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So Liza is definitely lying about her "I just texted two sentences and it took me five minutes and oh I didn't even think to tell him the name of the hotel I'm supposedly trapped in". Not that it matters because (a) the Four Corners Hotel might be a building custom-made for this game and (b) the Gemini devices are somewhere between 'being filtered for key information' and 'total fake bullshit' anyways.
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Oct 15, 2021 19:45
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I’m guessing the school is the connection, since that’s already a link between ink and aether. Maybe Rae dropped out from there or spurned a scholarship offer, Liza’s dad is the dean or a board member, and Beth or possibly her husband/child was a professor there at some point in the past. There’s also no chance they’re actually in the town they’re supposedly in.
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Oct 15, 2021 20:01
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I think that only works if the whole town was renamed at some point.
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Oct 15, 2021 20:30
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I think that part of the issue is that they're not delving into each other's Contacts either. Maybe they themselves aren't the main target in some of their cases, but are being used to get at someone who wouldn't have been easy or practical to get at physically.Insertnamehere31 posted:Maybe Rae dropped out from there This has been confirmed by Rae's own admission that he was briefly in the Bellbridge University Computer Sciences program. He even says that the school is garbage based on his short time there.
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Oct 15, 2021 21:00
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AweStriker posted:I think that only works if the whole town was renamed at some point.
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Oct 16, 2021 00:38
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MagusofStars posted:Do we even know what town we're actually in? The characters seem convinced it's Bellbridge because of the shared university connection but I don't think Sent has actually said that so who knows. We don’t. I’m just saying that Beth has never even heard of Bellbridge, so it’s not likely to be the connection unless one or more of the following is true - Bellbridge was renamed at some point (likely from something else to Bellbridge) - Beth doesn’t remember - Beth is lying
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Oct 16, 2021 21:04
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AweStriker posted:We don’t. I’m just saying that Beth has never even heard of Bellbridge, so it’s not likely to be the connection unless one or more of the following is true - Beth has quantum leaped in from the past and has never heard of Bellbridge yet 
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Oct 16, 2021 22:07
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AweStriker posted:We don’t. I’m just saying that Beth has never even heard of Bellbridge, so it’s not likely to be the connection unless one or more of the following is true Though there are ways the connection could be indirect but Bellbridge still plays into it. For example, the students all interacted with a teacher at Bellbridge Uni who is also a former friend of Beth’s from years prior.
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Oct 16, 2021 22:26
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What if their connection is that they all have weird names, and Beth is a pseudonym? 
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Oct 16, 2021 22:31
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Ah, I remember this game. It was a fun experience. Not quite on the same level as 999, but still a fun romp, especially for a fan-made flash game.
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Oct 18, 2021 00:56
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2.2: The Second Puzzle (Music: Battle of Wits) Okay! We have to turn 7 into #26, whatever that means. We can do this. Famously, Pikachu is #25 in National Pokédex Order, which means #26 is Raichu. I’m struggling a little to make Raichu with these tiles, though. Maybe we need to use negative space?   I’ve had a lot on my mind, I guess. If you’re not feeling well, you can always let the rest of us handle this. No, doing this puzzle ought to clear my head. I’ll gladly help. Alright, then. Let me know if you can think of anything that might be useful. Okay. Oh, and Ink... Yeah? Thanks for being considerate.You may have picked this up already, but a lot of the ‘hints’ are little exchanges for the sake of characterisation, rather than actual hints. I didn’t realise at first, so I missed a lot of these on my first playthrough! So, any ideas about the puzzle? Not really. The clue says to turn 7 into 26… No it doesn’t. What do you mean? Of course it does. Nope. It says turn 7 into number 26. There’s a hashtag before ‘26’ but not before ‘7’. ...Huh. I didn't notice. It's probably important, so let’s try to remember this detail. Good idea. Hmm...Huh. I’d just call it a hash. Is it common to call the symbol itself a hashtag these days? Remember that there’s a hashtag before the ‘26’ in the clue. It’s asking us to turn 7 into number 26. But what is number 26?Well, we’ve already established it’s Raichu, so I’m not sure Aether can help us any further. Let’s move on to Beth.  Looks to me like a simple enough task. Except... Except there seems to be something that we’re not quite getting. Yeah. I don’t think there’s a way to rearrange 7 to 26 with the pieces we have here. Exactly. There must be some hint we’re still missing. A double meaning, maybe? Hmm… I’ll give it a bit more thought, then.A double meaning? I think ‘Raichu’ means something like ‘thunder squeak’, but I’m not sure we can make one of those either. Any new developments? No, sorry… I’m afraid numbers were never my strong suit. Oh, is that so? You certainly look the type… Heh. I get that a lot, though I’m more of a literature kind of guy. That’s perfectly fine. I’m not much for mathematics, either. However, even though this puzzle involves numbers, I don’t think it’s related to mathematics in any way. I feel as though the symbols for 7 and 26 are more important than the numbers themselves. You might be right about that. Let’s keep that in mind. It's a bit of a shame that, if you want to get all of this additional characterisation hidden in the hint system, poor Ink ends up looking like he can’t solve anything himself. You know what, Ink? I think this puzzle uses the same principle as the last one. And what