A Walkthrough to Myopia, Interactive Fiction by Quentin.D.Thompson. ------------------------------------------------------------------ It is impossible *not* to finish "Myopia". This game, in fact, is one of the few that truly warrants disabling the Save option, but I'm not quite sure how to work that, and besides I'm a nice guy. However, since there are no real puzzles, some of you (who cut your teeth on Andrew Plotkin and Graham Nelson) may be scratching your heads and wondering "Hey! What the heck's this game about!". I have written traditional puzzle-based games in the past, and will continue to do so - "Myopia" is a one-off. However, for those of you who want it really bad, I have included this walkthrough. You don't really need it, but if you want to play it through quickly to see if it works, or if you find a bug, please use it. Also, there are a few in-jokes in the game. So, after finishing it, try answering the questionnaire in this file after each stage, and add up your score at the end to see how high you are on the Q.D.T. IF-Trivia scale. Speeding Down Thompson Avenue ----------------------------- A simple scene. You can hardly do anything on the sidewalk, so just enter the truck. Once inside, you are off, speeding down the highway (this lasts only for about fifteen moves, so if you're in a hurry just type 'z' sixteen times, as you would in Cattus Attrox) and you can spend your time examining the various articles in the truck. You can try to chat with Dave a little, but he's sort of busy driving. At the intersection, this stage ends - with what looks suspiciously like roadkill. So who is the old lady? No way of telling, because the next stage is part of the Drugstore Cowboy saga. Amusing commands here: have you tried - kissing or killing Dave? reading the towel or taking it? using all the conversation options with Dave? turning the steering-wheel? switching on the radio? QUESTION 1. Don't a lot of these objects sound familiar? If so, from which game have they been - er - borrowed? Hint : one of those objects is a giveaway. The Enigma of Obadiah's Saloon ------------------------------ Simple piece of work - you get progressive hints as you go. You can examine almost all the objects in the room descriptions, but they're just decoration. The real work lies off to the east. Lift that door, and take a look at what you found. Then head north, and try getting the specs. If you can, at the first shot, please call me immediately because you're not supposed to. Examine the computer, have a word with it, and answer the question. In case you find it too hard, a hint. The question mentions someone's wife, and someone's wife will (probably) have a woman's name :-) Then check up the scroll using those specs (wear them and read the scroll) and get out of here. Don't be alarmed by that time-warp bomb message. That's supposed to happen. Amusing commands here: Have you tried - Examining the various objects in the saloon? Lifting the door a second time? Talking to the computer after you've solved the riddle? QUESTION 2. Which recent MS-DOS IF game had an overdose of riddles? Home, Sweet Home ---------------- This stage can be finished simply by thirty-five z's (serious!) so there's your walkthrough. Examine everything and move around if you want to have fun. Amusing commands here: Have you tried - Playing the guitar? Reading the photograph? Reading the lyrics you've been typing on the computer? Talking to Craig or Junior? QUESTION 3. Everyone knows that the guest room in Photopia was occupied by the Dawsons' guest Gabriel. But in which recent (fairly recent, that is) IF game is a pile of clothes on a floor a prominent feature? Hint : in the game, it was your daughter's room. An Abandoned Palace ------------------- Head south twice, get the shovel, go back the way you came, and climb up the staircase (it's blocked the first time). That's it. Amusing commands here: Try sitting on the throne, or interacting with (pushing, pulling or turning) the pictures. QUESTION 4. The pictures gag was inspired by a recent sadistic IF game that began as a knife-edge thriller, then became an Interactive Mensa Test. Name the game. Wounded Is The Sailor --------------------- Just do nothing; you're recovering from the shock. Type 'listen' to listen to the voices that you hear; some of them are funny :-). After about seven commands, the stage ends. There's nothing to do here. Amusing commands here: Try moving around (north, south, etc.) This is a small stage, so no questions here; we move on to..... The Golden Beach ---------------- Ah, what a romantic spot. Head east and dig the sand with the shovel; get the nugget. Then leave the stage to the northeast. Amusing commands here: sitting on the chairs, playing with the beach balls, taking or listening to the shell. QUESTION 5. What does the treasure chest in this game's original contain? (Hint: Don Henley song title - "If ---- Were Dollars".) Son, Come On Home ----------------- Talk to Craig. Again. Again. Until you tell him about the monster movie, he's not going to go back inside. Amusing commands here: try all the conversational options. Another fragment, so no questions. The Crystal Maze ---------------- Every path leads you nowhere. Until you think of 'up', that is. The online hint here is pretty explicit. No amusing commands.....sorry 'bout that. QUESTION 6. Unconnected to the game, but just on the general topic of mazes. All IF gamers have heard of mazes of twisty little passages, of Zork fame. But which IF game programmer decided to hash the cliche a little, and implemented a maze of twisty little Parisian streets? And in which game? You can get a bonus point if you know the name of the stage as well. Land Of The Living ------------------ This is just a little fun at AGT's expense. Try examining Quentin (no points for guessing where I stole this from). The way out, quite obviously, is "Talk to Quentin". Finis. Once again, since the transcript is rather amusing, I didn't include any Easter Eggs here. QUESTION 7. (Easy!) Where did I get the blinding light from? Concrete Jungle --------------- And, finishing it all off, a maze. Head north, east, northeast, and then east. Talk to Jarm, and ask him for an audience with Weller. Easy, wasn't it? Amusing commands: try all the conversational options. Especially the one about Jarm's daughter. QUESTION 8. Jarm mentions 'an artist with a prehistoric name, like Ford or Austin.' Who am I parodying, which game does he appear in, and what two paintings of his appear in that game? Concrete Jungle (conversation with Weller) ------------------------------------------ Read this carefully. QUESTION 9. Who, in real IF, came to terms with himself and his station in life? Victory ------- And that's that! You've won the game. Try all the commands, especially CRITICISM and AMUSING. QUESTION 10. Name two Ev Cheney games. If possible, also write a detailed essay on why they stink. [No extra points for this, but if you write something, do mail it to me.] ---------------------------Answers below this-------------------------------- Here are the answers; let's see how you did. 1. Obviously, "I-0, Jailbait On The Interstate". Adam Cadre, take a bow. 2. "I Didn't Know You Could Yodel", Michael Eisenman and Andy Indovina. 3. "Tryst of Fate", G. M. Zagurski. 4. "Enemies", Andy Philips. 5. Dirt. 6. Graham Nelson, "Jigsaw", "Temps Perdu" 7. "Spider And Web", Andrew Plotkin. 8. John Austin, "Muse:An Autumn Romance". The paintings were a seascape and a landscape. 9. The Rev. Stephen Dawson. 10. The complete list of E.V. Cheney's games is * "Ghost Town" * "Dragonslayer" * "Deena of Kolinki" * "Lottery" Of these, Dragonslayer sucks the most. Lottery comes next (tied with Deena), and Ghost Town last. And check your rating - each score ranks you as an IF author.... 1 out of 10 earns you the rank of E.V.Cheney. 2 out of 10 earns you the rank of Matt Barringer. 3 out of 10 earns you the rank of Harry Hardjono. 4 out of 10 earns you the rank of Rybread Celsius. 5 out of 10 earns you the rank of Quentin.D.Thompson (yaay!) 6 out of 10 earns you the rank of Graham Cluely. 7 out of 10 earns you the rank of Graeme Cree. 8 out of 10 earns you the rank of Brendon Wyber. 9 out of 10 earns you the rank of Adam Cadre. And of course, a perfect 10 makes you Graham Nelson. (If you made 11 out of 10, consider yourself Andrew Plotkin, unless you cheated - which makes you Quentin.D.Thompson again.)