  
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each
week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play
a game of interactive fiction.
|
|
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each
week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play
a game of interactive fiction.
|
|
ToyShop & Floyditorium
|
#ClubFloyd Discussion
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| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "load sleepmask traffic" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 0 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Let's be honest. When you took the position as Junior Research Lab | ||
| CF | Assistant at the Orzel Particle Physics Institute, you weren't | ||
| CF | expecting anything glamorous. 'A post-doc has to start somewhere,' you | ||
| CF | told yourself. 'I don't want to teach a bunch of over-privileged | ||
| CF | undergrads,' you convinced yourself. 'I'd be working for Dr. Roth, who | ||
| CF | has a pretty good reputation,' you pondered. And finally 'It pays | ||
| CF | enough to move out of my parent's house,' you realized, with just a | ||
| CF | tiny amount of glee. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | But here you are, seven months later, wondering if you made the right | ||
| CF | choice. Working for Dr. Roth at the Institute has been some of the | ||
| CF | most uninspiring work you've ever done. It doesn't help that most of | ||
| CF | the time, the 'research' tasks he gives you are mostly manual labor. | ||
| CF | How many times does a person really need to clean the plates for the | ||
| CF | proportional drift chamber? And moving heavy spectrometers from lab | ||
| CF | room to lab room isn't what you had in mind when you were told the | ||
| CF | Institute was working on problems that required 'heavy lifting'. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | So this morning, when you were interrupted and told to pick up the | ||
| CF | shipment of unstable Cesium-7 isotopes that had erroneously been | ||
| CF | dropped off by the post office to an address three blocks away, you | ||
| CF | were disappointed, but not surprised. 'At least you'll get some fresh | ||
| CF | air,' Dr. Roth told you with a thin veneer of disdain. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | After obtaining the package, you're finally on your way back to the | ||
| CF | lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | TRAFFIC | ||
| CF | An adventure at five miles an hour | ||
| CF | Copyright (C) 2024, by D.S. Yu. | ||
| CF | Portions copyright Graham Nelson and David Griffith. | ||
| CF | 'TRAFFIC' comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Release 1 / Serial number 240904 / Inform v6.33 Library v6.12.6 SD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning, and you are waiting at the intersection of Jones | ||
| CF | street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones headed | ||
| CF | east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are working, and | ||
| CF | if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could walk across | ||
| CF | Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A 5-foot tall metal box sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one | ||
| CF | of the traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "uhhhhh. I don't think this is a game I can easily play." | |
| Lancelot asks, "too much?" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Are we on foot or in a car?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "pedestrian looks like" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x me" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 1 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X ME | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You are a respectable young lab assistant. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "And yeah, I can't easily picture this without a diagram." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 2 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a package | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot asks, "should I try to drive?" | |
| DavidW says, "okay, I guess we're on foot." | ||
| DavidW says, "please do" | ||
| Lancelot says, "looks like we can go e and n to lab" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 3 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning, and you are waiting at the intersection of Jones | ||
| CF | street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones headed | ||
| CF | east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are working, and | ||
| CF | if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could walk across | ||
| CF | Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A 5-foot tall metal box sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one | ||
| CF | of the traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "n" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 4 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > N | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | North of here is the lab, and a day filled with more tedious errands. | ||
| CF | You'd be there already, if the traffic lights would change so you | ||
| CF | could cross the street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 4 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It appears to be a five-foot tall metal box, with no noteworthy | ||
| CF | markings, painted gray. There are some vents on the side, possibly for | ||
| CF | airflow, and you suspect it contains electronics of some sort. On the | ||
| CF | front is a metal door with a recessed handle that likely opens | ||
| CF | outwards. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you examine the box, a middle-aged man in a reflective safety vest, | ||
| CF | who was partly obscured by the box, examines something on the box, | ||
| CF | looks up at the lights, notices you watching him, and then quickly | ||
| CF | walks away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | Lancelot says, "oh my god this kind of game" | |
| Lancelot says, "how do I press space" | ||
| DavidW says, "push space outside the game and speech" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 5 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | In a moment you'd call 'gut-wrenching' if you still had a gut, the | ||
| CF | whiteness that defines your immediate universe is suddenly permeated | ||
| CF | by color, and you find yourself pulled, pushed, and squeezed through | ||
| CF | time and space. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You have been transported, somehow, without moving an inch. You are | ||
| CF | standing at the same street corner you occupied moments ago, but the | ||
| CF | traffic is different, the sounds are different, and even the sunlight | ||
| CF | is different -- missing, actually. It seems to be early evening, at | ||
| CF | least that is certain. Your body feels out of sorts, and as you glance | ||
| CF | at your hands, you see hands that are not your own, but bigger, with | ||
| CF | more scars and dirt. As you check the rest of your body you realize | ||
| CF | that you are not yourself. Your mind occupies someone else's body. | ||
| CF | Also, you suddenly realize you are not alone. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | You are at the corner of Jones and Elm. It's night-time, which means | ||
| CF | for this not-so-lively part of town, there's no one to be seen, and | ||
| CF | almost no cars driving along either street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A man is standing here, wearing a reflective safety vest and holding a | ||
| CF | clipboard. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A large metal box painted gray is standing here, bolted to the | ||
| CF | sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x me" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 6 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X ME | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You appear to be a stout fellow wearing the sort of clothing someone | ||
| CF | in the construction business wears. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "ugh. Not even a reset but a different viewpoint." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 7 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a key | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "yeah looks like" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x man" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 8 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A somewhat pudgy, somewhat droopy-shouldered middle-aged man. He seems | ||
| CF | like the kind of fellow who's dependable at work and doesn't complain, | ||
| CF | but would rather be home with his wife and kids. He's dressed in a | ||
| CF | clean white shirt, slacks, and sensible but professional shoes. His | ||
| CF | reflective safety vest, worn loosely over his shirt, has a bit of | ||
| CF | wear-and-tear, but is still serviceable. He's holding a clipboard with | ||
| CF | some papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "You might have to coordinate everyone so this all works out." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x clipboard" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 9 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X CLIPBOARD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | John is holding a plastic clipboard with a bunch of disorganized | ||
| CF | papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to john" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 9 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK TO JOHN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I didn't understand that sentence. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "We'll probably be the woman or the bus driver next." | |
| Lancelot says, "I see and we need to make sure everyone survives or sth" | ||
| Lancelot says, "a bit like final destination lol" | ||
| DavidW says (to ClubFloyd), "who am i" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 9 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WHO AM I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I didn't understand that sentence. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x papers" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 10 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X PAPERS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | John is holding a plastic clipboard with a bunch of disorganized | ||
| CF | papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get papewrs" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 10 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET PAPEWRS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 asks, "wasn't there a box?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get papers" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 11 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET PAPERS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The clipboard seems to belong to John. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "yep thats next" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 12 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It appears to be a five-foot tall metal box, with no noteworthy | ||
| CF | markings, painted gray. There are some vents on the side, possibly for | ||
| CF | airflow, and you suspect it contains electronics of some sort. On the | ||
| CF | front is a metal door with a recessed handle that likely opens | ||
| CF | outwards. The door is closed and you notice a small keyhole near the | ||
| CF | handle. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Ah yes, the good old StopNGo X9000, the Cadillac of traffic | ||
| CF | controller boxes," the man standing nearby remarks as you look over | ||
| CF | the device. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "yeah, a box bolted to something." | |
| DavidW says, "so unlock that, I guess." | ||
| Lancelot says, "ok the traffic control box interesting" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 13 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box seems to be locked. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 14 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNLOCK BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (with the key) | ||
| CF | You unlock the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man scratches his neck for a moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 15 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You open the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box, revealing a | ||
| CF | controller panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 16 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A shiny metal panel with an embossed grid-like pattern. The pattern | ||
| CF | appears to be map of street intersections, including street names and | ||
| CF | directions. Additionally, various numbers are printed at the start and | ||
| CF | end of each street, along with printed letters along each street. | ||
| CF | There's also a small screen where a number could be displayed under | ||
| CF | the Oak street letter (D) and a green button labeled 'DONE' at the | ||
| CF | bottom of the panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Umber Elm | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 500 520 | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Jones >> 600 --+--------B--------+-- 610 >> | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | A C | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Oak >> 610 --+--------D--------+-- 560 >> | ||
