›

Worst puzzle yet? (spoilers, obviously)

EuloliaEulolia
edited November 2009 in Tales of Monkey Island
I'm talking about the
shock
of course.

I turned the hints on and that didn't help, spent 5 hours in the end trying every item combination possible everywhere. It just seemed like bad design, not because you can't cheese it by trying random combinations (that's a good thing) but because it seemed so completely.. random. There's also the red herring of
DeSinge's shock pedal, which seems way more logical than a shock by the door that doesn't seem connected to anything at first
.

The rest of the game was great though. Best episode yet:D
«134

Comments

  • FuryFury
    edited October 2009
    I thought that puzzle was really clever.

    And it's a shock because of the static of the carpet.

    It makes perfect sense.
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited October 2009
    It was extremely logical to me. Guybrush yelps in pain pretty much EVERY time he leaves the bar, it's very clear and obvious to me. Much more so than two pieces of broken equipment that weren't currently giving off shocks, anyway. My only slip-up was knowing that the rug was significant(it was moved from outside back inside, Guybrush had comments on it), but thinking it was meant to be the "eye-catching napkin" for the first course.
  • OlegdrOlegdr
    edited October 2009
    I can never get used to those "movement puzzles" both this one as well as the "calendar" puzzle in Ep.1 sent me to the hints board.
  • RegisRegis
    edited October 2009
    A really fun and actually quite an easy puzzle in my case. The only thing I spent a minute on was
    how to use esponga with carpet.
    Still I enjoyed this puzzle although I admit that before
    going to club (or leaving it to be precise) I also thought of looking for electricity in deSinge's laboratory.
  • WoodsyblueWoodsyblue
    edited October 2009
    I thought the fact that every time you left Club 41 (after they put the carpet back down) Guybrush gets an electric shock meant the puzzle was a dead giveaway. But that's just me.
  • PlaneforgerPlaneforger
    edited October 2009
    I had no problems with that puzzle - they made it fairly obvious every time you left the bar that something around the exit was generating elecricity.

    I thought this was going to be about the
    escaping from jail
    puzzle, which was easy but also slightly illogical, and you'll stumble upon the solution totally by accident.
  • EuloliaEulolia
    edited October 2009
    Rather Dashing wrote: »
    It was extremely logical to me. Guybrush yelps in pain pretty much EVERY time he leaves the bar, it's very clear and obvious to me.

    Yes ofc I noticed that and tried things like entering and leaving multiple times and after various drinks (the hint just mentions drinks, which is totally misleading). But walking back and forth on the same screen when there are no visual clues there or when you examine the carpet makes it completely illogical - since when did walking across a carpet once give you enough static to get an electric shock?
  • LordofDeadLordofDead
    edited October 2009
    The worst puzzle is that puzzle in the jungle. That makes this episode the worst! Sorry Telltale!
  • FronzelFronzel
    edited October 2009
    I was stumped because I thought some sort of faulty electrical fixture was shocking Guybrush; I failed to notice the rug and didn't think of static electricity.

    I mean, it's not like there isn't plenty of anachronistic technology in the game.
  • unicornfoalunicornfoal
    edited October 2009
    I found the shock to be a bad puzzle too. I just hang around the entrance, going in and out, tried using the sponge on the carpet once and on the exit once... only after going into the hints forum (which still didn't give a logical answer) I just keep using the sponge on the carpet then looking at it before accidently stumbling upon the answer.

    My little brother didn't believe me when I told him he just had to walk back and forth across the carpet. He did it, but kept asking "Are you sure this will work?"
  • EuloliaEulolia
    edited October 2009
    Fronzel wrote: »
    I was stumped because I thought some sort of faulty electrical fixture was shocking Guybrush; I failed to notice the rug and didn't think of static electricity.

