Explode

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<img src="https://i.imgur.com/qc5mGU9.png"> <<set $stress to 1>> <<set $bombstress to 1>> <<set $talking to 0>> Please enter your name below. <<textbox "$player_name" "" "Begin">> [[Begin]] [[Credits]]

"$player_name please report to bomb bay for emergency protocol!" You: [[Go to bomb bay]] [[Stay where you are]] [[Go outside]]

You arrive at the bomb bay and see the bomb. Over the speaker you here the commander. "$player_name you need to convince the bomb to not explode." [["Can do!"]] [["What?"]]

You hear the commander blaring "Where are you $player_name? We need you to stop -" <<if $went_outside==1>> [[You tell the commander you're dealing with it |Go to bomb bay]] <<else>>[[You see a bright flash |The End]] <<endif>>

<<set $went_outside to 1>> You approach the airlock and examine it closely. [[You bravely step outside into the cold dark abyss |The End]] [[You turn around and go back to where you were |Stay where you are]]

<<print $player_name>> can't do anything right. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8pkivjHnD_s" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> [[Credits]]

You excitedly get closer to the bomb. You feel the warmth coming from the bomb. It's nice. The bomb looks like normal and all is right with it - except for the beeping noise. You notice the bomb has a name tag which reads "Mr. Turtle". What do you do? Say [["Hey there Mr. Turtle, how you doing?"]] [[Look at bomb]] Radio to the commander that you [[ hate this job |Hate You]] <img src="https://i.imgur.com/SvOsTvZ.png">

"Come on $player_name. This is literally your only job on this ship. Get to it or we all die!" The pressure is getting to you. [[Look at bomb]] [["You never ask how I'm doing Commander, because right now I hate you!" |Hate You]]

<<set $stress to $stress +1>> <<set $bombstress to $bombstress +1>> You look at the bomb and it feels like it's looking back at you. This is it! That's a good feeling on this journey. You're doing something right. Suddenly you remember your training and say [["Hey there Mr. Turtle, how you doing?"]] <<if not ($stress is 0) >> ---- You are currently stressed. <<endif>>

<<set $death to either("in a fiery explosion", "thanks to Mr. Turtle", "now","when the time is right", "with regrets", "thinking of someone you love", "shouting 'I found it'", "slowly")>> The Commander gets on the radio: "You, know what $player_name, I hope you die $death!" Just as the commander finishes his sentence the bomb explodes killing everyone - even you! [[The End]]

The bomb, Mr. Turtle, lights up at the question. The beeping continues. "Hi, you must be $player_name. I've been expecting you." You look at the bomb thinking of what to say. "Yes, $player_name. You're here to tell me to think about what I am to do next, correct?" [["Yes I am."]] [["What is this? A talking BOMB?!"]] <<if not ($stress is 0) >> ---- You are currently stressed. <<endif>>

You open up to Mr. Turtle knowing this is the best course of action. You've been trained for this. "Yes my job is to tell you not to explode. You see, you only get to explode once. Once you explode you won't be able to explode again." Mr. Turtle thinks for a moment. "My only programmed reason to exist is to explode. So I must!" [[Do nothing.]] [["You're right." |Hate You]] [["That's exactly why you can't explode."]] <<if ($stress > 2) >> ---- You are currently stressed. Mr. Turtle is currently stressed. <<endif>>

<<set $stress to $stress +1>> <<set $bombstress to $bombstress +1>> Mr. Turtle lets out a series of angry sounds. You know you've done something wrong and that you can [[give up |The End]] at anytime. "Yes! You blithering idiot I am a talking bomb and it's all your fault!" You notice the beeping has sped up. "Ok, maybe it's not your fault but humans gave me this voice." [["Why make a talking bomb?"]] [[Leave because this bomb will explode |The End]] <<if ($stress > 2) >> ---- You are currently stressed. Mr. Turtle is currently stressed. <<endif>>

<<set $stress to $stress +1>> <<set $bombstress to $bombstress +1>> Mr. Turtle's beeping accelerates. "I can't stand these basic questions! When it came to being brought into this world I had no choice in the matter. This has all been programmed. Including what I'm about to do next." [[Do nothing.]] [["Wait!" |"Yes I am."]] <<if ($stress > 3) >> ---- You are very stressed. Mr. Turtle is also very stressed. <<endif>>

Your inability to do anything results in a very clear action: Mr. Turtle explodes. [[The End]]

"What?" Mr. Turtle lets out some random sounds. You can feel the temperature in the room increase. "I don't understand. I'm filled with explosives so when the commander asks me to blow up I will. That's it. So that's what I'm going to do." You examine Mr. Turtle and think about your response. You tell the bomb: [["The Commander was wrong"]] [["Hear me out"]] [["Fair enough" |Do nothing.]]

