Do
you watch detective shows on television and imagine yourself solving
cases? Do you feel being a detective
would be fun? If you answered yes to
either of these questions, Lutra City is the perfect place for you to
visit. Using a HUD designed by Ilithios
Liebknecht of Stand Off Software,
you can become a detective in world when you go to Lutra City. It is a fairly simple process.
Arriving
at the landing point for Lutra City, I find myself right next to the French
& Horn Detective Agency. There is a
large sign to the left of the door that reads “Detectives Wanted”. Excited at the prospect, I click on the sign
and receive a “New Detective”quest with a HUD.
This quest directs me various places so I may become acquainted with
using the HUD. The HUD stores inventory,
analyzes, picks up, and stores items. At
the end of this quest, I have my detective’s license.
There
is a bulletin board that has three cases to be solved and a different bulletin
board with incidents. For a small fee,
you purchase the folder to one of the three cases then begin your detective
work. Compared to various hunts offered
in world, these cases are quite the bargain at 190L. The cases available are Delinquent Daughter,
Silent Slasher and Fractured Fraternity.
Described
by the developer Ilithios Liebknecht, each case is different. Silent Slasher is a whodunit murder mystery
where during your investigation you uncover a sinister twist. In Fractured Fraternity, you infiltrate and
take down a gang of organized criminals trying to move into Lutra City. There are also a couple of free incidents to
visit. Ilithios
Liebknecht describes the
difference as cases are feature length games that you should
not necessarily expect to get through in one sitting. They are more difficult
than incidents and have a more complex story.Incidents are pretty short and can
most likely be completed in a single sitting.
I asked Ilithios to answer a few more questions for us:
Seersha Heart: Are you working on more cases? When
might they be available?
IlithiosLiebknecht :I'm not currently working on a case for SL,
but I am working on a stand-alone PC game featuring the setting and characters
from the games here. Expect that to be released in 2017. There will also
certainly be more cases here in SL this year.
Seersha Heart: Do you make any other products in addition to
the detective series?
Ilithios Liebknecht: Not
at the moment but I do have plans for other types of games and game-related
products that I will bring to SL. Keep on the lookout.
Seersha Heart: What would you like to tell people about
playing the cases?
IlithiosLiebknecht : My
intention was to bring full featured adventure games to SL that are not
over-simplified for the platform and I think I have largely succeeded. They are
not just hunts or a walk in the park type game but are truly challenging. You
will have to reason your way through sometimes quite complex puzzles which
makes it even more rewarding when you finally crack the case.
It's much easier if you
bring a friend or two. or five. Also, you can call out in the group to see if
anyone is available to help if you get stuck. Many people have completed the
games at this point and many are willing to help.
Seersha Heart: I was wondering….is
there a deep dark secret with the name of the city. What does Lutra [the name] mean?
Ilithios Liebknecht: Lutra
was the region name chosen by LL. It's a genus of otter.
Seersha Heart: *laughs*
Otter know that one. Do you have any
other SIMs?
Ilithios Liebknecht: I
do.
-- The Adventure Game
Nexus showcases the best adventure games and adventure game creators in SL.
-- Stand Office Space is
a small office building where people can rent an office in SL.
-- Pickle Pub is a live
music venue. Not a lot going on there recently though since the games took off
at Lutra.
Seersha Heart: I am
interested in the mystery writers and developers in SL. I recently did an article on the author of
the AFK series. Have you heard of
Huckleberry Hax the SL author who writes detective novels that are based in SL?
Ilithios Liebknecht: I
have not but sounds like something I should certainly look into. That sounds
fun.
Seersha Heart: Any final
thoughts for our new detectives playing the games?
Ilithios Liebknecht: Asking in the group or even asking others walking around in the
city who look like they are doing the same game is highly encouraged. I very highly encourage people to help each
other.
Seersha Heart: Thank you for your time Ilithios. I am currently working on Delinquent Daughter
and having a great time.
You might
wonder what happens if a player contacts Ilithios while on a case. He has a firm *I don't give hints*
policy. His words on this no hint policy
are : “I don't give hints because I kept
getting IMs day and night with hint requests so I had to just enact a strict no
hints policy for myself. But that only applies to me. Asking in the group or
even asking others walking around in the city who look like they are doing the
same game is highly encouraged. So my personal no hints policy isn't to try to
force people to not get hints, just not from me :-)”
You must struggle through the game with only your own wits or
the help of a friend. The games are hard
enough to be
challenging but not so hard as to put someone off. I found that after one sitting, stepping away
from the game for a short time helped my solving perspective.
If you want to experience real
adventure games in world, visit the city of Lutra and get your detective’s
license. There are mysteries afoot for
you there!
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