|
I love that you can pick inappropriate birds and it actually works. Not that it gets you past the puzzle, but that the bird shows up.
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 05:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 13:06 |
|
|
And with the Goshawk, it works narratively whether you freed it or not. If you freed it, you're SUMMONING it, and it comes back to you presumably in thanks. Otherwise, you're summoning it from its cage, in a much more mundane manner. Pretty cool writing, given the restrictions.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 08:19
|
|
|
Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Outskirts In which we grossly misjudge the efficacy of Osmet Khan's security system contractor, but wisely do not yet test their work. As it so happens, someone has already figured out the correct answer without even needing to see the perils, but that's what the bonus questions are for.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 14:33
|
|
|
I think it would have been appropriately evil to have one of the perils be in the form of a familiar-looking castle, and if you went in it would transport you all the way back to Castle Perilous.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 14:45
|
|
|
Well, I know the crack will kill us. We are about as far from pious as it's possible to be, given our attitude towards the Mad One. The cliff, too- it seems unlikely we've mastered the philosophies in any sense.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 14:45
|
|
|
nweismuller posted:Well, I know the crack will kill us. We are about as far from pious as it's possible to be, given our attitude towards the Mad One. The cliff, too- it seems unlikely we've mastered the philosophies in any sense. I would guess the cliff looks easy to surmount from a distance, but as you start climbing, it gets taller; eventually you must become exhausted and fall off. The crack presumably pulls us down into Hell as we pass over it. We have been told to trust in our valor. It's not a sure match, but my guess is that means we should go for the snakes, and hope our sword is up to dealing with a few thousand limbless reptiles. As for the other trials, here's my guesses as to how they go poorly: The wall of flames reduces us to ash. The forest reduces us to chum. The brass river melts us, duh. We get seduced by the meadow and never leave it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 15:30
|
|
|
From the spoilered hints, I'm guessing the cliff will involve Zeno's Paradox - we'll climb six feet up, and then three feet up, and then 1.5 feet and so on, never reaching the top. I suppose the same thing will happen if we climb back down, meaning we'll be stuck there (or falling) forever. E: The crack presumably goes straight to Hell, and devils will reach out and drag us down because we're not pious enough. Zandar fucked around with this message at 17:03 on Jun 20, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:01
|
|
|
The fire, the blades, and the river are probably quite mundane in how they will kill us, and we can't cross them because we're not exceptionally pure of heart, fast, or wise. Our impurity has not been detailed, but it's not really any of our business. The cliff, well, even a 12-foot fall is nothing to sneeze at. I'm hoping that we actually can do this because "Mastery of the Philosophies" is an extended trivia quiz for the player. The crack will yawn open and swallow us for our continuing insistence that there are nine gods. The snakes will shy away from the sword Valtierre as we stride through them, because we may trust to our valor. ETA: I forgot the meadow! We will be distracted and stuck forever until we starve, because we are on like twelve subquests and that is not sufficient purity of purpose. ManxomeBromide fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Jun 20, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:17
|
|
|
HardDiskD posted:I'm pretty sure anyone that can create a NAPLPS emulator or parser can add in artificial delays. I was thinking that, too. Yesterday I even went as far as looking up a description of the protocol before remembering I already have too many interesting projects I'm working on.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:29
|
|
|
I'm going to start with the ones that will kill us, and how we will be killed: Flames:: "Pureness of Heart" may be referring to either being extremely naive, or noble, and while we are a naive village boy, what we aren't (and what I guess the intended solution, as it were, is) is noble from birth. We have just been knighted by King Carlon, and we aren't from a noble family at all. As for how it's gonna kill us: Uh, it's fire? Blades: "Quickness of Lightning" may refer to being so fast that the blades won't cut you if you happen to touch them, I guess. But we never been that fast, even on an actual magical-ish horse, except maybe when we were teleported to the shaman I guess. We are going to die from a literal thousand cuts, or the Lightning part of the trial is going to become literal and we gonna get toasted. Cliff: We are a simple Frank