Sleuth Home - Message Boards - Newbie Questions

Jan-14-2009 16:04

can you actually use the kit to, for example footprint if they are heavy or not, i have footprint anylsis but end up have to guess because all it says is that you found a footprint

Jan-14-2009 16:08

No. It's just an item giving you stats like any other equipment.

Jan-14-2009 16:41

thanks for the help

Jan-15-2009 04:12

I see you're a bit dissapointed with your crime scene results, so let me fill you in a bit, as in my experience the evidence is what usually brakes the toughest cases.

First of all, what you should know is that the evidence you find on the first crime scene run is all the evidence you will ever find about that case, no matter what you do. Each level of dificulty presents a maximum number of evidence pieces you can find: from 2 to 4. You don't always find all of them and what you don't find, you'll never do.

Second think to know is that each type of evidence skill has 2 learning degrees: basic and advanced. The basic skill just allows you to find a certain type of evidence, i.e. footprint, note, etc. The advanced skill MAY give you more info, i.e. note from a right handed person. You start by default with handwriting and footprint basic skills. The rest you have to acquire. Higher skills combined with wearing smart gear can help you get a wider variety of info on the crime scene.

Now, the only thing that can help you analyze further the evidence you find is the crime lab inside an agency. When you store a case, the evidence can be seen and analyzed in the crime lab by another agent. Note that:
- you cannot analyze evidence from your own case...well...maybe only if another detective opens it and the stores on his name - not verified info;
- a detective can only analyze a piece of evidence once per day;
- there is a failure rate to this action;

At last, the best and easyest way to handle a piece of evidence, no matter how detailed it is, is to have a fellow agent who has the NPC handling that kind of evidence as a contact. He can open your case and run all suspects through his contact who will pinpoint the one who left it. Of course, that's not necessarilly your murderer, but at least you'll rule out that piece of evidence.

Now, sorry for this long post, but I have learned that wider answers to a question can also present answers to many others.

Jan-16-2009 13:17

thanks for the help,i play the other sleuth game and there you actually have to search the crime scene. i will have to get used to the change

Jan-16-2009 14:21

Yes, this version is more simple that SOD, but I, for one, like it better. I hope you won't ditch it for the other one :)

Jan-17-2009 14:46

It might be helpful to go have a look at the Tutorial on the Login page of Sleuth Noir, and the FAQ page (found at the bottom as a tab of every page) and the Welcome Newbies thread (found right at the top of this board). The Tutorial takes you through an actual case, step by step, and shows you some of the ins and outs of how to solve a case. The FAQs have some of the most frequently asked questions (well, duh ;-) about the basics of Sleuth. And the Welcome Newbies thread goes into all the intricacies of casework, including things like factions, evidence handling (like above), agencies, contacts, etc, etc, etc. You might be surprised how much info is available, if you just take the time to have a look for it. ;-)

Breit

Jan-21-2009 08:00

Playing incredibly hard difficulty, I sometimes have only 3 PE instead of 4. I'm very smart, with the full set of smart skills except factions. Just wondering: will there ever be a case where my 3 PE don't match anyone with a fake alibi? What happens then?

Jan-21-2009 12:48

Simply put, no, you won't. Some cases, even at the AI level, only have 3 pieces of evidence. Presuming you have Basic Hair and Thread Analyses, you will find all the evidence at a scene there is to find, always. You just may not find all of the evidence's characteristics.

If you come across a case where the PE doesn't match anyone with a fake alibi, one of three things have happened. One, and the far more likely scenario, is that something's screwy with your paperwork--ie.--somewhere along the line of your deductions, you've made a mistake. Second scenario is that you didn't find all of your suspects--ie--you got to 8 on your list, and automatically called it quits, not realizing there's a hidden ninth out there somewhere. Guess what. Number nine's your killer. Third scenario, and the far least likely to happen, is somehow, somewhere, your case has picked up the proverbial bug. It does happen, albeit rarely. You'd need to submit a Bug Report to Admin about that.

Hope all that helps. Good luck!!

Breit

Jan-22-2009 01:38

Breit, I'm a little confused here. I know each difficulty level has a certain maximum number of evidence pieces you can find, provided, of course, that you have all the necessary skills for them. I was though under the impression that when you find less pieces of evidence than the maximum number for a case, it is just bad luck, the missing piece of evidence does in fact exist and can actually be the one pointing the killer. Was I wrong?

If I was really wrong about this and it's a certainty that each crime scene search allways provides all the pieces...my life will get much easyer from now on...hehe

Jan-22-2009 05:42

When you have all the necessary skills to open up a crime scene you will always find all the necessary pieces of evidence to solve your case, regardless of whether it is 3 or 4 PEs.

Now "Bulldog" your life should be much easier..lol