    One thing is it's not clear that the rug even goes up to the door, it's all off-camera, can't notice the shock is when he touches the handle unless you're listening very carefully..
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited October 2009
    Eulolia wrote: »
    One thing is it's not clear that the rug even goes up to the door, it's all off-camera, can't notice the shock is when he touches the handle unless you're listening very carefully..
    What do you mean? You see the rug go up the stairs. At the very least, it's heavily implied.
  • GuruGuru214GuruGuru214
    edited October 2009
    No, the worst puzzle in the game was
    using the hook hand as a lock pick
    three times in this episode alone, especially since Guybrush doesn't comment
    "It couldn't be that easy..."
    until the third time, when he's already done it twice before. It might've been a little clever the first time,
    putting the solution right under our noses, but after that it had me wondering why they even bothered locking things anymore.
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited October 2009
    GuruGuru214 wrote: »
    No, the worst puzzle in the game was
    using the hook hand as a lock pick
    three times in this episode alone, especially since Guybrush doesn't comment
    "It couldn't be that easy..."
    until the third time, when he's already done it twice before. It might've been a little clever the first time,
    putting the solution right under our noses, but after that it had me wondering why they even bothered locking things anymore.
    I'd REALLY have to agree with this, except that there are even WORSE puzzles this episode.

    "You're lying."
    "No!"
    "Sure you are."
    "Oh, okay, you got me."

    I mean, seriously?
  • EuloliaEulolia
    edited October 2009
    Rather Dashing wrote: »
    I'd REALLY have to agree with this, except that there are even WORSE puzzles this episode.

    "You're lying."
    "No!"
    "Sure you are."
    "Oh, okay, you got me."

    I mean, seriously?

    Oh yeah, that was bad. Wouldn't really call it a puzzle though since it's a tier 1 conversation option, just more like interactive theatre (though if you'd used the You're Lying option on the others and got nothing you might not bother trying it I suppose).
  • OCKiOCKi
    edited October 2009
    Come on people!
    This episode offered some of the hardest and creative puzzles, which in my experience Telltale has ever created! (YES, feast-puzzles, I'm looking at you!!) And I have played all of Telltale's games.
    And you are complaining about the lock-picking gag? Phu-leeeezee!

    This episode is truly my favorite one! :)
  • Manpaint TwopforestManpaint Twopforest
    edited October 2009
    I agree, the bailiff interrogation and the repetitive use of the hook didn't feel that inspired to me. Still, the worst puzzle for me was with the pepper.
    After I asked the bartender about the pepper, i knew i had to use the auto-trepanation thingy for it. But Guybrush putting his tongue back in place everytime I touched something was just annoying. My first try, i clicked by accident on the manatee oil outside => back to De Singe's house. Second try: Guybrush uses it with his hand, burns himself => back to the house. Third try: forgot to tell the bartender to open the glass => back to the house. I think my fourth or fifth try was the good one. Walking back and forth between the bar and the house, while being careful to not click on anything, quickly got on my nerves (plus, it had another use of the hook, which felt too much of it for me).

    I haven't seen anyone complaining about this puzzle yet, so that may just be me.
  • GuruGuru214GuruGuru214
    edited October 2009
    Manpaint Twopforest wrote: »
    I agree, the bailiff interrogation and the repetitive use of the hook didn't feel that inspired to me. Still, the worst puzzle for me was with the pepper.
    After I asked the bartender about the pepper, i knew i had to use the auto-trepanation thingy for it. But Guybrush putting his tongue back in place everytime I touched something was just annoying. My first try, i clicked by accident on the manatee oil outside => back to De Singe's house. Second try: Guybrush uses it with his hand, burns himself => back to the house. Third try: forgot to tell the bartender to open the glass => back to the house. I think my fourth or fifth try was the good one. Walking back and forth between the bar and the house, while being careful to not click on anything, quickly got on my nerves (plus, it had another use of the hook, which felt too much of it for me).

    I haven't seen anyone complaining about this puzzle yet, so that may just be me.

