>SAY “STAY” TO AGADOR
You say “STAY” to Agador-Spartacus. Agador-Spartacus stays.
Aha, there we go.
Is that just a TADS thing? Clearly my Inform/Z-machine bias is showing again…
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In TADS, the form actor, verb is for giving (or trying to give) instructions/orders to NPC, so I wonder if trying AGADOR, WAIT give the same results (that is, agador stopping being a follower)
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.
TADS 2 understands the ACTOR, COMMAND syntax for giving orders. This game attempts to replace it with SAY “COMMAND” TO ACTOR, but since the parser in TADS 2 is built into the interpreter rather than implemented within the VM, some cracks show through. If you try AGADOR, WAIT or AGADOR, SIT you’ll get a message telling you the correct syntax, but for some reason AGADOR, STAY triggers a parser error instead.
4 Likes
It seems to be trying to interpret “stay” as a noun? GET STAY gives “You don’t see any stay here.”
indeed “stay” IS an english noun, with multiple means:
seen something which (or whose) is a stay (whatever of the mean given in the wiki disambiguation page I passed) or can have stay as reasonable synonym ?
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.
I can’t immediately place where one might find a “stay” in this game, but it’s a big game so it’d be very easy to overlook something.
2 Likes
Since we now know all the watch effects, I’ve worked out a nice little algorithm that should let me set the watch to any time I might choose:
- Start with Galileo or Newton, depending on if we want an even or odd hour
- Have Einstein move by increments of 2 hours, if needed
- Use Fibonacci to possibly adjust the minute by 1, 2, or 3
- Finally, use Maxwell to move up in increments of 4 minutes
I don’t think I’ll be doing much watch stuff next part, which I’ve already started playing. I do think I will go with the approach of showing some effects each part after that, though. Maybe an hour’s worth?
3 Likes
That’s pretty much the algorithm I ended up using. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to mention that you can TURN STEM COUNTERCLOCKWISE in the occasional case where, for example, you want to go from 3:00 to 1:00 with Einstein rather than going around the whole clock.
There’s plenty more you can do before needing to figure out all the intricacies of the watch, so taking it a bit at a time seems eminently sensible. You might want to keep an open mind as to exactly how much to do in each update as there are some time periods that might require more investigation than others.
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Definitely. I’d guess the 9:00 hour will be one of the most complicated since it seems to control the train. It had a big number “9” on it when I summoned it at 9:00. Even 12:09 showed a movie involving a train, which in retrospect seems like an oblique hint. how much clearer of a hint do you need?)
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Part IV: Setting The Table
Last time out, we got to know out pocket watch. Among other things, we discovered that we can make the video screen disappear and open the way into the dining room, which we will now explore.
Or rather, we will as soon as I make the screen vanish again.
>GET WATCH
Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take the pocket watch out of one of the trouser pockets.>OPEN WATCH
You open the watch cover.On the face of the watch you see an image of Galileo Galilei. Galileo’s arms show the time as 12:00.
>PUSH STEM
You push the watch stem and it springs back up again. The watch beeps. The watch image changes to Benjamin Franklin.>TURN STEM
You turn the stem clockwise. The video screen slides up into the ceiling, revealing two large fish tanks.Ben’s bifocals stop glowing.
Before moving on, let’s finally do this as suggested y the comments.
>SAY “STAY” TO AGADOR
You say “STAY” to Agador-Spartacus. Agador-Spartacus stays.
Incidentally, as we’ll see later, this isn’t the only command the dog understands.
>E
You go through the strands of beads.DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
The dining room has a table with four chairs. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table. You are currently at the west end of the table, and you can move north, south, or east to get to the other ends of the table. Here you also see two large fishtanks with strands of beads between them leading westward to the living room.
Beyond the table, the dining room also continues further north and east. On the north wall is a china cabinet. On the east wall is a sideboard.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
You see Agador-Spartacus in the front half of the living room. He’s wagging his tail.
Let’s take a look at what we’ve got here.
>X TABLE
The table is covered by a bright blue table cloth.>X CHAIR
The chair is made of wood.>LOOK UNDER TABLE
You don’t see anything under the table.>X CHANDELIER
The chandelier is made of hanging crystals, with twenty small light bulbs shaped like candle flames. None of the bulbs are lit.
