I never got around to watching the movie; when I completed everything else there was to do in the vicinity of the museum it was 11 AM and I didn’t feel like waiting around. That was somewhat less enlightening than I hoped it would be, I must admit.
You should probably check out the museum basement when you come back.
Yes, watching the movie is the 3-point action that isn’t required, but gives a little context to the experiment Cassie is doing… I’ll try and make it a little more enlightening! A couple of more notes from Part 4!
Thanks again! Can’t wait for Part 5!
Oh, interesting, I thought the bonus action was making the s’mores! Hopefully we’ll see that in the LP too, I thought that was a fun bit of business.
Oops! Yep, I realise now that I read that in the description of the museum but skipped over exploring it entirely in play. I’m always slightly more conscious of what I’m typing when I’m doing an LP and I’m less willing to keep LOOKing every third turn because it means more to edit out of the transcript afterwards!
If you examine the ceiling in Martin’s office, you’ll see that it looks like a trap door. If you ask Martin about it, he’ll tell you to go up.
Before you go to the Museum basement, you’ll want to get a light source.
The plan for the most part is to explore all of the available locations and see what’s up before we get too hung up on any puzzle solving— particularly since a significant proportion of the game’s treasures appear to be lying around in plain sight ready for the taking. So today we’re visiting Oxford, home of the UK’s second greatest university!
>FLY TO OXFORD
You take off from the Lunken Airport and fly to the Hidden Airbase. (it’s fast)Hidden Airbase (in the Quotient Jet)
A secret airbase west of Oxford.Broad Street is to the south.
In the Quotient Jet you can see a treat cupboard (empty).
>OUT
You get out of the Quotient Jet.Hidden Airbase
One of Quotient’s jets is here primed and ready.
This hidden airbase is remarkably nondescript. But presumably that’s because all of the other locations in the game have real airports, so this hidden airbase is just a convenient device in order to be able to include Oxford as a destination for the jet.
I am once again intrigued by how compass directions work in this game, though. If the airbase is west of Oxford, then to reach Broad Street (which is in central Oxford), wouldn’t it make more sense to go east?
>S
Broad Street
You are standing on Broad Street.To the south, you can see the Sheldonian Theatre, and to the east is the Clarendon Building. The Airbase is to the north.
Nothing is in italics here, which means there’s nothing we can interact with, so I guess this is just a connecting area.
>E
Clarendon Building
This is a neoclassical building completed in 1715 to enable moving the University Presses out of the basement of the Sheldonian Theater. They couldn’t work while plays were in progress, hence the necessity of the move.As for your movement, you can go east or west.
There is a piece of paper on the floor.
>TAKE PAPER
You take the piece of paper and examine it carefully.It appears to be a page ripped from a book. The text is still legible.
I am coming to appreciate the “automatically examine things when you pick them up” feature, but it’s slightly offset by the “don’t automatically read things when you examine them even if the content of the text is the only interesting thing about the object” feature.
>READ IT
Chapter 1 - Switzerland, The Demands
The President’s armor-plated convoy approached the idyllic Swiss chalet. Nestled high in the Swiss Alps, the crisp air, brilliant blue sky, and alpine snowbells were deceiving. This was not a ski vacation or a mountain retreat. Four world leaders were gathering in secret to discuss dark threats.
This is … the opening of a novel, right?
Down below, in Lucerne, a man approached the Hotel des Balances. Stepping inside, he walked past the large mahogany-framed fireplace and stepped onto the narrow balcony overlooking the crystal-clear River Reuss. Looking upriver, he could see the famous Lucerne-Chapel bridge in the distance. He hastened down the intricate wrought-iron railing to the fifth table and waited for his contact. The river water reflected the bright noon sunlight. He dropped a pebble in the water and could see it drift slowly all the way to the bottom of the clean, mountain-fed river. The church across the river had green patina on its copper-covered steeples. It reminded him of the many greenbacks he hoped to earn for his loyalty to the Contingent. He pulled out his phone and gazed at the live video image of the quaint Swiss chalet, less than 100 kilometers away.
Okay, this is clearly some kind of spy thriller. Are we reading The Quantum Contingent? If I remember correctly, we established that the book itself exists in this world, and is a lightly-fictionalised version of Quotient’s defeat of the real Quantum Contingent.
In a world that thrived on technology, it was hard to keep a secret, even for the top governments of the world. This meeting of four of the world’s top leaders was meticulously planned. They secured the venue in advance. They cleared the route to and from the chalet. The stop was billed as a well-deserved break for one of the most well-liked leaders of the free world. On President Bridget O’Connor’s calendar, it was listed as a pleasure stop, a photo op at a remote chalet surrounded by the majestic, towering, snow-capped Alps with a winding downhill path to a pristine lake that reflected the surrounding beauty.
When they arrived at the chalet, the President’s lead secret service agent stepped out of the armored limo and surveyed the scene. What would have been a firefight was instead a whisper-quiet techno-fight. A small armed drone shot a self-propelled nano-technology dart into the agent’s neck. It was a small, silent prick, like a mosquito bite; he thought nothing of it. Other agents exited the convoy. Each was shot with the nano-darts. Most ignored the prick entirely. All looked around cautiously, ultimately determining the coast was clear for their package to exit the vehicle. Once the dart had found its subject, the nano-bot it delivered burrowed into the skin of each agent like a microscopic tick from a warm Connecticut wood.
— an excerpt from The Quantum Contingent
Okay, I do want to read more, mostly because I want to know what the nanobots that have been carefully planted on these agents are going to do. I have a feeling it’s probably not going to end well for them, though.
We head east and are immediately confronted by another of those locations where I feel like I need to take notes on all the things we need to investigate as I read the room description:
>E
Cassie’s Office
Cassie’s office reflects her personality. It is a cross between a free-spirited, nature-lover’s reading room, with plants, and the office of an eccentric science genius. It includes what looks like a laser-guided cannon automatically spraying water at the plants.A door leads to her lab to the north, another room is to the east. The Turf Tavern is to the southwest and the Clarendon building is to the west.
Mysterious equations fill an old chalkboard in the corner.
A free-swinging hammock chair is here.
Kara, a brilliant former scientist at NASA is here. She has a complex, romantic relationship with Jack, and is now an agent of Quotient.
Professor Cassandra Eaton is here. Her thing of beauty is a deep understanding of quantum mechanics and time. She is tall and her silvery-blond hair is wavy, almost to her shoulders. Her piercing blue eyes have both put dread in the hearts of students during oral exams and have enraptured a few men’s hearts over the years.
You can also see a wooden door and a Frame TV here.
When you walk in, Cassie and Kara are talking. You overhear a piece of their conversation
“Yes, I loved Martin, but my time is passed.”… “It’s never too late for”
They look up. Cassie smiles at you. “Hello, you must be the new agent, I’m Cassie, and this is Kara.”
“Yes, I recognize you from your agent profiles.” Kara stands and shakes your hand. “Welcome to the team.”
Kara turns and nods at Cassie. “I must be going. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about with Cassie. Kara smiles and heads out the door.”
So that’s seven paragraphs of location description followed by five paragraphs of (relatively gentle) exposition. But on the other hand, we’ve found Cassie! It’s a shame we don’t already have the stolen time crystal to hand back to her, though, or we’d be making a way better first impression.
Let’s check out all of the other stuff that’s here, starting with a laser-guided cannon that’s apparently used for watering the plants?
>X CANNON
Every time you look at the cannon, it sprays you in the face!
This made me laugh. Just because we’re on a mission of global importance doesn’t mean there’s no time for slapstick!
>X CHALKBOARD
It is filled with mathematical equations. One catches your eye, perhaps you can read it?>READ IT
Sqrt(Pi) = Gamma f(1/2)
That extra f confused me there for a moment, but this is a statement of a correct mathematical fact (that the gamma function—an extension of the factorial function—maps the value one-half to the square root of pi). How it might be relevant is not immediately clear.
The hammock isn’t highlighted in italics or bold in the room description, but if it’s not implemented as something we can interact with then that whole paragraph about the hammock is pointless, so maybe it’s an accidental omission?
>X HAMMOCK
A free-swinging, handwoven, cotton hammock chair with oak handles.>X DOOR
The wooden door is sturdy and a card reader is mounted on the wall next to it.
But is this the door to the north, the door to the east or one of the doors that leads back outside?
>X TV
The Frame TV is currently turned off.
Ok, we’ll play with the TV later, since I’m getting impatient to know what wisdom the famous Professor Eaton (who, let’s not forget, is also a spy and a movie star) might have to share with us.
>X CASSIE
Cassie’s thing of beauty is a deep understanding of quantum mechanics and time. She is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics and head of all quantum studies at Oxford. She completed her PhD when she was only twenty-one and has been at Oxford ever since. Her deep understanding of quantum mechanics and the essence of time are world renowned. Today, her silvery-blond hair is pulled back, and her piercing blue eyes look determined to make something work.>TALK TO HER
Cassie looks at you with a mix of curiosity and determination. “Ready to get to work? I’m going to the lab” she says.“Oh, and the computer appears to need a reboot” she says as she disappears
Florin pulled this trick of walking away the moment we tried to talk to him as well. We’ll see if we can follow her in a moment, but we should probably also take note of the fact that this is another person telling us to reboot the computer. If only it wasn’t in space!
