[Fate]

Ok I am grasping for straws here... I know this is going to differ for different code based muds, but I play a heavily modified Diku mud. There is a puzzle where you are in a no exit room, there is a corpse (container) on the ground, it is locked, and then there is a ghost (mob) in the room. The room flags that Im sure of are: NO_MAGIC NO_HEAL SAFE_ZONE NOASTRAL LIGHT, there might be others. Apparently there is a way to unlock the corpse get the eq in the corpse and get out of the room, without any sort of exploits.

We have brought a charmed gasser into the room, and then a player with a killer flag, and order the gasser mob to kill the pflagged player. Which then the mob gasses the entire room and makes the mob start fighting also. We've killed the mob, but nothing came from that so apparently the mob doesn't have the key. We think it's in a container in the room, but the imm that created the zone said that it was something that hadn't been done before. Using regular Diku tools, but in a "new" way.. and locked containers are anything but new We figured out a way of getting NOTAKE items that are on a mob... we kill the mob, then have a cleric animate the corpse, give the corpse an uncurse scroll and have him recite it on said object and now the mob can give us the notake item. The imm said that the answer to this "riddle" is on the same lines.. as in.. you have to think outside of the box, think "around" the obvious things that room flags can do. What special things can a room do if certain flags are set on it, the.. not so obvious things. These are all hints he has given us.. but none of us can figure it out...

I know.. it's likely no one is going to be able to help.. but would love it if someone had some ideas

[The_Fury]

I would start by reading carefully the room, mob and object descriptions to see if they left any clues in those. Without some clue from the various descriptions i would never be about to work out how to do something, my brain just does not work that way.

I think your best bet would be to talk out the problem with other players of said game as they will already understand the nuances and subtleties that the building staff on said game employ in the various quests and puzzles on offer and would be able to offer much more insight into how the builder might have been thinking when making the zone.

[Fizban]

NO_MAGIC. *ponders* Pick up the corpse, carry it out of the room, cast a spell on it?

[MudMann]

Originally Posted by Fizban NO_MAGIC. *ponders* Pick up the corpse, carry it out of the room, cast a spell on it?

Hmmm... How can you solve a text based puzzle, when you dont read the text.. to recap the first few sentences of the puzzle posed by the OP.

"There is a puzzle where you are in a no exit room"

Keep guessing Fizban :-)

*ponders* Wasnt Fizban a befuddled mage from Dragonlance... maybe you are just staying IC :-D

[MudMann]

Facinating you cant solve this when you appear to have access to the code itself.. must be a real doozy of a puzzle... worthy of infocom.. All your work -assumes- the puzzle was completed and actually has a solution?

[Fizban]

Originally Posted by MudMann Facinating you cant solve this when you appear to have access to the code itself.. must be a real doozy of a puzzle... worthy of infocom.. All your work -assumes- the puzzle was completed and actually has a solution?

Whom? He stated it was DIKU derived, so none of us actually know what codebase it is so we're certainly not looking at the code of the mud in question.

[Molly]

Did you try talking to the ghost?

Or possibly figure out if there is something that you could give to the ghost, to make it respond in any desirable way.

In any case there should be a clue about what to do somewhere in any the descs of the room, mob or object.
If there isn't, it's not a fair puzzle.

[Fizban]

Originally Posted by Molly Did you try talking to the ghost? Or possibly figure out if there is something that you could give to the ghost, to make it respond in any desirable way. In any case there should be a clue about what to do somewhere in any the descs of the room, mob or object. If there isn't, it's not a fair puzzle.

Pick up the corpse and give it to the mob? It's the ghost's corpse and he thanks you for retrieving his body?

[Fate]

OK, sorry that it has taken me awhile to respond.. I didn't realize anyone had responded.. subscription not quite working I guess

Ok here.. is a massive amount of info

Outside the Detention Center

The road arrives from the north and ends abruptly at the
large iron gate of a bland black brick structure used
to detain and question the enemies of the dwarves.  The
imposing black gates halt a curious adventurer from
wandering beyond the 'friendlier' environment of the
compound.

