Hello! Just a quick update that I re-added the solutions PDF to the batch of files available for downloading. It's a bit different than the solutions PDF that was available in March. Let me explain...

When I first released Abdec back in March solely as a PDF, the main file didn't have a section dedicated to solutions at all, so I made the solutions PDF to help those that were really stuck. However, these solutions covered only how to solve the main campaign puzzles and omitted the bonus puzzles. I thought that the bonus problems were an extra challenge for the most dedicated and I didn't want to spoil anything about them.

When I updated Abdec to its current "ultimate" edition, which I released 10 days ago both as a physical book and an upgraded PDF, the new version included a section in the back dedicated to hints, explained rules and solutions. The hints and explained rules in the book cover all the main campaign chapters, although the rules text is mirrored so you wouldn't spoil yourself by accident. The pages with solutions however... Well, I "burnt" a few of them, which I could do as the book is supposedly a scan of an old and damaged textbook. I did this because the solutions are so visual that you would instantly spoil yourself the existence of major mechanics just by flipping through the pages. It seemed to me that the solutions of the first few puzzles were enough to get you started, to confirm the basics and from there on you would be fine relying only on the hints (and in the case of being completely stuck, on the explained rules).

In any case, I thought this section was enough to lose the solutions PDF available here on Itch.io. But for the past few days I thought a lot about the late Jack Lance. I already talked about his puzzle set FMTC in a design diary a few weeks ago and how it inspired Abdec in the approach to rule-confirming. My experience with FMTC was interesting to say the least - I struggled with it for several sessions throughout a year, finding it fascinating but very hard. There was a moment in the set when all of my previous assumptions crumbled to dust and I hit a solid wall. After a few weeks of coming up with nothing, I conceded and searched the internet for the solutions. I didn't feel guilty about it, I simply couldn't continue on my own, but was curious about what was keeping me back. The solutions I found - and they weren't easy to find, I had to scout several Discord servers - blew my mind. I was happy to see the full picture and it solidified my thoughts that FMTC was a very important and innovative artefact in the puzzle world. (If you wish to know more about the work of the extremely talented Jack Lance who sadly passed away this year, read this blog post by Joel Fox.) 

This is why I decided to make a fully solved PDF available for download. This document has all the solutions, for the regular puzzles, for the bonus puzzles, for the secret puzzles. It spoils the whole Abdec experience and is dangerous to navigate through if you wish to confirm only a single solution. But I think it's important to offer such a document simply because Abdec is a hard game and there will probably be a lot of people who will hit a solid wall, unable to continue, like I did with FMTC. From there-on, it depends on the personality of the solver: some will persist and ultimately conquer the book by themselves, although it will be a long and difficult journey; some will slow-drip the hints and explained rules from the back-section to help them overcome the hurdles; and some will give up, but still be curious about the solutions. For these, here is the PDF that shows them everything. I don't want to be a judge or a gatekeeper. There is a tendency in the game industry lately to be kind and approachable, with helpful interfaces such as the "assist mode" in Celeste or the hint system in Can Of Wormholes and I agree with this philosophy. The gatekeeper for a player should be themselves. Everything else should be available without any hassle.