Earth IQWXZS Must Die
Thanks to Daniel Zadorozny at http://www.iconian.com for the Space Ranger font used on the cover.
Also, don't worry, there aren't THAT many levels.
This was originally a contribution to the Single Choice Jam. It has some features planned for post-release, including the aliens grumbling if you (quite sensibly) save, and it may provide different text if you have easily-provably worked yourself into the corner. But I was too close to the deadline, so writing took over for those features.
The big choice is when you have a bunch of switches to choose from, in the "flip" passage.
As of 8/17 I have added an HTML file that mimics the old InfoCom InvisiClues. You can use tab and return to open up clues.
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Comments
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I enjoyed this; I didn't hit upon the pattern for solving the puzzle, but with the help of my pencil and paper I did manage to finish without running into any dead ends! Which was a relief given that the fate of the entire world was resting on me 😄
Impressive job staying with things and forging through! Problems like this can be really tough if you don't see the insight bit. (The problem is, now I've seen/worked through it, I forgot what it was like not to.)
Your comment makes me wish I'd printed out how people got through at the end, so they could compare it with the solution given in the walkthrough.
This was fun! It's a very interesting take on the one-choice constraint. The story really ups the stakes, and I liked the variations in endings. I just hope it hasn't ruined cookies for me...
I must be one of the dumb ones, because I wasn’t really sure what “UP” and “DOWN” meant on a full stack. Was it just “DOWN” to move something to a stack? Or is it meant to be up to indicate where from and down to indicate where too?
Or was it in fact something even simpler than that? I suspect it was … oh well, lousy world anyway :P
Hmm, I should clarify that in-game. On the first level, there are 4 settings to get through:
1up 2up
1up 2down
1down 2up
2down 2up
Then on the next level,
1up 2up 3up
1up 2up 3down
1up 2down 3up
1up 2down 3down
1down 2up 3up
1down 2up 3down
1down 2down 3up
1down 2down 3down
So the object is to go through them all without hitting one twice. Flipping any switch changes it from down to up, or back. Hope this helps & sorry for the confusion!
I’m … more confused than I was before.
I thought I was playing towers of hanoi, but it sounds more like the idea is just to enter all the possible switch configurations?
Yes, without repeating! The Towers of Hanoi game is a clue.
Neevivat ng n (eryngviryl) fvzcyr fbyhgvba vf fvzvyne gb ubj fbyhgvbaf sbe Gbjref bs Unabv ner perngrq, ohg gung'f qbja gur yvar naq rkcynvarq ng gur raq.
I worked out the solution for level 2 on paper, and then eventually I worked out what to do with that to help me with level 3.