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xyzzysqrlNancy: "So, welcome back! Last time, on Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock, I had just..."
Bess: "Nancy, we remember how the story was going. You drove around and talked to a banker."
George: "And there was a whole lot of exposition."
Nancy: "Oh. Well. ... Anyway, I turned to leave and noticed something!"
Over in the corner of Mr. Archer's office is a typewriter, which... yes, was a gift from Mr. Crowley.
"It doesn't work." Jim grumps. "The keys jam all the time." Nancy naturally flips up the typewriter ribbon and begins to read. "October 9, 1929. Dear Mrs. Sheldon, here is the trivet I said you could borrow for your party at Twin Elms. Please take care of it, I will want it back someday. Josiah C."
Nancy instantly becomes -deeply concerned- about the fate of the trivet. Obviously this is something she'll be investigating with due haste. It's also interesting to note that yes, the typewriter does seem to repeat letters and capitalize oddly. Looks like Crowley was a Homestuck fan or something. Weird. As I turn to leave once more, another scenery object catches my eye. A clock! It was a gift from Josiah! And yes, there's a keyhole at the base of the clock. Mr. Archer claims he lost it a while ago, but it doesn't matter, because it stopped running basically the second Crowley walked out the door.
Oh well. Back to the Lilac Inn to do some exploring. Let's start with the Inn itself and then work outward, shall we?
Inside the inn, I start with the drawing room. First off, there's a table covered in various newspapers and magazines. Among the tidbits I gather...
A ninth planet discovered, named "Pluto". I don't think it'll ever catch on.
President Hoover predicts a full economic recovery. I'm sure he knows what he's doing.
A meteor hit a cemetary in Arkansas. Hmm. Could be worrying if zombies break out.
There's also an article on Hobo Sign Language...
...Which is clickable and has legible text, so you know it's probably important. Maybe we're going boxcar-hopping!
Also on display is an issue of "Like" magazine with an article on "Clever Hans the Wonder Horse", a horse that supposedly could count, add, subtract, etc. However, scientific studies have proven that Hans would only tap out the correct answer when his owner gave him cues via body language. Unconscious social cues tipped off the horse that he could stop "counting" at the correct digit.
Nancy, in full sleuth mode, files this information on subconscious cues away for later.
Over in the far corner, we find an... er, "arcade machine" of sorts. Some sort of coin-operated business. How could I resist playing matchmaker? I give it a few cents. It's not that hard, but it does take all the little slider men working together to get them shoved together into the proper static female spots on the board, which is ... sort of in-character, given the theme of the play. Upon succeeding, a little sign falls out of the top of the machine that says "KEEN!" and I get no reward at all. Again, much like the play. I guess it's too much to ask for a little wind-up Puck or something? Yeah. Pbbft.
Above the mantlepiece of the fireplace is what I -imagine- to be the titluar Old Clock. While I can't imagine this has anything whatsoever to do with the mystery at hand, I do give it a couple of pokes and prods. The front panel falls open, revealing...
...a slider puzzle! This variation is called the "Traffic Jam" or "Rush Hour" puzzle usually. This type of puzzle (I'm going to say, because this is what research indicates) was invented by a Japanese inventor/puzzler named Nob Yoshigahara, back in the seventies. Er, the 1970s. Eeegah! Anachronism! ... Who cares, though? Does anyone want to find out what the Secret of this particular Old Clock is? LET'S DO THAT. So I sit down for a half hour and slide little blocks around. Eventually I get the bird to slide all the way across USING MY MIND. What's in the clock? It's... A MIRROR!
A mirror? Okay. *scratch head* Huh. Is this like some kind of metaphor? Like, "the only thing that can make you money is you"? Was Mr. Crowley some kind of DERANGED PHILOSOPHER?
Hell if I know. Let's keep exploring.
Finally, next to the fireplace I find a suspicious lever! I give it a pull and... the little alcoved loveseat swings open, revealing stairs. Oh, hey. A secret passage. WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED? Obviously I go straight down into that. It's incredibly dark and spooky at first, but this puzzle is solved by pulling the big electric switch next to the stairs, thus lighting the place up. Nancy looks at the dusty passage, then at the brand-new electric lanterns, and concludes she's not the only one to use this passage recently.
Maybe this is why Emily keeps thinking she's being watched, hmm? As if to answer that question, there's a plate embedded in the wall about halfway through the tunnel. I pull it off and...
OH LOOK IT'S A COMPLETELY UNRELATED PUZZLE. This one involves rotating tiles and putting them in the right place and yadda yadda yadda you know how this works. First I work through the letters at the top, then around the curve of the moon in the background. This reveals a man standing in front of the moon, so I fill out the rest of his body. That's more than half the picture right there, so the rest is just lining up tiles.