peasant. I don't know how a 4-meter hill can kill us, but I'm going with TooMuchAbstraction's guess. Crack: We are pious in the sense that we kinda worship all of the gods, or at least pray for them now and then, with mixed results. Having said that I'm going with nweismuller's take in that it's piety towards The Mad One, not towards the pantheon in general. It's going to kill us either because we will gonna be flash-cooked over the vent, or we will suffocate on toxic gases, or a demon is going to drag us to hell. As for the one that's going to not kill us I'm between the Meadow, River, and Snakes, I will elaborate on them below: Meadow: "Surety of purpose" could mean that we know why we came into the MadMaze in the first place, which is to deliver that message to the last runner, but I kinda feel like we got sidetracked for a bit, and now we are just using that as a cover to depose of The Mad God, so maybe this is not it. We will definitively get seduced by the meadow River: "Wisdom". Hmm I'm actually not really sure. We have been solving those bullshit puzzles one after the other, so we do have some measure of wisdom after all. However one could argue that we are not wise, if only because we accepted the quest to go into the MadMaze, which is a really dumb thing to do all in all. We will die because of a sharp case of Metal fume fever. I think the best fit for us is the Snakes, because seeing how we flip-flop our main quest for most of the time, and we are Sorry for the wall of spoiler text. 
Space Kablooey fucked around with this message at 17:44 on Jun 20, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:41
|
|
|
idhrendur posted:I was thinking that, too. Yesterday I even went as far as looking up a description of the protocol before remembering I already have too many interesting projects I'm working on. I did that too! I thought it was bit too complicated for me though.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 17:42
|
|
|
HardDiskD posted:I did that too! I thought it was bit too complicated for me though. You know, it only now occurred to me now to search github. There are two existing projects. One has a few moving pieces and uses a software tool from the era, but seems well documented. The other looks like it writes straight to web browser if you have a file in the NAPLPS format. Sample page provided by author: https://n1ckfg.github.io/Telidon/
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2018 18:36
|
|
|
Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Within In which we succeed once, then die five and a half times. Some pretty good guesses altogether, I would say. Most people caught on to the ways these things would prove lethal, and the cliff's trick was even nailed perfectly! Now, of course, we've got the run of the palace (more or less), and there's a ton to do. There's only technically one way to proceed from here, but there's a few different ways to reach it (and a whole lot of ways to fail). Weirdly, though, there are fewer ways to die than one might expect; you'll see when we get there. Just remember: Eyes on the prize! Our job here, much like on the first level, is not to upend the entire government of the Tercelidae by our own hand. We're specifically looking for two things: The Talisman of Chugotai (which we've been told we will need on the third level), and a way past the palace to the third level. The Talisman is guarded by three perils, but we have no idea where in the palace those perils may lie. It's okay for us to be a bit selfish here and just yoink the Talisman and leave. If we can steal the Talisman it will weaken Aboud, and the Atarri can solve their own problems after that.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 02:46
|
|
|
Find Hassan, the Son of the Desert.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:07
|
|
|
quote:Wisely, you realize that you are not yet ready to face the perils of the palace of Osmet Khan. You turn and depart, to ready yourself further. Does this mean you can cross the river of brass now? 
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:11
|
|
|
Straight White Shark posted:Does this mean you can cross the river of brass now?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:27
|
|
|
Obviously the only solution is to moonwalk across the river.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:29
|
|
|
So wizard is linguistically related to wise. All the wise people we've met are wizards. Are you just supposed to use magic to cheese the brass river?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 03:46
|
|
|
That is how we cheesed that acid river, and the river of flame.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 04:02
|
|
|
I'm sure it'll be fine if we just say we wanna look around.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 05:04
|
|
|
ManxomeBromide posted:That is how we cheesed that acid river, and the river of flame. So it's not really a test of wisdom so much as it is a test of pattern recognition, then.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 05:18
|
|
|
Pattern recognition is itself a test of Wisdom. It all fits!
