History UnwinnableByMistake / Sierra

* In Leisure Suit Larry 2, a programmer fixed one error, but accidentally caused another one by defining "bag" as a verb. That means that, in the last puzzle, you can't say "Put bottle in bag", which causes Larry to throw the bottle into the volcano without lighting it on fire, making the game unwinnable. You have to specify the bag. "The Bag", "Brown bag" and "Airsick bag" are all acceptable, just "Bag" is not.

* In the game you need to obtain two items by winning them in the Yahtzee dice game. The trick is that authors incorporated the 'anti-cheating' solution that allows your opponent to accept the game only limited number of times (and calling you a cheater later), thus rendering the save-restore method useless. There is no other way to obtain the items, so if you player character loses all his money, he must start the game over from the beginning. The real kicker? The game does not recognize the straight, so betting a straight against a pair means losing a round.

* ''[[VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry Leisure Suit Larry 5]]'': if you forget to write down the numbers of the various limousine companies you must call throughout the game at the single time they're shown in each location, then you're still up Unwinnable creek without a paddle.\\
\\
There is a related [[GameBreakingBug bug]] that can be triggered whose ramifications are not fully realised until later; any savegames made after the bug is triggered are {{Unwinnable}}. After arriving at any destination airport, the player must find a means to summon a limousine to travel to a target location. A phone number for a local limousine company may be found in every airport: this is the number that the player must memorize or write down because calling it again is required to return to the airport and advance the plot. But in one airport, a number for a "green card" company may also be found. If you call the green card company number first, then Larry will request limousine transportation, which will arrive and take Larry to his next destination. But the green card company number cannot be used to transport Larry back to the airport; it simply will not work, and it will be treated like any other invalid number. If you have left the airport without even seeing the number for the limousine company, then your game has been rendered {{Unwinnable}}. Moreover, because viewing the limousine company advertisement at the various airports is a scored event, and thus [[EventFlag a game flag,]] failing to activate this flag will cause the game to error out (with the rare but uniform "Oops!" error used in many Sierra adventure games), making the scenario likely {{Unwinnable}} even if the player has obtained the proper phone number from a guide.

* ''[[LeisureSuitLarry Leisure Suit Larry 5]]'': if you forget to write down the numbers of the various limousine companies you must call throughout the game at the single time they're shown in each location, then you're still up Unwinnable creek without a paddle.\\

* In Leisure Suit Larry 3, there is a bit where you need to lift weights in order to buff up. Now, here is the thing: For unfathomable reasons, the amount of lifts are based on the processing power of your computer. In 1989, you needed to do a leisurely 25 push-ups. On a modern computer, without a mod, it can easily go into the thousands.

* In Leisure Suit Larry 2, there is a bit where you need to lift weights in order to buff up. Now, here is the thing: For unfathomable reasons, the amount of lifts are based on the processing power of your computer. In 1988, you needed to do a leisurely 25 push-ups. On a modern computer, without a mod, it can easily go into the thousands.

* Although ''KingsQuestVII'' is the only game in the series to avert UnwinnableByDesign, there is one bit that breaks the game on newer, faster computers. At one point, you have to pick up a lit firecracker and quickly put it to use before it explodes right in your pocket. However, being designed for slower machines, on a modern computer it may explode near instantaneously.

* ''[[SpaceQuest Space Quest IV]]'' has the infamous "Error 47" bug, which freezes the game when using the [=ComPost=] in sickbay. This was eventually traced to a timer problem, but unlike the other instances, many computers available at the time of release had this problem. It wasn't fixed until fan-made patches were released several years later.

* ''GoldRush'' has a timer problem opposite of the usual: The faster your computer, the slower a hidden timer runs. It means that even on a computer as slow as 1998 speeds, the realtor at the beginning never shows up in any reasonable amount of time. (Setting the game speed to "slowest" makes the timer run faster, so it's passable if you know about this glitch.)

* ''[[SpaceQuest Space Quest IV]]'' has the infamous "Error 47" bug, which freezes the game when using the ComPost in sickbay. This was eventually traced to a timer problem, but unlike the other instances, many computers available at the time of release had this problem. It wasn't fixed until fan-made patches were released several years later.

