  
ClubFloyd Transcript:
The idea behind ClubFloyd
is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of
people meet online to cooperatively play a game of
interactive fiction.
To skip directly to a particular game, click on its title: |
|
ToyShop & Floyditorium
|
#ClubFloyd Discussion
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| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load greenmountains" | ||
floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | You have awoken on the mountain, you are unaware of what is going on floyd | and you have no memory. You see a letter next to you on the ground. It floyd | says you have to find the Green Mountains, whatever that means floyd | The Green Mountains floyd | An Interactive Fiction by Clark Radwin floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 110116 / Inform 7 build 6G60 (I6/v6.32 lib floyd | 6/12N) floyd | floyd | Mountain floyd | It is tall,dark and green. It contains hundreds of trees and a snowy floyd | mountain top. floyd | floyd | You can see a letter here. floyd | | ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take letter" | ||
floyd | >Taken. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||
floyd | >As good-looking as ever. floyd | | Maga says, "okay, this was a terrible decision" | |
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||
floyd | >Go to the Green Mountains floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Path
floyd | Like The Mountain, its full of trees and in the distance you here a
floyd | bird chirping. You look below you and you see a small door, leading to
floyd | a small underground cave
floyd |
| jacqueline says, "snrk. You are just saying that because of the missing period." | |
| Tale asks (of Jacqueline), "Are you two talking about the game?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||
floyd | >You can't see any such thing. floyd | | ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | >You are carrying: floyd | a letter floyd | | ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "in" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x mountain" | ||
floyd | >You can't see any such thing. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "d" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Cave
floyd | A Small dark cave, a light is at the end of the hole. Rocks start to
floyd | fall behind you, you are trapped
floyd |
| ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "listen" | ||
floyd | >You hear nothing unexpected. floyd | | davidW says, "we is trapped!" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "scream" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | Maga says, "nnnnnnnnngrrrr" | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||
floyd | >Go to the Green Mountains floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | jacqueline says (to maga), "I'm not disagreeing with you." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "w" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "n" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Small Room
floyd | The small room contains a lantern and the next letter
floyd |
floyd | You can see a Lantern and a next Letter here.
floyd |
| ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take lantern" | ||
floyd | >Taken. floyd | | ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take all" | ||
floyd | >next Letter: Taken. floyd | | Tale says, "ha ha" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read next letter" | ||
floyd | >You have gone the wrong way, be careful on your quest to the green floyd | mountains, as it will be trecherous and dangerous.Look for the map on floyd | your way to the green mountains. Beware floyd | | Tale says, "I suspect this is deliberately bad" | |
| jacqueline says, "Maybe it's an April Fool's Day joke from the past." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "light lantern" | ||
floyd | >This dangerous act would achieve little. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x lantern" | ||
floyd | >The lantern has enough oil left for an hour of light. floyd | | davidW asks, "Who leaves a next letter on the 'wrong way'?" | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn on lamp" | ||
floyd | >You can't see any such thing. floyd | | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn on lantern" | ||
floyd | >That's not something you can switch. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "s" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Cave
floyd | A Small dark cave, a light is at the end of the hole. Rocks start to
floyd | fall behind you, you are trapped
floyd |
| Djfletch says, "someone who knows how incompetent we are" | |
| inky arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Tale says, "I was thinking we could see more now" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "exits" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "about" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "xyzzy" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | Vimes says, "this is rather amazing" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "credits" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "burn letter" | ||
floyd | >Which do you mean, the next Letter or the letter? floyd | | jacqueline says, "Well, thanks for coming, everyone." | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "burn next letter" | ||
floyd | >This dangerous act would achieve little. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "se" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "s" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "w" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | jacqueline says, "From IFDB: 'Forgiveness Rating: Merciful'" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "n" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Small Room
floyd | The small room contains a lantern and the next letter
floyd |
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "n" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Burial Ground
floyd | The Graves have skeletons in them, dug up and nothing left. When you
floyd | approach one the graves you find a Map. The map shows the way out of
floyd | the Cave and to destination not to far away.
floyd |
floyd | You can see a Map here.
floyd |
| Vimes says, "impossible to do anything to get yourself stuck, or in fact anything at all" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "get map" | ||
floyd | >Taken. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x map" | ||
floyd | >The Map shows you the way out and to a destiantion not to far away floyd | | jacqueline says, "Also, from IFDB: Two stars. I should have perhaps looked at that bit first." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "follow map" | ||
floyd | >That's not a verb I recognise. floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Outside of Mountain
floyd | You have escaped from the Burial Ground and you are now outside of the
floyd | mountain. You see large rocks all around you with only one opening
floyd | available is above you
floyd |
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "read map" | ||
floyd | >The Map shows you the way out and to a destiantion not to far away floyd | | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Rocky Mountain Side
floyd | You have climbed up the dangerous and rocky Mountain Side. You seem to
floyd | be getting closer to the snowy mountain top.You see writing enscribed
floyd | on the mountain. You are close to the Green Mountain, go east and you
floyd | will find your way
floyd |
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >
floyd | Long Circle Path
floyd | The Long Cirlce path goes up the mountain to the top. It almost seems
floyd | endless...
floyd |
| ||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "read writing" | ||
floyd | >You can't see any such thing. floyd | | Maga says, "'let's all have some delicious pie!' 'oh, but I'm too full for pie, let's just eat gravel instead' 'agreed!'" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | >You can't go that way. floyd | | davidW says, "hey! We missed the writing!" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "w" | ||
floyd | >The Green Mountain, on top of the world. Gold,Silver and Bronze floyd | statues surround it. Each of the statues have words writtin on them.The floyd | Gold Staue says You Have, the Silver Statue says Discovered, and the floyd | Bronze Statue says Where it all began floyd | floyd | floyd | *** The End *** floyd | floyd | floyd | In that game you scored 0 out of a possible 0, in 37 turns. floyd | floyd | floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last floyd | command? | jacqueline asks, "?!?!?" | |
| Tale says, "Okay. Good night folks, see you next time." | ||
| jacqueline says, "..." | ||
| jacqueline says, "So, um, that was my fault." | ||
| davidW asks, "Not the most exciting game, was it?" | ||
| Vimes says, "....... well, going back to a previous topic: it occurs to me that sleepmask currently auto-enables the one last lousy point" | ||
| jacqueline says, "Because we had a bunch of games come in second, but I broke the tie with this one because I liked the title because I am a tree hugger." | ||
| jacqueline says, "So everyone should blame me." | ||
| davidW says, "I saw no >hug tree" | ||
| Vimes says (to jacq), "You are a jaunty and stylish treehugger." | ||
| Tale says, "Pff, Rangers." | ||
| jacqueline asks, "Centipede was also second. Is it a z-code abuse thing that won't work on Floyd, or should we try that?" | ||
| jacqueline says, "Centipedes are also things park rangers like, so that is why I chose that one next." | ||
| Maga says (to Tale), "they are a dangerous folk, evidently" | ||
| davidW says, "Centipede is not a z-abuse." | ||
| Tale says, "Yeah, one of them was the King of Gondor." | ||
| jacqueline says, "Okay. One sec." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "q" | ||
floyd | > Please give one of the answers above. floyd | floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last floyd | command? | davidW says, "I think it's a text recreation of the Centipede arcade game." | |
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "quit" | ||
| floyd asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?" | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load centipede" | ||
floyd | > Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | "100 feet per second," Chub says. floyd | floyd | Duggers flips you a holovid of his scary trash girlfriend. "Touch the floyd | zipper icon," he says. floyd | floyd | There is a shudder in the cabin, and warning lights flare greasy-green floyd | in your night vision goggles. "Hang on, campers," yells Chub. "Descent floyd | jets one and two just jammed up. We're in for a bumpy landing." floyd | floyd | Duggers grunts. "So much for surprise. They live in the ground. Every floyd | stinking bug for miles is gonna feel the vibrations." floyd | floyd | "Gravity zero point nine-sixty Gees," Chub says, her elbows swinging floyd | out at awkward angles, flapping like stunted chicken wings. She's floyd | fighting the two joysticks, trying to keep this iron turd level as it floyd | streaks through the sky. "On my mark, Mitchum," she says. floyd | floyd | [Hit any key.] | Vimes says, "ha ha just getting good" | |
| jacqueline says (to maga), "I'm surprised you haven't giggled over 'iron turd' yet." | ||
| Maga says, "it is a fine phrase" | ||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | CENTIPEDE
floyd | A short story of senseless violence and profanity
floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 001231 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 SD
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is below, one boot up on the bench, holding a safety strap with
floyd | one hand. Thinks he's on the damn bullet train. He's survived forty
floyd | missions, thinks he's invulnerable now.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is tucked around the corner at the helm. You can't see her, but
floyd | you can hear her voice in your helmet. "On my mark. On my mark..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| jacqueline says, "This is a fairly surreal week here at ClubFloyd." | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You are carrying:
floyd | a combat suit (being worn)
floyd | a waterproof boots (being worn)
floyd | a helmet (being worn)
floyd | a set of night vision goggles (being worn)
floyd | a belt of ammo clips (being worn)
floyd | a backpack (being worn and closed)
floyd | Charlene
floyd | a holovid
floyd |
floyd | Your forehead just started to itch.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x charlene" | ||
floyd | This is Charlene, your plasma rifle. You know every dent and scratch on
floyd | her curved metal body.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x holovid" | ||
floyd | It's a holovid of Duggers' scary trash girlfriend. She's standing near
floyd | some gym equipment. A little icon that looks like a zipper is dancing
floyd | in the lower corner.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale asks, "Who wrote this?" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "press zipper" | ||
floyd | When you touch the zipper icon, the clothes on Duggers' girlfriend seem
floyd | to melt off her body, displaying her full frontal skankiness.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers takes his holovid back. "Don't get all excited, now," he says.
