Power, MT

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<<set $player to {"hasCell": true, "hasStone": false, "sawBench": false, "takePic": false, "tookPic": false, "viewingPic": false, "viewedPic": false, "hasCode": false, }>>\ <<set $cell to { "initialPower": random(72,95), "power": 0, "reception": 0, "flashlight": false, "compass": false, "totalPower": 0 }>>\ <<set $cell.power to $cell.initialPower>>\ <<set $drain to { "flashlight": 2, "compass": 1, "photo": 4 }>>\ <<set $monster to {"distance": 9, "noticed": false }>>\ <<set $po to {"examined": false, "doorOpen": false, "windowOpen": false, "cableCut": false, "stone": 0 }>>\ <<set $hint to {"bar": false, "pp": false, "treeFell": false, "genOn": false, "padlockOpen": false, }>>\ <<set $padlock to {"a": 1, "b": random(8,9), "c": random(0,9), "d": random(0,9), "combination": random(1920,1999), }>>\ \ <<set $points to 0>>\ <<cacheaudio "music-a" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-a.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-a.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-b" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-b.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-b.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-c" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-c.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-c.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-d" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-d.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-d.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-e" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-e.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-e.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-f" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-f.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-f.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "music-g" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-g.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/music-g.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "sting-a" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/sting-a.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/sting-a.mp3">>\ <<cacheaudio "sting-b" "format:ogg;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/sting-b.ogg" "format:mp3;http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/music/sting-b.mp3">>\ /% <<createaudiogroup ":score">>\ <<track "music-a">>\ <<track "music-b">>\ <<track "music-c">>\ <<track "music-d">>\ <<track "music-e">>\ <<track "music-f">>\ <<track "music-g">>\ <</createaudiogroup>>\ <<createaudiogroup ":stings">>\ <<track "sting-a">>\ <<track "sting-b">>\ <</createaudiogroup>>\ %/

<<audio "music-a" volume .5 play>>\ \ Darkness. All-engulfing darkness. A distant rumble half wakes you from a dreamless sleep, but not enough for you to open your eyes just yet. The day before had been exhausting, driving all the way through Montana when that shabby rental broke down at last on highway 431, close to the little census-designated place of Power, Mt. You try again to fall asleep in that unfamiliar bed you're in, listening to the wind outside getting stronger. You're almost in the arms of Morpheus again as a sharp hiss startles you. You open your eyes, just to witness the shine from the streetlamp outside your window to go out with a bang and pop. <<choice "Switch on lamp">>

<<audio "music-d" volume 0.5 loop play>>\ What you see through the window is a far cry from the endless, green plains you marveled at in the evening. Now you can't see a thing beyond Rainbow Avenue, no street lamp, no power pole, no stars, nothing. A black fog has crept up over night, engulfing anything beyond 30 feet in nothingness as strong gusts of wind tug on the branches and stir up the dust on the dirt road in front of the house. A strong beam of a high-powered flashlight cuts through the murky air, originating from the sturdy frame of Mr. Davidson in his front yard, wearing a jacket over his pajamas. "What in the name of all that is holy…?!" he gasps against the wind, dropping the hand that held his hat in place. Then you see it, too. [[What is this?!|Keep watching]]

You phone is tethered to its plug in the wall as you left it, but it's not charging anymore. The power must be out. Also, the reception on the countryside has been spotty, but now there's no carrier signal whatsoever. Odd. At least your flashlight (<<imgLight>>) and compass app (<<imgCompass>>) are operational. <<set $player.hasCell to true>>\ <<cell>>\ From the front of the house you hear a ruckus, likely caused by your generous host, Mr. Davidson, trying to start up an old power generator. “Least I can do is help him,” you decide and get into your clothes and pocket your cell out of habit. A gust of wind audibly rustles the leaves of the trees outside. [[Walk to the window|Look outside]]

A humongous black silhouette emerges from the darkness, big as a bus; shiny, black rags of fabric (or flesh?) wince and twich all over its amorphous … body? and make it impossible to ascribe any definite shape to it. Not quite walking upright but also not quite on all fours it lunches forward, steadily like a shadow out of time. Before your mind can fully process what you are seeing, the thing lunges forward and separates Mr. Davidson first from his flashlight, then from his skin in an instant. The flashlight drops and his blood-curling screams drown in the roar of the storm. [[Oh god…!|introWtf]]

