Hanako Games

Naughty photos (now outdated)

#1 by somestrangecircus - Mar 29 2015

If the girl whose picture is out says it's art, detaining her should crack her, and then if you earlier found the picture on a girl's phone, detain that girl as well. That usually works for me.

Re: Solving Mysteries - General Hints / Tips / Strategy

#2 by hanako - Mar 29 2015

(checks the source)

Actually, it's because that case is mean, and the solution is a spoiler.

This case variant can only be closed by expelling the model or by successfully detaining at least two people. The picture was already in circulation before you found out about it and there's no way to find everyone with a copy; only harsh punishment shuts the problem down.

I am willing to entertain arguments discussing whether or not that's horribly unfair and should be changed, or at least better hinted.

Re: Solving Mysteries - General Hints / Tips / Strategy

#3 by Montoya - Mar 30 2015

With the disclaimer that I'm really bad at Hanako's games (it took me an embarrassingly long time to survive Long Live The Queen), I think this is pointing to a core issue with how closing cases is handled: as a player, I am really super-reluctant to detain, suspend, or expel someone unless I know for sure that will close the case, and I'm never sure if it will: for ages I was completely unaware that expelling the goth was the correct way to handle the case when she hated the world- I felt it was effectively reputation hit as a punishment for not figuring out how to close the case any other way. I think in general, at least small hints about when harsh punishments are suitable would be helpful in a lot of cases: until I read otherwise here, I had been under the impression that every case was closeable without suspensions/expulsions.

Speaking of Suspicious Similarity, is it always guaranteed that it starts with two girls cheating? Because I've gotten variants where three girls had the same test score but one continued to insist that she was innocent until the end, and one variant where all four had the same score and I took tons of hits harassing people who'd worked hard and earned their marks.

Re: Solving Mysteries - General Hints / Tips / Strategy

#4 by hanako - Mar 30 2015

Montoya:

Speaking of Suspicious Similarity, is it always guaranteed that it starts with two girls cheating?

Nope. There may be no cheaters at all.

There are very few guarantees in this game.

Except the guarantee that one girl is a traitor at the start. Even though the game hints will suggest otherwise just to mislead you. Seriously, there is always a traitor. I promise.

Re: Solving Mysteries - General Hints / Tips / Strategy

#5 by Darksilverhawk - Mar 30 2015

I have to say that I don't think I, as a player, would have ever figured that solution out without outside help. Three established gameplay conventions jump to mind that would in fact point me directly away from that solution:
a) In almost every other case in the game, getting the perp to confess and apologize is enough, no matter how severe the crime. (oh, you were spiking your "friends" with sedatives? No biggie, just don't do it again.")
b) In every other cell phone variant, deleting the copies or cheering up the victim is a valid solution.
c) (and this is the big one) There's no in-game indication that the picture is in wide-spread circulation and that this is a case where you need to come down harder than... well, any other case. As in the above, in every other case finding and shutting down the known copies is enough, as in most cases it's the girls forwarding it around to their friends.

Expulsion or harsh punishment as a solution would never have crossed my mind; nothing ever indicates to me "this is an unforgivable offense." Up to that case, the only times expulsion is the solution is when someone is clearly and willfully breaking the rules and is resistant to punishment; it is the action of last resort when all else has failed and only physical removal of the suspect will stop the behavior. And the girls with the picture aren't actively doing anything wrong either, so it never would have occurred to me to punish them more harshly than necessary to remove the file from their possession. In fact, the first time it happened I thought I had encountered a bug where the case just didn't close properly.

So there's my thought process as a player.

(But imagine how neurotic you'd make all of us as players if occasionally there wasn't a traitor at all. Wait, on second thought, don't think about that.)

Re: Solving Mysteries - General Hints / Tips / Strategy

#6 by hanako - Mar 30 2015

(But imagine how neurotic you'd make all of us as players if occasionally there wasn't a traitor at all. Wait, on second thought, don't think about that.)

I think vaguely suggesting it in the hints is evil enough

... And, of course, making it happen with a one in a thousand chance, just to completely screw with you.

Which I haven't done.

Right?