principle is that? Negative space. The last puzzle used negative space. This one does, too, if my instincts are correct. When we saw the ‘7’ at the start of the puzzle, its shape was built from the light green tiles. However, I’m willing to bet that the shape of the answer is instead built with the dark green tiles. Ah, gotcha.She sounds pretty sure of herself, but there’s no guarantee this puzzle uses negative space, is there? Yes... I wager I’ll be able to solve this very soon… She sounds pretty determined. Let’s see if I can solve it before Beth does. The hint system tends to warn you before a character outright gives you the answer. I believe I've solved it. Really?! What’s the answer? We’re supposed to make the letter ‘z’ using negative space. Why a ‘z’? It’s the 26th letter of the alphabet. It’s also one of the few shapes we could make with these limited tiles. Ah, good thinking. It’s worth a shot, at least. Unfortunately, I’m still unsure of the exact tile arrangement. Give me a moment... Sure. In the meantime, let’s see if I can figure out how to make a ‘z’ on my own.The game is begging me to at least do something myself, but I want to see all the dialogue, goddammit. I’ve got it! Really? How do you arrange them? Arrange the tiles like so: For the top row, leave all the tiles as dark green squares. For the second row from the top, from left to right, place a light green square, then a top-left corner piece, then a dark green square, then a bottom-right corner piece. For the third row, from left to right, place a top-left corner piece, then a dark green square, then a bottom-right corner piece, then a light green square. Then, for the bottom row, leave all tiles as dark green squares once again. And that makes a ‘z’? It ought to, yes. Why don’t you arrange the tiles like I told you and see for yourself? Heh. Sure.If you talk to Beth again, Ink asks if she can repeat her instructions. Afterwards, Ink says, ‘Okay. I think I’ve got it this time. Thanks, Beth,’ and Beth says, ‘You’re very welcome,’ which I’m slightly charmed by.  Anyway, I’m still lost. Beth wants this? Two triangles? That’s just nonsense. Quackles suggested this as well, for some reason. It doesn’t look anything like a Raichu.  Rae. Any thoughts on the puzzle? Once again, this one looks more like a riddle than an actual puzzle. I don’t know the answer yet, but let’s use what we’ve learned from the first ‘puzzle’ to help us with this one. And, uh, what have we learned from the first puzzle? The last puzzle revolved around negative space. When the clue hinted at a cross, it was actually hinting at the absence of a cross. I’d say there’s a good chance this one might revolve around negative space, too. But this one feels a bit more complicated. I’ll keep that in mind.Nope. No idea what to do. We’re just going to have to keep asking for help. (Beth stares at us, incredulous.) Hey, Rae... What do you want? I’m trying to concentrate. Just checking up on you. Any new developments? Well, one. Read the clue again. Does anything jump out at you? Hmm… “Turn 7 into #26”... Well, it’s stylistically incorrect to write “7” as a number instead of spelling out. So there’s that. ...You’re useless, you know that? What?! That’s a totally valid answer! You know what? I’m going to pretend you didn’t say anything and move on. What jumps out at me is the number 26. Do you know what the number 26 is commonly associated with? Even you should be able to get this one. I dunno... the alphabet? Right on. I think we’re supposed to make something that’s related to the alphabet in some way. If you catch my drift. Oh… huh. You’re probably right! I am right.I wouldn’t say writing ‘7’ rather than ‘seven’ is ‘stylistically incorrect’. It’s stylistically unusual, but it really depends on the context. In a novel, it’d look odd to write ‘there were 7 people in the room’. In puzzle instructions, though? Hey, Rae... What do you want?! I’m thinkin’ over here! I just wanted to ask you a question… Ugh. Spit it out. When you said that the clue was related to the alphabet, do you think that maybe we’re supposed to draw a letter? Well, duh. What else would it be? I was just, uh, making sure... ...Is that seriously the only reason you interrupted me just now?Ah, crap. He thinks I’m an idiot. I do feel slightly bad for how clueless I’m making Ink look. Ink. I’ve got the answer. You’ve figured it out? What is it? He wants us to draw the letter “z”. The 26th letter. You could totally draw it with these pieces, too. It seems so obvious now... Whoa, no way. Nice work, Rae! Hardly. This poo poo’s easy. I’ll let you enter it into the machine. That way you can make it feel like you’ve done something. Gee, how swell... Look, Ink’s just taking the time to make sure everyone feels useful and included. The time we don’t really have, given the explosives issue, but... Hey, Rae... ...This oughtta be rich. Y-You said to draw a “z”, but I’m not exactly sure how I’m supposed to do that with these pieces. Alright, listen up. Maybe you’ll learn something. Remember that last puzzle used what’s called “Negative Space”. This one does, too. It’s the DARK green tiles that form the z, not the light green ones. Use the light green tiles to “sculpt” the letter z. It’s a lowercase z, by the way. So the first and last rows are completely dark green, and you’ve got to make two light green triangles on either side. Got it?I’m slightly afraid of talking to Rae again. Let’s try Liza.  Liza. Are you going to help us out this time? ...Yes. Huh. That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Why the change of heart? I’ve just been told that my life is on the line. So there’s that. Fair enough. Anyway, what do you think of this puzzle? I’m not quite sure yet. Give me a minute to get a good look at it. Alright. I’ll be back in a minute.Definitely less scary than Rae right now. I’m going to stick with Liza for a bit. Any thoughts? It’s a bit like that last puzzle, right? Yeah, that’s what it looks like. So it starts out as a 7, and the clue says to turn it into 26… Have you tried drawing the number 26 with the tiles? Uh... I can’t do that. The tiles aren’t the right shape for that. Oh. So what are we supposed to do then? That’s what we’re trying to figure out. I see. Hmm... ...So is that the best you could come up with? Do you want my help or not?!I’m not even sure anymore... I mean, it’s at least better than our Raichu idea. Come up with any other ideas? No.I’m not sure how useful Liza is going to be. Maybe I should ask someone else for help. Uh-oh. We’re out of other people to ask. I suppose we’d better go back to Rae. Hey, what was the answer again?  