<<widget cell>> <div class="cell"> <<if $player.hasCell>> <b>Phone Status</b><br/> <<if $cell.power gt 100>> <<set $cell.power to 100>>\ <</if>> <<drainPower>> <<if $cell.power lte 0>> <<set $cell.flashlight to false>> <<set $cell.compass to false>> <</if>> <<imgBatt>> <<if $cell.power gt 0>> $cell.power% <<else>> 0% <</if>><br/> <<if $cell.flashlight>> <span class="on"><<imgLight>> is ON</span> <<else>> <span class="off"><<imgLight>> is OFF</span> <</if>>- <<if $cell.power gt 0>> [[toggle|passage()][$cell.flashlight to !$cell.flashlight]] <</if>><br/> <<if $cell.compass>> <span class="on"><<imgCompass>> is ON</span> <<else>> <span class="off"><<imgCompass>> is OFF</span> <</if>>- <<if $cell.power gt 0>> [[toggle|passage()][$cell.compass to !$cell.compass]] <</if>> <</if>> </div> <<if $cell.power lte 0 and !$player.viewedPic>> <<goto [[Out of Power]]>> <</if>> <</widget>>

<<widget monster>>\ <<if $hint.genOn>>\ <<advanceMonster>> /%(The monster is $monster.distance paces away.)%/\ <<switch $monster.distance>>\ <<case 0>><<goto "it got you">>\ <<case 1>>Bolts of lightning shoot through the air, causing painful spasms in your muscles. The black, dark fog clouds your eyes and lungs. You know you have to make your move now. <<case 2>>The last set of flashlights explodes and immerses everything in darkness again. It's so very close now. A rush of fear and panic shoots through your nerves but you suppress it. For now. <<case 3>>Two more sets of floodlights go out with a bang and some thing is approaching. You can't see it, but you feel it. Hard to tell which is worse. <<case 4>>The floodlights, almost entirely obscured by the night suddenlty explode in a purple flash and sparks. It smells metallic. <<case 5>>The wind is getting stronger again, not easy to pinpoint the direction from where, but this doesn't feel good. <<case 6>>The floodlights in the distance are obscured by the fog intensifying. The wind picks up. <<case 7>>You hear a sharp rustling in the distance. <<case 8>>Barely noticably, the wind picks up again. <<case 9>>Silence. Even the wind has stopped. <</switch>>\ <</if>> <</widget>>\

<<widget advanceMonster>>\ <<if $monster.distance gte 0>>\ <<set $monster.distance -= 1>>\ /% TODO: flavor text %/\ <</if>>\ <</widget>>\

<<widget "drainPower">> <<if $args[0]>> <<set _turns to $args[0]>> <<else>> <<set _turns to 1>> <</if>> <<if $cell.flashlight eq true>> <div class="drain"> <<set _thisDrain = _turns * $drain.flashlight>> <<set $cell.power = $cell.power - _thisDrain>> <<set $cell.totalPower += _thisDrain>> <<imgLight>> drained _thisDrain% of power. </div> <</if>> <<if $cell.compass eq true>> <div class="drain"> <<set _thisDrain = _turns * $drain.compass>> <<set $cell.power = $cell.power - _thisDrain>> <<set $cell.totalPower += _thisDrain>> <<imgCompass>> drained _thisDrain% of power. </div> <</if>> <<if $player.takePic>> <div class="drain"> <<set _thisDrain = _turns * $drain.photo>> <<set $cell.power = $cell.power - _thisDrain>> <<set $cell.totalPower += _thisDrain>> Taking the photo drained _thisDrain% of power. <<set $player.tookPic to true>> <<set $player.takePic to false>> </div> <</if>> <<if $player.viewingPic>> <div class="drain"> <<set _thisDrain = _turns * $drain.photo>> <<set $cell.power = $cell.power - _thisDrain>> <<set $cell.totalPower += _thisDrain>> Viewing the photo drained _thisDrain% of power. <<set $player.viewedPic to true>> <<set $player.viewingPic to false>> </div> <</if>> <</widget>>

<<if visited() lte 1>>\ The tower is increibly old, rusty, and the gust of wind must have put its construction in an even worse precarious state. The riser pipe leading up to the center of its underside is leaking water. <</if>>\ You are at the upper rungs<<if $hint.padlockOpen>> with the release valve unlocked. <<else>>, where a bulky combination padlock secures the release valve. <</if>>\ <<if !$hint.genOn>>\ /%(generator is off)%/\ <</if>>\ \ <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <<if !hasVisited("view Combination")>>[[View photo of bench|view Combination][$player.viewingPic to true]] (this will drain $drain.photo% power)<</if>> <<if !$hint.padlockOpen>>[[Examine padlock|padlock]]<</if>> [[Wait|passage()]] <<if $hint.padlockOpen>>[[Open valve|open valve]]<</if>> [[Climb down|football field]]

<<audio "music-c" fadeoverto 2 0>> <<audio "sting-a" fadeoverto 2 0>> <<audio "music-e" volume .8 play>> <<audio "music-d" stop>> Darkness. All engulfing darkness. But this time, it's is different. [[Open your eyes|extro2]]

