In the final revision of Episode 1 of The Secret of Langton Manor, I've made several adjustments to the difficulty level of the puzzles. My aim was to improve the experience for new players while fixing the difficulty curve of the series. Here’s why I made these changes and what they mean for the gameplay:

1. An Introductory Experience:
   The Secret of Langton Manor is an escape room game, and since Episode 1 is free, it's often the first experience new players have with this type of game. I wanted to ensure that it serves as an introduction, particularly for those unfamiliar with escape room mechanics. Simplifying the puzzles makes the episode more approachable, so players can become comfortable with the format before tackling more complex challenges.
2. Adjusting the Difficulty Curve:
   It turned out that Episode 1 ended up being more challenging than intended. Subsequent episodes, like Episode 2 and Episode 3, were actually much easier in comparison. To create a better progression, I lowered the difficulty of Episode 1, so the challenge is roughly the same as players advance through the series. The final Episode 5 will return to the difficulty level that Episode 1 originally had, ensuring a rewarding ending for those who enjoy more complex puzzles.
3. Player Feedback:
   Feedback from players has shown that they generally preferred the complexity of Episodes 2 and 3 over the original Episode 1.
4. Solo Play Considerations: 
   Many players engage with the game solo, which can increase the challenge since there's no group collaboration to solve puzzles. I took this into account when revising Episode 1 to maintain balance between solo and group play. 

The latest version retains the core essence of the original puzzles, but streamlines some of the more complex steps in a few of them. I’ve also added clearer hints directly into the printed materials to offer more guidance.

Scoring Adjustments

Personally, I’ve always thought that solving puzzles and uncovering  secrets should be enjoyed without too much time pressure. As a result, I usually ignore the scoring and timing aspect when playing such games. However, I  know that for some players, the score is an important part of the experience.

The Old Scoring System:

Originally, the scoring system worked like this: Players started with a score of 900, which remained unchanged for the first 30 minutes. After that, the score would decrease by 5 points per minute. Completing the episode added a 100-point bonus, assuming not all hints and solutions were used. This meant that final scores could range from 100 to 1000 points, depending on how long players took to solve the puzzles.

While this system worked well, sometimes more competitive players started racing through the game to finish within 30 minutes to preserve the high score. This speedrun approach often meant skipping over the story details and immersive elements of the game.

The New Scoring System:

To address this, I’ve made a small change to the timing. The score will now remain at 900 for a full hour, rather than just 30 minutes. This aligns more closely with the standard duration of real-life escape rooms and allows players more breathing room to read all the materials and fully enjoy the puzzle-solving experience without feeling rushed. 

If you have the old version printed

For those who have already downloaded and printed the files for the old version of Episode 1, you won’t be able to directly use the latest version of the app. Some codes and hints have been updated and won’t align with the original version of the puzzle files. 

Here’s how to access the old app version:

1. Start Episode 1 normally using the latest app, which will launch the updated simplified version.
2. Dial  ▼724 in the lock.
3. Tap to unlock it four times.
4. On the fourth attempt, the app will restart into the old version of the Episode 1 app, which now appears tinted in red: