---
key: mechanic/detective--family-27
type: mechanic
id: detective--family-27
lang: en
title: Feedback and hints
summary: >-
  These systems support reasoning. Their design affects whether players seek
  explanations or probe answers through interface feedback.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-27/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-27.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/detective--family-27.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Detective games
  - 'Conclusions, argument and assistance'
sourceIds:
  - source-2125d8b330e8c020
sources:
  - id: source-2125d8b330e8c020
    title: 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy'
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations:
  - type: explains
    direction: incoming
    label: Understand the principle
    key: lesson/teaching-a-mechanic
    title: Teaching one mechanic through a level
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/teaching-a-mechanic/'
    jsonUrl: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/teaching-a-mechanic.json
    markdownUrl: >-
      https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/teaching-a-mechanic.md
placements:
  - catalogId: detective
    id: family-27
    title: Detective games
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/detective/#family-27'
    categoryIds:
      - conclusions
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Feedback and hints
    description: >-
      These systems support reasoning. Their design affects whether players seek
      explanations or probe answers through interface feedback.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/dialogue-ace-attorney-trilogy-01.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy'
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/787480/04cc6bd6f7fb90e9e94925b6d716896a549d0ca9/ss_04cc6bd6f7fb90e9e94925b6d716896a549d0ca9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1768866317
      credit: 'CAPCOM Co., Ltd.'
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed
        Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: Witness testimony and the court record
      alt: Witness testimony and the court record
      markers:
        - x: 40
          'y': 75
          label: The witness makes a statement that can be checked
        - x: 79
          'y': 94
          label: The court record remains available during testimony
    tips:
      - A hint should guide testing a theory while preserving player reasoning.
    examples:
      - title: 'Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy'
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19.
  Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game
  examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/detective
---
# Feedback and hints

id: detective--family-27
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/detective--family-27
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/detective--family-27/

These systems support reasoning. Their design affects whether players seek explanations or probe answers through interface feedback.

## At a glance

![Witness testimony and the court record](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/dialogue-ace-attorney-trilogy-01.webp)

[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Publisher-distributed Steam screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. The witness makes a statement that can be checked
2. The court record remains available during testimony

- A hint should guide testing a theory while preserving player reasoning.

- [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/)

## How it works

These systems support reasoning. Their design affects whether players seek explanations or probe answers through interface feedback.

## Variants

### Variants

<a id="family-27-branch-1"></a>

- Graduated hint: move from a line of thought to a specific connection when requested. <a id="family-27-variant-1"></a>
- Batch validation: confirm a group of conclusions together to reduce the usefulness of probing one field. <a id="family-27-variant-2"></a>
- Error explanation: reveal a missed constraint after an attempt while allowing the player to revise the hypothesis. <a id="family-27-variant-3"></a>

## Design example

The first hint recalls a timing conflict, the second points to a timetable, and the third explains the required comparison.

## Context and limits

A working map of detective design: 32 families and 96 variants. The core loop is to find information, form a hypothesis, test it and explain a conclusion. Answer formats, hints and investigation structure are treated separately. Families overlap, design examples are hypothetical, and released-game examples cite primary sources without revealing case solutions.

## Connected materials

- Understand the principle: [Teaching one mechanic through a level](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/teaching-a-mechanic/) (key: lesson/teaching-a-mechanic)

## Sources and provenance

Original editorial taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-19. Primary developer and publisher sources support specific released-game examples, not the whole classification; design examples are hypothetical.

- [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy](https://store.steampowered.com/app/787480/) (id: source-2125d8b330e8c020)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors