Hello there! Welcome to the sequel to Shuffling Around! I hope you're just reading this due to a lack of time, or curiosity about a point you may have missed, and not due to frustration. Whether you just want to make sure you missed a silly gag, you're stuck on a specific section, welcome, and I hope this walkthrough helps without spoiling too much! I wanted to try to weave the story in without making it too big, so you didn't feel like you were just typing commands, or maybe you could see one last hint before revealing the answer. If you're wondering about how to figure things out, logic.htm will do a better job. I've semi-hidden some Last Lousy Points to give you one more chance, but they are at the very end. You can cut and paste text to ROT13.com for those. If you're really worried about spoilers, you may want the HTML version, which has expandable InvisiClues. It may not be as up-to-date as this. It should be in the bundle with this file and the game file. If you're the technical type, you can use the command type roil-thru.txt | grep "^>" | sed "s/^>//g" To delete my comments and have a list of commands you can cut and paste. You can also replace ^[^>].* with nothing and \r\n\r\n with \r\n if you have a text editor that accepts regular expression replacement. This will zap everything without a > to start, then lump the lines together. This will ignore alternate solutions and last lousy points, which are sort of clued in the walkthrough. Also, using periods between commands is possible, but only for directions. The "special" commands for this game cause the Inform parser a lot of problems. My programming found no way to correct this. Any comments on this game, or transcripts, can go to blurglecruncheon@gmail.com. I know there's stuff I missed and stuff I don't know I missed--and hopefully it is not too much. But any help from a transcript is appreciated, for matters subjective or objective. My pre- and post- comp testers found a lot of stuff, but that sometimes just reveals other hidden problems. Conversely you can also report issues at https://bitbucket.org/andrewschultz/a-roiling-original/ and they don't have to be professional or anything. I'd appreciate typos/stylistic stuff being lumped together, but other than that, individual bugs--or feature requests--that aren't obviously similar can be chopped up. This walkthrough is for version 3 of the game. I recommend this over both version 2 and the comp release, as the puzzles and cluing make much more sense. Major differences in the walkthrough are labeled at the end. For those who played the comp version and want to see the new area(s) at the end, you can skip to that area to see the command to start the game with before you chat with Gunter. The implication being, the knocker's come back to snivel his way into your good graces. You can also access the new area(s) that appear in releases 2 and 3 by playing through the game proper, but I think a shortcut is fair, since the game is rather long. And, in the case of the comp release, more abstruse and occasionally unfair. Thanks, Andrew Schultz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I recommend that you search for the section you want to visit--this document is divided that way. It's a bit of a spoiler what the sections are. For now, I would say you can search for ROMAN MANOR STORE H STORE P STORE T STORE U STORE V STORE W STORE Y Also, I don't cover Last Lousy Points in any section. These are hintable in-game but I also ROT13'd them at the end. Also, for release 3, I wrote up some metrics of how big areas are. They should be included in metrics.htm. The ROMAN MANOR has three ways through. I'll list them all. You need to examine stuff to get a feel for the game. Then Gunter comes by and annoys you. There are a lot of things you can do, like try to figure something or look at your notepad. Seven, to be precise. > X BOOKS > X CHAIR > GET NOTEPAD > X ADS Though a quicker way is > LAMP >X ADS > OPEN DOOR > 1 (None of the other things are important, but they add color, if you want them.) > 5 You fall asleep and then wake up. How do you get a light source? > LAMP Oh! You found something. > X LATCHES And there's something in the latchest! The teariest treatise from Old Man Almond is a hint. More precisely, the letters in the letter. Which contains a recoded decoder -- or a revised deviser. There's a pattern here to the anagrams, with only the first and last letters switched, so the latches become a... > SATCHEL (This can be done later. But if you put it off, you can't exit the manor until you figure it out.) The giant pin is a last lousy point. It is probably harder than the three ways out it clues. I'll save it for the end. Now to get out of your study. There are three ways. First, the tables. > STABLE > IN The sitar is as useless as a hole in the ground. > STAIR > D Now, you can go OUT to go back and pick up all the points if you want. You can skip down to "how