Do these little mini-tips on how I solve a puzzle help any of you out there? Are any of you going to play an adventure game and go "AW MAN IT'S A PUZZLE wait be cool HOW WOULD THE SQRL SOLVE THIS?" ... Because I have a hard time imagining that ever happening. I'm gonna go ahead and say that will never happen. It's not like I'm abnormally good at these or anything.
Oh well. Anyway! With the "Creepy's Corner" poster reconstructed, it slides out of the way to reveal a "Creepy's Corner" phonograph record! Nancy sticks this in her pocket. Somehow.
Nancy tromps on through the secret passage until she's passing under tree roots and through what looks like rock instead of wood. Finally she hits the end of the passage and listens at the trap door above her. Sounds like "somebody's living room", but she's reluctant to just... come BURSTING UP through the floor of whoever it is. I personally think this would be funny as crap, but I am not Nancy Drew. Besides, it would kind of alert whoever's using it.
Nancy: "Anyway, then I went up on the porch and phoned..."
Bess: "Us? You phoned us, right?"
Nancy: "How could I phone you two? I didn't know you yet!"
(Note: This is in fact a lie. You can totally phone Bess and George. They stand on each other's feet while chatting with the wall-mounted phone and argue with other people on the party line. It is pretty adorable. Unfortunately, my frame story skewered that! Oops. So...)
Nancy: "I called my Dad and told him everything!"
Carson: "...And then the stove -exploded-, you say."
Nancy: "Uh-huh. So I'm really interested in staying longer."
Carson: "Nancy, I want you to examine your logic."
Nancy: "No, I know it's dangerous, but ..."
Carson: "Are you sure you don't want to come home? You've got the papers, and that jewelry was stolen through no fault of yours. Technically your obligation is over."
Nancy: "I know, but... No. I'm going to stay and look around some more. I want to know what's going on here! I NEED to know!"
Carson: "You -need- to? Because you're just so curious?"
Nancy: "Well... yeah!"
Carson: "Calm down, Nancy. As long as you're careful about things, you can stay. I know what it's like to be that curious."
Nancy: "Thanks, Dad."
George: "Your voice sounds -really funny- when you're imitating your father, Nancy."
Nancy: "My stomach sounds really funny when I haven't eaten all morning. Let's stop for lunch?"
Bess: "Sounds good to me!"
Bess: "Nancy, we remember how the story was going. You drove around and talked to a banker."
George: "And there was a whole lot of exposition."
Nancy: "Oh. Well. ... Anyway, I turned to leave and noticed something!"
Over in the corner of Mr. Archer's office is a typewriter, which... yes, was a gift from Mr. Crowley.
"It doesn't work." Jim grumps. "The keys jam all the time." Nancy naturally flips up the typewriter ribbon and begins to read. "October 9, 1929. Dear Mrs. Sheldon, here is the trivet I said you could borrow for your party at Twin Elms. Please take care of it, I will want it back someday. Josiah C."
Nancy instantly becomes -deeply concerned- about the fate of the trivet. Obviously this is something she'll be investigating with due haste. It's also interesting to note that yes, the typewriter does seem to repeat letters and capitalize oddly. Looks like Crowley was a Homestuck fan or something. Weird. As I turn to leave once more, another scenery object catches my eye. A clock! It was a gift from Josiah! And yes, there's a keyhole at the base of the clock. Mr. Archer claims he lost it a while ago, but it doesn't matter, because it stopped running basically the second Crowley walked out the door.
Oh well. Back to the Lilac Inn to do some exploring. Let's start with the Inn itself and then work outward, shall we?
Inside the inn, I start with the drawing room. First off, there's a table covered in various newspapers and magazines. Among the tidbits I gather...
A ninth planet discovered, named "Pluto". I don't think it'll ever catch on.
President Hoover predicts a full economic recovery. I'm sure he knows what he's doing.
A meteor hit a cemetary in Arkansas. Hmm. Could be worrying if zombies break out.
There's also an article on Hobo Sign Language...
...Which is clickable and has legible text, so you know it's probably important. Maybe we're going boxcar-hopping!
Also on display is an issue of "Like" magazine with an article on "Clever Hans the Wonder Horse", a horse that supposedly could count, add, subtract, etc. However, scientific studies have proven that Hans would only tap out the correct answer when his owner gave him cues via body language. Unconscious social cues tipped off the horse that he could stop "counting" at the correct digit.
Nancy, in full sleuth mode, files this information on subconscious cues away for later.
Over in the far corner, we find an... er, "arcade machine" of sorts. Some sort of coin-operated business. How could I resist playing matchmaker? I give it a few cents. It's not that hard, but it does take all the little slider men working together to get them shoved together into the proper static female spots on the board, which is ... sort of in-character, given the theme of the play. Upon succeeding, a little sign falls out of the top of the machine that says "KEEN!" and I get no reward at all. Again, much like the play. I guess it's too much to ask for a little wind-up Puck or something? Yeah. Pbbft.
