The Castle of Dr. Hoot

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• Patch Notes·30 Aug 2026Official

  The Back to School Patch (v1.3.8)

  Happy Sunday, Everyone! First of all, I need to get something off of my chest. I want to apologize for talking up the last update (v1.3.6). I updated, realized it made a bunch of new problems, and had to taken down almost immediately. I'm sorry for all of the confusion. Since then, v1.3.5 has been the most stable build (and is the build most Youtubers can be seen playing). With that said, that build has its own issues, but it was the best so far so I kept it as the default. This newest build, v1.3.8, has been a lot of work. I haven't been super vocal with all of you because I've been really trying my hardest to fix some (or as much as I can) of the problems you all have told me. This isn't to say this is the end-all be-all, just another one of many band-aids. My goal is to provide the best product for all of you who have been nothing but gracious to me. For real this time, here are some of the issues I've been attempting to tackle: -Fixed an exploit involving regularly respawning items in Hoot's bedroom. -Unresponsive WASD movement -Star chart remaining after leaving minigame -Overall optimization with objects remaining/not showing up -Text box disappearing And likely a lot more. I am currently in the middle of adding some post-game content for those who have completed the main ending(s). Don't expect a ton, just some fun little interactions and extra quirky scenes. I contemplated waiting to release this patch until I finished it, but I figured you all deserved a better version of the game you paid for, so it can wait until the next update. Once again, just know that I am always working on improving this game so I can provide the best experience I can. This game, this world, and these characters mean a great deal to me as do all of you who were kind enough to give them a chance. Thank you all for your patience. If there are bigger issues with this update, I will likely roll back to v1.3.5 just so people can have the most stable build possible. Just know that I'm try...
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• Patch Notes·23 Aug 2026Official

  The Sunday Scaries patch (V1.3.6)

  Good morning, everyone! Another day, another update. I've been getting a lot of great bug reports from you guys and it's been super helpful. Please keep them coming. I can't guarantee 100% fixes to all of the problems I've been seeing from you all, but here's an attempt to fix some of them. Here's what's in this newest update: -Fixed an exploit involving regularly respawning items in Hoot's bedroom. -Pop quiz letter misclick fix. -An attempt to fix a major bug involving pop quiz, punishment, and general "teleport to main hall" softlocking events happening when they shouldn't. -Removed any game closing events to prevent Windows flags. -Added some new dialogue to Hank for variety. As always, this isn't the end-all be-all update, just some added fixes to hopefully help some of you out. I just want to say the response to this game has been insane. It's been a wild first few weeks and I couldn't be happier with the response (both positive and negative). I know there's a lot of backlash and negativity in regards to this game. I'm very aware of it. This was to be expected. This is my first Steam game ever, and I understand that the world has major "Mascot Horror" fatigue and I 1000% understand. I've been playing online horror games for decades now, and I know that the "genre" leaves an unhappy pit in some people's stomachs. I totally understand. I also understand that this game is short, clunky, and may leave a lot to be desired for a lot of players as well. If that person is you, I sincerely apologize and hope you manage to refund the game if that is what you wish. I genuinely want to thank every single one of you who gave Dr. Hoot a chance. It's been a dream come true to release a game on Steam at all, and the fan art, videos on YT, and comments (both the good and bad) are nothing but fantastic to see. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. I hope this newest patch helps some. If it doesn't, know that I'm not going anywhere and will be continuing to fix what I can. ...
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• Patch Notes·13 Aug 2026Official

  DR. HOOT BUG MEGATHREAD (+ V1.3.5)

  Happy Thursday, everyone! Lynxer had a great idea, that I should post a pinned thread for everyone to list bugs they are running into still. So, this is that very thread. PLEASE post any and all bugs you run into in the comments HERE from now on. As of this latest update (V1.3.5) I have fixed (or attempted to): My white whale: The Hank bug at the end. Fingers crossed. A bug Lynxer pointed out, a softlock at the very beginning involving the very first spelling minigame. As always, thanks for your support and patience. List those bugs, and have a great one!
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• Patch Notes·12 Aug 2026Official

  V1.3.1

  One small update before bed. Almost positive I've fixed the stubborn Letter placement > Nothing on chalkboard bug. That's really it. Thanks for your patience. Goodnight!
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• Patch Notes·11 Aug 2026Official

  Patch V1.3 and VERY IMPORTANT minor detail. PLEASE READ!

  Happy Tuesday! Today's patch includes: -Fixes to coin tally to prevent lag. -Added some extra rewards for completing pop quizzes and punishments. -Another Hank ending toggle fix attempt AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (If you take anything away from today's patch): -Removed ability to use window maximizer (upper right default square). PLEASE OH PLEASE use this instead (as it says on the title screen): TAB for fullscreen and CTRL for minimize. I know it's clunky, but if you've played this game for two seconds you already know that's just how I roll. I'm hoping this can clear up some runtime issues for a lot of you. I only strive to make sure everyone can play properly. As always, drop concerns and bugs in the comments and have a S-T-E-L-L-A-R rest of your day!
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