And Rae solves the puzzle for us. Although I’d already created the Z, so I suppose all he had to do was hit ‘Check Solution’. I originally accidentally triggered this before talking to Liza, so I had to restart the chapter and skip through all the dialogue to get her hint lines. Man, these puzzles are rough... For you, maybe.It’s said online that exasperating Rae into solving this puzzle is actually reflected by a decrease in trust. Originally, when I tested this after a question from Gosts, I concluded that that wasn't the case and Rae's trust values remained the same. After playing a couple more chapters, though, I've realised that I'd misunderstood exactly when the in-game trust display is recalculated (we'll see this display soon), so... maybe it's the case? I might need to test this more at some point. It'd be a shame if you got penalised for asking for hints, but, frankly, even if Rae's trust does decrease here, it might be worth it, because it’s hilarious. In any case, on account of my testing, Rae's trust values in this playthrough are currently what they'd be if we'd solved this puzzle ourselves. Here’s the dialogue when you solve it yourself, if you’re curious: quote:Ink: Hey, I was right! Moving on:  (Music: Ad Nauseam)   I have refrained from throwing anything harmful at you thus far, but I assure you this safety is temporary.We hear a door unlock. There. I’ve opened the way.  Sent zips up off the screen. The music stops.   Paper mache? That’s what he reminds you of? You know that’s not really him, right? It’s just a computer-generated image he’s using to keep us from seeing his real face. Same deal with his voice; it’s completely synthetic. Oh, is that so?(Music: Stranglehold)  That face would be a cinch to make. But as for the rest of it, I see what you’re getting at. This isn’t within any normal person’s price range. If Exit/Corners really is the work of a single person, then that person would have to be pretty well-off.Rae’s remark hit home; a certain redhead soon became the center of everyone’s attention.  Liza looks blonde to me at first glance, personally, but I can see her hair as ginger if I put some effort in. I know arguments about character hair colour can get oddly heated, so it’s probably best to accept the game’s description and move on.  “My father and I are extremely wealthy.” Did I get that right? I’ve got to hand it to you, Rae, your reasoning is flawless. Sarcasm won’t do you any good. I’m not saying you’re behind all this — frankly, I don’t think you’re smart enough. And to be honest, I don’t think it’s within one person’s power to run this whole game on their own. But you’re definitely hiding something. I know you are. You’ve been acting real suspicious all morning… especially now. What do you mean, suspicious?! Huh? What’s wrong with her hand? Every now and again she makes peculiar gestures with her right hand. To me it looks as if she’s making some kind of signal. A sign language, perhaps? The shaking in your voice is telling me otherwise. Now, my instinct is not to press Liza. We’re all stuck here together, and it doesn’t do us any good to suspect and clash with each other. However. As previously mentioned, I want everyone to like me. According to the script I’m looking at right now, either of these options will lose us a point with Aether, so she’s not a consideration here. ‘Spit it out, Liza’ will gain us a trust point with Rae. ‘Give her some space, guys’ will gain us a point with Liza. However, ‘Give her some space, guys’ will lose us a point with Beth and two points with Rae, whereas ‘Spit it out, Liza’ will only lose us a point with Liza. I’m sorry, Liza. I can’t fight that sort of peer pressure.   You’re a terrible liar. I’m about as convinced that you’re not hiding anything as I am of you being a slow texter. How is that so hard to believe?! It’s the truth, I swear on my mother’s grave!  Leave her alone, you guys! She isn’t going to tell us anything, so stop pressing her! Even when she’s clearly hiding something? Maybe she’s hiding something. It isn’t necessarily related to Exit/Corners, though, is it? She’s allowed some privacy, isn’t she? It’d be different if you had proof that Liza was up to something, but you don’t. You’re just looking for someone to blame. I… I guess so. H-Hey now. She’s right, you know — we’re sort of picking on Liza for no good reason. The music stops. Rae fades off the screen, and we hear a door slam.  Should we give Rae a moment? No, we ought to follow him. The only thing we’re at liberty to do right now is to continue playing Exit/Corners. I wish I could answer that. I wish I could answer anything. Why? Why were we brought here? Who is Sent?  Now that we’ve finished chapter two, incidentally, we can see our trust standings in the Extras menu!  We’ve had a few updates to get acquainted with the cast, so it seems like a good time to decide who we want to get on the good side of. Be aware that this isn’t a dating mechanic. If you vote for Beth just because you want to make out with her, you’re a person of taste, but you’ll be disappointed. Having high trust with a character can lead to slightly more interaction with and/or insight into them further down the line, though, so it makes sense to build trust with the characters we like the most. With that in mind: tell me your favourite character! (Optionally, you can also give a second favourite.) I’ll use the answers to calculate a character ranking, which I’ll use to decide which characters to prioritise when making decisions. If your favourite character isn’t one we can gain trust with (Ink’s my personal favourite), feel free to express your fondness for them anyway. If we can gain trust with your second favourite, I’ll consider them your favourite for ranking purposes. Explanations of why a character appeals to you are optional but very welcome. Keep them non-spoilery if you’ve already played the game, though. If you become more interested in a different character further down the line, you can always comment to say you’re changing your vote, and I’ll recalculate the ranks for future choices. Would it be more efficient to set up an actual poll? Absolutely. But this way I get to hear individual opinions on characters, and that’s more fun. Rith fucked around with this message at 11:53 on May 2, 2022 |
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Oct 18, 2021 08:10
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I suspect this won't be the most popular opinion, but I'm gonna say that Liza deserves to have someone in her corner. (They may or may not be because I've played the game already and know what her DealTM is.) My favorite character is also Ink. girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Oct 18, 2021 |
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Oct 18, 2021 08:54
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I like Aether. She has a cool visual design, and seems nice.