** [[SpaceQuest Space Quest II]] has a similar bug when Roger swims through a pond.
* [[SpaceQuest Space Quest IV]] has the infamous "Error 47" bug, which freezes the game when using the ComPost in sickbay. This was eventually traced to a timer problem, but unlike the other instances, many computers available at the time of release had this problem. It wasn't fixed until fan-made patches were released several years later.

* In ''KingsQuestIV'', you're given two love arrows. They're the only ones you can get in the game. One is for the unicorn, and the other for Lolotte. But if you shoot the unicorn with one arrow too close to the edge of the screen and then ''accidentally walk off the side'', then the arrow will wear off and the unicorn will run away from you again if you get back on the screen. It will be unattainable without using the other arrow -- the one you need to kill Lolotte. Thanks, {{Sierra}}. Thanks.

* Sierra game developer Al Lowe attempted to [[DefiedTrope defy]] the {{Unwinnable}} trope in ''[[LeisureSuitLarry Leisure Suit Larry 5]]'': There is ''never supposed to be'' an "unwinnable" point in the game no matter how much you mess up. (You can't die in this game, either - another interesting inversion!). Still, one thing slipped through... if you forget to write down the numbers of the various limousine companies you must call throughout the game at the single time they're shown in each location, then you're still up Unwinnable creek without a paddle.\\

[[AC: Caesar III]]
* It is entirely possible to get the Emperor extremely mad at you and never lend you help ever again, and have relentless invasions from your enemies who prefer you dead. Often, the mistake is not appeasing Caesar, or not having the foresight to build a Fort on a military mission.

** In all fairness, there are about fifty of these in QuestForGloryIV - it has to be one of the buggiest games made by Sierra. There's even one that shows up at the very end of the game, after you have beaten [Spoiler:Ad Avis] but before you [Spoiler:free Erana] - if you are playing a Wizard, it will often give you the message that you are too busy to cast a spell right now, which prevents you from casting the game-winning spell. There are a few ways around it - including casting the spell you used to defeat [Spoiler:Ad Avis] twice, which usually frees you up to do other things.

* While later Sierra games tried (and failed badly!) to avoid unwinnable situations, many contained game-stopping bugs that caused them. For example, at least one version of ''Daryl Gates' Police Quest: Open Season'' had a {{game breaking bug}} or programming oversight in which, if you failed to show the bone to SID on Day 3 before you gave it to the coroner, then the final scene of the day with the reporters at the morgue would fail to happen, which would make the game Unwinnable. Other {{Game Breaking Bug}}s could cause the game to crash on the map screen at the beginning of a day (it would happen every time with the saved game).

* Police Quest III had another problem on the highway. On the first day, you are sent to handle a crazy man in the park. After doing so, you can return to the police station and advance the game to the next day. However, you will eventually hit a brick wall where you can no longer progress. This is because, after arresting the crazy man, you were supposed to patrol the highway and give out several tickets, kicking off a series of events that allowed you to steal your partner's locker key.

[[AC: Laura Bow]]
* If you don't have at least a quarter of snake oil left before [[spoiler: you take the smelling salts away from the Countess's body]], the game will automatically move on and prevent you the chance to refill it before you eventually face a horde of snakes in the secret passage near the furnace. This is especially annoying as while it only takes three quarters of snake oil to move Barney into a position he can be subdued without biting Laura (that is, assuming you start with a full bottle), Laura will only make a comment indicating that Barney is safe to touch after you've used up your snake oil reserves on him. You can easily refill it in the preservation room if you've run out, but there is sometimes a chance where Wolfe will be there (a random chance which increases the more you fart around in other rooms), and if he is, he'll kick you out indefinitely and prevent you from getting said refill.
** Also, if you failed to pick up the evidence near [[spoiler: The Countess's body]] after you've picked up the smelling salts and left examination mode, you can't get them because while you normally trigger Act 5 when you leave the room, a bug occurs that causes it to move forward (or loop the background event chime) if you try to re-examine the body again.

* In ''[[KingsQuest Kings Quest IV]]'', you're given two love arrows. They're the only ones you can get in the game. One is for the unicorn, and the other for Lolotte. But if you shoot the unicorn with one arrow too close to the edge of the screen and then ''accidentally walk off the side'', then the arrow will wear off and the unicorn will run away from you again if you get back on the screen. It will be unattainable without using the other arrow -- the one you need to kill Lolotte. Thanks, {{Sierra}}. Thanks.

