Back in part 5: the salesman cutscene and the tentacle guard, we mentioned that the game crashed if the cutscene ended when the cursor was visible, with a "cursor state" message. The original game doesn't crash - you still get the message, but after pressing any key, you can continue playing.

From that moment on, you'll get control of your character during a cutscene. In SCUMM games, we know this state as "item slide state". Being able to move during cutscenes saves time in a few places. For instance, you can give the keys to ski mask, and start moving back to the motel during the cutscene.

While you're in this state, you'll have to be careful. You can control your character during cutscenes, but if you do certain actions during these cutscenes, the game will crash. In general, try to avoid doing a second action before the first action is over. For example, don't right-click on the stamp twice in a row. Walking around is usually safe, as long as you don't interact with other elements when doing so.

Still, the biggest advantage of the item slide state is that it'll allow you to get characters to the present.

Getting Hoagie/Laverne to the present during the quarters cutscene

Getting the item slide state is similar to what we did in part 5 thanks to the salesman. Enter the room with the cigar salesman. Walk to the right, and read the stamp (or flush an item for the first or second time) right when the screen starts to scroll. Press Esc to skip the cutscene. You'll get a "cursor state greater than 1" message but, after pressing any key, you'll continue playing.

Now, get the crowbar (if you don't already have it) and use it with the candy machine. Pick up the quarters and switch to Hoagie or Laverne. Wait for the "Later that day..." text to appear. Once the camera gets back to the present, click on the stairs. Hoagie (or Laverne) will get to the lobby in the present.

If you don't do anything, the game will crash. You'll have to be either in the hallway or in the basement when the quarters cutscene ends. The easiest way to do so is switching back to Bernard before the cutscene ends.

You can see the whole sequence in the quarters cutscene video.

Under the hood: cursor state, and hotspots during cutscenes

In part 5, we talked about what happened when a cutscene and a fakescene run at the same time. We also said:

Things can get more interesting if fakescene F ends first. The game sets the cursor state to 1, and you get control of your character while cutscene A is still running. And, when cutscene A ends, it increases the cursor state, and sets it to 2! And then... ScummVM crashes with a message about the cursor state.

But the original game doesn't crash. That means we can keep on playing while the cursor state is 2. In SCUMM games, we know this state as "item slide state".

In part 5 we also said that a cutscene decreases the cursor state when it starts and increases it when it ends. So, if the cursor state is 2, the cutscene will decrease the cursor state to 1, and you'll still get control of your character during the cutscene. When the cutscene ends, it'll increase the cursor state back to 2, so you'll go back to the item slide state.

So, when you pick up the quarters, you'll be able to move Bernard around during the cutscene, and you'll also be able to switch to another character. However, there's a limitation: you won't be able to interact with any hotspots, so you won't be able to leave the current room.

That problem is solved thanks to the "Later that day..." part of the cutscene. When the cutscene reaches this point, hotspots become interactive! The cause might be that, at this point, the game calls script 87, and that script might be the one that makes hotspots interactive.

Once hotspots are interactive, the scene goes back to the present, and you'll be able to get Hoagie or Laverne there.

When the quarters cutscene ends, the game expects you to be in the candy machine hallway. In particular, it checks for the presence of certain boxes in the room (we don't know the exact details). The only nearby rooms that work are that hallway and the basement. If you're in a different room, the game will crash.

You'll keep the item slide state until you start a conversation (or a fakescene). Conversations set the cursor state to 0, even when the cursor state was 2. For instance, entering Green's or Weird Ed's for the first time automatically starts a conversation, so you will lose this state. The same will happen when talking to Franklin or to any other character.