    No, I had almost the exact same experience you did. I didn't
    forget to have the glass opened, but I think I had more "NO! That's not what I was trying to click!" moments than you did.
    OCKi wrote: »
    Come on people!
    This episode offered some of the hardest and creative puzzles, which in my experience Telltale has ever created! (YES, feast-puzzles, I'm looking at you!!) And I have played all of Telltale's games.
    And you are complaining about the lock-picking gag? Phu-leeeezee!

    This episode is truly my favorite one! :)

    I'm by no means saying that this episode didn't have some terrific puzzles in it. I'm just saying they can't all be diamonds.
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited October 2009
    Eulolia wrote: »
    Oh yeah, that was bad. Wouldn't really call it a puzzle though since it's a tier 1 conversation option, just more like interactive theatre (though if you'd used the You're Lying option on the others and got nothing you might not bother trying it I suppose).
    If you look at the majority of video game releases, especially the big-name ones, and say that interactive theater isn't gameplay...you won't have much left to talk about. =p
    Manpaint Twopforest wrote: »
    I agree, the bailiff interrogation and the repetitive use of the hook didn't feel that inspired to me. Still, the worst puzzle for me was with the pepper.
    After I asked the bartender about the pepper, i knew i had to use the auto-trepanation thingy for it. But Guybrush putting his tongue back in place everytime I touched something was just annoying. My first try, i clicked by accident on the manatee oil outside => back to De Singe's house. Second try: Guybrush uses it with his hand, burns himself => back to the house. Third try: forgot to tell the bartender to open the glass => back to the house. I think my fourth or fifth try was the good one. Walking back and forth between the bar and the house, while being careful to not click on anything, quickly got on my nerves (plus, it had another use of the hook, which felt too much of it for me).

    I haven't seen anyone complaining about this puzzle yet, so that may just be me.
    First of all, you should have used keyboard controls. Especially after the first screw-up.
    Second of all, you don't need to ask him to lift the glass before trepanning your tongue. Just talk to him, and Guybrush will do a little mime act that gets the job done.
    Thirdly, at least it wasn't another !@#$ING LOCK.
  • GuruGuru214GuruGuru214
    edited October 2009
    Rather Dashing wrote: »
    First of all, you should have used keyboard controls. Especially after the first screw-up.
    Second of all, you don't need to ask him to lift the glass before trepanning your tongue. Just talk to him, and Guybrush will do a little mime act that gets the job done.
    Thirdly, at least it wasn't another !@#$ING LOCK.

    I did use keyboard controls and I still had the exact same problem as him. The biggest difficulty I had was that I would try to click on the door as I was still walking up to it, and right at the second I clicked, the change in perspective had put the lamp post right in front of where the door would be.
  • NovotnusNovotnus
    edited October 2009
    LordofDead wrote: »
    The worst puzzle is that puzzle in the jungle. That makes this episode the worst! Sorry Telltale!

    If you mean jungle maze in E1 - I can fully agree with you. But if you're talking about brilliant, clever, difficult and awesome jungle\map puzzle - it's one of things making this episode the best!
  • bobtheskutterbobtheskutter
    edited October 2009
    I am going to all the effort of getting a username just to post that I loved this (shock) puzzle. Once I realised that I was
    getting electric shocks, the first thing I wanted to do was scuff my shoes on that carpet to see if they had incorporated an actual physics puzzle in the game. And they had! Yay science.
  • puzzleboxpuzzlebox Telltale Alumni
    edited October 2009
    bobtheskutter wrote: »
    I am going to all the effort of getting a username just to post that I loved this (shock) puzzle.

    This was the only one I got stuck on, but I loved it too! I like puzzles that stump you for a while but make so much sense once you do figure out the answer - the dawn of realisation is a great feeling.

