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Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 9:08 am
by Jon Corby
http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2846 (click 'Play' on the right hand side)

Seriously, what the hell? According to this thread:

http://www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewto ... 09#p199364

on the stardot forum it's solvable but I'm stumped. People say the solution is clever, original, cruel, funny. I'll put what little I have found in a spoiler if you want to have a go blind first.

The room description always seems the same. There is a 'move' counter on the right, which counts down each time you go in any direction, and the game ends when it hits zero. It then shows you a map - the start point is green, presumably the end point is red, and your current position in white. If you count (it's basically a 4x4 grid) the number of moves you had to start with is exactly the number of moves required to reach the exit. But obviously you have no idea which way you are supposed to go. Now - I've discovered by trial and error that you can type SHOW MAP to bring the map up, BUT this also uses a move from your counter, so you can no longer reach the exit. So I'm stuck there. You occasionally see various things (Jamis Buck (?), a white rabbit, a palimpsest) but nothing seems to help much, and the HINT just cycles through 'Hindsight is 20/20', 'Don't look back in anger' and 'who says you can't rewrite history' which also doesn't seem to help....

It would be possible to play in a BBC emulator which has save states to show the map and then reload back and follow the moves, but that clearly isn't the "right" solution.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 10:54 am
by Gavin Chipper
Corby's back!

(I'll have a look in a bit.)

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 11:05 am
by Matt Morrison
I don't want to spend too much time working this out, but look forward to the solution. Good find on the map.
I assume you have to do something with the palimpsest at some point?

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 12:40 pm
by Jon Corby
Gavin Chipper wrote: Fri May 04, 2018 10:54 am Corby's back!
Only because I want something (Graeme to solve this)

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 4:13 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I don't understand how this is something you could get sucked into in the first place. At first glance, you just go North, South, East or West and find yourself in identical places each time, and you might find a "palimpsest" or see someone called James Buck or a white rabbit on the way. I'm sure other stuff can happen, but there's nothing to really get you motivated to even find out. (I haven't read your spoiler yet.)

Edit - just read the spoiler. Might have another look.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 4:26 pm
by Gavin Chipper
Jon Corby wrote: Fri May 04, 2018 9:08 am http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2846 (click 'Play' on the right hand side)

Seriously, what the hell? According to this thread:

http://www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewto ... 09#p199364

on the stardot forum it's solvable but I'm stumped. People say the solution is clever, original, cruel, funny. I'll put what little I have found in a spoiler if you want to have a go blind first.

The room description always seems the same. There is a 'move' counter on the right, which counts down each time you go in any direction, and the game ends when it hits zero. It then shows you a map - the start point is green, presumably the end point is red, and your current position in white. If you count (it's basically a 4x4 grid) the number of moves you had to start with is exactly the number of moves required to reach the exit. But obviously you have no idea which way you are supposed to go. Now - I've discovered by trial and error that you can type SHOW MAP to bring the map up, BUT this also uses a move from your counter, so you can no longer reach the exit. So I'm stuck there. You occasionally see various things (Jamis Buck (?), a white rabbit, a palimpsest) but nothing seems to help much, and the HINT just cycles through 'Hindsight is 20/20', 'Don't look back in anger' and 'who says you can't rewrite history' which also doesn't seem to help....

It would be possible to play in a BBC emulator which has save states to show the map and then reload back and follow the moves, but that clearly isn't the "right" solution.
It's 5x5 isn't it, rather than 4x4? Also the thing about exits in all directions is a lie. It makes it seem as if you can move anywhere but there's walls there, so often you're not moving when you think you are.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 4:32 pm
by Jon Corby
Gavin Chipper wrote: Fri May 04, 2018 4:26 pm
Jon Corby wrote: Fri May 04, 2018 9:08 am http://bbcmicro.co.uk/game.php?id=2846 (click 'Play' on the right hand side)

Seriously, what the hell? According to this thread:

http://www.stardot.org.uk/forums/viewto ... 09#p199364

on the stardot forum it's solvable but I'm stumped. People say the solution is clever, original, cruel, funny. I'll put what little I have found in a spoiler if you want to have a go blind first.

The room description always seems the same. There is a 'move' counter on the right, which counts down each time you go in any direction, and the game ends when it hits zero. It then shows you a map - the start point is green, presumably the end point is red, and your current position in white. If you count (it's basically a 4x4 grid) the number of moves you had to start with is exactly the number of moves required to reach the exit. But obviously you have no idea which way you are supposed to go. Now - I've discovered by trial and error that you can type SHOW MAP to bring the map up, BUT this also uses a move from your counter, so you can no longer reach the exit. So I'm stuck there. You occasionally see various things (Jamis Buck (?), a white rabbit, a palimpsest) but nothing seems to help much, and the HINT just cycles through 'Hindsight is 20/20', 'Don't look back in anger' and 'who says you can't rewrite history' which also doesn't seem to help....

It would be possible to play in a BBC emulator which has save states to show the map and then reload back and follow the moves, but that clearly isn't the "right" solution.
It's 5x5 isn't it, rather than 4x4? Also the thing about exits in all directions is a lie. It makes it seem as if you can move anywhere but there's walls there, so often you're not moving when you think you are.
Yes, you're right.

What sucked me in was other people working out how to solve it and describing it as they did - made it sound like the kind of thing that would be right up my alley (or even that I would do myself). Had I just stumbled across it without that stardot thread, you're right, I would can it after a minute. (This goes for most 'puzzles' really - I always need some reassurance that the puzzle is sound, I would never stumble across a puzzle on the internet and spend hours on it because the answer might be shit.)

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 9:48 pm
by Matt Morrison
Yeah I agree Jon - the "omg it's so satisfying when you work it out, and so clever and unique" vague posts did intrigue me. But I know I'm no Graeme. I can't solve this, but I look forward to one of you explaining how it's done and I'll enjoy that twist vicariously.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 10:12 am
by Jon Corby
Okay, I found the answer now. It's not so great, I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 9:34 pm
by Matt Morrison
Well I'm less excited about you posting it then, but post it.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 11:32 pm
by Gavin Chipper
Is the solution any of clever, original, cruel or funny?

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 9:25 am
by Jon Corby
Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 11:32 pm Is the solution any of clever, original, cruel or funny?
Yeah it's okay actually. I was possibly a bit dismissive in that post (I was more just being a dick in the sense of "I know the answer and I'm not going to tell you"), it's quite cute, and once you know it, it does make you laugh and you kick yourself. What I also quite enjoyed is that the implementation on the BBC Micro makes it work especially well (I had a BBC as a kid so I get a lot of nostalgia value). That said, you don't need to know anything about the BBC Micro or anything like that to solve it, you're all - yes, even you Matt, capable of cracking this one.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:09 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I keep forgetting about this. Anyone else had another look?

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:20 am
by Matt Morrison
No

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:17 pm
by Ian Volante
I'm just glad it's led me back to playing Barrage again.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:07 am
by Jon Corby
Matt Morrison wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:20 amNo
What about now?

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 8:19 pm
by Gavin Chipper
Jon Corby wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:07 am
Matt Morrison wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:20 amNo
What about now?
I just had another look at it. I might give up soon.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 1:19 pm
by Jon Corby
Have another go Gev.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 1:22 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I was thinking about this the other day.

Re: Weird maze/puzzle thing on BBC Micro emulator

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 2:43 pm
by Conor
Just solved it. Also felt a bit 'meh' about the solution, but might also be annoyance at myself seeing what was happening quite quickly but not following it up til I'd spent a lot of time trying some methods that led nowhere.