I suspended the game last night while in room 17511 so I could continue later.  And now I can't go anywhere!  The blue platforms are gone.

I guess this means I'll have to start from the last save point, huh?

Unfortunately, yes. But at least that shouldn't be too far back, since there are so many Save points. At least, I hope so.

No, not too far back.  Thank you!

The last save point should be just outside the treasure vault. Hmmm... I'm going to have to think about how to create an escape for this.

Out of curiosity had you opened both the gray and yellow doors? Or just one? Not that it matters, I guess. Basically,  I need to make it impossible to save in this room unless you've been able to approach from both the top and bottom, or the escape could either be leading Jack into a stuck situation or one where Jack can get around the yellow key requirements.

I've got an idea...but I'll have to play with it. It IS possible to prevent saves, but I'd prefer not to use it for the entire chamber.

All right, I have a fix for this, and I've tested it. I'm sorry you had to go back to your last save point, but I appreciate that you reported the issue.

I added a small message near the fix with your name in it in your honor, and I'll send the update to Vern. It's hard to say when the game will be updated.  I'll be happy to send the latest version to anyone interested, but you will only be able to play it as a custom mansion.

Isn't this a case for reprogramming so the platforms stay after suspension?

Well, that is true - and I suspect that there are other places, not only in this mansion but others, that may have this weakness. It's one of the consequences of having platforms that can take Jack from one room to the next.

I learned early on by accident that you cannot suspend the game while Jack is standing on a moving platform whether it is stationary or not.

So for this fix, the room in question has a small area around the entry way doors where it's possible Jack could stand and suspend the game. At this point, you don't know for sure if the player has all five yellow keys for the area. I replaced the few blocks that Jack can stand on in the entry way with moving platforms that will never actually move.

Once the player has been able to open the two doors and enter the inner vault, then suspend is possible. At this point it should be safe to give jack another way to get down because you can be sure he's already unlocked both top and bottom areas.

There is a trigger inside that can create another blue platform so long as the one that heads down is not already present.

Edit: on second thought... I just came up with another idea for fixing this area that doesn't depend on the gimmicky "can't suspend on moving platforms" idea. I just have to make sure there is enough room for it.

Of course you have to make the fix for now but in the long run we need a general solution.

brell wrote on 06.01.2011 at 23:51:08:

Of course you have to make the fix for now but in the long run we need a general solution.

Agreed. I suspect that this might be an issue for other mansions as well, but it's hard to say for sure. Although the testing was pretty lengthy, it still clearly missed a few things here and there - mostly small stuff.  I suspect testing the use of suspend was not a common test... or at least not done as much as it should.

There's a warning in the Tutorial Mansion about being careful what state the room is in when you Suspend.

brell wrote on 06.01.2011 at 23:51:08:

Of course you have to make the fix for now but in the long run we need a general solution.

Wait a sec... I just realized. Are you suggesting that a quirk of the game is actually a bug and should be fixed?! Who are you and what you have done with the real Brell?!

;)

Hehe.  This issue is quite different from ladderjumps etc., which are actually (unintended) features and not quirks. 8-)
We could also discuss the difference between quirks and bugs.  ;)

Okay - I FINALLY finished this mansion... started, stopped, started over, stopped... etc. etc. :P

EXCEPT - there are 2 yellow keys I could not get - couldn't figure out the puzzle to get them.  So, I finished but without at least two rooms towards the end. :'(

Some HELP on how to get those two yellow keys (one is floating above the lava and one is hanging way up in the top of a room) would be GREAT!  :-/

suzanne

Suztour - can you supply the room numbers? Cmd + d when you play will let the app show the rom numbers.

Hey Rose - yes, I know, but I didn't note the room numbers... and it'll probably be a while before I go back to that particular mansion!

Suztours, let me know if the following info isn't enough. I'll send you a PM with more details later if it isn't.

The answer lies in using moving platforms that are located in rooms that are 1-3 rooms away from the keys's locations. In both cases, the platforms take a direct path to the keys and also in both cases, the platforms need to be triggered to be seen (though that's the case for the majority of the platforms in this mansion.).

In one case, the answer lies in collecting a number of gold coins to trigger the platform. In another case, the platform is activated by walking over one of the "panel triggers".

Hope this helps