Robot Maze

The Robot Maze, also known as the Robot Obstacle Course, is one of the activities on the Third Floor in JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain.

Description[]

According to Botley, the Robot Obstacle Course is the most dangerous part of the Mountain and Professor Spark therefore uses it to test out new robots and to correct bugs in other robots. This activity consists of a logic puzzle in which the user must unscramble a series of commands to make a robot (named "Buster" in the user's guide though he isn't given a name in the actual program) reach the box (which contains a Mission Clue or Invention Points) on the bottom left corner of the screen. Once the commands are correctly ordered, the user must click the Run button and Buster will obey the commands. If Buster falls, a magnet will extend from the top of the screen and pick him up, and the user must try again. If he successfully reaches the box, the magnet will pick him up and bring him up close so the user can retrieve the Mission Clue or Invention Points. The user hits the spacebar to run out of energy and Botley must go to the cellar.

Maze Elements[]

Drawbridge (lowered automatically)
Log (acts as the bridge)
Teleporter (transports Buster from one place to another)
Box (Your Goal)

Obstacles and Hazards[]

Pits (Buster falls over the edge)
Mud Hole (sinks Buster)
Guard Robot (shakes Buster up)

Dialogue[]

Returning to the activity:[]

"Hmm, we're back at the maze again! See the box down there? Maybe Polly has put something in there again."
"Hey, we're back at the maze, and look, there's another box down there! Should we investigate and see if Polly has left a mission clue here?"
"Oooooh, someday! Don't listen to her! I know you can do it. Remember, we have to program the robot to reach the box."
"Good thing I'm programmed to put up with her, otherwise I just might explode! But we have to ignore her. Just program the robot so he makes it safely to the box."
"Back at the robot obstacle course!"

When the help button is pushed:[]

"To move any of the commands, click on one, then drag it to where you want it to go."
"The compass points on the back wall show you which direction is north, south, east, and west."
"When you finish putting the commands in the order you want, click on the run button at the bottom of the remote control. That'll turn on the robot and start it moving. Don't worry if your program doesn't work the first time, because you can always try again."
"Watch out for all the obstacles because the robot won't make it through the maze without you telling it exactly what to do. Also you need to use up all the commands for the robot to pick up the object and bring it back to you."

When the robot falls into the pit:[]

"Oops! That didn't work! Don't worry! He's okay! See if you can figure out where you went wrong. Change the program, then try running it again."
"Oh! Too bad! Poor guy! He's either really brave or really stupid. Now you can arrange the commands in a different order and run the program again."
"Oh-no! It seems the commands weren't in the right order. Okay! Try putting the commands in a different order, then run the program again."

When the robot retrieves the box:[]

"Great work! The robot reached its destination and we have our object! Who's laughing now, Polly?"
"Fantastic! The robot made it to the maze! You are some slick programmer!"
"Nice going! You had him in the palm of your hand the whole time!"
"Terrific! Polly has nothing over you!"

When the run button doesn't work:[]

"It takes power to send a robot through its paces and right now, there's just not enough juice to get started. We need to go energize this place using the professor's generator downstairs."
"There's nothing we can do without more power. Time to take a trip to the generator!"

Difficulty level differences[]

Level one: 5 - 7 Commands
Level two: 8 - 10 Commands
Level three: 11 - 15 Commands

Trivia[]

This activity only had one room much like the cellar activity the Generator.
The magnet picks up the robot to start over.
Polly doesn't show up after all the robots have been saved.

Digital manual description[]

Now you've entered the most dangerous part of the mountain. You'll find the Robot Obstacle Course on the third floor of the Mountain Mansion. It's not safe for humans to enter, but one robot can. His name's Buster, and he's a bit of a stone face. Unfortunately, Polly programmed Buster to leave a box filled with a Mission Clue or Invention Points in the maze, then she scrambled the program to make it difficult on you and Botley. Luckily, Buster will follow every one of your commands, too. So it's up to you to reassemble the program using the Remote Programmer:

To move a command, click on it and drag it to where you want it to go.

To test your program, press the Run button at the bottom of the Remote Programmer. Buster will follow your commands to a T - or over the edge.

If you put the commands in the wrong order, try again.