Here's the situation: You were walking home from the electronics store and strangely enough, you stepped on an unknown piece of hollow earth. The ground gave way beneath you and you toppled several feet to the bottom of an underground cavern chamber. You fear that your leg is badly injured.
You shout for help until you're hoarse, but there is nobody around. The hole that you fell through is in a residential area so there is little to no midday traffic, not that anyone in a car could hear you anyway. An hour passes. Another hour passes. Pretty soon, the dry cave air has robbed you of your voice entirely.
You had purchased a new CD-ROM drive for your little brother's computer, but it was smashed open in the impact when you landed. You also purchased a set of screwdrivers. You always keep a roll of duct tape and a flashlight (the thin type with two AA batteries) in your backpack because frankly, you're a nerd. Unfortunately, the flashlight was jarred when you landed and the glass plate and the bulb have both shattered.
Your left pocket contains $3.42, a receipt, and an inkpen. Your right pocket contains your house key, a pair of nail clippers, and a few still-wrapped toothpicks you grabbed from the register counter when you had a deli lunch. In your wallet is a business card, your license and a twenty dollar bill.
At last, 5:00 PM arrives and you can hear the sounds of automobiles through the open hole yawning so near and yet impossibly far above you. You have about an hour before the last of the daily commuters has settled in and left you behind. It's time to act now or spend the night in a dusty cave with an injured leg and no chance of being found until 8:00 AM.
What do you do? If you want to ask questions about any of the items you have, I will try to answer efficiently, but please forgive me if I'm unable. I have a specific solution in mind, but since this is puzzle is in a very organic format, I'm sure there are others that I'd be interested to hear.
Cut CD-ROM wires with nail clippers. Take LED from CD-ROM trive. Take batteries from flashlight. Attach LED to batteries. Attach lit LED to forehead with duct tape.
Attach screwdriver to left hand with duct tape. Attach nail clippers to right hand with duct tape. Use makeshift claws to climb up.
[/macgyver]
*EDIT - AGAIN - FOR TIME PARADOXES *
Okay, the "several feet" was a bit too vague. My apologies. The idea is that you fell far enough to badly injure your leg. You can't simply throw something through the hole because it's too far up... just for those of you getting ready to do so.
Radiant: Hahah! I can just see the tabloids light up with reports of the mutant cave dweller who emerged from the earth with a glowing third eye and long, metal claws! ;D
Assuming that the cave walls were soft enough and the hole was close enough, I suppose it might just be crazy enough to work!
1)Wrap the paper money and bill around toothpics
2)Make a little scroll out of receipt, put the wrapped toothpics inside and put the whole thing on the ground.
3)Hit two coins in order to get a spark and start a little fire.
4)Put batteries and the inkpen in the fire so, the smoke gets black and smelly.
5)Strip of all the clothes.
6)Put the clothes all over the face to inhale as little smoke as you can.
7)Lie on the ground, since smoke goes up in the first place and down only in the last place.
8)Wait for people to spot the smoke coming from the hole.
Lionmonkey: That isn't what I'm looking for either, but it would work if you managed to get a spark from two coins.
Quote from: Candall on Thu 29/11/2007 19:06:28
Lionmonkey: That isn't what I'm looking for either, but it would work if you managed to get a spark from two coins.
Candall, I love your idea about making such a forum game like this one, it's really something new, but you must know this: NEVER, I repeat, NEVER make a logical adventure puzzle, thinking that the winner is only the guy who guesses your solution. Because there is actually an infinite number of possible solutions, so don't make anyone guess just one of them. Trust me, I had some bad experience with this.
Now, about getting the spark, I could also use nail clippers, if they're metallic, or just search around for a stone.
NEWSFLASH! Nail-clippers, coins and stones are all completely useless when trying to start a fire. They tried it on Mythbusters once. Even with wooden sticks and dry plants, it's damn near impossible to do.
Good thread idea, though. Just thought I'd pop in to bring reality back into the puzzle, plus - at the same time - remind game developers to think of new means to let the player start a fire. I've seen "you pick up a stone - use stone with wooden stick - you started a fire" way too often before in puzzles. :)
Well, like I said... this format is much more organic than an actual computer game, and I'm aware of that. The "inventory" list was put together with a specific solution that I have in mind, but I'm curious to see the solutions that others come up with based on the same set of items. I'm also curious to see if anyone comes up with a solution that's similar to my own.
