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The 7th Guest entry, Mark I

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spu...@pomona.edu

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Apr 18, 1995, 3:00:00 AM4/18/95
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====>The7thguest.p<====

What are solutions to some of the puzzles in The 7th Guest?

====>The7thguest.s<====

First, I should say, this is done mostly from memory and other such
sources. I currently have no copy available, so certain plot things
(mostly names) are missing. These are marked with a series of asterisks.

These solutions are laid out in an order roughly the same as that in
which you will encounter the puzzles:

-=-=-Dining Room-=-=-

The cake looks like this (where S is a skull, H is a headstone and I
is icing):

S H H S H S
I H S S H S
I H H I S I
S S H I S H
H H S I S H

The goal here is to separate the cake into 6 pieces of 5 squares each,
such that each piece contains two skulls, two headstones and one square
of icing.

There are numerous ways to accomplish this, but one is:

A A B B C C
A A A B B C
D D E B E C
D D E E E C
D F F F F F

-=-=-Library-=-=-

The goal is to spell out the appropriate sentence by moving along the
correct canals on Mars to connect the letters. Begin at the T near the
bottom, and move to spell the words:

THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY

Additional notes: The coffee table book serves as a hint guide for all
the puzzles (except the last) and will help you if you return to it
directly after leaving the puzzle with which you need assistance. The
third hint on a particular puzzle will solve it for you. However, you
will not get to see any scenes which follow the finished puzzle.

This puzzle dates back to Sam Loyd, who prefaced it with the statement,
"I tried this puzzle out on several of my friends, and they all told me
'There is no possible way.'"

If you go to the hanging on the wall behind where Stauf recites his poem,
you will be greeted with a beckoning hand, but (as far as I know) there
is no way to get through the wall.

There is a secret passage to the Upper Hallway through the fireplace.

-=-=-Front Door-=-=-

The goal for this puzzle is to get 7 spiders on the board. A spider must
be placed on an empty point and then moved along one of lines adjacent to
that point to another empty point.

The solution is to place the first spider on any point, then move either
direction. Now place the next spider two line segments away from the
placed spider and move it into the space you emptied on the last move.
This will create a string (along the lines) of spiders of length 2.
Continue this process, always beginning relative to one of the spiders at
either end of the string.

Additional notes: Once the second batch of upstairs puzzles are
available (e.g. Bathroom) the floor rug at the bottom of the stairs will
become a secret passage to the Gallery, the unattached room on the first
floor. Finding this is one of the more difficult portions of the game.

-=-=-Game Room-=-=-

The goal for this puzzle is to place 8 chess queens on a standard board
such that none attacks any other. There are 12 distinct ways to do this,
as noted in *** in the rec.puzzles archive. One of them is:

* * * * Q * * *
* * * * * * Q *
Q * * * * * * *
* * Q * * * * *
* * * * * * * Q
* * * * * Q * *
* * * Q * * * *
* Q * * * * * *

Additional notes: Through the pool table, there is a secret passage to
the ***. Notice the cue ball as you pass by.

-=-=-***'s Bedroom-=-=-

The goal of this maze is to direct the blood from the heart out the
opening on the right side. Blood travels straight forward, unless
deflected by a wall. (either stationary or movable)

Since this maze is difficult to describe, it is easier to explain the
method which arrives at a correct solution. Begin at the end of the
maze and travel backward. When you arrive at a movable partition, fix
it so that blood arriving at that intersection will travel in the
direction you just came from. Eventually, this will put you at an
intersection for which the partition can be fixed either way. Now there
should be a fairly obvious path to this point from the beginning. There
are actually at least two such paths.

-=-=-***'s Bedroom-=-=-

The goal here is to spell a message of the letters, following the rules
that Stauf and your character set up for you. These are:

1) You may travel forward or backward in steps of 3 or 5 spots.

2) Since there are no spaces on the board, use the stars as spaces.

The appropriate steps are (down the columns):

Begin at the T +5 Y
+5 H -3 O
-3 E -3 U
-3 * -3 R
+5 S +5 *
-3 K +3 F
+5 Y +3 A
+3 * +5 T
+3 I +3 E
+3 S -5 *
-5 * +3 I
+3 R -5 S
-5 U -5 *
+3 D +3 B
+3 D +3 L
+3 Y +5 O
+3 * -3 O
+5 D
+3 Y

Additional notes: Turning the volume way up and unwittingly clicking on
the bed after having solved the puzzle is a good way to frighten both
your roommate and neighbors.