Exits: North South[door] 

'SOUTH'

Detention Center

Within this black brick building a small jail is housed.  This is
the first stop for newly detained prisoners of war, where their
initial interrogation begins before they are moved to a more
secure prison.  A strong flavor of decay and feces floods
the nostrils, emanating from the cells.

Exits: North East[cell] West[cell] 

A stern dwarven colonel oversees the detention center.
A stern dwarven colonel glows with a blue light!

the door closes.
open door

l colonel
A stern dwarf glares at you as you invade his detention area.
He does not trust that anyone would have been sent here by
the general.  Paranoid of a break-out attempt, he honors his
duty to keep his detention area secure rather forcefully.
He speaks firmly,

" No one escapes from my care!  That little girl!
She is a most heinous of demons, so desperate to
escape she feigns the innocence of youth, but I am
not fooled, not fooled!"

A stern dwarven colonel is in perfect health.

pick cell w; open cell w; w; hide
The lock quickly yields to your skills.

'WEST'

Cell

A tiny cramped space with scarcely enough room for the tiny cot and
washpan here is home to anyone detained by the dwarven militia.  This
must be a short-term holding area while prisoners are questioned,
while more permanent guests are likely kept elsewhere.

Exits: East 

A parchment of a signed confession is lying on the ground.

l parchment
A very old and frail piece of paper has some scribblings on it:

"I, Lora Birch, do hereby confess to the heinous
crime of plotting the assassination of Elik Dromit.
For my crimes, I accept whatever punishment I
am bestowed."

A messy signature beneath must belong to Lora.

'EAST'

Detention Center

Within this black brick building a small jail is housed.  This is
the first stop for newly detained prisoners of war, where their
initial interrogation begins before they are moved to a more
secure prison.  A strong flavor of decay and feces floods
the nostrils, emanating from the cells.

Exits: North East[cell] West[cell] 

A stern dwarven colonel oversees the detention center.
A stern dwarven colonel glows with a blue light!

pick cell w; open cell w; w; hide
The lock quickly yields to your skills.

'EAST'

Cell

A tiny cramped space with scarcely enough room for the tiny cot and
washpan here is home to anyone detained by the dwarven militia.  This
must be a short-term holding area while prisoners are questioned,
while more permanent guests are likely kept elsewhere.

Exits: West 

You discover a clear vial with golden flecks!

l cot
A simple cot with a single soiled sheet awaits.

'WEST'

Detention Center

Within this black brick building a small jail is housed.  This is
the first stop for newly detained prisoners of war, where their
initial interrogation begins before they are moved to a more
secure prison.  A strong flavor of decay and feces floods
the nostrils, emanating from the cells.

Exits: North East[cell] West[cell] 

A stern dwarven colonel oversees the detention center.
A stern dwarven colonel glows with a blue light!

search down
You found something. [grate]
It seems to be locked.
pick grate
The lock quickly yields to your skills.
open grate

'DOWN'

Above the Pit of Despair

From here an adventurer stands above a deep open chasm.  Prisoners who
have admitted crimes against the dwarves are often summarily sentenced
to death, or worse, to a life of imprisonment in the Pit of Despair.
Once flung into the yawning fissure that awaits below, there will be
no escape.

Exits: Up[grate] Down 

The grate closes.

'DOWN'

A Narrow Ledge.. [NOMAGIC]

The smallest of footholds allow the strong and the fortunate a last
grasp at life before the eternal misery of the Pit of Despair that
looms just below.  A sad misery washes over anyone who remains here.