| CF | | ___ | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | 520 500 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man rubs his hands together, possibly to warm them up. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "wtf some kind of puzzle lol" | |
| Lancelot asks, "A,C is 510 maybe?" | ||
| DavidW says, "I've never seen anything like this before." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "585 done" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 16 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > 585 DONE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "im assuming averages maybe" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x screen" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 17 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SCREEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a small screen for displaying a number on the panel under the | ||
| CF | 'D'. There's currently no value shown in the screen. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "enter 585" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 17 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER 585 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | What do you want to enter that into? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "f screen" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "screen" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 18 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SCREEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | After a bit of fiddling around, you realize the screen is a small | ||
| CF | touchscreen. Is every screen nowadays a touchscreen? It | ||
| CF | certainly seems that way. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You use the touchscreen controls to set the value. The screen now | ||
| CF | reads 585. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot asks, "anyone different suggs?" | |
| heasm66 says, "press done/button" | ||
| DavidW says, "I have no better idea." | ||
| DavidW says, "I don't know what the goal of this device is." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "press done" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 19 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > PRESS DONE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hesitate briefly, your finger hovering over the green button. | ||
| CF | Then, confidently, you press the oddly enticing button. There is a | ||
| CF | click from the box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A white haze like a strange dimensional snow-storm blankets you into a | ||
| CF | place between 'here' and 'there'. A sensation best described as a | ||
| CF | 'visual sneeze' blows past and unthaws brand new objects in a new | ||
| CF | location. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You blink a couple times. Everything is exactly as it was when you | ||
| CF | started out in all of this. Did you just imagine everything? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hmm" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "n" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 20 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > N | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | North of here is the lab, and a day filled with more tedious errands. | ||
| CF | You'd be there already, if the traffic lights would change so you | ||
| CF | could cross the street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "dang" | |
| DavidW asks, "Are you the original person now?" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x me" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 21 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X ME | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You are a respectable young lab assistant. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 22 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a package | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "looks like" | |
| DavidW says, "so yes" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "e" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 22 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > E | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | While it's tempting to head east and visit that little bookstore near | ||
| CF | Jones and Racine you like so much, you probably should head back to | ||
| CF | the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | heasm66 says, "ok. we need to figure out the right number" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 23 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The proverbial white curtain drops once again, enshrouding you in | ||
| CF | whiteness. The players in the next scene of this surreal play start to | ||
| CF | reveal themselves, uncovered from the disappearing white. Next time | ||
| CF | you'll remember to ask the powers above for a peek at the script. For | ||
| CF | now, you can only get ready for the next act. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "how wait now we cannot change anything? hmm" | |
| DavidW says, "I really don't know. Maybe you need to stop the woman from crossing." | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah then the crazy drive r wont need to avoid her" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 24 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A young woman is dutifully pushing a covered baby stroller that you're | ||
| CF | fairly sure holds a baby. She seems somewhat distracted, with most of | ||
| CF | her attention diverted to her rather large mobile device. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | But wait, just now, you saw the top of a tiny little bald head appear | ||
| CF | from within the stroller. Two tiny blue eyes meet your gaze, before | ||
| CF | the baby disappears back into the stroller. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "talk woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 24 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I didn't understand that sentence. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x baby" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 25 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BABY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A young woman is dutifully pushing a covered baby stroller that you're | ||
| CF | fairly sure holds a baby. She seems somewhat distracted, with most of | ||
| CF | her attention diverted to her rather large mobile device. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x mobile" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 26 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X MOBILE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The woman's phone looks like the latest Pineapple 16XL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "lol" | |
| Lancelot says, "call woman" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "call woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 26 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > CALL WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | That's not a verb I recognise. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "stop woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 26 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > STOP WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I only understood you as far as wanting to stop. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get stroller" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 27 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET STROLLER | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I don't suppose the woman would care for that. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "And we can't talk to her in anyway, I suppose." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "shout woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 27 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SHOUT WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the woman) | ||
| CF | You can't seem to get her attention at all. She's completely | ||
| CF | distracted by her phone. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 28 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Without much warning, everything around you fades to a clean white | ||
| CF | nothingness. You'd be blinking furiously right about now if you still | ||
| CF | had eyelids under your control. Distinct figures appear in the | ||
| CF | whiteness just as suddenly, and you take a moment to place yourself. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You feel stretched and then squashed into a new form. Everything feels | ||
| CF | unfamiliar, bright, too loud. You open your eyes and find yourself on | ||
| CF | your back, looking up at the blue sky. You try to get up, and your | ||
| CF | body refuses to respond, instead twisting and popping in an awkward | ||
| CF | fashion. You reach a hand out to grab something, anything, and notice | ||
| CF | that your hand, your arm, your whole body, is tiny and undeveloped. | ||
| CF | Tiny little fingers on a tiny little hand flex open and closed. Your | ||
| CF | body has become that of a tiny infant, lying in a bed of a stroller of | ||
| CF | some sort. You feel the great urge to let out a loud wail. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside stroller) | ||
| CF | You are on the sidewalk on Elm street, likely somewhere between Jones | ||
| CF | and Oak streets. More specifically, you are inside a baby stroller | ||
| CF | with raised walls on all sides and a curved half-canopy above, being | ||
| CF | pushed along the sidewalk on Elm street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There is a woman slowly pushing the stroller. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see a blanket here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh my we are the baby now" | |
| Lancelot asks, "but as the baby maybe we can grab her attention?" | ||
| DavidW says, "wow. Baby wanna play with phone." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get phone" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 29 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET PHONE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The woman's phone is far out of reach of your tiny baby limbs. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "cry" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 29 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > CRY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You find it shockingly easy to start crying, quite loudly. This does | ||
| CF | nothing to change your situation. The woman pushing the stroller | ||
| CF | doesn't react. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get blanket" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 30 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET BLANKET | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you grab the blanket, you uncover a pacifier that was hidden | ||
| CF | underneath it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get pacifier" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 31 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET PACIFIER | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Taken. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 32 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a pacifier | ||
| CF | a blanket | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "throw it out of pram" | |
| DavidW asks, "How will those help?" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "throw blanket" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 33 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > THROW BLANKET | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Futile. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "yeah, babies are always throwing things." | |
| heasm66 says, "the pacificer" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "throw pacifier" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 34 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > THROW PACIFIER | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Futile. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The woman continues to push the stroller and reaches the edge of the | ||
| CF | sidewalk. Still absorbed in her phone, she starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across the street, when a car moving far too fast narrowly avoids the | ||
| CF | woman (and you, in the stroller) by driving up on the sidewalk and | ||
| CF | continuing onwards, also on the sidewalk. There is an awful screech | ||
| CF | followed by a more awful crashing noise. "What was that?" the woman | ||
| CF | asks, looking up from her phone for the first time. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Like a really impatient fog, whiteness rushes in to replace your | ||
| CF | world. The fog doesn't stick around very long though, and soon you | ||
| CF | start to see objects unveiled in the fog. You steady yourself for | ||
| CF | someplace new. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot asks, "dang we dont get a chance to fix that box?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 35 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The metal box seems to be locked. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "/ okay of course we dont have the key sigh" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get baby" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 36 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET BABY | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I don't suppose the woman would care for that. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 37 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's one of those local lines that goes along Jones St, but it must be | ||
