Re: Zork Done Quick (was Re: ZORK 1 End) [SPOILERS for Suspended]

[russotto@wanda.vf.pond.com (Matthew T. Russotto)]

In article <7js4p2$sfc@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>,
Jake Wildstrom <wild_dj@mit.edu> wrote:
}In article <Pine.SOL.4.05.9906111310310.10690-100000@titan.cc.wwu.edu>,
}Matthew Murray  <mmurray@cc.wwu.edu> wrote:
}>	Ever since Michael Berlyn mentioned that Suspended can be solved
}>in 42 moves, I've thought this was an excellent idea for a contest or two.
}>This would be something really neat...  I'd be interested in knowing what
}>the lowest totals are people in this newsgroup could get.
}
}Well, Suspended in particular's interesting, because winning at Suspended at
}that sort of speed's not only an exercise in igenuity,, but also in resource
}management and, dare I say it, art. It's like a well-choreographed ballet, and
}every robot has a part (except maybe Whiz or Auda).
}[There be SPOILERS here!]
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} Actually, I'll take back the dig at the brain and ear. You could send Whiz to
}get the wedge, freeing the other robots up for crucial tasks, and send him
}after the TV while Auda snags the cutter. Or the other way around. Of course,
}you can also cheat, using the "Cryo-link to objects" bug, to speed up getting
}the cutter. Also, I'd send Poet into the FCs at the beginning of the game, and
}so on....
}
}Yes, I can deinitely see 42 moves. Let me get out my map and figure it.

After much hacking and drawing, I have to claim that 42 moves is NOT
possible with the release version of Suspended.  Not without abuse of
"CONFIGURE" anyway.

The long pole is getting the red cable to the primary channel.  This
requires moving the wedge from sub supply to the step, moving the
wedge to small supply, getting the cutter using the wedge, moving tool
and wedge back to the step, moving the tool to gamma repair, opening
the cabinet, moving Fred, cutting the wire, and moving the wire to the
primary channel.

Getting the wedge: 3 moves, Sensa  (Poet can't hold both tool and
wedge, Whiz is too far away)

getting to small supply: 15 moves (total)  Note that Sensa can lay
down and pick up the wedge en passant, though there's a bug in that.

getting tool and wedge: 19 moves
(drop wedge, stand on wedge, get tool, get wedge)

getting to gamma repair: 32 moves
(again, laying down the wedge en passant)

opening cabinet: 34 moves (examine object, turn flowswitch, must be Sensa)
Move fred: 35 moves
cut wire, get wire: 37 moves

By 42 moves, the red wire is only at the SE junction

A little more experimenttation reveals that I can use Whiz to get the
cutter after Sensa gets the wedge, , allowing the moving and opening
of Fred to be overlapped with the getting of the cutter.  This saves
only three moves total (at the expense of many free cycles), and still
doesn't lead to a 42-move solution.

With much abuse of CONFIGURE, I found a way of fixing the FCs and Iris
within 39 moves, but since I couldn't get the camera to the channel, I
wasn't able to enter the reset codes.
-- 
Matthew T. Russotto                                russotto@pond.com
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
of justice is no virtue."