The backrooms are a complex place full of unknowns. From different biomes to various items and foods to everything. The Backrooms journal is a system that allows for information to be gathered and feel earned.

Old Journal:

The old journal was purely a way to mask information, which is rather annoying if the player needs to know information but has to “discover it”, as well as not being very immersive

New journal system

Instead of the journal unlocking as the player plays, the player chooses to write down entries about something. To do so they press J to open their journal in their hand, which enters “Journaling mode”, which is the main way of gathering information by the player.

Structure of the knowledge:

Every journal entry is separated into segments of text known as Notes. Notes represent a chunk of info about the object that can be separately discovered. Depending on the object it may have a different set of notes. Example:

FoodItemJournalEntry:

• Discovery note: General description
• Properties: What are some obvious properties like type, composition, weight, smell
• Expiration: Information on whether the object expires and if so how long it takes
• Edibility: Information on the effects on the body when eaten, like nutrition, how many portions it has and possible negative effects

Knowledge tree

Each object, depending on its type, has a set knowledge tree, which is a graph similar to a Skill Tree, containing branching paths comprised of Nodes and unlocking Notes when they are reached. The Tree starts from the Discovery node. Out of the Discovery node, which unlocks the first note with the same name,

One of the most common second nodes is a “Close Examination”, which is unlocked by playing a small puzzle mini-game and usually unlocks the Properties or the Detailed Description Note.

Example knowledge tree for Carpet Mushrooms:

mindmap
  root((*Plant* Discovery))
    [Close Examination]
      [Examination under magnifying glass]
      [Sketch]
        [Photograph]
    [Proximity exposure]
      [Physical touch]
	    [Universal taste test]
    [Scrape off]
      [Use in crafting]
      [Check cultivation]

The knowledge tree appears when the player looks at a researchable object and is within distance. They look at the desired node that they can unlock and hold E to perform the action. More info below.

Knowledge tree node requirements