Renga in Blue   Interactive fiction and the All the Adventures project

(Continued from my previous post. The official WordPress reader has a bug with Soundcloud embeds, so if the last post seemed strangely short you might want to check it before moving on.)

From the Museum of Computer Adventure Game History.

Be prepared, this is going to be a long one. Rather than laying out the territory first and then tackling puzzles, I’m going to flip back and forth a little. Let me first give the general meta-layout:

The main important point of the structure is that there’s a “north side” (with the entrance/decontamination area, a “maintenance corridor”, a “library room” and a biological area) that is separate from the “south side” (central control, central core, repair, environmental override controls, and filtering computers). Between the two there is a “step” which robots can’t pass, so Auda starts trapped on the north side and the other robots start trapped on the south side.

>N
I can’t climb the step.

Let’s start focused on the “Central Chamber” area. This is the area that Iris (the only robot with visual sense) is restricted to, although Iris starts broken and unable to see.

Without Iris, Sensa and Poet are still both able to make a pass. I’m going to give the description each one makes because the two parts together help put together what’s going on.

Internal map reference — Central Chamber
POET: It hops and skips and leaves a bit, and can’t decide if it should quit. It tells the world what it should know, but doesn’t know when it’s been shown.

SENSA: Internal map reference — Central Chamber
All around me charges flow, shaped by the very nature of this room. The electrons are being channeled into an electrical column, central to this environment.

The starting place. Notice how Sensa describes a “column” that Poet doesn’t even mention; Poet is purely luxuriating in metaphor rather than describing anything.

POET: Internal map reference — Weather Monitors
They puff and billow and strain a bit, roar then ebb with time.
In the room with me is Iris.

SENSA: My receptors detect huge electrical flow through the walls and meters all around me.
In the room with me is Iris.

Neither has much helpful to say here; this room, and two other rooms off the Central Chamber (Hydroponics and Transit Monitors) are intended for Iris.

POET: Internal map reference — Main Supply Room
This is another fine mess you’ve got me into. Umm, umm umm! A processor sits on the floor, munching and spitting electrons. Button, button, who’s got the button while the socks ablaze with color. A brain tres sits in the primo socket, and a brain quart sits in the secondary socket.

SENSA: Internal map reference — Main Supply Room
A strange apparatus sits before me, processing electrons internally. This device seems active, though some internal mechanisms are exposed. There are two receptacles, designed to hold small circuitry, and a button beside them. A ruined device sits in the plus receptacle, and a seized device sits in the negative socket.

Flipping back and forth this essentially describes the same thing; while it seems like Sensa is being more exact, it turns out Poet’s “tres” and “quart” will be helpful in a moment. Going to the supply room just south…

Internal map reference — Middle Supply Room
POET: From junk we spring, to junk we go.
Contained spirits, like thoughts, fly from reach.
The basket of goodies for Grandma contains…
A brain plain
A brain quartet
A brain trio
A brain two
A brain zip
There is a sixteen-inch cable here.
It is something we can all grasp, something to embrace, whose presence I detect.

SENSA: I am in the Middle Supply Room.
I perceive a small container which holds several small devices.
The small container contains…
A scanning object
A buss object
A maximized object
A filtering object
A polarized object
There is a sixteen-inch cable here.
A small object emits a weak signal, specifically oriented toward Waldo.

…this is clearly the same set of objects, just described in different ways (except the cable, which is absolutely identical, but based on that mysterious only-on-some-versions memo, can be completely ignored). They do show up in the same order, so the “maximized object” is a “brain trio”.

While this all strongly suggests the “tres” needs to be replaced with a “brain trio” (or maximized object) and the “quart” needs to be replaced with a “brain quartet” (or buss object) trying to swap them in and press the button had no seeming effect. There’s another part later where the plain/quartet/trio notation ends up being very helpful, just not for this exact issue.

The contrasting descriptions of the last object are helpful side by side: “a weak signal, specifically oriented toward Waldo” merged with “something we can all grasp”. The two made me realize this is some sort of tool specifically for Waldo. The GET OBJECT trick also still works

FC: Which object do you mean, the scanning object, the buss object, the maximized object, the filtering object, the polarized object, or the micro extension?

and Whiz quite explicitly says when asked about it: “It looks like a simple waldo for Waldo, in a sense. It has small extensions on it which could probably be used for micro-surgery or something like that.” We’ll be bringing in Waldo a little bit later to try it out.