<<set $points += 1>>\ Head over heels, you storm out the back door, leading into a tidy, yet nondescript garden. Mr. Davidson's flat house with the white boards now between you and what the hell that just was. <<if $cell.flashlight>>\ The small flashlight in your cellphone shines on a low wooden fence but not much further. \ <<else>>\ You can't see much in the almost perfect darkness of the black fog.\ <</if>>\ You recall that to the West there are the other settlers behind half a mile or so of marshland with a small creek. A small gravel path leads around the house to the front where Rainbow Avenue separates Power from acres of grassy pastures and rolling hills, now shrouded in a malign, black fog. <<cell>>\ [[Run to the front towards Rainbow Ave|Rainbow Ave]] [[Jump over the fence into the marsh|Marshland]]

<<masteraudio stop>>\ <<audio "sting-b" volume 0.8 play>>\ <<set $points -= 1>>\ <<if previous() is "introWtf">>You dash through the rooms and kick the flimsy door aside, in headless panic you run, just run, but then slip on a big glistening, red rag in the black storm. It's Mr. Davidson't skin. <</if>> Now you realize that your flight steered you directly in the path of that devastating, black entity. It is massive, towering, and in all the darkness hard to fathom. But you're not given any time to ponder. Swiftly and mechanically your body gets ground up in its presence, your cell phone's battery cracks open and a short arc of electricity feeds the relentless darkness. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]]

<<audio "music-a" stop>>\ <<if $cell.flashlight>>\ <<set $points += 1>>\ <<audio "music-f" loop volume 0.5 play>>\ <<audio "music-d" unloop>>\ In the dim light of your cell phone, you negotiate your way forward, to where you think the rest of the town is, to where you can call for help. <<if $cell.compass>>\ <<set $points += 1>>\ With the compass you are certain of your heading. \ <<set _turnsSpent to random(1,3)>>\ <<else>>\ Without quite knowing your way around, you correct your direction multiple times, using the winding creek as paltry means of navigation. <<set _turnsSpent to random(4,6)>>\ <</if>>\ Because of these circumstances, you spend \ <<switch _turnsSpent>>\ <<case 1>>one turn \ <<default>>_turnsSpent turns \ <</switch>>\ in the marshland. <<drainPower _turnsSpent>>\ After a while you come across the little creek which you follow until, at last, the black fog clears a little and allows the black outlines of the towering old depots to become visible. You're not quite there yet, but close. <<cell>>\ [[Mountain View Coop]] \ \ <<else>>\ \ \ <<set $points -= 1>>\ In the darkness you make your way forward into the night and and the black fog, negotiating your path entirely by your sense of touch. You stumble and curse but keep going. Suddenly, your foot gets caught in a particular nasty hole of mud and with a sharp snap, you topple over, deafening pain emitting from your ankle. You fall into the water of the creek, hit your head on a stone and lose consciousness. It doesn't take long for you drown. Shortly after, blackness engulfs you, erasing you and your phone from existence. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]] <</if>>\

<<audio "music-d" stop>>\ <<if visited() is 1>>\ At last you reach the Mountain View Coop, your boots soggy from your trip down the creek and the marsh as you stumble onto solid ground for a change, entering the premises from the North. “Anybody here?” you shout, but your call is lost in the dark mist and the howling wind from the East, from Rainbow Avenue. <</if>>\ No engine is running, no lights in the small shops and depots are on, everything is dark and quickly fades into the surrounding fog. The scent of diesel and gas still lingers in the air despite the suffocating fog around you. You can make out the shapes of big rigs and tractors, scattered around the pumps. To the South lies 3rd Street. <<cell>>\ <<actions [[Back North|Marshland (from Coop)]]>>\ [[Down South->3rd Street]]

<<audio "music-b" fadeout>> You're standing in the middle of 3rd street, yet another dirt road of the many in Power. Since the fog seems a little less opaque, you are able to make out the shape of another single-story house to the South, with a lone mailbox on the front lawn and a dingy camping trailer next to a massive silver berry bush. <<if !$cell.flashlight>>Without the light of your flashlight, you notice a faint glow coming from inside the trailer.<</if>> Would you follow 3rd road to the East (just like you did with Mr. Davidson the day before), you'd arrive at the South end of Rainbow Ave from which the wind is coming from. To the West, two road signs are legible, barely, to you: One reads "STOP", the other "Railroad Crossing", demarcating the unguarded triple level crossing. \ /% TODO: The closer the monster is, the stronger the wind. %/\ <<cell>>\ [[North, to the Coop|Mountain View Coop]] [[East, towards Rainbow Ave|Rainbow Ave (South)]] /% South [[Jackie's place]]%/\ [[West, to the railroad crossing|railroad crossing]]

