Hanako Games

Updates (versions 1.1 to 1.1.19) - Includes EASY MODE

#1 by Spiky Caterpillar - Jun 22 2015

Changes between 1.1 and 1.1.11

New Features:
* Teacher's Pet mode added. It limits your cases to one a week and adds an extra training point for all cases closed with grades higher than F.
* Actions that take several rolls (like Search) now grey out the messages pertaining to previous rolls, which should make it a little clearer what roll goes with what text. If you see any leftover actions that don't grey things out when you think they should, let us know.
* Odds should now be colourized and spaced out a little better.

Crash fixes:
* Unsuspending students in a couple of gambling variants should no longer crash.
* "global name 'httplib' is not defined" crash when an error occurs during update fixed. (Note: if you're getting this crash repeatedly, you should request a new installer. The crash can also be caused by problems with your network connection or firewall software)
* Unsuspending your informant in one Shock To The System variant should no longer crash.

Other fixes:
* Saved games should now store difficulty more reliably. Previously, they would only contain a difficulty setting if it had been changed after the game was started.
* Vonne no longer takes Mallory's lines after watching The Dragon's Pilot.
* An error message during save made clearer.
* The messages for persuasion and harrassment in a couple A Delicate Blossom variants have been cleaned up.
* Now lets you upload a save if it jumped to a non-loadable location for some reason. (I think saves with non-loadable locations are rare, but the upload option will let you correct me if I'm wrong.)
* Errors while saving should now be clearer about where they occurred.
* Vince no longer in random student names.
* Better logging for one of the graffitti cases.
* Cleaner handling when loading games that were somehow saved in an invalid location.

Behind the scenes:
* Debug messages trimmed.
* A lot of tweaks to the as-yet-unplayable plotless/custom minion mode. (Which is also why we've gone through eleven versions without taking anything out of alpha)
* Some code cleanup.
* As usual, fixes to several crashes introduced by the new features.

Other things worth noting:
Sometimes, when unsuspending, you'll get a pile of messages warning you about missing images. These aren't going to break your game, but it's worth reporting them when they occur so we'll know where we should clean up the display a little.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1)

#2 by hanako - Jun 22 2015

Since the big parts aren't always clear in Spiky's pile of information, we are now testing EASY MODE.

If you've been playing the game and making no headway, please have a look at the new difficulty setting and see how you get on with it.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1)

#3 by Dragondave17 - Jun 22 2015

Not sure where to report bugs and similar things (long time beta-tester and game-breaker), anyway here goes.

edit: new version 1.11
Well I feel silly after downloading the update, I didn't find any bugs in 1.11
(I think there was a grading related bug based on maxing karma/school rep in 1.1, but it looks like it was already fixed by the time I found it, and I'm receiving * grades again).

edit2: playing on "normal"(loaded dice/see results), with 100/100 karma/rep 2nd playthrough. edit3: tested for school rep as well as karma (A Delicate Blossom) and it all went fine.

edit4: I redid the "Mountain & Molehill" task from a previous task, and it gave me 11 Karma(to cap) instead of 25 and an A grade again. Maybe it's just that task.

Feature Request:
Can we have the option to pull up the calendar to check for special dates, and not just at the start of a week? I have a bad memory.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#4 by phoenixgirl - Jun 24 2015

I don't have any bugs to report but I have been trying out easy mode and it is a lot more doable to solve the cases now. ^^

Bought the game a few days ago and am enjoying it immensely.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#5 by Franka - Jun 24 2015

I tried easy mode, for the heck of it. I failed a LOT of cases (more than usual), and had several cases where expulsion was the only way out. By the ending, I had many more skill points than I usually do though, but I needed many items to solve the traitor case since my stats were very low at that point in the game. I don't think I was able to solve it until I was already far along the steam tunnels case.

In other news, Rowan's romance path seems more complete now than what I remember from the first time playing it.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#6 by hanako - Jun 24 2015

Yeah, there were several Rowan scenes that were not showing up in early builds and I think you played through her route before we figured out that they were missing.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#7 by Darksilverhawk - Jun 25 2015

If I still have the old beta installer, can I install that and patch up the current version, or am I better off getting a fresh installer?
I had to re-image my hard-drive yesterday, much fun was had.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#8 by hanako - Jun 25 2015

Well, it won't hurt to try, and if you were able to upgrade without forcible intervention in the past it may still work. The real problem hits a handful of people who have a combination of the earliest installers, the operating system that didn't like those early installers, and have never upgraded.

Also, if you have your license key you should be able to upgrade straight from a new demo install as well, if your connection is up to it.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#9 by Darksilverhawk - Jun 25 2015

Huh. Well, the attempt to upgrade from the beta installer didn't work- as far as I can tell, because I no longer had gpg installed. It immediately threw an error at me and crashed to desktop when I tried to install (the?) gpg.

Well, I tried again on the demo (updating from demo to full 1.1) and it crashed again. When I tried to upload the traceback, it prompted me to download gpg again and this time it seemed successful. I think I got the traceback through, and I tried again and it seems to have downloaded correctly.