to get out?" if you don't want maximum points. "My niche" looks suspicious. > CHIMNEY > UP The pram has plenty of clues, like Mr. Pa in red. > RAMP > D Now you can go back out again one last time to get full points. The third way is to examine the beams. Ten of them! > BASEMENT > D You can't go IN right now, as the game tells you to look at the settler. So, > X SETTLER Mess around with what you want. There's a tutorial anyway. >IN Oh no. You're under the gun. Err, the rifle. > FLIER You get to talk to Mole Elmo, now. He gives hints. The commands below are the quickest. If you listen to him complain, it's for your amusement only. > 3 > Y Or, to get basic hints, (ALT) >2 (ALT) >2 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 Elmo's information about the stores is purley background stuff. You may find it worthwhile. (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 (ALT) >1 Now, Elmo's complaints may be funny, or they may not. Let's skip them for now. (ALT) >2 So now you're in the carven cavern. Plates stuck in plaster. It seems wrong but doesn't. The plates are squarish, with metal half way around ... sort of like a... > STAPLE What goes with a staple? > STAPLER The paperwall looks like lined paper, so you can just... > PUT STAPLE IN STAPLER > STAPLE PAPERWALL > IN The Strip of Profits is the central hub of the rest of the game. There are a lot of stores, but the game should note which are the most interesting for your purposes. You need to complete two of them to be able to open up Store T. You can use the item that falls out after two wins to "ZAP" the other stores--or the portals you created from them--in order to skip them. But one way or another, the Trips Strip must be clear of portal stores before you enter Store T. The basic flow of the game, then, is as follows. manor -> others -> 2 of (p u v w y) -> t. K/N is an optional puzzle we'll go through now. It's optional because of the slang involved and because it's a silly, minor joke. Also, if you are curious about the main "theme" of each store, I have it in ROT13 below. The optional stores are organized starting with the shortest, with the final Store T coming last, so you may wish to search for Store P/U/V/W/Y if you don't want to be spoiled by scrolling. I think I've put in enough carriage return buffers. You will get a warning if you can still gqain a few points. U = cercbfvgvbaf V = cnffvir ireof Y = npgvir ireof P = vagrewrpgvbaf W = nqwrpgvirf T = nqireof Stores K and N form a silly puzzle which is not necessary, so you may want to skip it. Store K can be entered. Store N holds someone. They are related. NESTOR is the guy in store N. > NESTOR TOKERS are the people in store K. > TOKERS > ENTER CLOUD Now, a clue is how the tokers spoke. What did they use while speaking? Adjectives. You can look around at Studio E and the 'I Used To' pamphlet to figure you need to go... > OUTSIDE And you get something for later. The munchies let you use the slider more often. STORE U is the one with the fewest puzzles to win. > ROUTES > IN What is going on here? You can't go in any direction. They don't make sense. And you can't even easily enter the places listed. Perhaps the church sign provides a clue. You shouldn't need the letters settler, though you can flip the letters on the church sign for an additional clue in cheat mode. The Worst Ad is a Last Lousy Point. It's not necessary, so I won't spoil it here. You probably will guess it, since there are only so many words it can be, based on the words you use here. > INSIDE > X LIST Hmm, a list of stuff on the wall. Maybe the stuff is in the other locations. > EXIT If you examine the bench, it's a giant's. > AGAINST Climb up on the bench armrest and hear his tirades. > ASTRIDE Duck his elbow. > BELOW Rude 'N Nuder? > UNDER The church sign says DIE SIN or SIN DIE. And going IN doesn't work. How to get into Pat's? > PAST And what to do about the seed pit? > DESPITE Yay, mushrooms. > EXIT Oscar's? > ACROSS How to get the pipe soot? > OPPOSITE > EXIT > IN (INSIDE is not necessary now that you've gained the priest's trust) > EXIT The Big Thing Form Above...it's what was supposed to be summoned, right? > FROM How do you get the crowd to help you where to go next, around the bean? > BENEATH This cavern is unlit. > UNTIL So you need to find an un-road. > AROUND And No-Gal Logan. > ALONG You need to get out--to go abroad... > ABOARD Now, you have four paths to victory. The hit win button Ben hid... > WITHIN or > BEHIND Thor (giving a hug) or the New Beet... > THROUGH or > BETWEEN STORE V holds troves. Troves of riches! The sort you have to think and earn! > TROVES > ENTER TROVES Oh, look, you get a self-help book about thinking right! And how, if you think right, doing the right thing will come naturally. You're paralyzed by the hustle and bustle of the city and all that modernist stuff. At any time, you can get a point from Peg A. Page's book. Since the game mentions you