(if: $crew > 0)[Would you like to [[stop at an island]] or [[keep on sailing]]?](else:)[Yer crew be dead and ye be stranded!
Yarr, so sad. :-(]
(display: (either: "EncounterIsland", "EncounterLizardmen", "EncounterCastaway", "EncounterIdol", "EncounterLizard"))
{
(set: $distance to it + ($crew * 2))
(set: $food to it - $crew)
}(if: $food < 1)[(set: $food to 0)(set: $crew to it - 5)(if: $crew < 1)[Yer crew be dead and ye be stranded!
Yarr, so sad. :-(](else:)[You keep on sailing.
(display: (either: "seagull", "cannibal", "rat"))
[[What next?|choice]]]](elseif: $distance > 499)[Ye have reached [[ye destination|END]]](else:)[(display: (either: "sailing", "story"))
[[What next?|choice]]]
Long ago, in a bar in Veracruz, I shared a bottle of rum with an elderly sailor. He imparted a secret of tremendous power:
“It is known,” he said, significantly, “as ’The Wave.’”
When he saw my quizzical look, the wizened sailor took all the drinkers outside.
Without a word, without even a nod of instruction, we formed ourselves into lines and the sailor shouted:
“Hallelujah!”
He lifted his skinny arms high in the air and yelled, a sound that reverberated through my very bones. It felt like every fibre of my being had awoken.
The woman next to him raised her arms, and so did the next, and the next…and the next!
All at once the impulse reached me, and I too surrendered to it.
I heard myself shout and felt my arms reach above my head. Touching God. As suddenly as it came, it was over.
“The power is yours now, lad,” the sailor said.
The traffic stopped in front of us. The merchants jumped from their carts to take us in their arms. We returned their embrace and the whole crowd danced in the street. None who passed could resist joining in, and the festivities continued for nearly a week.
I never saw the sailor after that. He slipped away during the jubilation; perhaps to shores unknown, perhaps to some quiet cottage inland for a well earned rest. I’ll never know.
But I often wonder.
I wonder where he went to, and whence he came…
[[Begin voyage.]]
The Wave calls to you, lifts you, carries you.
Somewhere, a new bearer waits to carry it in turn.
[[Stop at an island.|stop at an island]]
[[Continue sailing.|keep on sailing]]
{
(set: $distance to 0)
(set: $crew to 20)
(set: $food to 50)
(set: $wave to 0)
(set: $story to 0)
}
---
(text-color: "grey")[Distance: $distance
Crew: $crew
Food: $food]
---
(text-color: "grey")[Produced in Brighton for (link: "Global Game Jam 2017")[(gotoURL:"http://globalgamejam.org/2017/games/undercurrent")].
Story by (link:"Fiona Roberts")[(gotoURL:"http://globalgamejam.org/users/fionaalice")] and (link:"Damon L. Wakes")[(gotoURL:"http://www.damonwakes.wordpress.com")]. Unity programming by (link:"Morrison Cole")[(gotoURL:"http://morrisoncole.co.uk/")], artwork by (link:"Mark Grizenko")[(gotoURL:"https://markgrizenko.wordpress.com/")], sound by (link:"Laurence Bush")[(gotoURL:"https://soundcloud.com/laurencebush")].]
(print: (either: "You land upon an island dotted with huts.
The villagers emerge to greet you.
Win their favour with a Mexican wave, and they will aid you on your voyage!", "You land on an island, dotted with huts. The villagers come to greet you, as ’tis their custom.
Earn their favour, and they will lend you food for your voyage!", "You step out of your dinghy and onto the beach. The island’s inhabitants eye your crew suspiciously.
A sufficiently impressive Mexican wave will surely win them over!", "You present yourself to the island chief.
His people stand in line, each lifting their arms in turn. They wish for your crew to do the same!
Better not disappoint…"))
[[Do a Mexican wave!|WAVETEST]]
(set: $food to it + 50)(print: (either: "Your Mexican wave is super impressive, and thus you are rewarded with food.", "The people are in awe, and eagerly share their bounty that you may share the joy of the Wave with still more across the water!", "The gathered crowd are most impressed, and share their food with you."))
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)Your Mexican wave is so exceedingly lame that (print: (either: "your first mate disowns you and chooses to remain on the island.", "your hosts pummel your second mate to death for this assault on their eyeballs!"))
[[What next?|choice]]
(text-style: "bold")[{
(live: 0.5s)[
(if: $wave < 11)[
(set: $wave to it + 1)]
(else:)[
(set: $wave to 0)]
(if: $wave is 0)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 1)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 2)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 3)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 4)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 5)[(link:"|")[(goto:"win")]](else:)[(link:".")[(goto:"fail")]]
(if: $wave is 6)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 7)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 8)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 9)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 10)[|](else:)[.]
]
}]
Ah! Veracruz!
You moor your ship for the very last time and step into a tavern by the docks.
There is somebody here with whom you must speak...