floyd | He gives his girlfriend's picture a quick ogle before stuffing it into
floyd | a side pocket of his vest.
floyd |
floyd | >
| jacqueline says (to Tale), "Rob" | |
| davidW says, "Rob, I think." | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is below, one boot up on the bench, holding a safety strap with
floyd | one hand.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is tucked around the corner at the helm. You can't see her, but
floyd | you can hear her voice in your helmet.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||
floyd | You're in good health for a guy who's been awake and on active duty for
floyd | 76 straight hours. The stimulants they rationed you seem to be working
floyd | fine with no side effects. You're pumped and ready to kill some bugs
floyd | for God, planet and country.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale asks, "So, up the ladder?" | |
| jacqueline says, "sure" | ||
| davidW says, "I think you ought to examine the panel so when you get the signal to fire you can." | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x panel" | ||
floyd | The emergency station panel has two levers. Pulling them releases the
floyd | landing craft's emergency parachutes. There are three switches: homing
floyd | beacon launch, distress call broadcast, and self-destruct failsafe. You
floyd | aren't under orders to use the switches right now.
floyd |
floyd | Chub's voice starts counting down. You can hear the strain in her
floyd | voice, the pitch rising and falling in synchronization with the cabin's
floyd | spastic lurching and yawing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "pray" | ||
floyd | Nothing practical results from your prayer.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Four ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| TheXenographer arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||
| TheXenographer goes home. | ||
| TheXenographer arrives, ready to play with the toys. | jacqueline says, "Good day, bouncyxen." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "load charlene" | ||
floyd | She's already loaded.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Three ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| jacqueline says, "I'm nervous." | |
| davidW says, "hm. I'm assuming we fire something. I could be wrong." | ||
| jacqueline says, "Not Charlene, though." | ||
| theXenographer says, "Hi, Jacq. Evidently my internet is feeling slightly bouncy today." | ||
| Tale says, "I must admit I don't know Centipede, and from YouTube, looks like a game about shooting stuff." | ||
| Inky says, "it's an old-time arcade game, yeah" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x chub" | ||
floyd | Sgt. Ann "Chub" Chaplin is a good solider. You've only been under her
floyd | command for three weeks, but she seems like she knows what she's doing
floyd | in a firefight.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit ...!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| Inky says, "the centipede drops down from the top and slides back and forth and you shoot it from the bottom" | |
| theXenographer asks, "What are we playing?" | ||
| Tale says, "ha ha ha" | ||
| jacqueline says (to Xen), "Centipede." | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x duggers" | ||
floyd | Private Dale "Dig-Dug" Duggers is a hulking brute and an absolute
floyd | killing machine. Also, a pretty good chess player.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "fire" | ||
floyd | Save your aggressions and ammo for the mission, soldier.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Mark!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| firion says (to floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You are carrying:
floyd | a combat suit (being worn)
floyd | a waterproof boots (being worn)
floyd | a helmet (being worn)
floyd | a set of night vision goggles (being worn)
floyd | a belt of ammo clips (being worn)
floyd | a backpack (being worn and closed)
floyd | Charlene
floyd |
floyd | Chub screams, "What are you waiting for? Mitchum!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| Inky says, "I forget if someone mentioned this, but Centipede was one of the games released as part of a "comp" for games themed after arcade games" | |
| firion asks, "Which comp?" | ||
| Inky | [LINK] | ||
| davidW says, "Not a comp. IF Arcade." | ||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is below, one boot up on the bench, holding a safety strap with
floyd | one hand.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is tucked around the corner at the helm. You can't see her, but
floyd | you can hear her voice in your helmet.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Duggers!"
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is already up the ladder and grabbing for the parachute release
floyd | levers. He yanks them hard, there is a noise like a screech owl
floyd | colliding with a sheet of inch-thick plexiglass, and then the cabin
floyd | seems to stop in midair, jolting everything that's not nailed down,
floyd | which includes you and Duggers. The two of you smash to the cabin
floyd | floor. You land on your side, the hard ammo clips strapped to your side
floyd | bruising your ribs, damn near cutting through your suit.
floyd |
floyd | >
| davidW says, "It was a project similar to the recent Apollo 18+20." | |
| firion debates trying an IF arcade styled game. | ||
| davidW says, "ah. I guess we were supposed to operate the parachute lever." | ||
| Tale says (to davidw), "You were right about them there switches." | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | You can see Duggers and Chub here.
floyd |
floyd | Just as you start to sit up, Duggers attacks your throat with his
floyd | elbow, crushing your windpipe. You flop backwards like an upended
floyd | beetle, choking and gagging, pain throbbing outward from your neck,
floyd | your lungs burning.
floyd |
floyd | The fall seems to have damaged your helmet, because you can't hear
floyd | Duggers' voice any more. He's holding you by your gear straps, his
floyd | faceplate right in front of yours, screaming obscenities. Probably just
floyd | as well that you can't hear it.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot duggers" | ||
floyd | Sure, you hate Duggers, but that's no reason to mow him down with a
floyd | plasma rifle. That might just make him mad.
floyd |
floyd | Chub comes racing into view. You watch, hearing only your own jaggered
floyd | breathing as your windpipe relaxes, as an argument ensues. Hands haul
floyd | you to your feet near the hatch. Duggers blows it open. Waited too long
floyd | to release the craft's parachutes, going to have to jump for it.
floyd | Probably cost us the mission and our lives, you reflect.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "I wonder if we could've pulled it on time" | |
| Inky says, "sure" | ||
| firion asks, "Sure it'd be late, but better late than never, right?" | ||
| Tale asks, "Shall we see this through or restart?" | ||
| Djfletch says, "might as well keep going and see what happens" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "jump" | ||
floyd | You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers leaps out of the hatch. Chub shoves at you from behind. You
floyd | still can't hear any voices.
floyd |
floyd | You're in mid-air, falling fast. You can't see the ground, and there's
floyd | nothing to see in the sky.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "fall" | ||
floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| firion says (to Floyd), "shit" | ||
floyd | You mutter a few oaths and curses.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "d" | ||
floyd | You adjust your direction slightly, but mostly you try to stay on
floyd | target.
floyd |
floyd | You pull the rip-cord, and your chute opens. Your neck snaps forward,
floyd | your throat closes hard and painfully. As you raise your head, your
floyd | throat doesn't open again. It feels swollen shut, and you can't
floyd | breathe.
floyd |
floyd | Far below, there's a round, white-green flare -- the landing craft,
floyd | crashing down.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x throat" | ||
floyd | You can't see any such thing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "breathe" | ||
floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x craft" | ||
floyd | You can't see any such thing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "d" | ||
floyd | You adjust your direction slightly, but mostly you try to stay on
floyd | target.
floyd |
floyd | You see a cloud-layer below. Maybe it's mist on the ground? You brace
floyd | for impact.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait and fall through the clouds. Not the ground, not yet. You take
floyd | a small breath, and another. You spot Duggers' chute below you,
floyd | slipping sideways, furling and raveling, sinking into wet blackness.
floyd | That's the ground, the marsh right below you.
floyd |
floyd | >
| allen says (to Tale), "centipede song: [LINK]" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait for the landing. Your boots hit a layer of wet slime, and you
floyd | sink into it up to your buckling knees. You lose your balance, but
floyd | can't move your feet to stabilize yourself. Slime splashes up into your
floyd | faceplate. Your hands sink into something gelatinous. Everything is
floyd | cold. You must be underwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| firion says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | You put your hands down, hoping to raise your weight, but there's no
floyd | support. Your arms sink like toothpicks into a sponge cake.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| firion says (to Floyd), "up" | ||
floyd | You curl your legs up under your chest, slowly drawing them out of the
floyd | muck, and you replant them in fresh muck. Gradually you wobble yourself
floyd | into an upright fetal position and try to stand. You must weigh 350
floyd | pounds with all of your gear. Carefully, slowly, you stand. You get a
floyd | little help from your chute, yanked by a sudden wind. For a moment
floyd | you're not sure whether you're actually standing or not, and you
floyd | realize it's because your faceplate is covered with marsh slime.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "wipe faceplate" | ||
floyd | You are yanked backwards by your parachute. You stumble and again go
floyd | underwater, the chute tugging you further down.