can't do anything actively, and you need warmth and heat, you can... > HATE Oh no! Hate blinded you to your wallet getting stolen! But you can't race because you don't feel up to it, yet. > CARE Well, there are only two words in the description. You need to find something. Examining anything specific doesn't work. If you wait around, the game claims there is nothing obverse. Or that you may need to look for something obverse. > OBSERVE > SPOT Oh no! An evil bee, so near! You only need to turn it into a vile bee. Do both and it's a live bee. So either of the two below will work. They are polar opposites but both equally valuable to positive thinking, you see. Using both gets you an extra point, so why not? > REASON > BELIEVE Now you need to get in the cellar. You saw how the thief got there, but you can't remember. You can not-quite-remember the cellar, or listen to "I'd Veer": > RECALL or (ALT) > DERIVE So after either of these you're in Boredom Bedroom. You've hit rock bottom, and you need to bring yourself up. You may be able to figure what to do with the lager, but it's a Last Lousy Point. > DESPAIR You believe you can lead, but you can't. That book by Dale Elda and Leda Adle may help. > DEAL You need somewhere to reside. > DESIRE You want to go west, but it's for people who want to be better. People whom PRAISE RIVETS, as the statue of Trevis Vister says. > ASPIRE or > STRIVE (or both, for a bonus point!) Hm, that Pernod is tempting. But you can't enter the skyscraper with your current sales pitch. > PONDER Wow! An office. Now you need to focus on your region! And not the guy you chucked out of here! So, before you do anything else, > IGNORE DIVORCES magazine is a bonus point. Then you need to do one of the two below to have confidence you can do your job. There's the lobster and the photograph of the stream. > MASTER or > BOLSTER (or both, for a bonus point!) What to do now? To be worth your salt? > LAST You're tired. You'd rather be that -singer- Regis N. Grines. Or wait! You can think of Eddie C., 'I'd cede.' > RESIGN or > DECIDE You can now zap stores with the patcher or switch the patcher to reach Otters, if you wish to skip to the end of the game. STORE Y seems to be something underwater-ish. It's overall probably a bit easier than Store P, though there are more points to gain. Shorter words. > OYSTER > IN Okay, you're in an action-packed bar. It's totally action-filled, and you need to take evasive action. But first, how to get in there? You can do something with the sign, which hints what sort of words can be used here. It's a last lousy point. The pills can also help you skip a puzzle if you SPILL them. Still, it looks like you need to get rid of the trolls to start. They're there to keep people in, suggesting they do belong there, or haven't done enough. You need to perform three of six actions to annoy people at the Posh Hops Shop. > SING > SPIT > INSET (Note: these are the other possibilities. Don't go in for 4, or the trolls will get you. Well, unless you want to see the randomized death messages.) (ALT) > UNSET/REMAP (they destroy the tunes/perma-amper, so they are mutually exclusive) (ALT) > SCRAPE Note that you don't need to provide an object with these verbs, or any of the verbs you need to win this area. Yes, this section means active verbs. It's a(nother) guess-the-verb section! And the next verb to guess is, how to get away from the trolls, coolly? > STROLL Stupid clam. Won't settle down. > CALM You're stuck in the olde lode, and you can't walk away from the urn! Not in any direction! > RUN Well now, how do you arrive past a river? There are boats, and there is a raft. The canoe is a red herring, and it can change to something that won't help you at all. In fact, it gives an InstaDeath. > BOAST And you'll be picked up. You then need to get out... > LEAP (However, you can also enter the raft, propel it and use the oars, for an extra point) (ALT) > ENTER RAFT (ALT) > FART (ALT) > SOAR Lots of violence in Anger Range. First things first. Protect that trout! Two ways. Either opens up the east. > SCRAP (with the CARPS) or (ALT) > SPIKE (the pikes) > E The eeks are loud. Someone's upset the trout is hurt! (And yes, the cans are a last lousy point.) > SEEK Teach the trout to not get beaten up later. > TUTOR Now Aunt Tuna is happy. Reward in the drawer! You can also fix the dent for a last lousy point. You can get the wipes if you want. They lead to a side quest I will detail at the end. But you want to be a good guest. The food isn't bad. > EAT TEA > W > N At any time here in the plains you can just sound off for a LLP. The skis are blocking the door. > KISS SKIS The knob is jammed. > BONK KNOB You keep getting hit by a crate. > TRACE > REACT Ah, that'll do it. >BONK KNOB > IN The tubs are probably hiding something. > BUST The prod needs something simple to jar and open it. You can do part of the side quest here to find a shiny weapon. Or just go out. Let's