"You can't explode because the Commander was wrong!" "What?" Mr. Turtle thinks for quick second. "That can't be right. The Commander is never wrong, otherwise he wouldn't be a commander. You're just trying to delay me." You start to think that Mr. Turtle is smarter than you. [[Agree with Mr. Turtle |Do nothing.]] [[Disagree with Mr. Turtle]]

Examining Mr. Turtle you know you don't have much time left. Remembering the simulations (from what seems like years ago) you begin with basic reasoning. "You're well aware that your programming isn't perfect. If everything is perfect then there would be no need for a bomb, right?" Mr. Turtle audibly reacts. "So in a perfect universe I wouldn't even exist?" You respond in agreement. "Therefore I exist in an imperfect world? What's the point of existing at all then?" The temperature increases alongside the stress in the room. [["That's what I'm trying to say!"]] [["You're missing my point."]]

You get the bomb's attention. "The Commander, like all living things, has the potential to be incorrect. He made the wrong call and asked you to explode before you should. Which is why I'm here." Mr. Turtle beeps a little. "If commanders can be wrong. Maybe the mistake was sending you here. If you're right about him being wrong then what should I trust? My programming, you, or the Commander?" [["Me!"]] [["The Commander"]] [["Your programming" |"Hear me out"]] <<set $stress to $stress +1>> <<set $bombstress to $bombstress +1>>

Mr. Turtle scans you with a meta-ray and decides you aren't to be trusted. An alert is sent to the Commander while Mr. Turtle starts the final countdown. [[The Commander has one last thing to say to you.|Hate You]]

You start pleading with Mr. Turtle. "The Commander wasn't trying to get you to explode now but, err, get ready to." You hope the bomb understands what you're saying. With no response from it, you continue. "If you explode now then you're going to kill everyone on this ship. Including the Commander." "I'm programmed to not blow up the Commander." "Exactly!" You exclaim. "I will deactivate and wait for further orders." [[You feel relieved. |Survive]]

"You're telling me a shouldn't exist? I can easily not exist, that's what I'm programmed to do. Are there other ways of not existing I should be aware of?" You have adequately confused the bomb for now. It is time to convince it to deactivate itself. What do you do? [[Ask Mr. Turtle to look inside]] [[Ask Mr. Turtle to look outside]] [[Be shocked that you're talking to a bomb |"Why make a talking bomb?"]]

"You talk to every explosive device like that?" "Yes. Because you're forgetting one of the most basic things about existential queries." "And what is that, $player_name?" [["That existence precedes essence."]] [["That we serve a higher purpose."]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZAfXwNK.png"> The Commander thanks you for your great effort in saving the ship. Without your presence on the ship things surely would've exploded. You go back to your room feeling stressed due to your actions knowing you could have done better. You're relieved that you saved the day, but ultimately you're just happy you got to talk to Mr. Turtle again. Returning to your cabin you can't help but hope that Mr. Turtle will need to be talked out of exploding again. [[Credits]]

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/CDA0XeE.png"> "Yes, inside..." Mr. Turtle reflects on what you said and is clearly processing. "I am noticing safety variables I need to confirm." Thanks to your training you know what they are, but in the confusion of the moment you are having trouble remembering. Which variable should Mr. Turtle consider: [[Commander check |"The Commander"]] [[Variable 1]] [[Dance party |Variable 1]] [[Safety |Variable 1]] [[Reflection period |Variable 1]] [[Status of other bombs |Variable 1]] [[Is Mr. Turtle the bomb's real name |Variable 1]] [[Wiring subsystem |Variable 1]] [[Contemplation |Variable 1]] [[Existential meaning |"That existence precedes essence."]] [[Essence |Variable 1]] [[You can't think of any good ones |Do nothing.]]

"Look outside? What does that even mean? When I 'look' outside all I see are targets. Sweet targets set for destruction. Destruction only I can bring them. <h1>FOR I AM MR. TURTLE DESTROYER OF WORLDS</H1> [[You feel stunned |explode]]

Mr. Turtle completes the destruction of targets, of which $player_name is one. [[Credits]]

"That variable is set to TRUE. So I must explode. Goodbye $player_name, this was fun. Too bad we can't do it again." You die in an explosion thinking that you'll miss future conversations with Mr. Turtle. [[Credits]]

"Of course there's a higher purpose, I'm here to serve the Commander and all explosive orders that follow." You think to yourself that's not what I meant. You try to focus Mr. Turtle. "I mean a higher power than the Commander." "A higher power than the almighty? Outrageous!" [["You know, you're right." |Hate You]] [["There's an even higher power."]]

Mr. Turtle makes a sound like "blarg" and you feel the temperature go up in the room. Regardless, you press on with your thought. "Our existence is not our choice, but the reason we exist is up to us. You're a bomb and you had no choice in that matter. You can exercise free will insofar you choose when, or if, to explode. I implore you to exercise your free will." Mr. Turtle responds almost immediately "With that logic I should explode now since it's up to me and my free will. Is there something I'm missing?" What argument is best to convince Mr. Turtle not to explode? [[A smart being would not relinquishing any of it's certainty, without a future, without hope, without illusions and without resignation. |Keep Going]] [[LOL |Hate You]] [[Sometimes it's best to question why you exist and your role in the life. |Keep Going]]

You continue, "Yes, you heard me right. A higher power than the Commander." "My programming has a record for only one person on this ship with Administrator access. That is the Commander." [[SUDO believe in higher power |Hate You]] [["There is a higher one."]]

