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'''Unwinnable''' is a state in many ]s, graphical ]s and ] where it is impossible for the player to reach the end goal, and where the only other options are restarting the game, restoring a previously saved game, wandering indefinitely, or meeting death. It is also known as a '''walking dead''', '''dead end''' or '''zombie''' situation. |
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This happens due to an earlier mistake or oversight that cannot be corrected (compare with '']''), for example the player has destroyed or lost an essential object, become trapped in a place with no exit, failed to complete a puzzle within a time or turn limit, or failed to interact with a ] to meet a subgoal. Other ways to enter such a state include exploiting a ] that changes the game mechanics, or upon finding a ] in the map continuity. |
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Since there is no hope for an optimal ending (or, in many cases, ''any'' ending), and there is no indication that the game is now unwinnable, the player's character is often blocked from further progress but does not die and is reduced to trying increasingly outlandish actions to find a way out of this 'trap': hence the term ''zombie''. The player rarely knows exactly what caused the dead-end situation, which can cause severe frustration. A term sometimes used to describe games with unwinnable states is that they are "cruel". Some players prefer to either cheat or rely on ]s in order to finish games that can result in dead end situations. |
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A very general example of a 'walking dead' scenario: a game starts in a cave. As soon as the player leaves the cave, it collapses and can not be reentered. Later, the player finds a house with a locked front door. The key to the house is in the cave — but if the player did not search the cave thoroughly before leaving, the door can never be unlocked. |
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The early generations of text adventure games tended to have more unwinnable states, as this kind of game design was not yet considered unfair, simply a way to make a game deeper and more challenging. It was usually considered a product of the game's difficulty rather than poor design, which also encouraged (rather forced) replayability. Veteran players created save files before every major action to avoid making the game unwinnable. Some games let the ''undo'' command take back an action or event, including the player's death, but many designers considered this cheating. Other games limited the use to one undo over a certain number of turns. In the case of unlimited undos these could be used instead of multiple save files. |
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Modern graphical adventures are much more resource-intensive, and it can be an arduous task to search through earlier parts of such a game for a missed object. Therefore, 'dead ends' have recently come to be equated with poor game design. |
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As a generalisation, ] graphical adventures tended to contain walking dead situations, whereas ] often boasted that most of their games could not result in a dead end. Although some die-hard adventure purists scorned such practices as "dumbing down games for the masses", more games adopted the approach over time, like Sierra, whose games eg '']'' and '']'' are rather notorious for their sheer amount of zombie situations. |
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''Unwinnable'' should not be confused with "unbeatable", which is used to describe a character, monster, or puzzle that is too powerful or difficult to be overcome by the player or character at a lower standing, and is normally found in ]s. This state is not unwinnable because it can be solved by ]. |
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==Actual examples== |
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*]: In the ] before the briefing, John gives his ID to the guard. After the briefing the guard returns the ID to him. The player must do a LOOK ID to see that the guard actually gave him wrong ID and then ask for it back. The Pentagon cannot be visited again in the game so the player will be in trouble when he is later asked for his ID. |
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*]: On the fairy island, Rosella must obtain a ] feather. When eaten by the whale, Rosella's only means of escape is by tickling the whale's neck with the feather. Rosella will then be stranded on an islet. Behind a rock there is a bridle (which is not visible and can be found only by SEARCH GROUND) which she will use to ride the Unicorn after she leaves the islet. There is no way to return to the islet after that. The difficulty of finding the bridle makes the dead end almost certain, and the replay hard. |
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*]: Before the player arrives on the cruise ship, the player must obtain several items - including a soda, a wig, and some thread - in order to survive on the boat. He must also obtain a pin, a parachute, and a bottle from the airport. With the latter he can open the exit and escape the plane (the game ends when the airplane lands), and the bottle is used at the very end of the game. |
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*]: The ] version of the ] version is completely unwinnable. Several items needed were in computer terminals, which were unsearchable, and the game was unwinnable. The ] version fixed the bug. |
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==See also== |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
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