floyd |
floyd | You struggle to get up, but your chute feels like it's caught on
floyd | something.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "cut chute" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | With growing horror, you realize that the chute has become entangled
floyd | with something, and is dragging you further and further underwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| firion says (to floyd), "release chute" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | Your lungs burning, all of your limbs thrashing, you sputter for breath
floyd | and take in a lungful of marsh water.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | Distantly, you hear the thrashing of boots through water, the dulled
floyd | booms of plasma rifles firing. Someone is trying to pull at one of your
floyd | boots, but their hands slip away. The last bit of air in your lungs
floyd | escapes, poisonous water takes its place.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 0 out of a possible 25000, in 29 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| Inky says, "whoops" | |
| firion exclaims, "Game over, yeahhh!" | ||
| Tale says, "I hope we have another life" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Underwater
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | Distantly, you hear the thrashing of boots through water, the dulled
floyd | booms of plasma rifles firing. Someone is trying to pull at one of your
floyd | boots, but their hands slip away. The last bit of air in your lungs
floyd | escapes, poisonous water takes its place.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 0 out of a possible 25000, in 29 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| Tale says (to allen), "ha ha" | |
| k-Y says, "man, I never even saw this outcome at all" | ||
| theXenographer says, "War is hell, I guess." | ||
| Inky says, "extra lives are modelled with your teammates, I think" | ||
| Tale asks, "So, er, as I seem to be the driver, I say we restart and pull the switch in time?" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Underwater
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove backpack" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | Distantly, you hear the thrashing of boots through water, the dulled
floyd | booms of plasma rifles firing. Someone is trying to pull at one of your
floyd | boots, but their hands slip away. The last bit of air in your lungs
floyd | escapes, poisonous water takes its place.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 0 out of a possible 25000, in 29 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| Djfletch says, "yup, go for it" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Underwater
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove chute" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | Distantly, you hear the thrashing of boots through water, the dulled
floyd | booms of plasma rifles firing. Someone is trying to pull at one of your
floyd | boots, but their hands slip away. The last bit of air in your lungs
floyd | escapes, poisonous water takes its place.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 0 out of a possible 25000, in 29 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "restart" | ||
floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | "100 feet per second," Chub says. floyd | floyd | Duggers flips you a holovid of his scary trash girlfriend. "Touch the floyd | zipper icon," he says. floyd | floyd | There is a shudder in the cabin, and warning lights flare greasy-green floyd | in your night vision goggles. "Hang on, campers," yells Chub. "Descent floyd | jets one and two just jammed up. We're in for a bumpy landing." floyd | floyd | Duggers grunts. "So much for surprise. They live in the ground. Every floyd | stinking bug for miles is gonna feel the vibrations." floyd | floyd | "Gravity zero point nine-sixty Gees," Chub says, her elbows swinging floyd | out at awkward angles, flapping like stunted chicken wings. She's floyd | fighting the two joysticks, trying to keep this iron turd level as it floyd | streaks through the sky. "On my mark, Mitchum," she says. floyd | floyd | [Hit any key.] | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push space" | ||
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | CENTIPEDE
floyd | A short story of senseless violence and profanity
floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 001231 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 SD
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is below, one boot up on the bench, holding a safety strap with
floyd | one hand. Thinks he's on the damn bullet train. He's survived forty
floyd | missions, thinks he's invulnerable now.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is tucked around the corner at the helm. You can't see her, but
floyd | you can hear her voice in your helmet. "On my mark. On my mark..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x panel" | ||
floyd | The emergency station panel has two levers. Pulling them releases the
floyd | landing craft's emergency parachutes. There are three switches: homing
floyd | beacon launch, distress call broadcast, and self-destruct failsafe. You
floyd | aren't under orders to use the switches right now.
floyd |
floyd | Your forehead just started to itch.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "scratch forehead" | ||
floyd | You can't scratch it without taking off your helmet. You're just going
floyd | to have to tough it out, soldier.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "pull self-destruct" | ||
floyd | You are unable to.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x cabinets" | ||
floyd | Loaded with enough firepower to bugbomb an entire sector.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers swipes his holovid from you. "Hey man, don't you never give
floyd | nothing back?" he says. He gives his girlfriend's picture a quick ogle
floyd | before stuffing it into a side pocket of his pants.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push self-destruct" | ||
floyd | You have to be at the emergency station in order to push the
floyd | self-destruct failsafe switch.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You swing yourself from the hatchway up into your emergency station.
floyd | You're already starting to sweat inside your suit, but there isn't time
floyd | to adjust the coolant controls.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push self-destruct" | ||
floyd | You push the self-destruct failsafe switch. Immediately, Chub says,
floyd | "Mitchum! What in the name of Pleiades are you doing? Switch that off!
floyd | That's an order!"
floyd |
floyd | Chub's voice starts counting down. You can hear the strain in her
floyd | voice, the pitch rising and falling in synchronization with the cabin's
floyd | spastic lurching and yawing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push self-destruct" | ||
floyd | You are under orders not to push the failsafe switch.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Four ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| firion exclaims, "Thank you for pressing the self-destruct button!" | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x shelves" | ||
floyd | The supplies are designed to last a five-man unit for two weeks.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Three ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit ...!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "pull lever" | ||
floyd | You pull hard on the levers, which ratchet into a locked position with
floyd | a satisfying, weighty "ka-chunk." From above, there is a noise like a
floyd | screech owl colliding with a sheet of inch-thick plexiglass, and then
floyd | the cabin seems to stop in midair, jolting everything that's not nailed
floyd | down, which includes you and Duggers.
floyd |
floyd | Chub hollers, "Dammit! I said on my mark, Mitchum!" She comes bolting
floyd | into view and yanks you down, eyeball to eyeball. "Since when does
floyd | 'shit' mean 'mark,' Mitchum? We were still falling too fast to deploy.
floyd | The chutes tore."
floyd |
floyd | Chub lets go of you and blows open the hatch. Icy wind snarls around
floyd | the cabin, dragging at you. "Bail out! And I mean now, fuckwit!"
floyd |
floyd | Duggers gives you a curled sneer and leaps out of the hatch. Chub
floyd | shoves at you from behind.
floyd |
floyd | In mid-air
floyd | You're in mid-air, falling fast. You can't see the ground, and there's
floyd | nothing to see in the sky.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You pause.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "ask chub about shit" | ||
floyd | Please use >TALK TO PLAYER to interact in this game.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Mark!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "pull lever" | ||
floyd | You pull hard on the levers, which ratchet into a locked position with
floyd | a satisfying, weighty "ka-chunk." From above, there is a noise like a
floyd | screech owl colliding with a sheet of inch-thick plexiglass, and then
floyd | the cabin seems to stop in midair, jolting everything that's not nailed
floyd | down, which includes you and Duggers.
floyd |
floyd | Chub saunters into view. "Good work, Mitchum. All right, let's strap in
floyd | and get ready for touchdown. That means you too, Duggers."
floyd |
floyd | Duggers says, "I got a hand on the strap, don't I?"
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Fine. Stand up if you want. When your kneecaps blow out and
floyd | your hamstrings are severed by the compound fractures of your thigh
floyd | bones you can crawl your ass through the swamp. Doesn't make any
floyd | difference to me, as long as you keep one hand free to salute."
floyd |
floyd | Duggers gives Chub a severe salute and lowers his stubborn ass down
floyd | onto the bench. You plunk down next to him.
floyd |
floyd | The cabin creaks and shudders. Chub checks her chronometer.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| inky says (to Floyd), "strap in" | ||
floyd | You strap yourself in.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Okay. We need to prepare to lose the AVLC when we land.
floyd | This thing is going to fill with water and sink in about ninety-eight
floyd | seconds. Duggers, as soon as we hit, blow the hatch and do a quick
floyd | scout. Mitchum, launch the homing beacon and then get the hell out."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push save" | ||
floyd | You can't see any such thing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "cf27" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "Am I going to fast? You guys are quiet." | |
| Djfletch says, "no, carry on" | ||
| davidW says, "Considering this game is obviously timed, I prefer to have someone else drive." | ||
| Djfletch says, "looks like we wait until we land anyway" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait. Chub checks her chronometer. She says, "Touchdown in eight,
floyd | seven, six..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | (first removing the straps)
floyd |
floyd | You get off the bench.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers shifts his weight forward, ready to spring into action.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Five, four, three..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You swing yourself up into the emergency station.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Tw--"
floyd |
floyd | With a jaw-splintering jolt, the AVLC hits the swampwater. You're
floyd | thrown hard to the floor by the impact, your helmet absorbing a lot of
floyd | the shattering force. Bright splotches fill your vision. Maybe your
floyd | goggles are damaged, you think at first, and then you realize that it's
floyd | your eyes.
floyd |
floyd | You squeeze your eyes, wait for the blotches to fade, and hope it isn't
floyd | a concussion.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You swing yourself up into the emergency station.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers says, "Blowing the hatch..." Fwoom! There's a white flare in
floyd | your goggles, and the hatch disappears into darkness. Instantly,
floyd | freezing algae water pours into the opening. Duggers leaps out into it
floyd | as the cabin starts to reel, pitching aftward.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "push homing" | ||
floyd | You launch the homing beacon.
floyd |
floyd | Chub yanks at your arm. You feel a spasm of pain shoot through it.
floyd | She's yelling at you and pointing at the hatch, but you can't hear her.
floyd | The fall must have damaged your helmet's comm system.
floyd |
floyd | The cabin is now half full of swampwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "out" | ||
floyd | You get off the emergency station.