That sounds like a progress meter of some sort to me!
>X SHELF
Wooden shelving runs along the walls here. Mounted on the shelving is some model railroad track that runs along the entire length of the shelving.The track enters the dining room from the northeast corner and continues south along the wall. At this point the shelving widens to form a platform above the side board. Then the track goes south. At the end of the wall it turns and goes west, exiting the dining room through a tunnel-shaped opening in the southwest corner.
This is directly connected to the one in the front half of the living room, for anyone trying to picture what this thing is supposed to look like. (No, I still can’t think of any actual use cases for this yet.)
>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
The dining room has a table with four chairs. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table. You are currently at the north end of the table, and you can move east, west, or south to get to the other ends of the table.
Further north, a china cabinet stands against the north wall. Beyond the table, the dining room also continues further east, where you see a sideboard standing along the east wall.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
>N
DINING ROOM (by the china cabinet)
Here near the north wall is a china cabinet.
The dining room continues to the south, where you see a table, and to the southeast, where you see a sideboard along the east wall.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
>X CABINET
The china cabinet has two large wooden doors which are currently closed. The doors are carved with various swirls and designs, including two knobs at the top of the doors that are shaped like small birds. The birds are painted bright blue. Through glass panels in the doors you see four plates and four glasses.A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
>OPEN CABINET
The china cabinet is now open. In the china cabinet you see four plates and four glasses.>GET ALL FROM CABINET
plate: You’re carrying too much. Perhaps you could put something in your pocket.
Oh, no!
Fortunately, we already have a stash of stuff in the back half of the living room. We’ll make our way there to drop some excess items in a moment.
>X PLATE
The plate, which is blue, is made of a special kind of gyro-china that resists breakage and spilling.>X GLASS
The glass is a large tumbler, used for drinking. It’s made of a special kind of gyro-glass that resists breakage and spilling.
Yay, one less way to make the game unwinnable!
Anyway, we make our way out back south, then west back to the living room, and north to:
LIVING ROOM (back half)
You see five empty boxes and four ordinary cans of spam here.
I’m just guessing at which stuff we won’t need:
>DROP ORDINARY CAN
The ordinary can of spam is now on the floor.>DROP FAKE CAN
The fake can of spam is now on the floor.>DROP RUG
The oriental rug falls and unrolls as it hits the floor.>DROP BOX
The empty box is now on the floor.
Can we take the dishes now? We make our way back and:
DINING ROOM (by the china cabinet)
>GET ALL FROM CABINET
plate: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a plate out of the china cabinet.
plate: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a plate out of the china cabinet.
plate: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a plate out of the china cabinet.
plate: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a plate out of the china cabinet.
glass: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a glass out of the china cabinet.
glass: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a glass out of the china cabinet.
glass: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a glass out of the china cabinet.
glass: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a glass out of the china cabinet.
Success!
>SE
DINING ROOM (by the sideboard)
Here near the east wall is a sideboard.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
The dining room continues to the west, where you see a table, and to the northwest, where you see a china cabinet along the north wall.
>X SIDEBOARD
The sideboard is made of wood and has one drawer.>OPEN IT
The drawer is now open. In the drawer you see four forks, four knives, and four spoons.>X FORK
It’s just a fork.>X KNIFE
It’s just a table knife.>X SPOON
It’s just a spoon.
I think we’ll be having some kind of meal prep puzzle soon. Or at least a need to set the table, given that there’s 4 chairs and 4 of each item.
>W
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
The dining room has a table with four chairs. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table. You are currently at the east end of the table, and you can move north, south, or west to get to the other ends of the table.
Further east, a sideboard stands on the east wall. A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
Beyond the table, the dining room also continues further north, where you see a china cabinet standing along the north wall.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
>S
DINING ROOM (by the south end of the table)
The dining room has a table with four chairs. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table. You are currently at the south end of the table, and you can move east, west, or north to get to the other ends of the table.
Beyond the table, the dining room continues to the north and to the east. On the north wall is a china cabinet. On the east wall is a sideboard.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
Let’s see if one of our hunches is right:
>PUT PLATE ON TABLE
The plate is now on the south end of the table. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>X CHANDELIER
The chandelier is made of hanging crystals, with twenty small light bulbs shaped like candle flames. One of the bulbs is lit.
