Stage 4 · Smelter's Fork

Booleans & Conditions

“True or False, little ember? My gates already know.”Smelt Oracle

Scrolls on the trail

These are the 5 lore scrolls you'll find in Smelter's Fork, in the order the lesson teaches them. The comment after each print shows what it outputs.

Lore scroll · Booleans & Conditions

Yes or No

print(3 > 2)   # True
print(5 == 4)  # False
print(2 != 2)  # False

A comparison gives back True or False. == asks equal?, != asks not equal?

Lore scroll · Booleans & Conditions

and, or, not

print(True and False)  # False
print(True or False)   # True
print(not True)        # False

and needs both sides True. or needs just one. not flips True and False.

Lore scroll · Booleans & Conditions

The Fork

heat = 4
if heat > 5: word = "melt"
elif heat > 2: word = "glow"
else: word = "cold"
print(word)  # glow

Python tries each branch from the top and runs only the first one that is True.

Lore scroll · Booleans & Conditions

Empty Means False

print(bool(0), bool(7))     # False True
print(bool(""), bool("a"))  # False True
print(bool([]), bool([0]))  # False True

0, empty strings and empty lists count as False. Nearly everything else is True.

Lore scroll · Booleans & Conditions

Chains & Remainders

x = 5
print(1 < x < 9)       # True
print(x % 2 == 1)      # True
print(not x % 2 == 1)  # False

1 < x < 9 checks both sides at once. x % 2 == 1 is True for odd x. not goes last.

The stage puzzle: The truth gates

In-game view of The truth gates in Smelter's Fork

Two walls of glass bars, too tall to jump, each stand on an if. A heat dial block in front of each gate turns heat through 0, 1, 2 and 3. The bars sink while the condition is True and rise again as soon as it turns False.

Slate in the stage

if heat > 1 and heat != 3:
    gate.open()

if heat % 2 == 1 and not heat == 1:
    gate.open()

Show the answer

The first gate opens at heat 2. The second opens only at heat 3.

Practice the Smelt Oracle's trial

In the game, the Smelt Oracle duels you in a sealed arena. His question shows across the top of the screen, and you answer by jumping up into the lettered block, A to D, while you dodge his spells. You need 4 right answers to banish him. These are his questions, drawn from all 11 in his bank. The hints work the same as in the game: ask once for his riddle, and ask again for him to rule out a wrong answer.