go west of the plains. > OUT > S > W That sardine is nosey but sensitive to noise. > WARP Did you examine the arches? How about examining more thoroughly? > SEARCH ARCHES The two paler pearls fit to become a general gleaner...which is too small to read. > ENLARGE > X GLEANER > N People are watching you and not watching you. Maybe you can frame them. > W Ah, here's a good hiding place. > BURY With the ruby buried, you can summon the ghost, now. > E > S > E Okay, you need to dig up the spirit... > UNEARTH What's this? He's a sausage? Well, there's only one way to calm him down. > ASSUAGE > W > N > W ...and show him where the ruby was! You framed the weaselly walleyes. The ghost scares them away. > E The Ol' Trap needs to be disarmed, somehow, but you're not sure where the disarming device is. > PATROL You find a portal behind it! > IN You can probably figure what to do with the ant, if you're doing the side quest. The lever can be used. Or, rather, not used. For a bonus point. But here is what you really want to do, in the Loft/Den. The papery yapper is adamant you can't bribe him--as such... > PREPAY Oh dear! You need to do something with the dialer. > DERAIL That's a warning from Elvira! > PULL LEVER > REDIAL Note: the side quest will have you (ALT) > QEBC CEBQ (ALT) > FJVCR JVCRF (in the sand home) (ALT) > FJRNG (by the waste) (ALT) > PYRNA YNAPR For aesthetics, you can but don't have to > FUNCR URNCF Then, against the ant, > GNA NAG STORE P can be transformed and entered, too. > PRESTO You can eat the curst crust for a clue in the next zone. The crust will make you Say Stuff. > ENTER SPOT That lamb is too scared to move. Or not scared enough. It is a last lousy point but not a hard one. The volt maze is not worth going through manually. But if you do, you meet a guy named Lev Matzo, then Matzo Lev, then Tom Alvez. The maze also goes from L to V. It also has a brand name, and touching the walls makes you see red. The scanner may be necessary, too, though altogether you have enough clues for... > MAZELTOV You can't deal with what replaced the maze yet (note if you go north you get in a fight,) but let's worry about that later. Can't get over the hump to the west? > UMPH There is the hoop--or ye hoop--but if you jump for it, you can't bring yourself to drop your possessions. > POOH Or, for an extra point, (ALT) > PHOOEY > E > S How to get the star? > RATS What to do for the dart? > DRAT > S Oh no! Leo is too big to beat physically. Rope-a-dope time. > OLE Hmm, a guy named Rand, a lot like Leo. > DARN That wasn't too bad! But they might be good in another fight. Be nice to them, now. They aren't really washups. Talk to them if you want, then... > WHASSUP > N > N If you try going north, you still get smoked. Even if you know what to do with the ether. Your leadership skills--and some items--may help later. Get rid of the plebe. > BLEEP > E Gun doesn't go boing? > BINGO > PUT DART IN POPGUN > W > N Hmm, fight to the north through ether. > THERE > N Oh no! The hogs! And the keys! Fake them out with... > SYKE or (ALT) > GOSH You need to ditch Rickey and Leo. Three ways--choose two. > LATER > SO LONG or (ALT) > TOUGH > N Read the book a few times if you want. The trim socks are a last lousy point. This one is not meant to be easy. The clock sap can be cleaned up. > CAPS LOCK Everlasting gum? > MUG Giant flea? > LEAF Disk with a reversible compression algorithm? Portability? > SKID > PUSH SKID S > G > G The drab yoke looks like...a keyboard. But how to get the yak to move? > PUT LEAF ON SKID > PUSH SKID N > G > G Okay. So the YrNet Entry detached the drab yoke from the yak. Now you need fuel for thought. > COLA And a place to rest. > FUTON > KEYBOARD Okay, put it all together. > DISK > PUT DISK IN DRIVE > PUT KEYBOARD ON TABLE > PUT CAPS LOCK IN KEYBOARD The TBA key is optional. But obviously, it will save time if you change it to what it should be. This is easier than the ROM sticks. Now for a monitor. > SCREEN > PUT SCREEN ON TABLE What are the buttons for? To be or...(not to be/too bent) > PUSH REBOOT Slipping on peels? Probably use the futon. > SLEEP Read the polemic again. > COMPILE Oh no! It works, but it doesn't work right. It won't...BUDGE. > DEBUG Okay, how to get out of here? The UBS must be really universal. Because it can also be... > SUB (or...) > BUS STORE W has the most puzzles, with some of the longest words, but a ton of them are optional. Also, you can figure what to do with the Curst Palace Castle Apcur right away, but you still have to get there. > TOWERS > ENTER TOWERS Now, a clue is what the towers inspired. Adjectives. You've got a bunch of guys to deal with here in the Trefoil. Seven, to be exact, though you only need to get rid of four. Rodney's babble should give you a clue as to what to do. Since Rodney is the leader, you can't get rid of him until two or fewer others are left. You get no penalty for leaving someone, and you get no reward for clearing