Moon Logic Invisiclues

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Table of Contents

• Sample Question
• General Questions
• Above Ground
• Underground

Sample Question

How many IF authors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

1. Have you examined the socket carefully? It might not be a standard puzzle.
2. Is the light bulb already in your inventory, or do you have to find it first?
3. One to write the room description, one to design the bulb puzzle, one to implement multiple synonyms for "screw," and another dozen to debate the proper use of "darkness" in the parser.
4. Author's Note: Do people still use incandescent light bulbs? Consider using LED bulbs for the Sample Question instead.

General Questions

What's this AI engine?

1. The latest in Artificial Incompetence technology!
2. You pick a verb; the game picks the nouns.
3. At any given time, you can choose from at most four verbs.
4. Only applicable verbs are shown.
5. GO is the last verb on the list.
6. To use a desired verb, you may need to use other verbs first to eliminate them.
7. Full list of verbs, in priority order: LOOK INVENTORY EXAMINE TAKE DROP OPEN CLOSE EAT FEED ATTACK UNLOCK GO.
8. Author's Note: The original verb list had 11 verbs. UNLOCK provided an additional puzzle and replaced breaking down the front door with the bloody axe in the game's original design.

How do I look around?

1. Push the LOOK button, or press its keyboard shortcut, "L".
2. Once you look around, the LOOK button will disappear.
3. It will reappear when the room contents change.
4. Going to another room forces the player to automatically look around.
5. Author's Note: Looking around is implemented as examining the current room.

How do I take inventory?

1. Push the INVENTORY button, or press its keyboard shortcut, "I".
2. Once you take inventory, the INVENTORY button will disappear.
3. It will reappear when your inventory changes.
4. Author's Note: Taking inventory is implemented as examining the player (known as "cretin" in the source).

How do I examine something?

1. Push the EXAMINE button, or press its keyboard shortcut, "X".
2. The game will examine the first thing (excluding the player) that hasn't been examined yet.
3. Once you've examined everything, the EXAMINE button will disappear.
4. It will reappear when a container's contents change.
5. Author's Note: In an earlier design, opening or closing containers and doors would make them examinable again. This was considered superfluous and was subsequently dropped.

Why is the game text all wobbly all of a sudden?

1. Welcome to the wonderful world of AI-enhanced UI design.
2. At turn 50, the auto font selector is enabled (well, a randomizer, really).
3. At turn 100, the auto font scaler is enabled (zooming in and out all the time).
4. At turn 150, the dreaded Mobile Support is enabled (rotating all the time, so you will be able to read the game text at least 25% of the time).
5. I can imagine you may want to switch this feature off ASAP.
6. Go to MENU, then OPTIONS, and disable "AI enhanced UI".
7. Author's Note: All this was inspired by the REALLY BAD IF jam organized by Manonamora. I could have left it disabled by default and possibly have it replaced by a standard text passage, but I did want to showcase what one can do with their own graphics trickery. Everything you see in the game screen is lovingly hand crafted (including the typeface I used to provide the game text) to create an original vibe for the game as a whole.

Are there any achievements I can earn? (SPOILERS)

1. I'd say just finishing the game is its own achievement.
2. But yes, this game tracks irreversible actions and considers them Achievements.
3. The list of achievements is shown in the MENU, under the general instructions.
4. The full list of achievements (in alphabetical order) is hidden under the next hint. Proceed at your own risk.
5. ACHIEVEMENTS:
   • Ate the bat dropping
   • Attacked the cyclops with the sceptre
   • Attacked the large tree with the bloody axe
   • Attacked the thief with the rusty mailbox
   • Dropped the smoking torch in the living room
   • Dropped the torn leaflet in the cyclops room
   • Fed the troll with the moldy lunch
   • Took everything from the treasure chest
   • Took the pile of leaves
   • Took the rusty mailbox
   • Took the worn trophy case (optional)
   • Unlocked the front door with the skeleton key
6. Author's Note: 12 achievements in all. Technically, solving the maze is the 13th achievement, but that one can be undone at any time, so it's excluded from the list. If you earn all mandatory achievements (note: one achievement is optional) within 150 turns (before Mobile Support kicks in), you'll earn the rank of Master Adventurer. Otherwise, you'll merely be known as a "Me Too" Adventurer.