    I approve of your username. :)
  • OnkelOnkel
    edited October 2009
    Eulolia wrote: »
    Yes ofc I noticed that and tried things like entering and leaving multiple times and after various drinks (the hint just mentions drinks, which is totally misleading). But walking back and forth on the same screen when there are no visual clues there or when you examine the carpet makes it completely illogical - since when did walking across a carpet once give you enough static to get an electric shock?

    You've never ever got a shock from walking on a carpet and touching a handle?
    Get some nice and dandy shoes and get on to those cruisers with built-in carpets, then you will see static electricity at work. (Of course not THAT strong.) Great way to terrorize fellow passengers too.

    And I replayed the game now just for helping people stuck with bugs etc. I tried this one out - he says that he wants a drink anytime it's something in Club 41 that is of importance. If you waited patiently he would then have said something capitalized SHOCK something. If you never noticed the shocks you get from walking out from Club 41 I seriously doubt we played the same game.

    I'm just assuming you're pissed because you couldn't figure it out, it were otherwise highly logical with respect both to the Monkey Island universe and to some extent the real world.

    EDIT: But it could have helped if you noticed the carpet hanging behind Stan's merchandise earlier in the game.
  • pluizigpluizig
    edited October 2009
    Onkel wrote: »
    You've never ever got a shock from walking on a carpet and touching a handle?

    No. Never.
  • OnkelOnkel
    edited October 2009
    LordofDead wrote: »
    The worst puzzle is that puzzle in the jungle. That makes this episode the worst! Sorry Telltale!

    The one with the beast? The one with the map? Or the one in the ending?
    The first one made me just a little upset because I walked after the fireflies and suddenly they were gone, picked up the mouse and then "aaah- Why?"
  • tommtomm
    edited October 2009
    I've never had a static shock from carpet, but I still fully understood the puzzle, and the fact that I had to walk around to build up a greater charge...
  • OnkelOnkel
    edited October 2009
    pluizig wrote: »
    No. Never.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3LmgZwQKbY
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W38lIruaGCs
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=884Zq1bZtkA&feature=related
  • GuruGuru214GuruGuru214
    edited October 2009
    pluizig wrote: »
    Onkel wrote: »
    You've never ever got a shock from walking on a carpet and touching a handle?

    No. Never.

    Me neither. The closest I've ever experienced is getting out of a car and shocking myself when I touch the door to close it. I've heard of the carpet phenomenon, though.
  • eskimoeskimo
    edited October 2009
    I liked the shock puzzle, because it's unusualy to see that sort of thing in an adventure game. I thought it was a creative and unique way to go in an adventure game.

    But, I gotta say, the
    burning your hand on the pepper and having to walk all the way back to DeSinge's place "puzzle"
    was really irritating. Once you know what's going to happen, the solution is extremely obvious, but the hike you have to take to make it so seems tedious.
  • eskimoeskimo
    edited October 2009
    GuruGuru214 wrote: »
    Me neither. The closest I've ever experienced is getting out of a car and shocking myself when I touch the door to close it. I've heard of the carpet phenomenon, though.

    It happens more if you rub your feet on the carpet.
  • OnkelOnkel
    edited October 2009
    And some "funny" fakes:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ7tqVXa-PQ&NR=1
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ary8F7p2wT0&feature=related
  • tmsmyth4tmsmyth4
    edited October 2009
    Manpaint Twopforest wrote: »
    After I asked the bartender about the pepper, i knew i had to use the auto-trepanation thingy for it. But Guybrush putting his tongue back in place everytime I touched something was just annoying. My first try, i clicked by accident on the manatee oil outside => back to De Singe's house. Second try: Guybrush uses it with his hand, burns himself => back to the house. Third try: forgot to tell the bartender to open the glass => back to the house. I think my fourth or fifth try was the good one. Walking back and forth between the bar and the house, while being careful to not click on anything, quickly got on my nerves (plus, it had another use of the hook, which felt too much of it for me).

    I haven't seen anyone complaining about this puzzle yet, so that may just be me.