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Oct 18, 2021 09:15
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BTW, before I forget: I was thinking of a different way of making a Z, with the light green pieces: It's a bit lopsided, but it looks like a Z to me...
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Oct 18, 2021 09:28
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Quackles posted:BTW, before I forget: I was thinking of a different way of making a Z, with the light green pieces:  I like this! It doesn't work, but I feel like it should.
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Oct 18, 2021 09:36
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Aether #1, Beth #2 is my vote.
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Oct 18, 2021 12:07
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Liza #1, Rae #2 is my vote, just because the idea of you having to balance the resident betta fish amuses me.
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Oct 18, 2021 13:53
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Aether at #1 followed by Liza at #2. Aether has an interesting style and I think Liza is potentially a valuable ally if we can break through her reluctance to trust anybody. Also Ink seems surprisingly likable for a protagonist in these games this far, so that’s notable even though he’s not part of the trust-discussion.
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Oct 18, 2021 14:14
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Rae #1, Beth #2 Aether comes off as almost hard-wired by the developers to like you regardless of what you do, so I don't imagine it would be easy to lose favour with her even if we neglect her somewhat. She's the sidekick character after all. And while I'm sure Liza has something interesting going on under it all... Look I'm just saying if the next puzzle is "feed one of your companions into a wood chipper" it's not going to be a hard choice for me right now.
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Oct 18, 2021 14:20
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Leraika posted:Liza #1, Rae #2 is my vote, just because the idea of you having to balance the resident betta fish amuses me. 
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Oct 18, 2021 15:48
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Quackles posted:BTW, before I forget: I was thinking of a different way of making a Z, with the light green pieces:
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Oct 18, 2021 16:58
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MarquiseMindfang posted:Rae #1, Beth #2
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Oct 18, 2021 17:25
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Rae #1, Beth #2 i don't know anything about anything, i just think they're neat.
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Oct 18, 2021 18:35
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BTW, Rith, I wanted to ask you about something related to the LP, but you don’t have PMs. Is there a good way that won’t open you up to internet weirdos?
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Oct 18, 2021 23:27
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Liza #1, Beth #2 I feel like Liza has a lot going on that she's not comfortable talking about, but not for sinister reasons, and I think someone should try and be there for her. Might as well be us. Beth is just cool and I like her.
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Oct 19, 2021 00:05
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girl dick energy posted:BTW, Rith, I wanted to ask you about something related to the LP, but you don’t have PMs. Is there a good way that won’t open you up to internet weirdos? Just tried to message you on Reddit! Let me know if it doesn't come through, or if you don't have Reddit and I'm bothering a complete stranger. Otherwise, I could ask Fedule to ferry you my Dreamwidth or Tumblr if you've got an account on either of those sites; I suspect he's got PM access.
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Oct 19, 2021 01:05
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Rith posted:Just tried to message you on Reddit! Let me know if it doesn't come through, or if you don't have Reddit and I'm bothering a complete stranger. Otherwise, I could ask Fedule to ferry you my Dreamwidth or Tumblr if you've got an account on either of those sites; I suspect he's got PM access.
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Oct 19, 2021 01:44
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Rith posted:Just tried to message you on Reddit! Let me know if it doesn't come through, or if you don't have Reddit and I'm bothering a complete stranger. Otherwise, I could ask Fedule to ferry you my Dreamwidth or Tumblr if you've got an account on either of those sites; I suspect he's got PM access.
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Oct 19, 2021 03:02
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Liza #1, Beth #2 I based this on a careful analysis of which characters are cool and which characters are lame-os.
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Oct 19, 2021 04:18
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Thank you all for your character votes! I'll start taking them into account from chapter five. 3.1: Distant Contact (Music: Ad Nauseam (Tendrils))  The clock is ticking.  It was the name of the game that Ink and his fellow “Contestants” had no choice but to play. The goal was simple: explore The Four Elements Hotel and find the Exit. The hotel was slated to collapse in 24 hours, killing those still trapped inside.  According to Sent, many puzzles and dangers awaited the Contestants. Ink couldn’t fathom why either were necessary. Whatever the reason, Ink knew it would be essential to proceed with caution from here on out. The music stops. We hear a door open.  Another monitor... so this door’s probably locked, too. I guess Sent doesn’t excel in the creativity department. (Music: Stranglehold (Rack))  Hey, uh... want a hand, Rae? I’m close to figuring it out. Don’t distract me. I might be able to help you solve it faster, you know.The screen shakes.  Yup, he’s still pretty angry. I want to help with the puzzle, but the last thing I want to do is start a fight with this guy. drat. I shouldn’t have been so wishy-washy back there...   Rae, you’re behaving like a child. Save your breath. He’s not even listening to us anymore. So, uh... what are we supposed to do now? We should still solve the puzzle, right? It’s the only way forward. Hmm... Well, let’s get started, then. ...Excuse me? The puzzle can wait. Let’s head back into the lounge. Huh? Why? It’s important. Now follow me.Liza vanishes, and we hear her pass through a door. What could be more important than the puzzle? I suppose I can spare her a few minutes of my time. You sure about that, Beth? Just a few minutes ago you had her under pretty intense scrutiny. I’ll join you, Beth.Well, if anyone can figure the puzzle out on their own, it’s probably Rae. Giving him some space might not be a bad idea. You two go on ahead. I’ll be there in a sec.Beth and Aether exchanged a nod before leaving. Beth and Aether vanish, and we hear the click of a door. The music stops. Hey, Rae? Can you come get us when you solve the puzzle? Or when you get stuck? Thanks.We hear the door again.  