Dreams in the Witch House

[agentbauer]

Did another playthrough with Version 1.03. I've to say I am so impressed by that game. The number of different endings you can get is really astonishing,

Each time I replay it I find something new. The last playthrough gave me, so I think, the best ending:
Walter is alive and working with the Professor, the witch is dead, the Child is alive and with his mother, the Cultists have been stopped by the Police.
Is this the best ending, or did I miss something, maybe anything with Allison?

I really hope you make good money with this gem, as I stated before, it's a must buy..
And I encountered not one bug.

[The Last To Know]

Each time I replay it I find something new. The last playthrough gave me, so I think, the best ending:
Walter is alive and working with the Professor, the witch is dead, the Child is alive and with his mother, the Cultists have been stopped by the Police.
Is this the best ending, or did I miss something, maybe anything with Allison?

This is the ending I got on my second playthrough. Nice!

[rongel]

Is this the best ending, or did I miss something, maybe anything with Allison?

I really hope you make good money with this gem, as I stated before, it's a must buy..
And I encountered not one bug.

Congrats! Yes, if I remember correctly, those are the requirements for the good ending. Did you get the achievement for that? There are some other additions as well you might achieve: Walter might have close friends, he could have finished his theory etc... Examining the achievement list may give more ideas.
Really happy that you had a good experience with the game! The new 1.04 patch arrived today, so hopefully all the significant bugs are now gone (and Steam Cloud saves are now supported too).

[SarahLiz]

I really like this game...like someone else said though, even on Easy Mode it doesn't really seem all that easy to me... 

Spoiler

  I'm assuming the biggest difference lies in the fact that it's a bit more forgiving...like say, if you go outside without buying a raincoat (and it's raining), you don't get sick quite as easily or something.  Is that the biggest difference?  I'm just curious.  I feel like I'm studying like a crazy person and still doing poorly on my exams (despite not being hungry, tired, etc.), and studying the occult isn't allowing me to progress in my theory paper yet either. Having any money by the last part of the week seems nearly impossible in that I can't seem to NOT get mugged by those brutes! 

Spoiler

All this to say that I obviously have quite a ways to go to figure this thing out, lol.  I feel like I spend most of my time just trying to keep Walter alive and with a dollar in his pocket.    This is quite the game you've made!

[close]

[close]

[rongel]

All this to say that I obviously have quite a ways to go to figure this thing out, lol.  I feel like I spend most of my time just trying to keep Walter alive and with a dollar in his pocket.    This is quite the game you've made!

Yes, even the easy difficulty may be challenging at first    But when you get the hang of the mechanics, it should be quite forgiving. The difficulty levels affect how much money Walter gets from the various tasks / events, how intense the disturbances are and several other survival related things. You could check this survival guide I made on the Steam forums if it helps https://steamcommunity.com/app/1902850/discussions/0/3777994854965590184/

Remember that you don't have to study or take the exams, sometimes it's better focus on your well being. Keep at it, I'm sure you will get the hang of it 

[Crimson Wizard]

@SarahLiz, I think something was changed in the forums, and now you have to type [ spoiler ] instead of [ hide ].

[SarahLiz]

@rongel  I will definitely check that out because I need all the help I can get!  Thanks for posting some tips!


@Crimson Wizard  Thank you!!  I was so stumped...didn't want to cause any trouble   

[agentbauer]

@rongel
This is the first game in years I've played multiple times in such a short time, now with version 1.04.
Got the ending like before, but also finished the theory and made good friends with Allison.
I have two questions.
First, you might think about adding a nightmare difficulty after finishing the game in ironman mode, including a new archivment for hardcore players and
second, a mode with enough money to play the game in casual, maybe Walter plays lotto and wins 20$ per week....
The easy mode is challengening for casual players (like my wife) and she stopped playing afer spending all the money... Women

Are you planning doing other Lovecraft inspired games? If yes, take my money

[SarahLiz]

I second that about the "Casual Mode" with more money...haha.  Although I did read over your tips on Steam & there are a couple (skipping an exam or 2; and buying sleeping pills (assuming I can hang on to a few dollars somehow)) that I will definitely try. 

