Walker: Difference between revisions

The '''walker''', also known as a '''dumbbell''', is a [[monster]] that works similar to the [[pink ball]], [[glider]] and [[fireball]], but chooses a ''random'' direction to turn when it runs into something. This movement pattern can often lead to fits of frustration among even the highest-level [[Chipsters]], and particularly among less experienced groups. Like the [[bug]], the walker dies in [[water]] and on [[bomb]]s, and treats [[fire]] as a [[wall]].

While [[Lynx ruleset|Lynx]] walkers choose ''any'' random direction (even the one they're blocked in) and will simply idle for a tic if they chose poorly, MS walkers are much more aggressive and will only choose a random ''unblocked'' direction.  In most situations, the only difference is a possible brief delay in Lynx that wouldn't exist in MS.  However, in the tight corridors of [[Spirals]], this subtle change has such massive consequences that Microsoft felt it necessary to [[Spirals corruption|alter the level]].

 

 

The walker, from where it is, moves east onto the [[trap]], and is then stuck there until something releases it. In this case, Chip is at the controls. In the meantime, Chip may remove one or both of the [[dirt]] spaces. If he leaves both of them alone, the walker is repeatedly forced to move D and will repeat this forever until Chip removes a dirt space, which allows the walker to possibly move in that direction and kill Chip. If this space is already removed before the walker is released, the same two options hold. If both dirt spaces are removed, however, the walker has ''three'' options to choose from. In this level, only the eastern dirt would be removed, so that the [[bomb]] would be exploded. Should the western dirt be removed, and the walker chose this direction, the [[ice]] and [[force floor]] would redirect the walker towards the bomb.

 

There are two differences for the walker in [[Lynx ruleset|Lynx]] mode: the walker considers all four directions, even if they aren't all legal moves (the MS walker simply doesn't add it to the random number generator), and if the walker chooses a blocked direction, it counts as the use of a move.