Marsh

Design and Progression Principles Used in the Marsh
Three general design principles are governing the design of the Marsh: the principle of opposition between man-made elements and natural ones, the principle of opposition between analytical thinking and intimate experience and the principle of having separated elements. The three principles are sometime combined to make a more precise rule, for instance the opposition between man-made and natural elements combines with the separation principle so that man-made elements gets separated by natural ones and reciprocally.

As for progression principles, it is worth noticing that movements are very constrained in the man-controlled part of the Marsh because you have to stay on the path created by the metal platforms. The progression in the marsh is thus influenced by the three aforementioned general design principles:


 * Separation: There are places you can walk on and places you cannot reach. See also how the different rows of puzzles are separated by doors and moving platforms, forcing you into progressing step by step.


 * Opposition between man-made and natural elements: In the man-controlled part of the Marsh, you can only progress using man-made elements (platforms, underwater rooms...), never using natural elements (water, rocks). More precisely, you use the former man-made elements to bypass the latter natural obstacles. Note also how the stairway leading to the laser goes through the roots of the dead tree stump that hosts the laser box. But in the nature-controlled part of the Marsh, you are more free to walk.


 * Symbolic vs. intimate knowledge: The artificial separation between walkable and non-walkable areas is not present in the mind as a symbolic knowledge, but we have an intimate experience of it.

In addition to this direct application of the general design principles, there are three derived principles that govern specifically the progression in the Marsh: a strong analogy between the progression in puzzles and the progression in the environment, a focus on connecting distant or separated elements and a correspondence between color mixing and vertical directions. (There would be much more to say bout colors in the Marsh, but this is better understood in a wider context that includes the Greenhouse.)

Finally, in many aspects, the design of the Marsh is an Easter-egg-like reference to Tetris.

Puzzle mechanics and how they use the principles
In the marsh, each row of puzzles teaches a specific rule or concept, or a specific way to build a solution. So we can present them in chronological order and geographically.

Entrance puzzle
Name of puzzle in game files:.

Manifestation of principles: This puzzle has a red background, because Red is the color associated with the principle of connecting distant or separated things, of which opening a door is a special case.

Tetris puzzle
Name of the puzzle in the game files:.

This is the unique puzzle in the underwater room at the magenta exit of the second moving platform. It is one of many references to the Tetris game in the Marsh: each of the 7 tetrominoes used in Tetris are represented once, and all you have to do to find a solution is to pack the tetrominoes approximately where they are drawn, starting from the bottom ones, as if they were falling and stacking. Like in Tetris. Also note that this puzzle is the only one in an underwater room to use the same colors than Row 1, and not to use blue-outline polyominoes. This whole section of the marsh (including this underwater room) is actually optional to unlock the laser, so this is a good place to hide an Easter Egg puzzle.

Row 7, blue and yellow
Names of the puzzles in the game file:.

Manifestation of principles: You enter this first underwater room in the blue water pool, following the principle that the downward direction correspond to subtractive mixing of colors. From the windows in this room you see yellow water, which highlights the contrast between blue and yellow. And in this room, Row 7 teaches the rule for the blue-outline polyominoes. That rule is compatible with the analogy between the puzzles and the environment: Notice how the blocks in the blue polyominoes have been emptied, letting only a blue outline. In a same way, the blue water that filled the underwater rooms has been pumped out, leaving the blue water around the stairway... The areas containing cells with polyominoes thus represent the platforms above water, on which you can walk; the empty areas represent the water. Now, the yellow polyominoes represent all floors on which you can walk, whether they are above water or in an underwater room. And the blue-outline polyominoes represent the underwater floors (which we had never meet before entering an underwater room). If yellow represents anywhere you can walk and blue represents underwater parts where you can walk, the difference between the two is where you can walk above the surface of water, so the rule is that we have to remove the blue-outline polyominoes from the shape containing the polyominoes.

Row 8, cyan underwater room
Names of the puzzles in the game files:.