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is at the hatchway, standing firm against the inrushing water.
floyd |
floyd | You force yourself out of the craft, fighting the freezing water. Your
floyd | legs seize up a few steps from the sinking craft, or maybe they're just
floyd | caught in the muck. You lose your balance, but can't move your feet to
floyd | stabilize yourself. Slime splashes up into your faceplate. Your hands
floyd | sink into something gelatinous. Everything is cold. You must be
floyd | underwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "That's where we died before" | |
| Tale says, "i wonder if we're not supposed to get underwater" | ||
| Inky says, "oh, there's probably a way to take off the chute" | ||
| Djfletch says, "maybe we should have kept wearing the straps for longer" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove baclpack" | ||
floyd | You can't see any such thing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove backpack" | ||
floyd | You try, but it just makes you seep deeper into the murk.
floyd |
floyd | You put your hands down, hoping to raise your weight, but there's no
floyd | support. Your arms sink like toothpicks into a sponge cake.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You curl your legs up under your chest, slowly drawing them out of the
floyd | muck, and you replant them in fresh muck. Gradually you wobble yourself
floyd | into an upright fetal position and try to stand. You must weigh 350
floyd | pounds with all of your gear. Carefully, slowly, you stand. For a
floyd | moment you're not sure whether you're actually standing or not, and you
floyd | realize it's because your faceplate is covered with marsh slime.
floyd |
floyd | >
| theXenographer says, "I'm suspecting that possibly anything we do will lead to us drowning in the marsh..." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove backpack" | ||
floyd | A soldier never removes his backpack unless his life depends on doing
floyd | so.
floyd |
floyd | You smear the slime away with your hand, and see the marshland.
floyd |
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | The landscape is pitch black, even in your goggles. No heat from the
floyd | freezing swampwater. Out of the blackness, looming shapes in obscene
floyd | colors. You aren't supposed to see colors through these goggles, and
floyd | you wonder if you're doing worse than you thought.
floyd |
floyd | The shapes are mushrooms, hundreds of them, rising on their moist
floyd | stalks, ballooning heads eighteen feet around, eight feet high. You
floyd | can't get much of a sight beyond them. There's too many mushrooms.
floyd | Maybe you should waste some ammo clearing a sightline. Then again,
floyd | maybe you don't have any ammo to waste, now.
floyd |
floyd | You can see Chub and Duggers here.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers and Chub are standing in front of you, pointing and screaming
floyd | at you, wondering why you don't answer them.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Inky says, "oh hmm" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "cf28" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Inky says, "I think because we didn't screw up the landing our chute isn't dragging us down maybe" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "point at helmet" | ||
floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "remove helmet" | ||
floyd | You'll need that helmet to survive and to communicate with Duggers and
floyd | Chub.
floyd |
floyd | You point at the comm antenna on your helmet and tap your finger to it.
floyd | You shake your head.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers flings his arms wide and throws his head back, the universal
floyd | pantomime for, "Well, that's just fucking GREAT." Chub approaches you,
floyd | removing her thick gloves, reaching for her toolbelt. You hear her
floyd | hands bumping against your helmet.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | There is a burst of deafening static in your helmet. You flinch and
floyd | turn to face Chub, who glowers at you and shoves your head away so she
floyd | can keep working. You feel the bones in your neck grind together, a
floyd | pain so bad you want to black out.
floyd |
floyd | Your training asserts itself. You clench your fists, bite your tongue,
floyd | and hang onto consciousness.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | There's another burst of static, and Chub's voice poking through it.
floyd |
floyd | "...hear that? ... if you ... --kay? ...Mitchum!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "talk to chub" | ||
floyd | You hear Chub say, "How about that?"
floyd |
floyd | "Got it," you say.
floyd |
floyd | A vibration ripples the water. Duggers's voice: "Heads up! Heads up!
floyd | Can he hear through that goddamn thing yet? Come on!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "Okay, this is a tad confusing." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "talk to duggers" | ||
floyd | floyd | What would you like to say? floyd | [1] Duggers, your girlfriend's a skank. floyd | [2] Yo mama. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | Tale says, "ha ha" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "1" | ||
floyd | floyd | Duggers says, "Don't you be talkin' that way about Lashawnda, floyd | motherfucker! I'll shuffle yo pasty pink Iowa corn-fed ass off this floyd | mortal fuckin' coil, you hear what I'm saying?" floyd | floyd | [1] Yeah, I hear ya. floyd | [2] I'll say what I like, bitch! floyd | [3] Fuck off. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | firion exclaims, "Hopefully someone brought extra tokens. We're gonna need them in a game like this!" | |
| Tale says, "Okay, let's vote" | ||
| Tale says, "I say 2" | ||
| Djfletch says, "ok, 2" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "2" | ||
floyd | floyd | Duggers bursts into hoarse laughter. "Man, you crack me up," he says. floyd | His face goes stony again. "Just don't push me." floyd | floyd | [1] Yo mama. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "1" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Duggers says, "No, *yo* mama."
floyd |
floyd | Chub whips out her plasma rifle. You whip out Charlene. Charlene's your
floyd | partner, ready for the dance. You draw some strength from her, ignoring
floyd | the spasms in your bad arm.
floyd |
floyd | Easy girl. Just... hold it ... steady.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "talk to chub" | ||
floyd | floyd | What would you like to say? floyd | [1] Yes sergeant. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "1" | ||
floyd |
floyd | You affirm Chub's authority.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "I've called for reinforcements, but they won't come in
floyd | until we hold this position for a while. No use aiding a lost cause."
floyd |
floyd | You say, "It is a lost cause, isn't it? The bugs are just going to keep
floyd | coming."
floyd |
floyd | The vibration comes again. Somewhere, far ahead, twisting its way
floyd | closer, the bug is coming.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot mushroom" | ||
floyd | You hear the roar of many feet, so many feet it makes your stomach
floyd | turn. Up ahead, through that maze of mushrooms, you see a slickened
floyd | shape pass by, west to east.
floyd |
floyd | Chub shouts, "Fire!"
floyd |
floyd | You fire Charlene into the darkness. She purrs and growls. She's jumpy
floyd | today, you can tell. Or maybe you are. Duggers fires. Chub fires.
floyd | Mushrooms explode into spores. Fast-growing spores, you remember. In
floyd | ten minutes, there will be more of them, full-sized. How are you
floyd | supposed to win a war like this?
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | All you hit are more mushrooms, but you clear a path. Up ahead, the
floyd | behemoth twists like a snake, heading west, then east, then directly at
floyd | you. Duggers fires at the head of it, and the head explodes, but the
floyd | beast keeps coming. It turns east again.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You fire at the beast, cutting the bug in two. The damn segments don't
floyd | stop moving, though. Now there's two bugs, each twisting this way and
floyd | that. One segment reaches a small tunnel, formed by columns of
floyd | mushrooms to each side, and it twists between them, heading straight
floyd | for you.
floyd |
floyd | "Fire! Fire!" Chub screams.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | Charlene is white hot, searing your naked fingers. You love her most of
floyd | all when she's like this, when she's on fire. Your skin melds with
floyd | hers. Your hands become iron, her body becomes soft flesh.
floyd |
floyd | Your rifles flare in the damp night, shooting plasma pulses a million
floyd | degrees hot and moving at 400 miles an hour. The charging beast loses
floyd | its head, and then another head, and then another head, and then
floyd | another. Suddenly, there are no more heads, it is gone.
floyd |
floyd | The second segment twists into view, just beyond the closest range of
floyd | mushrooms, about to invade your empty black marshland base.
floyd |
floyd | Another noise, unlike the steady thrum of these insect feet, begins to
floyd | grow, with a doppler effect, from dead ahead. A flying bug.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "Rob is very good at emulating Heinlein" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "cf29" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot flying bug" | ||
floyd | You can only do that to something animate.
floyd |
floyd | >
| theXenographer says, "I was going to say, this is a little Starship Troopers." | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You fire at the centipede and miss, but it gives you light to see
floyd | what's coming. It's a tick, two tons of chitinous carapace, bristly
floyd | fangs, and bug meat, hurtling straight at the three of you, over the
floyd | tops of the mushrooms. Its lazy feet scrape the mushroom heads,
floyd | poisoning them as it passes, making the mushrooms change to ugly
floyd | colors. If another bug touches one of those, it'll go into a
floyd | hallucinogenic frenzy.