* ''Gold Rush'' has a timer problem opposite of the usual: The faster your computer, the slower a hidden timer runs. It means that even on a computer as slow as 1998 speeds, the realtor at the beginning never shows up in any reasonable amount of time. (Setting the game speed to "slowest" makes the timer run faster, so it's passable if you know about this glitch.)

* ''[[QuestForGlory Quest For Glory 4]]'' has an insidious bug which causes the game to crash on faster computers when the player enters the screen with the Chernovy. This makes it impossible to fight the Chernovy, which you must do to beat the game. (There are third-party solutions, like running the game under DOSBox or using a program to slow down your computer.)

* In importing a magic user from ''[[QuestForGlory Quest For Glory 2]]'' to the third game, players are given the chance to make them paladins. These players must think of buying the throwing skill (or have the forethought of [[spoiler:wishing for it from the djinn at the end of the second game]]). Lacking the throwing skill makes the game unwinnable if you are a paladin -- winning a throwing challenge against Uhura is needed for the Leopardman prisoner event to occur. (An unconverted mage can earn a staff to trigger the event, but a paladin can't.) This only affects paladins who were mages; former fighters and thieves already have throwing.

[[AC: Pepper's Adventures in Time]]
* This early nineties learning game featured a time traveling girl arriving in colonial Philadelphia, meeting Ben Franklin, and helping to restore the altered time period to how it was intended to be. In the first stage, there is a bundle of dried herbs hanging in a shed that you need to take. Hours later in the game, in the fifth stage, Pepper is jumped through time again to Franklin's later years at the Continental Congress. After the other delegates have left and Ben Franklin has fallen asleep during the meeting, Pepper must wake him up to escort the old man back home. However, he's been stricken with gout and needs some medicine--specifically, those entirely missable herbs from the first act. An [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/564732-peppers-adventures-in-time/faqs/37937 online guide]] says that if you missed the herbs in the first act you can shift aside from papers on the desk to find new ones, but this troper was never able to do so.

* It is entirely possible to get the Emperor extremely mad at you and never lend you help ever again, and have relentless invasions from your enemies who prefer you dead. Often, the mistake is not appeasing Caesar, or not having the foresight to build a Fort on a military mission. Yes, I have experience...

* Sierra game developer Al Lowe attempted to [[DefiedTrope defy]] the {{Unwinnable}} trope in ''[[LeisureSuitLarry Leisure Suit Larry 5]]'': There is ''never supposed to be'' an "unwinnable" point in the game no matter how much you mess up. (You can't die in this game, either - another interesting inversion!). Still, one thing slipped through... if you forget to write down the numbers of the various [[strike:cab]] limousine companies you must call throughout the game at the single time they're shown in each location, then you're still up Unwinnable creek without a paddle.\\

** If you don't have at least a quarter of snake oil left before [[spoiler: you take the smelling salts away from the Countess's body]], the game will automatically move on and prevent you the chance to refill it before you eventually face a horde of snakes in the secret passage near the furnace. This is especially annoying as while it only takes three quarters of snake oil to move Barney into a position he can be subdued without biting Laura (that is, assuming you start with a full bottle), Laura will only make a comment indicating that Barney is safe to touch after you've used up your snake oil reserves on him. You can easily refill it in the preservation room if you've run out, but there is sometimes a chance where Wolfe will be there (a random chance of such which increases the more you fart around in other rooms), and if he is, he'll kick you out indefinitely and prevent you from getting said refill.
*** Also, if you failed to pick up the evidence near [[spoiler: The Countess's body]] after you've picked up the smelling salts and left examination mode, you can't get them because while you normally trigger Act 5 when you leave the room, a bug occurs that causes it to move forward (or loop the background event chime) if you try to re-examine the body again.

* ''Gold Rush'' has the opposite timer problem: The faster your computer, the slower a hidden timer runs. It means that even on a computer as slow as 1998 speeds, the realtor at the beginning never shows up in any reasonable amount of time. (Setting the game speed to "slowest" makes the timer run faster, so it's passable if you know about this glitch.)

----
To return to the main page, click [[UnwinnableByMistake here.]]