Release Version Bugs and Feedback

[NullpointerGames]

Hello all!
The game goes live today May 1st 2025. I am anticipating that there will likely be some bugs that have slipped by QA or just resurfaced. Hopefully they wont be too man or too bad. If you do come across something please let me know in this thread. And please be patient, I am the only developer on this game so I might not be able to respond immediately.

When leaving a bug please be precise in your description and try to check that it is a real crash or softlock, as opposed to you being stuck on part of the progression (there are usually folk on this forum or in the discord that can help with general progression hints)

If its a bug that requires me to grab some data from you (save files etc) then you might be better popping onto the discord to leave the information there.

Discord link [discord.com]

If I need to check any of the files on your machine they would probably be
SaveData.txt
and
Player.log
which are found in the directory below

C:\Users\tom\AppData\LocalLow\Nullpointer Exception Ltd\TheHorrorAtHighrook
Swop \tom\ for your own username of course :)

The plan is to try and sort any nasty bugs found on release and fix them as soon as I can, and thereafter bugs will be collected and fixed in patches delivered over a longer period. (unless they are serious of course, Il get to them sooner in that case)

Hope this makes sense! and thanks for your patience

[Brilyn]

If rooms are on cooldown, please mark the rooms so I know when I can use them again. It's really frustrating to skip a room for a round or two, try to use it again, and nope still can't use it.

If the limit is usage-per-day: fine, mark it. Grey out the room, mark it as unusable. At a minimum: don't waste my resources. (A kitchen only being usable x number of times a day is weird, but whatever...)

Because the primary mechanic is task duration, I don't look at the clock. Ever. If you intend the clock to be relevant in later chapters, it should either be moved to the centre of the UI (where I'll actually see it), or the mechanics around it should be better spotlighted.

If you wanted to insist on limiting the usages-per-day, *and* you wanted that to reset at midnight (or whenever it resets), then I would suggest you implement a schedule for when rooms can be used alongside a narrative-based rationale (the schedule being long enough for, say, 2 uses plus an hour (or whatever) for some elbow room). Yes, that adds an extra level of complication given that only certain characters can use certain rooms, but now you have to ensure that they are also free at the right time. But at least that would make digging-in-the-cellar-doesn't-work-any-more-today make sense...

Or, and this is the ideal solution: dump the usage-per-day limits.

In it's current form ( 1) there's usage limit on rooms; 2) it's not sign-posted; 3) resources are wasted; 4) the renewal also isn't sign-posted): that moves the game onto my Ignore list.

(I've run into alcoholism, but as I intended to just completely ignore it (and I have no alcohol), this doesn't make me watch the clock.

[Elyrien Valkyr]

Rooms are never on cooldown. They need items to be used. The item could be on cooldown, though usually only if it's a story item. The vast majority of task cards can be fired off one right after the other if you have the skill cards required to make it work.

[Brilyn]

Originally posted by Elyrien Valkyr:

Rooms are never on cooldown. They need items to be used. The item could be on cooldown, though usually only if it's a story item. The vast majority of task cards can be fired off one right after the other if you have the skill cards required to make it work.

Then why does 1) the task produce no results, 2) if consumable, the consumable is used up (ie in the kitchen), and 3) the character say "I think I should do something else" or something along those lines? (even if I've changed characters to do this task)

Considering that this happens in the kitchen with single-use items, "the item could be on cool-down" is just wrong.

[Lizzie B]

Congrats on launch!! Loving the game so far. :) I have a frustratingly uninformative bug to report: WSAD is not working for me, even after a game re-start and verifying the game files via Steam. I tried at various zoom levels, and nothing worked. Curiously, Q, E, and the space bar all work just as intended, but WSAD do absolutely nothing. I can still move around the game area by right-click and dragging. Not sure if you need logs or save-data but if so let me know and I'd be happy to hop on the discord.

