Game Bug: Cp Command And Troll Issues!

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Hey everyone,

I stumbled upon some weirdness while trying to follow the UglierTroll's instructions in the game, and it looks like I might have uncovered a bug—or made things even worse! Let's dive into what happened with the cp command, the UglierTroll, and the KidnappedChild.

The UglierTroll's Cryptic Instructions

So, the UglierTroll is trying to communicate, right? He’s all about casting spells on items you can’t even see. His example involves copying an item from the current room to the OminousLookingPath using cp [ITEM_TO_COPY] ../[NEW_ITEM_NAME]. Sounds simple enough, but here’s where things get dicey.

I thought maybe this troll wanted freedom, so I tried to copy him out of the cave. That's when the fun began:

He looks mad, and really, really ugly. But he wants to tell you something. Between his garbled grunts, 
you manage to understand the following: You can cast spells on items that you don't currently see. For 
example, if you want to copy an item from this room to the OminousLookingPath from which you came, you 
can cp [ITEM_TO_COPY] ../[NEW_ITEM_NAME]. You can do this for most spells and most rooms. Use this 
knowledge wisely. Remember.... you can't undo an 'rm' spell. 
>cp UglierTroll ../UglierTroll
Just copied UglierTroll into ../UglierTroll.
>ls
 Locations: 
Cage
Slide
 Items: 
UglyTroll
UglierTroll
AbsolutelyHideousTroll
../UglierTroll
>less ../UglierTroll
There is no undefined here.

What's strange is that the less ../UglierTroll command returns "There is no undefined here." This definitely doesn't seem right. According to other reports and walkthroughs, I should have been copying someone else. And honestly, wouldn’t a mv command (move) be more logical? We don’t want to duplicate sentient beings; we want to relocate them! It feels like the game should be nudging us toward using mv instead of cp. The lack of clarity around how these commands are supposed to function, along with the inaccurate instructions, is pretty confusing. I'm not alone feeling this way. The online version on MIT's site and mprat's site have the same issues, which makes troubleshooting even more frustrating. Has anyone else had better luck with these commands? Let me know!

The Mystery of the Missing mv Command

Let’s talk about the mv command. The game hints at moving items, but getting it to work is another story. Here’s what happened when I tried to move the KidnappedChild:

>less Cage/KidnappedChild
There is no undefined here.
>mv Cage/KidnappedChild ..
Must be a valid item and location to move it.
>mv Cage/KidnappedChild
You need to move thing A to place B. Use mov [thingA] [placeB].
>mv Cage/KidnappedChild ../
Must be a valid item and location to move it.
>mv Cage/KidnappedChild ../Child
Must be a valid item and location to move it.
>cp Cage/KidnappedChild ..
No item of that name to copy.
>cp Cage/KidnappedChild ../Slide
No item of that name to copy.

As you can see, none of these attempts worked. The error messages are not very helpful. The game claims that Cage/KidnappedChild isn't a valid item, even though Tab Completion confirms it exists! This is especially annoying because it feels like the game is deliberately misleading you. The inconsistency in command behavior makes progressing through this part of the game incredibly frustrating.

Impact and Recommendation

While this bug doesn’t completely halt progress (the Slide is still accessible), it makes the entire room feel broken and pointless. Since the room's core functionality is unusable, it might be worth considering its removal altogether. This would prevent players from wasting time on a non-functional area. I'd rate this as Severity: High because it affects a significant portion of gameplay in this particular section.

A Word of Warning

I also encountered a crash when trying to access "../troll2" after making a copy. So, beware when experimenting with these commands! Always save your progress to avoid losing any hard-earned progress.

Possible Causes and Solutions

It's hard to pinpoint the exact cause without diving into the game's code, but here are a few possibilities:

  1. Incorrect Command Syntax: The game might be expecting a different syntax for the mv and cp commands than what the UglierTroll suggests.
  2. Missing Item Properties: The KidnappedChild or other items might be missing properties that are required for the mv or cp commands to work.
  3. Bugged Location References: The game might not be correctly resolving the ../ (parent directory) reference, causing the commands to fail.

Here are some potential solutions:

  • Review and Correct Command Syntax: Double-check the intended syntax for the mv and cp commands in the game's documentation or code. Ensure the game accurately reflects the correct usage.
  • Verify Item Properties: Make sure all relevant items (like the KidnappedChild) have the necessary properties for movement and copying.
  • Fix Location Resolution: Ensure that the game properly resolves relative path references like ../. Implement robust error handling to catch and correct any issues.
  • Provide Clearer Instructions: Update the UglierTroll's dialogue to provide accurate and unambiguous instructions for using the mv and cp commands.
  • Consider Removing the Room: If the room's functionality cannot be reliably fixed, consider removing it to prevent player frustration.

Community Input

Has anyone else run into these issues? Any tips or tricks for getting the cp or mv commands to work as expected? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Let's work together to squash these bugs and make the game even better!