GDC Quest Quiz III: Mike Stemmle
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Feb 26th 2008 at 3:25PM }
We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.The Player
Recent Telltale Games addition Mike Stemmle, co-designer of Sam & Max Hit the Road and Escape from Monkey Island, and designer on the ill-fated Sam & Max Freelance Police. He also worked on Afterlife, but he doesn't think you remember it.
The Puzzle
You're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.
The Inventory
- (1) perforated parasol
- (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle
- (1) sealed manila envelope
- (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue
The Solution
Mike: The rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle is only useful for one thing so that's right out. That's just a red herring. The manila envelope ... I think you can use the perforated umbrella to open the manila envelope which will contain (probably) some pen and paper with which you can write down a logical conundrum -- and now I'm going back to the Star Trek stuff that I've been doing for the last two years -- which you can expose to the robot bear. His head will blow up when exposed to something like, "This sentence is false" or "I am lying."
Joystiq: Puzzle solved! And you get whatever happens to be in the cave. We haven't really thought about it yet.
Caves, you know ... I get very bored with caves. They're always an excuse to just do these extended cave interiors with pieces plunked together like that. Caves are out, man, it's all outdoors these days. That's where it's at.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
please @ Feb 26th 2008 3:32PM
Caves will be back in with the PS4 Xbox 1080 generation
Curtis the Claw Game Master V2 @ Feb 26th 2008 3:38PM
That is one scary looking guy.
Jesse @ Feb 26th 2008 5:08PM
I actually do remember Afterlife. It was basically Sim City but you were designing the afterlife, so you had to build/design heaven and hell and manage incoming souls or some such. I played the demo but never bought the game because I was probably 14 when it came out and had no source of income. What do I win?
CB @ Feb 26th 2008 4:01PM
You could also have the robot bear divide by zero.
Vexorg @ Feb 26th 2008 4:36PM
That probably wouldn't work, too obvious. That, and the fact that any evil genius robot bear builder worth his salt would put exception handling in to cover that scenario anyway (and probably call the Kill(eKillType_Messy) function in the process.
ApolloIV @ Feb 26th 2008 4:40PM
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=spot_the_pedo
This man passes the test(NSFW link)
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 26th 2008 5:12PM
I like this guy the best: he actually played along and didn't treat you guys like idiots.
Sam Stafford @ Feb 26th 2008 5:19PM
Wait.. is there a cable going into his head? Just above his right ear? :O
Lijik @ Feb 26th 2008 5:41PM
I like that he was able to come up with a solution using only the information given instead of needing the rundown on all the items.
Mike Stemmle is a master.
Lijik @ Feb 26th 2008 5:42PM
Er- make that "need a rundown".
That small typo is bugging me for some reason.
Autopsy15 @ Feb 26th 2008 5:58PM
You'll only need 1 of the items to solve this one. Inside the sealed manila envelope is a Macbook Air. Take the Macbook out of the envelope and throw it at the bears head like a spinning blade of death. Bear is decapitated and you're home free.