>TURN ON TV
yourself switch the Frame TV on.>X IT
Snow fills the screen of the Frame TV.>TURN IT OFF
yourself switch the Frame TV off.
I hadn’t heard the phrase “Frame TV” before but apparently it’s just a really thin flatscreen TV?
So, can we follow Cassie?
>N
(first opening the wooden door)
(first unlocking the wooden door)
You lack a key that fits the wooden door.
This implies we need a key, although I’m also wondering if this might be a misleading message and we actually need to do something with the card reader.
Anyway, since Cassie and Kara have both left, we’ve taken at least a cursory look at everything there is to see here, so let’s venture further in.
>E
Virtual Reality Lab
You are in the Virtual reality lab. It is a large, mostly empty room. The floor is a silvery hue.Cassie’s office is to the west.
A metal sign is mounted on the wall.
You can also see a VR suit here.
Something about the VR suit reminds you of Christmas Day.
Virtual reality! What are we going to get to explore?
>X FLOOR
It appears to be made of millions of small ball bearings.
Huh, I’d heard the phrase “roller floor” in connection with VR before but never really stopped to think about how that would work. I guess this is it?
>X SIGN
The sign is a large rectangular sign. It has writing on it.
To it’s credit, the game is at least consistent about never telling you the text on an object when you EXAMINE it, only when you READ it.
>READ IT
Caution! VR Simulations can be very lifelike. The floor will automatically release when the VR suit is turned on. It will return to its locked state when the VR suit is turned off.
Before we start playing with the VR setup, let’s remember to check out our new memory.
>THINK ABOUT CHRISTMAS DAY
Wow, you remember the Christmas Day many years ago you got your very own Quest Rift Suit, it was always hard to quit playing…>WEAR SUIT
(the cold suit)
You’re already wearing that!>WEAR VR SUIT
(first taking the VR suit)
You take the VR suit and examine it carefully.A sleek, futuristic Virtual reality headset, not much bigger than a normal set of eyeglasses as well as something that looks like a vest and gloves.
The VR suit is currently switched off.
You put on the VR suit.
>TURN IT ON
The world around you flickers and then you suddenly appear in a brand new metaverse world.Metaverse
The most obvious clue that you are in the metaverse is that there are an unusually high number of mythical creatures here. (like the centaur that just walked by) People enjoy enhancing their avatars into creatures that don’t inhabit the real world. If you see a unicorn walking by or a dragon flying overhead, you are certainly in the metaverse.
I read Snow Crash when I was a teenager, but the aspirations of Zuckerberg and co mean that in the modern day I instinctively read the term “metaverse” as “exploitative techbro nonsense”. But this looks like a fairly straightforward incarnation of the concept.
If your host could keep these anomalies out and worked to match the real world, you could live your life trapped on a false Earth. A version of Earth in the metaverse outside of your control. There are different visions of the future here.
Dystopian 2049 is to the east, Utopian 2049 is to the west, a future National Park is to the north, and a Peaceful Meditation Scene is to the south.
A hologram floats nearby.
>X HOLOGRAM
The hologram looks like Cassie, only semi-transparent, almost like one would imagine a ghost. Her piercing blue eyes glow brighter than the rest of the hologram.>TALK TO HOLOGRAM
I suspect the metaverse will be almost indistinguishable from reality by 2049. Standard metaverse gear will need simple safeguards to help you determine if you were in real space or meta space. For example, rapid eye blinking could be an industry standard for “get me out of here.” All meta suits would then back you to the real world instantly if rapid eye blinking occurred. Also, every avatar will have an identifying mark on the bottom of their left foot/shoe/appendage that shows their metaverse id. Kind of like Woody in Toy Story.Of course, hackers will alter metaverse programs to remove both safety features. With no blinking-eye exit, and no id mark, it would be hard to tell what is real and what is meta. With the appropriate setup, you could trap a person in the metaverse, and make them think it’s real.
“Rapid eye blinking” is bolded, which is supposed to mean that it’s an object we can interact with?
>X RAPID BLINKING
You can’t see any such thing.
Guess not. There’s a lot of hinting here that at some point we’re going to end up trapped in the metaverse, possibly unaware of the fact, and unable to escape. For now, let’s try the blinking thing:
>BLINK
You blink rapidly.
The VR suit is deactivated and you return to reality.Virtual Reality Lab
You are in the Virtual reality lab. It is a large, mostly empty room. The floor is a silvery hue.Cassie’s office is to the west.
A metal sign is mounted on the wall.
Simple enough for now. We turn the suit back on and return to the same metaverse location. Let’s see how bad the dystopian vision of 2049 is:
>E
Dystopian 2049
The difference between a world where people are totally addicted to their metasuits and the 1999 movie, The Matrix, would be that people would voluntarily spend many, if not most, of their waking hours in a pod that removed them from reality. There wouldn’t need to be a digital rebellion to put them there.The metaverse was the device that philosopher Robert Nozick referred to as an “experience machine” in the thought experiment from his book Anarchy, State and Utopia. A machine that would allow us to only experience bliss. Robert believed that most people would decide to not plug in since they would know the experience was not real. In this dystopian vision of 2049, Robert was mistaken. Perhaps he underestimated how dystopian 2049 would become.
In this idea of the future, augmented reality glasses became as common as smartphones in the 2020s. As a result, society morphed. Buildings were bland cubes. The beauty was only viewable through the AR glasses almost everyone wore. The same was true for clothing. People simply designed virtual wardrobes, and their glasses emitted a tag corresponding to which outfit they wanted people to see. A quick touch to the temple of their AR glasses and their outfit morphed. If you were to remove your AR glasses, everyone was walking around in black spandex, past plain white buildings. It made the AR effect work better, and it was comfortable.
Homes didn’t need landscaping; it was added by the AR glasses. Holiday decorations were easy. You could morph your home into a scary haunted house for Halloween or Santa’s workshop for Christmas.
This changed the physical world immensely. There was no need for street signs or lane markings on roads. The remaining signs were fading and in disrepair. Now, all signage, labeling, and advertising were augmented on top of the physical world. And it wasn’t just advertising and directions. The real world was becoming bland. AR eliminated the need for physical decorations, beautiful color schemes, or landscaping. The beauty of new city developments was all provided through augmentation. If you were one of the few that still wandered into a physical store, there were no labels. The QR code on the plain cardboard box caused the box to transform into an interactive ad for the product when viewing the product through your AR glasses. With no glasses, it was a shelf full of brown cardboard boxes with QR codes. With AR glasses, it was a shelf of gleaming digital icons, floating videos, and interactive product displays. It was hard to live and work in this world without using AR.
The design of the physical world was disappearing into the AR facade. Why make anything look particularly good if you could just slap a coat of AR paint on it instead? Textures and colors gave way to black (clothing), white (buildings), and specific Pantone colors for different types of objects. All cars were a specific shade of brown. It was easier to paint the AR world on top of this strange, bland, monotone world that had blossomed. The world was now one giant green screen. At least when you weren’t fully inside the metaverse.
In this projected future, dependence on AR led to a dramatic increase in the use of Virtual Reality in society. In 2049, people used VR the way people used TV earlier in the century. It was the primary form of home entertainment. Just as many of the prior generation fell asleep to TV, people often just fell asleep in their virtual world, happy to be lying in a fantasy world of their own creation, away from what was becoming a more and more bland physical world, and away from the connection of physical human relationships. This was the real downfall of dystopian 2049.
Of course, you might just end up sleeping here if you can’t get that suit off.
So I guess this feels bad, but also … not that bad? Of all of the potential failure states of human civilization, I can’t say this is one of the ones I worry about regularly. I’m imagining a time traveller travelling from the year 2049:
“People of the past! I bring dire warning about what will unfold if you continue on your present path unchecked!”
“Is it the climate crisis? We’re pretty worried about that, and the whole clean energy transition thing doesn’t really seem to be gaining much traction.”
“No! In the future, over-reliance in augmented reality means that all of our clothes are black and all of our cars are brown!”
“Uh, okay, what about the erosion of democratic norms by authoritarian regimes?”
“Did you not hear me? All the cars are brown!”
Anyway, there doesn’t seem to actually be anything we can do in Dystopian 2049, so let’s go check out the Utopian version where I guess all the cars will be covered in holographic rainbows or something.
>W
Metaverse
A hologram floats nearby.>W
Utopian 2049
Technology isn’t inherently bad. It has to do with how we use it. In this projected future, AR still existed, but it was only to augment the beauty of the real world, not replace it entirely. It made you less likely to peer at a sporting event through the lens of your camera. Instead, you could watch the event and still have some brief real-time statistics appear in the lower left-hand corner of your field of vision. In Utopian 2049, the metaverse was here too. In this scenario, it was great for enhancing solo activities like working out or playing video games with your far-flung friends on the internet, but people still wanted to come back to their real-world friends and live in the real world.Too bad you might never be able to return!
The game seems to be hinting pretty hard that we’re stuck in the metaverse … but we can just do the blinking thing, right? Is this my second Let’s Play in a row where we end up trapped in virtual reality?
