Compass

Compass
Type	Interlayer device
Function	Map/puzzle progress tracker

The compass (also called navigator in Sub3 HD) is a tool used in Submachine 3 to aid the player in navigating the loop and solving the puzzles found therein. It is also mentioned in a note in Submachine 4: The Lab when a team member remembers using it to solve the loop's puzzles.

History

In a forum post, Mateusz Skutnik hints that the device was left in the loop by someone and that it is not a native object of the loop.

A member of one of the four exploration teams used the device at one point. This person successfully escaped the loop and eventually ended up in the looping traps where he left a note. The player later picked the device from Level 0, and used it from there to Level 11 where it was apparently left.

Description and function

The device displays two numbers that represent the user's horizontal and vertical positions within the loop. The purpose of the numbers is also hinted at by the green lines behind them: one set runs horizontally, and one set runs vertically. The numbers are tied to the passage-machine in each level, which serves as a (0,0) mark.

A row of lights at the top tracks the user's progress in the current level's puzzle. A red light represents an element of the puzzle that is incomplete. Conversely, a green light represents a completed element. Also there's a blue light that represents a half-completed element.

A larger light at the bottom indicates the status of the puzzle as a whole. Red indicates that the puzzle is unsolved, blue indicates that it is in progress, and green indicates that it is complete and that the passage-machine is unlocked.

The device in the SubVerse.

A similar device appears in Submachine Universe behind the locked door in the corridor, showing how far away the player is from the door (0,0).

See also

• Submachine 3: The Loop