| CF | behind schedule (no thanks to all the traffic). It looks like it might | ||
| CF | not make it through the intersection before the light changes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you look at the all the riders packed in the bus, you notice one | ||
| CF | particular businessman, glancing through the window your way. The | ||
| CF | expression on his face is one of acute discomfort. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh new developments" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x businessman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 38 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUSINESSMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A businessman in a frumbled suit catches your eye. He's seated on the | ||
| CF | rather crowded bus trying to get through the intersection. You can see | ||
| CF | sadness and discomfort in his eyes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "I ... I can only guess that we're being introduced to all the players one at a time so we can do something very improbable, like throwing the 8 ball wrapped with page 32 of the calendar in the purse at the receptionist." | |
| Lancelot says, "hmm I guess he knows whats coming" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah probably its a very short game if we know what to do" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "enter bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 38 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're not really at a bus stop, so the driver isn't exactly going to | ||
| CF | let you on. Also, you'd have to walk through moving traffic to get to | ||
| CF | the bus from here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 39 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Without much warning, everything around you fades to a clean white | ||
| CF | nothingness. You'd be blinking furiously right about now if you still | ||
| CF | had eyelids under your control. Distinct figures appear in the | ||
| CF | whiteness just as suddenly, and you take a moment to place yourself. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As the world rushes back, you find yourself seated. On a bus. A bus | ||
| CF | packed with people, uncomfortably warm, with loud with noises from | ||
| CF | every direction. You feel sweat dripping along your brow, and as you | ||
| CF | raise your arm to wipe it off, you notice you're wearing a | ||
| CF | well-fitting business suit. You've swapped bodies with an | ||
| CF | average-height business man, possibly in his late 30s, likely late to | ||
| CF | work. You feel the bus lurch forward, only to shudder to a stop a few | ||
| CF | seconds later. You glance out the window and realize you're on that | ||
| CF | bus trying to cross the Elm and Jones street intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're sitting on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you | ||
| CF | blasting music at a remarkably high volume. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh wait" | |
| Lancelot asks, "we get to be the person we last spotted?" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Maybe?" | ||
| DavidW says, "I haven't played this before. I can only guess like you are." | ||
| heasm66 says, "x bus driver" | ||
| Lancelot says, "because we started checking out the box and then we could change it... now we looked at bus last and we are in" | ||
| Lancelot says, "hmm" | ||
| DavidW says, "That boombox might be a problem." | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x boombox" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 40 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BOOMBOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It seems to be some cheap import model, the size of a small suitcase, | ||
| CF | with two huge speakers. It's on and turned up to a head-splittingly | ||
| CF | high volume. It is currently playing a talk show segment about road | ||
| CF | construction noise complaints. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "argh too late maybe" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn moombox off" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 40 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN MOOMBOX OFF | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn boombox off" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 41 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN BOOMBOX OFF | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you turn the boombox off, there's a collective sigh of relief from | ||
| CF | people nearby, including the elderly woman. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 42 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's an elderly woman standing here. She looks rather bothered, and | ||
| CF | mumbles something angrily. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "listen to her?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "talk woman" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 42 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I didn't understand that sentence. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "listen woman" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 43 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > LISTEN WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hear a few people chatting, the motor of the bus, and the sounds | ||
| CF | of traffic outside the bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "listen" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 44 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > LISTEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hear a few people chatting, the motor of the bus, and the sounds | ||
| CF | of traffic outside the bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Someone in the back of the bus has a brief coughing fit, and recovers. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 45 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're sitting on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you, | ||
| CF | switched off. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You briefly smell something rather noxious, maybe fuel, then it goes | ||
| CF | away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "dont tell me the bus blows up next lol" | |
| heasm66 says, "offer her the seat" | ||
| Lancelot says, "good idea" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "offer seat" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 46 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OFFER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | The elderly woman sighs in relief and eagerly takes your vacated seat. | ||
| CF | "Thank you, young man," she says. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "huh the car already did that" | |
| DavidW says, "Maybe there's more than one car." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 47 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're standing on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you, | ||
| CF | switched off. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 48 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's an elderly woman sitting here. She looks a bit troubled, and | ||
| CF | squints angrily. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, the elderly woman decides she can't take it anymore. She | ||
| CF | aggressively shoves her way through the crowd until she reaches the | ||
| CF | back door. Then, with a surprising show of strength, she forces the | ||
| CF | back doors open. This causes the bus to come to a screeching halt, at | ||
| CF | which point the passenger hops off the bus and walks off into the | ||
| CF | street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Cue the fade to white. This time you were more prepared, but it still | ||
| CF | happens in a way that manages to catch you a little off guard. Even | ||
| CF | the nearly indescribable detached sensation that follows is starting | ||
| CF | to feel familiar. In less than a moment, you find yourself in a new | ||
| CF | place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hmm" | |
| DavidW says, "I'm sorry I'm of so little help with this one." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 49 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's one of those local lines that goes along Jones St, but it must be | ||
| CF | behind schedule (no thanks to all the traffic). It looks like it might | ||
| CF | not make it through the intersection before the light changes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you look at the all the riders packed in the bus, you notice one | ||
| CF | particular businessman, glancing through the window your way. The | ||
| CF | expression on his face is one of acute discomfort. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x businessman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 50 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUSINESSMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A businessman in a frumbled suit catches your eye. He's seated on the | ||
| CF | rather crowded bus trying to get through the intersection. You can see | ||
| CF | sadness and discomfort in his eyes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "maybe we can get the bombox out the bus to get attention of the womna with the stroller" | |
| Lancelot says, "argh bad typing" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "go bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 51 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GO BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're not really at a bus stop, so the driver isn't exactly going to | ||
| CF | let you on. Also, you'd have to walk through moving traffic to get to | ||
| CF | the bus from here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 52 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 52 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 53 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The proverbial white curtain drops once again, enshrouding you in | ||
| CF | whiteness. The players in the next scene of this surreal play start to | ||
| CF | reveal themselves, uncovered from the disappearing white. Next time | ||
| CF | you'll remember to ask the powers above for a peek at the script. For | ||
| CF | now, you can only get ready for the next act. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As the world rushes back, you find yourself seated. On a bus. A bus | ||
| CF | packed with people, uncomfortably warm, with loud with noises from | ||
| CF | every direction. You feel sweat dripping along your brow, and as you | ||
| CF | raise your arm to wipe it off, you notice you're wearing a | ||
| CF | well-fitting business suit. You've swapped bodies with an | ||
| CF | average-height business man, possibly in his late 30s, likely late to | ||
| CF | work. You feel the bus lurch forward, only to shudder to a stop a few | ||
| CF | seconds later. You glance out the window and realize you're on that | ||
| CF | bus trying to cross the Elm and Jones street intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're sitting on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you | ||
| CF | blasting music at a remarkably high volume. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "ok so looking at the man turns us into that man" | |
| DavidW says, "looks like, yes" | ||
| Lancelot says, "at least thats the hypothesis" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get boombox" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 54 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET BOOMBOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You consider picking up the boombox, but it's hard to determine where | ||
| CF | you would put it, other than on the floor where it already is. Also, | ||
| CF | it must belong to someone, right? Ultimately, you leave the boombox | ||
| CF | where it is. | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "can we open the doors or is it only the woman that can do that" | |
| Lancelot says, "dang" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "offer seat" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 55 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OFFER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | You can't seem to get the elderly woman's attention due to the noise | ||
| CF | from the boom box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn boombox off" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 56 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN BOOMBOX OFF | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you turn the boombox off, there's a collective sigh of relief from | ||
| CF | people nearby, including the elderly woman. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get boombox" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 57 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET BOOMBOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You consider picking up the boombox, but it's hard to determine where | ||
| CF | you would put it, other than on the floor where it already is. Also, | ||
| CF | it must belong to someone, right? Ultimately, you leave the boombox | ||