Internal map reference — Sub Supply Room
POET: It burns and wields tremendous light and makes our joints delight its might.
To rise and fall, and climb new heights, to descend the pit of robot despair. Everything cracks under pressure, sooner or later.

SENSA: Internal map reference — Sub Supply Room
The air here is still. No vibrational activity.
Nothing within this environment emits singular vibrations, but an object does send out a CLC identifier.

Sensa indicates an object; the CLC identifier indicates it is in the “central library computer”. This means you can switch over to controlling Whiz and look for it; the best place to go for this kind of speculative search is an “Index Pedestal” which lets you know if an item is in the database at all and where to get the info.

Internal map reference — Index Peripheral
CLC identifier shows the object before me as the Index pedestal.

>plug in
It’s great to be home. Plugged in to the Index Pedestal. Ready to process queries.

The problem is Sensa’s description is too vague, and while Poet’s description is technically accurate, it doesn’t quite help find the item in the index. However, it is possible to TAKE OBJECT to instruct a robot to grab whatever is in the room (or even TAKE ALL). Once held in inventory, Poet has a more helpful description:

My Zen Master says I am grasping…
A slanting wedge

You can then jump over to Whiz and ask about the wedge:

>query wedge
CLC: Hmm. That’s a tough one. Hold on a minute while I try to locate a reference …

CLC: Ah! Here’s the tagged object. Sorry about that delay, but it’s crowded in here.
IP: Data available from the Advisory Pedestal.

Going over to the relevant pedestal, Whiz then explains that the wedge “can be used as a step or small platform.” This is sufficient information to know: this is meant to bridge the north and south parts of the map!

Internal map reference — Hallway Junction
Life is filled with choice. Decisions always make my eyes moist.

>n
I can’t climb the step.

>put wedge on step
The slanting wedge has been positioned at the step.

>n
Internal map reference — Sloping Corridor
Oh, the travesty of descent, the joyousness of having one’s spirit lifted beyond measure to another glorious level.
The slanting wedge is positioned by the step.

Before going on to further exploration, let’s fix Iris. Fortunately, Whiz is helpful when asked.

AP: Iris can be best used to monitor the monitors surrounding the Central Chamber.
Waldo should remove the maintenance panel and replace all faulty chips.

Bringing Waldo (the grasping/touching bot with sonar), and then doing EXAMINE IRIS:

WALDO: Iris feels extremely delicate and is under a meter in height. My pressure extensions detect a maintenance panel which should be accessible to me.

Remember he had a micro tool in storage; if you pick up and “wear” it, you can then open the panel.

When I open the smooth metal panel I detect a smooth device, a bumpy device, and a rough device.

It’s easy to forget with all the strange messages, but Poet is intended as a diagnostic bot, and can TOUCH each of the boards inside to figure out which one is broken.

>examine iris
The door is open and behind it I detect a brain zero, a brain dos, and a brain uno.

>touch zero
Sensory pads detect no abnormal flow.

>touch dos
Sensory pads detect no abnormal flow.

>touch uno
Electrons can no longer find flow paths through this brain.

The “uno” corresponds to the “plain brain” with the maintenance supplies.

>replace uno with plain
Okay. It’s done.

IRIS INTERRUPT: OOOH! That felt good! Close my panel, big boy.

>waldo, close panel
FC: Cryolink established to Waldo.
WALDO: Closed.

IRIS INTERRUPT: You never looked so good.

We can now see what the room actually looks like!

FC: Cryolink established to Iris.
IRIS: Internal map reference — Central Chamber
I’m in a large room which looks like the inside of a globe. The walls seem sculptured with wiring, swirling around the room’s perimeter, leading into a tall column. The column itself has a door on its face. Doorways lead to the west, south, east and northeast.
In the room with me are Waldo, Sensa and Poet.
Waldo is carrying a microsurgery extension.
Poet is carrying a blue chip.

Since I’m guessing you’re curious:

>w
Internal map reference — Main Supply Room
I’m in the northernmost portion of a large, messy area where debris is scattered about as if something had shaken it loose from the walls. Sitting near the wall is a machine which has a little orange button on its face. Beside the button are two small sockets, one red and one yellow. A burned chip sits in the red socket, and a fried chip sits in the yellow socket.

>s
Internal map reference — Middle Supply Room
This is the middle of an L-shaped supply room. Scattered about on the floor are all kinds of debris. Nothing looks salvageable.
Among the rubble I can see a little basket, sitting on the floor.
The little wire basket contains…
A plaid IC
A green IC
A yellow IC
A red IC
There is a blue sixteen-inch cable here.

