Link Dump Friday

November 2, 2007

Tags: blog linkdump

Link Dump Fridays

This week's introductory paragraph was eaten by my dog. Of course, I don't have a dog, so that makes my excuse a bit awkard. Hopefully the game feast below will distract you from my folly.

Pac-Txt - It's all the goodness of Pac-Man, now in text adventure form! If you thought eating pellets and being chased by ghosts was fun, wait until you do it from a command prompt. It's a textually amazing treat!
Splume - A polished and creative take on the match 3 Bust-A-Move puzzle genre, only this time a gooey physics engine is tacked on. Fire cute little orbs to the top of the screen and try to stick three of the same color together. Later levels introduce some very wacky puzzles to complete. You have to install a small plug-in and some users report occasional mouse locking during play, but it's worth it to experience the fresh take on an old game.
Treasure of Cutlass Reef - The pirate's life isn't for me, but it's fun to pretend, right? Treasure of Cutless Reef puts you in charge of a pirate ship on the high seas battling other ships for survival. And for gold! Defeat wave after wave of foes and use your plunder between levels to upgrade your weapons.
WiiPicross - Picross is one of my favorite puzzles, and WiiPicross brings it to the comfort of my Wii-enabled living room. The game features large, blocky graphics that are easy to select with the Wiimote. With over 1,300 puzzles to date, I won't be bored anytime soon. Even if you don't own a Wii, WiiPicross plays just fine from your web browser.
The Invisible Beard of Contemplation - An online riddle game similar to God Tower and Ouverture Facile, all you have to do is fill in the blanks with the answer to the question. Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. Clues come from the strangest places, if you can find them, that is.
Practice Chapped - Side-scrolling beat-em-ups such as the classic Double Dragon and Final Fight are a dying genre. Practice Chapped looks to reclaim a corner of the field with a great looking anime-styled brawler. Sure, it's mostly tapping the [J] key as fast as you can, but veteran Battletoads fans will appreciate the nostalgic nod. And everyone will appreciate the strange sense of humor.
Frantic - A rather good-looking 3D first person shooter right in your browser window. For the most part, Frantic ditches traditional level layouts in favor of waves of enemies versus you, guy with a gun. Collect power-ups and dispatch the alien enemies to a rockin' soundtrack, or use your own tunes to provide the score.

Comments (may contain spoilers)

Treasure of Cutlass Reef looked good, but a sailing ship game without wind? What's the point? The way these ships turn on a sixpence I'm surprised they don't have a reverse gear. Also turning your ship head-on to the enemy to present a smaller target is not generally considered good naval tactics as the enemy cannonballs that do hit then go all the way through your ship ("raking fire") killing and maiming along the way.

Posted by: Mick James | November 2, 2007 9:51 AM

Fridays are wonderful.

I do hate to think that the side-scrolling beatemup or shootemup are a dying genre because they are so much fun!

Posted by: Scramble125 | November 2, 2007 11:46 AM

The Invisible Beard has me stumped on the first question!

Posted by: arlesh | November 2, 2007 1:21 PM

Evening! So intrigued by Beard of Bontemplation, but desperate for a clue on level 2. anyone playing?

Posted by: mumsyover40 | November 2, 2007 2:35 PM

To solve level 1 of invisible beard

You'll notice the page you're on is partoneb.htm
So, take away the b and you'll arrive at partone.htm
Click the play button to proceed with the puzzle
On this new page, the phrase you saw earlier is complete
Return to partoneb.htm and enter the word you saw on the other page

Posted by: Majora | November 2, 2007 3:02 PM

Arlesh ... for lvl 1 hold your cursor at the end of the sentence

Posted by: Dewed | November 2, 2007 3:12 PM

Please please please could someone reveal how you get through level 10 (the 'spray' level...mmm...) on Splume? This game is the most amazing discovery for someone who spends far too much time playing puzzle bobble and bubble shooter - amazing graphics, brilliant twists on the old theme...but level 10 has me stumped!

Thanks!x

Posted by: Jumpy | November 2, 2007 3:14 PM

mumsyover 40 ... that is a line from a movie. Also take a close look at the 2 people, on the left on the bottom row.