| CF | where it is. | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "offer seat" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 58 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OFFER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | The elderly woman sighs in relief and eagerly takes your vacated seat. | ||
| CF | "Thank you, young man," she says. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open bus" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 59 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The bus is not something you can open. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You briefly smell something rather noxious, maybe fuel, then it goes | ||
| CF | away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hmm so turn boombox off, offer seat..." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "smell" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 60 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SMELL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The unpleasent scents of sweat and burning motor oil pervade the air. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Someone in the back of the bus has a brief coughing fit, and recovers. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "Turn the boombox on again, maybe?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x smeone" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 60 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SMEONE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn boombox on" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 61 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN BOOMBOX ON | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The boombox starts blasting loud music through the bus. It seems to | ||
| CF | have only one volume level -- LOUD. The elderly woman grimaces | ||
| CF | at the loud music. | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x exit" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 61 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X EXIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 62 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're standing on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you | ||
| CF | blasting music at a remarkably high volume. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, the elderly woman decides she can't take it anymore. She | ||
| CF | aggressively shoves her way through the crowd until she reaches the | ||
| CF | back door. Then, with a surprising show of strength, she forces the | ||
| CF | back doors open. This causes the bus to come to a screeching halt, at | ||
| CF | which point the passenger hops off the bus and walks off into the | ||
| CF | street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Cue the fade to white. This time you were more prepared, but it still | ||
| CF | happens in a way that manages to catch you a little off guard. Even | ||
| CF | the nearly indescribable detached sensation that follows is starting | ||
| CF | to feel familiar. In less than a moment, you find yourself in a new | ||
| CF | place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x stopngo" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 63 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X STOPNGO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 appears to be a five-foot tall metal box, with no | ||
| CF | noteworthy markings, painted gray. There are some vents on the side, | ||
| CF | possibly for airflow, and you suspect it contains electronics of some | ||
| CF | sort. On the front is a metal door with a recessed handle that likely | ||
| CF | opens outwards. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you examine the box, a middle-aged man in a reflective safety vest, | ||
| CF | who was partly obscured by the box, examines something on the box, | ||
| CF | looks up at the lights, notices you watching him, and then quickly | ||
| CF | walks away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x man" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 63 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "now just wait until you're him, I guess." | |
| Lancelot says, "hmm will we get to that weird drawing again maybe" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah thats what Im hoping" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open stopngo" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 64 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN STOPNGO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box seems to be locked. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 65 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 66 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "again" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 66 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > AGAIN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 67 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Rudely, everything fades to white once again. Just as you were | ||
| CF | starting to get a grasp of things again too. As before, whiteness | ||
| CF | gives way to a loud pop of color and form, leaving you literally and | ||
| CF | figuratively disoriented. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You have been transported, somehow, without moving an inch. You are | ||
| CF | standing at the same street corner you occupied moments ago, but the | ||
| CF | traffic is different, the sounds are different, and even the sunlight | ||
| CF | is different -- missing, actually. It seems to be early evening, at | ||
| CF | least that is certain. Your body feels out of sorts, and as you glance | ||
| CF | at your hands, you see hands that are not your own, but bigger, with | ||
| CF | more scars and dirt. As you check the rest of your body you realize | ||
| CF | that you are not yourself. Your mind occupies someone else's body. | ||
| CF | Also, you suddenly realize you are not alone. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | You are at the corner of Jones and Elm. It's night-time, which means | ||
| CF | for this not-so-lively part of town, there's no one to be seen, and | ||
| CF | almost no cars driving along either street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A man is standing here, wearing a reflective safety vest and holding a | ||
| CF | clipboard. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box is bolted to the sidewalk | ||
| CF | here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Getting colder these days. Next time I'm bringing my coat." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "f unlock box" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 68 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNLOCK BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (with the key) | ||
| CF | You unlock the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "right id confirmed lol" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 69 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You open the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box, revealing a | ||
| CF | controller panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Hey, did I tell you I quit smoking? Oh, I did?" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 70 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man peers into the open box and points at the panel. "Now, this | ||
| CF | here is your basic traffic flow panel. You've got each street and the | ||
| CF | four intersections near us, the direction of traffic with those funny | ||
| CF | double arrows, and the expected number of cars per hour. For example, | ||
| CF | see here," he says as he points, "The intesection at Jones and Umber | ||
| CF | has 600 cars travelling east from Jones, and 500 cars travelling south | ||
| CF | from Umber. The total number of cars coming into an intersection has | ||
| CF | to equal the number of cars leaving an intersection, so that means the | ||
| CF | total number of cars leaving the intersection of Jones and Umber, | ||
| CF | labeled A and B here, has to be equal to 600 + 500. Simple, right?" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Fortunately for us, we don't have to enter all values for A, B, C, | ||
| CF | and D. The X9000 has simplified things so that all we have to do is | ||
| CF | enter the correct value for D on that little screen there, and then | ||
| CF | press that green button." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Hey, did I tell you I quit smoking? Oh, I did?" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "ohh indeed maths but different type" | |
| Lancelot says, "I think I get the picture lol" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 71 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A shiny metal panel with an embossed grid-like pattern. The pattern | ||
| CF | appears to be map of street intersections, including street names and | ||
| CF | directions. Additionally, various numbers are printed at the start and | ||
| CF | end of each street, along with printed letters along each street. | ||
| CF | There's also a small screen where a number could be displayed under | ||
| CF | the Oak street letter (D) and a green button labeled 'DONE' at the | ||
| CF | bottom of the panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Umber Elm | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 500 520 | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Jones >> 600 --+--------B--------+-- 610 >> | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | A C | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Oak >> 610 --+--------D--------+-- 560 >> | ||
| CF | | ___ | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | 520 500 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "cute" | |
| Lancelot says, "A+B=1100" | ||
| Lancelot says, "B+C=1130" | ||
| Lancelot says, "D+500=C+560" | ||
| DavidW says, "I'm not understanding this." | ||
| Lancelot says, "its linear algebra looks like a set of equations" | ||
| Lancelot says, "but yeah I guess this is a bit too much" | ||
| Lancelot says, "the idea is, the same number of cars that go in must go out" | ||
| Lancelot says, "so traffic flows east through B and D" | ||
| DavidW says, "so the input is 500, 500, 610, and 500." | ||
| Lancelot says, "and south throuh A and north through C" | ||
| heasm66 says, "sum up the input and the subtract the output" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yep" | ||
| Lancelot says, "of course summing all input is 2210 and summing all output same numbr" | ||
| DavidW says, "I haven't done the math, but surely the total in equals the total out, and I don;t know what A B C or D are at all." | ||
| heasm66 says, "input = 2210, output = 2310" | ||
| Lancelot says, "no" | ||
| DavidW says, "ergo I don't understand this." | ||
| Lancelot says, "cant create cars out of thin air lol" | ||
| Lancelot says, "out=520+61-0+560[24[C" | ||
| Lancelot says, "oops" | ||
| Lancelot says, "520 610 560 520 together makes 2210" | ||
| heasm66 says, "right" | ||
| Lancelot says, "gimme a min" | ||
| Lancelot says, "maybe theres a hint somewhere" | ||
| Lancelot says, "oh wait" | ||
| Lancelot says, "just a sec" | ||
| Lancelot says, "got it" | ||
| Lancelot says, "C+D=1060" | ||
| Lancelot says, "D+500=C+560" | ||
| Lancelot says, "so D=C+60" | ||
| Lancelot says, "C=500 D=560" | ||
| Lancelot asks, "makes sense?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "enter 560" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "enter 560" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 71 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER 560 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | What do you want to enter that into? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 72 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't enter values into the controller panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "enter 560 into screen" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 73 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER 560 INTO SCREEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You use the touchscreen controls to set the value. The screen now | ||
| CF | reads 560. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man rubs his hands together, possibly to warm them up. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push done" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 74 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > PUSH DONE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hesitate briefly, your finger hovering over the green button. | ||
| CF | Then, confidently, you press the oddly enticing button. There is a | ||
| CF | click from the box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The proverbial white curtain drops once again, enshrouding you in | ||
| CF | whiteness. The players in the next scene of this surreal play start to | ||
| CF | reveal themselves, uncovered from the disappearing white. Next time | ||
| CF | you'll remember to ask the powers above for a peek at the script. For | ||
| CF | now, you can only get ready for the next act. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "type 560 and press dne" | |
| Lancelot says, "not sure what changes but the number should be correct now" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "n" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 75 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > N | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | North of here is the lab, and a day filled with more tedious errands. | ||
| CF | You'd be there already, if the traffic lights would change so you | ||