everything. The enemies appear at random, and they are chosen from pods of five or so to ensure that they're not randomly too long or too short overall. I've listed them in alphabetical order, by warrior. Andres > SNARED Andrew > WARNED Archie > ACHIER Barney > NEARBY Blake > BLEAK Bredo > BORED Cedrick > CRICKED Daryl > LARDY Demitri > TIMIDER Dewey > WEEDY Edwin > WINED Eldon > OLDEN Ernest > TENSER Geno > GONE Goldy > GODLY Leander > LEARNED Marcel > CALMER Marlon > NORMAL Preston > PRONEST Reggie > EGGIER Royce > COYER Shane > ASHEN Terrance > RECREANT Tyson > STONY Wade > AWED What to do with Rodney hanging around? > YONDER or (iffy word here, but why not?) > DRONEY Okay. Ray Eck, a yacker. Keycar. Lots of red. > CREAKY You can pick off the strudel if you are clever. There is taking it, and then there is taking it the right way for a LLP. Also, if you want, you can > GET TOASTER The toaster allows you to eat stuff which can XRAY stuff you need to look at. The next part doesn't need to be ALL done. You can deep-six all but, uh, five of the guardians. (Leave an H shape. Or an I. And you need to clear the Actionless Coastline.) > N If you want to see a map in the Scope Copse, > X SCOPE It updates as you knock off guardians. You can check this after your first challenges. The map in the upper right is hopefully handy, too. The yurts are an LLP. I'll let you guess. That robot has been rewired to conform and to guard something important. You can't do anything there, yet, but let's get him out of the way. > WEIRDER You won't win a fight with someone muscly. > CLUMSY The snider diners are sure you can't get past them. The dry wit! > RINSED North or east doesn't really matter, but let's go east first. It's slightly shorter. > E The man who is not Flemish just wants to be... > HIMSELF The salesmen are dandier and get energy from their clothes. Plus, they're selling Nerd-Aid. > DRAINED > N The weeds are free to move until they're... > SEWED You can do something with the denim, too. The pirates are ruddier than you? Maybe you need to make it so they need a tan. > PASTIER The alarming grailman is good at his job. > MARGINAL The Reed's Ale man can't decide if he should stay or go. > RELEASED (ALT) > RESEALED (to get his costume to fit) > E The deacons are once-sad, but they are plotting a hostile ol' heist of St. Eliho. How to stop this horrid act? >HOLIEST The ego-drains are organised. You are crushed with feelings of inadequacy, until they're overblown. >GRANDIOSE > S The natives won't budge, but maybe you can convince them to move... > VAINEST (ALT) > NAIVEST There's no real difference. Also, there's nothing really to the south except a hint-pastry, which you won't need with this walkthrough. The bonker is working fine until it's... > BROKEN > E Dr. Yow is imprisoned and can't talk until he's > WORDY You'll need his voice for later. > PUSH RETAPE But he can also be something else. > W > N > N The atheists can talk nice and slow and patiently, until you agree with them. > HASTIEST The small kid will help you later. > W The Sweatier Wait-Seer does not get tired until he's... > WEARIEST > W Now there are three guardians. Let's take care of the unripe iPrune to make passage easier. > PUNIER The ingrates were angriest, but now they're... > ANGSTIER The admirer is unattached until... > MARRIED or, if you're mean, (ALT) > MARDIER (Choosing one over the other has no effect on gameplay.) To the west is another pastry, but to the north is someone--well, something--important. > N > PUSH REPEAT The duck hears Dr. Yow's voice and trusts him. (Note: you can GO TO somewhere if you want to shave off a few turns. In this case, GO TO SUBSECTOR or GO TO YOW or even GT YOW. So let's do that now. It's easier than S.S.S.E.E.E etc.) > GT YOW The fissure can be messed with, and so can the (locked) gate. > UNLOCKED works, because the lone duck is an anagram and you know it's Dr. Yow's. > FUSSIER makes the duck poke at the fissure and unlock it, too. (GT COPSE doesn't save keystrokes here. Btu you may find it more convenient.) > W > W > W > W > PUT DAGGER IN REPAIR (GT KID is possible here) > E > E > E > N > N > TELL KID ABOUT YOW (There are other ways to do this, but this is the most straightforward...I think.) The kid's having trouble concentrating. He's tentative. > ATTENTIVE Now for something to listen to that's interesting. > ROWDY > W > N > N Incidentally, you can do something with the raves saver, since it calls itself a replay player. It's a purely aesthetic LLP. > GIVE GIZMO TO KID Now there are two ways to do things. You can repair the jetskis all the way, or you can get stuck in the water. > STABLER > ROBUST If you only do one, you go to Rawest Waters, where the eastern shore looks almost reachable. > NEAREST Now, in the mislit limits, you can straight-out win the game. But what if you want to help Daltho's quest? There's that succor crocus, which is much too bright. It must be dying. > DINGY