As hard as it is for most developers or other gamers to understand, I really enjoy playing games where the fighting is easy, the puzzle solving is easier, etc.  I tend to buy or download games purely for the story, so I know for a fact that I've missed out on lots of great ones because there was no TRUE easy mode.  My brain is fried after a long day at work--I have no more neurons to use for difficult gaming!   

[rongel]

@rongel
This is the first game in years I've played multiple times in such a short time, now with version 1.04.
Got the ending like before, but also finished the theory and made good friends with Allison.
I have two questions.
First, you might think about adding a nightmare difficulty after finishing the game in ironman mode, including a new archivment for hardcore players and
second, a mode with enough money to play the game in casual, maybe Walter plays lotto and wins 20$ per week....
The easy mode is challengening for casual players (like my wife) and she stopped playing afer spending all the money... Women

Are you planning doing other Lovecraft inspired games? If yes, take my money

I thought that the Hard difficulty combined with the Ironman mode was already a nightmare! You are a pro. At this moment, I don't want to add any big changes because they would break the save game compatibility. Not decided on the next project, it may take a couple of years to recuperate from this one 

I second that about the "Casual Mode" with more money...haha.  Although I did read over your tips on Steam & there are a couple (skipping an exam or 2; and buying sleeping pills (assuming I can hang on to a few dollars somehow)) that I will definitely try. 

As hard as it is for most developers or other gamers to understand, I really enjoy playing games where the fighting is easy, the puzzle solving is easier, etc.  I tend to buy or download games purely for the story, so I know for a fact that I've missed out on lots of great ones because there was no TRUE easy mode.  My brain is fried after a long day at work--I have no more neurons to use for difficult gaming! 

Very interesting to hear that opinion! At this moment, I'm hesitant to touch the difficulty, because it overall seems to be working for most of the players. Mainly I feel that I should do a better job explaining the mechanics, if you are struggling with the Easy difficulty. And the point of the game is not necessarily get the best ending, I tried to make even the worst ending entertaining 
If you have any specific questions / problems, I'm happy to help!

[SarahLiz]

Oh--I completely understand, and I'm probably in the teeny-tiny minority here anyway.  I appreciate you even reading/considering my comment, and I hope I didn't make it sound as though I'm not enjoying playing the game.  Currently, I'm only about 3 or 4 weeks into it anyway, so who knows what will happen to poor Walter?   

I did try using a save game a few times to "test" things out a bit (e.g., seeing how long I could go without taking medicine while sick, how tired I could get, or how hungry I could become, without it causing me to totally suffer or even die), in order to kind of see what corners I could cut here or there.  It really is fun to try & sort things out, and I swear once I think I have a system all figured out...Bam!  Something completely unexpected puts a kink into things.

All that blathering to say that you've made a really great game!  You're very talented.  It seems as though everyone is really loving it, and once I'm done myself, I'll be leaving a positive review on Steam as well. 

[rongel]

Oh--I completely understand, and I'm probably in the teeny-tiny minority here anyway.  I appreciate you even reading/considering my comment, and I hope I didn't make it sound as though I'm not enjoying playing the game.  Currently, I'm only about 3 or 4 weeks into it anyway, so who knows what will happen to poor Walter?   

I did try using a save game a few times to "test" things out a bit (e.g., seeing how long I could go without taking medicine while sick, how tired I could get, or how hungry I could become, without it causing me to totally suffer or even die), in order to kind of see what corners I could cut here or there.  It really is fun to try & sort things out, and I swear once I think I have a system all figured out...Bam!  Something completely unexpected puts a kink into things.

All that blathering to say that you've made a really great game!  You're very talented.  It seems as though everyone is really loving it, and once I'm done myself, I'll be leaving a positive review on Steam as well. 

Thanks! Actually I'm considering making the easy difficulty slightly easier. You are not alone, there are many people want to focus on the story

[SarahLiz]

That's awesome!  Let us know if/when that new version is released!

[rongel]

That's awesome!  Let us know if/when that new version is released!

