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Nancy Drew 23: Shadow at the Water's Edge Hints
How do I get the calligraphy right?
1 of 9: This is a way tough little chore, I know. It's hard to control the brush, and Takae (and Nancy) are waaaaaaay too picky for all of me. But you need to get through it, and there are some things that will make it a little easier.
2 of 9: -- To start, pick up the brush at the upper right and just start painting. (It already has ink on it, so you don't have to keep dipping.) If you make a mistake and have to start over, click on the pile of white paper at the top of the screen. Ink and paper are both infinite.
3 of 9: -- If you're playing the game in a window, you might find this task easier if you expand it to fill the screen. The bigger the marks, the easier it is to hit them.
4 of 9: -- You don't have to fill in every crevice of the outlines. In fact, since the brush is fatter than the outlines in some places, you do better if you stop short of the end rather than running off the end.
5 of 9: -- You also don't have to make each stroke beautiful. They can be jaggedy, lumpy, or jerky, as long as they mostly stay in the lines. Take a look at this effort of mine, which both Takae and Nancy were happy with:
6 of 9: -- You do have to take the strokes in order. Do 1 first, then 2, then 3, and so on. If you jump from 1 to 5, Nancy will declare that you messed up and make you start over.
7 of 9: -- You only get one stroke per shape. That is, once you lift up the brush to make another stroke, Nancy figures you're finished with that letter and renders her judgment. So keep the brush on the paper until you're done with that shape.
8 of 9: -- Go verrry slowly. I find it easiest to use both hands to control the mouse for this, controlling where the mouse goes with my right hand, and inching it forward with my left hand. That seems to give me greater mastery over the mouse so I make fewer mistakes
9 of 9: -- If you find yourself want to scream and cry and throw things at Takae, it's time to take a break. Save your game and go read a book for an hour, and then come back to it. It's easier when you're relaxed. Be aware, though, that if you save your game halfway through, when you come back it'll be blank and you'll have to start from the beginning.