>e
Internal map reference — Sub Supply Room
I am in a sub-station of the supply rooms. The room is small, with debris littering the floor.
A broken shelf lies on the floor in a terrible state, beyond use.

With the colors, it is possible to fix the “burned chip” and “fried chip” properly; the red IC goes in the red socket and the yellow IC goes in the yellow socket.

>push button
Okay. I’ve pressed the button. The front panel popped open, exposing a series of eight little circles with letters written on them. The front panel bears further examination. A bunch of orange wire is exposed, and beside it, in the panel, rests a small glass fuse.

>examine front panel
On the panel are a series of eight circles. Each of these circles has a three letter code printed on it. The three letters correspond to half of the Filtering Computers’ reset code.

The circle codes are FOO, MUM, BLE, BAR, KLA, CON, BOZ, and TRA respectively. I don’t have anything matching with them yet.

Other than that puzzle, the main use of Iris is to check various monitors. The earthquake that started the game is already causing weather to go out of control; Hydroponics and Transit are at “optimal” to start (on default difficulty, at least), but there are secondary quakes later which mess with those too.

Internal map reference — Weather Monitors
All around me I see meters indicating the state of the weather conditions on all three planet-side continents.
The monitors for surface weather show:

  TEMP: 26 WINDS: 70
  PRECIPITATION: a blinding snowstorm
  TOWER PRESSURES: Tower 1 -- 55
                   Tower 2 -- 20
                   Tower 3 -- 55

I haven’t fully experimented yet with everything, but at least tried to fix the weather, by going to the “skywalk” branch on the south side of the complex:

The controls are switches (for transit), levers (for hydroponics) and dials (for weather), with the added complication that not every robot can see every control. Sensa can see all the controls normally. Waldo can see all of them with his sonar (although he sees the switches as “bumps”); Poet only can work with the levers and dials but the switches are invisible. Auda hears a roaring sound while on the skywalk but can’t refer to any of the controls.

Internal map reference — Skywalk Beta
I can hear the tremendous roar of wind in a tunnel to the north. An exact duplication of this sound can be detected from the east and west, though their intensities are somewhat less.

>n
Internal map reference — Hydroponics Control Area
I am in the Hydroponics Control Area.

All the dials are set at 55, but since the Tower’s pressure is at 20 it clearly is not working properly. I ended up getting the weather to simply “rain” by cranking the second dial up to 100, and had everything down to a “light drizzle” by moving the first and third dial down a step to 54.

  TEMP: 42 WINDS: 18
  PRECIPITATION: a light drizzle
  TOWER PRESSURES: Tower 1 -- 54
                   Tower 2 -- 45
                   Tower 3 -- 54

One important point here is that you can technically reach the dials before you’ve fixed Iris, so you can take the information already gathered and send a robot to fix the weather right away. I’m not sure how I feel about that. The “quantum realities” that the game encourages (like Deadline) where you experiment and reset many times feels like it admits “knowing how the chip color puzzle works” but not so much fixing weather without seeing it. On the other hand, the attempts from the Cambridge authors like with Hezarin to “fix” this issue with randomness-during-the-game ended up breaking it utterly instead, so I’d rather authors avoid trying too hard to avoid pre-knowledge.

To recap, as far as puzzles solved, I’ve bridged the step between the north and south areas, fixed Iris, fixed a “reset code” device in storage, and prevented a snowstorm.

Aaron Reed’s map of the south section of Suspended, which you can get as a mouse pad.

Staying with the south side for now, there’s a “repair area” (where Waldo starts at) with two unresolved mysteries. The first is a “walkway” that runs north to south. According to Whiz, putting something in at one side will run it through and have it fixed at the other ends, except the walkway isn’t running. From Sensa’s perspective:

Internal map reference — Alpha Repair
Strong electrical interference can be detected within this environment.
The conveying mechanism is not in motion.

>s
Internal map reference — Beta Repair
I detect slight vibrational activity from a conveying mechanism.
The conveying mechanism is not in motion.

>s
Internal map reference — Gamma Repair
Vibrational activity and electrical emanations detected from the north are stronger than those in the immediate vicinity.
The conveying mechanism is not in motion.
In the room with me is Waldo.
A large object emits strange flows, its surface a tracery of filament-like circuitry. The circuitry is concentrated near the center of one side.

