Stop! Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ‘ere the other side he see.- Release 1 (2016-02-12)
- Release 2 (2016-02-17)
- Added a routine to choose the final question.
- Re-arranged questions so the always wrong question has the least chance of being chosen.
- Added a PANIC and DON’T PANIC command for some additional comic effect.
- Added end the game routines, and changed Eternal Peril so the game doesn’t end immediately.
- Fixed the ultimate question so the answer can be 42 or forty-two.
- Release 3
- Eliminated the setting of variables when play beings.
- Changed question answer checking from choosing a table row to repeating through the table.
- Release 4
- Added prologue.
- Fixed bug concerning matching in lower case vs. case insensitively with Xyzzy and Text Fiction Android apps.
- Added bridgekeeper photo for Glulx version.
- Release 5 (2018-10-26)
- Revised and updated final question content and frequency.
- Fixed reference to bridgekeeper’s picture.
- Added support for HELP command.
- Made minor improvements to some commands and responses.
- Added a knight to the list of knights you can name.
- Release 6 (2019-11-22)
- Reorganized source code.
- Made minor improvements.
- Added a coconut.
"The Bridge of Death" by "A. J. Mako"
The story headline is "Do you have what it takes to cross the Bridge of Death?".
The story genre is "Comedy".
The story creation year is 2016.
The release number is 6.
The story description is "This is an adaptation of the scene from Monty Python
and the Holly Grail, used exclusively as a learning exercise."
Figure of Bridgekeeper is the file "bridgekeeper.png".
Include Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short.
Part 1 - Globals
Quest continues is a truth state that varies. Quest continues is initially false.
Questions answered is a number that varies. Questions answered is initially 0.
Final Question is a number that varies. Final Question is initially 0.
Peril counter is a number that varies. Peril counter is initially 0.
The description of the player is "As resplendent as ever in [our] regalia as one
of the famous Knights of the Round Table."
Part 2 - Start Up
When play begins:
say "[bold type]England 932 A. D.[roman type][paragraph break][bold type]
The story so far...[roman type][paragraph break]Arthur, son of
Urthur Pendragon, King of the Britons has ridden the width and
breadth of the land in search of knights who would join him in his
court at Camelot. After repressing a bloody peasant, dismembering
an invincible Black Knight, and helping to erroneously convict and
therefore cause the burning of an alleged witch, Arthur was tasked
by God to find the Holy Grail.[paragraph break]The quest began
ominously with Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table being
taunted by some Frenchmen. Defeat at the French castle utterly
disheartened King Arthur. The ferocity of the French taunting took
him completely by surprise.[paragraph break]Please press SPACE to
continue.[paragraph break]";
wait for the SPACE key;
say "So, the Knights separated and searched for the Grail individually. Sir
Robin rode north where he bravely ran away from the dreaded Three-
Headed Knight. Sir Galahad was rescued from almost certain temptation
at the hands of the sisters of the Castle Anthrax. Sir Lancelot,
having saved Sir Galahad, continued his search by single-handedly
sacking Swamp Castle.[paragraph break]Meanwhile, Arthur discovered
a vital clue from the old man from Scene 24. He learned of Tim the
Enchanter, the Cave of Caerbannog, the Gorge of Eternal Peril, and
the Bridge of Death. To continue the quest, Arthur was forced to
say 'Ni' to an old crone in order to defeat the Knights Who Say Ni.
[paragraph break]Please press SPACE to continue.[paragraph break]";
wait for the SPACE key;
say "Arthur's Knights reassemble while searching for Tim the Enchanter.
Many knights were defeated by the rabbit who guards the entrance to
the Cave of Caerbannog, but Arthur proved finally victorious after
using the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. Within the cave, Arthur
discovered the last words of Joseph of Arimathea, which told of the
final resting place of the Grail.[paragraph break]Now, having escaped
the attack of the Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh, Arthur and his
remaining knights approach the Bridge of Death...";
pause the game.
Part 3 - The Map
Chapter 1 - Rooms
The Edge of the Abyss is a room. "The narrow path leads [us] to the edge of the
Bridge of Death, which provides the only way across the Gorge of Eternal
Peril. An eerie mist wanders up from the gorge and surrounds you eerily."
