69,105 Keys

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As it says on the tin, August 25, 2019

A one-room puzzle with a single puzzle, but a rather interesting one. I liked the mechanic. Took less time to solve than I thought it would when I got into it.

A hunt the pixel game transformed into counting, February 10, 2016

In this game, there are 69,105 keys, only one of which will open the door. The key you need is the only unique key.

There are many categories of keys, and you can count each category. The number 69105 is I believe a riff off of Zork I.

As a mathematician, I hoped that the puzzle would involve some kind of bizarre combinatorial computation; instead, it's mostly just trying every category until you find a pattern.

Fun exercise for the player and writer. Warning: math nitpicking follows!, January 20, 2015

I found myself coming back to this game more often than I thought. The author intended it as somewhat of an exercise, so I don't feel right rating it, so I'll list what it's done for me:

1. been a go-to resource for I6 stuff, complex and basic
2. presented a meta-puzzle of how to group the number of keys more mathematically. Once I (thought I) found it, though, I think that solution loses some of the whimsy that makes the game enjoyable.
3. encouraged me to poke at the parser to try and do weird stuff (including figuring how to do this in I7--where, roughly in-line with the author's comments, I think it's a bit of a bear)

It's certainly an odd one, with relatively welcoming "meta" jokes. You may be able to provoke some of them with standard verbs, but if you don't, the AMUSING section at the end reveals them, and it's fun to go back and look.

I agree with the reviews that mention the solution isn't quite a logic puzzle, and once you "get" it, it's only so replayable. But it is more replayable than I thought it would be when I first cast it aside, and I like it.

At any rate, I have nowhere else to put this, so here is my plan for the "superlogical" version. While it's potentially a technical improvement, I don't see it as actually making the game any more fun, and I don't want this to feel like banging on the door for an update. I enjoyed the logical exercise that sprang from "maybe we should count the numbers this way instead" & hope some other people will, too, once they've played the game. The game encouraged/allowed me to look at puzzles beyond the main joke/mechanic, and that's always a Good Thing.

(Spoiler - click to show)2 types of scratches: dull and sharp. In a ratio of 1:2.
3 types of roundedness, in a ratio of 1:2:2.
9 colors, in a ratio of 15:32:32 etc. (Note: this'll give roundoff errors when you count keys for the properties below, and I can't think of a way for the game to account for this without giving spoilers. But 271 is prime & that messes things up.)
7 key brands, in a ratio of 1:2:2 etc.
1 other property, in a ratio of 1:2.

So the game can count key types by division.

Another way to do this would be to call the game 69120 keys, since 69120 = 2^9 * 3^3 * 5 (allowing for several 1:2 divisions,) or you could just have one division of 16 colors at the top as follows:

1:2:...:3 and pick, from the 3, 15 specific types to eliminate, and factor this in when picking that specific color. However, the game could also warn the player off, saying "Wow! That's probably not it, there're way too many."

68992 is maybe even a better number, being 2^7 * 7^2 * 11, allowing for 2 1:2:2:2 and 1 1:2:2:2:2:2 pairing, and you can maybe have an easter egg of a specific combination with 113 extra keys. 69000 is 2^3 (1:2:2:3) * 3 * 5 * 5 * 23 (1:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2), so that has possibilities, too, and 69069 = 3*7*11*13*23 and "only" 36 extra keys.

The amusing mode and quick win, September 13, 2013

(Spoiler - click to show)the amusing mode is found by entering fuc& in the game. the quick win is to x the keys until you have the brand names. count all the names. the one with 255 keys is the kind you need. then count the scratched keys of that kind. that should give you what you need. the rest is unneccesary
\

Little nice puzzle, January 7, 2013

One-room puzzle. You'll need some time, a sheet of paper, a pen. Nothing more!

69,105 and almost all of them alike, November 26, 2011

I was all primed up for a logic puzzle. What I was faced with is a puzzle that (unless you know something I don't) logically only lends itself to brute force solutions. Logically, there was no reason why (Spoiler - click to show)the key had to be a key with the smallest of each of the properties, instead the game was about recognising a very simple (Spoiler - click to show)pattern in the distribution of the keys. I didn't expect much and so I wasn't too disappointed. The game was an interesting experiment and I'm pleased it exists.

As for ratings, I'm not sure they're very helpful in this case. If you want a quick puzzle and want to see what the parser can do, play the game. If you don't, then don't.

Fun, little diversion!, July 30, 2011

I have to admit: I'd rather work on a logic problem than just about any other type of puzzle. Because of this, I quite enjoyed 69,105. There's no real plot, no sense of tension, but that's not the point. All there is, is you in a locked room with 69,105 keys, all with seven characteristics. Only one is unique, and you must find it.

What starts off as an exercise in tediousness actually becomes quite fun, due largely in part to the game's quirky sense of humor. Another nice touch is that the unique key is chosen at random upon startup. Unfortunately, once you realize what the secret is to achieving the solution, the replay value pretty much drops to zero.

Nevertheless, 69,105 Keys is an amusing little diversion, just perfect for when you don't have 40-50 hours to spend!

Quick and cute logic puzzle, December 19, 2010

Normally I don't give such a simple and short game 4 stars, but the logic behind the single, unique puzzle was perfect. As the game's description says, you are stuck in a room with 69,105 keys. If you can find the one unique key, you win.

The game is nothing more than a short logic puzzle. It's the type of game that I enjoy playing with a cup of coffee over breakfast, and that I will give to my 13 year old son. It will take less than 10 minutes for most people to play, and is recommended as a diversion during that quick break from work.

Escape the room- again?, April 7, 2010

There are a lot of one-room escape the room games out there, where your only goal is to get past one (or a few) puzzles to get into the next room. Suveh Nux or Enlightenment are good examples, with a series of flash ones available all over the internet.

69,105 keys is very straightforward- one of the keys is unique to all the others, and is thus the key that opens the door.

Realistically, it seems like, were you actually THERE in the room, you could quickly scan the keys for the unique one, but maybe not. Instead you have to count them based on several distinct qualities, like their color, whether they have a scrach on them, the brand name, etc.

The game has numerous sesame street references, such as the "one of these things is not like the others" songs, and references to the count, and ever a dirty mode, in reference to the youtube "censored" count song, which was kind of cute. There are even references to how much the PC hates tedium, which is funny, because the game is specifically an exercise in tedium.

I rated this higher then other tedius games, becuase the humor kept the game going, and the puzzle was very easy and straightforward. If you were just learning how to program Inform, or some other system, this is the type of game you should make, one straightforward puzzle that gives you the opportunity to program several different commands well. No doubt further games by this author could be much more involved.

The story isn't very deep, but neither was some of the other great one-room games. Let's face it, how much story can you put in a one-room game without some kind of loaded backstory or cut-scene? And the game doesn't pretend to be anything bigger than it is, and I give the author props for that.

So if you're looking for a quick diversion- this is the game for you. If you want a long puzzle or conversation filled game like Enchanter or something, look elsewhere.

Parsing excercise, September 14, 2009

David Welbourn's 69,105 keys is not so much a game as it is a parsing excercise presented as a short and well-polished puzzle. You have to find the one unique key in the room, using commands such as "count green round bronze unscratched Acme keys". Tedious rather than fun, but technically impressive. The source code is also provided, so that you can learn from it.

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