Apoptosis is a Z-machine work of interactive fiction written with Inform 7 and is © 2010 by Kate McKee. It was an entry at the PAX East 2010 Speed-IF event.
In this small game, you play as a short-lived creature with the evolutionary ability to steal traits from other creatures. You have lots of competition trying to get inside, but you can do this. Use your skills to get to the front of the line, get inside, and get seats for all your friends. And don't forget to keep up your strength; all this work is exhausting. (In case you're wondering, apoptosis is a form of controlled cell death.)
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the work.
Interstices (your place in line: #4)
You're in line with Futtucine-Woman, Potato-Boy, Lobster-Man, and Peoplepair -- although you're given descriptions instead of names for these people.
> x me.
Interstices (your place in line: #5)
> traits. (Your only trait is corripere.)
Nutrient cubes appear at a random times. They'll be a fat cube, carbohydrate cube, and a protein cube. Unfortunately, you cannot eat them, you must phagus them. Potato-Boy will also be trying to phagus the food. More cubes will appear every so often, so it's not like you only have one chance to eat any.
> corripere potato. (You now know phagus.)
> phagus protein.
> phagus carbohydrate.
> phagus fat.
> x woman. corripere woman. (You now know trudere.)
> trudere potato.
Interstices (your place in line: #4)
> corripere lobster. (You now know choppus.)
> corripere couple. (You now know scindere.)
> choppus couple. (They split and fall back in line.)
Interstices (your place in line: #3)
> trudere woman. (She falls back in line.)
Interstices (your place in line: #2)
> trudere lobster. (He falls back in line.)
Interstices (your place in line: #1)
> in.
Inside (your place in line: #1)
> look.
> scindere. (You become several.)
> sit.
You have overcome the cell wall and caused apoptosis!
*** You have won ***
Everyone in this game is a microorganism of some sort. I'm afraid I don't know enough microbiology to even hazard a guess which microorganisms these all might be, or if they are all complete inventions.
I note that a TAKE ALL command reveals pilus and xyzzy traits as well, but I have no idea how to find them.
This walkthrough is provided free of charge since the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations. Please consider it a thank you for your support!
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