-=-=-Mr. & Mrs. Nash's Bedroom-=-=-

The goal of this puzzle is to swap the bishops on either side of the
board. Pieces move as regular bishops, i.e. diagonally, and no black and
white bishops can ever be attacking one another. Black begins on the
left, white begins on the right.

Label the board bottom to top, 1-4, and left to right, A-E.

# Black Moves # White Moves
-- -------------- -- --------------
1 A2->B3 2 E2->D3->B1
3 B3->D1 4 E4->D3->C4
5 B1->A2
6 D1->C2->E4 7 C4->E2
8 A2->C4
9 E4->B1
10 A4->C2->E4 11 E2->D1
12 C4->B3->A4
13 B1->D3 14 D1->B3->A2
15 D3->E2

Two White and Two Black Bishop's should now be switched.

# Black Moves # White Moves
-- -------------- -- --------------
16 A3->B2 17 E3->D2->B4
18 B2->D4 19 E1->D2->C1
20 B4->A3
21 D4->C3->E1 22 C1->E3
23 A3->C1
24 E1->B4
25 A1->C3->E1 26 E3->D4
27 C1->B2->A1
28 B4->D2 29 D4->B2->A3
30 D2->E3

All Bishop's should now be swapped.

Additional notes: On the way out, there is a mirror by the door.
Clicking on it plays a scene in which Mrs. Nash bewails her life. (I
think) However, since this is a mirror, the entire scene is played
backward. I would love for anyone who can do so to play it backward and
let me know what it says.

This puzzle was presented in "Amusements in Mathematics" by Henry Dudeney
and, as far as I can tell, was originated there. Dudeney's solution
required that black and white alternate moves, but worked on much the
same process.

-=-=-Kitchen-=-=-

The goal of this puzzle is to rearrange the cans into a reasonably
coherent sentence of the word structure provided. However, the only
available vowel is Y. The hint book (see Library) provides the
suggestion:

Bashful nomad, craftily, agilely, meet secretly near my underground vault.

Thus the correct answer is:

SHY NYMPH, SHYLY, SPRYLY, TRYST BY MY CRYPT.

Additional notes: The door on the left of the puzzle is unopenable. It
seems to lead to the unattached outer room, but can't be opened in any
way.

-=-=-Basement Grate-=-=-

In the tradition of sliding block puzzles, the goal here is to arrange
the pieces so that the round hole is properly formed to the far right,
where it will allow you through to the later basement.

Number the positions as such:

1 2 3
4 5 6

Click on the indicated position to move it into the adjacent hole in
this order:

5, 6, 3, 2, 5, 4, 1, 2, 5, 6, 3
2, 5, 6, 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3, 2

Additional notes: This puzzle is one of the most basic sliding block
puzzles. More complex sliding block puzzles are available at most
game and puzzle stores.

-=-=-Basement Maze-=-=-

The goal here is to find your way through the maze to the Crypt. This
is a fairly straightforward maze, and the carpet in the Nash's Bedroom
provides a map to follow. The correct path (where #X indicates the #th
opportunity to turn in direction X) is:

5R, R, R, R, L, R, R.

Additional notes: The map provided in the ***'s Bedroom is not entirely
accurate, though not in any important way. It shows a alternate route
(aside from going straight ahead) between the first and second lefts.
No such route exists, as a wall which is not included on the map obstructs
the path.

-=-=-Crypt-=-=-

In this puzzle, the goal is to close all of the crypts, ostensibly to
prevent the dead from escaping.

There are three fundamentally different types of move that can be made:

1) Clicking on a corner - this will change the orientation of the
corner, the two adjacent edges and the center coffin.

2) Clicking on an edge - this will change the orientation of the edge
and the two adjacent corners.

3) Clicking on the center - this will change the orientation of the
center and all four edges.

Since the puzzle begins at a randomized position, there is no absolute
solution, but there are some recommendations I can provide that will
close any single open coffin. These moves can be made in any order.

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Center (5) Open:

5, 2, 4, 6, 8

Corner (1) Open:

2, 3, 5, 4, 1, 7

Edge (2) Open:

7, 9, 2, 4, 6

Additional notes: This game dates back, at least, to my Apple IIe, where
it was played with 9 colored squares. I've heard that it was on an Atari
system as well.