Above the mantlepiece of the fireplace is what I -imagine- to be the titluar Old Clock. While I can't imagine this has anything whatsoever to do with the mystery at hand, I do give it a couple of pokes and prods. The front panel falls open, revealing...
...a slider puzzle! This variation is called the "Traffic Jam" or "Rush Hour" puzzle usually. This type of puzzle (I'm going to say, because this is what research indicates) was invented by a Japanese inventor/puzzler named Nob Yoshigahara, back in the seventies. Er, the 1970s. Eeegah! Anachronism! ... Who cares, though? Does anyone want to find out what the Secret of this particular Old Clock is? LET'S DO THAT. So I sit down for a half hour and slide little blocks around. Eventually I get the bird to slide all the way across USING MY MIND. What's in the clock? It's... A MIRROR!
A mirror? Okay. *scratch head* Huh. Is this like some kind of metaphor? Like, "the only thing that can make you money is you"? Was Mr. Crowley some kind of DERANGED PHILOSOPHER?
Hell if I know. Let's keep exploring.
Finally, next to the fireplace I find a suspicious lever! I give it a pull and... the little alcoved loveseat swings open, revealing stairs. Oh, hey. A secret passage. WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED? Obviously I go straight down into that. It's incredibly dark and spooky at first, but this puzzle is solved by pulling the big electric switch next to the stairs, thus lighting the place up. Nancy looks at the dusty passage, then at the brand-new electric lanterns, and concludes she's not the only one to use this passage recently.
Maybe this is why Emily keeps thinking she's being watched, hmm? As if to answer that question, there's a plate embedded in the wall about halfway through the tunnel. I pull it off and...
OH LOOK IT'S A COMPLETELY UNRELATED PUZZLE. This one involves rotating tiles and putting them in the right place and yadda yadda yadda you know how this works. First I work through the letters at the top, then around the curve of the moon in the background. This reveals a man standing in front of the moon, so I fill out the rest of his body. That's more than half the picture right there, so the rest is just lining up tiles.
Do these little mini-tips on how I solve a puzzle help any of you out there? Are any of you going to play an adventure game and go "AW MAN IT'S A PUZZLE wait be cool HOW WOULD THE SQRL SOLVE THIS?" ... Because I have a hard time imagining that ever happening. I'm gonna go ahead and say that will never happen. It's not like I'm abnormally good at these or anything.
Oh well. Anyway! With the "Creepy's Corner" poster reconstructed, it slides out of the way to reveal a "Creepy's Corner" phonograph record! Nancy sticks this in her pocket. Somehow.
Nancy tromps on through the secret passage until she's passing under tree roots and through what looks like rock instead of wood. Finally she hits the end of the passage and listens at the trap door above her. Sounds like "somebody's living room", but she's reluctant to just... come BURSTING UP through the floor of whoever it is. I personally think this would be funny as crap, but I am not Nancy Drew. Besides, it would kind of alert whoever's using it.
Nancy: "Anyway, then I went up on the porch and phoned..."
Bess: "Us? You phoned us, right?"
Nancy: "How could I phone you two? I didn't know you yet!"
(Note: This is in fact a lie. You can totally phone Bess and George. They stand on each other's feet while chatting with the wall-mounted phone and argue with other people on the party line. It is pretty adorable. Unfortunately, my frame story skewered that! Oops. So...)
Nancy: "I called my Dad and told him everything!"
Carson: "...And then the stove -exploded-, you say."
Nancy: "Uh-huh. So I'm really interested in staying longer."
Carson: "Nancy, I want you to examine your logic."
Nancy: "No, I know it's dangerous, but ..."
Carson: "Are you sure you don't want to come home? You've got the papers, and that jewelry was stolen through no fault of yours. Technically your obligation is over."
Nancy: "I know, but... No. I'm going to stay and look around some more. I want to know what's going on here! I NEED to know!"
Carson: "You -need- to? Because you're just so curious?"
Nancy: "Well... yeah!"
Carson: "Calm down, Nancy. As long as you're careful about things, you can stay. I know what it's like to be that curious."
Nancy: "Thanks, Dad."
George: "Your voice sounds -really funny- when you're imitating your father, Nancy."
Nancy: "My stomach sounds really funny when I haven't eaten all morning. Let's stop for lunch?"
Bess: "Sounds good to me!"
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no subject
Date: 2012-10-20 09:51 pm (UTC)Almost, but maybe not how you'd think! Actually, as an occasional puzzle designer and more-than-occasional puzzle solver it's really cool to hear other people's techniques and it helps me a lot in trying to figure out how solvers are likely to think.