SHP Forums

CB is a peculiarity among other Sierra games of its era. Among its oddities is that there is no online scoring system. You learn your score only after the end of the game.

The best some playguides can do is to provide the full walkthrough and also the transcript of Laura's notebook of the end of the game so that the player can achieve a full score (Super Sleuth). The best such guide is the one at colonelsbequest.net

BUT... I have found some vagueness. It is not clear which actions "trigger" a score point.

For example, the game's hints say that you must discover the secret passages behind the armoires. But which exact action does this?
[*]When you discover one of them?
[*]When you discover all 4 of them?
[*]When you discover them (just 1 or 4 of them) in the first time?
[*]When you discover both the passage AND the peekhole?
[*]When you use them to peek at the conversations?
[*]Only once, or all the times?

You see, there are a lot of ways to interpret this hint. One way is that you can discover them only once (and you are free to ignore them for the remainder of the game) or that if you miss one detail (such as a conversation) you lose the point altogether.

There is no detailed, technical playguide which solves this problem. The only way I can think of is a way to cheat the game. For example enter a debug mode which, somehow, displays the variable of the game score. Or some cheat which brings you to the epilogue of the game, where you can determine your score from the hints.

Any ideas, knowledge or suggestions?

I reply to my own thread as I have found an answer to past-Me's question

I've made a minimal run of CB, avoiding all clues and acquiring the least possible score. Before finishing I opened the right-hand upstairs armoire and discovered the secret passage. Once I entered the screen, I left immdiately (no peeking, no other actions) This discovery alone triggers 3 scores: Upstairs hallway, Laura and Lillian's Room AND Rudy and Clarence's Room. If I'd discover the left-had secret passage, I'd just gain 2 more points, one for Henri's Room and one for Gertie and Gloria's Room.

An interesting discovery: Unless someone else knows better, I discovered it is impossible to attain zero score. Some of the score-triggering discoveries are also time advancers. For example, in Act I you have to find Henri and Fifi in order to advance the time. This alone gives you the "People romantically involved: Henri and Fifi" score. Or perhaps Fifi disappears if you enter Henri's room too late, and you can find him alone advancing the time without winning that point?

Other time advancers that trigger points are: watching Rudy and Clarence fight, Rudy and Henri fight, discover Lillian's body and discover the skeleton key in Lillian's body.

I don't know if you can advance the time (and end the game anyway) while avoiding these triggers.

I am not sure how it would be possible to get a zero score without losing right at the start of the game. Obviously, to win the game would require you do things that will award you points.