Tutorial for: Row 8 teaches that two yellow monominoes can be superposed if one is canceled by a blue-outline monomino. It allows to ennounce a more precise rule for blue-outline polyominoes: ''“Filled yellow is +1, outline blue is -1. Superposing polyominoes adds their values. For each region defined by the drawn line in a puzzle, when the region contains polyomino symbols, there must exist a way to place these polyominoes in the grid so that the sum be exactly 1 in each cell of this region, and 0 in the cells covered by these polyominoes but outside this region.”'' (In each puzzle of Row 8, there is indeed at least one cell that must be covered by 2 filled-yellow polyominoes and 1 blue-outline polyomino.)

Manifestation of principles: This new rule also gives a more precise interpretation of the correspondence between color mixing and vertical direction, since blue-outlined blocks correspond to going down one level, and filled-yellow blocks correspond to going up one level.

This row also brings a new view on the concept of separation and to the related principle of connecting distant or separated elements (as could be inferred by the presence of some red elements: red-ish canisters in the room and red cube in water). Indeed, what we have to do in the puzzles of Row 8 is to join yellow-filled polyominoes in a same region of the puzzle (similarly to what we do in Row 3) or to combine them together as in Row 4. But each time, this can only be accomplished by first removing a monomino at the intersection of two (or more) yellow-filled polyominoes, using a blue-outline polyomino (third puzzle is an exception as it does not necessarily have to be solved that what, although it is clearly how it is supposed to be solved). So here, combining/joining elements first requires to remove some element. And this view will be important in Row 9.

Row 9, red underwater room
Names of the puzzles in the game files:.

Tutorial for: This row teaches another rule made possible by the blue-outline polyominoes: “if all the filled-yellow polyominoes in an area have been cancelled by blue-outline polyominoes, then it is as if the area did not contain any polyomino, and its shape is free.” Note that this rule is an exception to the rule introduced by Row 8, which would have forbidden that all filled-yellow polyominoes get cancelled (because all the polyominoes that are used in the sum must be in the resulting area... but if you cancel all the filled-yellow polyominoes, then the area does not contain any cell and thus cannot contain the polyominoes).

Manifestation of principles: This new rule is compatible with the analogy between puzzles and walkable areas: An area where all filled-yellow polyominoes had been cancelled by blue-outline polyominoes would represent a walkable area that is completely underwater. But in this case you would not see anything from the surface, and you can as well consider that there is no such underwater area. It also strengthen the interpretation of this analogy as a transfer between experience and symbolic knowledge (since knowing that you would not see an area completely underwater from the surface relies on intimate knowledge).

And it may be the right place to notice a nice detail: in this row of puzzles, when you draw the line, its color is light blue. In all other previous puzzles in the marsh, that color was light yellow. Once again, we can interpret that by saying that blue represents underwater or -1 level. Indeed, it is the first time that we have puzzles that represent spaces that are totally underwater. The frontier of that space is not anymore at the surface level (where the line would be yellow), but below the surface, and the line is therefore blue according to the analogy “blue = -1 level.”

In addition, the new rule relates to the last Tetris game mechanic: when a line of blocks is complete, it is removed and all the blocks above it move one line downward. Here, the completion of a line corresponds to when all filled-yellow polyominoes have been cancelled. The removal of the line corresponds to the cancellation of the constraint on the area shape. And the downward movement of the blocks above the completed line clearly corresponds to the rule “outline-blue = -1 level.”

One of the benefits of the new rule introduced by Row 9 is that it allows to put in a same area polyominoes that are too far away and could not be put in a same area otherwise. It is therefore used to satisfy the principle of connecting distant elements. And this concept was previously associated to the red backgrounds. There is no puzzle with red background in this row, but you can notice that we are in the red water pool, which is exactly the same red than the red used for the puzzle backgrounds. Additionally, this underwater room is actually a tunnel allowing to reach the red structure that would be unreachable otherwise. So once again, there is a construct that allows to connect two areas that would otherwise be distant and separated. So it seems that the red color generally represents the concept of connecting distant/separated things, not only the red background.