Exits: Up Down 

Tears trickle down the face of a small girl sitting on the ledge.

look girl
The girl looks up at you through teary eyes.  As you look at her
you guess she can be no older than ten.  She manages to sob,

" Oh, I just wanted to see what was in here, and I slipped and
fell! I've been waiting here for someone to find me.. I miss
my parents.  I just want to go home.. "

She trails off into unintelligible sobbing, with gasps for breath
every so often. A pitiful sight, indeed.
A crying girl is in perfect health.
A crying girl is using:
<worn on head>       a sapphire blue barrette [ prime ]
You see that a crying girl is carrying 2550 coins

Only gravity can control your movements now.
quaff red
No magic exists here, the potion wouldn''t have any effect!

> If not flying then you can not go up or go down, you can not flee either

kill girl
You missed a crying girl with your hit.
A crying girl moves threateningly towards you!
< 336H 468F 0G 290264019X [Atropos=excellent] [opponent=excellent] > 
A crying girl claws you extremely hard.
A crying girl''s attack hits nothing but air as you dodge past it.
A crying girl claws you very hard.
A crying girl claws you very hard.
A crying girl bites you extremely hard.
A crying girl missed you with her bite.
You missed a crying girl with your hit.
[Atropos=good] [opponent=excellent]
A crying girl claws you extremely hard.
A crying girl''s attack hits nothing but air as you dodge past it.
A crying girl claws you very hard.
A crying girl claws you extremely hard.
A crying girl bites you very hard.
A crying girl bites you extremely hard.
You missed a crying girl with your hit.
[Atropos=awful] [opponent=excellent] 
A crying girl claws you very hard. 
A crying girl''s attack hits nothing but air as you dodge past it.
A crying girl claws you extremely hard.
You wish that your wounds would stop BLEEDING that much!
A crying girl claws you extremely hard.
You wish that your wounds would stop BLEEDING that much!

Welcome to The Edge of Darkness.

 0) Leave the Game.
 1) Enter the Game.
 2) Enter/Change Description.
 3) Delete this Character.

'DOWN'

The Pit of Despair [NOMAGIC, NOKILL] 

In this pit there is nothing but despair.  Sadness and loneliness overwhelm
even the bravest men and women, their situation hopeless.  A forlorn
hopelessness drowns the valor of the bravest knights.  No one has ever escaped
from the Pit of Despair.

Exits: None.

The corpse of Lora Birch is lying here.
Even death has not freed this lost soul, trapped in eternal despair.

look corpse
The decaying remains of Lora Birch rot here in the Pit of Despair.

look in corpse
It is closed.
open corpse
It seems to be locked.
pick corpse
It resists your attempts at picking it.

l soul
The transluscent form of an elven woman floats here.  Even now that
death has freed her from her physical body, she remains trapped here
apparently unable to escape the misery of the Pit of Despair.
The condemned soul of Lora Birch is in perfect health.

peek soul
The power of the realms prevents you from doing that here.

kill soul
You feel ashamed to try to disrupt the tranquility of this place.



> A Mage must telemove to this room

The Hideaway

This is a small chamber within the deepest regions of Mount Kibuu.
In every direction the walls are a deep brown rock, enclosing anyone
who dwells here.  In the northern wall there was once an entryway
that has been permanently closed by a magically induced cave in.
At the east end of the chamber is an oak desk and a pine dresser,
while at the west end is king-sized cedar bed.  This small dwelling
is inhabited by someone who does not want guests.

Exits: None.

Deep in his sleep, Elik Dromit hides away in his refuge.

A short frumpy dwarf lazily snores in his bed, comfortably snoozing
even through the middle of the day.  There must not be much to do
here in this tiny hideaway, after having faked his own death.
He is an old and frail dwarf, a mere shadow of the master of the
woods he was in his youth.
Elik Dromit is in perfect health.

A worn old desk has been placed in the chambers so that there is a place
to sit and study books, or write in their journal.

An aged soft pine dresser has suffered from oxidation.  The patinated surface
gives this furniture an antique texture.