As far as winners go... well... I didn't do this with a winner in mind. I would like to see other people present their own puzzles for me to try, though! And I will say if someone posts something on the same page that I'm on.
I agree that lighting a fire is a very good solution, but getting a spark is extremely difficult... especially one hot enough to light a fire. Maybe you could come up with some sort of accelerant based on the stuff you have on hand?
Quote from: dkh on Thu 29/11/2007 19:40:35
NEWSFLASH! Nail-clippers, coins and stones are all completely useless when trying to start a fire. They tried it on Mythbusters once. Even with wooden sticks and dry plants, it's damn near impossible to do.
What about using batteries to get sparks? I've read that if you whack the "plus" ends together, you'll spark a bit.
But yeah, like Candall said, just as in an actual adventure game it
should never be about "guessing what the author intended" - anything that could plausibly work, should be made to work. (I'm saying "should" because many adventure games do in fact turn into a guessing game at some point, but that's not exactly good game design).
We used to have a game like this regularly in the "competitions & activities" forum... perhaps we should bring that back?
Quote from: Candall on Thu 29/11/2007 19:43:31
Well, like I said... this format is much more organic than an actual computer game, and I'm aware of that. The "inventory" list was put together with a specific solution that I have in mind, but I'm curious to see the solutions that others come up with based on the same set of items. I'm also curious to see if anyone comes up with a solution that's similar to my own.
As far as winners go... well... I didn't do this with a winner in mind. I would like to see other people present their own puzzles for me to try, though! And I will say if someone posts something on the same page that I'm on.
I agree that lighting a fire is a very good solution, but getting a spark is extremely difficult... especially one hot enough to light a fire. Maybe you could come up with some sort of accelerant based on the stuff you have on hand?
I'm a genius! METHANE!!! I was at the restaurant, so I gotta be filled up. So I'll just calculate angle for the gas flow, put all the stuff behind my lower back, tighten my stomach muscles and make a spark!!! McGuyver, you are green of envy.
:o
Maybe that plus Radiant's idea to bang the plus ends together actually would work! I... I'm not going to try it... sorry :P If anyone else does, and it works, don't hesitate to extinguish your butt-hairs and let us know what happened. Probably in that order.
Radiant: I was not aware that such an event had ever come to pass here, but I'm certainly intrigued! Were there winners? If so, how was the winner decided?
Quote from: Candall on Thu 29/11/2007 19:55:17
Radiant: I was not aware that such an event had ever come to pass here, but I'm certainly intrigued! Were there winners? If so, how was the winner decided?
As I recall, by popular vote on which solution people considered the best or funnest or most innovative.
In that case, I'll go ahead and post my own solution and let others riff on it or find other alternates.
Spoiler
Use Screwdriver on Broken CD-ROM, unscrewing a Brushless Motor.
Use the Inkpen on the Receipt to write a Note.
Use Clippers on Brushless Motor to cut the wires holding it to the circuit.
Tear the Business Card in half and tape a toothpick halfway at its length to each.
Duct Tape the two toothpicks together firmly at the free ends making sure that each card is tilted in a seperate direction.
You now have a Propeller.
Duct Tape the Propeller to the spinning tip on the Brushless Motor.
Use the Nail Clippers to strip the wires on the Brushless Motors at the ends.
Remove a Battery from the Flashlight.
Duct tape the three Bills together in a streamer-like configuration. Duct Tape the Note to the end. You now have a Flagged Streamer.
Duct Tape the Flagged Streamer to the Battery.
Duct Tape the red wire on the Brushless Motor to the positive side of the Battery.
Duct Tape the black wire on the Brushless Motor to the negative side of the Battery. The Propeller is now spinning and you have fashioned a Makeshift Helicopter with a Flagged Streamer attached.
Release the Makeshift Helicopter carefully, directly beneath the hole. A passing motorist will surely notice the bright white Note as the Helicopter rises out of the cavern. If not, due to wind or battery failure, there's a good chance that the 'copter will crash. Loose money will not go unnoticed for long, and there is a Note attached that explains your predicament.
Solution:
1. Empty your pockets and remove your shoes.
2. Remove shoe laces from shoes.
3. Remove jeans. Now is the time to be a man, and pants only get in the way of manliness.
4. Using the screwdriver, carve a series of hand holds in the section of the wall nearest the hole.
5. wrap duct tape around palms/bottom of feet for friction.
