502 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
502 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
@MAKE [TEXT]
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@STYLE [SPACING 2,JUSTIFICATION NO]
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@TITLE [TOA2 Design Notes]
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@TabSet [4,8,12,16,20]
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@pageheading [draft]
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@MAJORHEADING [** Second Design **]
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@section [Introduction]
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TOA 2, in its raw concept, will not be a strict puzzle, as Zork 1 is,
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nor will it be as straight a story as Deadline. There will be
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characters with whom the player will interact, and certain "correct"
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things the player will be required to do in order to complete the game.
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The game will utilize some unique methods to increase the game's
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replayability.
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Time windows in which certain events occur will make TOA2 like a
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story. The player will also need to elicit the help of other characters
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to successfully complete the game.
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The game will be TIME- rather than MOVE-oriented. A clock should be
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included. The story actually takes advantage of the clock, with the
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characters saying something like "Meet me at the Red Boar Inn at 7:15.
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Don't be late or we'll leave you behind." The MC will have a watch
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which will be displayed on the status line. A nice side-effect should
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be the ability to "synchonize watches". One of the characters will
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suggest it, and the MC will the get to RESET WATCH TO HH:MM. The status
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line would be updated accordingly. The story cannot operate off of
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@u(this) clock -- it must have its own internal clock as well as the
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clock displayed on the status line. Night and day, hunger and thirst,
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other characters' movements, etc., can be done independently of what the
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MC's watch (STATUS LINE) says.
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The brief description of the story is as follows: The MC has a
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reputation for being a "square-shooter" and is roped into a plot to
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salvage a sunken pirate ship off the coast. Successfully doing so will
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mean the player wins.
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There will be a number of wrecks (up to 7, all of which would be coded
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as table entries), though only one of which contains the treasure for
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that particular game. This method of determining which wreck is worth
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investigating, and then determing what equipment will be needed, will be
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described later, and comprises a large portion of the player's
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early experience. The computer should generate the ship to be explored at
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random, giving replay value. The actual sunken ship will be a series of
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interconnected rooms, with LDESCS being supplied by offsetting into a
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table of LDESCS.
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@section [Settings]
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@Subsection [Seaport Island]
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The game starts on the Seaport Island, and the first goal of the player
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should be getting off the island with the tools and information he needs
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to successfully excavate one of the wrecks.
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@begin [enumerate]
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The Red Boar Inn -- This is where the MC lives. He has a small but
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nicely furnished room which he rents by the month. The room overlooks
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the port and has marine charts, manuals on diving, etc. All of his
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personal belongings are here. This location is actually 3 rooms -- the
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entrance/downstairs; the upstairs hallway; and the MC's bedroom.
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The Shanty -- The Shanty is a local pub/tavern where sailors and
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adventurers like to hang about. There are tables and a bar, and they
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owner/bartender serves both food and drink. The MC is well known to all
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of the locals who hang about. It's a dark but firendly place, with
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parrots walking along the bar, insulting customers. One of the parrots
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wears an eyepatch.
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Outfitters, Int'l -- This place is a store which has all the naval
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stores necessary for a successful expedition. The owner knows the MC.
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The MC will be responsible for purchasing all the supplies necessary for
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the expedition. Stores purchased will depend upon the type of
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expedition selected by the computer.
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Warehouse -- The warehouse is normally locked, and houses some of the
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equipment for Outfitters Int'l. The MC has no access to this building
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by normal means.
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Wharf -- The wharf area is near The Shanty and Outfitters, Int'l. There
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are several boats and docks, but is not a good place to go walking about
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in the evening.
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McGinty Salvage -- A growing concern whose primary function is to
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salvage old wrecks. The MC and his compatriots will go into competition
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with them.
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Roads --
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@begin [enumerate]
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The Wharf Road runs along the northern edge of the island and gives
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access to the wharf and docks.
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The Ocean Road runs along the eastern edge of the island. To the far
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southeast corner is Point Lookout, a small but high cliff giving a far
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and wide view of the sea.
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The Shore Road goes along the southern edge of the island and ends at
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the ferry boat landing. It is here that all visitors arrive and leave.
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The Winding Road travels along the north and heads west, ending at a
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lighthouse. Its southern edge is bordered by impenatrable swamp/marsh.
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@end [enumerate]
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Ocean -- This is technically a room, though it is there only as a
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border.
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Marsh -- A multi-room, like the ocean, from which there is no escape.
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Many rooms enter, but there are no exits.
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Field -- Behind the shops and buildings, west of the Ocean Road, is a
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large, innocuous field, not worth entering, refered to only in
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description.
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Ships -- There are two ships, each of which has a different capability,
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each of which will be described later.