Oh, it's already out  Patch 1.05 arrived last Thursday, here's the full change log: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1902850/allnews/

Some of the difficulty changes, like starting money amount and weekly allowance amount require a new game, others should kick in without any problems. It would be great to hear if the patch makes the game easier and does it let you focus on the story.

[agentbauer]

That's awesome!  Let us know if/when that new version is released!

Oh, it's already out  Patch 1.05 arrived last Thursday, here's the full change log: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1902850/allnews/

Some of the difficulty changes, like starting money amount and weekly allowance amount require a new game, others should kick in without any problems. It would be great to hear if the patch makes the game easier and does it let you focus on the story.

Thanks for the info, rogel. Just updated the game and my wife wants to try it (easy mode).
I'll let you know, if the game is now easier for her.

[Matti]

I'll try to give more feedback after I have finished my second playthrough (I did the first one in the days after the release), but I just want to point out one QoL improvement:

It would be nice to directly see the amount of pills, food etc. when hovering the mouse over it in the inventory. Similar to the money in the wallet it could say "3x food" or "sleeping pills, 2 left"..

Anyway, great work with the game 

[SarahLiz]

That's awesome!  Let us know if/when that new version is released!

Oh, it's already out  Patch 1.05 arrived last Thursday, here's the full change log: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1902850/allnews/

Some of the difficulty changes, like starting money amount and weekly allowance amount require a new game, others should kick in without any problems. It would be great to hear if the patch makes the game easier and does it let you focus on the story.

Oh wow ok!  It doesn't list anything regarding an "easier easy" mode on the patch notes, but that's really awesome.  I'm about 3/4 through my first run (no CLUE how I'm still alive, but I have definitely had to prioritize studies/rat hole/anything that makes me more money, over solving the MAIN game story (no spoilers)), so when I do a 2nd playthrough it'll be really nice to feel like I can branch out more.  As it is, there's no WAY I'm getting the good ending, so I have more motivation to try again now!

[Matti]

I'm still in my second playthrough and currently don't find much time to continue, so I'll post some thoughts I've written down while playing (today's update gave me the impulse):

Spoiler

- Minor thing: Walter faces door 2 when interacting with it, but doesn't face door 1 (before knowing about Joe)

- There could be the option to buy light bulbs in the general store, so you could have an extra bulb, or get one without having to wait for Mrs. Dombrowski to bring a new one. It would also make sense to ask Joe for a light bulb, whether he actually has one or not.

- It happened several times that I exited the university library via the map only to realize that I forgot to borrow a book that I had in the inventory. Walter then just says that he'll return the book. It would be quite time saving if there was the possibility to stay at the library in that case, instead of leaving. There could be a message with options:
"You have books in the inventory that you haven't borrowed.
1) Return the books and leave
2) Stay at the library"

- What I found strange was the fact that my "freezing" status didn't go down while I was chopping wood on a sunny day. This doesn't really make sense and I really anticipated it going down, which would also be cool gameplay-wise. Making money and getting warmer

- Minor: When talking to the boy in the alley it doesn't really make sense that Walter says "I'll be back soon" when asked for a proof to be student, if he has his student card in the inventory. Maybe he could say "I'll see what I have" or something similar.

- I would prefer decimal/float numbers in the status/skills panel instead af rounded numbers.

Also the rounding seems odd. I had an exams value of 6.9 and it showed 7, but I also had a Math value of 2.8 and it only showed 2.

[close]

[rongel]

I'm still in my second playthrough and currently don't find much time to continue, so I'll post some thoughts I've written down while playing (today's update gave me the impulse):

Thanks for the good suggestions! Some of the bigger changes would break the save game compatibility, so I'm hesitant to add them yet (for example the light bulb in general store). But some would be easy to implement, like the chopping of the wood idea (which I like very much!). Something to consider for the next patch!

The rounding of the float numbers is a tricky one, and I'm not sure if I can affect it. All the decimal numbers should be using the default round down option, but sometimes thing like you described happens.

[rongel]

Dreams in the Witch House just entered its first Steam Sale, it's now 20% off!

STEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1902850/Dreams_in_the_Witch_House/

Also, the game received its fifth update today, so if you haven't yet picked it up, now's a perfect time!