>E
Metaverse
A hologram floats nearby.>N
Future National Park
For the few remaining Luddites that shunned this strange new metaverse world of the dystopian future scenario, at least they picked up a few advantages. The world’s most beautiful outdoor spaces weren’t overcrowded anymore. Most just visited these sites virtually.You are now in the heart of a grove of Redwoods. They tower over you. Making you feel peaceful.
Maybe this virtual world isn’t so bad?
This seems nice. The trees aren’t highlighted, but can we do anything with them?
>X REDWOODS
>X REDIWHIP
It’s the classic spray can of Whipped Cream.
Uh, the game apparently auto-corrects the word “redwoods” to “Rediwhip”, so I guess not.
>S
Metaverse
A hologram floats nearby.>S
Peaceful Meditation
You are in a vast desert, with dunes stretching out to the horizon. The sun burns like a hot coal in the sky. You may meditate here as long as you like.And that could be a very long time if you can’t figure out how to exit.
A serene yoga master appears, floating just a few inches above the sand in the lotus position.
>MEDITATE
“Ahhhh, welcome to Peaceful Meditation,” says the normally silent Yoga Master. “Take a deep cleansing breath. Your anagram for the day is: The Oldest Log.”
A yoga mat has appeared.
I can’t find a single-word anagram of THE OLDEST LOG; there are a huge range of multi-word anagrams, but I’m not spotting anything that would make any of them particularly significant?
>X MAT
It is a large yoga mat, thicker than most. It is soft, but not in a rubbery way, it feels more like lying on a thick bed of pine needles, covered with cloth. Its color is changing constantly.>LIE ON MAT
yourself can’t lie on Yoga Mat.>STAND ON MAT
yourself can’t stand on Yoga Mat.>GET ON MAT
That’s not something you can enter.
Ok, we don’t appear to be able to use it for what I assumed was its intended purpose, but can we take it with us and do something else with it?
>TAKE MAT
You take Yoga Mat. and examine it carefully.It is a large yoga mat, thicker than most. It is soft, but not in a rubbery way, it feels more like lying on a thick bed of pine needles, covered with cloth. Its color is changing constantly.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
The colour-changing yoga mat is a treasure? I haven’t yet figured out a consistent interpretation of what this game considers “treasures”, but I guess if a can of Mountain Dew will do, then so will this yoga mat.
>X MASTER
The yoga master appears to be floating just a few inches above the sand in the lotus position with their eyes closed. They are wearing what appears to be a very comfortable, terry-cloth robe adorned with baby yodas.>TALK TO MASTER
The Yoga Master simply breaths out. And then in. Their breathing is slow and rhythmic. They do not even open their eyes when you talk to them.>ASK MASTER ABOUT MAT
There is no reply.>N
Metaverse
A hologram floats nearby.
So, for all of that hinting about how we were going to end up trapped in the metaverse …
>BLINK
You blink rapidly.
The VR suit is deactivated and you return to reality.Virtual Reality Lab
You are in the Virtual reality lab. It is a large, mostly empty room. The floor is a silvery hue.Cassie’s office is to the west.
A metal sign is mounted on the wall.
Checking our inventory at this point reveals that we’re still carrying the yoga mat and that it is indeed listed as a treasure. Maybe that’s all there is to do in the metaverse?
>W
Cassie’s Office
The whole description of Cassie’s office is reprinted whenever we enter despite the fact that we’re in BRIEF mode, but I won’t repeat it here since nothing’s changed except that Cassie and Kara aren’t there any more.
>SW
The Turf Tavern
You enter the 12th Century inn, Turf Tavern, from the front. It is very popular with Oxford Students.You can go northeast or west.
A traditional black painted board is mounted on a post and is filled with writing.
You can also see a Pimms here.
Like the hammock from before, the board isn’t highlighted as a thing we can interact with, but the presence of a paragraph solely to point out its existence suggests that we probably can:
>X BOARD
It looks like a chalkboard upon which they have painted many words.>READ IT
Whilst here at Oxford University ---- in 1963 — At the Turf Tavern, Bob Hawke, Former Austrailian Prime Minister entered the Guinness Book of Records after downing a Yard of Ale in 11 seconds.
We’ve also come across a Pimm’s, which, for those insufficiently familiar with rarefied British snobbery, is essentially a recipe for getting inappropriately drunk at posh garden parties,
>TAKE PIMMS
You take the Pimms. and examine it carefully.It’s a glass of Pimms, you drink it!
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
I was briefly worried that this text implied that we’d been unable to resist drinking the Pimm’s as soon as we examined it, but a check of our inventory confirms that it’s still there, under “treasured food and drink”.
>W
Sheldonian Theatre
Home to all public ceremonies at Oxford University, it was designed by Christopher Wren and built between 1664 and 1669. Wren was a professor of astronomy at the time but managed to design a marvel of a building. It was a D-shaped setup, modeled after Roman theaters. A truss spans the entire theater. It was named after Gilbert Sheldon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and its primary financial backer. A beautiful tapestry hangs on one wall.Exits are north, south and east.
You can see a Throne here.
>X TRUSS
The truss was designed by Christopher Wren to span the seventy feet necessary to put the entire theater under roof without supporting columns which could spoil the view.>X TAPESTRY
The tapestry shows the knight Lancelot charging up a hill toward a lion. He is wearing a gleaming pendant that appears to sparkle in the sun because of the small silver threads spraying outward on the cloth. There appears to be a slight bulge in the middle of the tapestry.
This looks pretty suspicious, so let’s delve further:
>LOOK UNDER TAPESTRY
You find nothing of interest.>PULL TAPESTRY
It is fixed in place.>X BULGE
You can’t see any such thing.>LOOK BEHIND TAPESTRY
As you disturb the tapestry, an ancient pendant falls out from behind it and lands on the floor.
Score! What have we found?
>TAKE PENDANT
You take the ancient pendant and examine it carefully.Though mottled with rust, it looks quite beautiful.
We didn’t get any points for it, though, which means that unlike our yoga mat or our can of whipped cream, it doesn’t count as a treasure.
>X THRONE
This stately throne has been sat in by many great minds over the years. It rests on exquisitely carved lion’s feet. Is that something under its paw?>LOOK UNDER THRONE
You find an old graduation program.You take the graduation program. and examine it carefully.
A decades-old Oxford graduation program.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
But the graduation program (or programme, since we’re in Oxford) is a treasure. There must be some kind of logic to what counts as treasure in the world of Quotient, but I’m still waiting for it to make itself clear to me.
>READ PROGRAM
Bridget O’Connor, class of 2019, “Loved the experience.”
Ryan Gofast, class of 2019, “Outstanding!”
Ian Ridgefield, class of 2019, “So much fun.”
Dan Humphry, class of 2019, “Totally loved being here.”
Greg Ionosphere, class of 2019, “Love you all.”
Ewan McWanda, class of 2019, “Over the pond is over the moon!”
Tom Watson, class of 2019, “Didn’t know how much I’d love this place.”
Michael Peterson, class of 2019, “Great experience!”
Simon Evernote, class of 2019, “Exceptional. Everyone except me that is!”
This is presumably a clue for something (we’re told that every treasure is a clue for something). We don’t know if it’s the same one, but Bridget O’Connor is the name of the President of the USA. I don’t think we’ve been told what year this game is set in, but one would typically graduate from Oxford at the age of 21, so unless the requirement to be at least 35 years old to become President has changed in the meantime, it must be at least 2033 (and before 2049, since 2049 was the year of the brown car dystopia that we saw in the metaverse).
I don’t know what to make of any of the other names, except that I don’t think Ionosphere is a particularly common surname, so that seems a likely starting point if we’re trying to figure out what else might be hidden here. Tom Watson is the name of the former deputy leader of the British Labour Party, but that Tom Watson was born in 1967 and went to university in Hull, so I don’t think it’s the same one. And a quick web search tells me that the software Evernote is not in fact named after its creator Simon Evernote (the creator of Evernote is Stepan Pachikov).
>SIT ON THRONE
yourself are now seated on the Throne.
I don’t know what I should have expected from that. Let’s keep exploring.
>STAND UP
yourself get off the Throne.Sheldonian Theatre
You can see a Throne here.>S
Bodleian Library
You are at the entrance of the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The great gate at the entrance of the Bodleian is open.To the south is Radcliffe Square, to the North the Sheldonian Theatre. You can enter the old Duke Humfrey’s library to the northwest or the Divinity School to the southwest.
>X GATE
The large wooden doors of the great gate were constructed in the 17th century and the doors are adorned with crests of many of the coats of arms of the colleges of Oxford.
Nothing much to see here, move along.
>NW
Duke Humfrey’s
Duke Humfrey’s Library, with its ancient manuscripts and historic reading rooms, is a treasure trove of knowledge. It is also stunning to look at, but please refrain from making too much noise, or sneaking too many photographs.You can return to the great gate of the Bodleian to the southeast.
You can see an old safe (closed), a hardcover novel, and a paperback here.
>TAKE HARDCOVER
You take the hardcover novel and examine it carefully.It’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.
>TAKE PAPERBACK
You take the paperback. and examine it carefully.It’s the book Dreamcatchers, by Bridget Simpson. (Rumor has it, some of it was written in The Lost Lodge.)