//The captain has arrived at the great port of Veracruz, Mexico. Now he must use his intuition to find an apprentice. He found himself walking to a famous bar beloved by seafarers. Sitting at the bar, he noticed a young man sitting across from him. Immediately, the captain was sure. He bought a bottle of rum and quickly uncorked it, filling up the young sailor’s glass. After they had drunk half of the rum, he imparted his life-long secret. The sailor stared at him, unbelieving. The captain sighed. He drew everyone in the bar together and took them outside. For the final time, he unleashed the power of the Wave.//
You row ashore and step out onto a beautiful desert island.
Suddenly, LIZARDMEN!!!
"We lizardmen are lizardmen," say the lizardmen, redundantly. "Disappoint us and meet your doom!"
[[Tell a joke!]]
[[Do that thumb thing!]]
[[Do a Mexican wave!|LIZARDMENWAVE]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)"Why are pirates called pirates?" you ask.
"The word derives from the Greek peirein," says the lizard king, "meaning to attempt or to attack."
"I was going to say 'Because they ARRRR,'" you explain, "but that works too, I guess."
"Your false tautologies do not impress us!" cries the lizard king.
He and his entourage proceed to beat (display: "name") to death with a dictionary stuffed inside a sock.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You do that thumb thing.
Not having thumbs themselves, the lizardmen are astounded at your willingness to pull off this most valuable digit, and the ease with which you reattach it thereafter.
They shower you with riches, which for lizardmen means food.
[[What next?|choice]]
(text-style: "bold")[{
(live: 0.5s)[
(if: $wave < 11)[
(set: $wave to it + 1)]
(else:)[
(set: $wave to 0)]
(if: $wave is 0)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 1)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 2)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 3)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 4)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 5)[(link:"|")[(goto:"LizardmenWin")]](else:)[(link:".")[(goto:"LizardmenFail")]]
(if: $wave is 6)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 7)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 8)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 9)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 10)[|](else:)[.]
]
}]
(set: $food to it + 50)The lizardmen are most impressed by your magnificent Mexican wave.
They give you a metric lizardton of bananas and grapes, which conveniently is almost exactly equivalent to one metric non-lizard ton.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)The lizardmen are disappointed.
Needless to say, doom ensues (though thankfully only for one of your crew).
[[What next?|choice]]
(if: $story is 0)[(set: $story to it + 1)He knew he was headed on the right course. He could feel it in the shifting of the air, and the aching of his aged bones.
Also he had quite the collection of navigational instruments and nautical charts.
One doesn’t become a grizzled sea captain through luck alone.](elseif: $story is 1)[(set: $story to it + 1)The secret helped him to sleep at night, and warmed his old bones on voyages north. And yet, it was only the captain and his crew who knew about the power it had. He felt the secret calling all the time, wanting to live on, and he began to understand who he must find and which way he must travel.
He went into his cabin and drew out his instruments. His compass hovered west - always west. He thought to himself, do not dally old man, go while you still can.](elseif: $story is 2)[(set: $story to it + 1)He had yet a few years left of his life, but he had never found someone who could bear the secret and use it wisely. He searched on each new land he visited - but he never found the right person.
The secret began to take on a will of its own. It wanted to be found. The captain was woken in the night by vivid dreams which left him with a memory of blurry faces and the faint smell of spices. As the nights went by the image formed more clearly. So the captain and his crew went west to a port city.](elseif: $story is 3)[(set: $story to it + 1)As the captain travelled, the secret became more powerful. What he tried to use with caution earlier in life, he began to use freely, at times when it may not have been necessary. It wanted the world to see it so it could carry on. The Wave revealed itself to the world in many different places. He should have been using it wisely - as a final option in the face of peril.
West of the ship was a great continent - and in the centre, the country of Mexico. The captain hoped they could reach it in time. Their supplies could run low.](else:)[You keep on sailing.]
You keep on sailing.
You land upon the shore of a barren desert island.
...but it is not deserted!!!
You see a sunburnt castaway, dressed in rags. He rushes madly towards you.
"Wilson and I thought we were going to be stuck here forever!"
He places his arm around the person NOT standing next to him.
[[Offer to take him off the island.]]
[[Claim the ship is full.]]
[[Do a Mexican wave!|WAVECASTAWAY]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)You offer to take the castaway with you, but he shakes his head.
"Take Wilson instead," he says. "He's been here longer than me."
He leans over and whispers: "I think he's going crazy!"
You agree, pretty much just to get out of there.
That night, one of your crewmembers vanishes.
"WILSON WAS HERE!" is scratched into the wall by their hammock.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You clear your throat.
"I regret to inform you, sir, that the ship is full?"
"Full?" screams the castaway, tearing at his hair. "FULL???"
"I'LL SHOW YOU FULL!!!"
And he does. He crams your hold full of delicious tropical fruits.
That sure showed you...you guess?
[[What next?|choice]]
(text-style: "bold")[{
(live: 0.5s)[
(if: $wave < 11)[
(set: $wave to it + 1)]
(else:)[
(set: $wave to 0)]
(if: $wave is 0)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 1)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 2)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 3)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 4)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 5)[(link:"|")[(goto:"CastawayWin")]](else:)[(link:".")[(goto:"CastawayFail")]]
(if: $wave is 6)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 7)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 8)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 9)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 10)[|](else:)[.]