Aha. There are in fact 20 items in this room (4 each of plate, glass, fork, knife, and spoon), and 20 light bulbs.
I think it’s time to set the table! Probably to activate something, knowing what we now know of Martin.
>W
DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
>PUT PLATE ON TABLE
The plate is now on the west end of the table. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably.
Yes, our dog moves on his own sometimes. In fact he’s moving around during this whole next sequence.
>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
>PUT PLATE ON TABLE
The plate is now on the north end of the table. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>E
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
>PUT PLATE ON TABLE
The plate is now on the east end of the table. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>PUT GLASS ON TABLE
You’d need to put the glass in a relative position to something that is already on the east end of the table. For example, you could put the glass to the left of the plate, or to the right of the plate, or above the plate, or below the plate, or above and to the right of the plate, etc.
At least the game helps us out here. I have to take some time to imagine the proper place of everything, but fortunately we get indicators of progress each time we place something correctly.
>PUT GLASS ABOVE AND RIGHT OF PLATE
The glass is now above and to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>S
DINING ROOM (by the south end of the table)
>PUT GLASS ABOVE AND RIGHT OF PLATE
The glass is now above and to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.
I really do appreciate having copy/paste for this segment; certainly much easier than typing those long commands four times each. Maybe this is the sort of thing that’d work better with graphics, I don’t know.
Nevermind, the Zork III mirror box is much more complicated than this.
>W
DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
>PUT GLASS ABOVE AND RIGHT OF PLATE
The glass is now above and to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
>PUT GLASS ABOVE AND RIGHT OF PLATE
The glass is now above and to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>X CHANDELIER
The chandelier is made of hanging crystals, with twenty small light bulbs shaped like candle flames. Eight of the bulbs are lit.
Time to get our silverware!
>E
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
>E
DINING ROOM (by the sideboard)
In the drawer you see four forks, four knives, and four spoons.
>GET ALL FROM DRAWER
fork: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a fork out of the drawer.
fork: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a fork out of the drawer.
fork: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a fork out of the drawer.
fork: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a fork out of the drawer.
knife: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a knife out of the drawer.
knife: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a knife out of the drawer.
knife: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a knife out of the drawer.
knife: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a knife out of the drawer.
spoon: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a spoon out of the drawer.
spoon: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a spoon out of the drawer.
spoon: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a spoon out of the drawer.
spoon: Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take a spoon out of the drawer.>W
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
>PUT FORK LEFT OF PLATE
The fork is now to the left of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>S
DINING ROOM (by the south end of the table)
>PUT FORK LEFT OF PLATE
The fork is now to the left of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>W
DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
>PUT FORK LEFT OF PLATE
The fork is now to the left of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
>PUT FORK LEFT OF PLATE
The fork is now to the left of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>E
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
>S
DINING ROOM (by the south end of the table)
>PUT KNIFE RIGHT OF PLATE
The knife is now to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>W
DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
>PUT KNIFE RIGHT OF PLATE
The knife is now to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
>PUT KNIFE RIGHT OF PLATE
The knife is now to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>E
DINING ROOM (by the east end of the table)
>PUT KNIFE RIGHT OF PLATE
The knife is now to the right of the plate. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.
Last round!
>PUT SPOON RIGHT OF KNIFE
The spoon is now to the right of the knife. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>S
DINING ROOM (by the south end of the table)
>PUT SPOON RIGHT OF KNIFE
The spoon is now to the right of the knife. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>W
DINING ROOM (by the west end of the table)
>PUT SPOON RIGHT OF KNIFE
The spoon is now to the right of the knife. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.>N
DINING ROOM (by the north end of the table)
>PUT SPOON RIGHT OF KNIFE
The spoon is now to the right of the knife. You hear a click coming from somewhere overhead.The china cabinet suddenly moves sideways, revealing a door-sized opening in the north wall.
Woo! I knew there was a point to activating this. And just at the point where it was starting to get repetitive. (Yes, I probably should’ve just done everything at each side of the table in one go. Ah well. Incidentally, I believe I got 5 more points for this.)
