Puzzle

Okay, I have been working on EXAPUNKS the last few weekends, and dreaming about it most nights. But I’m done with the main plot; got the achievement for proof, and I’m going to exorcise the game by writing down how I solved each puzzle. First, some of my solutions are optimal, some are terrible, most fall somewhere in between. The first rule of programming is to get something working. Once you have an implementation, then you can go back and refactor; many times, your first pass is good enough. My boss used to tell me not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good; a good solution that produces the desired results is better than a perfect solution that is never finished. You’ll see what I mean by that when I get to some of my solutions. ...

Basically Cyberpunk 2077, except you never leave your bedroom.

Vanity, thy name is Reman shields You can’t think of “Star Trek” and coliseums together without thinking immediately of the original series episodes “Bread and Circuses”, where the Enterprise crew beam into a 20th century version of the Roman Empire, and “Amok Time”, where Kirk and Spock battle to the death on the planet Vulcan. (The director of “Bread and Circuses”, Ralph Senensky, blogs about directing that episode – a must read! Includes bloopers!) ...

I need to tell you about the picture that heads this article. It was taken right after placing the last piece in the puzzle room in Goldthorn’s Retreat, for the quest A Ghost of a Chance. When Team Spode encountered the room while finishing up Three Barrel Cove last Sunday, we turned some tiles, nearly got the guy we were trying to free killed, and decided to kill a named in the dungeon for the key and a lesser reward. We moved on. ...