Posted by: Dewed | November 2, 2007 3:16 PM

Jumpy, I hope this helps:

On the wheel, you need to build up a string of enough bubbles to attach to the turquoise bubbles behind the wall. The last bubble on the string should be turquoise, so that it explodes the bubbles behind the wall. After that you can eliminate the bubbles on the wheel, and then the one on the back wall.

Posted by: Suus | November 2, 2007 3:30 PM

Puzzle 2 on invisible beard: what number are they thinking of?

Posted by: mradam | November 2, 2007 3:34 PM

Invisible Beard: For # 2... its a quote from a most 'excellent' movie... I had to go to a quotes page on IMDB to find it... been a while since I saw that one!

Posted by: arlesh | November 2, 2007 4:02 PM

On Pac-txt, how do you get the glowing dot?

kidding, kidding.

someone has way too much time on their hands.

Posted by: Jordan | November 2, 2007 5:50 PM

Man, Frantic is AWESOME, especially for an online game! It is like that Phosphor game, but Single-Player oriented!

Also, on a side note, that is the first game that I have suggested and put on the site! Yay!!!!!

Posted by: Neoplayer2 | November 2, 2007 6:02 PM

Splume is gorgeous! I'm thoroughly impressed by the care put into the emotional interactions between the balls (e.g. the hearts and the the angry eyebrows), the sounds, the physics of the drooping and bending of the structures and the way the fired balls bounce off one another.

This game has built upon the bust-a-move theme in so many inventive ways that it's a completely new experience.

Perhaps it suggests the next game design contest theme: "Reimagine a classic".

Posted by: grewt | November 2, 2007 11:17 PM

Scarily pac-txt is not even the first implementation of Pacman as text adventure. DotQuest predates it by at least a year.

Posted by: foo | November 3, 2007 2:14 AM

Sorry foo, gotcha beat. Here's a little somethin from 2001, written by Adam Cadre himself (the Trinity of modern text adventures are Plotkin, Short and Cadre; JIG has already spotlit the other two, hint hint):
http://www.wurb.com/if/series/39

Posted by: black rabbit | November 3, 2007 8:54 PM

Okay. Invisible Beard - Question #5.

I get it. Bayeux Tapestry. Harold II arrow in the "I".
Problem is - I still can't get the correct answer.
Harold. Harold Rex. Harold II. Harold A. Harold Godwinson. All no good.

Posted by: sporkfoo | November 4, 2007 11:43 AM

Partial Walkthrough for The Invisible Beard of Contemplation. I'll post more levels as I figure them out. Also, the clues range from very ambiguous to morem specific as you reveal the spoilers.

Level 1

Hover your mouse over the blank space at the end of the sentence.

Level 1?

http://www.imdb.com has lots of information on movies.

Search for Harrison Ford, not Jack Ryan :p

Don't click this unless you want the Answer:

Patriot Games

Level 2

The question relates directly to the picture.

Do the people remind you of anyone? They should.

Did you watch the Matrix?

Keanu Reeves was in another excellent movie. What was that called?

The caption of the image is a quote from the movie spoken of above.

Answer:

Level 2?

Remember the movie you got the previous answer from? What band are the main characters in?

The clue given to you on the last page helps some.

"Wyld West" was the clue, although that's not the answer.

A quick visit to Wikipedia gave me the answer.

Answer:

Wyld Stallyns

Level 3

Does the pink dead thing remind you of a toy you've seen?

It's not the entire toy, but just the head shown.

The name of the toy is also the answer and it's two words.

Kill The Toy is an important clue to the answer.

Try asking Anna Gramme if you don't know what to do with the clue.

Answer:

Kill The Toy is an anagram of Hello Kitty

Level 3?

Hello Kitty also has a wikipedia article, which is a great help here.

Look under the heading "Hello Kitty as a character".

Answer:

Mimmy

Level 4

Look at the picture upside down to get clue #1

Straus is one half of a popular brand of something. Maybe you've heard of it.

The clue "Fit for a King" looks like it's made of a fabric...

Perhaps denim, as in jeans

Levi Straus is the popular brand of jeans.

Think of a famous king that has something to do with Levi Straus.

