Remember the Tea-tails
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions we have been asked repeatedly during reviews and presentations, and our answers to them. We understand that our designed gameplay and components may seem complicated at times (but really, they are not that bad), so hopefully this page would help address any questions you have!
Q: If there are a total 80 jars, would that not be a lot of wires?
A: No. Multiplexing reduces the required wires. It can be further reduced with better detection methods for each possible jar state.
Q; How much computational power do you need?
A: This can controlled by an Arduino.
Q: How do you make sure a jar is not half-turned?
A: We have built a detent so the players know when the jar is in a 90-degree position. If they leave a jar in a skewed position, they will not be able to progress to the next level. The scroll picture makes it very obvious that one side has to be facing outwards. It also does not matter whether or not the jars are fully turned when resetting the room, as the scroll will reveal a new set-up regardless.
Q: How will they know the kettle is a timer/when time is almost up?
A: The kettle will sit on a grill that will light up to simulate coals and pulse like embers. As the timer counts down, the frequency of the pulsing will increase until the grill is continuously lit. This ensure players can tell their time without hearing the kettle.
Q: How will the patterns be generated on the scroll?
A: Either one of the four pictures on each jar will be randomly chosen or a set of pre-determined scroll pictures can be chosen between. The starting state of the shelves doesn’t matter because the players just have to make the scroll at the end. The computer takes the current state of all of the jars and randomly generates a different state.
Q: Players are only supposed to change jars that get lit up. Does this mean that the room won't completely match the picture at the end (because they're only changing some of the jars)?
A: Yes, for groups less than 5 people, not all jars will be turned. The number of jars to be turned per person remains constant even as group size changes. Additionally, the game can be simplified by allowing some jars to never be turned. The red herring jars are identical to the instrumented jars but will not be part of the solution.
Q: Have you thought of other variations of the game?
A: Yes, one potential variation is to make the players match the patterns between the wall or to make them spin the jars to reveal a larger picture.