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
Wait, don’t we already have a copy of Dreamcatchers?
>I
Treasures:
a paperback
a graduation program
Yoga Mat
a Book, Dreamcatchers
a Tardis Communicator
a Deck of Cards
Treasured Food and Drink:
a Pimms
a 3-way Chili
a Mountain Dew
an Oyster Cracker
a Can of Rediwhip
Everything else:
a hardcover novel, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
an ancient pendant
a VR suit
a piece of paper
a copy of the museum guide
a chocolate-covered strawberry
a gold key
a manual
an iron key (which opens the iron cage)
a cold suit
a stylus
a digital notepad
some kindling
a shovel
a Leaflet
a loaf of bread
a paring knife
a map
a watch
emotional baggage
Christmas Day
college
Family
days gone by
We do! So now we have two copies, and both are treasures? Both descriptions also reference the Lost Lodge—anyone have any idea whether that’s something I should already know about?
I also notice that we’ve walked off with the VR suit from Cassie’s lab. I hope she won’t mind.
>X SAFE
An old safe is here. It has a cylindrical keyhole.>UNLOCK SAFE
(with the gold key)
You unlock the old safe.
If the gold key (which we found in the Quotient jet) fits, does this mean that this safe belongs to Quotient? Or did another Quotient agent find the key and leave it in the jet?
>OPEN IT
You open the old safe, revealing an intelligence paper.>TAKE PAPER
(the intelligence paper)
The intelligence paper must stay here, but you may consult them while you are here.>READ IT
You may consult this intelligence paper about many topics. Use the command: “consult intel about TOPIC”. Here is an index of the topics covered within.
INDEX
Contingent/Quantum Contingent
Continuum
Crystal/Kyber Crystal
Desmond
Florin/Florin Ardelean
Frank
Jack/Jack Alexander
Kara
Light saber/light sabre/saber/sabre
Martin
Nela Park/Nela
Pendant
President/Bridget
Prime Minister/Jason/Jason Stephenson
Professor Cassandra Eaton/Professor Eaton/prof/professor/cassandra/cassie/eaton
Metaverse
Mt dew/mtn dew/Mountain Dew/dew
Tardis/Quotient Computer/Computer
Quotient
Robert Clayton/lion/Robert/Clayton
Sarah
Well, since we’ve been provided with an index, it kind of seems foolish not to immediately look up all of these topics, I guess? Also, light sabers?
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT CONTINGENT
The Quantum Contingent is a criminal organization whose members attempted to become immortal, and was willing to blackmail the world superpowers using their own Quantum Computer based on Quotient’s computer design. They were stopped by Quotient in 2028.
I’m pretty sure that this is the same text we get whenever we ask anyone about the Quantum Contingent, so maybe we’ve found the fabled Quotient press pack where all of the agents get their approved lines to deliver in response to our questions?
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT CONTINUUM
This is the lab where Professor Eaton runs her time experiments.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT CRYSTAL
The Crystal or Kyber Crystal is of unknown origin. It contains immense power that can only be harnessed with the right type of glass enclosure. Cassie Eaton was experimenting with it in her lab until it was recently stolen.
The bit about needing a glass enclosure is new, I think—is that a hint for what we need to do with the crystal once we get hold of it?
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT DESMOND
Husband of Sarah, one of quotient’s top agents. Desmond is not believed to be part of quotient. He is currently CEO of a LEO satellite company.
Well, that tells us what BrightStar does, at least. But “not believed to be part of Quotient” suggests that these aren’t actually Quotient intelligence documents. I don’t think they belong to the Quantum Contingent, so they must have been written by a third party. Maybe MI-6? Oxford is historically famous as a recruiting ground for spies, after all.
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT FLORIN
Florin Ardelean is former MI-6 and the European lead agent for Quotient. He trained Sarah Alexander-Silver when she was at Oxford.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT FRANK
Frank Sutherbee was thought to have been a member of the Quantum Contingent. (That’s the Frank you were asking about, right?)
I have no idea which Frank we were asking about! It said “Frank” in the index so we looked it up!
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT JACK
Jack was the original designer of the Quotient Quantum Computer and is now assumed to be an agent for Quotient.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT KARA
Kara worked at Nasa Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and is an expert on quantum networking. She has romantic ties to Jack Alexander and is now suspected to be a full-fledged agent of Quotient.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT LIGHT SABER
Engineers have been working on creating a light saber using a crystal, but its energy has been hard to contain.
Is this telling us that once we get the Kyber Crystal back from the Lion and find the right kind of glass enclosure for it, we get to make a light saber?
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT MARTIN
Martin is the head of Quotient. Quotient was believed to have been founded out of a quantum computing effort Martin began many years ago. He has many connections in government and pulled Jack Alexander in to help with their quantum efforts. It is believed they successfully created a very powerful quantum computer, but it’s existence is still unconfirmed.
We’ve already established that Quotient’s exploits are the subject of numerous films and novels in this universe, so I guess all of the details of TARDIS must have been censored from them somehow. I haven’t yet read the real-life novel The Quantum Contingent, but assuming that TARDIS is mentioned in there, then the version of The Quantum Contingent which exists in this fictional universe must have different text?
This is going to make my head hurt if I think about it too hard, so let’s just keep reading.
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT NELA
Nela Park was home to GE Lighting. It is now thought to be a cover operation for US Government research on light sabers.
More light sabers!
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT PENDANT
The mysterious pendant of Lancelot has been lost. It was believed to have surfaced at Oxford in 1730, but has not been seen since. Some consider it’s existence nothing more than a myth.
Those people are not as good at looking behind tapestries as we are.
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT PRESIDENT
President Bridget O’Connor has deep connections to the intelligence agencies having once run the NSA. It is assumed she has some knowledge of Quotient’s capabilities.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT PRIME MINISTER
Jason Stephenson is our Prime Minister. His martial arts skills are unmatched.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT EATON
Professor Cassandra Eaton is a distinguised Professor of Quantum Studies at Oxford. She has been working on understanding the dimension of time for almost three decades. She is thought to have a close relationship with Martin, the head of Quotient.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT METAVERSE
Professor Cassie Eaton has a VR lab where she is experimenting with simulating different versions of the future. She is our foremost expert on time.
I don’t quite follow this, but is Cassie’s VR simulation of the future somehow informed by actual time travel? Does this mean that brown car world is really coming?
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT MOUNTAIN DEW
A powerful liquid subject, often ingested by agents for energy, or just because it tastes good.
Why would any intelligence agency need to keep this in their secret files? What is the significance of Mountain Dew to Quotient or to the plot of this game? (My hypothesis: @simpsong00 just really likes Mountain Dew.)
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT TARDIS
The Quotient Computer is housed in a boxy space station and is affectionately called TARDIS. This is due to the space station’s resemblance in shape to a 1960s London police box like Dr. Who’s time machine, only much larger. Quotient even painted it TARDIS blue. The Quotient Computer is, by far, the most powerful quantum computer in the world, and is capable of breaking almost any encryption, giving Quotient a huge advantage in the spy game.The quantum computer is in the space station because space is:
Cold: Space is about 2.7 kelvin or -270 degrees Celsius, only slightly above absolute zero, and for a good quantum computer, you need to get as close to absolute zero as possible.
Still: It seems strange to think of space as still. After all, the international space station is traveling around the earth at almost five miles per second, or about 15,500 miles per hour. However, with no gravity, no earth tremors, and no air, it turns out you can build a suspension system on an orbiting space station perfect for cradling a quantum computer.
Secure: Only the richest individuals can afford private space travel, so the risk of a physical security attack is low.
Okay, wait, this same document just told us that the existence of Quotient’s powerful quantum computer is “still unconfirmed”. But here it’s confidently describing the existence of that same computer, and knows its name and the fact that it’s situated in space. Does this mean that the entries in this intelligence document are actually compiled from a range of sources, some of which are better-informed about Quotient than others?
Also, I’m not certain about the idea of building a computer in space in order to keep it cold. Since there’s no air in space to carry heat away by conduction or convection, my understanding is that it’s actually a lot harder to cool things down in space because you have to build huge surfaces which are capable of radiating heat into the vacuum. But I mostly know this from reading Andy Weir novels, so it’s entirely possible that I’ve missed some subtlety.
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT QUOTIENT
Quotient is a global independent spy agency. Their headquarters is hidden somewhere in the United States. They appear to have powerful ties to the current US Administration, specifically President Bridget O’Connor.>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT LION
Robert Clayton, the key operator of the Quantum Contingent Operations center is an avid outdoorsman. He recently escapted the Abyss prision in Gore Ethiopia. His last known whereabouts were Africa.
If I were a high-ranking officer in an intelligence agency and someone had the gall to tell me that they’d pinned down the location of an escaped criminal to the entirety of Africa, I think I would be having some serious conversations with that person about whether they were really cut out for this career.
>CONSULT INTEL ABOUT SARAH
Sarah Alexandar was believed to be recruited to Quotient when she was at Oxford. She is a perfect candidate due to her knowledge of multiple languages and her natural athleticism. She was trained by Florin Ardelean.
