Need help on Pytho's Mask and Balances
Isxek
Could you please help me get unstuck on this two games?
1) BALANCES: Yeah, I know it sucks getting stuck on an Inform example
game (and a short story at that :() but the thing is, I can't get the
cyclops to appear in the game. I've read the source code to it, but
since I'm still reviewing the Manual at this point, what do the
following lines mean:
if (cyclops has general)
"Text...text" ! I deliberately snipped it out here
move cyclops to location; give cyclops general; ...
It's the only thing I need to do to get the final cube. Thanks!
2) PYTHO'S MASK: Now that I've, uhm, reached the point that I saved
the king, and that I'm in the Sitting Room with the Prince, what do I
need to do? I can't go anywhere, and I, well, can't do anything
significant. What next?
A big THANK YOU for the help!
Isxek
David Welbourn
"Isxek" wrote:
> Hello rgif people!
>
> Could you please help me get unstuck on this two games?
I can help you with Balances, at least...
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> 1) BALANCES: Yeah, I know it sucks getting stuck on an Inform example
> game (and a short story at that :() but the thing is, I can't get the
> cyclops to appear in the game. I've read the source code to it, but
> since I'm still reviewing the Manual at this point, what do the
> following lines mean:
>
> if (cyclops has general)
> "Text...text" ! I deliberately snipped it out here
> move cyclops to location; give cyclops general; ...
>
> It's the only thing I need to do to get the final cube. Thanks!
The "general" attribute is a generic flag with no fixed meaning in Inform.
In this specific case, the game author wants to make sure you can't summon
the cyclops twice in one game. So, if cyclops has general, this means that
you've already summoned him, and so the game prints something else when you
try. Otherwise, the cyclops is brought into existence where you are, and the
cyclops is given the general attribute.
To summon the cyclops... well, you have an urbzig spell that turns something
dangerous into something harmless. You also have the lleps spell that
reverses the effect of any other spell. So to bring the cyclops to you, you
must learn the urbzig and lleps spells, cast lleps on urbzig, then cast the
(reversed) urbzig on something harmless, eg: a pink cuddly toy elephant.
(That's not the only harmless object in the game, only the most obvious
one.) This will turn the toy elephant into a dangerous cyclops that will
now try to kill you, but I'm sure you'll think of something...
-- David Welbourn
Tom Smith
>Hello rgif people!
>
>Could you please help me get unstuck on this two games?
>
>
>2) PYTHO'S MASK: Now that I've, uhm, reached the point that I saved
>the king, and that I'm in the Sitting Room with the Prince, what do I
>need to do? I can't go anywhere, and I, well, can't do anything
>significant. What next?
Well, this is a SmoochieComp game, isn't it? to wit, a competition for
"short games with a plot focusing on love or romance".
Tom
Christiane Schwind
Oh dear. I hope this won't appear twice. I messed with cancelling...
In article <aea21170.02062...@posting.google.com>,
naj...@lycos.com says...
> Hello rgif people!
>
> Could you please help me get unstuck on this two games?
>
> 2) PYTHO'S MASK: Now that I've, uhm, reached the point that I saved
> the king, and that I'm in the Sitting Room with the Prince, what do I
> need to do? I can't go anywhere, and I, well, can't do anything
> significant. What next?
I'll answer your second question first so you won't have to go through
Balances spoilers to read it.
I came across this too. The game can get unwinnable here.
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At any time in the final conversation, you can type Z twice in sequence
to make the prince propose to you. When you type it only once and then go
on with something else, the special moment is gone and he won't do it.
Ever again.
> 1) BALANCES: Yeah, I know it sucks getting stuck on an Inform example
> game (and a short story at that :() but the thing is, I can't get the
> cyclops to appear in the game. I've read the source code to it, but
> since I'm still reviewing the Manual at this point, what do the
> following lines mean:
>
> if (cyclops has general)
> "Text...text" ! I deliberately snipped it out here
> move cyclops to location; give cyclops general; ...
>
Please read this with caution! I'm a beginner too, and may very well be
wrong, but I'd like to try... :)
"General" seems to be a flag which does nothing in particular. You can
use it to make a distinction but nothing else. It's easier to see in the
case of the horse: the horse is given "general" when it's got wings. Then
if you sit on it, and if the horse "has general", it will fly off with
you, otherwise it will just walk around for a while.
In the case of the cyclops, I think "general" simply marks the cyclops as
being there, after you... (well, that's your question - read below, after
spoiler space). It's done so you can't make him appear a second time.
As for the bit of code you quote, there's an important thing missing:
if (cyclops has general)
"Text..."; !(with a semicolon at the end!!)
move cyclops to location; !etc.
It says:
- if the cyclops is already there, print this text (the ";" says the if-
clause ends here!),
- OTHERWISE let him appear etc. (You'll see what "remove second" means
when you solved the puzzle.)
All this provided, of course, that you did the right thing, which is
described in the larger context. You'll have to read the whole section of
"Spell -> -> -> urbzig_spell" to find out. It isn't too apparent, though.
The section says what happens when you urbzig or lleps-urbzig things,
going through a number of possible objects of the spell (see all the if-
clauses?). Then, it goes on to say what happens OTHERWISE (= with other
objects); this part begins at
if (second in player)...
Your bit of code is part of this section, which means that the right
object to use is what's left when you exclude all the objects treated
before. So:
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Look up your inventory for things you haven't used yet.
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Any spells you haven't used yet?
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Have you found out how to use LLEPS? Final spoiler ahead!
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DROP TOY ELEPHANT (or something else which is harmless, like the box),
LEARN LLEPS, LEARN URBZIG, LLEPS IT, URBZIG ELEPHANT (or whatever).
Have fun!
-- c
C. Schwind
says...
Spoilers for Pytho's Mask ahead...
> In article <aea21170.02062...@posting.google.com>,
> naj...@lycos.com says...
> > 2) PYTHO'S MASK: Now that I've, uhm, reached the point that I saved
> > the king, and that I'm in the Sitting Room with the Prince, what do I
> > need to do? I can't go anywhere, and I, well, can't do anything
> > significant. What next?
> The game can get unwinnable here ...
> At any time in the final conversation, you can type Z twice in sequence
> to make the prince propose to you. When you type it only once and then go
> on with something else, the special moment is gone and he won't do it.
> Ever again.
Not quite, in fact. You'll only mess it up when you start *talking* after
the first Z (when he "coaxes your chin up until you look at him again").
Actions won't matter. Even then, you can still reconcile the diva (you'll
know how) as long as you don't talk *again*. Once you do that, I believe
there's no way to finish the game.
-- c
OLLI KAHN!! OLLI KAHN!!
(Couldn't resist. Soccer's a nuisance but perfection's perfection.)
Arnel Legaspi
> In article <af9f2p$7t4$2...@newsreader.mailgate.org>, c_sc...@gmx.net
> says...
> Spoilers for Pytho's Mask ahead...
( Deliberately snipped out )
> -- c
> OLLI KAHN!! OLLI KAHN!!
> (Couldn't resist. Soccer's a nuisance but perfection's perfection.)
Thanks to everyone who replied! Now I can finish both games!
(As a side reaction to the guy who reminded me of SmoochieComp,
hey, how would I know? It's the first time I played a girl in IF. ^_^
But I got the hint! Thanks, man!)
Isxek