Side note: I wonder if this sequence plays harder depending where you live? Pretty sure that convention of table setting isn’t universal, and would welcome comments one way or the other. At worst this could lead to issues of the Zork II “baseball maze” variety. Though I think it’s mitigated here, at least a little, by the fact you get a little notification every time you place an item correctly.
Anyway, onward!
>N
DINING ROOM (by the china cabinet)
Here near the north wall is a china cabinet. Next to the china cabinet is a door-sized opening. The china cabinet is open.
The dining room continues to the south, where you see a table, and to the southeast, where you see a sideboard along the east wall.
A long shelf runs across the east and south walls.
>N
KITCHEN
On the east wall is an archway containing a stone door. Next to the stone door is an electrical outlet, and next to the outlet is a large Black Box. You also see a long shelf running along the east wall.
Along the north wall you see two bowls on the floor. A small video screen is in the center of the north wall.
On the west wall is the kitchen sink. When facing the sink, you see a door labeled “PANTRY” to the left of the sink and a door labeled “LAUNDRY ROOM” to the right of the sink.
On the south wall is a doorway leading to the dining room.
Whew, no sooner do we solve one elaborate mechanism then we have another room with loads of stuff to mess with. Let’s start taking a look!
>X BOX
The Black Box is a perfectly smooth black cube that stands about as high as your shoulders.The Black Box is topped with a large lid, currently closed. On the lid you see some writing etched in silvery letters.
On the front of the Black Box you see a report card being held on by some refrigerator magnets.
>READ LID
The silvery letters say “Everything But the Kitchen Sink”.
Yeah, I did notice that there’s relatively little in the way of conventional kitchen equipment (no oven, etc.) in here. Of course Martin’s food prep operation is just as strange as everything else!
>X CARD
The report card is from the Good Doggy Training Academy. It lists the following grades:
SIT B
STAY B-
BEG C
LIE DOWN C-
HEEL B+
TRACK A->GET IT
Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take the report card off of the front of the Black Box.
So it seems like we can command the dog to do any or all of these things. I’m not sure all of them will be useful - and I don’t think my earlier idea of having the dog go under the bed because e’s smaller than us can be expressed in these commands - but I’ll have more to try. (The dog did show up in the kitchen while i started messing around with stuff.)
At least we get some help so we’re not trying to guess the verb!
Also, I only realized after doing this that the magnet that it was attached to is in fact portable. I’ll grab it next time just in case we need it.
>OPEN BOX
You don’t see any way to open the Black Box lid.>X LID
The Black Box lid, which is currently closed, has some writing etched in silvery letters. The silvery letters say “Everything But the Kitchen Sink”.Agador-Spartacus crawls out from under the kitchen sink. The sink cabinet doors swing shut.
Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably.
>X BOWL
Which bowl do you mean, the white pet bowl, or the red pet bowl?>WHITE
It’s the type of pet bowl that is designed not to tip over. The white pet bowl is empty. Above the bowl is a round spout with a small lever mounted on the north wall.>X RED BOWL
It’s the type of pet bowl that is designed not to tip over. The red pet bowl is empty. Above the bowl is a square spout with a large lever mounted on the north wall.>X LEVER
Which lever do you mean, the large lever, or the small lever?>LARGE
The large lever is the type of lever that you can push down on.>X OUTLET
It looks like an ordinary electrical outlet.Agador-Spartacus is sitting here.
>X SHELF
Wooden shelving runs along the east wall. Mounted on the shelving is some model railroad track that runs along the entire length of the shelving.The track enters the kitchen from the northeast corner and continues south along the wall. It drops to floor level to go past the back door. The track is inlaid into the floor there. The track then rises back onto the shelving and rises steeply to pass over the Black Box. At this point the shelving widens to form a platform. Then the track goes south, exiting the kitchen through a tunnel-shaped opening in the southeast corner.
>X DOOR
Which door do you mean, the stone door, the pantry door, or the laundry room door?>STONE
The stone door under the archway looks large and heavy. It’s currently closed and you don’t see any way to open it.There are some mysterious scratches carved into the top of the stone door.
You suspect that the mysterious scratches might be some sort of writing, but you are unable to read them. If you were feeling more imaginative you might think that the scratches could mean something interesting (like “Maori Do It Counterclockwise”). But right now your best guess is that the scratches translate as “Back Door”.