This famous king was famous for his music

The answer can be found by plucking letters from the phrase "Levi Straus"

Answer:

Elvis

Level 4?

Who was Elvis engaged to? Her name is the answer.

Elvis' article on Wikipedia tells you who found his body.

Answer:

Ginger Alden

Level 5

Knowing the name of this tapestry might help.

Google is definitely your friend on this one.

The clue in the upper right corner is what you should search for.

My favorite number is 4, is yours?

In case you didn't get that, click the fourth link >.>

Two kings are fighting in this video. What are their names?

Of William and Harold, which one dies?

Answer:

King Harold

Level 5?

Search google for the tapestry's name.

Be sure to include the word "dogs" after the name.

Answer:

Level 6

One of the words is spelled incorrectly. Look for it.

You could use a dictionary, but you should know the answer just by looking at it.

Answer:

Only one word is spelled "Incorrectly"

Level 6?

I like Google. It's my best friend.

Odessa is an album, but it's also a song.

Answer:

Veronica

Level 7

All of the images shown are logos for companies.

If you take the first letter of each company, it forms another company.

This company makes a product you use every day.

The product is on your car.

The company in question makes tires, although they spell it differently

They spell it 'Tyres'.

Answer:

Dunlop

Level 7?

You'll need to know a thing or two about Monty Python. If you don't, use Google.

This particular question references the movie "The Final Rip-Off"

When you find the right page, you'll know where to look.

Answer:

wankel rotary engine

Level 8

For those of you who hate algebra, you might want to get help from someone who doesn't.

The answer is really simple, just solve for y.

Simply the equation down to 4y = 16x

Divide both sides by 4 to get y = 4x

Unfortunately, 4x is not the answer. You'll need to use 4x to search Google though.

The place featured on this level is a pub. What do pubs commonly serve?

Hint: It's an alchoholic beverage.

Once you've searched Google, the answer is in plain sight.

If you really still need help, try Googling what's in the next spoiler

beer 4x

Answer:

Castlemaine

Level 8?

Wikipedia knows the answer. Turn to it for help.

Don't go to the article on Castlemaine, instead go to the specific brand of beer.

Answer:

Mr. Fourex

Level 9

Do these coat of arms look familiar?

If you've ever watched Harry Potter, they should.

Also, you'll know that there are four houses in Harry Potter, not 3.

What is the name of the one house missing?

Answer:

Gryffindor

Level 9?

While looking up info for the previous part, you'll probably stumble across this.

If you didn't, check Wikipedia's article on Hogwarts.

Answer:

Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

Level 10

The food shown is known by everybody. What is it?

Peanuts is a food, but it's also a comic strip.

If you've read the comics, you might know the character who talks like that.

He often hangs out around Snoopy.

Answer:

Woodstock

Level 10?

The answer must related to Masons and be the name of a Peanuts character.

What did the Freemasons use to keep their secrets?

They used ciphers.

Answer:

Pigpen

Level 11

The answer actually has very little to do with glue factories.

Mouse over the horse and see what happens.

Did you hear about any famous horses that disappeared?

When something or somebody disappears, they might be kidnapped.

Answer:

Shergar

Level 11?

Mister Ed has a Wikipedia article.

The name is briefly mentioned at the very top of the article.

Answer:

Bamboo Harvester

Level 12

The phrase is like a crossword clue.

Two numbers in ( ) following a crossword clue means the answer has two words

Each of the numbers in ( ) is the number of letters

Think of a plant with two words, in the form xxxxxx xxx.

The plant isn't really lethal.

Answer:

Poison Ivy

Level 12?

A quick visit to Wikipedia will give you the answer.

Again, don't look under the obvious article.

Uma Thurman plays "The Bride".

The article you should check is Deadly Viper Assassin Squad, if you hadn't figured that out

Answer:

Black Mamba

Level 13 has me clueless. Anyone gotten past it yet?

Posted by: Majora | November 4, 2007 9:17 PM

Level 13

What type of shop do you mostly see these outside?

And how many are there?

It's the name for a certain type of group of singers

Answer:

barbershop quartet

Level 13?