Jackie has a power generator behind her house to let you charge your phone, but it also attracts the thing. Jackie tells you that her grandmother has also seen it when they had build the Malmstrom Silo #J-10 during WW2. There had always been strange things happening there. Try calling for help, she says. In the post office there should be a landline. [[3rd Street]]

<<if visited() lte 1>>\ <<audio "music-b" volume 0.3 play>>\ After a few minutes on the potholed 3rd Street, you arrive at a wide T-junction, spacious enough for lorries and trucks to turn, where it feeds into Rainbow Avenue. Heading into this direction felt uncomfortable, foreboding even, because the winds kept getting stronger and with the lasts steps, the fog noticably thicker. You <em>could</em> head up North, along Rainbow Ave, but that's where you saw things you wish to erase from your memory. This is not a place to linger, your goodebumps keep telling you. <<if $cell.compass>> The compass on your cell is acting crazy, glitchy, and you can't get a reliable reading. You don't need it right now, staying on the road and all, but still: That's not a good sign. <</if>>\ <<set $thisVisit to true>>\ <<if $cell.flashlight>>\ <<audio "sting-b" volume 0.6 play>>\ You shine your flashlight into the void and suddenly, <em>it</em> peels itself from within. It's barely a shape, all that fluttering and tugging on its tarry surface. You don't have enough time to point your cell into its direction, as it quickly gets the better of you. The last thing you experience is the excruciating pain of your skin being torn off. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]] <<else>> <<cell>>\ [[Up North on Rainbow Ave->Rainbow Ave]] [[Back West, where you came from|3rd Street]] <</if>>\ <<else>> <<audio "sting-b" volume 0.6 play>>\ You shouldn't have come here. Now, everything happens quick and cruel. The thing from before emerges from the howling storm surrounding it and in a matter of seconds, you are screaming in agony, your skin ripped off entirely. <<if $cell.power>>In your last moment you see that purple arcs of lightning again, this time from your cell phone.<</if>> [[GAME OVER|GameOver]] <</if>>\

<<masteraudio stop>> You survived for <<print turns()>> turns and got $points points. Your phone started out with $cell.initialPower% power and in total you used up $cell.totalPower% of it. Thank you for playing <b>POWER, MT</b> a game by Pixel Prophecy, made for Ludum Dare #39 in some frantic 48 hours in the end July, 2017. <<link "Restart">><<script>>UI.restart();<</script>><</link>>

Three tracks of railroad stretch to the North and to the South, running alongside Hill Avenue. There might be a lone box car on the side tracks lining the depot of the Mountain View Coop, but it's hard to tell. <<cell>>\ <<if hasVisited("Post Office (exterior)")>>[[Walk to the Post Office|Post Office (exterior)]]<<else>>[[Walk up Hill Avenue|Post Office (exterior)]]<</if>> [[Back East on 3rd Street|3rd Street]]

<<if visited() lte 1>>\ Without a clear direction of where to go, you decide to proceed North on Hill Avenue, fringed on one side by low, white garages and houses and the occasional tree or car. None of the houses you pass has any lights on, not even candles or flashlights are lit, as far as you can tell. Also your calls for help remain unanswered. With the wind picking up again, you also increase your pace in the cool, almost frigid, foggy air until you arrive at another T-junction. You cross underneath thick cables from a telephone pole with a blind street lamp to a little building, tinged white at street level and brown under the roof. <</if>>\ The small house, barely two-stories tall, stands proud. An American flag to its right lends this humble place an aura of importance. The white letters above the door spell "US POST OFFICE, POWER MT 59468". <<if $player.hasStone and not $po.windowOpen>> A big stone is in your hands. <</if>> \ <<post>>\ <<cell>>\ <<if $po.windowOpen or $po.doorOpen>>[[Climb inside through the window|Post Office (interior)]] <</if>>\ <<if !$player.hasStone>>[[Examine around Post Office]] <</if>>\ <<if $player.hasStone and not $po.windowOpen>>[[Smash window with stone|passage()][$po.windowOpen to true]] <</if>>\ [[South on Hill Ave, to the railroad crossing|railroad crossing]]