I heard this game has a walkthrough. Where is it?

1. People should stop blabbering. I won't take any credit for such rumors.
2. Really, isn't providing invisiclue-style hints enough?
3. Do you really want step-by-step instructions on what to do next?
4. You might as well go read a book. Not much interactivity if you´re just following automated recipes.
5. Have you found the walkthrough function yet?
6. Did you ever look at the credits for this game?
7. Go to MENU, choose CREDITS, and scroll down. There you go. Now go back to playing the game!
8. Author's Note: Using mechanics similar to Inform (with separate Check, Carry Out, and Report stages) made implementing an automated walkthrough easier than I expected. I created a function for each achievement, and the first function able to provide instructions becomes the input for the automated walkthrough. It should work at any stage of the game, except at the very start (when the RUN button is available), and at the very end (when only the MENU button is available).

Above Ground

What's behind the front door?

1. Many Zork players would love to know the answer to this one.
2. It's not the Living Room.
3. Neither is it the Strange Passage.
4. Well, what would you expect to see after opening a front door?
5. Play this game to find out! (Sorry, I could not resist this one...)
6. Author's Note: In an earlier design, the Treasure Room was located behind the front door. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since nobody really knows what was supposed to be found behind that boarded-up front door.

How do I open the front door?

1. In the original Zork game, the front door was boarded up.
2. In the Zrok game, the front door is locked.
3. You'll need a key to unlock it.
4. Someone experienced at unlocking things might have one.
5. The thief has a skeleton key.
6. Use UNLOCK to unlock the front door when you are at West of House and carry the skeleton key; you can then OPEN the front door and GO inside.
7. Author's Note: In the original Zork game, the thief never picked up the skeleton key unless the player had discovered it first.

How do I open the rusty mailbox?

1. Push the OPEN button, or press its keyboard shortcut, "O".
2. The game will open the first openable thing.
3. This will be the rusty mailbox, unless the front door is unlocked or a bigger container is present.
4. If you don't see the OPEN button, either there's nothing to open, or preceding verbs are in the way.
5. Author's Note: Playing with a limited set of at most four verbs at a time led to interesting strategies for progressing through the game, some more successful than others.

What's in the rusty mailbox?

1. Well, what would you expect to find in a rusty mailbox?
2. Junk mail, of course. What else?
3. In Zrok the mailbox contains a spoof on the original Zork leaflet.
4. I suggest you take it. You may need it later.
5. Your ticket to untold riches and fame!
6. Author's Note: Since this is a rather small game, I tried to maximize utility for most things, often in unexpected ways (hence the "Moon Logic" title).

How do I get the jewel-encrusted egg?

1. The jewel-encrusted egg is in the bird's nest.
2. The bird's nest is on a branch of a particularly large tree.
3. Climb the particularly large tree with some low branches to reach it.
4. Now stop playing Zork and play Zrok instead.
5. The particularly large tree in Zrok has no low branches.
6. Therefore no bird's nest, and definitely no jewel-encrusted egg. We apologize for the inconvenience.
7. Author's Note: I briefly considered adding the egg, but felt the game was already complex enough. Maybe in a future update. This question was added to teach a lesson: do not use the presence or absence of a question on a certain topic as an indication of what is important, and don't assume that long answers indicate important questions.

How do I deal with the tree? It looks creepy!

1. Live and let live.
2. Or... maybe not. The Ent might have something we need.
3. Did I say Ent? Oops! Now you probably want to know how to get what the Ent has.
4. You'll need to attack the Ent with a suitable weapon.
5. Get down to the root of the problem.
6. You'll find your weapon underground.
7. Author's Note: In the original Zork game, you could get the bloody axe after defeating the nasty-looking troll. But you could only use it as a weapon; not for things like cutting down trees or breaking the boards on that boarded-up front door. (Believe me, I tried!) So I decided to give that bloody axe a second chance. Well, not really, actually. It is still being used as a weapon. I'll never learn.

