Blue Lacuna — 498 of 498

Section - Prodding to Explore

[ Some players may not realize they haven't explored all the available areas. This scene can prod them to do so. Normally our time for excitement scenes are one-time only, but since this is an event that could conceivably happen more than once, we may as well let it.]

Prodding-To-Explore is a recurring scene. Prodding-To-Explore begins when time for excitement and nothing dramatic is up and PTE won't annoy player and location is regionally in Lacuna [ and final release mode is true] and the number of adjacent unvisited rooms > 0 and a random chance of 1 in ptectr succeeds. Prodding-To-Explore ends when 1 is 1. ptectr is a number that varies. ptectr is 1.

To decide whether PTE won't annoy player: [ Make sure this doesn't lure the player somewhere they can't go.]

if ( location is North Marsh or location is Lawn ) and player is wounded, decide no;

if location is Edge of Ravine, decide no;

if location is Lower Beach and Inside-Manta is unvisited, decide no;

if location is Forest3, decide no; [ So as not to spoil Egg puzzle.]

decide yes.

When Prodding-To-Explore begins:

increase ptectr by 1; [ make this scene increasingly unlikely to fire.]

let candidate be a random adjacent unvisited room;

reset the boredom meter with "hinted at unexplored room";

unless candidate is not a room:

let way be the best route from the location to candidate;

unless way is not a direction:

move small furry creature to location;

now way-went of small furry creature is way;

say "Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a hint of movement. Some small furry [o]creature[x] just darted [if candidate is indoorsy]inside[else]off to[end if] [the prose name of candidate][if way is up] above you[else if way is down] below you[else if dir] to the [way][end if]. It turns back and looks at you, whiskers twitching and little paws quivering, then darts off and vanishes.".

A small furry creature is seen minor set dressing. The description is "It's scampered off now, but you realize you've never explored off in that direction." Understand "critter/animal/something/whiskers/paws" as small furry creature when small furry creature is enclosed by location.

A small furry creature has a direction called way-went. Instead of following small furry creature, try going way-went of small furry creature.