Alright, I’m here.(Music: Biorhythm, 0.75 speed)   Oh! I had almost forgotten about my Gemini. And Sean, for that matter.    R-Right.Ink followed her example and reached for his Gemini.   Who cares? The important thing is that we have these phones. There’s no point in not using them. I suppose you're right. Even so... You know how to use one of these, right, Beth? I do, though I’m rather slow at selecting the right letters. You don't need to do that, Aether. I'd hate to waste your time. Oh, don’t you worry about that. It won’t take long. ...If you insist. I suppose there’s no harm in trying.Aether knelt down next to Beth, and they began to compose a message for Beth’s Contact. Their whispers soon made way for the rapid tapping of screens. Now would be a good time to message Sean again…      The music stops. That’s great! Do you think it’ll take him long? He should get back to me shortly. He’s a bit of a joker sometimes, but he’s not one to dawdle when something important is on the line. What’s the matter, Beth? Beth’s Contact hasn’t responded yet. She sent him a message, but there hasn’t been a reply. Don’t worry, Beth. Your Contact probably isn’t near their Gemini right now. Either that, or they haven’t received it yet. Right? If you don’t mind me asking... who is your Contact, Beth? It’s fine, Aether. I think it would be best if we didn’t keep any secrets. Oh... I had no idea.  I don’t suppose we’ll be getting any help from him, then. That’s alright; my father should be able to get us rescued. I take it you’ve made some progress? Personal escorts... so they’re like your bodyguards? Something like that. They’re the best of the best. As you may have guessed, ‘that sounds pretty serious’ is the better option if you want to build trust with Liza. That sounds pretty serious. Does your father have enemies? Who is he, exactly? If he’s as influential as you say he is, then surely he must have some enemies. Other than a kid who keyed our car and some rear end in a top hat who tried to burn down our house, no, I can’t think of anyone. Why do you ask?I think the person who tried to burn down your house probably counts. Earlier this morning you said that you “had a feeling that someone would try this eventually”. Now you’re telling me that your dad hires out elite escorts for you. It sure sounds like someone’s got it in for either you or your father. How so? That’s a cover-up for something if I’ve ever heard one. Whatever. Hey, Aether. Isn’t your Contact your father? Same as me, then. Yeah... same as you. Did you ask your dad to send some help, too, Aether? Aether looked away, flustered. Ink hadn’t a clue what the deal with her father was, but felt genuinely sorry for having brought it up. Don’t worry about it, then. If it’s any consolation, my dad wouldn’t be of any help, either.We hear a door open. (Music: Punishing Fire) The door behind Ink snapped open.  Oh, Rae... have you solved the puzzle already? His hands are cramping up? What? Didn’t you say that you were close to figuring it out? Well, my first solution fell through, and my other method is taking me a while. Besides, if I rest for a bit I might be able to solve it the old-fashioned way.“The old-fashioned way”?   And I’m thankful for that. The only talent you seem to have is giving up.The screen shakes. Argh! I’m not giving up! I’m just—The screen shakes.  Stop! This is ridiculous. Can you just once speak to each other without getting into a fight? Maybe we ought to give Rae his break and get started on the puzzle ourselves. What do you say to that, Liza?   Ink, do you think you could keep Rae company while he and Liza let off some steam? Uh... I can do that, I guess. Thank you. See if you can get him to message his Contact while you’re at it. Sure.A door clicks.  So, uh... how was the puzzle? This one’s tougher than the other two. You think Sent made this one unbeatable? No. Sent might be completely nuts, but I don’t think he’d do something like that. We’ve been told multiple times that we’re playing a game, and it’s not a game if you can’t win. Not as detailed a description as I’d have liked, but okay.  I’ve been wondering that myself. Maybe Sent is one of those Darwinist freaks. Darwinist... you mean, like, natural selection? Yeah. Maybe Sent is convinced that if we can’t solve these puzzles, then we’re not fit to remain in the gene pool. Hey, Rae... can I ask you something? Yeah, what is it? Rae doesn’t like it if we ask who his Contact is, so, for the sake of keeping up our trust values, we’re going with the safer question. What do you have against Bellbridge University? Why did you drop out? I just want to know why you hate the university so much. It isn’t the largest college in the country, but I was under the impression that most of its programs were fairly prestigious. Did you get into a fight with administration? Somethin’ like that. Listen, pal, this isn’t exactly the best time to be swapping college stories. Not that I’d tell you, anyway. If you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine. I was just curious. I like it at Bellbridge U. I’m hoping to get another few good years out of it. Yeah, of course you are. Anyway, it’s been a minute or two. I want to give the others some help with the puzzle. Fine. My hand eased up a bit, so I’m ready to get back to it. The music stops.  Any luck, ladies?  Let me take a crack at it, then. Our goal is to assign each colour the correct symbol. You may notice there are five colours but only four symbols; symbols can be reused, so there’s nothing to prevent you from, for example, assigning every colour the envelope. For the benefit of colourblind readers, the colours from left to right are red, green, blue, white and black. Rith fucked around with this message at 09:40 on Jul 6, 2022 |
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Oct 21, 2021 09:23
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For anyone who doesn't want to do the math: There are just over a thousand possible combinations.
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Oct 21, 2021 10:18
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Either I am fully misunderstanding this puzzle or Rae is. Seems like the answer is just making phrases: Red Tape, Blue Print, Black Mail, and White/Green House.
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Oct 21, 2021 16:25
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This is the third riddle-puzzle in a row, and Rae's still trying to treat them like logic puzzles because he'd rather bash his head against it for hours than take a step back and reevaluate something. A hauntingly realistic depiction of a CompSci major.
