IF Comp ’08: The Lucubrator (spoilers)

Now that title just sounds dirty.

Ooh. This is a bit creepy. The writing is a bit… awkward, but not torturous (yet).

> wake up
The dreadful truth is, this is not a dream.

Niiice touch.

…Oh, no, that’s a default Inform message, isn’t it? Still: brr.

Oh man. Okay, this is awesome. I’m on my feet. Now: good or evil?

Evil. >save

Darn. >restore

Okay, look: if trying to move in a direction that’s unavailable costs me a turn, then >leave needs to work. >restore

Hrm. Can’t figure out what to do here. Stupid Jeff. Stupid chair.

Whoops, bug: sitting on the chair has confused Jeff into stepping on his phone twice. Can I somehow take advantage of his obvious befuddlement?

Wooo, got it. Evil wins after all. Boo-yah. Round 2: phatty-smokin’ Joe Security.

Darn it, I got nothin’. Lookin at the cheat sheet.

…Whaaaa? Oh come ON. I don’t think that’s fair. What’s stopping me from throwing the TV at him without the sprinklers on? All it said wasYou lack the nerve when it comes to the crucial moment., which is plainly nonsense since I obviously have no qualms about killing. What is needed here is information, viz: “You throw the television at Joe. It hits him and the video tube breaks with arcs of electricity spitting out. He jerks backward with a shriek, but quickly recovers from the apparently minor shock and fills you full of fucking lead.” See? when the player does roughly but not quite the right thing, they deserve to be told that they’re on the right track.

Sigh. And it was going so well too. Well, on to part 3…

Okay. Okay, you know what else? When the first two actions (other than waiting) that I have to do in the scene are >bite dave and >kick dave, for CHRISSAKES don’t tell me Violence isn’t the answer to this one when I try them on the wrong turns! Violence IS the goddamn answer! Those exact forms of violence are the fucking answer! The correct response is: The time is not right, or words to that goddamn effect!

Goddamnit, and I really liked the beginning of this game, too. Fucking hell.

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