| CF | could cross the street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "well, maybe the traffic light will act differently." | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 76 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A young woman is dutifully pushing a covered baby stroller that you're | ||
| CF | fairly sure holds a baby. She seems somewhat distracted, with most of | ||
| CF | her attention diverted to her rather large mobile device. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | But wait, just now, you saw the top of a tiny little bald head appear | ||
| CF | from within the stroller. Two tiny blue eyes meet your gaze, before | ||
| CF | the baby disappears back into the stroller. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "ah thats how we become the baby I guess" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 77 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A young woman is dutifully pushing a covered baby stroller that you're | ||
| CF | fairly sure holds a baby. She seems somewhat distracted, with most of | ||
| CF | her attention diverted to her rather large mobile device. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "if we can become that woman it would be much easier I guess" | |
| DavidW says, "I'm guessing the elderly woman needs to be pacified more. Maybe the noxious smell can be covered up with perfume or something." | ||
| Lancelot says, "remind me not to put math puzzles in IF lol" | ||
| DavidW says, "I suspect the baby needs to throw the pacifier at mother or her phone, rather than an undirected throw." | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah better indeed" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 77 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. As she pushes the | ||
| CF | stroller into traffic, the speeding car swerves out of the way, | ||
| CF | driving up onto the sidewalk. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'I hope he knows driving on the sidewalk is frowned upon,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car, without so much as a 'hello', plows | ||
| CF | straight into you. Your last thought is of the safety of the package | ||
| CF | you carry, already crushed into pieces against your equally crushed | ||
| CF | chest, before a sudden white light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 78 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A white haze like a strange dimensional snow-storm blankets you into a | ||
| CF | place between 'here' and 'there'. A sensation best described as a | ||
| CF | 'visual sneeze' blows past and unthaws brand new objects in a new | ||
| CF | location. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You feel stretched and then squashed into a new form. Everything feels | ||
| CF | unfamiliar, bright, too loud. You open your eyes and find yourself on | ||
| CF | your back, looking up at the blue sky. You try to get up, and your | ||
| CF | body refuses to respond, instead twisting and popping in an awkward | ||
| CF | fashion. You reach a hand out to grab something, anything, and notice | ||
| CF | that your hand, your arm, your whole body, is tiny and undeveloped. | ||
| CF | Tiny little fingers on a tiny little hand flex open and closed. Your | ||
| CF | body has become that of a tiny infant, lying in a bed of a stroller of | ||
| CF | some sort. You feel the great urge to let out a loud wail. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside stroller) | ||
| CF | You are on the sidewalk on Elm street, likely somewhere between Jones | ||
| CF | and Oak streets. More specifically, you are inside a baby stroller | ||
| CF | with raised walls on all sides and a curved half-canopy above, being | ||
| CF | pushed along the sidewalk on Elm street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There is a woman slowly pushing the stroller. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see a blanket here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "so we cant become the woman apparently" | |
| Lancelot says, "that would be too east" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get blanket" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 79 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET BLANKET | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you grab the blanket, you uncover a pacifier that was hidden | ||
| CF | underneath it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "get pacifier" | ||
| CF ] On Elm Between Jones and Oak (inside strolScore: 0 Moves: 80 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GET PACIFIER | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Taken. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "throw pacifier at woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 81 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > THROW PACIFIER AT WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It takes quite a bit of effort, but you manage to throw the pacifier | ||
| CF | at the woman. You were aiming at her head, but end up hitting her arm. | ||
| CF | Fortunately, you hit the arm she was holding the phone with, pulling | ||
| CF | her attention away from the addictive device. "That wasn't very nice," | ||
| CF | the woman says. "Now I have to pick up your pacifier. I'm going to | ||
| CF | miss at least 3 text messages." The woman stops pushing the stroller | ||
| CF | and stoops down to look for the pacifier. At the same time, a car, | ||
| CF | driving well over the speed limit, races by, narrowly missing the | ||
| CF | stroller. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Cue the fade to white. This time you were more prepared, but it still | ||
| CF | happens in a way that manages to catch you a little off guard. Even | ||
| CF | the nearly indescribable detached sensation that follows is starting | ||
| CF | to feel familiar. In less than a moment, you find yourself in a new | ||
| CF | place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "ok so we are getting somehow closer" | |
| heasm66 says, "only the woman left, I guess" | ||
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 82 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's one of those local lines that goes along Jones St, but it must be | ||
| CF | behind schedule (no thanks to all the traffic). It looks like it might | ||
| CF | not make it through the intersection before the light changes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you look at the all the riders packed in the bus, you notice one | ||
| CF | particular businessman, glancing through the window your way. The | ||
| CF | expression on his face is one of acute discomfort. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "any suggs when on th4 bus? right now cannot do much I think" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x businessman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 83 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUSINESSMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A businessman in a frumbled suit catches your eye. He's seated on the | ||
| CF | rather crowded bus trying to get through the intersection. You can see | ||
| CF | sadness and discomfort in his eyes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 84 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 84 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. Fortunately, at | ||
| CF | the last moment, the woman pauses, distracted by something happening | ||
| CF | in the stroller, and the car races by. You breathe a sigh of relief. | ||
| CF | Then, the ear-shattering sound of screeching brakes direct your | ||
| CF | attention to a large city bus, trying and failing to cross Jones | ||
| CF | Street due to unusually heavy traffic. As it stops right in the middle | ||
| CF | of the intersection, blocking all traffic coming up Elm, the speeding | ||
| CF | car swerves, in what seems to be a foolhardy attempt to get around the | ||
| CF | bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'Surely he realizes that there's not enough road for that,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car jumps over the sidewalk, wheels spinning, | ||
| CF | and without so much as a 'hello', plows straight into you. Your last | ||
| CF | thought is of the safety of the package you carry, already crushed | ||
| CF | into pieces against your equally crushed chest, before a sudden white | ||
| CF | light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | heasm66 says, "there's a cough and a smell" | |
| heasm66 says, "*left" | ||
| DavidW asks, "maybe the businessman has a mask he can give to the woman?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yeah" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 85 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The proverbial white curtain drops once again, enshrouding you in | ||
| CF | whiteness. The players in the next scene of this surreal play start to | ||
| CF | reveal themselves, uncovered from the disappearing white. Next time | ||
| CF | you'll remember to ask the powers above for a peek at the script. For | ||
| CF | now, you can only get ready for the next act. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As the world rushes back, you find yourself seated. On a bus. A bus | ||
| CF | packed with people, uncomfortably warm, with loud with noises from | ||
| CF | every direction. You feel sweat dripping along your brow, and as you | ||
| CF | raise your arm to wipe it off, you notice you're wearing a | ||
| CF | well-fitting business suit. You've swapped bodies with an | ||
| CF | average-height business man, possibly in his late 30s, likely late to | ||
| CF | work. You feel the bus lurch forward, only to shudder to a stop a few | ||
| CF | seconds later. You glance out the window and realize you're on that | ||
| CF | bus trying to cross the Elm and Jones street intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're sitting on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you | ||
| CF | blasting music at a remarkably high volume. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 86 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a snack | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "totally forgot to check inventory" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn boombox off" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 87 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN BOOMBOX OFF | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you turn the boombox off, there's a collective sigh of relief from | ||
| CF | people nearby, including the elderly woman. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "offer seat" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 88 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OFFER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | The elderly woman sighs in relief and eagerly takes your vacated seat. | ||
| CF | "Thank you, young man," she says. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "now give snack?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "give snack" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 89 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > GIVE SNACK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | The elderly woman refuses your offer. "Can't stand those things," she | ||
| CF | says, somewhat bitterly. "So hard to chew." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "nice thought but no cigar" | |
| DavidW asks, "What things are they?" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x snack" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 90 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SNACK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It appears to be some sort of snack bar, "Healthy Granola and | ||
| CF | Chocolate", still unopened. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Someone in the back of the bus has a brief coughing fit, and recovers. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open snack" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 91 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN SNACK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The snack is not something you can open. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 92 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're standing on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you, | ||
| CF | switched off. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You watch a car aggressively drive past the bus, only to screech to a | ||
| CF | stop shortly after. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "Eat it and hope for a golden ticket?" | |
| heasm66 says, "eat the snack yourself" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "eat snack" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 93 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > EAT SNACK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You eat the snack. Not bad. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You briefly smell something rather noxious, maybe fuel, then it goes | ||
| CF | away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "dang the smell again" | |
| DavidW asks, "look under the seat? Examine the crowd?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "I guess eating the snakc is not the right thing to do" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 92 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x crowd" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 93 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X CROWD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The bus is packed with passengers. It's so crowded you wonder if | ||