What should I do with the pile of leaves?

1. Did you try to COUNT those leaves?
2. Whoops, I forgot! There is no COUNT verb in this game. My apologies for the oversight.
3. You can try to EXAMINE it.
4. Do you remember what Wilco said when exploring beyond the Troll Room?
5. Those leaves would be very useful for mapping out that maze.
6. I suggest you TAKE them. Mind you, there are a lot of leaves in that pile.
7. Don't say I didn't warn you!
8. Now that you've got a bunch of leaves, you're prepared to deal with the maze.
9. Author's Note: The joke here is, of course, picking up leaves one by one out of a pile containing 69,105 of them. The original idea for MOON LOGIC involved creating it as a real parser game, but I had no idea how to implement real-time effects like this at the time, so I implemented the input section as a choice-based game instead. Creativity out of necessity, if you will.

How do I clean the dirty window?

1. There is no sponge in this game.
2. Nor is there any water.
3. The absence of the CLEAN verb does not help matters.
4. Short answer: You don't.
5. Author's Note: In the original Zork game, the player could LOOK THROUGH WINDOW to see what appeared to be a kitchen. To discourage the player from even trying this in my game, I made the window a dirty one and had Roger explicitly state that he can't look through it.

What should I do with the smelly sack?

1. That sack is definitely NOT smelling of hot peppers.
2. You may want to EXAMINE it first before doing anything else with it.
3. Now that you've examined it, you may want to OPEN it to learn what's inside.
4. Surprise! Didn't see that one coming, did you?
5. You can now get yourself two new items to play with. Don't forget to TAKE them out first.
6. Author's Note: The original Zork game had an elongated brown sack, smelling of hot peppers. I abbreviated that to a "smelly sack." I'm still wondering whether that was a Wise Choice, or if I should have gone with a different, less juvenile-sounding name.

What should I do with the moldy lunch?

1. You may want to POKE it.
2. Scratch that, there is no POKE verb in my game.
3. You can try to EAT it.
4. What, did you actually expect ME to eat that moldy lunch?
5. You might be better off saving it for someone else.
6. Author's Note: The general vibe of the place is that it's been abandoned for a long time. The state of the lunch reflects this. Of course, the well-oiled hinges on the kitchen window run counter to that; but then again, this is a MOON LOGIC game. Consistency? Out the dirty window!

What should I do with the clove of garlic?

1. You meant to ask: What should I do with the bat dropping?
2. You may want to EXAMINE it first before doing anything else with it.
3. You can try to EAT it.
4. Congratulations! You are now BAT MAD.
5. Experiment with your newly found superpowers.
6. You can now TAKE some things you couldn't take before.
7. Securely anchored or fastened things, to be precise.
8. Walk around and see what you can TAKE, you'll find out soon enough!
9. Don't worry, you won't stay BAT MAD for the rest of the game.
10. Assuming, of course, that you did TAKE those things.
11. Author's Note: Making scenery objects like the mailbox and the trophy case unexpectedly portable was the first idea that came to mind when I began drafting this game.

Where is the Elvish Sword of Great Antiquity? I need a weapon!

1. A very good question indeed. I must have misplaced it.
2. Either that, or my budget didn't allow me to purchase one to include in the game.
3. So, no sword to beat up nasty-looking trolls with. You'll have to find another weapon.
4. The game does have something that can be used as an actual weapon.
5. Multiple things, in fact. Who needs a sword when other weaponry is available?
6. Author's Note: That elvish sword is one of the more fun things to play with in the original Zork game. It warned the player when enemies were nearby (as did Elvish weaponry in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien). I didn't include the sword, tempting as it was, but I did transfer the blue glow effect (or at least a reference to it) to the most unlikely thing I could think of to start glowing in the dark. You'll find out when you get there.