<<audio "music-d" fadeoverto 2 0>>\ <<audio "music-b" volume 0.5 play>>\ <<if hasVisited("It is loose")>>\ Inside there is nothing more for you to do. Better get moving. <<else>>\ <<if visited() lte 1>>\ You're careful not to cut yourself on the shards of glass still sticking in the window frame but manage to enter the small anteroom, now littered with cullets and the stone. <</if>>\ <<if $cell.flashlight>>\ In the shine of your flashlight you find an old telephone made of black Bakelite; nothing but ancient technology nowadays compared to the small, circular thing lying next to it: A power bank! <<else>>\ It's pitch black inside, you can't see a thing. The wind in the trees outside is barely audible, either. <</if>>\ <<cell>>\ <<if $cell.flashlight>>[[Pick up the receiver & charge your phone|Pick up]]<</if>> <</if>>\ [[Leave Post Office|Post Office (exterior)]]

<<audio "music-d" fadeoverto 2 0>>\ <<audio "music-b" stop>>\ <<audio "music-f" loop volume 0.65 play>>\ <<if visited() lte 1>>\ You just keep running into the darkness of 4th Street to the West<<if $cell.flashlight>>, your phone's light barely illuminating what's ahead<</if>>, but the dormant houses scattered left and right aren't of interest to you anyway. You just want to escape that suffocating black fog. At last, you arrive at a junction. <</if>>\ You're standing at the intersection of Central Avenue and 4th street, dark, seemingly uninhabited buildings all around, not a single light source<<if $cell.flashlight>> save your portable one. It barely shines up the two-story, flat-roofed building in front of you. Auburn planks and three white and slender windows.<<else>>.<</if>> <<cell>>\ <<if hasVisited("Power Pole")>><<if $hint.pp>>[[To “Suds & Grub”, formerly “The Power Pole”|"Power Pole"]]<<else>>[[To “Suds & Grub” bar|"Power Pole"]]<</if>><<else>>[[Explore South|"Power Pole"]]<</if>> <<if hasVisited("School")>>[[West, to the Power Public School|School]]<<else>>[[Further West, on 4th Street|School]]<</if>> [[East, to the post office|Post Office B]]

<<if visited() lte 1>>\ Opposite of the auburn house, there is a little structure, stocky and low like most of the houses in Power. A big sign on top identifies the place as “Les’s Suds & Grub”, apperently the only watering hole of the farmers in town. <</if>>\ The slanted roof looks like someone had just slapped it on top of a hastily constructed ground floor built entirely with cinderblocks. Its front sports two small windows and a little door. On the porch, which is just big slap of concrete, sits an old beer bench. <<if $player.tookPic>>You've taken a picture of the scrawlings in the bench. <</if>>\ <<cell>>\ <<if !$player.tookPic>>[[Examine closer|PP Examine]]<</if>> [[Back to Central Ave/4th St|Central Ave / 4th Street]] \ /% Rumor has it that this establishment is haunted by the apparition of a woman, smashing windows and throwing things around. %/\

The Smoot Honey company, whose buildings burned down one fateful day in 2013 and has been rebuilt since 2015. They gambled by not investing in insurance, but until 2013 it turned out well for them. North: [[Central Ave / 4th Street]]

<<audio "music-d" stop>> <<if !$player.tookPic>>\ <<if visited() eq 1>>\ You follow the thick cables dangling from the telephone poles along 4th Street to the West, past more deserted houses. The gravel road is uneven but the fog seems to thin out a little when you spot a big red brick structure beyond another crossroad. It's the Power Public School. <</if>><</if>>\ <<if $player.tookPic>>\ <<if $cell.flashlight>>Even with your flashlight on, it's<<else>>It's<</if>> hard to stay on the road as it is with the black fog and everything that's hurtling through the air. On your way <<if visited() gte 1>>to the school<</if>>, the strong gale sweeps a toppled basketball hoop across the road and into the darkness. Somewhere you hear glass shatter. After you pass the third pole, the wind behind you eases off just a little as you pass Teton Avenue. <</if>>\ <<if visited() gte 1>>\ You're standing on a big slab of concrete between the Power Public School and <<if hasVisited("football field")>>the football<<else>>an open<</if>> field to the South that's surrounded with floodlights. <<if $player.tookPic>>\There's a crackle in the air to the East. <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hint.genOn>><<monster>><</if>> <<cell>> <<if hasVisited("football field")>>[[To the Football field|football field]]<<else>>[[To the open field|football field]]<</if>> <<if !$player.tookPic>>\ [["East, to Central Ave/4th St"|Central Ave / 4th Street]] <<else>>\ [["East, to Central Ave/4th St"|Central Ave Death]] <</if>>\