| CF | there's some documented vehicle passenger limit that this bus is | ||
| CF | exceeding. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "look under seat" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 94 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > LOOK UNDER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You find nothing of interest. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, the elderly woman decides she can't take it anymore. She | ||
| CF | aggressively shoves her way through the crowd until she reaches the | ||
| CF | back door. Then, with a surprising show of strength, she forces the | ||
| CF | back doors open. This causes the bus to come to a screeching halt, at | ||
| CF | which point the passenger hops off the bus and walks off into the | ||
| CF | street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | From some distorted magic wand a splash of white is cast across your | ||
| CF | senses. It's easy to dismiss this as some sort of 'magic', but you | ||
| CF | lack the ability to describe the feeling in a way that would have any | ||
| CF | real-world meaning. Brushing off the higher-order pixie dust, you | ||
| CF | blink into a new place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "well, I dunno. It's also 4pm, but feel free to continue if you have the time." | |
| Lancelot says, "dang should we just undo? pretty sure its something on the bus" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "undo" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 93 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNDO | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | [Previous turn undone.] | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open back door" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 93 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BACK DOOR | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "argh" | |
| heasm66 says, "talk to her" | ||
| DavidW says, "probably no door at all" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "talk to woman" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 93 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TALK TO WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I didn't understand that sentence. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "talk to is not available I guess" | |
| DavidW says, "Talking isn't a thing in this game." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask woman about smell" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 94 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK WOMAN ABOUT SMELL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There is no reply. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, the elderly woman decides she can't take it anymore. She | ||
| CF | aggressively shoves her way through the crowd until she reaches the | ||
| CF | back door. Then, with a surprising show of strength, she forces the | ||
| CF | back doors open. This causes the bus to come to a screeching halt, at | ||
| CF | which point the passenger hops off the bus and walks off into the | ||
| CF | street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Cue the fade to white. This time you were more prepared, but it still | ||
| CF | happens in a way that manages to catch you a little off guard. Even | ||
| CF | the nearly indescribable detached sensation that follows is starting | ||
| CF | to feel familiar. In less than a moment, you find yourself in a new | ||
| CF | place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "we must be close" | |
| heasm66 says, "seems like she only needs to be a little calmer" | ||
| DavidW says, "yeah, but how" | ||
| heasm66 says, "the snack must(?) be of use" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Would breaking the boombox or the snack help?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "no doubt stopping the woman leaving is the challenge here" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 95 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's one of those local lines that goes along Jones St, but it must be | ||
| CF | behind schedule (no thanks to all the traffic). It looks like it might | ||
| CF | not make it through the intersection before the light changes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you look at the all the riders packed in the bus, you notice one | ||
| CF | particular businessman, glancing through the window your way. The | ||
| CF | expression on his face is one of acute discomfort. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 96 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 97 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 98 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "open a window?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "w" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 98 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > W | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's really nothing on Jones west of here except drab offices of | ||
| CF | companies you've never heard of. Probably best to head back to the | ||
| CF | lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. Fortunately, at | ||
| CF | the last moment, the woman pauses, distracted by something happening | ||
| CF | in the stroller, and the car races by. You breathe a sigh of relief. | ||
| CF | Then, the ear-shattering sound of screeching brakes direct your | ||
| CF | attention to a large city bus, trying and failing to cross Jones | ||
| CF | Street due to unusually heavy traffic. As it stops right in the middle | ||
| CF | of the intersection, blocking all traffic coming up Elm, the speeding | ||
| CF | car swerves, in what seems to be a foolhardy attempt to get around the | ||
| CF | bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'Surely he realizes that there's not enough road for that,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car jumps over the sidewalk, wheels spinning, | ||
| CF | and without so much as a 'hello', plows straight into you. Your last | ||
| CF | thought is of the safety of the package you carry, already crushed | ||
| CF | into pieces against your equally crushed chest, before a sudden white | ||
| CF | light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 99 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Like a really impatient fog, whiteness rushes in to replace your | ||
| CF | world. The fog doesn't stick around very long though, and soon you | ||
| CF | start to see objects unveiled in the fog. You steady yourself for | ||
| CF | someplace new. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As the world rushes back, you find yourself seated. On a bus. A bus | ||
| CF | packed with people, uncomfortably warm, with loud with noises from | ||
| CF | every direction. You feel sweat dripping along your brow, and as you | ||
| CF | raise your arm to wipe it off, you notice you're wearing a | ||
| CF | well-fitting business suit. You've swapped bodies with an | ||
| CF | average-height business man, possibly in his late 30s, likely late to | ||
| CF | work. You feel the bus lurch forward, only to shudder to a stop a few | ||
| CF | seconds later. You glance out the window and realize you're on that | ||
| CF | bus trying to cross the Elm and Jones street intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're sitting on a hot crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you | ||
| CF | blasting music at a remarkably high volume. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hgood point that might get rid of the smell" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "turn boombox off" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 100 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > TURN BOOMBOX OFF | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you turn the boombox off, there's a collective sigh of relief from | ||
| CF | people nearby, including the elderly woman. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The bus lurches forward half a foot, then stops. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "offer seat" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 101 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OFFER SEAT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (to the elderly woman) | ||
| CF | The elderly woman sighs in relief and eagerly takes your vacated seat. | ||
| CF | "Thank you, young man," she says. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Someone in the back of the bus has a brief coughing fit, and recovers. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open window" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 102 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN WINDOW | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You reach over and push open the window slightly, letting a cool | ||
| CF | breeze into the bus. Several people, including the elderly woman, | ||
| CF | silently nod in thanks. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The bus lurches forward half a foot, then stops. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "aha" | |
| DavidW says, "yay" | ||
| heasm66 says, "yay" | ||
| DavidW says, "hope that's enough" | ||
| Lancelot says, "the4 window was mentionede but I forgot about it I guess... good thinking" | ||
| Lancelot says, "now what I wonder..." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 103 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a snack | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You briefly smell something rather noxious, maybe fuel, then it goes | ||
| CF | away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hmm still" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask driver about smell" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 103 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK DRIVER ABOUT SMELL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can only do that to something animate. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 104 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're standing on a crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you, | ||
| CF | switched off. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "unwrap snack" | |
| DavidW says, "wait more, see if it's solved." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "unwrap snack" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 105 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNWRAP SNACK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The snack is not something you can open. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Someone in the back of the bus has a brief coughing fit, and recovers. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 106 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) Score: 0 Moves: 107 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "hmm we must be on right track I guess" | |
| Lancelot says, "f l" | ||
| DavidW says, "or look through window and go back to original us." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 108 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | On Jones heading towards Racine (in bus) | ||
| CF | You're standing on a crowded bus barely moving along Jones Street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | There's a boombox on the floor of the bus right in front of you, | ||
| CF | switched off. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can also see an elderly woman here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The bus lurches towards the intersection of Jones Street and Elm | ||
| CF | Street. You watch as the light changes to yellow just as the bus | ||
| CF | enters the intersection. Unfortunately, the traffic is bad enough that | ||
| CF | the cars ahead of the bus leave no room for the bus to get through. | ||
| CF | The bus slams on the brakes and grinds to a stop, right in the middle | ||
| CF | of the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The world fades to white again. You could see a foggy whiteness at the | ||
| CF | corner of your vision, but now it abruptly rushes in, and everything | ||
| CF | pulls away, only to pop back a moment later. Where are you now? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "now wait for the light to change and go north, maybe?" | |
| heasm66 says, "that's a plan" | ||
| Lancelot asks, "yeah not much else we can do?" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 109 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "n" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 110 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > N | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | North of here is the lab, and a day filled with more tedious errands. | ||
| CF | You'd be there already, if the traffic lights would change so you | ||
| CF | could cross the street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 111 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 112 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 112 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. Fortunately, at | ||
| CF | the last moment, the woman pauses, distracted by something happening | ||
| CF | in the stroller, and the car races by. You breathe a sigh of relief. | ||
| CF | Then, the ear-shattering sound of screeching brakes direct your | ||
| CF | attention to a large city bus, trying and failing to cross Jones | ||
| CF | Street due to unusually heavy traffic. As it stops right in the middle | ||
| CF | of the intersection, blocking all traffic coming up Elm, the speeding | ||
| CF | car swerves, in what seems to be a foolhardy attempt to get around the | ||