-=-=-Music Room-=-=-

This is simply a version of Simon (tm) by Milton Bradley, with a few more
buttons. The progression is (where uncapitalized notes are in the lower
octave):

b, B, F#, G, E, D#, E, F#, E, b, B, C, B, A, G, F#, E, F#.

For the musically disinclined, take the white note Stauf begins at, label
it b. The next white note is c, then D, capitalized through G, then A,
etc. A X# means the black note just above key X.

Additional notes: The song played is a bit from the theme to "The 7th
Guest." If you haven't played the music on CD 2, put it in, and play
track 2. The theme is the only song not straight from the game, though.

Clicking on the plant to the right of the screen will take you upstairs
to Brian Dutton's Bedroom.

-=-=-Gallery-=-=-

This room contains two puzzles, the first of which is finding a way to
get inside the room. While it would seem that the best route to take is
through the locked door in the Kitchen, there is no way to open this door.
Instead, click on the floor rug in the Main Hall, at the foot of the
stairs.

Now that you are in the room, you need to solve the portrait puzzle.
It follows the same rules as the Crypt puzzle, but with a slight twist.
There are three states that each piece can cycle through. The moves that
will cycle a particular square forward one state are much the same as for
the Crypt. The number in each square is the number of times you should
hit that square. To cycle a square forward two states, replace the 1s
with 2s and the 2s with 1s.

Upper left corner:

1 0 1
0 1 2
1 2 2

Upper edge:

1 1 1
1 1 1
0 2 0

Center:

1 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 1

Additional notes: A portrait to the right of the exit (it can only be
seen while you are turning) is from the game book and credits. The man
in the cowboy hat is the Fat Man, head of the music for the game.

-=-=-Jonathan Knox's Bedroom-=-=-

This set of puzzles, with cards, and the coin puzzles in Brian Dutton's
room follow the same set of rules.

1) You may begin at any coin. Beginning or choosing to move to a coin
will flip it over.

2) Moves can be made horizontally or vertically. No move can jump over
any unflipped coin. Once a coin is flipped, however, it is no longer an
obstacle.

3) If you choose to change direction, it isn't allowed to go in the
direction opposite the one you just moved in. i.e. The move which would
look like this is illegal: 3 1 2.

There are many ways to do these puzzles, depending upon where you start
and how you choose to go about it. One solution is:

01 08 07 06 14

09 10 03 02 01

13 14 12 04 13 08 09

12 11 05 06 07

02 03 04 05 11 10

Additional notes: These puzzles are taken directly from a collection of
*** Hiromino's puzzles that was printed in Games Magazine in 1985, or so.

The three doors take you to different places. One to the Kitchen, one
to the Library, one back out into the Upper Hallway. *** I don't recall
which is which.

-=-=-Brian Dutton's Bedroom-=-=-

These coin puzzles follow the same rules as the card puzzles above. One
solution is:

19 18 01

01 02 03 02 03

17 16 15 04 05

09 08 20 21 14 04 15 14 13 06 07

10 11 12 11 08

07 06 05 10 09

12 13

Additional notes: Again, these are from the same collection of Hiromino
puzzles, taken from Games Magazine. However, the stair-step puzzle had
a single coin in the bottom row at the right edge. This significantly
complicates the puzzle, and I would suggest that everyone try it. The
solution follows:

01

02 03

12 04 13

11 05 10 09

06 07 08

14 15

16

Clicking on the plant on the right of screen takes you down to the Music
Room.

-=-=-Chapel-=-=-

The goal of this puzzle is to find a path from the lower left to the
upper right that follows the rules.

+---+ +---+ +---+ +---+
| R +---+ B +---+ B +---+-> | R = Red Square
+---+ R +---+ Y +---+ Y +---+ B = Blue Square
+---+ B +---+ R +---+ Y = Yellow Square
+---+ Y +---+ +---+ B +---+
| R +---+ +---+ B |
+---+ B | | B +---+
+---+ +---+
+---+ B +---+ +---+ R +---+
| B +---+ R +---+ Y +---+ R |
+---+ R +---+ R +---+ R +---+
+---+ Y +---+ R +---+
+---+ R +---+ Y +---+ Y +---+
|-> +---+ +---+ +---+ B |
+---+ +---+

The rules associate a number with each color of square. The number
associated with Blue is 1, with Yellow is 2, and with Red is 3. The
starting square is also assigned a 3. When you end a move (or begin the
puzzle) on a square, the next move is of the length associated with that
square. Thus, the first move is always of length 3. After you finish a
move, the squares in that move will fall into the abyss. This begins
the next move on the square you currently occupy. You have to leave the
puzzle at the upper right on the end of a move. Otherwise, you will have
to start again.