<<if visited() eq 1>>\ The grass is lush and thick, irrigated from what must be the big old water tower on the west end, just next to a power generator that's hooked up to the floodlights. It's the school's football field. On the sides there are old and faded banners, proclaiming this place to be the “Port of the Power Pirates”. <</if>>\ <<if !$hint.treeFell>>\ Any access to water tower and power generator is blocked by a chain-link fence with coils of barbed wire on top, presumably to keep all but the most motivated hooligans away. <<else>>\ What you can see of the field is littered with leaves, dust, and garbage that the wind scattered all around. The pine tree is uprooted, its thick branches crushed the fence around the water tower and generator. <</if>>\ \ <<if $player.tookPic>>\ <<if !$hint.treeFell>>\ A sudden drop in temperature and hurricane-like turbulence in the foggy air send you to the ground momentarily. The explosive gust of wind ravages across the football field and sends the banners flying. The current destabilizes the water tower to a worrying degree but it prevails. The old pine tree next to it, however, does not. Wood splinters and cracks as it falls on the fence surrounding generator and water tower. <<set $hint.treeFell to true>>\ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ \ <<if $hint.genOn>><<monster>><</if>> <<cell>>\ <<if $hint.treeFell>> [[Switch on power generator|power generator]] [[Climb water tower|watertower]] <</if>>\ [[School]]

You fumble for the clicker on the bedside table next to your cell phone, but pushing it has no effect. <<choice "Examine cell phone">>

<<audio "music-d" stop>>\ You hear a dial tone! [[Dial 911]] [[Call your spouse|Dial 911]] [[Leave Post Office|Post Office (exterior)]]

The unfamiliar rotary dial gives you some trouble at first but you make it, the line clicking with every digit it passes. [[Click!|It is loose]]

“It is loose, isn’t it? Tell me.” An unfamiliar voice on the other says, calm but assertive. You're puzzled for a moment. [[“Please, send help!”|answerPhone]]

You <<print either("slam", "put", "drop")>> the receiver back in the cradle, <<print either("The wind outside roars", "It sounds like the storm has caught up with you", "Outside, strong winds pull and tug on everything that's not nailed to the ground")>>. <<actions "Try again">> [[Leave Post Office|Post Office B]]

"Whoever you are, please send help to the town of Power, Montana. There's some … thing, killing people! Please!" Silence on the other end. You hear a faint crackle but you can't tell whether it's in the phone line or outside. "Good. That answers my question," your unknown interlocutor replies and terminates the connection, leaving you alone to yourself<<if $cell.flashlight>>, your phone's light the only thing that didn't let you down so far<<else>>, the utter darkness of this place smothering your hopes<</if>>. Suddendly the line clicks again. [[“Hello?”|Hello]]

You attempt again to operate the phone but there is no tone audible any longer, dialling doesn't do anything either. [[Hang up]]

<<audio "music-d" fadeoverto 2 0>>\ You strain your eyes to see something in the marshes you just traversed. <<if $cell.flashlight>>Even with your flashlight illuminating a few patches of grass in front of you, you can't see a thing.<<else>>Nothing.<</if>> That… thing apparently didn't follow you. Though, if it did, you couldn't spot it. You need to push on, find your way to the town. Surely somebody must be there running through the dark, looking for a way to summon help. Just like you. <<cell>>\ [[Mountain View Coop]]

"… shouldn't be …, you know?" a different voice hisses through a lot of static. "Short-cricuit … That's your only chance." It is impossible to tell whether the speaker is male or female, but the fear on their tongue is palpable even with the dropouts. "Who's there?" you ask, "can you help me? Please!" "The bench mark … Power Pole. That's … can tell you. Goodbye." <<set $hint.bar to true>>\ <<set $po.cableCut to true>>\ \ And with that, the connection drops. A second or two there's only silence. Then a deafening burst of static assaults your ear, matched by the rustle in the trees from a particularily strong gust. \ <<set _charge to random(45,65)>>\ <<set $cell.power += _charge>>\ <div class="cell">You charged your phone by _charge%.</div> [[Try again]] [[Hang up]]

<<audio "music-a" fadeoverto 3 0>>\ Static crackles menacingly as purple tendrils of electricity burst the flashlight's casing open and curl into the shapeless silhouette, now rippling with tremors. The light dying as quickly as Mr. Davidson. For a fraction of a second, the arcs illuminate what must be the thing's head. The sight feels like a hot, sharp shock to your bones, and even before the flash subsides, you are certain that the thing has spotted you. You but one thing on your mind. Run. [[To the back door|backyard]] [[To the front door|Rainbow Ave]]

<<widget "post">> <<if $po.examined>> From what you can tell, the door is <<if $po.doorOpen>>open<<else>>locked<</if>> , <<if $po.windowOpen>>a window is smashed in<<else>>the windows are closed,<</if>> and the thick cable running from the roof to the telephone pole <<if $po.cableCut>>has been ripped in half, both ends dangling<<else>>dangles<</if>> in the wind. <</if>> <</widget>>