floyd |
floyd | "Spread out! Spread out!" Chub shouts.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You dodge left and fire, but you can't get a steady bead on the damn
floyd | thing. Chub concentrates on the centipede, her plasma shots splitting
floyd | it again in two. They're coming at you from both sides now.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is right in the tick's path. He stands his ground, shouting at
floyd | the sonofabitch. Duggers fires at it, misses. Fires again, misses. It's
floyd | coming in too fast, even for Duggers.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You keep firing, trying to save Duggers, but the tick mows him down.
floyd | Its sticky feet latch onto his body, his face purples and blackens as
floyd | he's carted away to some nest to be digested. There is a scream in your
floyd | helmet, and then silence.
floyd |
floyd | Dead silence. The bugs are gone. There's just two of you left.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "talk to chub" | ||
floyd | floyd | What would you like to say? floyd | [1] Yes sergeant. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "x chub" | ||
floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "0ss" | ||
floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "0" | ||
floyd | You decide not to say anything.
floyd |
floyd | You were right. More mushrooms have grown up already. It's harder to
floyd | see. Up ahead, you see the segmented beast twisting this way and that.
floyd | Up ahead, you hear another tick approaching like a dive bomber, coming
floyd | right at you and Chub.
floyd |
floyd | Up ahead, you hear the thrum. Wave number two. Or is it just a
floyd | continuation of the first wave?
floyd |
floyd | Something else, something new. Feet clicking, splashing, an almost
floyd | musical chirp as the legs saw back and forth. What the hell? Some sort
floyd | of cricket? No.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You shoot at the tick, and with a final good shot, it explodes into a
floyd | greasy cloud.
floyd |
floyd | In the glow of Charlene's plasma bolts you see what this new bug is.
floyd | It's a scorpion, sidling sideways. Fortunately, it's not coming at you.
floyd | Chub takes it out with one quick shot. She then swings her aim at the
floyd | beast, but only manages to cut it into three segments, damn her eyes.
floyd |
floyd | From the sky comes another tick, its poisonous legs turning the
floyd | mushrooms purple and blue.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Djfletch asks, "can we run away?" | |
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You and Chub concentrate your fire on the tick. You vaporize it with
floyd | about thirty yards to spare. Plasma spray and unvaporized bug bits
floyd | sizzle over the mushroom caps, a wet coat of death.
floyd |
floyd | And then you hear another tick, bearing down on you, following its
floyd | kamikaze partner, poisoning even more mushrooms.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You take a lucky shot and destroy the second tick before it even gets
floyd | close, before it can poison too many mushrooms, but it's already too
floyd | late.
floyd |
floyd | One of the centipede segments hit the poisoned mushrooms, and the oil
floyd | gets into its skin, scrambling its stupid bug neurons. Crazed, it
floyd | charges forward, straight at you. Another segment hits another poisoned
floyd | shroom, and it, too, charges screaming at you.
floyd |
floyd | The two segments swoop down on either side of you and Chub, circle, and
floyd | play back and forth, zigzagging. The poison's worn off, thankfully.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot segment" | ||
floyd | You charge, firing with deadly aim. One down. You're just about to
floyd | congratulate yourself when Chub shouts a warning.
floyd |
floyd | You see more centipedes arriving out of the darkness to your left and
floyd | right. Where are they coming from? Just two segments each, a head and a
floyd | tail, joining the dance. There's four of these damn things now, and
floyd | more every minute.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "Man." | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf30" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "s" | ||
floyd | You slog a few steps in that direction. Your foot runs into something
floyd | solid, probably the submerged landing craft.
floyd |
floyd | You shoot and shoot, vaporizing as many as you can. You start to think
floyd | you're winning, that you're going to get out of this, when out of the
floyd | corner of your eye, you see Chub backing up, not looking where she's
floyd | going. You yell for her to move, to watch out. You're still busy firing
floyd | as you try to move closer to her, to yank her out of the way, to give
floyd | her cover, but it's too late. A new segment dances into the marsh, runs
floyd | Chub down, stomps her into the muck. You hear a shriek in your helmet
floyd | that becomes a helpless gurgle. The beast drips acid out of its flanks,
floyd | out of its disgusting glands, and something sizzles underwater.
floyd |
floyd | A final shot from your rifle sails into the gloom. Far away, a mushroom
floyd | explodes.
floyd |
floyd | Again, silence. And you're the only one left.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Djfletch says, "oh dear" | |
| Tale says, "I think that was supposed to happen" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "hide" | ||
floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | The landscape is pitch black, even in your goggles. No heat from the
floyd | freezing swampwater. Out of the blackness, looming shapes in obscene
floyd | colors. You aren't supposed to see colors through these goggles, and
floyd | you wonder if you're doing worse than you thought.
floyd |
floyd | You were right. New mushrooms have grown, dozens of them, eight feet
floyd | high. You can't get much of a sight beyond them. There's too many. You
floyd | don't have any ammo to waste, now.
floyd |
floyd | You can't see for all of the mushrooms blocking your way. You can hear
floyd | movement, far ahead, but you can't see anything but the mushrooms.
floyd | They're different colors now. Are you hallucinating? And where's the
floyd | backup Chub called for? How long are they going to take?
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "enter craft" | ||
floyd | That's just not going to work, soldier.
floyd |
floyd | You vent your frustrations on the mushrooms, shooting again and again.
floyd | They explode, releasing spores that will grow more of them soon. You
floyd | don't care. You need the space to move if you're going to win this
floyd | battle, if you're going to survive.
floyd |
floyd | You know, though, that it's just a matter of time. You wonder what the
floyd | point of this is, and you laugh. It's a sick joke to someone up there
floyd | in HQ, someone in a chushy office on Atari Prime. It's just some stupid
floyd | game.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Inky says, "ha ha" | |
| Tale says, "ha ha" | ||
| Tale says, ">SHOOT FOURTH WALL" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "l" | ||
floyd |
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | The landscape is pitch black, even in your goggles. No heat from the
floyd | freezing swampwater. Out of the blackness, looming shapes in obscene
floyd | colors. You aren't supposed to see colors through these goggles, and
floyd | you wonder if you're doing worse than you thought.
floyd |
floyd | You were right. New mushrooms have grown, dozens of them, eight feet
floyd | high. You can't get much of a sight beyond them. There's too many. You
floyd | don't have any ammo to waste, now.
floyd |
floyd | You hear the thunder, the singsong chirping, the freight train whistle
floyd | doing its doppler effect, doubled, tripled. All the bugs are back. More
floyd | than ever.
floyd |
floyd | A tick whizzes by you to your left, just missing you. You hear it hiss
floyd | its hatred.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You blast another tick as it flies by to the right, dripping poison.
floyd | The mushroom right in front of you warps, rots, seems to right itself.
floyd | You destroy it. There's another deadly one behind it. You shoot that
floyd | one, too, and another.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot mushrooms" | ||
floyd | A lucky shot aimed at a mushroom obliterates a scorpion, but another
floyd | tick comes, and the beast is moving fast.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | Charlene's aim is true, and you wipe out what you hope is the last tick
floyd | of this wave. Once again, it's too late. The murshrooms have done their
floyd | work. The crazed behemoth charges; once again, you are surrounded. Once
floyd | again, new segments arrive from nowhere, spinning in circles around
floyd | you.
floyd |
floyd | Mocking your hopes, one last tick comes, and this one has your name on
floyd | it.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You fire at the tick, and miss.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You fire at the tick, and miss. It's going to get you.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You brace yourself for your last stand. You take aim at that tick,
floyd | right in its glassy, metallic blue-green eyes. You fire, and miss. One
floyd | last chance, it's almost here.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You get it from behind. Oh, shit, you think. The fucking irony. The
floyd | tick sails past, unharmed, as one of the segments of the beast crushes
floyd | you, biting off your legs.
floyd |
floyd | There's no time to feel pain, or maybe there isn't any pain. Some sort
floyd | of anesthetic in the saliva, you remember. You scream anyway, just like
floyd | Chub. You're not going down quietly. You try to turn your rifle around,
floyd | fire at the damn thing point-blank, but suddenly your arms don't work.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "uh og" | |
| Djfletch says, "eep" | ||
| Tale says, "Loosing your legs is rarely the correct path in my experience" | ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "scream" | ||
floyd | That's not a verb I recognize.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | That was the last one.
floyd |
floyd | You're flipped over on your back, and something viscous and yellow
floyd | oozes onto your faceplate, dissolving it. Suddenly your eyes don't
floyd | work, and you can't scream. You see a dull red that turns brown and
floyd | black in splotches, like the way the colors on a bubble turn before the
floyd | bubble pops, and it's dead.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| tale says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | The last thought that comes to you makes you laugh. It's that old joke.
