User:Clint Forthwright
Sleuth: Noir is a multiplayer online mystery role-playing game. It has been continually operating since it's original beta release in February, 2004. The game was created by Ben Ringold and Sunny Giron and they continue to maintain it through their privately held company, Hypothetical Software Inc (Hypoware). It is a web browser game with a front end consisting primarily of narrative text and static images. Since launch, more than 400k user accounts have been created and players have completed more than 4 million mysteries.
Setting[edit]
Sleuth: Noir exists in an unspecified time, spanning the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. There are currently seven regions in the game world.
New York is where all new players start. It's home to Big Lucy's Cabaret.
London is home to the Imperial Library. Players can earn money and titles by retrieving overdue books.
Shanghai has a race track where you can bet money on horses.
Delhi's post office offers a less regulated parcel delivery service for players looking to earn money and titles.
Cairo is currently under blockade by pirates. At Cairo University, maps can be obtained, allowing players to explore the Pyramids of Giza.
Shangri La is where players eventually go for Arch Villain Hunts. It's also where players get the aid needed to gain entry to Cairo.
USS Sleuthetania is a cruise ship that runs between New York and Shanghai continually.
Gameplay[edit]
Gameplay is mostly involved with randomly generated murder mysteries. The name, intro, crime scene evidence, suspects, plot twist, and outcome are all composed when the difficulty level is selected. There are ten levels of difficulty.
Scripted mysteries may be composed by anyone who has an account. They are structured beforehand and therefore offer a richer narrative experience.
Arch Villain Hunts consist of consecutive random mysteries set to the highest difficulty, each giving a clue as to where the villain's hideout is.
Treasure Hunts are conducted by doing favors for townies in exchange for information. Townies are permanent NPCs and favors are random mysteries.