Agador-Spartacus is sitting here.
>OPEN STONE DOOR
You can’t see any way to open the stone door.Agador-Spartacus stands up. He pushes the sink cabinet doors open with his nose and crawls under the kitchen sink. The sink doors swing shut.
>X PANTRY DOOR
Labeled “PANTRY”, it is a door-sized panel in the west wall with no obvious way to open it.>W
Both the pantry door and the laundry room door are closed.>X LAUNDRY DOOR
Labeled “LAUNDRY ROOM”, it is a door-sized panel in the west wall with no obvious way to open it.>X SINK
The kitchen sink has two basins and one faucet. The faucet can be pushed left or right.The faucet is currently turned off and positioned over the left basin.
There’s no water in the right basin.
There’s no water in the left basin.
On the back of the sink you see a sink stopper. Under the sink you see the sink cabinet with two wooden doors.
>X STOPPER
The sink stopper is a plug that can stop water from draining out of a basin. It looks quite old.>GET IT
Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take the sink stopper off of the kitchen sink.>X CABINET
The sink cabinet is located under the kitchen sink. There are two wooden doors that swing freely back and forth.>OPEN IT
You open the sink cabinet doors to take a look in the cabinet under the sink. You see some plumbing pipes here. At the back of the cabinet is a small, square passageway about the size of an air vent. You also see a pair of black tap shoes here under the cabinet. As you let go of the cabinet doors they swing shut again.>GET SHOES
Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take them anyway. You take the black tap shoes out of the sink cabinet.>X SHOES
Which shoes do you mean, the brown shoes, or the black tap shoes?>BLACK
The shoes are a pair of men’s tap shoes, shiny black and a little bit smaller than your size. They are badly mangled. It looks like some animal has been chewing on them.
Seems useless for right now. Although I’m pretty sure one of Martin’s relatives was a tap dancer, for whatever that’s worth.
Checking the thread: Yep, it was his mom. We saw a photo in the bedroom.
>X SCREEN
The video screen is blank.You feel a bit sorry for the blank video screen, looking so empty and unfulfilled. Sort of like a pocket without a pocket watch.
>TURN STEM
You turn the stem clockwise. The video screen goes up into the ceiling and disappears from sight.Ben’s bifocals stop glowing.
>L
KITCHEN
On the east wall is an archway containing a stone door. Next to the stone door is an electrical outlet, and next to the outlet is a large Black Box. You also see a long shelf running along the east wall.
Along the north wall you see two bowls on the floor.
On the west wall is the kitchen sink. When facing the sink, you see a door labeled “PANTRY” to the left of the sink and a door labeled “LAUNDRY ROOM” to the right of the sink.
On the south wall is a doorway leading to the dining room.
>TURN STEM
You turn the stem clockwise. A small video screen slides down to the middle of the north wall.Ben’s bifocals begin to glow.
Note that, unlike the one in the living room, this screen doesn’t appear to be covering up anything. Therefore, it might be more beneficial to do any future watch experiments in here, since it’s safe to leave this screen down.
Okay, anyway, we’ve looked around. Let’s start messing with stuff!
>PULL LARGE LEVER
You push the large lever. Nothing happens. The large lever pops back up.>PULL SMALL LEVER
You push the small lever. Water pours out of the round spout into the white pet bowl below it and the small lever pops back up.>PULL LARGE LEVER
You push the large lever. Nothing happens. The large lever pops back up.>G
You push the large lever. Nothing happens. The large lever pops back up.Agador-Spartacus crawls out from under the kitchen sink. The sink cabinet doors swing shut.
Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably.
>PULL SMALL
You push the small lever. Nothing happens. The small lever pops back up.Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably.
No clue what this is about. We can’t take the bowls, and seemingly only got the one reaction.
What I did make progress on, however, is the sink.
>TURN ON FAUCET
The faucet is now turned on. Water starts flowing into the left basin.Agador-Spartacus stands before you, wagging his tail affably.
You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. The water is going straight down the left drain without leaving any standing water in the left basin.
Sometimes when dealing with a complicated device, it’s okay to just watch for a few turns. This is mostly me just messing with the sink with no clear purpose.