Red structure
Name of the puzzles in the game files:.

Manifestation of principles: So, once again, we have puzzles that synchronize their state with the state of the environment, like with the moving platforms. And once again, we have yellow squares on the floor. However, this time, the platforms are not moving horizontally, but vertically. And the puzzles controlling this vertical movement use blue-outline polyominoes in a way that totally confirms the rule “blue-outline = -1 level.” The yellow polyomino represents the platforms upstairs, on which we can walk. The area containing no polyomino represents the water level, on which we would normally not be able to walk. But the red background in the puzzles controlling these platforms is not here only to look like the red water behind it, it also represents the concept of connecting distant/separated areas. And indeed, we use the platforms in this structure so that we can go through it and reach the platform leading to the laser, bypassing the interdiction to walk on water.

Note that the puzzles controlling the platforms of the red structure have a red background (connecting distant areas), the gray grid of movable platforms and underwater room puzzles (the colors of these grids has probably been chosen because it goes better with the blue elements in these puzzles than the yellowish green grids), and yellow lines. And there is only another one puzzle with that choice of colors: the one that controls the first moving platform from the cyan pool underwater room. The most interesting color, here, is the choice of the yellow for the line, since all other moving platform puzzles use white lines (and white wires). So why use the yellow here? A better question might be “Why use white lines for the other puzzles controlling moving platforms?” And there is actually an explanation: The line represents the frontier between where you can walk and were you cannot. But you use the moving platforms with white lines for that purpose: to cross this frontier. The white color then represents a frontier that you cannot cross when the platform is still, but that you can cross by being on the platform while it moves and crosses that frontier for you. The puzzles for the red structure and the one in the cyan underwater room use yellow lines rather than white because in the first case, the platforms move vertically and thus do not cross the frontier; and in the second case because you are not on the platform when you activate it from the underwater room. There is thus no need for a white line in these puzzles.

Second shortcut door near laser
Names of the puzzles in the game files:.

There are also two puzzles on that shortcut door. Once again these two puzzles represent the two possible states of the door: closed (first puzzle) or opened (second puzzle). In the first puzzle, the yellow polyomino representing walkable platforms are on the exit side and therefore the endpoint of the puzzle would not be reachable from the start circle, since there is an empty area in-between that represents non-walkable water. In the second puzzle, both start point and end point are in the area of the yellow polyomino, and the area can therefore been crossed by walking. This interpretation is coherent with the analogy between the puzzles and the environment and is also a realization of the principle of connecting separated areas.

Symbolically, these two puzzles represent the surface and the underwater rooms: the left one is representative of the simple problems in the first set of puzzles, although using rotatable polyominoes. The right puzzle is representative of the simple problems in the puzzles of the first underwater room, although also using rotatable polyominoes. Together they represent the whole marsh, above and below water, and logically fit puzzles that allow you to exit the area after having completed it fully.

Note that the two puzzles, despite being very similar, cannot have the same solution since the L-shape in the first puzzle must include the top-right corner, but in the second puzzle the L-shape must exclude this corner.

First Moving Platform
The three environmental puzzles that use the first moving platform relates to the concept of connecting distant elements. For one of them, you use the shadow of a disc as a starting point but you cannot reach the endpoint because there is an obstacle (the shadow of some tree). So, you use the motion of the platform to make the endpoint pass on the other side of the obstacle (as you use the platform to pass the obstacle that is the water). For another EP, you have the shadows of two distant half circles (one on the moving platform, one on a stationary pole). So you use the motion of the platform to make these two distant shadows connect (and also to make the endpoint pass on the other side of the obstacle). The last EP (in the cyan underwater room) requires you to make the platform move so that the color seen through the glass circle matches the color of the line/pipe. Here, the separation of the circle and the line is not due to distance, but to color. But we still use the moving platform to make the obstacle of color difference disappear. Note also that the environmental puzzle in the underwater room relies on color subtraction and on removing the color difference, while the two environmental puzzles at surface level require to combine the shadows of two half-circles to make a full circle, so once again we find the idea that underwater is concerned with subtraction, while surface level is concerned with addition, in accordance with the principle of correspondence between color mixing and vertical directions.