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Mariners' Trust -- A bank, located on the south shore of the Island,
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which contains all of the MC's life savings.
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@end [enumerate]
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@subsection [The Seagoing Vessels]
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There are two vessels from which the player may choose.
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@begin [enumerate]
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The Night Wind (THE TRAWLER) -- The trawler is a sturdy fishing boat,
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designed to weather high seas. It is a sturdy, steady, and rather fast
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boat, though not really designed to do deep-sea salvaging.
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The Mary Margaret (SALVAGE VESSEL) -- This boat is well outfitted, and a
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very seaworthy salvage boat. The problems it presents is that it is
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expensive, and it is slow on the water. It is also most frequently used
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by McGinty, and so not always available. It is owned by Outfitters
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Int'l.
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@end [enumerate]
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Each ship will have three upper sections -- forward, midships, and aft
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-- while below decks there should be cabins, a galley, pantry, head,
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etc.
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The Night Wind should be used on those wrecks at greater than N fathoms.
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Otherwise, the Trawler should do. The information relating to each
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ship's capabilities will be included in the game package.
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@subsection [Sunken Ships]
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The actual number of sunken ships needs to be determined, and will be a
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function of the rest of the design. The wreck itself can be 20 or so
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rooms. If there are 7 wrecks, that would mean that 7 X 20 = 140 LDESCS
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in a total of 20 tables for descriptions. All exit information would be
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the same. I humbly suggest intially building the code to handle any
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number of wrecks, with the starting implementation handling 3.
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As the player is walking about through the murky waters, he can enter
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the hull and find his way up and down ladders, in and through
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passageways, etc. Potential dangers here would be sharks, having his
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lifeline of his air hose cut by a falling timber, a slamming trapdoor,
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etc. His pressurized suit could be torn on a nail. He will have to
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successfully deduce what the metal detector he finds on board does, and
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how to use it. (See OBJECTS)
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The information on where the ships are located, at what depth, and a
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chart of what the vessel may have originally been carrying will be
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provided in the game package.
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@section [Characters]
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MC, the main character/player will not be fully drawn here. This
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section deals with all secondary characters -- their personalities,
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motivations, physical characteristics and goals.
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@subsection [McGinty]
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McGinty is the owner of McGinty Salvage. He is a small, nervous man,
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thin and always on the move. He is balding, with thin strings of black
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hair swept across his scalp. His lips are large and pouting, and
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invariably clamped around cigars which seem too large for his face. He
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has a hooked nose that, when viewed head-on, almost seems to diasppear
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it is so thin.
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He abhors physical violence, being easily out-muscled. If there's a
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deal around, McGinty either knows about it already or is soon to find
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out. There isn't a deal on the Island he doesn't have something to do
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with. Business is his life, and making money is all he cares about. He
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would be a retired, wealthy man if it weren't for his fear of other
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people. This fear manifests itself as mistrust and apprehension --
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partly as a result of his diminutive stature.
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He hears of the deal which our MC will cut with the others and tries to
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weasel his way in. He may succeed in doing so if the Salvager is
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needed, since that boat belongs to his company. He is not to be
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trusted, though, as his primary loyalty is to himself and then to money.
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@subsection [Pete the Rat]
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Pete the rat wears an eye patch and got his name from one of the long,
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far-east voyages he shipped out on. It seems that food was running low
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and, as the ship's cook, he did what he had to to supply the crew with
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fresh meat. Needless to say, when the crew found out, they insisted he
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be left at the nearest port, which the Captain was happy to do.
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Pete the Rat is well-intentioned, though not the brightest of sailors.
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He is well-experienced in the ways of the sea. He talks slowly, as if
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trying to remember the words one at a time, dredging them up from his
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long term memory in a painful series of associations.
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He's had some trouble getting another berth in which he functions as a
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cook, but our MC should not fear him. The mistakes Pete made in the
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past were simply that -- mistakes from which he has learned. Pete is
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tall and lanky, moves slowly at a shuffling gait, wears black
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turtlenecks and jeans even in the dead heat of summer. The reason for
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his dress code is simple: they are the only clothes he owns. If you
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plan to stand next to him, be sure you are not downwind.
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@subsection [Frank Webster]
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Frank is an opportunist, looking for his next opportunity, even which
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engaged in a current one. If you're talking to him in a bar, he will
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look at you about one-third of the time, spending the other two-thirds
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glancing around, scoping out who is there, what everyone is drinking,
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etc.
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To say he has small, beady, brown eyes would be too kind a word. His
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eyes are actually little more than slits, large enough to let in only
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enough light to see with. No extra light is allowed behind those lids.
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His smile is captivating, though, and puts people off guard. When he
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wants to warm up to someone, he can do it in a flash, erasing any and
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all trepidations regarding his character.