[Flammarion]

I think this may be a kind of softlock;

The shambling ghoul was pushed out of the interaction space in the study by the ember wraith when I upgraded a tool, and now cannot be dealt with.

[Flammarion]

Originally posted by Brilyn:

Originally posted by Elyrien Valkyr:

Rooms are never on cooldown. They need items to be used. The item could be on cooldown, though usually only if it's a story item. The vast majority of task cards can be fired off one right after the other if you have the skill cards required to make it work.

Then why does 1) the task produce no results, 2) if consumable, the consumable is used up (ie in the kitchen), and 3) the character say "I think I should do something else" or something along those lines? (even if I've changed characters to do this task)

Considering that this happens in the kitchen with single-use items, "the item could be on cool-down" is just wrong.

This is explicitly addressed in the tutorial stuff. That means there are no valid results for that action currently (perhaps because everything it could spawn is already on the board). Nothing to do with a cooldown.

[Homsar Runnar]

Originally posted by Lizzie B:

Congrats on launch!! Loving the game so far. :) I have a frustratingly uninformative bug to report: WSAD is not working for me, even after a game re-start and verifying the game files via Steam. I tried at various zoom levels, and nothing worked. Curiously, Q, E, and the space bar all work just as intended, but WSAD do absolutely nothing. I can still move around the game area by right-click and dragging. Not sure if you need logs or save-data but if so let me know and I'd be happy to hop on the discord.

Came here to say the same. Loved the demo, looking forward to digging into the full game! :)

[Hackmaster214]

I'm getting soft-locked in chapter 5, when I get to the part where I'm summoning the various spirits of the residents, when I encounter the son again,and he leaves his toy. After this, the game never leaves the distorted view like with the other ghosts, making it so I'm unable to continue or quit the the menu.

[NullpointerGames]

Originally posted by Flammarion:

I think this may be a kind of softlock;

The shambling ghoul was pushed out of the interaction space in the study by the ember wraith when I upgraded a tool, and now cannot be dealt with.

Hmm yes that isn't meant to happen, I'm guessing the wraith and shambler are fighting for the spot and wrath wins since it appears later.. I'll try and fix this from happening. You might be able to resolve it by exiting and reloading.. or possibly waiting for the wraith to go and then exiting/reloading... If that doesn't work id be happy to edit your save file to fix the problem.. (or give you instructions on how to try yourself)

[NullpointerGames]

Originally posted by Hackmaster214:

I'm getting soft-locked in chapter 5, when I get to the part where I'm summoning the various spirits of the residents, when I encounter the son again,and he leaves his toy. After this, the game never leaves the distorted view like with the other ghosts, making it so I'm unable to continue or quit the the menu.

Ah, sorry about this, I think its something to do with pause/unpause status.. The game bans input when you are in a conversation and its obviously not returning control to you when the conversation ends.. I'll try and fix it in a patch soon, but for now you can try using the pause/play buttons under the clock or space bar, if that doesn't work and you can get to the point in the game again, may i suggest not pausing the game before you click on the ghost to run the conversation - i know that's not the ideal fix but it might enable you to get past that hiccup.

[NullpointerGames]

Originally posted by Lizzie B:

Congrats on launch!! Loving the game so far. :) I have a frustratingly uninformative bug to report: WSAD is not working for me, even after a game re-start and verifying the game files via Steam. I tried at various zoom levels, and nothing worked. Curiously, Q, E, and the space bar all work just as intended, but WSAD do absolutely nothing. I can still move around the game area by right-click and dragging. Not sure if you need logs or save-data but if so let me know and I'd be happy to hop on the discord.

Ah this is very odd, has it ever worked? and Q & E work. Do you have an unusual keyboard setup or anything? Seems so odd that all the other keys work but those.. Do 1,2,3 change the games speed?

[Flammarion]

Originally posted by NullpointerGames:

Originally posted by Flammarion:

I think this may be a kind of softlock;

The shambling ghoul was pushed out of the interaction space in the study by the ember wraith when I upgraded a tool, and now cannot be dealt with.