>Z
Time passes…You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. The water is going straight down the left drain without leaving any standing water in the left basin.
>PUT STOPPER IN LEFT BASIN
The sink stopper is now in the left drain.You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. A sink stopper is in the left drain. The level of the standing water in the left basin is almost one-third full and rising.
>Z
Time passes…You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. A sink stopper is in the left drain. The level of the standing water in the left basin is almost two-thirds full and rising.
>Z
Time passes…You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. A sink stopper is in the left drain. The level of the standing water in the left basin is almost completely full and rising.
The left basin now is completely full and water begins overflowing into the right basin.
>Z
Time passes…Agador-Spartacus is sitting here.
You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. A sink stopper is in the left drain. The left basin is full, and water is overflowing into the right basin. The water overflowing from the left basin is going straight down the right drain without leaving any standing water in the right basin.
Hmm, that didn’t have any clear impact. Let’s try moving things to the other side:
>GET STOPPER
Your arms are getting full, but a little rearranging lets you take it anyway. You take the sink stopper out of the left drain.You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the left basin. The left drain is keeping pace with the new water pouring in from the faucet, so the water level in the left basin is holding steady even as some of the water swirls clockwise down the left drain. The left basin remains completely full.
>PUSH FAUCET RIGHT
The faucet is now pushed right.You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the right basin. The water is going straight down the right drain without leaving any standing water in the right basin.
The water level in the left basin is two-thirds full and dropping. You find the clockwise swirling of water down the drain to be almost hypnotic.
>PUT STOPPER IN RIGHT DRAIN
The sink stopper is now in the right drain.Agador-Spartacus stands up. He pushes the sink cabinet doors open with his nose and crawls under the kitchen sink. The sink doors swing shut.
You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the right basin. A sink stopper is in the right drain. The level of the standing water in the right basin is almost one-third full and rising.
The water level in the left basin is one-third full and dropping. You find the clockwise swirling of water down the drain to be almost hypnotic.
>Z
Time passes…You notice some activity in the kitchen sink.
Water from the faucet is pouring into the right basin. A sink stopper is in the right drain. The level of the standing water in the right basin is almost two-thirds full and rising.
The water in the left basin is draining away. The left basin is almost empty. You find the clockwise swirling of water down the drain to be almost hypnotic.
The left drain gurgles as the last of the standing water there swirls down the drain. At the instant that you hear the gurgling of the drain the pantry door slides open, disappearing into the wall.
Whoa! What happened here?
It looks like if we move the stopper and faucet over, it’ll cause the other basin to drain out. And the two doors in the west wall open whenever either basin drains fully. We just drained the full left basin, thus opening the left (pantry) door. If we drain the right basin instead (by moving the faucet back over) we can instead open the laundry room, although probably closing the pantry in the process.
What will we find in the pantry? Well, I can say right now that it is no ordinary pantry. But for more, you’ll have to wait until Part V!
Status check!
>SCORE
Score: 35 out of 360 Turns: 652 Menu: Whatever
I believe we got 5 points when we set the table, and more points for opening the pantry door.
We’re only 10% of the way through? This is gonna be a really long game, folks.
>I
You are carrying:
some khaki trousers (being worn)
a brown sock (being worn)
a black sock (being worn)
a pair of brown shoes (being worn)
a flannel shirt (being worn)
an envelope
a large stack of catalogs
a phone bill
a gold key
an audio cassette with a red label
an audio cassette with a green label
“Go Dog Go”
“The Bedtime Story Book”
“The Boy Who Had No Words”
a optical filter
a yellow feather
a white sock
a red rubber ball
a security badge
a small phone book
a large phone book
a pocket watch
a report card
a pair of black tap shoes
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A bit less gameplay this time, mostly because so much was one somewhat repetitive puzzle.
Depending on if I have time I might try to get another part out this weekend. Let’s just say that the “pantry” is seeming to open up a *lot* of options! (I get the feeling that anyone here who knows the game is probably very excited right now.)
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I think that the report card is an excellent digetic mean for offering to the player the commands available to the canine NPC.
What intrigues me is the TRACK command and that has the highest grade. Considering the quantity of takeable and arbitrarly-droppable objects, seems to me also a very sensible command, perhaps worth of a try ?
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio
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