Changed
Consequence-Driven Mechanics Overhaul: Reworked a massive lineup of classic cases (The Colour Out of Space, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Out of Time, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, Dagon, The Nameless City, The Hound, The Rats in the Walls, Innsmouth, and Blackwood Academy) to use a new consequence-driven framework.
Fail-Forward Investigations: Failed skill checks no longer allow for infinite, consequence-free retries. Instead, failures leave lasting costs—ranging from permanent injuries to fatal outcomes—but will still yield imperfect evidence to push the story forward.
Mutually Exclusive Routes: Investigations now require hard commitments. Choosing to pursue specific leads (e.g., archival research vs. physical exploration vs. witness testimony) will lock you out of others. Each route provides unique persistent evidence and alters how you approach the case finale.
Companion & NPC Trust System: Introduced visible relationship states (e.g., trusted, shaken) for key companions and critical NPCs across relevant cases. Earning their trust now grants tangible benefits (such as a labelled +15% assist) and can unlock new, case-specific major endings.
Pacing & Action Requirements: Expanded all reworked cases so that reaching any non-death ending requires a minimum number of deliberate actions. Consequence-free waiting has been replaced with progressive, layered investigations (e.g., cross-checking testimony, testing hypotheses).
Standardized Case Authoring: Updated internal documentation to ensure all future adaptations preserve the Lovecraftian atmosphere, feature natural bilingual prose, fail-forward design, meaningful companion states, and clear engine-derived warnings.
Fixed
Localization & Clarity: Smoothed out awkward phrasing in the Chinese localization during extended investigations. Clarified the opportunity costs, the facts learned, and the fail-forward outcomes for each player action.