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Frank is well known for his risk-taking and for his ability to come up
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with just the right thing at just the right time. He also has a keen
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business sense and sees the capabilities and limitations of others.
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Frank wants to buy the United States when he has enough money, and is
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just waiting for his ship to come in. While he's waiting, however, he's
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working very hard at preparing the harbor.
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@subsection [The Weasel]
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The Weasel is a short, wirey guy with darting eyes and thin lips. He
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rarely talks, except to nod his head and say "Got it, chief." He takes
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orders and will do anything -- @u(anything) -- for money. Whoever pays
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him, owns him.
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He aspires to little more in life than to survive and retire to the Old
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Mariners' Home in Secaucus, N.J. He isn't the brightest creature on the
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planet, but he is quick to pick up new ideas and mesh them with his
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slightly-twisted view of how the Universe works. He picks his teeth
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with a knife, and God only knows where that knife has been.
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The Weasel has a tatoo on his upper arm which says "Mother?" leading
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everyone to wonder whether he really ever had one.
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@subsection [Johnny Red]
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Johnny Red, whose real name is unknown to everyone on the Island, has
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crewed for just about every Captain who sailed the seas. His name was
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derived from his flame-red hair and beard, both of which he has in
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enough quantity to make several dozen toupes. He wears flannel shirts,
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with the top several buttons unbuttoned to expose a mat-like carpet of
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curly red hair on his chest. With his shirt sleeves rolled up, he looks
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like something you left in your refrigerator for 30 weeks growing red
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hair-mold.
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Johnny has a barrel chest and weighs in at 300 even. To say he was
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large would be to say a sequoia is just another tree. He is strong,
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reliable, and oddly non-violent, though you would never know that
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looking at him.
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@section [Play]
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What follows are some sample scenarios/plots based on best win, followed
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by complications, problems and puzzles.
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@subsection [The Best Plot]
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The story starts with the MC in his room. There is a note which has
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been slipped under his door, inviting him to meet with the secondary
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characters at The Shanty at a set time.
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The MC will be invited to join in on the salvage hunt by the secondary
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characters at The Shanty. He will be shown a small piece of treasure
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found by Frank and Johnny.
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The Weasel shows up between 10 and 15 minutes late to the meeting in the
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tavern OR he doesn't show up at all (see Complications -- General).
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If he agrees to throw in his lot with the secondary characters, he will
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have to get to Mariners' Trust and withdraw his money from his savings
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account. He will need his passbook to do this, and his passbook is in
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his room. He will have to meet Johnny Red at Point Lookout at a
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prearranged time with the money. Johnny Red, carrying the others'
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money, will then accompany the MC to Outfitters Int'l.
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Once at Outfitters Int'l, the MC will then purchase the supplies
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necessary for a successful salvage expedition. Red will have the list
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from the cook, Pete, and other things which they will need. The MC
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tells the man at Outfitters Int'l to deliver the things to the boat
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(whichever one the MC decides would be best for this voyage) and then
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returns to The Shanty to meet up with the others.
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From here, all of the crew go to the boat. The course is plotted and
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the crew takes care of getting the boat to where it needs to be. They
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drop anchor and set up for the dive.
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The MC, the underwater expert, then goes overboard and walks on the
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ocean floor to find the wreck. Once there, he successfully locates the
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chest of treasure, hooks it up for hoisting, and returns to the ship.
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The treasure is hauled up and all live happily ever after.
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@subsection [Complications -- General]
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If the player fails to lock the door into the MC's room after he leaves,
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the room can be ransacked. If the passbook was left inside, it will be
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gone, stolen by The Weasel. This means that The Weasel, normally late
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for the meeting at the bar, may not show up at all if he has
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successfully stolen the passbook.
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@subsection [Complications -- McGinty]
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After the initial meeting in The Shanty, Frank tells them all that there
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is no good reason to tell anyone else what they are planning, and that
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all further discussions should be held in private. Red suggests the
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Lighthouse out on Winding Road. They agree to meet there one-half hour
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from now (or at a specific time). If anyone is late, they'd better have
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a good excuse.
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The others leave, letting the MC do what he will for the time he has.
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Part of this time will be in finding the Lighthouse. Part of the time
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will also be eaten up by McGinty, who will demand to know what is going
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on, where the MC is off to, who he was talking to, what they were
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talking about, etc. If the MC should let anything slip, then McGinty
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will beat them all to the punch, making the entire trip futile. On
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setting out, while at sea, the will see McGinty's ship coming back into
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port. This will also prevent them from using the Salvager.
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If he does not satisfy McGinty's questions and sets out directly for the
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Lighthouse, McGinty will follow him in the shadows. Once the MC meets
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the secondary characters, McGinty will be seen and The Weasel will stick
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a knife between the MC's ribs, calling him a traitor.