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Oct 22, 2021 08:59
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3.2: The Third Puzzle (Music: Battle of Wits)  The obvious solution, ‘fill the screen with cute little houses’, doesn’t seem to work. Let’s see what our companions think.  If the previous two puzzles are anything to go by, it’s probably some sort of riddle. So... each of the symbols represents a colour? I think you’re on the right track, but I don’t think that it’s possible that each button represents only a single colour. Oh... why not? The answer must be 5 symbols long, but there are only 4 buttons. That means at least one of the buttons is repeated. Unless we’re supposed to leave the last tile blank, they can’t all represent just one colour. They must be indicative of something else. Oh... that makes sense. You sure are clever, Ink!I sure am. And yet the cute little houses still don’t work. I wonder... why didn’t Sent show up this time? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he did leave a message, but Rae was the only one in the room at the time. I guess that’s possible, but I think Rae would’ve told us. Whatever the reason, I sure don’t miss him. Yeah... he creeps me out.At this point in my first playthrough, I had no idea that many of the ‘hints’ were in fact just conversations for extra characterisation. I missed out on a lot! Any ideas? I haven’t thought of anything. Sorry... I see. Well, don’t get too worked up over it; I’m sure you’ll come up with something eventually. I’ll try my best to think of something...I can tell she keeps trying really hard to come up with a solution, but she’s falling flat every time... I feel kinda bad for her. We’re only three puzzles in, but it’s already becoming clear that Beth and Rae are our main puzzle solvers. You could sort these four neatly into a grid with ‘Can/Can’t Help’ along the top and ‘Is/Isn’t Nice About It’ down the side. Speaking of, let’s consult Beth.  I imagine it works like any other button-based security system. If you input the right password, the door will unlock. And the password uses symbols instead of letters or numbers? That’s what it looks like. Let’s see... the first button is an envelope, so I suppose it signifies “Mail.” Perhaps. Though when I look at it I think “Email”. Email... you mean “electric mail”, right? ...You know what? Let’s just stick with “Mail”. Alright. And the second symbol? What is that? It means “Print”. ...I see. And the one on the far right is “House”? I feel like it means “Home”, but I suppose it could be “House”. That leaves the third one, which is probably “Tape”. Tape? Yes. Do you know what that is? Well, yeah. I just thought that the button meant “Record”. Ah... I was worried you might not recognize a tape. They died out many years ago. Yeah, I was really young the last time I saw an old cassette tape like that. Pretty nostalgic, huh? Very much so...As someone who grew up with tapes, I was just hit hard by the realisation that this hint exists for the benefit of players who were born later and might not know what they are. I’m just here to do a Let’s Play, Exit/Corners; stop trying to give me an existential crisis. I think I’ve got a good idea of what these buttons are for. What is it? The items illustrated on the buttons seem very specific, don’t you think? I think the name of the depicted object is more important than the object itself. What makes you think that? The “Tape” button. From what I remember, most tapes were black, though I have seen them made in a variety of colours. I don’t think that the actual tape is what’s important. If Sent wanted us to think “black” upon seeing the button, why didn’t he put something more obvious, like an 8-ball? Good point. I wonder why Sent decided to do it that way...The game’s trying so hard to make me reason. I refuse. I’m taking every hint you’ve got. Ink! I’ve got an idea that might be worth trying. I’m all ears, Beth. I think we’re supposed to find expressions involving the colours illustrated. Oh? What do you mean by that? If we put a house icon underneath the green box, would we get a “Greenhouse”? Similarly, if we put the tape icon under the red box, we would get “Red Tape”. I hadn’t thought of that... it’s a bit odd, but we don’t really have any other leads, so I guess this is worth a shot. Nice work, Beth. Why, thank you. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you manage to come up with that? I’m afraid I was daydreaming. A greenhouse crossed my mind... and then it hit me. The other one came shortly after. You were daydreaming about a greenhouse? Is that so strange? What do you daydream of, pray tell? Uh, you know... guy stuff.Girls, money, books... take your pick. I’ve never seen this before, and Ink’s desperately vague answer is cracking me up. So... I’m trying to find expressions, words, or idioms that use both these colours and the objects depicted on the buttons? I think that’s what he wants us to do, in any case... What were the ones you found? “Greenhouse” and “Red Tape”. Meaning the second symbol should be the house and first one should be the tape. Alright, I’ll see if I can think of a few more.The others might know a couple, too... They might! Let’s find out, because the game didn’t like my answer of Red Tape, Greenhouse, Blue Tape, White Tape, Black Tape.  