There are a number of ways to do this, but they all end in fundamentally
the same way. Choose a path that ends a move on the Red square nearest
the exit and leaves one (or both) of the adjacent Blue squares, as well
as the Yellow next to the exit. Now move to either of the Blue squares,
to the Yellow and to the exit.

Additional notes: Clicking to one side while in the puzzle will allow
you to fall down the hole, and return to the Library.

-=-=-Laboratory-=-=-

This is, by far, the most difficult puzzle in the game. This is mostly
because it is a game, rather than a puzzle and Stauf plays it very well.
Of course, there are ways to right this problem.

The basic moves are:

1: Leech - You may leech any of your spaces into any empty, adjacent
space. Adjacent is the ring of 8 spaces surrounding the initial space.
Leeching leaves the initial space occupied, while filling the leeched
space and changing the color of any enemy adjacent to the leeched to
space.

2: Jump - You may jump any of your spaces into any empty space with a
distance of 2. These are the spaces in the ring around the adjacent
spaces. Jumping fills the jumped to space, but leaves the initial space
empty. This also changes the color of any enemy adjacent to the jumped
to space.

I know of no ideal strategy to win this game, but I can provide three
hints for better play.

1: In the early stages of the game, you can build a fair sized fortress
of protected spaces in your corners before Stauf can get to you. While
this seems like a good plan, it gives Stauf the initiative and better
control of the board. It seems to work better to leech diagonally into
the center initially, adding spaces in the corner only when you are
threatened. This allows you the option to jump to one of Stauf's corners,
and take a large number of spaces.

2: The structure - X X X
A X B

where the X's are you works very nicely. If Stauf moves to either A or B,
you can leech to the other with the one remaining space, thus protecting
your spaces. Similarly, a five space cross is a good formation.

3: When the board is full except for about 6 spaces, begin planning as
far ahead as possible. It is almost crucial to make the final move in
this game. Play so as to attain this end, even if it means making
slightly unfavorable trade-offs or jumping when you could just as easily
leech. Particularly when presented with 2 empty spaces, you should count
the expected score, and jump so as to leave a free space if you don't
expect to win. Try to leave Stauf without a jumping move, thus forcing
him to leech and allow you the last move.

Additional notes: This game is based on an arcade game called Ataxx, by
Leland. My favorite version of it is the Nintendo game, Spot, starring
the 7up trademark character. However, Stauf plays much better than the
AI in these games, except at the very highest levels.

It is possible to make the AI that controls Stauf behave according to a
less helpful set of rules by going to the hint book. Each time you go,
it will become a little less intelligent.

I cannot vouch for the absolute perfection of these suggestions. I have
played this puzzle many, many times, and solved it only twice. Both times
were against the hardest AI, using these strategies, particularly # 3.

Additional notes: Was anyone else upset that, after winning this game,
there wasn't an insightful scene for having done such a good job?

-=-=-Bathroom-=-=-

This puzzle begins in this position:

B B B B W
B B B W W
B B W W
B B W W W
B W W W W

The goal is to swap the positions of all the pieces.

Label the square in this (slightly odd) manner:

3 L G B 5
F A 4 M H
K 2 X 6 C
P E 8 I N
1 J O D 7

Notice that the numbers, in order, and the letters, in order, form two
distinct cycles of spaces.

Now, a easy pattern that will achieve the goal is:

LK
4-8
1-8
1-8
1-8
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-P
A-HX

Additional notes: The best secret passage in the game leaves here through
the sink and goes to the ***.

-=-=-Workshop-=-=-

This, quite honestly, is the puzzle that convinced me that this is not
a good puzzle game. It is wonderfully put together and beautifully done,
but the puzzles are wildly lacking. The problem is that this puzzle,
depending upon the starting position, is either trivial or impossible.
Even if they were all trivial, I wouldn't mind, but they should not put
together puzzles which are often impossible.