floyd | What's the last thing to go through a bug's mind as it hits your
floyd | windshield? Its --.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 595 out of a possible 25000, in 54 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| Tale asks, "Hmm. Suggestions?" | |
| Inky says, "ha ha" | ||
| Inky says, "I dunno, I thought that went pretty well" | ||
| Tale says, "This isn't nethack. Dying ain't good!" | ||
| jacqueline says, "SNRK" | ||
| jacqueline says, "er, snrk" | ||
| jacqueline says, "Just a little snrk." | ||
| davidW says, "I imagine you'd last longer if you didn't lose your teammates." | ||
| jacqueline says, "Doing something tedious that is taking me longer than anticipated. Watching, but kind of involved and unable to comment, mostly." | ||
| theXenographer asks, "Is there any way to save them, though?" | ||
| davidW says, "I'd think so, but I've never played this before." | ||
| Djfletch says, "we could shoot them and join the bugs" | ||
| davidW says, "It's probably difficult to see the best path without playing many times, I'd guess." | ||
| k-Y says, "I think half the IF Arcade games were commenting on the futility of playing an arcade game" | ||
| Djfletch says, "a lot of the time we just shot the most obvious thing - it's hard to see what else we could have done." | ||
| davidW asks, "Shoot nonobvious things?" | ||
| Djfletch says, "maybe" | ||
| Tale says, "Yeah maybe" | ||
| davidW says, "Also, I seem to remember a lot of initial inventory." | ||
| Tale asks, "I'm not aware of tactics in centipede. Maybe that'll help?" | ||
| davidW says, "Perhaps there's more options than shooting." | ||
| davidW says, "I never played the actual arcade game much. I was never good at arcade games, not even Tetris, Frogger, or Pac-Man." | ||
| allen says, "frogger was not a good game" | ||
| jacqueline says, "Frogger rocked." | ||
| davidW asks, "What was in our backpack?" | ||
| Djfletch says, "I don't know if we ever looked in it." | ||
| Djfletch asks, "Shall we try another run through and see if we can do anything better?" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "restart" | ||
floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | floyd | "100 feet per second," Chub says. floyd | floyd | Duggers flips you a holovid of his scary trash girlfriend. "Touch the floyd | zipper icon," he says. floyd | floyd | There is a shudder in the cabin, and warning lights flare greasy-green floyd | in your night vision goggles. "Hang on, campers," yells Chub. "Descent floyd | jets one and two just jammed up. We're in for a bumpy landing." floyd | floyd | Duggers grunts. "So much for surprise. They live in the ground. Every floyd | stinking bug for miles is gonna feel the vibrations." floyd | floyd | "Gravity zero point nine-sixty Gees," Chub says, her elbows swinging floyd | out at awkward angles, flapping like stunted chicken wings. She's floyd | fighting the two joysticks, trying to keep this iron turd level as it floyd | streaks through the sky. "On my mark, Mitchum," she says. floyd | floyd | [Hit any key.] | ||
| djfletch pushes the green 'space' button. | ||
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | CENTIPEDE
floyd | A short story of senseless violence and profanity
floyd | Release 1 / Serial number 001231 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10 SD
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is below, one boot up on the bench, holding a safety strap with
floyd | one hand. Thinks he's on the damn bullet train. He's survived forty
floyd | missions, thinks he's invulnerable now.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is tucked around the corner at the helm. You can't see her, but
floyd | you can hear her voice in your helmet. "On my mark. On my mark..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You are carrying:
floyd | a combat suit (being worn)
floyd | a waterproof boots (being worn)
floyd | a helmet (being worn)
floyd | a set of night vision goggles (being worn)
floyd | a belt of ammo clips (being worn)
floyd | a backpack (being worn and closed)
floyd | Charlene
floyd | a holovid
floyd |
floyd | Your forehead just started to itch.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "open backpack" | ||
floyd | You open the backpack, revealing food rations, a canteen, a letter and
floyd | a zip pack of stims.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "read letter" | ||
floyd | It's a letter to your folks, to be sent in case you're killed in the
floyd | line of duty. You're hoping someone survives this mission to send it.
floyd | No. You're hoping nobody needs to send the damn thing. Not this time.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x stims" | ||
floyd | It's stuff to keep you jacked up and alert. You've used up your ration
floyd | already, but you still got some extras you palmed off the medic.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x rations" | ||
floyd | Today's food rations, in compact powder packets.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers swipes his holovid from you. "Hey man, don't you never give
floyd | nothing back?" he says. He gives his girlfriend's picture a quick ogle
floyd | before stuffing it into a side pocket of his pants.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "eat rations" | ||
floyd | Not until you clear the sector and establish basecamp for the full
floyd | landing party.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "Oh you guys are replaying? I'm doing laundry. Almost as exciting!" | |
| Djfletch says, "just wanted to have another quick try. I don't really have much of a plan though." | ||
| Djfletch says, "I'm not sure any of this inventory is going to help." | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "talk to chub" | ||
floyd | floyd | What would you like to say? floyd | [1] Yes sergeant. floyd | floyd | Select an option or 0 to say nothing >> | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "1" | ||
floyd |
floyd | You affirm Chub's authority.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You do nothing. Chub's voice starts counting down. You can hear the
floyd | strain in her voice, the pitch rising and falling in synchronization
floyd | with the cabin's spastic lurching and yawing.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You do nothing.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Four ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Three ..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit ...!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| davidW asks, "I wonder if the stims might help you act fast enough to save Dugger?" | |
| Djfletch says, "hmm, maybe" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You swing yourself from the hatchway up into your emergency station.
floyd | You're already starting to sweat inside your suit, but there isn't time
floyd | to adjust the coolant controls.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Shit!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You hold one more second. Chub says, "Mark!"
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "pull levers" | ||
floyd | You pull hard on the levers, which ratchet into a locked position with
floyd | a satisfying, weighty "ka-chunk." From above, there is a noise like a
floyd | screech owl colliding with a sheet of inch-thick plexiglass, and then
floyd | the cabin seems to stop in midair, jolting everything that's not nailed
floyd | down, which includes you and Duggers.
floyd |
floyd | Chub saunters into view. "Good work, Mitchum. All right, let's strap in
floyd | and get ready for touchdown. That means you too, Duggers."
floyd |
floyd | Duggers says, "I got a hand on the strap, don't I?"
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Fine. Stand up if you want. When your kneecaps blow out and
floyd | your hamstrings are severed by the compound fractures of your thigh
floyd | bones you can crawl your ass through the swamp. Doesn't make any
floyd | difference to me, as long as you keep one hand free to salute."
floyd |
floyd | Duggers gives Chub a severe salute and lowers his stubborn ass down
floyd | onto the bench. You plunk down next to him.
floyd |
floyd | The cabin creaks and shudders. Chub checks her chronometer.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf31" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "wear strap" | ||
floyd | You strap yourself in.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Okay. We need to prepare to lose the AVLC when we land.
floyd | This thing is going to fill with water and sink in about ninety-eight
floyd | seconds. Duggers, as soon as we hit, blow the hatch and do a quick
floyd | scout. Mitchum, launch the homing beacon and then get the hell out."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait. Chub checks her chronometer. She says, "Touchdown in eight,
floyd | seven, six..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait. Duggers shifts his weight forward, ready to spring into
floyd | action.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Five, four, three..."
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "z" | ||
floyd | You wait.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Tw--"
floyd |
floyd | With a jaw-splintering jolt, the AVLC hits the swampwater. Chub is
floyd | already on her feet, grabbing extra rations and munitions. Yeah, like
floyd | we'll last long enough to need those, you think.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | (first removing the straps)
floyd | You get off the bench and swing yourself up into the emergency station.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers says, "Blowing the hatch..." Fwoom! There's a white flare in
floyd | your goggles, and the hatch disappears into darkness. Instantly,
floyd | freezing algae water pours into the opening. Duggers leaps out into it
floyd | as the cabin starts to reel, pitching aftward.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "push beacon" | ||
floyd | You launch the homing beacon.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "Let's go, Mitchum! Move! Move! Move!"
floyd |
floyd | The cabin is now half full of swampwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "out" | ||
floyd | You get off the emergency station.
floyd |
floyd | Buzz-Busta AVLC-905 Cabin
floyd | There's dick-all to see here, even with the goggles on. Armory
floyd | cabinets, supply shelves, two brushed-steel benches, safety straps. The
floyd | emergency station is a swivel chair three steps up a ladder, facing a
floyd | panel with rugged switches and levers.
floyd |
floyd | Chub is at the hatchway, standing firm against the inrushing water,
floyd | motioning for you to get out.