Where is the battery-powered brass lantern? I need a light source!

1. I didn't participate in ParserComp, so I didn't win a brass lantern either.
2. Stop looking for things you remember from playing the original Zork game!
3. You will need a reliable light source to explore the dark.
4. You may want to check what's in the trophy case.
5. Now you only need to rekindle it to turn it into a reliable light source.
6. That faded rug looks pretty flammable.
7. DROP the smoking torch on the faded rug to turn it into a flaming torch.
8. Don't forget to CLOSE the trophy case first!
9. Author's Note: When I played the original Zork game, I spent quite a lot of turns trying to pick up that "large oriental rug in the center of the room," not immediately realizing there was a rather simple verb that would move it out of the way. To ensure my dear players put in a proper effort, I decided on another way to get rid of that rug.

What's in the trophy case?

1. Did you try to EXAMINE it?
2. This trophy case is not transparent. You'll need to OPEN it to see what's inside.
3. I'm pretty sure you can TAKE it from there.
4. Author's Note: For many years, I imagined the trophy case as some kind of treasure chest to store all my loot. Only much later did I realize it should be transparent, just like any real trophy case, so the trophies inside could be properly displayed. To honor this revelation, I made the trophy case opaque. (The real reason: I could have implemented transparency, of course, but the game was getting out of hand, and I didn't want to add more complexity. For the same reason, I ditched the kitchen table, my only supporter in the game, as it contributed nothing to the puzzles or storytelling.)

How do I move the rug?

1. What... How? Why? Did you guess the magic verb?
2. Dang it! No MOVE verb for you! I've had enough of this!
3. Find another way to deal with that rug!
4. Go find the battery-powered brass lantern instead.
5. Author's Note: Just stuck this in here to make sure people figure out how to get rid of that rug without duplicating everything already said about the lantern.

Underground

I cannot move! I'm stuck!

1. If you're above ground, OPEN the front door. Maybe you forgot you closed it.
2. You need a light source when moving around in the darkness.
3. TAKE the flaming torch when it's on the floor.
4. In a maze room, TAKE or DROP leaves to make its contents unique. You can always TAKE all the leaves present, but if you do, you'll only be able to go back toward the beginning of the maze.
5. Author's Note: The game originally allowed the player to enter the cellar without carrying a light source, since the trap door was never closed by an NPC. However, this complicated the navigation logic, so I revised it to ensure the player is always in a lit room; either by being above ground or by carrying a light source.

How do I deal with the troll?

1. Congratulations on making it this far! I definitely needed more than two hours just to get underground.
2. Did you try to EXAMINE the troll?
3. In Zork, we had a nasty-looking troll. In Zrok, we have a hungry one.
4. Find something to FEED the poor thing. It might reward us with something we need.
5. Do make sure you're directly carrying that item, and not storing it in a container.
6. TAKE the moldy lunch and FEED the troll with it.
7. Author's Note: I definitely wanted to have at least one alternate mode of interaction with my actors. It did mean adding an additional verb, but fortunately, it didn't increase the complexity of verb handling in general, since FEED is part of the limited verb set (EAT, FEED, ATTACK, and UNLOCK), of which only one will be available most of the time.

How do I drop the bloody axe?

1. Congratulations on your successful exchange with the troll! Now you've got yourself a real weapon.
2. Oh, you wanted to DROP the bloody thing?
3. Did you try to EXAMINE the bloody axe?
4. The bloody axe is cursed, and therefore you can't drop it.
5. But you can get rid of it in another way.
6. Go and have a sharp argument with that scary tree above ground.
7. Author's Note: In my original design, the axe was not cursed and could be dropped anywhere in the game, including the maze. That implied that the thief could take it, making the game unwinnable. I therefore declared the axe cursed, to ensure the player can always finish the game.

How do I get through the maze?