Yeah? Were you able to figure anything out in your time alone? No, not really. I couldn’t figure it out so I just decided to brute-force it. “Brute-force it”? It means to try every possible combination in rapid succession. Of course, you usually write a program to do it for you... so that might not have been the right word. So... you just tried to input every single possible combination of button presses in order? That's right. The password looks like it’s 5 symbols long, and there are only 4 symbols to choose from. That means there are only 1024 possible combinations. If you go through them systematically, you’re bound to get the correct password eventually. Right... but did you really think that was the fastest way to find the correct answer? Well... no. But my original idea didn’t work and that was the only other way I knew how to solve this thing. And when it was taking longer than expected, you wanted to take a break? ...Yeah, pretty much.I like that, although Ink (as the protagonist) was inevitably going to end up doing this puzzle, Rae took the first crack at it and we get to learn a bit about how he approached it. It’s a nice little detail. You mentioned you had an idea of how to solve this thing? I did... but it didn’t work. Well, what was it? Maybe you were on the right track. Hmph. I guess telling you couldn’t hurt. Notice the symbols on the buttons? They’re everyday icons you can find very easily on most computers or even cell phones. Yeah. Anyone who is even a little familiar with computers should know what they are. So here we’ve got four greyscale icons: “Email”, “Print”, “Home” and “Record”. And we’ve got five colours: Red, Green, Blue, White and Black. I figured that matching each colour up with the icon most likely to be that colour would be the answer. Home, Print, Home, Email, Record. That was the combination I tried. So at the very least, that particular combination doesn’t work. I guess I had the wrong idea.Also a nice touch: the fact that some of the characters’ suggestions when you ask for hints are flat-out wrong. They don’t know the answer either; if they did, we wouldn’t be standing here! Any other ideas, Rae? No... You know, you could always try to brute-force it like I did. I mean, it would take a while, but you’d get the right answer eventually. I’m not sure I want to resort to that... Suit yourself. I’m telling you, that’s the fastest way to solve this thing...Huh. We’ve exhausted the puzzle solvers. Liza?  Think you guys can do this one without me? I’m giving my father as many details about my situation as I can. ...Alright. If it’ll speed up our rescue, then text him all you want.It sure would be nice if Liza’s father rescued us instead of having to play the entirety of Exit/Corners... but why do I get the feeling it won’t be that easy? I’m starting to have the feeling the game’s actually going to make me think on this one. You’re still messaging your dad? Well, yeah. I want to be as thorough as possible. If my father’s men need to enter by force, it’s important that I provide them with as much information as I can. Enter by force? Without even contacting the police or military? Are these bodyguards or commandos we’re talking about?! Some of them used to do work for the White House. They’re fairly experienced.The White House, huh...? And that’s all the hints we’re getting! So, yes, for the first time the game makes you take at least a couple of small steps yourself, rather than spelling everything out through the hint system.  Blueberry Pancakes got this one. We have ‘red tape’ and ‘greenhouse’ from Beth’s advice. Liza didn’t directly suggest ‘White House’ as an answer, but her hints can nudge us towards it. The remaining answers are ‘blueprint’ and ‘blackmail’.   They’re all expressions. From left to right, we’ve got red tape, greenhouse, blueprint, White House, and blackmail. Thanks for the help, Beth. I don’t think I’d have been able to solve it without you. Oh, I only half-solved it, dear.If you solve it yourself: quote:Rae: Was that the right combination? Man... Oh yeah? I think you’re just angry that you couldn’t figure it out. Oh, please. I just got us all rescued, thank you very much.  That’s awesome news, Liza! My Contact Sean is also searching for the address, so if he finds it before your father does...Plink. A familiar sound echoed throughout the tiny chamber. Ink peeked at his Gemini’s screen, but saw no notifications.  That’s... that’s mine!  Aether, would you mind helping me compose a message once again? Oh, I still can’t believe it... No problem, Beth. Bring your Gemini over here...  I think it’s great that even after all this time of not speaking to one another, Beth’s son is still willing to help her out in a time of need. Sorry for trying to be positive...Plink. Oh, that one’s me!When Ink gets a message, the screen vibrates briefly along with the notification noise. Okay, Sean. Let’s see if you found anything out... (Music: Near-Death Experience)   Sean: Ink? Are you there? Sean: Hello? Sean: Ink? Sean’s final ‘Ink?’ is in the game’s code, but you won’t actually see it when you’re playing the game, because it cuts to the ‘chapter end’ screen an instant before the message appears! You hear the plink of the message arriving as the ‘chapter end’ screen shows up, but there’s no way to see it. Except for this Let’s Play. You’re welcome.  And here are our current trust standings! I’m... not actually sure why we’re doing worse with Aether and Liza than we were before, unless the game took a while to calculate the trust loss we suffered with them in chapter two. (A note from the future, where I’ve finished chapter four: this does indeed seem to be the case.) Things seem to be going well with Rae, though! Rith fucked around with this message at 09:42 on Jul 6, 2022 |
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Oct 24, 2021 07:57
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For solving the puzzle, I did get the idea that they were for expressions, but I only got as far as "Red Letter Day" before running out of ideas. Shamefully, I blanked on some obvious ones.
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Oct 24, 2021 13:50
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Liza mentioning the White House in her hint conversation doesn't quite feel natural as a conversation, but it does feel natural as the trigger for a character's eureka moment in a movie. "The White House? ...wait. White... House... that's it!" Etc. etc.
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Oct 24, 2021 14:10
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Yeah, that's a cute way to throw another partial clue at the player.
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Oct 24, 2021 22:58
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Oh hey, this game. I binged it when it came up in another LP, and had a good time with it. Didn't see all the hint text, though. Looking forward to seeing other goons speculate.
