Sleuth Home - Message Boards - Newbie Questions

Jan-9-2006 19:49

Heya, first post so take it easy on me =)

Are there ever more than 3 suspects on the Hard level? I was under the impression that there are only 3 up till Really Hard. If there are only 3, is it possible there is a bug sometimes? I had three solid suspects, used my research, knocked one of the three out, knocked the other one out through questioning and hair pieces. So logically, I guessed the last one. Well apparently, he wasn't it either. In fact, it was someone else that wasn't one of my three. When I find three suspects, I quit checking the rest of their alibis, I figure its a waste of questions. I'm not perfect, so I guess I could have wrote down the wrong name in my notes, but outside of that, has anyone ran across anything like this?

Thanks,

Ben Matlock *wink*

Jan-9-2006 20:05

On some levels there are x or x+1 suspects.
The Sleuth Helper, found on Communtiy Sites will help. :D
Good luck.

Jan-9-2006 20:18

Thanks for the quick response LED!! I'm using the Sleuth Helper, and it says 3 on hard. I just got another Hard with with 4 suspects. Maybe it was changed? On top of that, gonna rant here a sec, I got no clues and noone gave me much help. One of the 2, that thought they knew, died too quickly. Looks like I'll be visiting shady soon =( I guess I should stick to the lower levels a bit haha!

Jan-9-2006 20:55

Matlock, I believe that the three is AFTER using research.

Jan-10-2006 01:42

the X or X+1 is refering to the number of suspects in total not to the ones with fake alibi. Unless Ben made some changes the number of fakes should be constant per level and goes beyond 3 in harder level.
I have a list of the numbers, if you want it PM me. I wont post it here cause it might be considerd a spoiler.

Jan-10-2006 07:16

Thanks again for the responses!!

I just dropped down to an intermediate level, and I ran into the same problem. I've only done 50 cases, but I havn't seen this untill after I got research. The way I have been doing it is finding the suspects and then trying to find alibis and then validating them the best I can. I'm using sleuth helper, and whatever "level" I'm on, for instance Intermediate, I see it has 3 suspects. So, when I find three false alibis, I quit validating the others because I have found three suspects. I may have been doing this wrong and have just been lucky my first 50 cases, not sure. After reading through the site, I was under the impression that a fake alibi means he/she is a suspect. I just recently aquired research and that is when it started changing, so I can't help but think that it adds another suspect and then I have four instead of three. Is this what ya'll mean by X or X+1(if you have research)? Or can someone have a fake/none alibi and not be a suspect?

Sorry if this is confusing, I'm just a little confused at the moment.

Matlock

Jan-10-2006 08:14

I believe some of the trouble is terminology. All the people you talk to are suspects. Some have real alibis, which means they can not be the killer, some have fake/no alibis which mean they could be guilty. In each case there is a set number of suspects, but it can very by one at each level. (x or x+1) The amount of people who have a fake/no alibi is set at each level also. Obtaining research does not change that formula. It will only tell you that one of those people who would otherwise check out as having a fake alibi, actually has a real one and the person cleared by research can not be the guilty person.
I have to disagree with some of the numbers on Sleuth Helper. Perhaps those numbers should only be used as a guideline and not as hard and fast rules.

Jan-10-2006 09:11

On hard I only get two suspects on hard, and three on really hard (no/false alibi) I think that the numbers on sleuth helper regarding the total number of suspects are pretty much always accurate though I agree that it should only be used as guidelines. To be honest I never use the form as it's really slow on my computer and I prefer to write in my notebook with my special sleuthing pen!!

Jan-10-2006 12:13

Thanks again for the responses!!

Ahhh...so when sleuth helper says on hard it has three suspects, it could actually be four. I take it thats the X(for three) or X+1(for four). So by not checking out all the alibis, I could be pulling a Barney Fife, by shooting myself in the foot. I need to check out all the alibis, even when I find three none/fake alibis on a "hard" case. I honestly didn't know the X+1, I thought it was X, and I got X from Slueth Helper.

Thanks for all the help, and Marmalade, could I get one of those special sleuthing pens? =)

Jan-10-2006 12:43

Yeah sure from any good stationery shop - mine's a classic felt tip but I hear biros work quite well too!! ;)

Jan-10-2006 12:43

Oh and congrats on your first post!