Let variable decide whether to show a layer

I'm not sure you are correct. i think you missed where i reset the variable at cue point 10 to 68 seconds. easy to miss because the cue points are out of order numerically (doesn't seem to be an easy way to change the cue point numbering this far down the road). and i can could clearly observe that the variable was correct and being ignored. however, by taking your recommendation and setting the variables on the layer instead of the base, the problem was corrected.  ive spent three days trying to solve problems with layers on this slide and another. I've done this once in the past as well. my evaluation is that if you want player controls, whether integral or custom, just create different slides and forget the headache of layers. there is always some combination of actions the student can take that result in a condition you would like to avoid.  then when you fix that condition, your fix creates another problem. they may all be solvable, but the amount of time it takes is difficult to justify.  the same holds true for trying to return to the timeline on a previous slide. there always seems to be a sacrifice, an undesirable condition that can occur; it may not be likely to occur, but is a possibility.  and if its possible, a student will stumble into it. So, rather than returning to a slide, just duplicate the slide, or a portion of the slide and keep always moving forward in the slide sequence, never back. it is so much simpler and less time consuming. there are some triggers that could be added that would solve some of this. for example, the ability to jump to a cue point on a previous or different slide would be helpful, but currently that option does not exist; you can only jump to a cue point on another layer of the same slide.  thats my two cents. i only took the time to write it so that it might help someone else in the future. ignore the OCD and go for the quick fix. like me, you probably don't have the time and may not have the hair (to pull out).