floyd |
floyd | You force yourself out of the craft, fighting the freezing water. Your
floyd | legs seize up a few steps from the sinking craft, or maybe they're just
floyd | caught in the muck. You lose your balance, but can't move your feet to
floyd | stabilize yourself. Slime splashes up into your faceplate. Your hands
floyd | sink into something gelatinous. Everything is cold. You must be
floyd | underwater.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf32" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You put your hands down, hoping to raise your weight, but there's no
floyd | support. Your arms sink like toothpicks into a sponge cake.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Djfletch asks, "how did we do this bit?" | |
| Tale says, "Just up" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "u" | ||
floyd | You curl your legs up under your chest, slowly drawing them out of the
floyd | muck, and you replant them in fresh muck. Gradually you wobble yourself
floyd | into an upright fetal position and try to stand. You must weigh 350
floyd | pounds with all of your gear. Carefully, slowly, you stand. For a
floyd | moment you're not sure whether you're actually standing or not, and you
floyd | realize it's because your faceplate is covered with marsh slime.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "clean faceplate" | ||
floyd | You lift your arm to wipe off your faceplate, and a searing pain shoots
floyd | from your shoulder down to the end of your pinky. You grit your teeth
floyd | and ignore it. You figure you can probably still hold and fire your
floyd | weapon, so there's no use crying about it. You smear the slime away
floyd | with your other hand, and see the marshland.
floyd |
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | The landscape is pitch black, even in your goggles. No heat from the
floyd | freezing swampwater. Out of the blackness, looming shapes in obscene
floyd | colors. You aren't supposed to see colors through these goggles, and
floyd | you wonder if you're doing worse than you thought.
floyd |
floyd | The shapes are mushrooms, hundreds of them, rising on their moist
floyd | stalks, ballooning heads eighteen feet around, eight feet high. You
floyd | can't get much of a sight beyond them. There's too many mushrooms.
floyd | Maybe you should waste some ammo clearing a sightline. Then again,
floyd | maybe you don't have any ammo to waste, now.
floyd |
floyd | You can see Chub and Duggers here.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers and Chub are standing in front of you, pointing and screaming
floyd | at you, wondering why you didn't answer them.
floyd |
floyd | You say, "Sorry, Sergeant. I fell down and almost drowned."
floyd |
floyd | Chub and Duggers start to laugh. They loud enough to shake the ground.
floyd | The laughter stops when you see that a vibration is rippling the water.
floyd | The ground really is shaking.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers whispers, "Heads up! Heads up!"
floyd |
floyd | Chub whips out her plasma rifle. You whip out Charlene. Charlene's your
floyd | partner, ready for the dance. You draw some strength from her, ignoring
floyd | the spasms in your bad arm.
floyd |
floyd | Easy girl. Just... hold it ... steady.
floyd |
floyd | >
| Tale says, "(cf32? Should've cleared that)" | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "eat stims" | ||
floyd | (first taking the zip pack of stims)
floyd | Easy there, soldier. No need to overmedicate yourself. You don't want
floyd | to end up with a problem.
floyd |
floyd | Chub says, "I've called for reinforcements, but they won't come in
floyd | until we hold this position for a while. No use aiding a lost cause."
floyd |
floyd | You say, "It is a lost cause, isn't it? The bugs are just going to keep
floyd | coming."
floyd |
floyd | The vibration comes again. Somewhere, far ahead, twisting its way
floyd | closer, the bug is coming.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You hear the roar of many feet, so many feet it makes your stomach
floyd | turn. Up ahead, through that maze of mushrooms, you see a slickened
floyd | shape pass by, west to east.
floyd |
floyd | Chub shouts, "Fire!"
floyd |
floyd | You fire Charlene into the darkness. She purrs and growls. She's jumpy
floyd | today, you can tell. Or maybe you are. Duggers fires. Chub fires.
floyd | Mushrooms explode into spores. Fast-growing spores, you remember. In
floyd | ten minutes, there will be more of them, full-sized. How are you
floyd | supposed to win a war like this?
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | All you hit are more mushrooms, but you clear a path. Up ahead, the
floyd | behemoth twists like a snake, heading west, then east, then directly at
floyd | you. Duggers fires at the head of it, and the head explodes, but the
floyd | beast keeps coming. It turns east again.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You fire at the beast, cutting the bug in two. The damn segments don't
floyd | stop moving, though. Now there's two bugs, each twisting this way and
floyd | that. One segment reaches a small tunnel, formed by columns of
floyd | mushrooms to each side, and it twists between them, heading straight
floyd | for you.
floyd |
floyd | "Fire! Fire!" Chub screams.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | Charlene is white hot, searing your naked fingers. You love her most of
floyd | all when she's like this, when she's on fire. Your skin melds with
floyd | hers. Your hands become iron, her body becomes soft flesh.
floyd |
floyd | Your rifles flare in the damp night, shooting plasma pulses a million
floyd | degrees hot and moving at 400 miles an hour. The charging beast loses
floyd | its head, and then another head, and then another head, and then
floyd | another. Suddenly, there are no more heads, it is gone.
floyd |
floyd | The second segment twists into view, just beyond the closest range of
floyd | mushrooms, about to invade your empty black marshland base.
floyd |
floyd | Another noise, unlike the steady thrum of these insect feet, begins to
floyd | grow, with a doppler effect, from dead ahead. A flying bug.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot flying bug" | ||
floyd | You can only do that to something animate.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You fire at the centipede and miss, but it gives you light to see
floyd | what's coming. It's a tick, two tons of chitinous carapace, bristly
floyd | fangs, and bug meat, hurtling straight at the three of you, over the
floyd | tops of the mushrooms. Its lazy feet scrape the mushroom heads,
floyd | poisoning them as it passes, making the mushrooms change to ugly
floyd | colors. If another bug touches one of those, it'll go into a
floyd | hallucinogenic frenzy.
floyd |
floyd | "Spread out! Spread out!" Chub shouts.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "e" | ||
floyd | You slog a few steps in that direction.
floyd |
floyd | Chub splits the centipede again in two. They're coming at you from both
floyd | sides now.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is right in the tick's path. He stands his ground, shouting at
floyd | the sonofabitch. Duggers fires at it, misses. Fires again, misses. It's
floyd | coming in too fast.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You dodge left and fire, but you can't get a steady bead on the damn
floyd | thing. Chub concentrates on the centipede, her plasma shots splitting
floyd | it again in two. They're coming at you from both sides now.
floyd |
floyd | Duggers is right in the tick's path. He stands his ground, shouting at
floyd | the sonofabitch. Duggers fires at it, misses. Fires again, misses. It's
floyd | coming in too fast, even for Duggers.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "eat stims" | ||
floyd | (first taking the zip pack of stims)
floyd | Easy there, soldier. No need to overmedicate yourself. You don't want
floyd | to end up with a problem.
floyd |
floyd | The tick mows Duggers down, its sticky feet latching onto his body. You
floyd | see his face purple and blacken as he's carted away to some nest to be
floyd | digested. There is a scream, and then silence.
floyd |
floyd | Dead silence. The bugs are gone. There's two of you left.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You keep firing, trying to save Duggers, but the tick mows him down.
floyd | Its sticky feet latch onto his body, his face purples and blackens as
floyd | he's carted away to some nest to be digested. There is a scream in your
floyd | helmet, and then silence.
floyd |
floyd | Dead silence. The bugs are gone. There's just two of you left.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "i" | ||
floyd | You are carrying:
floyd | a combat suit (being worn)
floyd | a waterproof boots (being worn)
floyd | a helmet (being worn)
floyd | a set of night vision goggles (being worn)
floyd | a belt of ammo clips (being worn)
floyd | a backpack (being worn and open)
floyd | food rations
floyd | a canteen
floyd | a letter
floyd | a zip pack of stims
floyd | Charlene
floyd |
floyd | You were right. More mushrooms have grown up already. It's harder to
floyd | see. Up ahead, you see the segmented beast twisting this way and that.
floyd | Up ahead, you hear another tick approaching like a dive bomber, coming
floyd | right at you and Chub.
floyd |
floyd | Up ahead, you hear the thrum. Wave number two. Or is it just a
floyd | continuation of the first wave?
floyd |
floyd | Something else, something new. Feet clicking, splashing, an almost
floyd | musical chirp as the legs saw back and forth. What the hell? Some sort
floyd | of cricket? No.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "x goggles" | ||
floyd | The night vision goggles are an older model of specs. Apparently,
floyd | they're going to be more useful on this mission than the top of the
floyd | line version. Something about better motion interpolation and better
floyd | contrast in the -4C to 4C temperature range.
floyd |
floyd | It's a scorpion, sidling sideways. Fortunately, it's not coming at you.
floyd | You take it out with one quick shot. You're getting better at this.
floyd |
floyd | You'd better get even better, fast. Here comes that tick, with its
floyd | screaming song, with its poisonous legs, turning the mushrooms purple
floyd | and blue.
floyd |
floyd | Here comes the beast itself. Chub cuts it into three parts, damn her
floyd | eyes.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | While you destroy one of the three segments, Chub concentrates her fire
floyd | on the tick. She vaporize it with only about six yards to spare. Plasma
floyd | spray and unvaporized bug bits sizzle over both of you, a wet coat of
floyd | death.
