The Gostak

solution

The Gostak was written in Inform and is © 2004 by Carl Muckenhoupt.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release ?? of the game that was released as part of the ??th Annual IF Competition.

Delcot

This game is in nonsense English. If you've any hope of figuring out what to type, you need to look at the help. But what is "help"? Well, in many Z-code games, part of the header will say something like "New players should type ABOUT." So when this game says "(For a jallon, louk JALLON.)", you may not know yet what a 'jallon' is, but it is a hint that you should type JALLON, and that 'louk' probably means 'type'.

>jallon. (Then hit Enter again to see the "Dedges".)

Bewly dedges Common commands
This is a halpock. As in all halpocks, you doatch at it about what to do in a camling by louking murr English dedges, and the halpock louks back. Durly, you could rask a chuld (if you rebbed one) by louking: This is a game. As in all games, you tell it about what to do in a turn by typing simple English commands, and the game types back. For example, you could take a banana (if you saw one) by typing:
  >RASK THE CHULD
  Rasked.		   >TAKE THE BANANA
  Taken.
You could then tunk the chuld, or pob it at a tendo, or whatever: You could then examine the banana, or give it to a monkey, or whatever:
  >DURCH CHULD
  Nothing heamy results.		   >WAVE BANANA
  Nothing important results.
  >POB MY CHULD AT THE GHARMY TENDO
  The tendo leils it.		   >GIVE MY BANANA TO THE HUNGRY MONKEY
  The monkey eats it.
You can use multiple objects with some dapes: You can use multiple objects with some verbs:
  >RASK THE GELN, THE POTCHNER, AND THE FACK
  >POB ALL EXCEPT DRAGUE		   >TAKE THE GELN, THE POTCHNER, AND THE FACK
  >DROP ALL EXCEPT DRAGUE
You can also louk multiple dedges by using "." or THEN: You can also type multiple commands by using "." or THEN:
  >RASK GELN THEN RASK POTCHNER. POB FACK.   >TAKE GELN THEN TAKE POTCHNER. DROP FACK.
One very heamy dape is TUNK. You'll be using TUNK a lot, so you can disengope it to T: One very important verb is EXAMINE. You'll be using EXAMINE a lot, so you can shorten it to X:
  >T TENDO
  The tendo isn't gharmy now that it's leiled a chuld.		   >X MONKEY
  The monkey isn't hungry now that it's eaten a banana.
The halpock recognises many other dapes! Try anything. If the halpock louks a dape, maybe you can louk it back. The game recognises many other verbs! Try anything. If the game types a verb, maybe you can type it back.
[Please louk SPACE.] [Please type SPACE.]
Pelling Going
To pell from deave to deave, just louk with that fesh! You must also louk the lutt to pell at. To go from place to place, just type with that topic! You must also type the direction to go to.
  >PELL AT THE LOFF LUTT
  >PELL AT LOFF		   >GO TO THE EAST DIRECTION
  >GO TO EAST
You can also louk this less gopely: You can also type this less long-ly:
  >PELL L   >GO E
...or even:...or even:
  >L  >E
Likewise, HOFF can be disengoped to H, JIHOFF to JH, and so on. Likewise, WEST can be shortened to W, SOUTHWEST to SW, and so on.
You can also pell at deaves. If you rebbed a mosteg, you could: You can also go to places. If you saw a cottage, you could:
  >PELL AT THE MOSTEG
  >GOMB THE MOSTEG		   >GO TO THE COTTAGE
  >ENTER THE COTTAGE
Of course, you can't pell at all lutts from all deaves. And even if you could, there are glauds... Of course, you can't go to all directions from all places. And even if you could, there are barriers...
[Please louk SPACE.] [Please type SPACE.]
Doatching Conversation
Doatching is sloagy in this halpock, and a gope tunder of brolges. If you reb someone to doatch at, louk: Conversation is easy in this game, and a big source of hints. If you see someone to talk to, type:
  >DOATCH ABOUT something AT someone   >TALK ABOUT something TO someone
or:or:
  >DOATCH AT someone ABOUT something   >TALK TO someone ABOUT something
The fesh of your doatching can be anything you've rebbed or anything someone has doatched at you about. The topic of your conversation can be anything you've seen or anything someone has talked to you about.
As in other halpocks, you can also doatch dedges for others by using the fetticle (","). To doatch at a pank to rask a koshle, you would louk: As in other games, you can also say commands for others by using the comma (","). To tell a kid to take a toy, you would type:
  >PANK, RASK THE KOSHLE   >KID, TAKE THE TOY
...but in this halpock, such dedges will never do anything heamy. ...but in this game, such commands will never do anything important.
[Please louk SPACE.] [Please type SPACE.]
Heamy dapes Important verbs
There are some heamy dapes for dedges about the halpock itself: There are some important verbs for commands about the game itself:
QUIT: Quits the halpock.QUIT: Quits the game.
SAVE/RESTORE: These dapes let you regomb the halpock to an osta. SAVE tunds the halpock to your feshary, and RESTORE regombs it. SAVE/RESTORE: These verbs let you reenter the game at a next [time]. SAVE makes the game in your directory, and RESTORE reenters it.
RESTART: Regombs the halpock as it was before you louked any dedges at all. RESTART: Reenters the game as it was before you typed any commands at all.
UNDO: Undoes the osta camling, as if it had been distunked. UNDO: Undoes the last turn, as if it had been uncreated.
AGAIN (or G): Relouks your dedge from the osta camling. AGAIN (or G): Retypes your command from the last turn.
OOPS (or O): Oopses a mislouk in the osta dedge. Whatever you louk in the dedge with OOPS will be oopsed into the mislouk. OOPS (or O): Replace a typo in the last command. Whatever you type in the command with OOPS will be replaced for the typo.
VERBOSE/BRIEF/SUPERBRIEF: Rikes the halpock's louking when you gomb a deave. VERBOSE louks gope tunkage of deaves whenever you gomb them. BRIEF louks gope tunkage of deaves if you haven't been there before, and ungope tunkage otherwise. SUPERBRIEF always louks ungope tunkage of deaves. VERBOSE/BRIEF/SUPERBRIEF: Changes the game's output when you enter a place. VERBOSE types big description of places whenever you enter them. BRIEF types big description of places if you haven't been there before, and small description otherwise. SUPERBRIEF always types small description of places.
REB (or R): Louks gope tunkage of your deave. LOOK (or L): Types big description of your location.
SCORE: Louks your pellage in the halpock. SCORE: Types your distance in the game.
MILM (or M): Tunks your raskage. INVENTORY (or I): Examines your belongings.
SCRIPT ON/SCRIPT OFF: SCRIPT ON tunds a pashual of the halpock to your feshary or tavidlouker. SCRIPT OFF undoes SCRIPT ON. SCRIPT ON/SCRIPT OFF: SCRIPT ON makes a transcript of the game to your directory or printer. SCRIPT OFF undoes SCRIPT ON.
ZONCHA (or Z): Zonchas for a camling. WAIT (or Z): Waits for a turn.
[Please louk SPACE.] [Please type SPACE.]