6. Tie end of screwdriver with the shoelaces to form a necklace which will prevent screwdriver from being lost. A real man always knows where his weapons are.
7. Viciously slaughter rampaging badgers before they can bite your leg off. Now is the time for all good nerds to come to the aid of their Dungeon Master.
8. Begin climb. Make a dexterity check (3d6) every 1d4 rounds. Lower is better.
A. Success - Continue to carve hand holds until you reach the top and then promptly find a doctor for your leg and congratulate yourself on your ingenuity. Gain 1000 xp and 1 million dollars in a lawsuit against the city for defective street maintenance.
B. Failure - You fall back to the bottom of the pit and sustain 1d10 points of damage for every 10 feet you fell. Make another dexterity check (3d6) to see if you've damaged your leg more.
I. Success - Climb again if not dead, or wear jeans on head.
II. Failure - If you are not dead, you are now scared from seeing the tibia in your leg jutting out through flesh. Every turn you will now suffer 1d4 points of damage; additionally, every other turn you will now need to make a Saving Throw vs. Paralyzation at a +2 penalty or succumb to shock and eventually die.
Quote from: ProgZmax on Sat 01/12/2007 07:06:19
Solution:
...
3. Remove jeans. Now is the time to be a man, and pants only get in the way of manliness.
...
I vote winner based on that line alone!
Alas Candall your solution is very technically floored!
A/ DC motors start up harshly, tacky ducttape glue couldn't stick enough to withstand the start up, also IF it sticks and cause lift it would spin off
B/Motor plus battery would be to heavy
C/ it would just vibrate to bits, the only things flying will be tooth picks towards ur eyes! thus adding to your problems
Your only hope is a woman falls down with you with a large supply of food shopping or live off the badgers that ProgZmax added for you, you could then start up your own colony of pit dwelling people
nice solution ProgZmax, it cracked me up ;D
Awww...no throwing things? C'mon, if I fell far enough to injure my leg but not to die, I could probably still chuck something hard enough to at least make it to the lip of the hole. My solution is: I'd unravel enough of the duct tape, rubbing it in the dirt to keep it from sticking to itself, until I had a long streamer of it that could reach all the way to the hole. I'd wrap the toothpicks and screwdrivers around the main roll for sort of "grapnel" teeth so it doesn't fall right back down.
And last, I'd tape the twenty dollar bill and any other money I had sticking straight out on both sides of the roll. I'd use the pen to write HELP in very thick letters on all the paper bills, and maybe arrows pointing down on the duct tape streamer. Then I'd wind back and hurl that sucker up to the surface. With luck it'd stay up on street level, with money sticking all out of it no matter how it lands. Even a driver would eventually stop to check that out, and you could then call for help.
Oh, and just in case I passed out or lost my voice before help arrived, I'd write "PULL THIS UP" on the tape at the top, too, and have my driver's license and business card taped at the end, explaining I was trapped and to contact the police. Or maybe I'd just tape those with the money in the first place. :)
Then again, I'm a big, muscular guy, so I probably see this differently than a stereotype-skinny-nerd. I may weightlift, but I'm still a nerd! :)
Away, noobs, and listen a to a real adventurer!
I'd unravel all of the duct tape and fasten the wallet, with the bill clearly visible in it, in one end. I'd throw the wallet up to the surface. Then I'd wait for a passer-by to grab the wallet, upon which I'd forcefully drag the whole thing down into the hole. Repeating this a few times a week, I'd have enough fresh meat to be live a well-fed life down in the hole.
Quote from: Strange Visitor on Tue 11/12/2007 14:51:54
Awww...no throwing things? C'mon, if I fell far enough to injure my leg but not to die, I could probably still chuck something hard enough to at least make it to the lip of the hole.
Well, my thought was that you couldn't shift your weight into a good
heave if you couldn't stand up. If you're all arm, though, I cannot argue with your well-earned defeat over gravity. And you could probably hurt me. As you will!
Quote from: Andail on Tue 11/12/2007 15:52:18
...I'd wait for a passer-by to grab the wallet, upon which I'd forcefully drag the whole thing down into the hole.
I like it. It's an effective alternative
and it has a built-in moral. Don't go grabbing strange money near gaping holes!