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 13:13
|
|
|
Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Mighty Hassan In which we proceed in the dumbest manner imaginable but still come out of things mostly alright. Random note: The word "paynim" is thrown around numerous times in this update, sometimes to refer to our character and sometimes to refer to others. Theoretically that word has a more specific meaning, but in-game it appears to just be used generally to refer to a heathen or infidel (thus the palace occupants are heathens to our character, and he to them). One of those instances where the writing is actually more confusing if you know what a particular word means. Next time we'll face the trials of Aboud, to determine our worthiness and whether we have what it takes to reach the Talisman of Chugotai. I'm planning to post all three trials at once, as they're fairly short in and of themselves. We shall face a test of taste, a test of piety... and of course, the Dreaded Al-Gibra, whatever the hell that is.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 15:29
|
|
|
It is remarkably hard to fail this section. Huh.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2018 16:33
|
|
|
Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Three Trials In which we have to select a wine and say a before-meal prayer in advance of our date with the Dreaded Al-Gibra. Short update, three puzzles, not necessarily all that difficult. Solve these and we'll be on our way to the third level at last!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 14:39
|
|
|
We did hear that Chateau d'Alfar is the finest wine in the world, and nothing about any of the other options here, so that's probably the answer to the first test.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 14:51
|
|
|
Today I learned about the Intersecting Chord Theorem. Thanks, Prodigy!
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 14:51
|
|
|
I'm guessing El Loco pure spring water for the test of taste. A suspicion, based on the quasi-Mahometan nature of the Mad God worship and the 'El Loco' in it. For the second, 'one', obviously, the mad one. And for the third... The diagram in the Burning River update helpfully gives us our method. Our target length is R. 24 fills in for the 2A in the diagram; the 8 we can measure is the distance below the horizontal line through the circle in the diagram. Let us define the remaining distance beyond what we can reach to the center of the circle as X. Thus, R = X+8. By the Pythagorean theorem, X^2 + A^2 = R^2; since 2A is 24, that translates to X^2 + 144 = R^2. Substituting R-8 for X, we get R^2 -16 R +64 +144 = R^2, which is equivalent to 16R = 208, or R=13. We want a 13-foot ladder.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:00
|
|
|
How can we possibly choose a drink without knowing what we'll be pairing it with? 
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 15:14
|
|
|
Black Robe posted:How can we possibly choose a drink without knowing what we'll be pairing it with?
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 16:04
|
|
|
For the taste test, that trial-and-error puzzle from a while back taught us that Chateau d'Alfar is the finest wine in the world, so obviously that's what we should pick. For the test of piety, while there are technically nine gods, this puzzle was set up by worshipers of the Mad One, so the correct answer is one. "There is no god but madness" and all that. For Al-Gibra, it's a trick question. The lead tunnel is touching the ring, so as soon as we touch it, we'll be in contact with something touching the ring and get immediately disintegrated. The true answer is to crawl through one of the open areas in the corners.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 16:12
|
|
|
I still maintain the drinks thing is impossible, since I'm a snob, but apparently Chateau d'Alfar is the finest in the world. There are nine gods but the answer the mask wants to hear is one. As for the last, we're possibly meant to use that odd diagram from the burning river and then apply Pythagoras, but I think it's just trying to make us confuse ourselves. The base of the tunnel is 8 feet off the ground, so we just need a ladder a little bit longer than 8 feet. The exact amount doesn't matter, if it's longer it'll just have a shallower slope up to the tunnel.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 16:31
|
|
|
Black Robe posted:As for the last, we're possibly meant to use that odd diagram from the burning river and then apply Pythagoras, but I think it's just trying to make us confuse ourselves. The base of the tunnel is 8 feet off the ground, so we just need a ladder a little bit longer than 8 feet. The exact amount doesn't matter, if it's longer it'll just have a shallower slope up to the tunnel. The text and picture seem to be misleading; from what I gather, the 8 foot measurement does not refer to the tunnel or any specific point on the flaming disk, it's just there to give context to your measurement of 24 feet. It's saying "the line across the disk at the highest point you can reach (which happens to be 8 feet up) is 24 feet across." The real question is if we can measure the distance across at 8 feet up, why the gently caress can't we just measure the diameter end-to-end and get our answer. For that matter, why is it so dangerous to just hold the ladders up and see if they'll work before we touch one to the tunnel? How much of that goddamn wine did we drink???