A huge bed made of cedar wood with a thick headboard with ornamental
designs awaits to provide a luxurious resting place for the inhabitant.

Elik Dromit has an armor rating of 10.
Elik Dromit has 361-489 hit pts.
Elik Dromit has 100 mana pts.
Elik Dromit has 500 movement pts.
Elik Dromit has 1100 gold coins.
Elik Dromit has 57096 XP pts.
Elik Dromit has a first saving throw of 0.
Elik Dromit has a second saving throw of 0.
Elik Dromit has a third saving throw of 0.
Elik Dromit has a fourth saving throw of 0.
Elik Dromit has a fifth saving throw of 0.
Elik Dromit has an alignment of 1000.
Elik Dromit has a to-hit rating of 5.
Elik Dromit has a to-dam rating of 7.

a murky beige potion (sense life, sanctuary)
A clear glass vial has been filled primarily with a transluscent
beige potion.  A small amount of a second opaque black fluid
slowly slides its way thorugh the first.  The magics of these
two fluids form this beautiful black and beige emulsion.

[Fizban]

I'm confused, specifically by how the log gets from here:

The Pit of Despair [NOMAGIC, NOKILL] In this pit there is nothing but despair. Sadness and loneliness overwhelm even the bravest men and women, their situation hopeless. A forlorn hopelessness drowns the valor of the bravest knights. No one has ever escaped from the Pit of Despair. Exits: None. The corpse of Lora Birch is lying here. Even death has not freed this lost soul, trapped in eternal despair. look corpse The decaying remains of Lora Birch rot here in the Pit of Despair. look in corpse It is closed. open corpse It seems to be locked. pick corpse It resists your attempts at picking it. l soul The transluscent form of an elven woman floats here. Even now that death has freed her from her physical body, she remains trapped here apparently unable to escape the misery of the Pit of Despair. The condemned soul of Lora Birch is in perfect health. peek soul The power of the realms prevents you from doing that here. kill soul You feel ashamed to try to disrupt the tranquility of this place.

to

The Hideaway This is a small chamber within the deepest regions of Mount Kibuu. In every direction the walls are a deep brown rock, enclosing anyone who dwells here. In the northern wall there was once an entryway that has been permanently closed by a magically induced cave in. At the east end of the chamber is an oak desk and a pine dresser, while at the west end is king-sized cedar bed. This small dwelling is inhabited by someone who does not want guests. Exits: None. Deep in his sleep, Elik Dromit hides away in his refuge.

with nothing between the two rooms.

[Molly]

It seems obvious that you should never have killed that girl.
At least in my Mud, she would have been planted there to rescue, not to kill.

Now that you did kill her, she or Dromit still must be the key to escape, so you should try to find a way to free her spirit.

(I assume that his hideway is somewhere else in the game, not connected to the pit, and that you only showed it to give the entire picture)?

I don't know how big your Mud is with scripts/mob_progs, but in my own game you might try begging her for forgiveness, or possibly mention Dromit's name to start her talking. Or you could try typing 'free spirit' - but that would be a cheap shot. 'Verb guessing' isn't my favorite design element.

[Fate]

I will modify the log to be a little clearer. Sorry it's become an intimate part of my thinking, since we've all been trying to figure this out for quite awhile Yeah we only killed the ghost to see if that was the answer since we were running out of ideas. And to kill her we had to be quite creative since the room is nokill. I hear that Elik Dromit was put in after the zone was already in... basically just so that mages could get a couple sanctuary potions. So Im not sure how much he's really involved in the answer to opening the corpse. And you're right the hideaway is it's own room that a mage has to telemove to, to get to it.

[Fizban]

The corpse is !TAKE?

[Fate]

Yeah notake

[Anasadi]

Hi.

Since no one has ever escaped the 'Pit of Despair', is there a way you can lighten the mood? Once 'despair' is gone, it no longer is the pit it once was, and therefore would be escapable.

Anasadi