The Far Beyond is a room. "The narrow path leads [us] away from the edge of the
Gorge of Eternal Peril. The Bridge of Death provides the only way back
across the gorge. An eerie mist wanders up from the gorge and surrounds you
eerily."
Eternal Peril is a room. "All around [us] the mist swirls, obscuring the sky, the
sides of the gorge, and even the ground. [We] continue to fall as the peril
engulfs [us] perilously."
The Bridge of Death is a door.
The description of the Bridge of Death is "A rotting and dangerous looking bridge
across a perilous, mist-filled gorge appears to be the only way to continue
[our] quest."
It is north of The Edge of the Abyss.
Through it is the Far Beyond.
The Bridge of Death is scenery.
The bridge is open and unopenable.
Chapter 2 - Scenery
The gorge is a backdrop. "An eerie mist billows forth, obscuring the bottomless
gorge below."
The gorge is everywhere.
Understand "mist/gorge" or "gorge of eternal peril" as the gorge.
Understand "edge" or "abyss" as the gorge.
The path is a backdrop in the Edge of the Abyss.
"The narrow, treacherous path leads back up into that Cave of Caerbannog, away
from the bridge."
The cavern is a backdrop in the Edge of the Abyss.
"The steep, sharp sides of the cavern disappear into the darkness from whence
[we] came."
The new path is a backdrop in the Far Beyond.
"The narrow, treacherous path leads up into the mist and away from the bridge."
Understand "path" as the new path.
The new bridge is scenery in the Far Beyond.
The description of the new bridge is "A rotting and dangerous looking bridge
across a perilous, mist-filled gorge [we] have just crossed. It no
longer prevents [us] from continuing [our] quest."
Understand "bridge" as the new bridge.
Chapter 3 - Characters
The bridgekeeper is a man in the Edge of the Abyss.
The initial appearance of the bridgekeeper is "[We] can see the old man from
Scene 24 here."
The description of the bridgekeeper is "The man is a broken-down example of a
human being, with wild hair and blind eyes that peer in different
directions and never at [us]."
Understand "old", "man", "from", "scene", and "24" as the bridgekeeper.
Chapter 4 - Things
The coconut is a thing.
The description is "There are two halves to this coconut."
The player carries it.
Part 4 - Going Operations
Chapter 1 - Retreating
Retreating is an action applying to nothing.
Understand "go back" as retreating.
Understand "back" or "return" or "retreat" as retreating.
Carry out retreating:
if the location is the Edge of the Abyss, try going up instead;
otherwise try going south instead.
Chapter 2 - Going Nowhere
instead of going nowhere:
if the location is Edge of the Abyss:
if the noun is:
-- south:
say "[rockface block].";
-- east:
say "[rockface block].";
-- west:
say "[gorge block].";
-- northeast:
say "[gorge block].";
-- northwest:
say "[gorge block].";
-- southeast:
say "[rockface block].";
-- southwest:
say "[backup block].";
-- up:
say "[backup block].";
-- down:
say "[gorge block].";
otherwise if the location is the Far Beyond:
if the noun is:
-- north:
end the game victoriously;
-- south:
say "[crossing block].";
-- east:
say "[hillside block].";
-- west:
say "[hillside block].";
-- northeast:
say "[hillside block].";
-- northwest:
say "[hillside block].";
-- southeast:
say "[gorge block].";
-- southwest:
say "[gorge block].";
-- up:
end the game victoriously;
-- down:
say "[gorge block]."
To say rockface block:
say "There's a solid rock cavern wall blocking [our] path".
To say gorge block:
say "There are easier ways to get into the Gorge of Eternal Peril than
jumping down from here".
To say backup block:
say "[We] could climb back up the cavern into the Cave of Caerbannog,
but [our] quest is in the other direction".
To say crossing block:
say "[We] successfully crossed the Bridge of Death. Crossing back is as
useful as throwing [ourselves] into the Gorge of Eternal Peril".
To say hillside block:
say "The hill is rather steep and difficult to climb. If only there were
a path [we] could follow to make travel easier".
instead of going north from the edge of the abyss, try going the bridge of death.
Instead of going the bridge of death while quest continues is false:
display the Figure of Bridgekeeper;
say "'STOP![line break]Who would cross the bridge of death must answer me
these questions three, ere the other side he see.' says the
Bridgekeeper.";
now the command prompt is "What is your name? >".