The Pester'n Serpent won't let go until you make it just... > PRESENT > W Ed Yerg is waiting for you. But he sure is greedy. He's got a fake youthfulness about him. > GREYED Give him the flowerpot, and he will give you hints if you go in and out. >GIVE FLOWERPOT TO ED > E Now, to win the whole deal. > SPECTACULAR ======================================================== STORE T is the final store. > OTTERS > ENTER OTTERS You can manage only the weakest type of words. What is the weakest part of speech? The adverb! You need to get rid of that barley. > BARELY The former yielder speaks boomingly. > REEDILY The cinders are a bonus point. DISCERN to get a free pass, or...well, the other is a Last Lousy Point. > W How to help Gretta? These are three of many responses as the creeps cycle through their attempts to woo her. > SNIDELY > IRATELY Small point: Irately or Tearily can work, but not both. > CATTILY Now we're going to skip the conversation, here, but you may wish to work through it. > 3 > Y (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 (ALT) > 1 > N The sea cube and the eels--but you only have weak words. Fortunately, the medals you have make them trust you. > BECAUSE > ELSE > S Now you can get rid of the moat. > ATOM The next part with Mr. Lee is an alternate solution. Longer words, though. > S > ALTHOUGH > HOWEVER > N Okay, back to the main line. > E > N The imp needs to be provoked. There are three ways, based on his description. > ANGRILY > BRUTELY (>ENRAGEDLY) > N The owls will kill you! > SLOW The other animals follow this, uh, mechanic. You only need three of them, but why not get all four? Leopard, Ocelots, Satyr, Badger. > PAROLED > COOLEST > ARTSY > GARBED You may notice one of your medals changing now. > S > S > S You need to get by the tallyhoing. Three ways to do that. > LOATHINGLY > TERSELY (>STOICALLY) > S You need to fix that raptor. > PARROT Nails, thrones, pines, corona. You actually only need three of these, but I hope they are not too hard. > SNAIL > HORNETS > SNIPE > RACOON You may notice one of your medals changing as you summon the animals. You have enough allies now. Time to kill the hardy hydra. > N > N > W > W > W Hmm, what could beat a hydra? Something you already saw! Something like...what the parrot was! > RAPTOR Hmm, the whistle is interesting. Sounds like it yelped. > DEEPLY You may need to use those medals before visiting Elvira. Hm, IQ + Lucky = ... > QUICKLY > W The repartee is just there for your amusement. But Elvira won't kill you ASAP, since you disabled her weapons. Unless you wait helplessly, and she regains confidence. You just need to make sure you have enough backup. If you didn't fix the whistle, you can retreat and do so. > 7 > PLAY WHISTLE And you have rescued Yorpwald from Elvira! I hope you enjoyed this. STORE H This is a sort of catch-all area that I hope is still entertaining. Some of the puzzles are a bit obscure, but they're intended to be, since you only need to "get" 20 basic ones, and you can probably guess the category. I left out the tougher ones for expedience. If you've already completed the game, you can ROVE OVER > X STAND > PEARS > PLUMS > GRAPES > BLUEBERRIES > LIMES > POMEGRANATE > CANTALOUPE Hmm! What to do with a moss cap? > COMPASS > N Some goofy puzzles here. You probably figured the general theme. > APPLES > APRICOT > GOOSEBERRY > S Yay, a tekno-token for money. > PERSIMMON > N > E You can do a lot of things here. > SOLEMN > SOLEMN > CRIPES > ANCIENTER > ARGENTINE > W > W > PINEAPPLE > STRAWBERRIES (ALT) > BLACKBERRIES (ALT) > RASPBERRY There's a lot more to do, and you can probably guess it. > E > S Ooh, stuff from Curtis. Coins. But you don't need money. They're almost artsy. Musical. Like some sort of drawing. > SONIC > ICONS (Note: this can be done in any order. Well, assuming no horrific bugs. It's been tested you can have coin->icon and so forth.) > N > D > GIVE DOLLAR TO TRADER That gives you the "useless" so-great storage. > PUT ICONS IN SLOT Woohoo! A popstar's passport! Maybe it can get you through the gate! > U > N > N Hmm, the passport is not enough on its own. Maybe you need to use it, or parts of it. Like the viewer and the searcher. They are not hard to use! Probably a lot easier to tinker with than other things in this game. > REVIEW > RESEARCH (You can also note you get called a perp if you go north. That gives a third verb you should have no problem guessing. But you only need two, and, in fact, that's what the game will let you have.) (ALT) > PERP > N Hooray! The final FINAL ending! ... or is it? Well, you can unlock the final mode, which isn't an adventure but more a museum-style thing to examine stuff. There is not much to do in the DEMO DOME MODE other than to examine everything. The game keeps track of how much you have left to examine in any one room. Known Comp vs Post-comp walkthrough differences General: Trizbort map included with release 3. Last Lousy Points at very end, in ROT13. 