While I haven’t been able to get the walkway running, I have managed to deal with the “large object” which is a locked cabinet. Most of the robots aren’t helpful here, but having Sensa examine the cage (spotting a “flowswitch”) followed by Poet touching it (who otherwise can’t sense it) is sufficient to give instructions on how to open the cabinet.

>touch cage
Data bits flow within the surface of the cage, concentrated in a circle.

>sensa, examine cage
FC: Cryolink established to Sensa.
SENSA: Concentrated on the front surface of the large object is a flowswitch.

>poet, touch flowswitch
FC: Cryolink established to Poet.
POET: Sensa has the ability to turn the plates and detect when they are properly aligned.

SENSA, TURN PLATES causes it to open, revealing a “broken device”. Sensa and Waldo don’t give more detail than that, but Poet refers to the device as FRED, which is enough to get Whiz on the case:

Technical: This robot is a dead and departed robot who is totally beyond repair.

Historical: This robot was an all-purpose, multi-function robot which proved inadequate for maintenance purposes.

Advisory: There may be some salvageable parts inside it.

While FRED is larger than any of the robots, you can specify BOTH robots move FRED. (This is the puzzle that made me grumpy last time, but again, I didn’t have the manual directions that indicated I could command two robots at once.)

>both waldo and poet, get fred
FC: Dual-Cryolink established to Waldo and Poet.
FC: The robots have moved it.
FC: Cryolink established to Waldo.

>look
Internal map reference — Gamma Repair
I have reached the south end of this area. The walkway ends here.
The walkway is not in motion.
In the room with me are Sensa and Poet.
There is a broken mechanism here.
I can feel a bunch of smooth wire coming out of the mechanism.
There is a hollow object here.

>poet, examine wire
FC: Cryolink established to Poet.
POET: I perceive nothing special about the twelve-inch cable.

I’m guessing this goes back to the override device; fixing it seems to be the central puzzle of the whole game. I haven’t taken this puzzle any farther at the moment (you may notice this post is already getting rather long, and I’m not done yet).

It’s time for some acid! Which FRED supposedly resists, so I may need to simply salvage some parts or even fix FRED entirely (my memory is gone past the BOTH robots part, it’s apparently the moments of frustration that stick in memory!) I also found a method of fixing the acid leak later (but it may not be optimal for turns). For now, though, let’s just send in some sacrifices. Going east to the Filtering Computers requires passing under acid, which Poet describes colorfully:

Internal map reference — Short Corridor
The great interpreter of all our daily occurences lies ahead, while a walk in the sky waits for me to the northeast.
Bathe in luxuriating, though scorching, solvents.

>e
Internal map reference — Cavernous Room
Twice the size of life, this area makes me feel like a dwarf.
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
And before you know it I’ll
wake up dead… a puddle of lead.

>e
Internal map reference — East End
Ah, Mama! Here I am, your sonny boy, returned after a lifetime of wandering!

>e
Internal map reference — Beta FC
Amid the nervous neurons, the synaptic links make jumps akin to imagination found only in Wonderland.

POET INTERRUPT: I fear I’m about to become one with the cosmos.

There’s a little time before a robot who gets acid-bathed dies, so I think it may be possible to do whatever needs doing via sacrifice rather than “solving a puzzle”. I have yet to experiment; taking Sensa through reveals a “plug” in two places (Primary Channel, Secondary Channel).

Internal map reference — Secondary Channel
Sensory mechanisms detect the disquieting flow of electricity within this tube. The flow is concentrated within the small cables which line a groove in the floor. There is a small hole in the wall of the tube awaiting a plug, while slightly higher up rests a sign.

(The sign isn’t portable, and Iris can’t reach this spot, so I don’t know what it says.)

Finally to the north side:

Auda starts in a long east-west hall where to the far west is “sterilization” followed by “decontamination”; this is for any humans entering the facility (ominous note). Along the way is a “small supply room” with a metal tool up high, which Waldo describes as a cutting tool (but can’t reach).

Internal map reference — Small Supply Room
I can detect a small area, cluttered with things which extend from the walls. Doorways lead to the east and the west.
There is a high extending holder here.
Sitting on the high extending holder is…
A cutting tool
There is a square container here.

Opening the container gives the message “Robots are restricted from opening this cabinet” which feels additionally ominous, in the way that the (television show) Westworld had things the robots just couldn’t see.

A branch heading south has a few specific points of interest:

A maintenance access room: Waldo describes a “strange combination of circular protuberances” with a “small spray going upward”. Sensa more specifically describes it as acid where “Approximately 99.87 percent of these acid droplets are
going up into the room above.”