Google has the answer

A character from an opera set in Spain

Answer:

figaro

Posted by: Aether | November 5, 2007 11:54 AM

Please, someone help with #22

Posted by: xc | November 7, 2007 2:36 PM

I'm still stuck on 17's question, so I'll be of little help on anything past that.

Posted by: Majora | November 7, 2007 7:22 PM

@Majora:

Search for this movie entry on Wikipedia

Beginning of answer is on the front page

Maybe I'm dense, but I'm stuck on #21

Posted by: Kate | November 8, 2007 9:56 AM

Power of posting! Am now doing #32

@xc:

Which famous man was often seen in this sort of outline silhouette?

Posted by: Kate | November 8, 2007 12:28 PM

Major thanks to Kate and Aether. I doubt I'd ever have figured that out on my own. Here's the walkthrough up to level 19.

Level 14

Can you name all the animals shown?

How many legs does each animal have?

There's a pattern here, can you find it?

Answer:

octopus

Level 14?

The answer involves no math.

The question is more of a trick question.

Answer:

Octopi don't have tentacles, so the answer is "none"

Level 15

The numbers by themselves are meaningless, convert them to letters.

How might you convert numbers on a phone to letters?

If you don't want to try every possibility, try http://www.phonespell.org

Each set of letters forms an English word.

Once you get the message, google that.

This phrase appears on a coin. How much is it worth?

Answer:

2 pounds

Level 15?

The rubber duck part is a red herring.

Use Google.

Answer:

beetle

Level 16

Think of people in the Holy Bible.

One of them is referred to as "The Light of the World".

The answer is not that person, but someone related to him.

His mother is the answer you want.

Answer:

Mary Magdalene

Level 16?

This time, the question can be taken literally.

I used the NIV version of the Bible... I don't know if that makes a difference.

Answer:

amen

Level 17

Does this picture remind you of a movie?

If it doesn't, Google "Acherontia Sytx skull".

You'll find a book that is also a movie.

When you find the name of the movie, Google ____ skull

Who was in the original picture of the skull?

Answer:

Salvador Dali

Level 17?

Start by looking up Buffalo Bill on Wikipedia.

Got the actor's name? Who was based on him?

It's not a real person, but a character in a show.

The character is from Family Guy.

Answer:

chris griffin

Level 18

Do the objects shown remind you of anything?

Try naming the objects.

Peacock

Mustard Bottle

Green (Golf)

A white woman

Perhaps you've played a board game involving these colors.

Answer:

clue

Level 18?

A man named Mr. Grima was murdered.

A newspaper would probably cover this story.

Google will direct you to the relevant article.

The game will accept his full name or just his last name.

Answer:

Santiago Mainar

Level 19

What letters are printed on the bottle?

All the letters between H and O are present.

How else could you write this?

Maybe "H to O"?

Anyone with any knowledge of chemistry will have the answer.

Answer:

water

Level 19?

Google the entire question.

What form is most of the water in?

Where would you find this form of water at?

Spelling is very important.

The answer is a continent

Answer:

antarctica

Posted by: Majora | November 8, 2007 2:58 PM

@Majora: You're welcome!

I think I'm going to stop for the day, my head is going to explode from all the Googling and Wikipedia reading :)

I'm at #46, does anyone know how many questions there will be? It doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon!

Posted by: Kate | November 8, 2007 4:53 PM

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I'm stuck on level 21. I'll probably post more levels' walkthroughs when I get to 25 or so.

I think level 21 might have something to do with the three stooges, because of "'allo, 'allo, 'allo"

Posted by: Majora | November 9, 2007 11:37 PM

Yay! I did finally figure out 21. Turns out my initial thoughts were WAY off :P

Currently I'm taking a break... maybe tomorrow I'll try 23.

Posted by: Majora | November 10, 2007 9:46 PM

Pac-txt is dangerously addictive... I think I'll spend some time tomorrow drawing up a plain grid on paper and marking my course on there.

Posted by: Sylocat | November 11, 2007 1:15 AM

Walkthrough is complete for up to level 38.

Level 20

Divide the clue up into two parts.

"Sweet treat" and "Cleans your teeth".

Name some things that clean your teeth.

