.
Jack Lee on 10/5/2020 at 10:16
Quote Posted by urgrue
@Galaer: Have you read
the auditor's note on the desk in that room?
It hints at what things you are looking for.@radogoal: Read
the note to Kevel for help with the buttons. In the storage room there's a chest with loot (the platonic crystals), the storage room key and nothing else.Major spoiler ahead:
EDIT... Again! Ok so this is puzzle was annoying because if you take the loot from the storage room and if you don't know how important it is, you're kinda stuck. Unless I've missed a note describing the number of surfaces/color combination, take a screenshot or make a note of the number of surfaces of each crystal you take from the chest. Purple = 4, Green = 6, blue = 20, red = 8, white = 12 (the diamond mentioned). Code = blue, green, red, white, purple.
trefoilknot on 10/5/2020 at 10:34
As per the readme, none of the puzzles require you to do math. But that insight about the diamond may still prove useful. :)
Just keep plugging along, and maybe the solution will be more apparent later. It's not impeding any of your progress towards beating the mission.