Florin seemed pretty clueless when we met him, but he’s apparently responsible for training Sarah, who everyone thinks is pretty amazing, so I guess he must have some skills to his name after all. Maybe he’s just let things go a bit as he gets closer to retirement.
Anyway, we’ve now checked out all of the topics listed in the index and everything we found in Duke Humfrey’s Library, so it’s time to explore further.
>SE
Bodleian Library
>SW
Divinity School
A magnificent medieval building used for university ceremonies and lectures. The ceiling has elaborate lierne vaulting with 455 bosses, almost like stone fireworks bursting over your head. This is where the hospital scene in the Harry Potter movies was filmed.You can go northeast or south.
A hospital bed, left over from the Harry Potter movies is in the corner.
>X CEILING
You can’t see any such thing.>X BED
It’s a classic hospital bed, propped such that it’s patient could read.>LIE ON BED
To imagine that Harry Potter was here!yourself are now reclining on the hospital bed.
>STAND UP
yourself get off the hospital bed.Divinity School
A hospital bed, left over from the Harry Potter movies is in the corner.
I’m not sure what the point of this location is. Sometimes I get the impression that the author just wants to share some cool facts about these places!
>NE
Bodleian Library
>S
Radcliffe Square
You are in Radcliffe Square. The sun is beaming, and the sky is unusually blue for Oxford.The exquisite Radcliffe Camera, or radcam, stands to the south, the Bodleian Library to the north, and Convocation House to the west.
Kara, a brilliant former scientist at NASA is here. She has a complex, romantic relationship with Jack, and is now an agent of Quotient.
“Hello again!”
It took me a moment or two to figure out why Kara is greeting us as if we’ve met before, but she was hanging around in Cassie’s lab when we first arrived there.
>TALK TO KARA
You found the pendant! Good work!
Thanks! We definitely knew that that was what we were supposed to be doing and didn’t stumble across it by accident.
>SHOW PENDANT TO KARA
Kara frowns, “The pendant is rusty. I think you need to polish it.”
>POLISH PENDANT
You polish the pendant to a gleaming mirror-like surface.>SHOW PENDANT TO KARA
Kara smiles, “The pendant’s finish is like a mirror. It reminds me of the one Lancelot is wearing in the tapestry.”
“Perhaps you should put it on?”>WEAR PENDANT
As you place the polished pendant around your neck, you feel a strange energy coursing through your body.[Your score has just gone up by five points.]
Well, this seems neat. I wonder what it accomplishes?
>TALK TO KARA
I know Cassie was looking for a power source too.
Was she looking for this pendant? I thought she was looking for the crystal, which apparently is a power source, although now it sounds like it might be more useful as a power source for a light saber than for whatever time-travel shenanigans Cassie is intending.
>W
Convocation House
The Convocation house is primarily used for events. It was once used as a meeting place for the House of Commons. Its stone-vaulted ceiling dates back to 1758-1759. A poster is on one wall.You can go north or east.
>X POSTER
A poster advertising for graduate students to help with a time experiment. It has a picture of a glowing lion.>READ POSTER
There is no text there to read.
It’s a really good depiction of a glowing lion, then, if just from the picture we can infer that the poster is advertising for students to help with a time experiment. This glowing lion—is that a reference to the crystal, or to Lancelot, or what? Or wait, is this reminding us that the tapestry showed Lancelot defeating a lion while wearing the pendant? Maybe it will help us somehow if we’re wearing it when we try to catch Clayton?
>E
Radcliffe Square
You are in Radcliffe Square. The sun is beaming, and the sky is unusually blue for Oxford.The exquisite Radcliffe Camera, or radcam, stands to the south, the Bodleian Library to the north, and Convocation House to the west.
Kara, a brilliant former scientist at NASA is here. She has a complex, romantic relationship with Jack, and is now an agent of Quotient.
“Hello again!”
>S
Radcliffe Camera
Called the Radcam for short, this is a centerpiece of Oxford. Its beautiful orange-brown Taynton stone almost glows in the morning sun. The majestic circular building, ensconced with Corinthian columns and topped by a high lead-covered dome and cupola, was built between 1737 and 1749 in the grand Palladian style.You are now inside this magnificent building, which serves as a reading room for the Bodleian Library. You can exit south, southwest or north.
>X CUPOLA
The cupola is the dome on top of the dome. The dome itself is the third largest in Britain.
This looks like another sightseeing location, so let’s keep moving:
>S
Vaults and Garden
Vaults and Garden is a beautiful cafe in the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. There are outdoor tables here where people are enjoying some warm scones, raspberry jam, and traditional English tea. The smell of the fresh-baked scones is enchanting.You can go west or north.
You can see a Scone here.
Since this is text, we don’t have to risk a bloody cultural clash over the correct pronunciation of the word “scone”. (Try this if you ever find yourself in the company of a group of people from different parts of Britain.)
>TAKE SCONE
You take the Scone. and examine it carefully.A delicious scone with raspberry jam
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
More treasured food and drink!
>W
Narnia Lamp
You stumble across a Narnia lamp post near an oaken door. The oaken door is framed with two golden fauns. An inspirational stop for C.S. Lewis.Vaults and Garden is to the east. Radcliffe Camera is to the northeast.
Aslan is a lion carved in the oaken door. It has a mystical glow.
You can also see a Figurine here.
Something about the Figurine reminds you of my childhood.
Ok, another glowing lion presumably signifies something, but what?
>X FAUNS
The Faun is a half-goat, half-man creature from Greek and Roman mythology. In The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, the character, Tumnus, was a faun.>X ASLAN
Aslan is a wood carving of a Lion, but it is glowing.>REMOVE PENDANT
You take off the ancient pendant.>PUT PENDANT ON LION
Putting things on Aslan would achieve nothing.
So much for that. Is the glowing lion just a normal part of the scenery here, and the poster is telling us that this is where we should come if we want to sign up for the experiment? But there’s no-one here who might be able to tell us anything about the experiment, so let’s put the pendant back on for now.
>WEAR PENDANT
As you place the polished pendant around your neck, you feel a strange energy coursing through your body.>TOUCH ASLAN
You can feel the wood, smooth, worn from the ages. The glow pulsates as you touch it.>TAKE FIGURINE
You take the Figurine. and examine it carefully.It’s a figurine of Tumnus, a faun. There is writing on the bottom.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
>READ IT
Handcrafted in The Lost Lodge, 2001.
Another reference to the Lost Lodge. What is that?
>THINK ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD
I remember playing with figurines like the Tumnus figurine when I was a child. They weren’t as nicely crafted as this one… I wonder where it was made..
We’ve now run out of locations to explore in Oxford, and this has turned out to be a pretty long segment already, so we’ll stop there for now.
Before we wrap, I’m going to make a quick list of things which we need to either keep thinking about or come back and explore later:
Plus three more whole areas to explore. Anything I’ve forgotten?
Nope, I don’t believe so, but as the game’s explained, each treasure is also a clue to a puzzle, so worth keeping that in mind once you start bearing down on some of the conundrums you’ve listed!
You did uncover something in Oxford that links to the lost lodge… so as Mike said, keep it in mind.
I must say, I do really like Mountain Dew, but I will also say that it does play a role in the game.
Based on this feedback, and feedback of other recent reviewers, I’m revising Martin’s mission briefing at the beginning of the game as follows to give more context and direction. I’ve hidden it so you can either look for a better understanding of the goals and the players, or continue with little direction and context!
"Welcome to the team. Your mission involves two things. One is simply treasure hunting. This will earn points toward your rank. While we were setting up this training mission, a real mission came in. This is the second and most important part of your mission. Robert Clayton, the Lion, has escaped and[/spoiler] interfered with Professor Cassandra Eaton’s time experiment. It’s critical we help her complete her experiment. Cassie’s experiment involves four different elements; one involves a laser, one has to do with a powerful energy source necessary to operate her console, a third involves something mystical. The fourth is, of course, our computer TARDIS. Jack, the inventor of TARDIS, and now an agent will work on finding and activating the[spoiler] laser. Sarah, our best agent, and Florin, former MI-6, will work on the energy source. The third involves something mystical. Kara, our newest agent, is working that angle. Of course, none of it will work unless we can reboot TARDIS. You’ll need to work on all of these angles with the rest of the team to help Cassie.
That’s all we have time for now. HQ has been locked down. When you are ready to leave, you’ll need to leave by Hyperloop or by the Escape Hatch. Good luck." He pauses momentarily and then continues, "One more thing, be sure to take the Tardis Communicator with you.
This text will be blurred
BRIDGET M S LOST LODGE? Acrostic of the first names and then the quotes?
Aren’t kyber crystals the things that make lightsabers work in Star Wars? So I guess we are going to make one.
This seems like the right approach in general.
Fun fact: space (to my understanding) actually isn’t very cold. The thing about space is there’s not a lot of matter around, and the kinetic energy of matter is how temperature is defined. So while space is generally said to be about 2.7 Kelvin, that number isn’t really relevant to things in space; they’re not going to be absorbing heat from vibrating matter, they’re going to be absorbing heat from sunlight, and the lack of matter then means there’s no way to get rid of that heat again.
This is why the big difficulty with the JWST was blocking all the sunlight.