Now think of a sweet treat.

Be generic in your answer, not descriptive

Answer:

candy floss

Level 20?

Wikipedia has a nice article on cotton candy.

The answer's not cotton candy, but you'll find it.

Answer:

fairy floss

Level 21

Are those nines, or whistles?

Now, what are whistles are typically associated with?

The above question's answer was cops.

Think of some recent movies involving cops.

Try a movie made in 1998.

The answer is not the title of the movie, but close.

Find the color in the movie's name and replace it with a different color.

Answer:

thin blue line

Level 21?

This is too easy. Google some keywords and you'll get it easy

Answer:

massive attack

Level 22

Pogonophobia is actually completely irrelevant.

The picture might remind you of someone.

He used this silhouette in many of his films.

What is this person afraid of?

Click the next spoiler if you can't figure out the man's name.

Alfred Hitchcock

Answer:

eggs

Level 22?

Wikipedia. That's all I'm gonna say.

Answer:

vitellus

Level 23

Begin by deciphering "AB and the 40T"

If you're googling the phrase be sure to include a space between A and B

The answer is a phrase typically associated with the clue.

Answer:

open sesame

Level 23?

Wikipedia.

Contrary to what I first thought, the answer is not mr hankey

Answer:

towelie

Level 24

Can you identify the two symbols?

Use those two words to find the motto.

Rain is not one of the words.

What might rain be if it were red?

The actual motto is not important, but you will need to include "motto" in your Google search.

Answer:

salvation army

Level 24?

I doubt there is anyone who doesn't know this, but a quick Google search will give it to you

Answer:

kettle

Level 25

You might recognize this from a movie made in 1999.

This movie was called "Man on the Moon".

How many people have walked on the moon?

12 people... now name their initials.

Who is missing? That person is not the answer, nor is what killed him.

All the astronauts have their initials shown, so try his initials.

What else could the initials mean? Na and Ba have something in common.

Check a periodic table.

Answer:

arsenic

Level 25?

Compared to the previous one, this is cake. Wikipedia saves the day

Answer:

bambi

Level 26

Notice that the letters in Vixen only have the bottom half.

How else could you describe these letters?

They're topless.

If you're familiar with books, you'll know that p.iii means page 3.

A google search with the information so far will give you a newspaper.

Consider other meanings of vixen and use that combined with the newspaper's name at Google.

Answer:

samantha fox

Level 26?

Wikipedia again.

Answer:

stephanie rahn

Level 27

Describe what you see...

Two little ducks

Two fat ladies

Baked Beans

Seeing a connection yet?

I bet google might.

Answer:

bingo

Level 27?

This question has no tricks. Just do the math.

On a side note, this is a neat math trick :p

Answer:

12345678987654321

Level 28

The picture on the sign might remind you of someone.

Perhaps someone who jumps over cars on a motorcycle?

He was quite popular in the 1970s.

The answer is an anagram of Kill Even Eve, by the way

Answer:

evel knievel

Level 28?

...

Answer:

butte bombers

Level 29

Google the question.

Answer:

voodoo

Level 29?

Google

List the articles of clothing in your search

Answer:

baron samedi

Level 30

Google the clue in the upper corner.

You'll find a song's name. Now what's another phrase for this?

You might have to use slang words.

Answer:

stool pigeon

Level 30?

The question is a bit ambiguous. It wants to know who the last of the passenger pigeons was named after.

Use full names.

Answer:

martha washington

Level 31

What game are we playing here?

Google that and the score given.

Who's name pops up?

You only get 3 letters, so use initials

But this character is not real... use someone else's initials instead.

The creator of the character in question is the answer

Answer:

acd (for Arthur Conan Doyle)

Level 31?

Google the question.

"blue envelope for inspector patterson" will turn up the result you seek.

Answer:

pigeonhole m

Level 32

You might recognize the basic look of the image.

It's for a salmon company.

Answer:

john west

Level 32?

You could look on Wikipedia or imdb.

Answer:

Jenny

Level 33

Tilt your head sideways and look at the image.

Does it look familiar?

It sort of looks like a keyboard

The answer's not keyboard, but it's remarkably similar.