Are you going to make this into a game could be really cool. :D
I would play Andail's game definitely. Just I'm worried about going to the toilet If your going to live down a hole ;D
So all this thread comes down to is cannabalism?
Andail knows better than over-stepping the PG-13 mark in adventure gaming...
:P
Quote from: Candall on Thu 29/11/2007 17:21:26
Here's the situation: You were walking home from the electronics store and strangely enough, you stepped on an unknown piece of hollow earth. The ground gave way beneath you and you toppled several feet to the bottom of an underground cavern chamber. You fear that your leg is badly injured.
You shout for help until you're hoarse, but there is nobody around. The hole that you fell through is in a residential area so there is little to no midday traffic, not that anyone in a car could hear you anyway. An hour passes. Another hour passes. Pretty soon, the dry cave air has robbed you of your voice entirely.
You had purchased a new CD-ROM drive for your little brother's computer, but it was smashed open in the impact when you landed. You also purchased a set of screwdrivers. You always keep a roll of duct tape and a flashlight (the thin type with two AA batteries) in your backpack because frankly, you're a nerd. Unfortunately, the flashlight was jarred when you landed and the glass plate and the bulb have both shattered.
Your left pocket contains $3.42, a receipt, and an inkpen. Your right pocket contains your house key, a pair of nail clippers, and a few still-wrapped toothpicks you grabbed from the register counter when you had a deli lunch. In your wallet is a business card, your license and a twenty dollar bill.
At last, 5:00 PM arrives and you can hear the sounds of automobiles through the open hole yawning so near and yet impossibly far above you. You have about an hour before the last of the daily commuters has settled in and left you behind. It's time to act now or spend the night in a dusty cave with an injured leg and no chance of being found until 8:00 AM.
What do you do? If you want to ask questions about any of the items you have, I will try to answer efficiently, but please forgive me if I'm unable. I have a specific solution in mind, but since this is puzzle is in a very organic format, I'm sure there are others that I'd be interested to hear.
Okay, let's see...
There are cars above you,
you are injured,
There are shattered glass and mechanical stuff,
you have a few bucks and dubloons,
nail clippers, inkpen and toothpicks...
WELL ISN'T IT DARN OBVIOUS?!
Solution =
Your leg is injured therefore useless, you use the nail clippers to rip and cleave through your leg. Blood gushes out of course!
You replace the ink in the pen with your blood and draw a pentagram on the ground.
you then place the neccissary elements in the locaton/direction of enmity:
* screw driver (metal begets wood)
* toothpick (wood begets water)
* Spit/ Saliva/ pee... (water begets fire)
* Placing the exposed filament of the broken lightbulb onto your severed (blood drained out dry) leg, you take the batteries and scratching them vigorously on the end of the broken lightbulb creates an electrical charge which cobmbusts the leg creating fire! (fire begets metal and according to feng shuei this is the direction of Enmity...was it the other way?)
Being such a geek, you've remembered the times you tried to 'fit in' into a group, therefore you also remember the satanic rituals you've learnt in your goth days (also long nights playing runescape and other MMOPG's did help)
You put on your 'magician' face and cast the spell.
Suddenly there is an earthquake! This hocus-pocus (who even uses that word anymore?) actually worked!
The earthquake had shaken the cars into the hole (of course the cars are too cramped and got stuck around the middle when they fell in, like c'mon you think a whole lot of cars falling into a hole would reach the bottom? that would be illogical!)
The people in the cars, to your surprize, happen to be pornstars! they try to get out, but end up falling deeper into the hole.
(You haver new characters now yay! Too bad they're NPC's)
Now being a geek of all sorts you rely on the combination of biology + physics! To reach the top, we must fill the hole and create pressure to burst through the cars (this is physics) and to fill the hole we must mate! (this is Biology)
And so, since no one had anything else better to do you all have a wild underground orgy and in 9 months the hole was filled with, a few amputated, bodies (how the hell do you think you can survive? you need food y'know)
As the hole was filled with bodies, and it's really cramped in there, the myth about skin on skin combustion was lifted and proven fact! Suddenly everyone was burning.
Having eaten a lot of...meat, your stomache doesn't feel too good, you release gas and it combusts! you go bursting out of the hole like a shooting star and land on your backyard.
Finally you are reunited with your family (yay)
For comming home so late, you are grounded...
Comming soon! "Forum-Based Adventure Puzzle! 2: The sequel!"