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Oct 27, 2021 05:38
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4.1: That Sinking Feeling  The clock is ticking.  Ink read the message again. It made no more sense the second time. Or the third, or fourth...  I don’t want to cause panic, but if I don’t tell them, their Contacts might waste valuable time looking for this place. Here goes nothing... (Music: Stranglehold) I’ve got some bad news, guys. Did your friend get back to you? He did. As for the address of the hotel— Is The Four Elements not in Bellbridge? That’s fine; I suspected as much. Um... not quite. The hotel isn’t, like, anywhere. He did find an address, and it does lead to downtown Bellbridge... but the hotel doesn’t exist anymore. What do you mean, “it doesn’t exist”? Your friend must be mistaken. Well, there was a hotel called “The Four Elements” in Bellbridge, but the hotel was demolished around 20 years ago. It isn’t around anymore. There’s no point in telling your father to look for it.  Well, uh... You expected the hotel to not exist? C’mon, Ink. There’s a perfectly good explanation for all this. You know what it is, right? One of these options is clearly much more fun than the other, but unfortunately the less fun option is the way to go if you want to build trust with Rae. We’re in another building? One designed to resemble The Four Elements? Right on. I’m not sure why Sent chose The Four Elements Hotel specifically... Or maybe he knew one of our Contacts would look up the address and wanted to get some sort of reaction out of us. That’s possible, too.I’m also going to share the ‘travelled through time’ option, because it’s great. quote:Ink: We’ve travelled through time? Back to our playthrough! The music stops.  We’d almost be better off if he hadn’t given this building a name at all. There’s no way for us to know where we are.  I still won’t believe that until my father tells me himself.Ink held onto the hope that, somehow, Liza’s father would report back with different news. He trusted Sean, but hoped his friend had simply gotten mixed up. Well, now that our chances of rescue have plummeted, it looks like our best bet is to play Exit/Corners. And win. We hear a door opening. Rae led the way into the next room, with Ink following close behind.   Think they’ll lead us to the Exit? It would be foolish to assume that we’ve already reached the Exit... but we’ll be one step closer, at least! I think that just means it leads to a stairwell, dear. Could you see if it’s locked? Yeah, I guess. I, um...(Music: Stranglehold (Rack))    Unless you’ve got a good reason, Aether, I’d prefer to take the elevators. N-Nevermind then... Elevators, you say... It doesn’t look like there are any buttons we can use to call them. How’re we supposed to get the doors open? I wonder if there’s some sort of trigger, or—There’s an electronic chirp. A familiar noise disrupted Ink’s thoughts.  With no monitor in sight, it was difficult for Ink to pinpoint where Sent’s voice was coming from. He lowered his head and listened. As for your next course of action, you’ll notice there are four elevators in this room. In a few seconds, the elevators will open. I would suggest you have a look at them. ...Or you could die.Well, that was underwhelming. At least he has the decency to not waste our time. There’s a brief clattering noise.   So it’s a hand scanner? Looks like it...The other Contestants called out from all corners of the room. There’s one over here, too! And in this one. Let’s see here...Rae placed his hand on the scanner. Nothing. Hmph. Is it not working? Oh. What makes you say that? Just a hunch. It’s worth a try, at least. Everyone get into a different elevator. When I count to three, put your hand on the scanner.Ink could hear the other Contestants following Rae’s instructions. Each of them made their way into a different elevator. H-Hold on a sec! There are five of us, but only four elevators... Oh, right. Looks like you’ll have to double up with someone. Who should I go with? Up to you, I guess. Just hurry up and choose.     Why is she so jittery?  Alright then... The music stops. You might expect this to be a straightforward ‘choose the person you want to build trust with’ decision, but it’s actually not that simple. Aether and Beth will have a more positive attitude towards you if you share a lift with them, but Rae’s neutral on the matter, and Liza will actually trust you less if you try to share her lift. I’m playing this chapter before consulting the thread for favourite characters, so I’m making this decision myself. Aether’s trust levels are fairly high already – it’s hard to mess up with Aether – so I’m going to go with Beth. The other options are interesting, though; I might show them off in a bonus update at some point. I’ll go with Beth. Alright everyone, on the count of three! One... Two... Three! Hmm... It’s my pleasure, Beth. You seem like the most easygoing of the bunch. I knew you wouldn’t make a fuss over me riding with you. Of course not. I always appreciate company.There’s a brief pause.  I, uh... I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought about it. You’re right; “Player” is the more natural word to use. The word “Contestant” makes it seem as though we’re competing against one another. If we ARE “Contestants”... then what are we contesting? The screen shakes slightly.  Beth? Is something wrong? Do you hear that, Ink?Ink tilted his head and listened, but heard nothing. How could this old lady have better hearing than me? I don’t hear anything. Are you sure you aren’t imagining it? Beth’s instructions were backed with a sudden fervor.  It was faint, but the sound of a girl talking – no, yelling – rose up from outside the elevator. The longer Ink listened, the louder it grew.  Yeah, that’s what it sounds like. But what could cause her to—There’s an electronic chirp.  (Music: Ad Nauseam (Tendrils)) The synthetic voice made Ink jump. He cut in front of Beth to get a better view of the monitor. Sure enough, in the middle of the screen... This ‘sure enough’ line is present in the code but, for some reason, doesn’t play in the game itself.  Wait, have we started moving already? Hmm... maybe we are. We’ve been going so slowly that it’s hard to tell.   There’s a brief pause.   I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to drown. However, if the alternatives are really that awful... Ha... aha... Sent zooms off the screen. ...Ah, crap.The screen shakes. Ink, below us!(Music: Last Stand)  gently caress! We’re sinking!We hear banging, and the screen shakes. Ink slammed his fists on the elevator’s closed doors, but it was useless. There wasn’t anyone in the elevator hall to help them. He tried to wedge his fingers between the two steel doors, hoping to pry them open, but only succeeded in bruising his knuckles. When that didn’t work, he wailed on the door some more. More banging and shaking. Let me out of here! The elderly woman seemed to be keeping her emotions in check with much more success than Ink. If she was scared, she wasn’t showing it. Come on now, let’s get this puzzle solved. Puzzle? Yes. When Sent disappeared, he left a puzzle in his wake. Do you think we’ll live if we solve it? Even if it didn’t, are you just going to stand there waiting to drown?‘Even if it didn’t’ doesn’t quite fit Ink’s question, but it’s what the game says! N-No... Then stop panicking and help me solve this. As with previous tile puzzles: you can swap any tile with any other tile, all tiles are square (there are no half-tiles), and tiles can’t be rotated. Let’s see if we can manage to avoid drowning. Rith fucked around with this message at 11:51 on May 2, 2022 |
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Oct 27, 2021 07:16
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Make an up arrow with negative space!
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Oct 27, 2021 08:04
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