| CF | bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'Surely he realizes that there's not enough road for that,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car jumps over the sidewalk, wheels spinning, | ||
| CF | and without so much as a 'hello', plows straight into you. Your last | ||
| CF | thought is of the safety of the package you carry, already crushed | ||
| CF | into pieces against your equally crushed chest, before a sudden white | ||
| CF | light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 113 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The proverbial white curtain drops once again, enshrouding you in | ||
| CF | whiteness. The players in the next scene of this surreal play start to | ||
| CF | reveal themselves, uncovered from the disappearing white. Next time | ||
| CF | you'll remember to ask the powers above for a peek at the script. For | ||
| CF | now, you can only get ready for the next act. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You've looped back to where this all started once again. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | It's mid-morning again, and you are waiting at the intersection of | ||
| CF | Jones street and Elm street. Traffic is moving slowly along Jones | ||
| CF | headed east, and along Elm headed north. The traffic lights are | ||
| CF | working, and if the pedestrian walk light would ever change, you could | ||
| CF | walk across Jones and head north back to the lab. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 sits bolted to the sidewalk nearby, under one of the | ||
| CF | traffic light posts. | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are mostly devoid of pedestrians, although you do notice | ||
| CF | a woman slowly walking towards Elm street pushing a baby stroller. | ||
| CF | You notice a bus slowly trying to get through the intersection. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "dang we mush be missing something" | |
| Lancelot says, "maybe bus not finished yet" | ||
| DavidW asks, "Could the stopngo number be wrong?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "loet me try something" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yes it could be" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x woman" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 114 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X WOMAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The young woman is dutifully pushing a covered baby stroller that you | ||
| CF | happen to know holds a baby. Most of her attention is diverted to her | ||
| CF | rather large mobile device. You'll withhold judgement on her child | ||
| CF | care skills for the time being. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "or the traffic light needs a longer green face for the bus" | |
| Lancelot says, "ok so cannot become bably anymore" | ||
| DavidW says, "I don't think we can reach the speeding driver." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 115 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 appears to be a five-foot tall metal box, with no | ||
| CF | noteworthy markings, painted gray. There are some vents on the side, | ||
| CF | possibly for airflow, and you suspect it contains electronics of some | ||
| CF | sort. On the front is a metal door with a recessed handle that likely | ||
| CF | opens outwards. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you examine the box, a middle-aged man in a reflective safety vest, | ||
| CF | who was partly obscured by the box, examines something on the box, | ||
| CF | looks up at the lights, notices you watching him, and then quickly | ||
| CF | walks away. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Roger says, "a baby stroller is a large mobile device" | |
| Lancelot says, "ok looks like we still will turn into the man, so number was wrong? hmm" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x bus" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 116 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BUS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | It's one of those local lines that goes along Jones St, but it must be | ||
| CF | behind schedule (no thanks to all the traffic). It looks like it might | ||
| CF | not make it through the intersection before the light changes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | As you look at the all the riders packed in the bus, you notice one | ||
| CF | particular businessman, glancing through the window your way. The | ||
| CF | expression on his face is one of acute discomfort. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh we also still notice the businessman" | |
| Lancelot says, "now lets see who we become" | ||
| Lancelot says, "I guess we need to stop sonb" | ||
| Lancelot says, "I can go on but only few mins left now" | ||
| DavidW says, "The elderly woman didn't cause a problem this time round." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 117 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "true" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "wait" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 117 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > WAIT | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Time passes. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye you see a remarkably | ||
| CF | unremarkable car speeding rather aggressively up Elm Street, wildly | ||
| CF | changing lanes and weaving between cars. At the same time, you watch | ||
| CF | as the woman pushing the baby stroller starts to push the stroller | ||
| CF | across Elm, oblivious of the car racing towards her. Fortunately, at | ||
| CF | the last moment, the woman pauses, distracted by something happening | ||
| CF | in the stroller, and the car races by. You breathe a sigh of relief. | ||
| CF | Then, the ear-shattering sound of screeching brakes direct your | ||
| CF | attention to a large city bus, trying and failing to cross Jones | ||
| CF | Street due to unusually heavy traffic. As it stops right in the middle | ||
| CF | of the intersection, blocking all traffic coming up Elm, the speeding | ||
| CF | car swerves, in what seems to be a foolhardy attempt to get around the | ||
| CF | bus. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 'Surely he realizes that there's not enough road for that,' you manage | ||
| CF | to think, just as the car jumps over the sidewalk, wheels spinning, | ||
| CF | and without so much as a 'hello', plows straight into you. Your last | ||
| CF | thought is of the safety of the package you carry, already crushed | ||
| CF | into pieces against your equally crushed chest, before a sudden white | ||
| CF | light sweeps over the entire scene. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | *** You have died *** | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Or, hold on just a minute. There's something beyond all this white it | ||
| CF | seems. | ||
| CF | [Please press SPACE to continue.] | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "push space" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 118 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Cue the fade to white. This time you were more prepared, but it still | ||
| CF | happens in a way that manages to catch you a little off guard. Even | ||
| CF | the nearly indescribable detached sensation that follows is starting | ||
| CF | to feel familiar. In less than a moment, you find yourself in a new | ||
| CF | place. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You have been transported, somehow, without moving an inch. You are | ||
| CF | standing at the same street corner you occupied moments ago, but the | ||
| CF | traffic is different, the sounds are different, and even the sunlight | ||
| CF | is different -- missing, actually. It seems to be early evening, at | ||
| CF | least that is certain. Your body feels out of sorts, and as you glance | ||
| CF | at your hands, you see hands that are not your own, but bigger, with | ||
| CF | more scars and dirt. As you check the rest of your body you realize | ||
| CF | that you are not yourself. Your mind occupies someone else's body. | ||
| CF | Also, you suddenly realize you are not alone. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | You are at the corner of Jones and Elm. It's night-time, which means | ||
| CF | for this not-so-lively part of town, there's no one to be seen, and | ||
| CF | almost no cars driving along either street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A man is standing here, wearing a reflective safety vest and holding a | ||
| CF | clipboard. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box is bolted to the sidewalk | ||
| CF | here. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "unlock box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 119 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > UNLOCK BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | (with the key) | ||
| CF | You unlock the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "open box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 120 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > OPEN BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You open the StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box, revealing a | ||
| CF | controller panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 121 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A shiny metal panel with an embossed grid-like pattern. The pattern | ||
| CF | appears to be map of street intersections, including street names and | ||
| CF | directions. Additionally, various numbers are printed at the start and | ||
| CF | end of each street, along with printed letters along each street. | ||
| CF | There's also a small screen where a number could be displayed under | ||
| CF | the Oak street letter (D) and a green button labeled 'DONE' at the | ||
| CF | bottom of the panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Umber Elm | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 500 520 | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Jones >> 600 --+--------B--------+-- 610 >> | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | A C | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Oak >> 610 --+--------D--------+-- 560 >> | ||
| CF | | ___ | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | 520 500 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hear a howl from some animal off in the distance. Maybe it's | ||
| CF | someone's dog? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "huh a dog" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 122 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man peers into the open box and points at the panel. "Now, this | ||
| CF | here is your basic traffic flow panel. You've got each street and the | ||
| CF | four intersections near us, the direction of traffic with those funny | ||
| CF | double arrows, and the expected number of cars per hour. For example, | ||
| CF | see here," he says as he points, "The intesection at Jones and Umber | ||
| CF | has 600 cars travelling east from Jones, and 500 cars travelling south | ||
| CF | from Umber. The total number of cars coming into an intersection has | ||
| CF | to equal the number of cars leaving an intersection, so that means the | ||
| CF | total number of cars leaving the intersection of Jones and Umber, | ||
| CF | labeled A and B here, has to be equal to 600 + 500. Simple, right?" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Fortunately for us, we don't have to enter all values for A, B, C, | ||
| CF | and D. The X9000 has simplified things so that all we have to do is | ||
| CF | enter the correct value for D on that little screen there, and then | ||
| CF | press that green button." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh argh this is 4 equations with 4 vars hmm" | |
| DavidW says, "I'm far too fuzzy-brained at the moment to even attempt this puzzle." | ||
| Lancelot says, "I made a mistake I assumed something which apparently is not true" | ||
| Lancelot says, "sigh it looks like there is not a single solution" | ||
| DavidW says, "oh, I think I understand it better now." | ||
| heasm66 says, "D should equal the traffic east-bound on Oak" | ||
| Lancelot asks, "maybe we can rig it so flow becomes 0 for the line we want to block?" | ||
| DavidW says, "A + 610 = D + 520" | ||
| Lancelot says, "we are top right of screen I take it" | ||
| Lancelot says, "yes" | ||
| Lancelot says, "I am thinking if we want B to be 0 we can set D to 1190" | ||
| Lancelot says, "no idea what we should achieve otherwise" | ||
| heasm66 says, "worth a try" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "enter 1190 on screen" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 123 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ENTER 1190 ON SCREEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You try and use the touchscreen controls to set the value shown in the | ||
| CF | display. Unfortunately the screen only allows numeric values between 1 | ||
| CF | and 999. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "okay wqell so there cannot be 0 flow lol" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "i" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 124 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > I | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You're carrying: | ||
| CF | a key | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x man" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 125 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A somewhat pudgy, somewhat droopy-shouldered middle-aged man. He seems | ||
