His Majesty's Royal Space Navy Service Handbook is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2023 by Austin Auclair. It was an entry in SeedComp 2023 where it took 2nd place overall. At the 2023 IFDB Awards, it won the Outstanding Worldbuilding award.
In this small game, you play as Sheryl Swift, Sub-Lieutenant of the Human Resources Command of His Majesty Smurg IV, the Decisive's Royal Space Navy. It's after hours, but you can't go home until you find all eight chapters of the service handbook that your subordinates were working on, finished or not.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
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>> yes —or— no
Read the content warning?
>> yes —or— no
Human Resources Command
> verbs.
> x me. x Muck. talk to Muck.
The robot swallows something it shouldn't.
> search Muck. (Not while it's active.)
> x cubicles. (Zhang's cubicle is notable.)
> x Sheryl cubicle.
> x Zhang cubicle. x swag. search it.
> x computer. access it. (password?)
>> Smurg
Sheryl reads a SmurgMail from Hua Zhang to grab his spare coat. But she doesn't find his chapter.
> mission.
> s.
Lieutenant's Office
> x desk. (You learn that Bucchanan takes documents into the bathroom to read.)
> look under desk. (You find a chapter! "Look under" is no longer needed.)
> i. x Conduct.
> x couch. x armchairs. x trolley.
> x portrait. x cabinets.
> n. w.
Restroom
> x Canker. (an actual sailor mopping the floor and listening to music on headphones)
You think of something on your desk?
> e.
Human Resources Command
> x Sheryl desk. (She grabs a small device from the top drawer.)
> x device. w.
Restroom
> give drive to Canker. (not without talking to him first)
> talk to Canker. (He tells you to wait; he just mopped.)
> g. (One stall is still occupied.)
> g. (He likes to dance.)
> g. (You confess you've never danced.)
> g. (He dances at The Broken Wave. Also he's tiring of his headphones' music.)
> give drive to Canker. (He accepts it and leaves.)
> x note. (You recall that Piego was sneezing and her papers flew everywhere.)
> x sink. x mirror. x stall.
> x shoes. talk to shoes. ("Occupied")
> g. g. (It's Midshipman Nuznik from Engineering.)
> g. g. (Nuznik throws a chapter over the stall door.)
> i. x Procedures.
> e. n.
Welcome Area
> x couches. look behind couches. (Chapter found!; "look behind" removed)
> i. x Payroll.
> x chairs. x table. x magazines.
> search magazines. smell magazines. (Berker farted at lunch.)
> w.
Coat Closet
> x umbrella. (You remember Andris using the fax.)
> x clothing.
> search clothing. (You find Zhang's chapter in his satchel beside his forgotten coat. "Search" removed.)
> i. x Property.
> x racks. x pigeonholes.
> e. s. e.
Hallway
> x windows. x conduit.
> n.
Supplies
> x duplicator. x bins. x paper.
> x fax. search fax. access fax. (You found a chapter! "Access" removed.)
> i. x Termination.
> s.
Hallway
> x window. e.
Break Room
> x tables. x chairs. x art.
> x kitchenette. (cabinets, counter, fridge)
> x note. (re refilling the coffee supplies)
> x fridge. open it.
> x counter. x macrowave. open it.
> x cabinets. open cabinets.
> smell. (There is a stink in here somewhere.)
> smell chairs. (You find a chapter; "smell" removed.)
> x Discipline.
> w.
Hallway
> x window. s.
Conference Room
> x table. x chairs.
> x box. take box. ("Take" is no longer used.)
> x lighting. x counter. x sink. x maker.
> smell box. (Text dump! Sheryl remembers her father.)
After reading the memo on the break room fridge:
> open counter. (You find the "Benefits" chapter! "Open" removed.)
> x Benefits.
> n.
Hallway
As should be obvious by now, the scene outside the window changes every time you re-enter the hallway.
> x window. (It's a rebel attack!)
> n. s.
> x window.
Amid the chaos, you see a drifting RSN corvette and a sailor outside it trying to fix something.
> x corvette —or— x sailor.
> n. s.
> x window. (Rebels approach the lone sailor.)
> n. s.
> x window. (The lone sailor argues with the rebels.)
> n. s.
> x window. (The sailor knows the rebel officer.)
> n. s.
> x window. (The corvette is being towed.)
> n. s.
> x window. (The drama there is over.)
> w.
Human Resources Command
After knowing about Piego's sneeze:
> drop box. (Muck sucks the clips up and grinds to a halt.)
> open robot. (You find the last chapter!)
> z. (Or any other command.)
An unexpected event happens and Sheryl's situation improves. Later at home, Sheryl remembers "The Broken Wave".
*** Thank you very much for playing my game! ***
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
***
His Majesty's Royal Space Navy Service Handbook
An Interactive Fiction by Austin Auclair
Release 1 / Serial number 230305 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N)Contact me at
email redacted.This game was developed for the 2023 Seed Comp. Visit https://seedcomp.org for details. The seed that inspired this game was created by Pinkunz.
These are the Inform 7 extensions used in this game:
- Inanimate Listeners by Emily Short.
- Exit Lister by Eric Eve.
- Gender Speedup by Nathanael Nerode.
- Unicode Character Names by Graham Nelson.
- Basic Screen Effects by Emily Short
- Hybrid Choices by Aw Freyr.
I am grateful for:
- Liz and Henry.
- My testers: Amanda Walker, Mike Russo, Garry Francis, Karona, Max Fouquet O'Garra, Chris Klimas, and Joel Haddock.
You're supposed to drop the files off at COMSEC when you have them all, but something unexpected will happen when you have them all, so don't worry about what to do with the chapters. Just collect 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!
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.
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