Instead of entering the new bridge in the far beyond, try going south.
Part 5 - Talking Operations
Instead of telling someone about something, try asking the noun about it.
Instead of answering the noun that something, try asking the noun about it.
Instead of asking the bridgekeeper about something:
display the Figure of Bridgekeeper;
if "[the topic understood]" matches the text "grail", case insensitively:
say "The bridgekeeper's blind eye stares blankly at [us] as he
says 'Seek you the Bridge of Death.'";
otherwise if "[the topic understood]" matches the text "cave", case
insensitively:
say "The bridgekeeper's blind eye stares blankly at [us] as he
says 'Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. We know of a cave; a cave
which no man has entered; the Cave of Caerbannog.'";
otherwise if "[the topic understood]" matches the text "bridge", case
insensitively:
say "The bridgekeeper's blind eye stares blankly at [us] as he
says 'Who would cross the bridge of death must answer
me these questions three, ere the other side he see.'";
otherwise if "[the topic understood]" matches the text "gorge", case
insensitively or "[the topic understood]" matches the text "peril",
case insensitively:
say "The bridgekeeper's blind eye stares blankly at [us] as he
says 'There is much danger, for beyond the cave lies the
Gorge of Eternal Peril, which no man has ever crossed.'";
otherwise if "[the topic understood]" matches the text "question", case
insensitively:
say "'STOP![line break]Who would cross the bridge of death must
answer me these questions three, ere the other side he
see.' says the Bridgekeeper.";
now the command prompt is "What is your name? >";
otherwise:
say "The bridgekeeper's blind eye stares blankly at [us] as he
chuckles [one of]gleefully[or]colorfully[or]laughingly
[or]wickedly[or]naughtily[purely at random]."
Part 6 - Handling Questions
To decide whether collecting answers:
if the command prompt is ">", no;
yes.
To choose the final question:
let N be a random number between 1 and 100;
if N is less than 16:
now final question is 1;
otherwise if N is less than 30:
now final question is 2;
otherwise if N is less than 44:
now final question is 3;
otherwise if N is less than 56:
now final question is 4;
otherwise if N is less than 67:
now final question is 5;
otherwise if N is less than 76:
now final question is 6;
otherwise if N is less than 84:
now final question is 7;
otherwise if N is less than 90:
now final question is 8;
otherwise if N is less than 95:
now final question is 9;
otherwise if N is less than 98:
now final question is 10;
otherwise:
now final question is 11.
To complete failed questioning:
now the command prompt is ">";
say "The bridgekeeper chuckles gleefully and [we] are launched into
the Gorge of Eternal Peril!";
now the player is in Eternal Peril.
To complete successful questioning:
if the bridgekeeper is in the location, say "The bridgekeeper says:
'Right, off you go.'";
now the command prompt is ">".
To complete launching bridgekeeper:
say "The bridgekeeper looks surprised and alarmed. 'What? I don't
know that!' he says, before being launched into the Gorge of
Eternal Peril.";
now the bridgekeeper is in Eternal Peril;
now quest continues is true;
now questions answered is 3.
After reading a command when collecting answers:
if questions answered is:
-- 0:
let txtLongName be some text;
repeat through the Table of Allowed Names:
if "[the player's command]" matches the text
"[shortname entry]", case insensitively:
now txtLongName is "[fullname entry]";
if txtLongName is not empty:
now questions answered is 1;
say "The bridgekeeper says: 'Correct. Your name
is [txtLongName].'";
now the command prompt is "What is your quest? >";
otherwise:
complete failed questioning;
say "You might try remembering which knights
appeared in the scene.";
-- 1:
if "[the player's command]" matches the text "grail", case
insensitively:
choose the final question;
choose row final question from the Table of Final Questions;
now questions answered is 2;
say "The bridgekeeper says: 'Correct. Your quest
is the Holy Grail.'";
now the command prompt is "[query entry] >";
otherwise:
complete failed questioning;
say "I would have thought the answer was obvious.
