Anomaly Detection Guide – 3-Step Screening Protocol

Anomaly Detection Guide – 3-Step Screening Protocol

Every patient in Animal Hospital could be normal — or could be harboring an anomaly. The 3-step screening protocol is the standard method for catching every type of anomaly reliably. Follow these steps in order for every single patient, and you'll catch anomalies before they can cause harm.

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The 3-Step Screening Protocol

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│            PATIENT ARRIVES AT HOSPITAL              │
└──────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘
                       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  STEP 1: APPEARANCE CHECK (In-Person)              │
│  Walk up to the patient and look at them directly. │
│  Check for: Twitching, Three Eyes, Hollow Face,     │
│  Wide Eyes/Creepy Smile, Human Teeth,              │
│  Mismatched Eyes & Sharp Teeth.                     │
│                                                     │
│  ┌─ Anomaly found? ──► CLOSE SHUTTER ──► DONE      │
│  └─ All clear ──────────────────┬──────────────►   │
└──────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                                   ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  STEP 2: PHOTO CHECK (Polaroid)                    │
│  Wait for photo to develop on your desk.           │
│  Inspect it WITHOUT picking it up first.            │
│  Compare to what you saw in Step 1.                 │
│  Check for: Different Eyes, Different Ears,         │
│  Incorrect Photo, Unnatural Photo, Static Photo,    │
│  Cursed Photo.                                     │
│                                                     │
│  ┌─ Anomaly found? ──► CLOSE SHUTTER ──► DONE      │
│  └─ All clear ──────────────────┬──────────────►   │
└──────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                                   ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  STEP 3: CCTV CHECK (Camera Monitors)              │
│  Check the waiting room camera first.              │
│  Scan for: Censored Eyes, Unnatural Body,          │
│  Hollow Face, Staring At Camera, Void Bodies,      │
│  Skinwalker, Mismatched, Twitching.                 │
│                                                     │
│  ┌─ Anomaly found? ──► CLOSE SHUTTER ──► DONE      │
│  └─ All clear ──────────────────┬──────────────►   │
└──────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                                   ▼
                    ┌──────────────────────┐
                    │  PATIENT IS CLEAN ✓  │
                    │  Proceed normally.   │
                    └──────────────────────┘

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Why This Order Matters

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Step 1: Appearance Check — Deep Dive

What to Look For

Best Practices

• Always face the patient directly. Side glances are unreliable.
• Scan top-to-bottom: Face first (eyes, mouth), then body (twitching).
• Take your time on Medium anomalies. 5 seconds of observation for Twitching is worth the investment.

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Glancing at the patient while walking past (misses Twitching and Mismatched Eyes)
• ❌ Skipping this step entirely (breaks the baseline needed for Steps 2 and 3)

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Step 2: Photo Check — Deep Dive

What to Look For

Best Practices

• Look at the photo on the desk BEFORE picking it up. This prevents Cursed Photo Sanity drain.
• Compare specific features: Match the photo's eyes and ears against your mental snapshot from Step 1.
• If in doubt, close the shutter. It's better to dismiss a clean patient than to let an anomaly through.

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Picking up the photo without looking first (Cursed Photo trap)
• ❌ Not remembering the patient's appearance from Step 1 (can't detect Different Eyes/Ears)

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Step 3: CCTV Check — Deep Dive

What to Look For

Best Practices

• Start with the waiting room camera. It's the most important feed and where most CCTV anomalies appear.
• Watch each patient for a few seconds before moving on.
• Cross-reference with Step 1 memory for the Mismatched anomaly.

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Ignoring CCTV entirely (misses anomalies exclusive to cameras)
• ❌ Rushing past the Very Hard anomaly (Mismatched Ears/Eyes requires deliberate effort)

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Advanced Tips

Speed Optimization

With practice, you can complete the full 3-step protocol in under 30 seconds per patient:

• Step 1: ~10 seconds (quick face scan + 5s twitching observation)
• Step 2: ~8 seconds (desk inspection + comparison)
• Step 3: ~10 seconds (CCTV scan starting with waiting room)

Sanity Preservation During Screening

• Don't pick up photos you haven't visually inspected.
• Don't look at The Stalker if it appears during your screening.
• Keep Coffee or Chocolate handy for Sanity recovery between patients.

Multi-Anomaly Situations

Some patients can have anomalies across multiple categories (e.g., a normal appearance but a Cursed Photo AND a CCTV anomaly). The 3-step protocol catches all of them because each step checks a different detection channel.

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Common Mistakes — Summary

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Sources: Community wiki research, in-game testing, IGN/TechWiser/Eurogamer anomaly detection guides.