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 16:56
|
|
|
Black Robe posted:I still maintain the drinks thing is impossible, since I'm a snob, but apparently Chateau d'Alfar is the finest in the world. The base of the tunnel is not 8' off the ground; that's just how high we can reach. Our protagonist has taken a measurement of a chord of the circle, with the two endpoints of the chord being two points that are 8' off the ground. With that 8' and the length of the chord (24'), we can calculate the radius of the circle, which is presumably what is being demanded of us here. Also, this is not algebra. It is trigonometry.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 17:03
|
|
|
Depending on our height, we might be able to walk straight under the disk without even bending down. (caveat: I am terrible at maths) Bit nerve wracking, but not too bad  Edit: oh it's set in a sheer wall, art threw me off mossyfisk fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jun 22, 2018 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 17:14
|
|
|
I'm glad I'm not the only one who couldn't work this out. I feel slightly less dumb.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 22:02
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:Also, this is not algebra. It is trigonometry. It's trigonometry to figure out what algebra you need to solve! We want to find R, and we know that 8 is contained within it so the remainder of the distance is x feet. R = 8 + x The chord is 24 feet long, and half that distance is 12. 12, x, and R form a right-angled triangle as per the diagram in the river of fire. So R2 = 122 + x2, and R2 = (8 + x)2 = x2 + 16x + 64 Combine these and x2 + 144 = x2 + 16x + 64 Cancel out some of this to get 80 = 16x Divide out for 5 = x Add the 5 to the original 8 and the ladder is thirteen feet long. But the real challenge was getting it all written out in BBcode.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 23:16
|
|
|
Is walking under a thirteen foot ladder like double unlucky? We should stay clear of underneath that.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2018 23:27
|
|
|
Huh, I used more trig for the Al-Gibra thing. It wasn't a good idea. I look at 3 relevant points - the middle of the circle (M), the bottom middle (B), and the place on the side we can touch (either works, but I choose the right one so it gets to be R). We draw lines between all 3 points and get a triangle. The lines from M to B and M to R are each radii. The line from B to R is a chord that is the hypotenuse of the triangle formed by the vertical distance and half the horizontal distance (because B is in the middle of the circle). So the length of the line from B to R is sqrt(8^2 + 12^2). Which is not a pretty number, but it's about 14.4. We also know the angle between MB and BR - it's there in the right triangle formed by the horizontal and vertical distances we know. This becomes more obvious if you draw the two distances inside the circle rather than outside, flipping the triangle around its hypotenuse. So the opposite is length 12 and the adjacent is length 8, and we take atan(12/8) and get another hideous number that's about 0.98. Finally we find the point in the middle of BR, call it F because I want to. We know that BF is equal in length to FR because we're bisecting an isosceles triangle (the two radii are the same). So BF is half the length of BR, or ~7.2. Now we have the triangle BFM. We know it's a right triangle, we know an angle, we know a side. We want to know the hypotenuse, MB. We know the side adjacent to the angle, BF. So we divide the adjacent side by the cosine of the angle to get the end result. 7.2 / cos(.98) = 13. Or actually it equals 12.9 but if you don't round the earlier numbers it's 13. Anyway, solve this problem the way other people did. This gets the answer but it's really not pretty.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 02:46
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 13:06 |
|
|
Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, The Talisman In which we become a wizard, Harry, then almost die in outer space because why not. I have good news and bad news about the upcoming third level.  How utterly... pink! The good news: New maze colors! The bad news:  This is the part where you get straight up hosed if you weren't mapping. Qrr posted:Huh, I used more trig for the Al-Gibra thing. It wasn't a good idea.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2018 03:35
|
|