Still Life Hints

Jamming a tumbler

• Perhaps the most crucial step of all is understanding what the instructions refer to as the "jamming" of one or more tumblers.  Simply moving the two picks back and forth will temporarily depress various tumblers.  However, as soon as a pick is removed from that tumbler, to be used on another tumbler, the first tumbler may return to its original position.  What is needed is a way to "jam" a tumbler in the open position, so that the pick may be removed from it, without the tumbler returning to its locking position.
  
  This is where it is so important to understand the first step, about the interaction between tumblers.  Going back to the earlier example, if pressing tumbler "A" causes tumbler "B" to return to its locked position, then it would seem that, to keep both tumblers in the open position, one would need to use both lock picks, one on tumbler "A" and one on tumbler "B".  And, in fact, it turns out that if the *reacting* tumbler is blocked from returning to its locked position, it will "jam" in the open position.  (Again, the tumblers here are *just* examples ... the actual relation in the game will be different and is given in another section of these hints.)
  
  There are two immediate signs that a tumbler has been "jammed".  The first is that its color will change slightly.  It will change from a highlighted color, to a slightly darker version of the same color.  At the same time, there will be an audible "click", indicating that the tumbler is jammed.  (A third sign can follow: if you remove the pick, the tumbler will not return to its locking position.)
  
  Using the above example, if one were to depress tumbler "B" *first*, and then leave the pick on tumbler "B" (so that it cannot return to its locking position), and finally use the other pick to depress tumbler "A", the mechanism would attempt to have tumbler "B" react as normal -- i.e., by returning "B" to a locked position.  But since there is a pick holding tumbler "B" down, it cannot do so -- and it "jams".  Now, the pick may be removed from tumbler "B", and it will remain in the open position -- "jammed" for now.
  
  This "jamming" of tumblers is fundamental to the process of moving through the lock, from left to right.  One cannot reach the latter tumblers (the red ones) until the blue tumblers, and then the tan tumblers, have been fully opened.  (While it may be possible to reach a red tumbler with one or more of the blue and/or tan tumblers still in the locked position, the puzzle will not be solved until *ALL* tumblers are in the open position.)  Since this is so important, it is necessary to understand two more aspects of jamming the tumblers -- one that is bad news, and one that is good news.
  
  The bad news is that, just because a tumbler has become jammed in the open position, it does *not* mean that it will necessarily stay there.  Continuing with the above example, tumbler "B" has become "jammed" because it was held by one pick, while another pick depressed tumbler "A".  But now, if the pick holding tumbler "B" is removed (leaving tumbler "B" in the open position), and tumbler "A" is clicked again, tumbler "B" (now with no pick holding it in) will react -- and will "unjam", returning to its locking position!
  
  The good news is the master tumblers -- those tumblers at the top back of each colored section, with the large circles on them.  If the way can be cleared to depress a master tumbler, then *ALL* tumblers of that color -- whether in the open or locking position -- will be depressed to their open position, and "jammed" open!
  
  So the key to moving through the lock is to work toward each master tumbler, and depress it, thus jamming all five tumblers of that color open.  (Keep in mind, however, that the five regular tumblers in the same color as the master tumbler may be jammed at the moment -- but just as described above, any of them can be *unjammed*, and returned to their locking position, if a pick is used on the associated tumbler that would cause any of these to unjam and lock.)
  

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