Think 'Monty Python and...'";
-- 2:
repeat through the Table of Final Questions:
if the id entry is the final question:
if the final question is 1:
now quest continues is true;
now questions answered is 3;
otherwise if the final question is 7:
if "[the player's command]" matches the regular
expression "[answer entry]":
complete launching bridgekeeper;
otherwise if the final question is 2 or the final
question is 3 or the final question is 4:
if "[the player's command]" matches the regular
expression "[answer entry]", case insensitively:
now quest continues is true;
now questions answered is 3;
otherwise if the final question is 11:
now quest continues is false;
otherwise if "[the player's command]" matches the text
"[answer entry]", case insensitively:
now quest continues is true;
now questions answered is 3;
if quest continues is false, complete failed questioning;
otherwise complete successful questioning;
reject the player's command.
Table of Final Questions
id query answer
1 "What is your favorite color?" --
2 "What is the capital of Assyria?" "(?i)assur|nimrud|dur sarukin|nineveh"
3 "What is the answer to the ultimate "(?i)42|forty-two|forty two"
question of life, the universe
and everything?"
4 "Shall we play a game?" "(?i)y|yes|thermonuclear war"
5 "Surely, you can't be serious?" "don't call me shirley"
6 "What are you rebelling against?" "what you got"
7 "What is the airspeed velocity of "(?i)african or european|european or african"
an unlaiden swallow?"
8 "Who you gonna call?" "ghostbusters"
9 "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" "judge doom"
10 "How can the net amount of entropy "insufficient data"
of the universe be massively
decreased?"
11 "Did you ever dance with the devil --
in the pale moonlight?"
[The (revised) weighted list is used to select the third question. This list
gives each question the following chance to be selected:
1 15% (1-15) Source: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
2 15% (16-30) Source: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
3 14% (31-44) Source: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978)
4 12% (45-56) Source: War Games (1983)
5 11% (57-67) Source: Airplane! (1980)
6 9% (68-76) Source: The Wild One (1953)
7 8% (77-84) Source: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
8 6% (85-90) Source: Ghostbusters (1984)
9 5% (91-95) Source: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
10 3% (96-98) Source: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov © 1956*
11 2% (99-100) Source: Batman (1989)
* Full answer is: "INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER"]
Table of Allowed Names
shortname fullname
"arthur" "Arthur, King of the Britons"
"lancelot" "Sir Lancelot of Camelot"
"bedevere" "Sir Bedevere of Camelot"
"galahad" "Sir Galahad of Camelot"
"robin" "Sir Robin of Camelot"
"not appearing" "Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film"
Part 7 - Other Operations
Chapter 1 - Panicking
Understand "panic" as panicking. Understand "scream for help" as panicking.
Panicking is an action applying to nothing.
Carry out panicking:
say "[one of]Not surprised.[or]No, no, no. DON'T panic![or]Would [we]
like some toast?[at random]" instead.
Chapter 2 - Not Panicking
Understand "don't panic" as panicking anyway.
Panicking anyway is an action applying to nothing.
Carry out panicking anyway:
if the player is in Eternal Peril:
say "Very clever. It looks like there's a lot [we] should be
panicking about." instead;
otherwise:
say "[one of]Why not? [Our] position appears quite hopeless[or]
[We] try [our] best. [We] fail[or]I always thought
something was fundamentally wrong with the universe[at
random]." instead.
Chapter 3 - Helping (Actually Not)
Understand "help" as summoning help.
Summoning help is an action applying to nothing.
Carry out summoning help:
if the player is in Eternal Peril:
say "There isn't much anyone can do for [us] now!" instead;
otherwise:
say "Why? Are [we] being repressed? [bracket]Bloody peasant.
[close bracket][paragraph break]" instead.
Part 8 - Ending the Game
Every turn when the location is Eternal Peril:
increase peril counter by 1;
if peril counter is 3:
end the game perilously.
Report an actor waiting when the location is Eternal Peril (this is the eternal
peril report waiting rule):
if the actor is the player:
if the action is not silent:
now the prior named object is nothing;
say "Time [pass] perilously." instead;
otherwise:
say "[The actor] [wait] perilously." instead.
Instead of doing anything other than examining, looking, waiting, summoning
help, panicking, or panicking anyway when the location is Eternal Peril:
decrease peril counter by 1;
say "[We][']re in too much peril to think about doing that right now."
instead.
To end the game perilously:
end the story finally saying "[We] succumb to the peril".
To end the game victoriously:
end the story finally saying "Congratulations! [Our] Quest for the Holy
Grail Continues!".