Top Row Only

Answer:

typewriter

Level 33?

Wikipedia

Answer:

79265

Level 34

The answer is an acronym.

The acronym spells out a name.

Answer:

jason

Level 34?

Wikipedia

Answer:

Level 35

Try viewing the image from a different angle.

Tilt your head to the left.

I can almost see a sleeping dog now.

So, according to the idiom, what should you let sleeping dogs do?

Answer:

lie

Level 35?

Wikipedia saves the day... yet again.

The movie's entry does not have the answer though... do some digging.

Answer:

pine eye

Level 36

Google is a nice resource here.

When someone is quiet, what else might you describe them as?

Find the right synonym and you'll get a news story from the UK.

Answer:

john cage

Level 36?

Imdb has the answer this time

Answer:

claire otoms

Level 37

Do you see the hidden message?

Look carefully at the painting.

When you find the message, enter it without the first word.

Apply the new clue to a movie related to the message.

The movie's name is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

Answer:

crouching dragon

Level 37?

And back to Wikipedia.

Answer:

green destiny

Level 38

You'll need photoshop for this one.

The clue gives you the answer, in a roundabout fashion.

Try different ways of looking at the image in Photoshop.

I used the remote on my tv to change the ___. (BIG HINT :p)

You don't have photoshop? Use some other red filter else instead.

Answer:

secret

Level 38?

Oddities abound... We keep bouncing between IMDB and Wikipedia.

Answer:

chico

I'm stopping for the moment, but I should be done soon.

Posted by: Majora | November 12, 2007 9:13 PM

Finally finished the game. Here's the last 14 levels.

Level 39

The Beatles is an important clue in this round... do some background research.

The Beatles were influenced by something... what was it?

A book you say? The name of the book isn't the answer? Well, then who wrote it?

That's not the answer, either... apply that knowledge to the man in the bottom corner.

You could say the man in the corner is uncommonly fat.

Answer:

father william

Level 39?

Whoo... something new. I bet neither Wikipedia nor IMDB has this answer.

You'll need to know the full name of the poem to get this... or at least I did.

Answer:

robert southey

Level 40

Only 5 of the balls are colored. Name them.

There looks to be two purple balls.. but they're really two diferent colors.

Think about the rainbow.

Now that you have the colors, take the first letters.

Rearrange them and form a word.

If you enter the right word, you'll get a hint. If you entered the wrong one, try another combination

Find a relation between the game and the word you made earlier.

Use the "fancy" name of the game, not pool.

When Google gives you the answer, use his first and middle name.

Answer:

john virgo

Level 40?

You'll need to google certain words in the question.

Answer:

joe swail

Level 41

Remember the quiz is predominately british.

It's not a $50 bill, but rather a £50 (50 pound) biil.

Now, the £50 bill is used in many countries, but it's only common in two.

The clue given indicates a man is on the bill, so that leaves only one country.

When you get his name, you'll easily find his hometown.

From there, the team is obvious.

Although multiple team names are mentioned, only the first is important.

Answer:

raith rovers

Level 41?

Wikipedia's back!

Answer:

bayern munich

Level 42

What is that thing shown? A highlighter?

Well then, start using it!

You'll find hidden text referring to the Mother of the Universe.

So, what is the mother of the universe?

Some say it's Mount Everest, but that's not the answer.

What is it called in it's native tongue? Enter that to get a clue.

Now you should have it within reach. One more visit to Wikipedia, maybe.

Answer:

sagarmatha

Level 42?

Wikipedia again.

Answer:

tenzing norgay

Level 43

What do you see? Purple Pills? Google.

You'll find a band. Google the full names until you find a film.

Now. move over to IMDB and start looking for an actor.

What's hanging from the strings in the picture for 43?

Find a character who resembles that.

Moving backwards a site, use the actor's name.

Find his goddaughter and you have your answer.

Answer:

jennifer aniston

Level 43?

Google makes it's return... but probably for one question.

Answer:

monkeyshine

Level 44

If you are familiar with music, you might recognize the image.

For those of you who are not, the picture is an album by Nirvana.

Find which album, and the answer you want is at hand.

The answer is within the album's name.