]
}]
(either: "Scurvy Bob", "Pegleg Pete", "Eyepatch Elaine", "Bad-luck Bill", "Hunchback Hal", "Bubbles, the suspiciously short, hairy, chimp-like cabin boy")
(set: $crew to it - 1)You attempt to perform a Mexican wave, but your poor sense of rhythm and abysmal coordination are an assault upon the castaway's already strained faculties.
"THESE BEER BOTTLES WITH THE TWIST-OFF CAPS ARE DELIGHTFULLY CONVENIENT!" he bellows as he snaps the neck of (display: "name").
You decide to leave him be after all.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You perform a gentle, soothing Mexican wave.
The sight of it quite restores the castaway to his senses. He thanks you for freeing him from his madness, and for performing such a delightful spectacle in his presence.
As thanks, he supplies you with some extra food for your journey but declines to travel with you. After the ordeal of being stranded on the desert island, he says, he could do with some time to himself and he can't think of a better place for a relaxing getaway than this desert island.
Okay, maybe he's still a little crazy, but he seems happy enough.
[[What next?|choice]]
You row the dinghy up an overgrown stream, deep into the heart of a jungle island.
You arrive at the steps of a vast temple, sweet fruits piled at the feet of its idol.
[[Steal 'em!]]
[[Leave 'em be.]]
[[Do a Mexican wave!|WAVEIDOL]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)You steal the fruit.
It does not go well.
Bananas become snakes! Mangoes morph into venemous spiders! A particularly ugly guava turns into...your mother in law!!!
(display: "name") dies of sheer fright. Or the dozens of scorpion stings.
It's hard to tell.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You leave the fruit, and start to make your way down the steps. Your stomach is making the rumblies.
Suddenly, the idol roars to life!
"You have passed my test!" it cries, "and have earned my bounty!"
(Secretly you thought this might happen.)
[[What next?|choice]]
(text-style: "bold")[{
(live: 0.5s)[
(if: $wave < 11)[
(set: $wave to it + 1)]
(else:)[
(set: $wave to 0)]
(if: $wave is 0)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 1)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 2)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 3)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 4)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 5)[(link:"|")[(goto:"IdolWin")]](else:)[(link:".")[(goto:"IdolFail")]]
(if: $wave is 6)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 7)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 8)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 9)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 10)[|](else:)[.]
]
}]
(set: $crew to it - 1)You perform a Mexican wave to honour the idol, but something goes wrong. Very wrong.
It's less of a Mexican wave and more of a mass mooning.
The idol unleashes the full fury of its wrath upon (display: "name")'s unsuspecting posterior!
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You perform the most impressive, most dignified, most fervently religious Mexican wave ever witnessed by god or man. Tears of diamond escape the idol's ancient eyes as it bestows its bounteous feast gladly upon you.
Sweet!
[[What next?|choice]]
You weigh anchor by a verdant island paradise, rich in fruit.
However, as you prepare to harvest its bounty...a fearsome lizard emerges from the trees!
[[Run away screaming.]]
[[Don't move!]] (It can't see you if you don't move!)
[[Do a Mexican wave!|WAVELIZARD]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You run away screaming. The lizard stomps after you!
You wait on your ship until it wanders off, then return to pick up the fruit shaken from the trees.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $crew to it - 1)You don't move. It can't see you if you don't move.
Except apparently it can.
You run away screaming after all, minus (display: "name").
[[What next?|choice]]
(text-style: "bold")[{
(live: 0.5s)[
(if: $wave < 11)[
(set: $wave to it + 1)]
(else:)[
(set: $wave to 0)]
(if: $wave is 0)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 1)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 2)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 3)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 4)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 5)[(link:"|")[(goto:"LizardWin")]](else:)[(link:".")[(goto:"LizardFail")]]
(if: $wave is 6)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 7)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 8)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 9)[|](else:)[.]
(if: $wave is 10)[|](else:)[.]
]
}]
(set: $crew to it - 1)You and your crew are somewhat distracted by the GIANT FREAKIN’ LIZARD eyeing you up, and your wave is not so much a wave as a pantaloon-wetting tremor of fear. The lizard promptly snaps up (display: "name"). After that performance you’re kind of on the lizard’s side, to be honest.
[[What next?|choice]]
(set: $food to it + 50)You and your crew perform the most eye-poppingest, fist-pumpingest, lizard-seductingest Mexican wave of all time, yo!
The vast, scaly creature returns the gesture with an undulation of its spiked dorsal plates, then lowers its head and lifts you to the wealth of fruit overhead!
[[What next?|choice]]
Your crew is starving and unhappy. (display: "name") is tearfully trying to harpoon a seagull.
There is no food.
You've didn't think it was possible to eat one's own head, but that's just what (display: "name") does. It’s absolutely horrifying and also really impressive.
(display: "name") cooks up a bountiful feast. Your crew enjoy three varieties of rat: rat casserole, rat-on-a-stick and mock rat pie. You didn't even know it was possible to get so much gravy out of such a small seagull.