Hmm yes that isn't meant to happen, I'm guessing the wraith and shambler are fighting for the spot and wrath wins since it appears later.. I'll try and fix this from happening. You might be able to resolve it by exiting and reloading.. or possibly waiting for the wraith to go and then exiting/reloading... If that doesn't work id be happy to edit your save file to fix the problem.. (or give you instructions on how to try yourself)

I ultimately just restarted because I was only an hour in, but have since seen in the other thread there's a workaround, so no big deal. Just finished the game had a great time!

[Flammarion]

Originally posted by NullpointerGames:

Originally posted by Hackmaster214:

I'm getting soft-locked in chapter 5, when I get to the part where I'm summoning the various spirits of the residents, when I encounter the son again,and he leaves his toy. After this, the game never leaves the distorted view like with the other ghosts, making it so I'm unable to continue or quit the the menu.

Ah, sorry about this, I think its something to do with pause/unpause status.. The game bans input when you are in a conversation and its obviously not returning control to you when the conversation ends.. I'll try and fix it in a patch soon, but for now you can try using the pause/play buttons under the clock or space bar, if that doesn't work and you can get to the point in the game again, may i suggest not pausing the game before you click on the ghost to run the conversation - i know that's not the ideal fix but it might enable you to get past that hiccup.

I had this same issue a couple of times, manually clicking the play button up the top right resolved it for me.

[Lizzie B]

Originally posted by NullpointerGames:

Originally posted by Lizzie B:

Congrats on launch!! Loving the game so far. :) I have a frustratingly uninformative bug to report: WSAD is not working for me, even after a game re-start and verifying the game files via Steam. I tried at various zoom levels, and nothing worked. Curiously, Q, E, and the space bar all work just as intended, but WSAD do absolutely nothing. I can still move around the game area by right-click and dragging. Not sure if you need logs or save-data but if so let me know and I'd be happy to hop on the discord.

Ah this is very odd, has it ever worked? and Q & E work. Do you have an unusual keyboard setup or anything? Seems so odd that all the other keys work but those.. Do 1,2,3 change the games speed?

1, 2, and 3 do work as intended. And no, WSAD never worked.

I don't think the set-up is unusual? I have a KBDFans 80% Tiger Lite keyboard. 80% just means it's a normal full-size keyboard layout, without the 10-key pad. Standard Windows USB keyboard drivers, version 10.0.19041.1, no fancy software or firmware or anything.

[Homsar Runnar]

Originally posted by NullpointerGames:

Originally posted by Lizzie B:

Congrats on launch!! Loving the game so far. :) I have a frustratingly uninformative bug to report: WSAD is not working for me, even after a game re-start and verifying the game files via Steam. I tried at various zoom levels, and nothing worked. Curiously, Q, E, and the space bar all work just as intended, but WSAD do absolutely nothing. I can still move around the game area by right-click and dragging. Not sure if you need logs or save-data but if so let me know and I'd be happy to hop on the discord.

Ah this is very odd, has it ever worked? and Q & E work. Do you have an unusual keyboard setup or anything? Seems so odd that all the other keys work but those.. Do 1,2,3 change the games speed?

As another person this is happening to:
Yes Q & E work, yes 1, 2, & 3 change the speed. No especially unusual keyboard setup (Windows 11, Lenovo Legion 5 laptop), except I do have a small script running to replace the middle mouse button click with the tilde key, but that shouldn't be affecting any other keys (and doesn't anywhere else)? Also, disabling that script does not change anything. I also turned off DS4Windows (though I did not have a controller on/plugged in either), to no effect.

Something odd just happened though - as I was alt+tabbing between the game and my desktop to disable the script, one of the times I went back into the game, WASD worked! For about 3 seconds. Then it immediately stopped working again, literally as I had one of the keys depressed (D I think). Haven't been able to recreate it, and it hasn't worked before or since that one time just now.