Talking about Wikipedia, I was trying to find more info about the House of Hell movie (Superteam Productions Website didn't have any recent updates). However, I clicked on one of the links in the text for 'Kris' - I had no idea it was a Javanese weapon! Steve Jackson must have gone for on holiday there and was inspired by it. If you're interested, look it up on Wikipedia for more info, fascinating stuff!

Robert Douglas
Sat Aug 18 16:14:47 2012

@ Haoie,

Yes, sorry about that, like I said: the text makes more sense in either the downloadable version on here or the one found on Official Fighting Fantasy Website. However, I didn't alter this for the online version in the list (top left). Sorry to all who've struggled with it. The webmeister did actually mention it before posting the adventure, but I didn't realize

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. Many apologies, it's completely my fault :o

C-Star
Sat Aug 18 20:05:58 2012

Yeah, I found out the code for the clock by reading the guestbook. If you're not familiar with the bible or all that stuff you won't know what to do.

Robert Douglas
Sun Aug 19 00:36:30 2012

I figured on many fans being familiar with The Omen - ah, well! Or, they could have asked their parents or someone with knowledge of these religious things. In hindsight, what I should have done was have the player discover it someplace before-hand (although there wasn't much opportunity between the start and the clock to place a scrap of paper, or overhear an acolyte conversation, or something). Very tricky! And even worse if people believe the number to be something else (there are variations in religious beliefs, including the 'number of the Beast) That damn clock puzzle has been a bit of nuisance for many people - including myself.

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Robert Douglas
Sun Aug 19 00:41:30 2012

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Robert Douglas
Sun Aug 19 00:46:01 2012

To be honest, I actually made a mistake there myself - but that gave me an idea the acolyte would aswell, which also helps the player

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Robert Douglas
Sun Aug 19 00:47:35 2012

I'm starting to cringe at my lack of lucidity, LOL

C-Star
Sun Aug 19 10:43:48 2012

Yeah, assuming that the player would just know the answer wasn't exactly a great idea. Unless it's common knowledge, or something you can google easily. Actually, maybe googling for the answer would work, I don't know :-D

Phil Sadler
Sun Aug 19 13:31:33 2012

I thought that the number was pretty common knowledge?

C-Star
Sun Aug 19 14:13:14 2012

Maybe it is, but I didn't know it anyway. Sorry if I was wrong, but a clue would've nice for those of us not familiar with the number.

Robert Douglas
Sun Aug 19 18:49:18 2012

Perhaps the webmeister could alter it in some way? I know where to insert that little conversation, by the way, two people talking about the Max Payne games would hint at the right number for those who don't know it? It would also act as a tribute to Max Payne, one of my favourite PC games.

C-Star
Sun Aug 19 19:05:23 2012

Well I imagine it'd be kind of awkward, but if it's possible it would be nice. We'd have to check with the webmaster first though.

Robert Douglas
Mon Aug 20 17:21:03 2012

@ C-Star,

Yes, of course you're right...Mr Webmeister, are you there? We need something altering if that's alright? Let me know if it's possible and I'll send you the details for insertion.

Ulysses
Tue Aug 21 02:30:04 2012

@Robert

I would suggest that knowing '666' to be the number of the beast (or as even a number associated with evil) is far more common knowledge than the content of Max Payne.

Personally I consider your expectation of prior knowledge (i.e. of 666) to be reasonable. Even if people have not seen 'The Omen' films the number is everywhere, on personalised car licence plates, people's tattoos, etc. Associating 666 with evil is as common as associating 13 with bad luck.

Regardless, if you want to provide a clue, my suggestion is to have a reference to 666 come up in the discussion in the pub at the start. Perhaps the description of an incident where the number was found painted in blood at a scene of a sacrifice in an abandoned house or something.

Glen
Tue Aug 21 14:51:48 2012

@Robert

I actually thought the clock puzzle was a bit of a `gimme' in that I thought "I can't believe it is that easy!". Honestly, I don't know where I found out about 666, but it seems to me to have been present throughout my entire youth, and I still see references to it today. Maybe this shows my age.

Robert Douglas
Tue Aug 21 15:52:04 2012

Thanks for all your comments, ppl! However, I must confess to have been a little concerned, during writing TCOD, whether some adventurers would have known the number of the 'fallen one'. I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to creating gamebooks; I hate making mistakes. I have to get everything as right as possible.

@ Ulysses,

Thanks for the suggestion and your kind words of reassurance. But yes, actually I could have used two games fanatics in the pub talking about Max Payne, one of whome is quite humoured by the 'neighbour of the beast' gag. There's a code number in Max Payne 1, and another one in Max Payne 2. Both 665 and 667 respectively. BOTH neighbours of the beast. The player would then realize it's slap-bang in the middle '666'. FF fans don't have to play Max Payne to find this out as both punters literally give them the information in their dialogue! And, like I said, it would double as a sort of cheeky tribute to Max Payne so I'd like to include it (if Rockstar and Remedy developers don't mind, that is!)

The only problem is that they'd have to be a time travellers: Max Payne didn't come until sixteen years later than TCOD's setting!

@ Glen,

As long as you don't start obsessing about the number 23 aswell, you should be alright! Or maybe '42' is the answer to everything, as claimed in Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

C-Star
Tue Aug 21 17:06:56 2012

Perhaps I really am in a minority here. Apologies if I've annoyed people with this topic. But I think Ulysses' idea of the number coming up in the pub sounds pretty good. Of course, I understand if this is too awkward to add in now, but at least we wouldn't have to rewrite or add in any paragraphs this way.

Haoie
Wed Aug 22 08:24:31 2012

I got the 666 reference in Drumer fine, but all that other talk about halving and it making a marriage really didn't fit in, for me anyway. I kept putting in 623 or 632.

C-Star
Wed Aug 22 13:36:19 2012

I even heard that the number is actually 616, which leads to more confusion to poor, uninformed eejits like myself. Lol.

Robert Douglas
Wed Aug 22 19:28:20 2012

@ Haoie,

Yes, it doesn't make sense in this particular version of TCOD. However, if you visit the Word version featured on Official Fighting Fantasy Website and that in the Downloadable section on here, the long hand (positioned at number 2, 'what makes a marriage', thus halving 666 to 333) is actually necessary.

In contrast, as you know, the ONLINE version is able to utilize a 'click on the number' selection process developed by the webmeister; actually enabling you to type '6' then, '6' and '6' again - the number of the beast. And don't forget, the Word versions of the gamebook itself has only 400 entries: that's why originally I had to halve '666' to fit snugly below this parameter.

But you're quite right. The halving part of it shouldn't have been included in the text of this version. I don't know if the webmeister can omit mention of the 'long hand' and 'halving' which has caused players some confusion when playing the ONLINE version.

BTW, not sure how you got at 623 or 632 - unless you're a fan of the Jim Carrey film! By the way, is Pink your favourite colour...?

@ C-Star,

You're quite right to point out 616 is perhaps the right number instead of '666'. When writing TCOD, my head was more traditionalist than revolutionary. But they're now saying that the old school in religion has got the '666' number wrong. Just my luck! However, to clarify matters, I've based it upon '666' - the one more popular in films and such.

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