1 MANOR: * release 2: the chimney is now available for escape. Gunter's options are different. Elmo's are too. Elmo is moved, as are the plaster and plates. Elmo has a tutorial. * release 3: Gunter does not stop by until you examine a few things. So you have more time to activate the two new areas, and you also can figure what you're supposed to be doing. Plus you are forced to talk to Gunter for an overview, but you can skip the rest. You can also freely flip diorama things but nothing else, but flipping something that should create an exit brings Gunter closer. Elmo's tutorial is tuned up. 2 OYSTER: * release 1 (deprecated) : you DESTROY Oyster D at the end and can pull the lever if you want. No yapper. * release 2: you can now do something with the sign in the initial area, and there's a new verb for you to get out, which relies on people there and not the bar name. Also, you need to get 3 of 5 verbs. The sign in the shore is gone, but the raft is visible and has a two-part solution with oars. You no longer need to ARRIVE--there's a better verb since there are boats. The portal moved from the plains to the hideout. You no longer need to SHAPE the heaps--the tubs, instead. The papery yapper is not present to bribe. The pills are now available to skip a puzzle. There is a side area to put an item to frame the walleyes less implausibly. There is also a side quest that starts in the Fishbowl and ends just before the final location, which is named differently. It involves wipes, waste, a lance, an ant and, optionally, the heaps, re-purposed. You also get killed a lot less by the haunter. The game gives a warning. * release 3: it's now 3 of 6 verbs to learn in the Hops Shop (renamed in release 2) though 2 relate to the jukebox, along with an LLP in the Handsome Sand Home (ex-fishbowl) (dent) and in the plains (general) with a LLP in the Lean Lane. You also have another puzzle and location if you get on the boats (LEAP). 3 PRESTO: * release 1: Rickey is here instead of Rand. * release 2: Lawl Wall replaces Horned Hedron with more sensible puzzle. You now need to summon a SUB or BUS at the end. Rand was Rickey. The Lawl Wall was not there. Many places are renamed. * release 3: some causality is fixed in this release. It may have more to do with the hints than the actual puzzles, but that should be clearer, now. The escaroles allow an alternative path to bring the yak over. You no longer have to read the textbook. 4 TOWERS: * release 2: guardians are moved around, with the ingrates (more appropriate for the right word) replacing the yapper, who is optioned to the Oyster's final room where he makes more sense. The nebula now guards items in the topside. You must also get rid of both the prefect (swaps with pirates) and the deacons so the kid appears. The bonker is new as well. The sweatier wait-seer replaces the thug and clues the right word better. Many guardians are moved around. You could skip certain things with the kid before, like giving him the Gizmo, but you can't now. * release 3: the tavern was moved to the start, to give you a clearer idea what to do and give more of a storyline. You need to dispel three of six random guardians before Rodney goes, not 2 of 4, Daltho has his own room, and DYING is switched back from a solution to what it is. The nebula now guards Daltho's own room. You go back there instead of to the tavern. Andrew, Archie, Barney, Bredo, Dewey, Goldy, Marcel, Marlon (I didn't find the relatively simple code to override "normal,") Royce and Wade are also not present in the comp release. Most were in release 2 as well, though I'm too lazy to research which. RIP the slobb-blobs. The snider diners and natives are new, with greedy Ed Yerg replacing the greedy gnome. The atheists and yacker are new, too, with the serpent replacing the nebula. The yurts are now a last lousy point. Curst Palace now has a name--Castle Apcur. 5 TROVES * release 2: you now have a new action near the end in addition to dealing with the singer. Eddie C was not in release 1. The lager was also moved from the Very Top/Office. DIVORCES did not appear in release 1. * release 3: you had only one way to find the cellar (the direct way) in release 2. Now you have another. LLP with the book the guy gives you at the start. It's renamed, with an author, Peg A. Page. There's now a different puzzle to enter the skyscraper (PERNOD vs STEW) 6 OTTERS * release 2: cinders now give a LLP or a hint. Merle and Elmer now clue a different LLP and clue it a bit better. You can now talk to Elvira, which is more just repartee before the final fight, but it does mean one more move. * release 3: the whistle shouldn't sound like it yelped. I repositioned the moat so it offered an additional, though trivial, barrier. Damsel became Gretta, and she added a dialogue. There's now a moat, which shouldn't be hard to ditch. You need to say QUICKLY before entering. 