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@subsection [Complications -- Mariners' Trust]
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Without his passbook, the MC will be prevented from getting his money.
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His passbook is in his room. He may have to return there and get the
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passbook before the second meeting. (His passbook, however, may have
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been stolen). He will have the time to do this, but it is something
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some players may easily overlook.
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There is the potential here for a double-cross (though I'm not sure it's
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worthwhile). The Weasel could be standing outside and attempt to steal
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the money from the MC. This would certainly be in character for The
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Weasel, seeing easy and quick money.
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McGinty could also be at the bank and decide to follow the MC to he
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second meeting.
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@subsection [Complications -- Second Metting]
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Once the plans have been made at the Lighthouse, the second meeting is
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arranged, that to occur at 6:00 pm between the MC and Johnny Red at
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Point Lookout. Both are to have their money.
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If the MC does not show up at all, or if he shows up late (with or
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without the money) Red's body is found with bullet holes in it,
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McGinty's ship is gone, and the police arrest the MC in town. The gun
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was found in his room.
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If the MC shows up without the money, Red tells him they will go on
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without him and the game ends.
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If the MC shows up more than 5 minutes early, McGinty will appear there,
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preventing Red from arriving, thus blowing then entire affair, ending in
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a lose.
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@subsection [Complications -- Outfitting]
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Two kinds of complications can occur at Outfitters Int'l:
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@begin [enumerate]
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Buying the wrong supplies.
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Buying the supplies in front of McGinty.
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@end [enumerate]
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If the MC purchases the wrong supplies, the expedition will utimately
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fail. If the MC continues to purchase supplies after McGinty walks in,
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McGinty will get wise and beat them all to the punch. It will be
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necessary for the MC to instruct McGinty to leave or to get Red to
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physically remove McGinty.
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@subsection [Complications -- The Wrong Boat]
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Taking the wrong boat will ultimately lead to a lose. The exact
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methods, reasons and complications are as yet unknown.
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@subsection [Puzzles]
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As of yet, no specific puzzles have been designed. There is potential
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for a lot of traps which would occur in the underwater wreck, and there
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are certainly lots of plot complications which will occur on the Island.
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There is, of course, the "mysterious black-box" problem, where the
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black-box is actually a metal detector or some strange origin. This
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could be useful in locating the treasure in the wreck.
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@subsection [Objects]
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Bed in MC's room.
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A note which was slipped under his door.
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A door under which the note was slipped.
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A Passbook for his savings & loan account.
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A Ditty bag (shades of TOA1's knapsack!)
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Characters:
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@begin [enumerate]
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McGinty
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Johnny Red
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Pete the Rat
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Frank Webster
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The Weasel
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The Parrot
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The bartender/waiter/outfitter/bank teller
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@end [enumerate]
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A table around which the characters can sit in the bar/tavern.
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A chair in which the player can sit.
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An envelope of money which the player will get at the bank.
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A key to the MC's room.
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The Ocean Map will have to be provided with the game package, but should
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be included as an object (as the cube was in TOA1) to tell them to look
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in their game package.
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A wrist watch, which the player should be wearing. It should be
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possible to break the watch, and not breaking the watch should be the
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goal in one interaction between the player & the environment.
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A strand of red hair. This will be described as simply a strand of
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hair. If the player picks it up and examines it, it will described as
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being red hair. This strand of hair will appear in a place where Johnny
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Red shouldn't have been, but was, thus giving the player a much needed
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clue as to what is going on.
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Shipboard Objects:
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@begin [enumerate]
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A Navigational beacon finder black-box frobbie, used to find out where
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you are by using LORAN. This will be aboard only one of the boats.
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Bunks
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Chart table
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Small Machine: The metal detector will be found onboard the Mary
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Margaret and will work as follows. There will be a (label) on the small
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machine, though the letters should be so well-worn as to render the
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label useless. There will be an off/on switch and a compartment inside
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it for batteries. By switching it on with a live battery, it will make
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a ticking sound when brought near metal. This will require some objects
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to have a METAL bit. Proximity is going to present a bit of a problem.
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Label (on the small machine)
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Off/On switch (on the small machine)
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Batteries (for the small machine)
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@end [enumerate]
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@section [Package Elements]
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@subsection [Tides]
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Included in the game package should be a tidal chart, good for the week
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of this game. Since the game play takes about three days, it is
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important that the chart give low and high tides.
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Sailing without the tidal chart may prove to be disasterous.
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@subsection [Ocean Map]
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This map should be an ocean "chart" with various depth soundings, marker
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bouys, latitude and longitude markings, etc. It should also indicate
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where the various wrecks are located. |