1. You cannot progress through the maze unless you remove ambiguity.
2. Try to DROP something to disambiguate maze rooms.
3. Experienced Zork players will no doubt know what happens next.
4. Oh, the pesky thief does TAKE your things when you're not around? Too bad.
5. Don't worry, your loot isn't permanently lost. Just get to the Treasure Room to recover your goodies.
6. That Treasure Room happens to be at the other end of the maze. Irritating, isn't it?
7. You'd better find something safe to DROP without the thief running off with it.
8. Something you have plenty of; a bunch of leaves, for example.
9. Just make sure you don't DROP the same number of leaves in different maze rooms.
10. Author's Note: I originally added the thief to the game as a simple blocker, in honor of the iconic thief in the original Zork game. I know mazes aren't popular, but once I had the thief, I just had to add the maze as well. Mapping out that maze, with the risk of losing dropped things to a wandering thief, was quite a challenge. At least maze exits weren't randomized, as in the original Colossal Cave Adventure. I also relaxed the maze conditions later in development, to offer the player more freedom in mapping out the maze.

How do I deal with the thief?

1. You'll need a weapon so you can ATTACK the thief with it.
2. The bloody axe will be gone by the time you encounter him.
3. So you'll have to use something else as a makeshift weapon.
4. You'll also need a certain superpower to TAKE that makeshift weapon.
5. EAT the bat dropping to go BAT MAD and gain exceptional strength.
6. That superpower won't let you defeat the thief directly; agility always beats strength!
7. So, look around until you find something you can TAKE and use to whack the thief.
8. EAT the bat dropping, TAKE the rusty mailbox, and ATTACK the thief with the rusty mailbox. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
9. Author's Note: No stiletto like in the original Zork game, I wanted something different. Something... unexpected, and perfectly in line with the Moon Logic theme. Hence the rusty mailbox: the ideal makeshift weapon for catching thieves off guard. I imagined the player wiping that smirk off the thief's face with a nice roundhouse swing. If you dropped the mailbox in the maze, you can later pick it up in the Treasure Room, where the thief dumps all his ill-gotten gains.

How do I deal with the cyclops?

1. Meet Zrok, the Great Underground Impaler!
2. First, you'll need to entice Zrok to come closer to you.
3. Then, once Zrok is in attack range, you can ATTACK him with a suitable weapon.
4. Once you've dealt with Zrok, you can TAKE that treasure chest.
5. Author's Note: I wanted more than just a simple ATTACK to take care of the cyclops. I added an additional step involving another item found early in the game. it gave that item a purpose and fit with the Moon Logic theme as well.

I can't attack Zrok! How do I entice him to come closer to me?

1. Zrok wants to have something in exchange for a piece of the treasure.
2. Did you try to EXAMINE Zrok?
3. He wants a treasure ticket.
4. You don't have a treasure ticket...
5. But maybe you can substitute something else instead.
6. Something like that torn leaflet, for example.
7. TAKE the torn leafet, GO to the cyclops room, and DROP the torn leaflet.
8. Do CLOSE all containers in the room before you DROP that leaflet.
9. Author's Note: Zrok turns out not to be as stupid as we thought. He does take the ticket, but doesn't give us any treasure in return. Still, we did manage to entice him to come closer. I had to fix quite a few bugs to get this puzzle working properly.

How do I attack Zrok? He's real close to me right now.

1. In the original Zork game, there were two ways to deal with the cyclops.
2. We've lost the lunch, and we don't have a bottle of water. So feeding the cyclops is out.
3. Shouting names from Greek and Roman mythology won't work on Zrok either.
4. So, we need something else to attack and defeat the cyclops.
5. Something sharp and pointy, for example.
6. Seek and ye shall find. It's no doubt locked away to avoid accidents.
7. TAKE the sceptre, GO to the cyclops room, and ATTACK Zrok with the sceptre.
8. Author's Note: In the original Zork game, I thought I was exceedingly clever for trying to attack the cyclops with the sceptre. It seemed like the perfect weapon to deal with huge-eyed entities. It didn't work in Zork, though. So I made it work here, as my preferred method of dealing with cyclopses.