6 OTHERS was an added area, so there are really no comparisons from release 1 to release 2. * release 3: added persimmon and breadfruit. I forget if Curtis gave you the token right away in release 2, or you had to wait. 7 DEMO DOME was added in release 3, so there are no comparisons before. * release 3: initial, and you just examine stuff. METRICS The game has point totals for each region, but how do they compare in size? I decided to take a look at how many words you needed to type in for the various anagrams. I likely made some niggling arithmetic errors here, so if you can correct them, I'd be happy. Big picture comments still stand, I think, and this is largely for curiosity. I didn't account for using a hint item to reduce the minimum. I think that this isn't fully accurate since complexity varies as perhaps (letters ^ 2) or something. So a sum is not so useful. But this gives a bit extra to look at. If you're very interested, a heat map should be attached with this release. Manor has a minimum of 37 and a maximum of 67. Hit the basement and ignore the giant pin. Stores has a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 61. It is 18 if you use the patcher. You have six stores to open. The Lectures quest gives 19, and Store B gives 6. Store V has a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 117. The five Last Lousy Points account for all the difference. The alternate ways through have words of the same length. Store U has a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 114. The last lousy point gives you seven letters. The alternate ways through have words of the same length. It's debatable here whether U is harder than V. U clearly has fewer choices for words. Store P has a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 164. You can save a letter with the right good-bye to Leo and Rand. The lamb, TBA, and ROM sticks go, too. You can save 15 moves with the crust (volt maze, washups.) This has a moderate amount of points, but many solutions are relatively short. Again, the actual words are restricted as in Store U. Store Y has a minimum of 125 and a maximum of 178. Many solutions are short words. The five-command side quest is a big one. You can actually spill the pills right away to "lose" 8 more letters. You can add a few letters with the right bar actions, crossing the river the two-step way, and several LLPs. Store W has a minimum of 155+ and a maximum of 277++. Both the "H" and "I" paths through the guardians are 36 letters. You can save keystrokes, too. Fussier vs. unlocked. The tavern may take an extra keystroke or two since one group of enemies has 4 or 5 letters, and another has 7 or 8. That is why I put plusses in the totals. The warriors are randomly determined at the start of the game, so you can't undo to get easier ones. You can skip a lot, like three of the warriors, the strudel, the denim and other LLPs and, of course, five central guardians and two outlying ones. But even at a minimum, W has you solve more letters than some store maximums. Combined with a big map, you can see why this is the toughest region. Store T has a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 196. The bran barn forces more letters, and you can LLP Elmer and Merle, two animals, and the cinders. Also, you can pick the long options for the men (19) vs the minimum (16) or decide whether to pick the long option for the imp (16). The macks also can swing from 21 to 28. Also, this range is not fully representative of the difficulty, since you can deduct a lot of points for when letters end in LY. LAST LOUSY POINTS Note that I'm not really going to address cases like finding 3/3 things when you only need 2/3 or, in OTHERS, where you can avoid flipping a lot. Those should be in the walkthrough, because they can all potentially help you solve the game. These are stand-alone points which are utterly unnecessary to solving things. Hints are in ROT13. STORES: FBEORG from Store B. PRESTO: OYNZ scares the lamb. The trim socks become EBZ FGVPXF--no space needed. The escaroles become PNFFREBYR. ROUTES: Go GBJNEQF the worst ad. TROVES: TNCR at Simple Impels by Peg A. Page. TYNER at the lager QVFPBIRE something about Divorces magazine. There actually is a magazine named this LLP, and it's pretty well-known. Or it was. Note that troves has a lot of 1-of-2 puzzles, where you may or may not skip to the next area after getting one of them. These are listed in the walkthrough. TOWERS: The denim can be ZVARQ for a new pastry. The strudel can be EHFGYRQ for an extra point, though you can just take it. The yurts can be LHEGF. The docile old ice can be PBVYRQ. The replay player can be CRNEYL. HAERNY or CHYFRF for the neural pulses. Yes, the second isn't right for the region, but it's an LLP. OYSTER: GRAQ the dent. FPNA the cans. FCYNVA in the plains. ERIRY by the lever. Side quest: FJVCR wipes, FJRNG (over waste,) PYRNA lance, FUNCR heaps (not necessary for the quest but not available without it,) GNA ant.