Yep, that’s my understanding! (I wrote my paragraph before scrolling down…)
To be fair, that part seems plausible enough to me: it’s not ideal, but “we know his hijacked plane was headed south across the Mediterranean” is better than nothing, even if you have no idea where in Africa he ended up.
Nice work on the acrostic!
I think we can use the shadow of the space station with the quantum computer mounted outside in the vacuum of space to help… Space in shadow can reach -200C… so maybe that combined with the proper radiators/cryogenics systems we can make this work! But you are right that this is difficult since you can only do this in shadow… and even then, it’s not easy for the reason you both pointed out. I’ll have to do more research on this!
Aww man, looks like we lost an update 
hope it’s not too much of a pain to reconstitute, I’ve been enjoying this!
I think we lost the trip to Space as well as the return to the cornfield for the flashlight. Let me know if I can help you reconstitute anything @jwalrus
Oh, and we lost a discussion / thank you to @Draconis for helping me fix the yourself issue with the following code:
Before printing the name of a thing (called t):
if t is not a person and t is not the player:
if t is scenery:
say "[italic type]";
else:
say "[bold type]".
After printing the name of a thing (called t):
if t is not a person and t is not the player:
say "[roman type]".
This update was originally posted a few days ago, but lost due to the forum corruption. Here’s a copy from my backup; it should be the same apart from any minor edits I made after originally posting.
Our initial tour of Oxford took a long time, so we’ll check out the spaceport next, since the spoiler-free map makes it look like there’s not such a huge area to explore there. But before we do that we’re going to chase down a couple of leads in the Quotient HQ region.
>FLY TO HQ
You take off from the Hidden Airbase and fly to Airstrip. (it’s fast)Airstrip (in the Quotient Jet)
This hidden airstrip is exclusively for Quotient. The Quotient Jet is housed here. It is the fastest non-military jet in the world.The only way to leave the airstrip is via the jet or the hyperloop.
You can see a Pod (empty) here.
In the Quotient Jet you can see a treat cupboard (empty).
We exit the jet, enter the hyperloop pod, and then make our way back to …
Conference Room
A secure communication device, or SCIF, is here. It is used for connecting with the President.You can also see a meeting chair here.
>TURN ON SCIF
You flip the switch on the device, and a hologram of President Bridget O’Connor and Prime Minister Jason Stevenson appears.
(You’ve done this before.)>TALK TO PRESIDENT
“Hello Madam President”“Hello. I heard Martin has recruited you?”
>ASK PRESIDENT ABOUT LOST LODGE
There is no reply.
So much for that idea.
>N
Martin’s Office
This is Martin’s office. Martin is the founder of Quotient. The office contains a beautiful teak desk with a leather chair and has a built-in bookcase. The room has a coffered ceiling. There is a photo on the wall.You may return to the conference room to the south.
Martin is standing here quietly. He is one of the original founders of Quotient. In his late 50s, Martin is a tall, fit, and sharp-minded leader. He has salt and pepper hair. He is still as fit as when he was thirty-five. He looks to be in deep thought.
You can also see a leather chair here.
Martin looks up from his desk, “Back so soon?”
>SHOW PENDANT TO MARTIN
“The pendant’s finish is like a mirror. It reminds me of the one Lancelot is wearing in the tapestry.”
>ASK MARTIN ABOUT PENDANT
Martin narrows his eyes. “Do you have any important questions?”
Well, we were mostly just passing through.
>U
Martin guides you through the escape tunnel.
We make our way out of the farmhouse to …
Yard
Desmond, Sarah’s husband, the CTO at BrightStar, and a key ally in the mission against the Quantum Contingent is here.>X DESMOND
Desmond is Sarah’s husband and the CTO at BrightStar. He is not a spy but is supportive of the team in his own way. He is holding a flint and a steel striker.
@simpsong00 DM’d me to apologise for the fact that when we tried to ASK DESMOND FOR STRIKER, we got an unhelpful default response, because what we actually need to do is:
>ASK DESMOND ABOUT STRIKER
It’s supposed to spark, but I’ve had no luck. Here, you give it a try.
Desmond hands you the flint and steel striker.>STRIKE STRIKER
This produces no response at all!
>SPARK STRIKER
That’s not a verb I recognize.>STRIKE BONFIRE
You can’t see any such thing.
The location description refers to “a place where a bonfire used to be” but I’m not sure if that’s something we can refer to.
>STRIKE KINDLING
Also nothing. Anyway, if we want to make a fire we need something to burn, and there’s a big pile of leaves around the corner.
>S
Headquarters Entrance
>E
The Gate
You can see pile of leaves here.
How can we transport a pile of 69,105 leaves? Could it be as simple as …
>TAKE LEAVES
You take pile of leaves and examine it carefully.Um, a pile of leaves, do you want to count them?
Guess so!
>W
Headquarters Entrance
>N
Yard
Desmond, Sarah’s husband, the CTO at BrightStar, and a key ally in the mission against the Quantum Contingent is here.>GIVE LEAVES TO DESMOND
Desmond doesn’t seem interested.>PUT LEAVES ON FIRE
You can’t see any such thing.
Maybe we can refer to “place where a bonfire used to be” as PLACE?
>X PLACE
To get a description of your surroundings, try typing LOOK.Retrying as:
LOOK
Type UNDO if this isn’t what you wanted to do, or CORRECT OFF to stop automatically correcting commands.
… and then we get the location description. I guess some first time parser players might try commands like LOOK AT THIS PLACE rather than just LOOK?
>X BONFIRE
You can’t see any such thing.
Okay, let’s just drop the leaves on the ground rather than trying to put them in any kind of designated spot.
>DROP LEAVES
Dropped.>BURN LEAVES
How?>STRIKE LEAVES
Still nothing!
>X STRIKER
It is curved so you can wear it over the knuckles of your hand and strike it against the flint.
Oh, the flint and the striker are separate objects?
>STRIKE FLINT
You must wear the steel striker over your knuckles, in order to hit the flint at the best angle.>DROP KINDLING
Dropped.>WEAR STRIKER
You put on the steel striker.>STRIKE FLINT
You strike the flint against the steel striker and throw sparks onto the leaves; they make tiny circles of orange there. You can help the fire grow by blowing on the leaves.
I do like it when the game tells me what to do!
>BLOW ON LEAVES
You blow on the faint sparks on the leaves and turn them into the beginnings of flame. Now you need to burn something bigger!
I thought the leaves would be the main fuel for the fire, to be honest, and I was slightly confused that the game didn’t prompt us to use the kindling in some way. But if we’re meant to burn something bigger than the pile of leaves … well, a check of our inventory reveals that the only flammable things we’re carrying are a couple of books, and I don’t get the sense that this is a book-burning kind of game.
>BURN EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE
It’s not real… it is your subconscious.
Are the leaves still smouldering merrily away?
>BLOW ON LEAVES
The leaves are flaming already. It needs some easy to light fuel. Kindling perhaps?
Oh, okay. Normally I’d think of kindling as the bit you light first in order to get whatever your main fuel is to catch fire, but the game wants us to add the kindling now, so let’s do it. Maybe the leaves were stage 1, and the kindling is stage 2, and then Desmond is going to take over from there to put some proper logs on afterwards?
>PUT KINDLING ON FIRE
You can’t see any such thing.>PUT KINDLING ON LEAVES
(first taking the kindling)
You take the kindling.Putting things on pile of leaves would achieve nothing.
>PUT KINDLING IN LEAVES
That can’t contain things.>BURN KINDLING
You succeed in lighting Desmond a proper bonfire. Congratulations. Unfortunately, this is only good for s’mores and points. It’s not really a secret agent kind of thing, but Desmond is much happier.“Thanks! Help yourself to a s’more” says Desmond, smiling.
Something about the S’more reminds you of campfires.
>TAKE SMORE
You take the S’more. and examine it carefully.The golden-brown marshmallow has been smashed into the melted chocolate with two graham cracker slabs, creating the perfect backyard campfire delicacy.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
Lighting the bonfire has successfully secured us another item of treasured food and drink!
>THINK ABOUT CAMPFIRES
I remember eating these s’mores over the campfire when I was a kid. Then we’d play in the cornfield north of the bonfire.
Wait … these s’mores? And the cornfield north of the bonfire is here too! I thought we’d never visited the Quotient HQ before, but now it seems we grew up here? Or have we somehow absorbed Desmond’s own memories?
Anyway, we didn’t go north from here before for fear that it led into the corn maze, but let’s take a quick look:
>N
Secret Path
A narrow, hidden path reveals itself. It seems to lead deeper into the cornfield.You can go, east, west or south.
You can see a keycard here.
>TAKE KEYCARD
You take the keycard and examine it carefully.It’s a keycard. It says Continuum Lab and has the Seal of Oxford University embossed over the center of the card.
A bird is chirping nearby…
Well, that explains how we’re meant to get in there with Cassie. Although it seems remarkably irresponsible of her to go dropping it in a field like this.
>W
Maze
A twisty maize maze of passages all alike.
( with lots of cornstalks. )>X CORNSTALKS
These are REALLY tall cornstalks. They almost block out the sun.>S
You can’t go that way.From here, you can go east and west.
