Key & Compass presents:
Channel Surfing
by Mike Vollmer

• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Characters, Credits, Inventory
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• External links:
  • This game at IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
  • Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Walkthrough

Box

> x note. ("16")

> x letter. (You're to test the experimental TV?)

> x remote. take it. x chair. x tv.

> change channel to 16.

Cat or dead cat

> x box. x Steve. x Mark.

> talk to Mark.

> 1. 1. 1. (He won't help you.)

> talk to Steve.

> 3. 3. 3. (He has a bladder condition.)

> 1. 2. (You should ask the host about the game.)

> 1. 1. 1. 1.

> talk to host.

> 1.

> 1. 3. 3. 2. 2.

> 1.

> 1. 1. 1.

> 1. (Steve guesses "Alive" which is wrong.)

> talk to Mark.

> 1. 1. (He lets Steve go to the bathroom.)

> 1.

> talk to host.

> 1.

> x box. push button.

"is the cat alive?" (yes/no) > no

You win a taser gun. There's an interlude with someone called the strategist. Then you're back in the Box.

Box

> i. x gun. x note. change channel to 20.

hut

> x mat. n.

fire pit

> x glint. x fire. x Julian. x Emily. x director.

> w.

beach

> x machine. look in machine. x drink.

> x bucket. x ice cubes. take bucket.

> x tent. x table —or— x food. (You can't eat the food.)

> e. e.

confessional booth

> x camera. w.

fire pit

You learn that this show is "The Ultimate Island".

> talk to director.

> 1. 1. 1. 1.

> 1. 1. 1. 1. (He wants a drink from the vending machine.)

> 1. 1. (conversation options exhausted.)

> talk to Julian.

> 1. 1. 1. (conversation options exhausted.)

> talk to Emily.

> 1. 1. 1. (conversation options exhausted.)

It's difficult to guess the right syntax for this action:

> dump ice onto fire. take coins. x coins.

> w.

beach

> put coins in machine. hit machine. tase Julian.

The director loved it and tells you to talk to the camera in the booth.

> x Julian. e. e.

confessional booth

More channel surfing excerpts, and then you're back in the box.

Box

> i. x note. change channel to 40.

briefing room

It doesn't matter how you talk to the strategist. All options eventually lead to the next scenario.

> x carpet. x strategist. talk to strategist.

> 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.

press room

There's an unsubtle hint to save the game before continuing.

> x reporters. save. talk to reporters.

Your initial approval rating is 31. For this walkthrough, try to fight against the scenario by being the worst politician possible, making your rating go down as low as possible.

> 1. (re: national security)

> 3. (rating goes down)

> 1. (re: national security again)

> 3. (rating goes down.)

> 1. (re: poverty)

> 3. (rating goes down)

> 1. (re: environment)

> 4. (rating goes down)

> 1. (re: economy)

> 4. (rating goes down)

> 1. (demand billions or else)

You're now nowhere, but the strategist is back. Rather than use you as intended, you're absorbed into the system.

Years pass and everyone gets a special television. The Rulers cork everyone into simple cells, each with a TV and life-support. Humanity becomes a hive mind, but something happens and the system collapses.

"We are the hollow men"

This is a reference to "The Hollow Men", a poem by T S Eliot.

*** THE END ***

Note that even if you go for high approval or moderate approval ratings, the same ending happens. However you do get different closing statements, based on your rating, when talking to the press.

Extras

Characters

• The game show announcer, but you can call him the host, is on the set of "Cat or Dead Cat". Talk to him.
• Steve is a nervous contestant on "Cat or Dead Cat". He wants to go to the bathroom, but Mark won't let him.
• Mark is a calm experienced contestant on "Cat or Dead Cat", but he's rather unhelpful.
• A series of cats are revealed to be either alive or dead in "Cat or Dead Cat". Usually dead.
• A disembodied voice tells you what prizes you've won on "Cat or Dead Cat".
• The strategist describes himself as the head honcho or in other words, your employer.
• Julian is a man in his early 20s. He's a contestant on The Ultimate Island. He wants to talk about conspiracy theories.
• Emily is a woman in her early 20s. She's a contestant on The Ultimate Island. She thinks that makes her a celebrity.
• The reality tv show director of The Ultimate Island is unkempt and nervous. And parched. He wants a drink.
• A camera crew are filming Julian and Emily at the fire pit.
• A tent of hot sweaty people can be seen from the beach.
• Reporters are waiting for you, the composite politician, to make a speech.
• All of humanity eventually gets integrated into a vast network of television watching cells. All individuality is lost.

Mentioned:

• "The Management" are in charge of this testing procedure, but they're behind the scenes. Presumably, the strategist is part of this group.
• An unseen audience is watching all the shows you participate in.
• The Rulers are the corporations in charge of everything. They are not human but have human rights by law.
• Numerous people are mentioned briefly in the snippets of conversation heard during a channel surfing sequence at the end of The Ultimate Island scene.

Credits

From the Credits menu option accessed via the ABOUT command:

Game written by Mike Vollmer using Inform 7 and extensions by Emily Short, Michael Martin, and Michael Callaghan. Tested by paxtonator, blaznazn, npc, and yourself2d.

Inventory

• a remote. It's on the table in the Box. Take it. Unfortunately, examining it doesn't tell you how the game expects you to use it. The command it wants is CHANGE CHANNEL TO NUMBER. Oddly, you can only change the channel to the number printed on the post-it note.
• a letter. It's on the table in the Box. Read it.
• a post-it note. It's on the table in the Box. Read it to learn what channel you should change to. The number on the note will change each time you return to the Box.
• a taser gun. You get it when you win the "Cat or Dead Cat" game show. On the beach of "The Ultimate Island", tase Julian with it when he restrains you from attacking the vending machine.
• a bucket containing some ice cubes. Found on the beach of "The Ultimate Island". Dump the ice on the fire at the fire pit; you can now take the coins there.
• Coins. They're in the fire in the fire pit. Dump the ice on the fire so you can take the coins. Put the coins into the vending machine on the beach then hit the vending machine. You still won't get the drink, but you'll now have a reason to tase Julian.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

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!

I create larger walkthroughs too! Please visit my Patreon account if you're interested in helping me create more interactive fiction walkthroughs. I appreciate all the help I can get! Thanks again.