Though- puzzlingly- it never asked for my license key. It said I would need one to upgrade but it upgraded without me ever inputting it. edit: I did enter it when trying to update from the beta installer, but then I uninstalled that version before installing the demo. Is it left on the system?

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#10 by hanako - Jun 26 2015

The license key is stored elsewhere so just uninstalling wouldn't remove it.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#11 by Queenlands - Jun 26 2015

How do I update this game? I bought it from Hanako's website and got the order through BMT. Will I get emailed with updates or what?

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#12 by hanako - Jun 26 2015

Go to the Options menu. There's an Updates button on the left-hand side. From there you can check for new patches.

You'll have to specifically say if you want to look at beta patches, which are still being tested, otherwise it will only offer you the patches that are considered to be stable.

Don't download Alpha patches unless we specifically tell you to - that's usually stuff Spiky and I are working on and is likely to crash. We don't put it into beta until after I've played it.

You'll need the license key from your original download email in order to access patches.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#13 by baldersen - Jul 2 2015

I had a minor bug playing with version 1.1 in the case down in the underground. The lower toilets mention slave offering.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#14 by hanako - Jul 2 2015

ah, looks like a tag didn't clear from an earlier case. thanks!

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#15 by FantasyFan - Jul 2 2015

Well, the easy mode seems to be working for me (at long last I can finally progress into the second semester!). It's still pretty challenging, though, but I'd say it offers just the right amount of challenge.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#16 by Cerberusia - Jul 4 2015

Easy Mode definitely works better for me. In the first term it gives me a case every Monday, then in the following terms (I want to say the next two, but I've suddenly remembered that it's American and might have the semester system) I get a case every Monday and Wednesday. I did clear the game on Normal, but found it too difficult to be really enjoyable; Teacher's Pet is much more my speed, thank you Hanako!

1.1.17 changelog

#17 by Spiky Caterpillar - Jul 6 2015

1.1.17 is in beta with an assortment of minor changes:
* Fixed some load/unsuspend errors.
* Better handling of crashes that occur during load.
* Cleaned up a stray pixel on student smallcards in some downscaled resolutions.
* Better debugging info if encryption fails.
* Controllers now print fewer debugging messages.

(Behind the scenes, there's been a lot of work on custom councillor mode.)

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#18 by Fiogan - Jul 9 2015

Long time lurker and fan of Hanako Games - I think I've played them all, to date. I've played through Black Closet on both Normal and Easy modes now, and enjoyed Easy best just because I could concentrate on the story. I love the characters and the dynamic plot. So many mysteries, on so many levels.

I found a few errors and typos in my last play-through:
(Note, the browser ate my original reply, so I'm going to try to recreate them from memory)
1. 'got a an 87 on the test' in Suspicious Similarities.
2. I found that in Easy mode, it was actually harder to identify the traitor than in Normal mode. In Normal mode, I usually knew who it was by the end of three weeks. In Easy, the numbers were more ambiguous, and so were the amount of lemons coming from Supplies. It'd be nice if at least the lemons were consistent in Easy mode.
3. Several of the cases clocked in at eight or nine days, when I actually solved them after two or three. The specific case numbers were eaten when the browser/forum page died, sorry.
4. When I soothed all the nervous test-takers before midterm, after I calmed the last one there was no notification of any kind, no change in my brownie points, nothing, even though the case file had disappeared from the screen.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#19 by hanako - Jul 9 2015

Will check on the 'a an', thanks.

There should be no difference in lemons or ambiguousness between normal and easy, only the luck of the dice. However, the lower number of cases gives you fewer opportunities to see the traitor in action.

3. Several of the cases clocked in at eight or nine days, when I actually solved them after two or three.

Not sure what you mean here - do you mean it said Time +8 Days? That means that you solved the case with 8 days remaining on the clock, not that it took you 8 days to solve it.

When I soothed all the nervous test-takers before midterm, after I calmed the last one there was no notification of any kind, no change in my brownie points, nothing, even though the case file had disappeared from the screen.

This is normal, since it's not really a case, exactly, it's a special event. Doing absolutely nothing on that 'case' also won't get you a failure or any rep/karma loss.

Re: New Beta content + bugfixes (post 1.1) - Includes EASY M

#20 by Darksilverhawk - Jul 16 2015

In the hallway scenes (I noticed it when inviting girls to do stuff on the weekend) the bottom black bar in art style 2 is very slightly misaligned; there's a one pixel bar of the background peeking through on the left.

1.1.19 changelog

#21 by Spiky Caterpillar - Jul 17 2015

Changes between 1.1.17 and 1.1.19:
Closing the slave ring case now clears the 'Slave Offering?' tag from locations. (If you're using saves started in older versions, reused locations may still get the wrong note.)
Crash closing the slave ring case in 1.1.18 fixed.
A bug that would cause the options screen to show the wrong difficulty under some circumstances has been fixed.
Saves that contain screens not present in the current version now give warnings instead of crashing on load.

The way saves and tracebacks are encrypted has been tweaked; this may make some large saves that wouldn't upload before now upload. (At least some large saves still don't upload when encrypted, though, so we'll be revisiting this)