Same statement, different meaning

[toad_004]

There are some statements that mean different things in the different modes of the game. These can often catch people off guard if they're not ready for them.

"There is a mimic among the blue boxes" - Blue chest
"There is a mimic in the top row" - Chest in top row

These kinds of group accusations where the chest is a member of the group that it's accusing usually means that chest is a guaranteed normal chest. This is because if the chest was a mimic, it would contradict itself by saying there's a mimic in the top row when it IS a mimic in the top row.

(Note that "3 mimics hide in red boxes" can still be a mimic because the number could be a lie. I've seen a mimic say this when it was the only red chest.)

But there are three modes where this is NOT the case:

In robbers mode, a chest accusing it's own group can be the robber. This is because robbers tell the truth, so robbers can indeed accuse their own group of containing a mimic. Thus, a chest accusing its own group in robbers mode can safely be assumed to be telling the truth, but you have no assurance that the chest won't rob you.

In doubt mode, normal chests can never accuse their own COLOR of containing a mimic. This is because if there is at least one mimic in a color, all the non-mimics become "doubters", who always lie. A normal chest can never be the same color as a mimic in doubt mode. Likewise, the chest cannot be a doubter, because there is ALWAYS a mimic of the same color as a doubter, so they can never accuse their own color. But as a truth-telling mimic is NOT contradicting anything by accusing it's own color they can indeed do so. Thus, a chest accusing its own color in doubt mode is always a mimic.

(note that truth-telling mimics are also 1 of the only 2 chest types in the game that can accuse their own color when they are the only chest of that color)

But what about non-color groups? A top row chest saying "There is a mimic in the top row" (assuming the top row chests aren't all the same color) could actually be any of the 3 chest types in doubt mode, since both normal chests and doubters can accuse mimics that aren't the same color as them and truth-telling mimics can accuse themselves.

In confused mode, while the normal rules otherwise apply, you have to take into account the possibility that the chest making the statement is the confused chest. A black confused chest saying "There is a mimic among the black boxes" means that all other black chests are normal chests. The statement is still a lie, since confused chests aren't mimics.

Also of note, if there is a chest accusing its own color yet it's the only chest of that color, it's guaranteed to be the confused chest.

"I'm not a mimic" - any except Truth-telling mimic, doubter, and confused

Almost all the chests in the game can say this line. In most modes, it's completely useless at helping you solve the puzzle - you'll have to figure out what this chest is based on the statements of other chests. However, it's helpful in doubt and confused modes, because they contain the few chests that CANNOT say this line.

In confused mode, the confused chest cannot say "I'm not a mimic" (as that would be true). Thus, you can rule out that chest as confused.

In doubt mode, doubters cannot cannot say "I'm not a mimic" (as that would be true). Truth-telling mimics also cannot deny being mimics (as that would be a lie). Meaning, the chest saying "I'm not a mimic" is a guaranteed normal chest. On top of this, because Normal chests cannot be the same color as doubters & mimics, all chests of the same color as the "I'm not a mimic" chest are ALSO guaranteed normal chests.

"I'm a mimic" - Truth-telling mimic, doubter, and confused
To be fair, there are only two modes where this statement can show up at all. But the meaning is different between those modes.

In confused mode, the "I'm a mimic" chest is always confused. The only other chests in this mode are normal chests and lying mimics, neither of which can claim to be a mimic.

In doubt mode, the "I'm a mimic" chest guarantees that there is at least 1 mimic of that chest's color. It doesn't guarantee that the chest itself is a mimic, as doubters can also say this line.

"All mimics are the same color" - any chest

In most modes, this is just another statement - often there will be another chest claiming "Not all mimics are the same color" and you'll have to figure out who's lying.

But in doubt mode, because some of the base rules of the mode are color dependent, seeing a chest declare "All mimics are the same color" means a lot more. You'll need to check the speaker's color. If it's the only one of its color, it's a guaranteed normal chest. If there are 2 chests of that color but 3 mimics, then it's a guaranteed doubter and the other chest of the same color is a guaranteed mimic.

If you can prove a chest saying "All mimics are the same color" is a mimic, all chests of all other colors are normal chests.

"Get to the next floor in XX sec or you'll die." - any chest

An NPC will tell you that if a chest saying this line is a mimic, nothing will happen when the timer runs out. This is true for many modes in the game. However this NPC is misleading, because what actually matters is if the chest is a truth-teller or a liar (nothing happens if the chest is a liar), regardless if it's a mimic or not! This means that nothing happens if the chest is a doubter or a confused chest. This also means you die if the timer on a robber or yes, a truth-telling mimic runs out.

EDIT:
"The box on the right is a mimic" - any chest
"The box on the left is a mimic" - chest to the above's right

The classic double accusation. In most modes, it's clear cut - one is a mimic, and the other is normal. This includes confused mode - as neither of the chests can be confused. If it were a confused chest and a mimic, then the confused chest would be telling the truth, if it were a confused chest and a normal chest, then the normal chest would be lying.

In robbers mode, just be aware that the chest falsely accused of mimicry can still be guilty of robbery.

In doubt mode, you can be assured neither chest is normal. A normal chest cannot accuse a doubter of being a mimic, and a truth-telling mimic cannot accuse a normal chest of being a mimic. They are either both doubters or both mimics.

"The box on the right is a mimic" - any chest
"The box on the left is NOT a mimic" - chest to the above's right

Many will be as confused as the confused chest upon seeing it for the first time because there is no non-contradictory way to make these claims using only normal chests and lying mimics. As a result, in confused mode, one of these boxes MUST be confused! Either the confused chest is accusing a normal chest, OR a mimic is accusing the confused chest.

Doubt mode also leaves two possibilities: A normal chest is accusing a mimic, or a doubter is accusing a normal chest. You can be certain the accuser is not a mimic, and thus safe to open.

"The box on the right is NOT a mimic" - any chest
"The box on the left is NOT a mimic" - chest to the above's right

As for two chests vouching for each other, normally this means they're either both normal chests or both mimics. Same as with the double accusation, neither box can be confused, and given that one is normal doesn't mean the other isn't a robber.

In doubt mode, it's a bit different. They could still be two normal chests, but they obviously cannot be both truth-telling mimics. However, they can be one mimic and one doubter.

Can you think of any other statement that means something different or is far more useful in some modes than others?

[Onion_Bubs]

Doubt mode is the only one where you can guarantee whether a chest vouching for its own colour group is safe or not. To be precise, you can guarantee that it's safe. It could be a normal chest if there really is no mimic of its colour, or it could be a doubter if there is, but it couldn't be a mimic because it'd be a lying mimic.

In pretty much every other game mode, the statement is useless by itself as both a lying mimic and any kind of safe chest can always claim there are no mimics in its own colour group. The only exception is, if you're in Confuse mode and there's only one chest of a particular colour and it claims there are no mimics in its colour group, this is logically equivalent to "I'm not a mimic", meaning you can guarantee the chest isn't confused.