| CF | like the kind of fellow who's dependable at work and doesn't complain, | ||
| CF | but would rather be home with his wife and kids. He's dressed in a | ||
| CF | clean white shirt, slacks, and sensible but professional shoes. His | ||
| CF | reflective safety vest, worn loosely over his shirt, has a bit of | ||
| CF | wear-and-tear, but is still serviceable. He's holding a clipboard with | ||
| CF | some papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about d" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 126 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT D | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Getting colder these days. Next time I'm bringing my coat." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x box" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 127 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X BOX | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 appears to be a five-foot tall metal box, with no | ||
| CF | noteworthy markings, painted gray. There are some vents on the side, | ||
| CF | possibly for airflow, and you suspect it contains electronics of some | ||
| CF | sort. On the front is a metal door with a recessed handle that likely | ||
| CF | opens outwards. The door is open, revealing some sort of electronics | ||
| CF | panel inside. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man scratches his neck for a moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x panel" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 128 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X PANEL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A shiny metal panel with an embossed grid-like pattern. The pattern | ||
| CF | appears to be map of street intersections, including street names and | ||
| CF | directions. Additionally, various numbers are printed at the start and | ||
| CF | end of each street, along with printed letters along each street. | ||
| CF | There's also a small screen where a number could be displayed under | ||
| CF | the Oak street letter (D) and a green button labeled 'DONE' at the | ||
| CF | bottom of the panel. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | Umber Elm | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | 500 520 | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Jones >> 600 --+--------B--------+-- 610 >> | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | A C | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | Oak >> 610 --+--------D--------+-- 560 >> | ||
| CF | | ___ | | ||
| CF | | | | ||
| CF | 520 500 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | v ^ | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man scratches his neck for a moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "if this turns aout to be a random thing..." | |
| Lancelot says, "lemme scroll back if theres any thint" | ||
| Lancelot says, "hmm no hint argh" | ||
| Lancelot says, "we4ll I dont mind if we stop here" | ||
| Lancelot says, "not sure what we should try otherwise except raqndom guess and im not up for that" | ||
| DavidW says, "yeah, we gave it a good try. Well, you did." | ||
| Lancelot says, "most irritating... I love math problems but this set here can put in any value... so no single solution" | ||
| DavidW says, "I'm making up a late lunch, then I need a nap." | ||
| Lancelot says, "I suspect we need to find more info elsewhere" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x man" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 129 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X MAN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A somewhat pudgy, somewhat droopy-shouldered middle-aged man. He seems | ||
| CF | like the kind of fellow who's dependable at work and doesn't complain, | ||
| CF | but would rather be home with his wife and kids. He's dressed in a | ||
| CF | clean white shirt, slacks, and sensible but professional shoes. His | ||
| CF | reflective safety vest, worn loosely over his shirt, has a bit of | ||
| CF | wear-and-tear, but is still serviceable. He's holding a clipboard with | ||
| CF | some papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | heasm66 says, "; could enter high number and then low number to see if the discription of the traffic changes" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about clipboard" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 130 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT CLIPBOARD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "It's just my clipboard with some notes from the field office. I never | ||
| CF | really read those notes, but I keep them handy just in case Bill drops | ||
| CF | by unexpectedly." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Hey, did I tell you I quit smoking? Oh, I did?" | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about papers" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 131 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT PAPERS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "It's just my clipboard with some notes from the field office. I never | ||
| CF | really read those notes, but I keep them handy just in case Bill drops | ||
| CF | by unexpectedly." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "read it?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "read papers" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 132 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > READ PAPERS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | John is holding a plastic clipboard with a bunch of disorganized | ||
| CF | papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "read clipboard" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 133 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > READ CLIPBOARD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | John is holding a plastic clipboard with a bunch of disorganized | ||
| CF | papers clipped to it. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "Take it then read it? Ask man about Bill?" | |
| Lancelot says, "yeah high number low number... and we might end up with a binary sewarch lol..." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about bill" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 134 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT BILL | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Bill's not a bad guy, really, he just needs to relax a bit, and let | ||
| CF | us do our jobs." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about jobs" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 135 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT JOBS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hear a howl from some animal off in the distance. Maybe it's | ||
| CF | someone's dog? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about dog" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 136 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT DOG | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "You hear that too? Yeah, I think it's a coyote. I could talk about | ||
| CF | coyotes all day." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man rubs his hands together, possibly to warm them up. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about coyote" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 137 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT COYOTE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | He gazes wistfully towards the horizon. "I do love the sound of a | ||
| CF | coyote howling into the wind. Surrounded by all this concrete, I | ||
| CF | sometimes forget there's a whole natural world out there." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about world" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 138 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT WORLD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man scratches his neck for a moment. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about nature" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 139 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT NATURE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about natural world" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 140 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT NATURAL WORLD | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW asks, "x concrete?" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x concrete" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 140 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X CONCRETE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about cigarette" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 141 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT CIGARETTE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Sorry, I don't know anything about that." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "oh wait he quit smoking" | |
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about smoking" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 142 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT SMOKING | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | "Yeah, I had to give it up. I've been trying to quit for a while, | ||
| CF | actually." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You hear a howl from some animal off in the distance. Maybe it's | ||
| CF | someone's dog? | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "ask man about screen" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 143 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > ASK MAN ABOUT SCREEN | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The man takes a look at the small screen on the panel. "You need to | ||
| CF | set that screen to some value first, Tom." | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | DavidW says, "Did we ever examine the traffic pole itself? Maybe someone scratched a number on it." | |
| Lancelot says, "ohhh that would be...." | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x traffic" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 143 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X TRAFFIC | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x pole" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 143 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X POLE | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | You can't see any such thing. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "l" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 144 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > L | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The corner of Jones and Elm | ||
| CF | You are at the corner of Jones and Elm. It's night-time, which means | ||
| CF | for this not-so-lively part of town, there's no one to be seen, and | ||
| CF | almost no cars driving along either street. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | A man is standing here, wearing a reflective safety vest and holding a | ||
| CF | clipboard. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The StopNGo X9000 traffic controller box is bolted to the sidewalk | ||
| CF | here. The box door is open, revealing a control panel inside. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x sidewalk" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 145 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X SIDEWALK | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The sidewalks are unsurprisingly void of any foot traffic. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "x lights" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 146 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > X LIGHTS | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The traffic lights control the flow of traffic in their usual | ||
| CF | red-means-stop, green-means-go, and yellow-means-go-faster way. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | The lights seem to be behaving normally. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "lol go faster" | |
| Lancelot says, "well if we want to experiment then I'd say save here maybe and try some numbers but no idea huow much that would take" | ||
| heasm66 says, "I'm off to bed (10.30 PM here). Good night." | ||
| Lancelot asks, "better stop now I take it?" | ||
| Lancelot says, "here also 10.35 pm good night" | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "save traffic1" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 146 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > SAVE TRAFFIC1 | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | I only understood you as far as wanting to save. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "save" | ||
| CF | > | ||
| CF | > SAVE | ||
| CF | %% Enter a save filename to write: | ||
| Lancelot says (to ClubFloyd), "traffic1" | ||
| CF ] The corner of Jones and Elm Score: 0 Moves: 146 | ||
| CF | Ok. | ||
| CF | | ||
| CF | > | Lancelot says, "is that ok for save? :D" | |
| Lancelot says, "I'd love to get this solved but need some thinking... maybe we totally overlooked something trivial\" | ||
| Roger says, "looks good; see you next week" | ||
| Lancelot says, "see ya around" | ||
| Lancelot says, "I think we did tackle the stroller and bus then onlky this part left" | ||
| Lancelot says, "DSorry I need to go myself as well now" | ||
| Roger disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | DavidW says, "thanks all" | |
| DavidW says, "I'll go too." | ||
| DavidW goes home. | ||
| DavidW has disconnected. | Lancelot says, "I saved the transcript of this sessionmlocally then I can read through it... pretty sure we must have missed some kind of clue here" | |