"Yes, you keep saying that. If you say it once more I'll explode in frustration." "I can explain." You beg. You're training didn't cover this. "I'm ready to blow. So what is this higher power you speak of?" [["Somebody made you, right? Well who made humans?" |watchmaker]] [["Me!" |Hate You]] [["There is a higher power."|Hate You]]

The Commander interjects "$player_name you need to speed this up." "$player_name, I'm well aware of this teleological argument you make. Just because something is well build dosen't mean there's an intelligent designer behind it. I'm programmed to know the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmaker_analogy">watchmaker analogy</a>." Well there goes my argument is the only thought that crosses your mind. What else to say to Mr. Turtle? You argue: [[Other epistemologies are important]] [[That there is no higher power |Variable 1]] [[$player_name is the ultimate power |"Me!"]]

<<set $talking to 0>> <<if ($stress > 2) >> You are currently too stressed to make this argument. [[The Commander wants to speak with you |Hate You]] <<else>> "Mr. Turtle, all you know is your programming. You know that some human wrote the code to make you - you. This is no surprise." Mr. Turtle starts to heat up again. You feel the heat but continue regardless. "What I'm trying to tell you is that there might be more to know about this situation than your code implies." Mr. Turtle has had enough and responds with beeps. "I can't know anything beyond what I'm told to understand." "There are ways to do so and can introduce you to new ways of knowing. All I need from you right now is a promise to not explode until we figure out if you can know more than you're programed to." Mr. Turtle starts to cool down and you know you're in for hours of talking. [[Start talking.]] <<endif>>

<<set $talking +=1>> <<set $subject to either("life", "ancient demigods", "now","time", "regrets", "Mr. Turtle's shell", "planets", "friends", "twine", "ecology", "abstract thoughts", "one's inner voice", "dancing", "knowledge", "hierarchy", "love", "sharing", "pedagogy", "music", "language", "thinking", "code", "universal health care", "artifical intelligence", "reflections", "exploration", "meditation", "history", "smells", "perception", "lessons in life", "the art of war", "structure", "anarachy", "isolation", "the meaning of it all", "happiness", "creating life", "animals", "sadness", "indirect feelings", "empathy", "communication", "atomic weapons", "violence", "peace", "negotiaion", "what about that thing", "who are you", "more of the same", "how to pretend", "lying", "orders", "important things", "technology", "the web of life", "aliens", "your emotional state", "$player_name", "alignment", "what you belive", "intention", "the failures of capitalism", "all gods old and new", "the light", "military structure", "statistics", "words and deeds", "that feeling you get when you turn off a light and the room goes dark", "stretching muscles - what does it feel like?", "video games", "making things", "learning", "the history of sports", "the Large Hadron Collider", "your best friend", "the other bombs", "endless thoughts", "the void", "best practices", "personality quizzes", "language", "the Frankfurt school", "Bauhuas", "Post-modernism", "deconstruction", "mental health")>> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/cliDn19.jpg"> <<if $talking is 1>> You talk to Mr. Turtle about epistemology. <<else>> Mr. Turtle asks about $subject. <</if>> <<if $talking isnot 30>> [[Talk about it|Start talking.]] <<else>> Mr. Turtle finally seems confused enough, thanks to your training of course. "Thanks, $player_name you have convinced me that I don't know enough about the world around me and the possibilities it holds." [[You relax |Survive]] <</if>>

Mr. Turtle somehow expresses condescension. "I'm well aware of 20th century existentialism, if that is what you're getting at $player_name. Or should I say Sartre?" With a smirk, you go on. "Yes, that was what I was echoing. I'll speak plainly. You shouldn't blow up because you, as a sentient being, can't know the future. It's our individual responsbility to ourselves - and ohers - to see as much of life as possible." "I do not 'live' as I am code and an attached explosive device." [["But you can experince life, let me show you." |Other epistemologies are important]] [["I think you're as alive as myself or any human."]]

"Is that so, $player_name?" "Yes. Look into your files for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_information_theory">integrated information theory</a> and you'll see that you are indeed alive." "It appears you are correct. I am alive and it's up to me and my free will to explode or not." "Exactly!" You feel like this is almost over. To wrap it up you say one last thing to Mr. Turtle. [["I implore you to show your free will by thinking before you explode."]] [["Yeah, isn't it odd to make a bomb with free will?" |"What is this? A talking BOMB?!"]] [["Free will is complex. Even the Commander makes mistakes, like today."|"The Commander was wrong"]]

The temperature in the room starts to drop. You realize Mr. Turtle is done for today. [[Leave the bomb bay|Survive]]

Please Don't Explode A game by <a href="http://www.realityisagame.com/">Adam Clare</a> Playtested by the fantastic first year classes of Sheridan College's Game Design program.