Ok, having a limited number of directions we can go in, and being told what they are, makes this a lot less awful than the classic “maze of twisty little passages”. Let’s just check we can retrace our steps:
>E
Secret Path
>W
Maze
>W
Maze
A twisty maize maze of passages all alike.
( with lots of cornstalks. )A groundhog runs past you…"
Ok, more maze; let’s pick a direction we almost certainly can’t go in and hope it gives us the list of ones we can go in.
>U
You can’t go that way.From here, you can go east and west.
Well, at least if you get hungry, you have corn…
So maybe this is just a plain old regular east-west passage?
>W
Maze
A twisty maize maze of passages all alike.
( with lots of cornstalks. )>U
You can’t go that way.From here, you can go east and west.
>W
Maze
We repeat this another six or eight times, and it appears that we can travel west down this path for as far as we like. Let’s try the old chestnut of dropping an item here so we can see when we return to the same location.
>DROP PAPERBACK
Dropped.Well, at least if you get hungry, you have corn…
W
Maze
The breeze ruffles softly through the corn…E
Maze
You can see a paperback here.A bird is chirping nearby…
So at least going west and then east brings us back to where we started. What if we go further west?
>W
Maze
A groundhog runs past you…"W
Maze
You can see a paperback here.
Okay, so going west twice brings us back to where we started. Let’s drop another item in the intermediate location so that we can recognise that one too.
>W
Maze
>DROP HARDCOVER
Dropped.>W
Maze
You can see a paperback here.Well, at least if you get hungry, you have corn…
W
Maze
You can see a hardcover novel, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. here.>E
Maze
You can see a paperback here.A bird is chirping nearby…
So going east from where we dropped the hardcover takes us back to where we dropped the paperback, which checks out …
>E
Maze
The breeze ruffles softly through the corn…
Oh no. This isn’t the same as either of the previous maze locations; nor is it the “secret path” location we entered the maze from.
OKAY TEAM WE’RE DOING THIS. I head up to the study, sit down at the desk, grab pen and paper and start mapping … and discover, rather anticlimactically, that there are actually only three locations here; from the secret path, we can go west three times, entering a new location each time, and going west again from the third one loops back to the second.
What’s on the other side of the secret path?
>E
Secret Path
>E
Hidden Path
A narrow, hidden path reveals itself. It seems to lead deeper into the cornfield.You can go east or west.
A bird is chirping nearby…
E
Cemetery
You’ve made it through the cornfield and reached the old cemetery.You can go south or west.
There are many old worn tombstones here.
You can also see a flashlight here.
That flashlight sounds useful, but let’s check out those tombstones first.
>X TOMBSTONES
The tombstones are so old; they are almost worn past recognition. One of them reads Zimrod Flathead, 1799-1893.
I assume this is a Zork reference just from the name “Flathead”? We’ll check the tombstone again in case we get a different name each time:
>G
The tombstones are so old; they are almost worn past recognition. One of them reads Zimrod Flathead, 1799-1893.The breeze ruffles softly through the corn…
TAKE FLASHLIGHT
You take the flashlight and examine it carefully.The flashlight is currently switched off.
Okay, let’s keep moving.
>S
Clearing
You find yourself in a small clearing, a brief respite from the maze of cornstalks.You can go north, south, or west.
You can see a Succulent here.
>TAKE SUCCULENT
You take the Succulent. and examine it carefully.A small, green succulent, suitable for placing on a shelf or even on top of a sleek, fast-flying jet.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
I haven’t played Rocket League, but when we examined the screens in the HQ earlier it mentioned a car with a succulent on top, so I guess this is telling us to do the same with the Quotient jet?
>W
Dead End
The path leads you to a dead end.The only way is to turn back.
Your watch vibrates. You have an incoming text from Martin.
Nice work. The flashlight should shine some light on the situation.
Has Martin been watching us all this time? Or did he just put the flashlight out in the cornfield with a hidden camera pointed at it to see how long it took us to stumble across it?
>E
Clearing
>S
Corn Maze
We get no location description (in BRIEF mode), so we’ve apparently visited this location before; is this where we came into the maze from the lane right at the start of the game?
>LOOK
Corn Maze
You stand at the entrance of a vast cornfield maze. Tall stalks surround you on all sides, you can go east, north into the corn, or south to the lane.>X STALKS
It’s a Maize Maze… get it? The stalks are normal cornstalks.>E
Maze
A twisty maize maze of passages all alike.
( with lots of cornstalks. )
And here’s another section of the maze proper. Since I already have pen and paper to hand at this point, I start dropping items and mapping right away; it turns out that this section of the maze consists of four locations, with a slightly more confusing set of connections between them, but there’s apparently nothing of importance here anyway, so we pick up all the dropped items and head back out to:
Corn Maze
>S
Lane
>W
The Gate
>W
Headquarters Entrance
>D
Old Cellar
An old set of shelves is here, filled with seashells.Two old paint cans are here side-by-side like a set of dilapidated bongos.
>TAP ON CANS
You tap the top of the old paint cans with a rhythmic sequence, causing the set of shelves to slide sideways, allowing you to pass down to a secret passage.>D
Darkness
It is pitch dark, and you can’t see a thing.The secret door locks behind you.
We discovered earlier that we can pass through this area without needing a light source, but let’s turn it on just to check if there’s anything important here:
>TURN ON FLASHLIGHT
yourself switch the flashlight on.Secret Passage
You are in a narrow secret passageway that appears to be carved out of stone. A short hallway is to the west.You see the back of a set of shelves.
You can also see a spy glass here.
A spy glass sounds handy, since we need something to read the fine print on the jigsaw puzzle.
>TAKE SPY GLASS
You take the spy glass and examine it carefully.It is a small handheld magnifying glass, making it easy to read very fine print… perhaps on something like a puzzle?
Ah, just in case we hadn’t worked this out for ourselves.
Unfortunately, although the puzzle is just upstairs, we’ve just locked ourselves inside the HQ again, so we have to go via Martin’s office and up through the escape tunnel. This would have worked out a bit more neatly if we’d wandered into the maze right at the start of the game, found the flashlight, and then we’d already have had the spyglass with us when we found the puzzle piece and went to put it in the puzzle in the first place. Anyway, we’re now able to:
>X PUZZLE
The puzzle is complete. With the final piece in place and the spy glass in hand, you can see that the The LOST poster says 48151623. A code…
So we got part of that code from the bowling balls already, but this confirms the whole thing for anyone who doesn’t know the numbers from LOST itself. Maybe at some point we’ll find out what the code is actually for?
Anyway, that resolves all of the obvious loose ends from the HQ area; the next part of the game plan was to go and check out the spaceport in the hope that we might be able to do something to fix whatever’s wrong with TARDIS. So after re-entering through the secret passage, we make our way to:
Airstrip
This hidden airstrip is exclusively for Quotient. The Quotient Jet is housed here. It is the fastest non-military jet in the world.The only way to leave the airstrip is via the jet or the hyperloop.
One of Quotient’s jets is here primed and ready.
You can also see a Pod (empty) here.
While I remember, it probably doesn’t matter but let’s take care of our gear:
>TURN OFF FLASHLIGHT
yourself switch the flashlight off.
And then apparently we’re supposed to …
>PUT SUCCULENT ON JET
(the Quotient Jet)
yourself put the Succulent on the top of the Quotient Jet.[Your score has just gone up by five points.]
I’m still not totally sure what’s going on here, but since we got points for doing that, it was probably important?
>X JET
(the Quotient Jet)
The Quotient Jet is a matte-black Gulfstream 950ER Superjet. It has what appears to be a small circular shelf on top of the cockpit. It features a custom interior featuring a conference table with a holographic projection screen. It also has a bedroom, and the treat cupboard is stocked with fresh chocolate-covered strawberries.
It appears there is a succulent on top of the cockpit like some sort of crazy hat.>ENTER JET
(the Quotient Jet)
You get into the Quotient Jet.In the Quotient Jet you can see a treat cupboard (empty).
>FLY TO SPACEPORT
You take off from Airstrip and fly to Spaceport. (it’s fast)Nice hat on that jet! You are cleared for landing!
By sheer coincidence, apparently we needed to find that succulent in order to be able to fly here?
Spaceport (in the Quotient Jet)
Starbase, Texas is the town that surrounds the SpaceX launch and landing site near South Padre Island. Elon Musk started the town when he was perfecting the Starship. It has since grown into a thriving metropolis with many of the trappings of an even larger city. It was designed from the ground up to be ecologically friendly and ultra-high tech. The entire town runs on solar power. Battery backup and solar panels are distributed across all homes and commercial facilities but managed cooperatively. It is one giant virtual power plant. This is the Spaceport for launches into space.You can see a SpaceX Rocket (in which is a cockpit) here.
In the Quotient Jet you can see a treat cupboard (empty).
>X SOLAR PANELS
The megapacks store up the excess solar power during the day and distribute the power across the homes at night.
This whole city-is-a-giant-solar-grid thing sounds pretty neat and utopian. My understanding is that the real Star base, Texas is not like this, so let’s assume that in this parallel universe, Elon Musk turned out to be just a guy who likes electric cars and spaceflight, rather than … whatever he turned out to be in this universe.