This puzzle consists of a 3x3 grid of squares, which make up a picture,
and twelve buttons, 3 along each edge, around the perimeter of the board.
The goal is, once the pieces have been scrambled, to return it to its
original position. Label the pieces in the original picture like this:

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Clicking on a button in the top row will increment all the pieces in that
column ahead one picture, or from picture 9 to picture 1.

Clicking on a button in the bottom row will increment all the pieces in
that column back one picture.

Clicking on a button on the left will increment all the pieces in that
row forward one picture.

Clicking on a button on the right will increment all the pieces in that
row backward one picture.

The simplest way to solve this puzzle is to change each of the three
columns, in turn, so that the top row is correct. Then, play with each
row so that the first picture in that row is correct. If this does not
solve the puzzle, the current state is impossible. Leave and try again.

Additional notes: I have a proof that the puzzle is impossible under
these circumstances, which I can send to you, if you have any interest.
I may addend it to a later edition, if the interest is high enough, but
it seems inappropriate to this type of archive entry.

-=-=-Dollhouse-=-=-

The goal of this game is to take the original grid:

D A T
Y O B
T E G

and rearrange it so as to phrase three words. A move can be made by
clicking on the edge of a row or column. This row or column will then
cycle toward the edge you clicked. For instance, clicking on the left
edge of a row will move the pieces from 1 2 3 to 2 3 1.

The finished grid should look like this:

G E T
B O Y
T A D

Labeling the edges like this:

1 2 3
4 7
5 8
6 9
10 11 12

gives this simple answer:

1, 6, 2, 10, 8, 4, 10, 8, 4, 1

Additional notes: The earliest occurence of this puzzle that I can find
is in Cliff Johnson's puzzle game, 3 in Three. This premise was used in
the Mesh puzzles.

The room boasts the only really gruesome scene in the game. Some of the
rest are sick, but this one gave me chills.

A secret passage leaves here to the Library, through the box on the left.

-=-=-Upper Hallway-=-=-

This is a simple pegboard game, in which you may jump a knife over an
occupied space to an unoccupied space, then remove the jumped knife.
The goal is to remove all the knives but one.

Labelling the intersections like this:

1


2 3 4 5


6 7

9


8 10


FROM TO
---- ----
6 1
5 3
2 4
9 5
1 7
5 9
8 7
10 4

Additional notes: Pegboard puzzles have been around for a couple of
centuries, and can be found in most good game and puzzle stores.


-=-=-Attic-=-=-

This puzzle is a maze, of sorts. Each different type of window is
available to be distinguished as a particular direction. When you move
from one window to the next, the direction of that sort of window will
be defined, and all moves on already defined windows will be made
automatically, until you reach a window without a defined direction, or
an already used window. The object is to reach the top of the section,
and hit an up arrow window. This will take you to the next level of the
tower.

As I don't have a copy of the game in front of me, I can't tell you
which sort of arrow should be which window, but I can show the correct
path to take:

+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | 25 | 24 | | 10 | 9 | 8 | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | 22 | 23 | | 11 | 12 | 7 | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| 20 | 21 | | 15 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 5 |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | | 2 | 3 | 4 |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | | | | | 1 | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | 8 | 9 | | 15 | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | 7 | 10 | 11 | 14 | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| 5 | 6 | | 12 | 13 | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| 4 | 3 | 2 | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+
| | | 1 | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+----+----+----+----+
| | | 4 | 5 |
+----+----+----+----+
| | 2 | 3 | |
+----+----+----+----+
| | 1 | | |
+----+----+----+----+

Additional notes: Congratulations on having won The 7th Guest. I have
been told that originally, Trilobyte intended to have two endings, one
associated with having used the hint book more than a particular number
of times. However, due to bugs, this fell through. There are rumors,
recently, that such an ending does exist. If you reach such an ending,
please inform me, and I will attempt to archive it. The "good" has Stauf
zapping ***, attacking Tad, then sinking into an abyss, with Tad being
saved.

The sequel to this game, The 11th Hour, is supposed to be out in the
Spring of '95. I hope to get it, and will archive it as well, at that
point.

I would like to thank Wei-Hwa Huang for his assistance in organizing
solutions improved over mine and some of the puzzle origins and Neil
Breeden II for the use of his solutions in many situations. I apologize
for a few factual plot holes, due mostly to the unavailability of an actual
copy of the game right now.

- Sco4tt "Fool" Purdy
spu...@pomona.edu

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