    I found this annoying, I
    clicked the pepper instead of using the hook.
    but thankfully it autosaves as you walk out DeSinge's lab. Some lazy puzzles in this episode alongside some very good ones
  • der_ketzerder_ketzer
    edited October 2009
    The first 2 feast puzzles were pure hell. I had no clue what to do with them.
  • OnkelOnkel
    edited October 2009
    der_ketzer: That one with Stan was just luck that I solved "that easily". The other one with the beast wasn't that hard really?
  • Manpaint TwopforestManpaint Twopforest
    edited October 2009
    Rather Dashing wrote: »
    First of all, you should have used keyboard controls. Especially after the first screw-up.
    Second of all, you don't need to ask him to lift the glass before trepanning your tongue. Just talk to him, and Guybrush will do a little mime act that gets the job done.
    Thirdly, at least it wasn't another !@#$ING LOCK.

    Sorry, I'm late but...
    I always use keyboard controls. But, as GuruGuru said, you need to click on some doors, and it's especially annoying for the club, with the oil leak coming in front.
    Second, I admit I didn't try that. I wrongly assumed clicking on the glass would work, and after that, that asking the bartender would not work.
    Third, agreed. But still, is guybrush dumb enough to not use his other hand to get this ? I mean, this is just obvious, at least after the first try. I remember thinking "I'm glad we don't have his legs in the inventory, otherwise I'd have to use them alternatively on the floor to make him walk". OK, that's largely exagerating, but those travels back and forth really annoyed me.
  • bobtheskutterbobtheskutter
    edited October 2009
    puzzlebox wrote: »
    I approve of your username. :)

    Thanks.

    I agree with the posters that say that perpetually picking locks is tiresome and breaking a witness and getting out of jail so easily were also disappointments. I think a puzzle that is solved just through talking is great but not if it just means choosing all the options until they are exhausted.

    I'm not sure if I solved the leg-burn puzzle correctly or whether I just chanced on the correct combination. And so I am not keen on that puzzle. That's my addition to this discussion...
  • VisstixVisstix
    edited October 2009
    I have to say that I really loved all the puzzles. the shock puzzle wasn't really that hard. it was just clever. and I have no problems with the "you're lying" bit. that kind of puzzles is used alot in monkey island games.. And if you pick up the pepper for the first time, guybrush says you can't pick it up with your hands, so it's obvious you use your hook instead of your hand. And jungle puzzle the worst? that was ten times better than the one in episode 1.
  • TofuHeadTofuHead
    edited October 2009
    :| I was doing it by accident as soon as they replaced the carpet. I thought it was really obvious...
  • Rather DashingRather Dashing
    edited October 2009
    Manpaint Twopforest wrote: »
    Sorry, I'm late but...
    I always use keyboard controls. But, as GuruGuru said, you need to click on some doors, and it's especially annoying for the club, with the oil leak coming in front.
    Second, I admit I didn't try that. I wrongly assumed clicking on the glass would work, and after that, that asking the bartender would not work.
    Third, agreed. But still, is guybrush dumb enough to not use his other hand to get this ? I mean, this is just obvious, at least after the first try. I remember thinking "I'm glad we don't have his legs in the inventory, otherwise I'd have to use them alternatively on the floor to make him walk". OK, that's largely exagerating, but those travels back and forth really annoyed me.
    I just never had that problem at all. What's so wrong with stopping before you click something? Especially with an effect that pretty quickly demonstrates itself to undo itself after one interaction(like the Judge's poxed fury), it just seems like a person wouldn't do that. I guess I'm wrong.

    I guess I'm in a better position for that one. I didn't talk to W.P. about the pepper first, so I tried breaking into the glass case. So I tried the hook and I tried the diamond ring on the glass case before talking to W.P.

    I never would have thought that just clicking on it would work after it's demonstrated that you need to use the hook. :P
Sign in to comment in this discussion.