A library core: This is meant to be the human-usable version of the same database that Whiz can access. If you send Whiz over he specifically says “This peripheral allows no interaction with robots.”

A force field: The end of the hallway turns east to a biological area I haven’t been able to access because of a force field.

Internal map reference — Hallway End
Sonar detects the end of the southern hallway. To the east is a long, narrow area which travels out of my receiving range.
Sonar also detects a large hollow container sitting at the head of the long tunnel.
I can detect nothing inside of it.

>e
CLC WARNING: Dangerous force fields prevent eastern movement.

Sensa has the most helpful description…

Sensory input indicates the end of the southern hallway here, with extremely violent force fields and electrical disturbances to the east.
Sensors detect an egg-shaped object, large enough for me to enter, sitting at the head of the long tunnel.
I can detect nothing inside of it.

…although I’m still not sure yet what’s going on here.

Almost done! Let’s talk about the arrival of the humans. This happens after some amount of turns (I haven’t counted) I assume because they’re trying to do the clone-replacement process, assuming you’ve gone haywire (you think they might notice the earthquakes, but this seems to be the matter of hundreds of years of peace means they have trouble figuring out what to do in a crisis). Switching to Auda, which starts in the north section anyway:

Internal map reference — Sterilization Chamber
A loud whirring noise can be detected from the west.
A small plaque makes tinging noises here.

>w
CLC WARNING!! Further westward movement prohibited to all robots.

(The plaque here is portable and I took it to Iris to read it, but let’s save that for last.)

After enough time passes:

AUDA INTERRUPT: Some talking mechanisms just entered the room.

>wait
FC: Time passes…

I can hear the sound of metal against metal, followed by the sound of a creaking door opening.

“I’ve got the toolbag. Everything in it seems intact.”
“Well, don’t lose it, man. We’re lost without it. We’ll never pull the switch on him if we lose it.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let it out of my sight.”
“I’m getting sleepy. It was a long ride down here. What do you say we catch some sleep?”
“You really think we should? With all the devastation taking place?”
“I don’t have much choice. I’m not thinking clearly, and I really need to sleep. More casualties will occur if we don’t take care of ourselves.”
“Good point. Let’s go.”

The humans head to the “sleep chamber” to the far east and pause:

“Well, this is some sleep chamber. No frills.”
“Don’t complain. At least there’s bunks for us.”
“I suppose. I’m going to put the toolbag on the floor while I grab some shuteye.”
“What about the robot?”
“What, that ear thing? Gimme a break!”

AUDA: I hear the sound of metal being placed on the floor.

Trying to take the item (a toolbag) awakens the humans:

“Give me that, you little devil!”
“That robot’s a thief! Let’s get it!”

I’m not sure if it is possible to steal the tools entirely, but you can lead the humans over to the acid leak which seems useful:

“Hey — Look at that! The pipes going up to the Filtering Computers have burst.”
“Yeah. Maybe the person in the cylinder isn’t at fault….”
“Hmm. You could be right. Let’s fix this and then see if things return to normal.”

AUDA: I can hear the sound of metal, like a wheel turning, and the hissing stop.

“That should take care of that leak. Let’s go up to the Rec Area and wait for awhile.”
“Fine. Meanwhile, I’ll get our toolbag back.”

AUDA: I hear footsteps as the talking mechanisms walk away.

SENSA: I detect the flow within the pipes overhead stopping and the acid leak stopping, too.

The fun thing about this scene is I first only had Sensa here with the bag but forgot to bring Auda along, and Sensa can’t even sense the humans there, so the hissing mysteriously fixed on its own (although I could guess at what happened).

That’s an enormous amount of progress, I think! I still have the open problems of

• Dealing with hydroponic and transport controls
• The mysterious force field
• What to do with FRED
• Getting the repair device near FRED running
• Getting the “cutting tool” that’s too high
• The mysterious plugs past the acid drip
• Using the reset device with the eight codes
• Anything else involving the humans (either using them to help, or stealing their tools)

Hopefully I won’t need these! Via eBay.

One last thing before I check out, since I promised: the message on the plaque, as read by Iris:

This Underground Complex was designed and built by the Frobozz Engineering Company, makers of such fine products as One-Way ™ Bus Tickets, Ozone Nozone, and “Best in the East”, soon to be a Smello-vision ™ release.

Chief Designer/Architect: Michael Berlyn.

Despite a lack of dark / grues, I suppose that means Suspended is part of the extended Zorkiverse?