Did you not realize the architect book was multiple pages? I didn’t for a bit there.
Yup, that was indeed it. D’oh!
Keep that in mind for later. I think there are a few books/documents that don’t look like they would have more than one page and they do.
Simple thing to miss.
Passed a major milestone (I think) in opening room 1847 and being transported to some kind of creepy maze world. And it seems like I now have laser eyes (though I still have no idea what that actually means). Also, I am told that I opened a portal to allow dangerous beings back into “the real world.” So we’ll see what that’s about - I doubt there is any kind of combat in this game considering it’s all one-button functionality, but presumably there’s some things I’m going to need to avoid now. (Don’t tell me).
I didn’t actually do any maze wandering because I ran out of time. Maybe tonight.
Aside from the maze, I’m starting to run out of new places to explore in the hotel due to my inability to solve some puzzles. There’s a library area that seems to involves selecting books in the right order and a puzzle that involves phases of the moon, but I have no idea how to proceed. And there’s an astrological clock that presumably will let me open the West doorway if I can solve it - the map indicates that would reveal a bumper crop of additional rooms, but I am similarly stumped.
Still enjoying it - it’s just the right level of difficulty so far that I feel great when I solve a puzzle, but not so hard that I am banging my head against the wall.
I waited on that Maze and honestly, you can. I just in general don’t like mazes. I eventually did it and just followed the path. I think I found a picture of the maze somewhere, which helped.
Yes, you did let dangerous things back into the real world. You’ll know when it is a factor. Just walk around normally and you will find out what that is about.
With a few exceptions, doors are labeled by the name of their key. If a door had a “5” on it, the key would be called “5 room key” or something.
Yes, I found the difficulty to be right. Satisfying and progress continually made. I liked opening up all the doors and seeing what was next.
I abandoned computer notes and moved straight to paper by the end. You’ll see why, but I think paper notes were essential for me when I got to the later portions of the game.
Oh yeah, I have a pad and paper next to me at all times. I find it helpful to write and sketch things out. One puzzle that I was struggling with I solved entirely because I drew it out for myself and it was instantly clear to me.
It gets more visual/spatial reliant in the final 25% of the game, I’d say. At one point, I just went all in on using half-sheets of paper to draw full images so I could make associations.
It’s a great game if you like drawing all the separate pieces of information you learn together as you go. By the end, it was extremely satisfying.
Have you used the elevator in any way or the espresso/coffee machines that are around the hotel?
I had a big breakthrough last night and opened up a bunch of new areas in the game. I got the elevator working, which got me the W key, which opened up another big chunk of the hotel. I also got grabbed by Maze Head twice and managed to pass two of his challenges, resulting in two script pages.
I also actually went into the maze and got a maze tile, though I have no idea what that means or does.
I still have no idea how to use the espresso machines, so nothing there.
I am now at a place where I am stuck at a variety of locks/puzzles that require me to insert something (into a statue or a gravestone, etc.) and I don’t have the thing to insert yet. I got the toy blocks, which I thought was going to help me in the chapel, but so far all I’ve gotten from that is the crucifix key, which is great, but I haven’t been able to figure out the 4 Horsemen puzzles yet.
Still, a ton of headway made and some fun puzzles solved, so a good night for me. The game says I am 38% complete.
It’s later still, but not that exciting. I’ll spoil what they do, but you can look if you like since it isn’t story or even puzzle related:
Your character can run when she drinks a cup of coffee. It’s what the bladder and caffeine gauges are for in your menu. The idea is that late game you are moving all over the hotel pulling info together, so they made a in-game logical way for her to have the energy to run.
Getting the elevator going is a big deal. I love that when you think you have it figured out, you call the elevator repair person, who refuses to come out. I was stunned. My solution didn’t work?
Then you step out of the phone room and the elevator is working. Nice misdirection joke.
Yeah, I agree - I was so satisfied with myself for finally figuring it out and then totally annoyed that it didn’t work at first.
I opened up a whole bunch of shortcuts as well, and I’ve enjoyed the difficulty range of those puzzles. Some I can solve in 15 seconds, some take me much longer. But I know the answer is sitting there on the page and that I don’t need some other thing, so it drives me to push my brain and figure it out. There was one involving a fake language with umlauts and punctuation that I felt I was soooo close to for a long time before the dam burst and I got it. That one took me a solid 20 minutes alone. I got a big endorphin rush from that one, then the door opened into a pointless connecting area I had already been to and didn’t help me at all. Womp womp.
They do, though.
Yep, they do. Look again. Carefully.
Yeah, I know I need to go back and experiment more, but I was quite disheartened when I rotated the M block correctly so it looked like an E (in the correct font and everything) and put that in the right place and…it didn’t work. It’s fits fucking perfectly! So I got annoyed and did something else instead 
I’ll get there.
Also, I’m pretty sure one of the blocks fell down the open drain outside when they went out the window, so I have to figure out how to retrieve that.
Yes, it did. I don’t know why that puzzle, if you can call it that, is even in the game. I think you just go to where you suspect it would be and it is there and you pick it up.
Kind of a pointless little side-trip. I guess they felt they needed one more step in the process.
It’s to encourage exploration of the hotel, I think. And to get you thinking about its 3D structure.
Yeah, maybe it was in a locked off area I had already opened. I know when I went to retrieve it, I found it immediately.
I will also spoiler one funny little thing the game makers did to mess with us. No huge spoilers here:
The kitchen has 1 dollar bill and nothing else in it. Ever. It feels like every room should have a puzzle or information related to solving a puzzle, but they left one empty just to mess with us.
It was $2!