<<if $cell.flashlight>>You walk around the wooden building with your phone's flashlight running up and down the walls, searching for a sloppily closed window or unlocked back door. <<if !$player.hasStone>> In the moist grass you step over a large stone. <<set _duration to random(1,3)>>\ Your examination takes you \ <<switch _duration>><<case 1>>one turn<<default>>_duration turns<</switch>>. <<drainPower _duration>>\ <<else>> <<set $po.examined to true>>\ <</if>>\ <<if !$player.hasStone>>[["Pick up stone"|Post Office (exterior)][$player.hasStone to true]] <<set $points += 2>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ In the absence of light you circle the house, feeling for doorknobs and windows but it's hard to tell if you missed something. <<switch $po.stone>><<case 0>>You bump you foot on a stone.<<case 1>>You bump your foot on the same stone again.<<case 2>>This time you didn't stub your toe on that large stone, but you know it's still there.<<case 3>>The stone still sits in the grass, you can tell.<<default>>Damn it! You decide to pick up that annoying stone that keeps getting in your tracks.<<set $player.hasStone to true>><</switch>> <<if !$player.hasStone>><<set $po.stone += 1>><<else>><<set $po.stone to -1>><</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<return "Back">>

<<if visited() lte 2>>\ <<audio "music-b" fadeoverto 2 0>>\ <<audio "music-d" volume 0.8 play>>\ As you crawl back out, you are confronted with thicker fog than before, strong winds now blowing up Hill Avenue from the South. It's hard to breath and the air feels electric.<<if $cell.compass>> The compass on your cell is acting crazy, glitchy, and you can't get a reliable reading. You don't need it right now, staying on the road and all, but still.<</if>> Your heart is pounding, and a bead of cold sweat runs down your neck. You should move. You really should. <<cell>>\ [[Run West, along 4th Street|Central Ave / 4th Street]] <<else>>\ Despite your better judgement you kept hoping for something to find here. But some thing has found you. The black fog and the wind almost choking you, that huge, trembling, shapeless silhouette grabs your flimsy body you and grinds you to shreds. Then it enjoys your cell phone battery for dessert. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]] <</if>>\

The windows are made of glass blocks, impossible to smash in, even if you could squeeze yourself through; and the door appears to be shut tight as well.<<if $cell.flashlight>> In the shine of your light you can see faded letters on the front, reading “The Power Pole - Bar”.<<set $hint.pp to true>><</if>> <<if !$cell.flashlight>>The surface of the beer bench feels uneven…<<else>>The beer bench is laced with lots of graffiti, scratches and marking by the patrons, little drawings, initals, even names and numbers. <<set $player.sawBench to true>> <</if>> <<cell>>\ <<if $player.sawBench>>[["Take picture of bench"|Power Pole][$player.takePic to true]] (uses $drain.photo% power) <</if>>\ <<return "Back">>

<<audio "sting-b" volume 0.6 play>>\ You decide to walk straight into the origin of the tempest that is sweeping the dust off the roads and the shindles from the roofs. With each step the barrage of black air and dust particles gets stronger, you shield you face with your arms, your hands clutching your cell phone tightly. A strange sensation irritates your skin and with squnting eyes you see tiny arcs of lightning rippling across the fine hairs on your arms and quickly the tickling turns into pain. In the chaos you can't tell what exactly it was that hit you. It wouldn't make a difference anyway. Lying in the dust, your skull split open, your brains spilling it might be even comforting—considering what that nameless thing would have done to you. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]]

<<audio "sting-b" volume 0.6 play>>\ You ran out of power. Sadly, this makes it impossible now for you finish the story successfully. Hint: Switch off your flashlight or your compass when you don't think you'll be needing it to save power. [[Statistics & Restart|GameOver]]

<<set $points += 1>>\ <<audio "music-f" fadeout>>\ <<audio "music-g" volume 0.65 loop play>>\ <<audio "music-d" volume 0.2 loop play>>\ It takes a good yank and a kick yet, miraculously, the blasted old thing stutters and coughs but jumps into action with a deafening bang, clearly audible against the wind. <<set $hint.genOn to true>>\ Then, the floodlights come on, one by one. Each bulb comes to life with a warm glow that exponentially gets brighter until you have to look away. All this radiant light is a sight for sore eyes. The whole field lights up and a milky green glow seeps deep into the dark fog. <<monster>>\ <<cell\>> [[Back to the field|football field]] [[Climb the water tower|watertower]]

<<audio "sting-b" volume 0.6 play>>\ You wanted to wait for the right moment, but that passed not long ago. Now there is no escape for you anymore. You were close, mabye too close. All your effort is in vain as you watch with your last breath the black thing devour the power generator. A glistening ball of light illuminates it in its entirety and you will never know whether it was the electric shock, the thing's relentless maws, or plainly just <em>perceiving</em> the monster in its entirety. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]]