floyd |
floyd | And then you hear another tick, bearing down on you, following its
floyd | kamikaze partner, poisoning even more mushrooms.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You take a lucky shot and destroy the second tick before it even gets
floyd | close, before it can poison too many mushrooms, but it's already too
floyd | late.
floyd |
floyd | One of the centipede segments hit the poisoned mushrooms, and the oil
floyd | gets into its skin, scrambling its stupid bug neurons. Crazed, it
floyd | charges forward, straight at you. Another segment hits another poisoned
floyd | shroom, and it, too, charges screaming at you.
floyd |
floyd | The two segments swoop down on either side of you and Chub, circle, and
floyd | play back and forth, zigzagging. The poison's worn off, thankfully.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot segment" | ||
floyd | You charge, firing with deadly aim. One down. You're just about to
floyd | congratulate yourself when Chub shouts a warning.
floyd |
floyd | You see more centipedes arriving out of the darkness to your left and
floyd | right. Where are they coming from? Just two segments each, a head and a
floyd | tail, joining the dance. There's four of these damn things now, and
floyd | more every minute.
floyd |
floyd | >
| davidW asks, "hm. Maybe if we can't eat the stims, someone/something else can. Maybe Dugger?" | |
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "give stims to dugger" | ||
floyd | You can only do that to something animate.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "give stims to chub" | ||
floyd | (first taking the zip pack of stims)
floyd | Easy there, soldier. No need to overmedicate yourself. You don't want
floyd | to end up with a problem.
floyd |
floyd | You shoot and shoot, vaporizing as many as you can. You start to think
floyd | you're winning, that you're going to get out of this, when out of the
floyd | corner of your eye, you see Chub backing up, not looking where she's
floyd | going. You yell for her to move, to watch out. You're still busy firing
floyd | as you try to move closer to her, to yank her out of the way, to give
floyd | her cover, but it's too late. A new segment dances into the marsh, runs
floyd | Chub down, stomps her into the muck. You hear a shriek in your helmet
floyd | that becomes a helpless gurgle. The beast drips acid out of its flanks,
floyd | out of its disgusting glands, and something sizzles underwater.
floyd |
floyd | A final shot from your rifle sails into the gloom. Far away, a mushroom
floyd | explodes.
floyd |
floyd | Again, silence. And you're the only one left.
floyd |
floyd | >
| davidW says, "Dugger's gone now." | |
| davidW says, "oh. You can't take the stims out of the pack at all." | ||
| Djfletch says, "oh well" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "cf33" | ||
floyd | Enter saved game to store: Ok.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot bug" | ||
floyd | You can't see for all of the mushrooms blocking your way. You can hear
floyd | movement, far ahead, but you can't see anything but the mushrooms.
floyd | They're different colors now. Are you hallucinating? And where's the
floyd | backup Chub called for? How long are they going to take?
floyd |
floyd | You vent your frustrations on the mushrooms, shooting again and again.
floyd | They explode, releasing spores that will grow more of them soon. You
floyd | don't care. You need the space to move if you're going to win this
floyd | battle, if you're going to survive.
floyd |
floyd | You know, though, that it's just a matter of time. You wonder what the
floyd | point of this is, and you laugh. It's a sick joke to someone up there
floyd | in HQ, someone in a chushy office on Atari Prime. It's just some stupid
floyd | game.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot mushroom" | ||
floyd | Charlene's singing now. She's found her sweetest rhythm, and you follow
floyd | along with it. You hear the thunder, the singsong chirping, the freight
floyd | train whistle doing its doppler effect, doubled, tripled. All the bugs
floyd | are back. More than ever. You and Charlene are ready. You clear your
floyd | sightlines, blowing away dozens of mushrooms.
floyd |
floyd | A tick whizzes by you to your left, just missing you. You hear it hiss
floyd | its hatred.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You blast another tick as it flies by to the right, dripping poison.
floyd | The mushroom right in front of you warps, rots, seems to right itself.
floyd | You destroy it. There's another deadly one behind it. You shoot that
floyd | one, too, and another.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot mushroom" | ||
floyd | A lucky shot aimed at a mushroom obliterates a scorpion, but another
floyd | tick comes, and the beast is moving fast.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | Charlene's aim is true, and you wipe out what you hope is the last tick
floyd | of this wave. Once again, it's too late. The murshrooms have done their
floyd | work. The crazed behemoth charges; once again, you are surrounded. Once
floyd | again, new segments arrive from nowhere, spinning in circles around
floyd | you.
floyd |
floyd | Mocking your hopes, one last tick comes, and this one has your name on
floyd | it.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot segment" | ||
floyd | You ignore it, concentrating on the centipedes as the tick bears down
floyd | on you.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot centipede" | ||
floyd | You fire at the segments, but it's hard to hit them when they're this
floyd | close, when there's so many. Either one of them or the tick is going to
floyd | get you.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot centipede" | ||
floyd | You take careful aim at one of the segments and destroy it, but another
floyd | takes its place, and another. You brace yourself for your death. The
floyd | tick is almost here.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You get it from behind. Oh, shit, you think. The fucking irony. The
floyd | tick sails past, unharmed, as one of the segments of the beast crushes
floyd | you, biting off your legs.
floyd |
floyd | There's no time to feel pain, or maybe there isn't any pain. Some sort
floyd | of anesthetic in the saliva, you remember. You scream anyway, just like
floyd | Chub. You're not going down quietly. You try to turn your rifle around,
floyd | fire at the damn thing point-blank, but suddenly your arms don't work.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot centipede" | ||
floyd | You spin on your heels, destroying a bug that was about to get you from
floyd | behind. The tick mows you down, killing you instantly.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 1085 out of a possible 25000, in 47 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||
floyd | Marshlands
floyd | [Previous turn undone.]
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot tick" | ||
floyd | You get it from behind. Oh, shit, you think. The fucking irony. The
floyd | tick sails past, unharmed, as one of the segments of the beast crushes
floyd | you, biting off your legs.
floyd |
floyd | There's no time to feel pain, or maybe there isn't any pain. Some sort
floyd | of anesthetic in the saliva, you remember. You scream anyway, just like
floyd | Chub. You're not going down quietly. You try to turn your rifle around,
floyd | fire at the damn thing point-blank, but suddenly your arms don't work.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot me" | ||
floyd |
floyd | You're flipped over on your back, and something viscous and yellow
floyd | oozes onto your faceplate, dissolving it. Suddenly your eyes don't
floyd | work, and you can't scream. You see a dull red that turns brown and
floyd | black in splotches, like the way the colors on a bubble turn before the
floyd | bubble pops, and it's dead.
floyd |
floyd | >
| ||
| djfletch says (to Floyd), "shoot me" | ||
floyd |
floyd | The last thought that comes to you makes you laugh. It's that old joke.
floyd | What's the last thing to go through a bug's mind as it hits your
floyd | windshield? Its --.
floyd |
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | *** Game over ***
floyd |
floyd |
floyd | In that game you scored 1085 out of a possible 25000, in 50 turns.
floyd |
floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT?
floyd | >
| Djfletch says, "hurrah, a new high score" | |
| firion says, "A winner is you." | ||
| davidW says, "You ought to be able to add your initials when you get a new high score. :)" | ||
| jacqueline says, "heh" | ||
| jacqueline asks, "...so. We done?" | ||
| Inky says, "I guess" | ||
| Djfletch says, "I've had enough of centipedes anyway." | ||
| davidW says, "yeah, I don't see how to proceed without a lot of tedious and time-consuming experimentation." | ||
| jacqueline says, "Well, it was fun watching you guys. When the sun came out I realized I had an anti-glare cover I had bought this week that I could put on my screen so that I could actually see what was going on... but it took a bit longer to install than I'd hoped." | ||
| theXenographer says, "Yeah, I'm not really sure there are any better endings to be had, anyway." | ||
| jacqueline says, "So I was mostly watching as I tediously removed dust motes from the film as I was laying it down." | ||
| theXenographer says, "Let's move on." | ||
| jacqueline says (to xen), "That's nearly two hours for today, so that's all for this week." | ||
| jacqueline says, "Next week: Muggle Studies." | ||
| Inky says, "oh, hmm" | ||
| Inky says, "maybe I should hold off playing it then" | ||
| jacqueline says, "After that, Apollo 18+20." | ||
| davidW says (to inky), "At least peruse the lovely feelies!" | ||
| jacqueline says, "And then after those are done, Savoir Faire." | ||
| jacqueline says, "That is the lineup at present." | ||
| Inky says, "man, CF is so organized these days" | ||
| jacqueline says, "Heh. Sometimes." | ||
| Inky says, "I remember back when we didn't pick a game until people showed up" | ||
| jacqueline says, "We did that today." | ||
| jacqueline says, "But that line up decision is what came out of the opening conversation." | ||
| Inky says, "yeah, my memory doesn't go that far back" | ||
