----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Softfood.sol Walkthru A Day for Soft Food ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- WARNING: Spoilers imminent Reading this may ruin the game! (You may wish to read only part of this document, or use the online hints available within the game.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following is the shortest possible solution. The specific steps required to thoroughly examine and explore the world have been omitted, though the important steps are summarized in the explanations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART I: HUNGER OVERALL SITUATION: You're hungry, you've no food in your bowl, there's an unopenable sack of hard food in the cupboard, your Provider snores on the bed, and there seems to be no way to wake him without incurring his wrath. It's an insoluble situation for now, so you'll have to look elsewhere for food. HUNTING THE BIRD: You must attack the bird after he lands on the snowy ground. But the attacks fail because your dark fur stands out against the snow. w.n.n.s.w roll in ash e.n attack bird get feather WAKING PROVIDER: Now you have the essential item, the feather. If you examine the Provider, you will notice that he faces east toward the billowy wall. If you go under the blankets, you will also notice that he appears to be a bit ticklish. You must get him to face away from the blinds before you open them. Then you must get him to roll back into the light without him knowing you had anything to do with it. s.s tickle provider with feather pull cord go under blankets tickle provider with feather -NOTE: From now on, the Provider, in a fit of anger, may knock items from your mouth or hurl you in a random direction. If this happens, simply pick up the item, or retrace your steps. EATING HARD FOOD: Now it's simply a matter of letting your Provider know that your food bowl is empty. n.n.z mew eat hard food ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART II: EXPLORATIONS OVERALL SITUATION: After eating the hard food, you're sated, but not satisfied. Examining your food bowl, you recall that on rare days, you receive soft food from flat, shiny eggs. Perhaps if you could find one of these eggs, you could satisfy your ultimate desire. SHARPENING CLAWS: There's aspens, chestnut trees, even "eminantly climable" oaks and elms that, oddly, you cannot climb. You've neglected your claws. n.e sharpen claws on aspen climb aspen DRIVING OFF YOUR RIVAL: The most formidable obstacle to your explorations is your Rival. In general, you falter in the face of his ferocious attacks, and suffer the indignity of his eating from your very own food bowl. Specifically, he prevents you from going southwest from his wood, which appears to be a viable direction. Since the Rival is larger and fiercer than you, you must set a trap. The first element, the bait, is your hard food, of which he seems fond enough. The second element is the rotting log, which, when pushed, proves be full of stinging insects. The remaining elements are a hole in the snow, a piece of bark to cover it with, and the snow itself to cover the bark. get bark s.w dig hole roll log into hole cover hole with bark s.w.n.s get food n.w.s.w cover bark with snow put morsel on mound SEARCHING THE EMBANKMENT: You head southwest over the embankment, but there's no obvious egress. Use your nose (or alternatively, your ears) to discover a tunnel among the shadowy nooks. s.sw smell shadows (listen to shadows) enter dung-scented nook (enter pitter-pattery nook) EXPLORING THE BEAST'S CAVE: It shouldn't take you long to find the basket, and the white box within begs pressing. A bolt glints on the huge door as it opens completely. This proves to be the key to gaining access to the high, shadowy shelf. n get basket hang basket on bolt enter basket press box z.out.e get egg w.w press box drop egg out get basket press box RETRIEVING THE BALLOON: Since the aspens are unclimable, the high window must be opened from within. On the sill, you notice a gap beneath the window. When the Provider is absent, you can snatch a useful piece of kindling from his wood pile. w.n (wait, if necessary, for Provider to leave) get wood s.s.e put kindling in gap stand on kindling e.e get balloon ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PART III: END GAME OVERALL SITUATION: You now have everything you need to open the magic egg, and alas, devour the soft food within. But are your mounting sins against the Provider pushing him over the edge? EATING SOFT FOOD: Hearing high-pitched laughter, you discover a frolicking boy beyond the fence. If you show the shiny egg to the boy, he is simpathetic but unable to stick more than a finger through the fence. He is most interested in the balloon, but again, the fence is too great a barrier. You attempt to float the balloon to the boy, but it drifts off in a random direction. From the roof, you can easily gauge the wind, so you wait for it to blow north towards the boy. But, unweighted, the balloon floats up and away before he can retrieve it. A twig is knotted in the balloon's string. You have discovered a jangly ring in the Beast's cave; the shiny egg, also, bears a ring. By pushing the twig through either ring, these may be attached to the red balloon. Of course, the shiny ring is the important one, and the key to your quest for soft food. d.n push twig through shiny ring (tie egg to balloon) s.w.u (wait for wind to blow north:) z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z drop balloon d.e.n mew eat soft food DEFEATING THE CREATURE: Upon entering the cottage, it seems you have finally driven your Provider over the edge. But both of you are surprised by your Rival's return. Now a hideous and hateful creature, he refuses to be shooed by the angry Provider, who falls to the floor as his heart fails him. The creature now stalks you relentlessly. The trees and the FoodRoom's ledge offer the only reprieve, though he waits for you below. Since the creature's incessant attacks prevent you from picking anything up, there is only one item that can help you. s.u open cupboard u push monstrous sack on creature BUILDING A BEACON: You can't help the Provider, but maybe someone else can. The Canopy Trail offers the best hope of contact. If you could build a big enough beacon, perhaps you could slow the oncoming headlights. The Provider's crackling new fire provides the flame, the kindling provides the means to transport it, and the flannel shirt soaked in beast's blood provides the fuel. d.d.e get shirt w.n.w.e go under beast put shirt in pool w.w.w drop shirt e.n.s.s get kindling n.w light kindling with fire get kindling e.n.w.w drop kindling on shirt -NOTE: Tattered cloth, which can be obtained and re-obtained by raking the billowy wall, may be used instead of the shirt. The bark, which can be obtained again and again by climbing any tree, may be used instead of the kindling. Therefore, an unlimited number of fires can be built without procluding the possibility of building one in the Canopy Trail (though starting a fire indoors is not recommended). SAVING THE PROVIDER: Now it's simply a matter of leading the figure to the Provider, though the figure will need the keys to get inside. (wait for Figure to appear:) z.z.z mew e.n give jangly ring to figure s THE END ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO FAST-FORWARD THE STORY, copy some or all of the following commands into a file, restart the game, type "REPLAY", and then enter the name of the file. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- w.n.n.s.w roll in ash e.n attack bird get feather s.s tickle provider with feather pull cord go under blankets tickle provider with feather n.n.z mew eat hard food n.e sharpen claws on aspen climb aspen get bark s.w dig hole roll log into hole cover hole with bark s.w.n.s get food n.w.s.w cover bark with snow put morsel on mound s.sw smell shadows enter dung-scented nook n get basket hang basket on bolt enter basket press box z.out.e get egg w.w press box drop egg out get basket press box w.n get wood s.s.e put kindling in gap stand on kindling e.e get balloon d.n tie egg to balloon s.w.u z.z.z.z.z.z.z.z drop balloon d.e.n mew eat soft food s.u open cupboard u push monstrous sack on creature d.d.e get shirt w.n.w.e go under beast put shirt in pool w.w.w drop shirt e.n.s.s get kindling n.w light kindling with fire get kindling e.n.w.w drop kindling on shirt z.z.z mew e.n give jangly ring to figure s