<<set $points += 1>>\ You view and skim, zoom and rotate the picture on your lofty spot for what had caught your eye. There it is: A big heart, scratched into the wood with lumbering, yet loving hands. Inside it, to the top, what appears to be a bell. Finally, in long, deep marks the digits $padlock.combination appear. \ /% $padlock.a $padlock.b $padlock.c $padlock.d %/\ \ <<set $player.hasCode to true>>\ \ <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <<return>>

<<if !$cell.flashlight>>You fumble for the padlock but it's impossible to identify the digits of the combination. <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <<else>>\ The shackle on the padlock reflects your light and the corroded combination dials become somewhat legible.<<if !$player.hasCode>> You have no idea what the combiantion could be, but you feel like trying anyway. <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<else>>\ <<if !$hint.padlockOpen>>\ With the right combination, it should unlock and allow you access to the valve. <<set _right to $padlock.a+$padlock.b+$padlock.c+$padlock.d>>\ <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+$padlock.combination` padlock>><<set $hint.padlockOpen to true>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<link `"Try "+random(1000,9999)` padlock>><</link>> <<else>> The padlock is open and you can freely operate the valve whenever you please. <<set $points += 1>>\ <<monster>>\ <<cell>>\ <</if>><</if>><</if>>\ <<return>>

<<audio "sting-a" volume 0.5 play>> <<audio "music-d" fadeout>>\ <<set $points += 1>>\ With a jolt you throw yourself at the valve. In the state that it's in, it comes off after one turn and a torrent of water bursts the riser pipe. <<if $monster.distance lte 1>> <<audio "music-c" fadeout>>\ <<set $points += 1>>\ You cannot see it, as you hold on to the ladder for dear life, but thirty feet below you, it hits the darkness that's been stalking you, coming to a boil on contact, but the gallons upon gallons spit and gurgle as they rip apart the embodiment of darkness in a cleansing explosion that sends you flying. [[Ouch!|extro1]] <<else>> The torrent of water splashes down onto the field and floods the power generator that goes out with a gurgle, and along with it the floodlights drown. <<switch $monster.distance>>\ <<case 2>>From down below a few bolts and flashes twitch from that embodiment of darkness but the few gallons that did hit it instantly turn to steam with a hiss. Unfazed, it rolls towards you. <<default>>If you meant to hit blackness that's been stalking you, you missed it by a long shot. Not a single drip of water threatened its impossible existence from where it was when you unleashed the torrent. Attracted by the power generator and now aware of you, it covers the ground swiftly. <</switch>>\ The last thought that crosses your mind is the vain wish to get another chance, but your being is brought to an end with one last gust of wind that sends you through the dense mist into the maws of a powerful, immortal predator. [[GAME OVER|GameOver]] <</if>>\

<<audio "sting-a" stop>> <<audio "music-c" stop>> Light. So much light! "Rise and shine" someone smiles, the voice very distant to you. Your vision is blurry and you can't move, but you attempt to express your relief. "Don't try to speak," the voice says with a calm, very familiar tone. "You're still injured. Just relax. Everything's gonna be fine." You give in, and close your eyes again. [[It's dark…|extro3]]

…but the sensation of your spouse’s warm hand on your cheek assures you: Everything’s going to be fine. [[…|TheEnd]]

Thank you for playing !!POWER, MT a game by Phil Strahl (a.k.a.) Pixel Prophecy, made for Ludum Dare #39 in some frantic 48 hours in the end July, 2017 and dedicated to my muse, Conny Bader. You finished the game in <<print turns()>> turns and got $points points. I don't know what the maximum possible score is, I'm just happy I finished this game in time! Sorry for all the weird grammar and the typos, I hope it was still enjoyable. <<link "Restart">><<script>>UI.restart();<</script>><</link>>

<<script>>UIBar.stow();<</script>>\ <<masteraudio stop>>\ [img[http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/images/title.jpg]] !POWER, MT Version 1.03 • a game by Pixel Prophecy • © 2017 [[► Begin ◄|Darkness]] !!!!!Change log: * 1.03 **cleaned up source code **tidied up CSS **redrew cover image * 1.02 **fixed typos ** fixed plot-stopper towards the end ** added .ogg music format for compability ** switched emoji for pixel images to maximize compability. * 1.01 ** fixed typos ** fixed minor music glitches * 1.00 ** initial release

<<widget "imgBatt">> [img[Battery|http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/images/battery.png]] <</widget>>

<<widget "imgCompass">> [img[Compass|http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/images/compass.png]] <</widget>>

<<widget "imgLight">> [img[Flashlight|http://pixelprophecy.com/games/power-mt/images/flashlight.png]] <</widget>>