Significance of the "key/locked" icon? How does this work?

[Wiesenknopf]

Alright, so I just finished my second playthrough of 999, and I'm about to start my third one.
However, I don't quite understand how the icons in the flowchart work. On my current savefile, I do have two of the question marks uncovered - coffin and submarine so I do assume that savefile is saving progress somehow.

However, on the flowchart, all the escape rooms I solved on my first playthrough have the "key/locked" symbol on them (the ones from my second playthrough don't have any symbol whatsoever). I'm not quite sure how to proceed now. Do I have to replay all of the rooms I've already solved? While I am enjoying the game, I don't quite see myself replaying the same bits over and over...

[Wiesenknopf]

Hey, thanks for the repy, but I actually figured it out ;)

I was asking specifically about the significance of the key- and lock-icons, and after some fiddling about I realized those are exactly so you don't have to do all that trial and error and annoying replaying of the exact same puzzles and dialogues. It's the game's way of lending you a hand.

The way it works - after completing a route you'll see some keys and locks appear on the flowchart. Those can be either crossed out or not (they are also colour-coded). If you want to get a different ending (that you can't get by just picking different rooms) you simply try to "open a lock" by replaying the corresponding key-icon rooms on the flowchart. You don't even have to replay the whole room with all the puzzles - the game will allow you to jump to different "parts" of the puzzle, which is really neat e.g. if you're only missing a couple of lines of dialogue.

So, they work as a very handy guide-system to see all endings without that much effort. Some people might like this sort of thing, but for me doing the exact same thing a hundred times is detrimental to my enjoyment ;)

Edit:
It works the other way round, too, obviously - which is the reason I didn't figure this out right away. (For my first ending, the lock was already "open", so I had to go back and mess up one of the triggers on purpose to get the corresponding ending). To see all endings, you have to enter each room at least once (you might even be able to skip Room 3), but you don't have to replay a single puzzle - you only have to set the triggers (open/locked) the way you want them.

[Wiesenknopf]

Whoa... slow down there a bit.
I am quite aware of how the flow chart works.
If you, in fact, knew how the flowchart worked, you'd have realized that only rooms you have already visited even show up there (rooms/scenes you haven't seen appear as question marks only). And if you had read the OP carefully, you'd have noticed I played the game prologue to end twice (for two different endings). To get additional endings I only skipped the prologue bits (which unfolds 100% the same way each time) but chose different rooms to proceed - again, the flowchart literally tells you, for example that visiting rooms 1/2/6 will give you different endings each time.
I also said you need to/should play each room at least once - but most of the intermittent dialogue is practically always the same (e.g. the pre-decision debate on whether to go to room 4 or 5). Many "decisions" only work as the game checking on whether you can adequatly add up single-digit numbers and have no significance whatsoever.

I'm totally fine with people feeling they need to replay ten hours of stuff they have already seen - I certainly don't want to. Using the flowchart you can easily replay scenes you belatedly realize had more significance to them e.g. the pocket watch , but there is no need whatsoever to redo the puzzles, which, to me, is fun the first time, tedious the second time around. Also, jumping back and forth a bit adds a certain extra level of immersion, if you get my drift ;)
Otherwise, I simply suggest paying proper attention whilst playing the first time - thus you'll actually remember things that have been said earlier and you'll be able to put them into a larger context e.g. soporil is a gas at room temperature, the whole four-leaved clover thing, that 9 shouted "he lied to me" in the very beginning .
I'm sorry you feel the flow-chart shouldn't be used the way the game clearly intends you to use it (after an ending it literally tells you "start over or visit the flow-chart", but I find using tools the game provides hugely preferable to people just saying "do this and that to get this and that ending" (which seems to be what people overall like to do).

[Wyrtt]

,,,

[doru]

Jesus Christ almighty, is this game purpose to make go crazy? What these stupid flowchart icons means and why this user is replying to himself like different people?

[Wyrtt]

Originally posted by doru:

Jesus Christ almighty, is this game purpose to make go crazy? What these stupid flowchart icons means and why this user is replying to himself like different people?

1. 7 years dude. You like gooning into cold one, right?
2. Use brains. Old steam existes 7 years agon and post are simpy deleted.

[doru]

Originally posted by Wyrtt:

Originally posted by doru:

Jesus Christ almighty, is this game purpose to make go crazy? What these stupid flowchart icons means and why this user is replying to himself like different people?

1. 7 years dude. You like gooning into cold one, right?
2. Use brains. Old steam existes 7 years agon and post are simpy deleted.

wut, move along,

[Wyrtt]

Originally posted by doru:

Originally posted by Wyrtt:

1. 7 years dude. You like gooning into cold one, right?
2. Use brains. Old steam existes 7 years agon and post are simpy deleted.

wut, move along,

Stop fornikatin with dead animals and touch some grass

[doru]

still here?