Second Moving Platform
The two environmental puzzles that use the second moving platform are variations on the theme introduced by the first moving platform: you have to use the shadow of a disc on the platform's railing. However, the endpoint is not visible when the start disc is visible, so you have to make the platform rotate. One of the EPs only requires you to rotate the platform so that the shadow of the end of the railing that holds the disc gets visible. It corresponds to the “static” use of this movable platform: you enter on one end of the railing/platform and leave it at the other end. The other EP requires you to end the drawing on the second railing. To do so, you need an intermediate step, going in the shadow of a bar attached to a static pole. And during the rotation, the shadow of that bar seems to move from one railing shadow to the other railing shadow, in a way that reminds how the first moving platform allows you to cross the water, sailing from one metal platform to the other. This second EP therefore corresponds to the “dynamic” use of the platform.

Third Moving Platform
There are 4 EPs on the third moving platform: one using the structure on the side of the platform (on the boathouse side), and three using the violet stuff at the bottom of the water. The first one using the structure on the side of the platform is a mix of various techniques already used on the other platforms: it contains a starting circle that will only appear as a circle when viewed from the right direction (as the shadow of the disc on the second moving platform only appears as a circle when the platform is at the right position), in addition of being made of two half discs (like one EP on the first moving platform) with different colors due to lightning, that will blend together when the platform is at the right position (as for the EP in the cyan underwater room). For the EPs with the violet stuff at the bottom of the pool, two of them only require to have the platform in one of the two “open” positions, but the third one requires to have both sides opened, which can only be done when the platform is moving. All three environmental puzzles require to remove the obstacle that is the platform, and this is quite unique, because these EPs are traced in natural elements and the man-made platform gets in the way. But all other EPs in the marsh only used man-made elements and when natural elements were involved they were obstacles. We see in that fact another application of the Separation principle together with the opposition between man-made elements and natural ones.

Other Environmental Puzzles
There is one EP in the boat house and two other EPs involving colored pipes in the underwater room with the Tetris Puzzle, but they do not seem to rely on principles that are specific to the marsh, except maybe for the orientation of the boat (similar to putting the moving platform in the right position) and finding the position where the pipe color matches the color of water seen through the glass circle (as in the EP in the cyan underwater room but without moving any platform).

Perspective Tricks
There are 3 perspective tricks in the Marsh. The alligator may just be a reference to the Psalm46 video where it is said that "alligator" is a word created by Shakespeare (it's not even sure we can talk about a perspective trick here, since most people do not realize it is actually a log).

But the two other perspective tricks can be seen as illustrations of connecting distant/separated things. It is particularly obvious for the two statues joining hands, which also illustrates the principle of Row 3 where we have to change the relative positions of the polyominoes so that they can connect (the vertical position of the two statues gets inverted so that they can join hands), and also the downward/upward movements present in many aspects of the marsh (e.g. in the red structure). For the dove in the branches it is less striking, although we could say that the figure appears when the branches of three distant trees get to touch each other visually (connecting distant things), that the dove seem to be landing or taking flight (upward/downward movements) and that it is represented by an outline, which is the frontier between what is the dove and what is not, as the puzzle lines represent the frontier between where you can walk and where you cannot — the two being instantiations of the separation principle.

Finally, these two perspective tricks follow the principle of opposition of man-made and natural elements: the dove, being an animal, belongs to the natural realism, and appears in the branches of trees in the nature-controlled part of the marsh. On the other hand, the statues joining hands represent people, have been carved by humans, one of them stand on a man-made metal structure and is in the man-controlled part of the marsh.

How the Marsh is used
The Feynman and Eddington quotes encourage us to consider the experience of people actually working in the Marsh, which certainly differs from our own experience as a player trying to understand how to progress in the area.

To do...