But speculating too deeply on that runs the risk of missing the most important thing in this location, which is: it’s a rocket! We’re going to spaaaaace!
>OUT
You get out of the Quotient Jet.Spaceport
One of Quotient’s jets is here primed and ready.You can also see a SpaceX Rocket (in which is a cockpit) here.
>ENTER COCKPIT
That’s not something you can enter.>ENTER ROCKET
You need the energy of an Astronaut to enter the rocket.
What do we know that might give us energy?
>WEAR PENDANT
You’re already wearing that!
In which case, might it be …?
>DRINK DEW
Now you have the energy of an Astronaut!>ENTER ROCKET
You get into the SpaceX Rocket.The rocket has a cockpit containing buttons and a single blue lever.
>X BUTTONS
There is a yellow button, a black button and a red button.>X LEVER
A blue lever that looks like it might open and close something.
Four controls? This is way more complicated than our jet!
>PULL LEVER
The docking clamps are now open!
I gather these rockets are expensive, so we probably want to avoid messing up the launch if possible. Does TARDIS have any hints?
>X TARDIS
Trying to get to Space I reckon?>G
I love Space. It’s like diamonds on velvet.>G
The rocket controls are easy, just be careful.>G
I kind of like it when you push the red button.>G
Why are you still examining me? Don’t you have the energy of an astronaut?>G
I usually get my astronaut energy by drinking caffinated pop.>G
Remember when all else fails: control-alt-delete>G
I love Mountain Dew. It’s like TANG, its got great astrounaut vibes.>G
What are you waiting for?>G
I can’t tell you everything.>G
Space, the final frontier… but not in this adventure!
Well, TARDIS suggested pushing the red button, so let’s try that.
>PRESS RED
WHOOP WHOOP, Ejection System Activated! You are thrown out of the rocket, experiencing 3g’s in the process. After being thrown clear, another explosion rocks your world as your parachute is blasted open, saving you from certain death as you drift the short distance back to the launch pad.
Spaceport
Starbase, Texas is the town that surrounds the SpaceX launch and landing site near South Padre Island. Elon Musk started the town when he was perfecting the Starship. It has since grown into a thriving metropolis with many of the trappings of an even larger city. It was designed from the ground up to be ecologically friendly and ultra-high tech. The entire town runs on solar power. Battery backup and solar panels are distributed across all homes and commercial facilities but managed cooperatively. It is one giant virtual power plant. This is the Spaceport for launches into space.One of Quotient’s jets is here primed and ready.
You can also see a SpaceX Rocket (in which is a cockpit) here.
Okay, I laughed. Say what you will about this game, but it’s not afraid to indulge in a little slapstick.
>ENTER ROCKET
You get into the SpaceX Rocket.The rocket has a cockpit containing buttons and a single blue lever.
>PRESS YELLOW BUTTON
You push the yellow button and the countdown begins!10…
9…
8… …
Do we have to wait for the rest of the countdown?
>Z
Time passes.>Z
Time passes.>Z
Time passes.>Z
Time passes.>Z
Matters will not mend themselves on their own.>Z
Matters will not mend themselves on their own.>Z
(If you are feeling lost, try HELP.)
That’s actually a pretty good feature to tell the player that waiting any more isn’t going to accomplish anything.
>PRESS BLACK
The thundering sound of the Raptor engines could be heard for miles as your extreme Uber ride lifted off. The giant SpaceX Starship lifted off through a cloud of smoke and arched over the ocean as you yell “To infinity and beyond!”
The SpaceX rocket shudders as it moves toward the final frontier! You glance out the window as you race upward, the G forces pulling you deep into your seat. You can only watch as the earth moves away from you at a rapid clip.
Your life flashes before your eyes as you contemplate the speed at which you are leaving your world behind! You start to wonder what you have done.
>X EARTH
The objects on the ground are getting smaller. Cars look like the matchbox cars of your childhood.
Surely, the cars should be too small to see within the first few seconds?
You consider screaming, but realize no one is listening, except maybe TARDIS.
>X FINAL FRONTIER
To boldly go where no one has gone before. Maybe there is a reason no one has gone here before?
Ha! You’re making me feel really good about this decision, game.
As the rocket races to the stars, the atmosphere thins and you begin transitioning to the inky blackness of space.
>X TARDIS
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.You continue your ascent into the atmosphere, and stars start to blink into view. Is that because you are passing out, or because you are leaving the atmosphere, you aren’t sure.
>Z
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.You are almost there, stay awake!
>Z
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.You have now fully left the atmosphere, and the shuddering climb is now a smooth, arrow-like approach to your goal.
The first stage separates, and you feel the engines of the orbiter kick in. The roar of the engines is non-existent because of the vacuum of space, but their power can still be felt in the forceful jolts of the ship. Keep going!
>Z
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.Thrusters kick in to slow you as you see TARDIS racing toward you.
>Z
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.You have slowed and are starting to feel weightless.
>Z
The G forces prevent you from doing almost anything.You have stopped just outside of TARDIS. You notice a nutter butter floating nearby. You meant to eat that before you took off.
It’s crazy how many cookies you find lying around in the cockpit of a spaceship just as it’s launching.
Blackness of Space (in the SpaceX Rocket)
You are in the vastness of space, having successfully launched from the Earth. You can see the docking ring of TARDIS nearby, and the blue marble you call home off in the distance.A nutter butter is floating here.
The rocket has a cockpit containing buttons and a single blue lever.
>TAKE NUTTER BUTTER
You take the Nutter Butter. and examine it carefully.The classic, peanut-shaped, cookie.
[Your score has just gone up by two points.]
>X DOCKING RING
I think it’s critical to your ability to dock???
I’m having trouble articulating just why I find this line quite so hilarious, but I do.
>DOCK
And how should we do that?>PULL LEVER
You pull the lever and see the docking clamps start to move.Tardis
The Dragon capsule begins firing its Draco thrusters to maneuver to the docking bay. The docking maneuver isn’t simple but appears so because of the automatic nature of the Dragon capsule’s autopilot software. You draw closer and closer until you hear a loud locking sound and feel a slight shake as the docking clamps lock the rocket into place.You’ve successfully docked at the airlock to TARDIS. TARDIS is a boxy-looking station, similar in shape to a 1960s London police box — like Dr. Who’s time machine — only much larger.
Quotient even painted it TARDIS blue. You are now in the airlock.A large titanium door is to the north. It has rivets around its exterior like it belongs on a submarine.
The titanium door is locked and has a keypad with numbers beside it. Type the numbers on the keypad to unlock.
You can also see a SpaceX Rocket (in which is a cockpit) here.
You exit the rocket and enter the airlock
Well, all things considered, it’s lucky that we found the secret code just moments ago, before we flew all the way up here for nothing!
>TYPE 48151623
You need to say: TYPE thing ON something>TYPE 48151623 ON KEYPAD
The keypad beeps and the titanium door makes a clunking sound as it unlocks.>N
(first opening the titanium door)
(first standing up)The Control Center
The control center has lots of controls, but you don’t care.There is a much cooler room to the north.
The airlock to return to the ship is to the south.
>X CONTROLS
Standard space station controls… kind of like Star Trek. Big glass panels with touch screen controls. Move along, the controls are all biometrically protected, and not for you.
I get the sense that the game is not very interested in encouraging us to stay in this room.
>N
The Airbnb
This is the best hotel room view in the Solar System.The viewing area for the Quantum Computer lies to the west. The Control Center lies to the south.
A large metal protective shade blocks what you assume is a window.
Just … sure. Why not?
>X SHADE
A large metal protective shade blocks what you assume is a window.>OPEN SHADE
The shade opens revealing the On a Clear Day You Can See Forever window. It’s named after the old musical. The view is unimaginably beautiful. Space is the definition of dark. It makes the stars stand out like diamonds on velvet. Of course, the most amazing view is of our own blue marble, Earth. The drifting clouds created hazy, moving lines across the blue orb. Entire continents seemed small, our place in the universe seemed less important. We are but one planet in a vast sea of endless space. Lightning storms exploded in the clouds as they traversed land and sea. As former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino mused, “How can something so beautiful be tolerated by human eyes.”You open the Shade.
>W
The Quantum View
This is the computer viewing area. It allows you to view the specially designed Zero-G shock mount and the quantum computer core mounted there through a window. The quantum computer is in a room of the station not accessible by humans. It operated under the vacuum of space at all times.The Airbnb lies to the east.
You can see a Quantum Computer here.
>X COMPUTER
The quantum computer is suspended on a zero-gravity mount. Golden tubes snake around the core like medusa. Something appears out of sorts, as there is a soft hum and there are many erratically blinking lights on the console.
Well, we’ve been told what we need to do here enough times by now:
>REBOOT COMPUTER
I only understood you as far as wanting to reboot.>REBOOT
How would you like me to do that?>CTRL-ALT-DELETE
You press Control-Alt-Delete. The screen goes black for a moment, then the computer begins to reboot.The computer is now rebooting.
[Your score has just gone up by ten points.]
>Z
Time passes.Your watch vibrates, you have an incoming text from Sarah.
It’s nice that becoming an elite Quotient agent hasn’t dampened Sarah’s zest for life!