Jesse Stavro's Doorway is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2014 by Marshal Tenner Winter. It was an entry in IF Comp 2014 where it took 19th place.
You play as Jordan Hickey, a young man who uses unstable Doors and Keys to travel in time and space. People like yourself are called Tourists. You're looking for your friend, Jesse Stavro, who's been on the run from more than one government agency in the last year. He might be hiding amongst the potheads in the faded yellow house.
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.
Under the Overpass2014
> x me. i. x satchel. open it. x journal.
> consult it about doors. (Some doors are unstable.)
> consult it about keys. (Special keys change an unstable door's destination.)
> consult it about warpers. (Warpers can choose when in time they arrive through an unstable door.)
> consult it about factions —or— consult it about tourists.
> consult it about absurdists. (They promote and celebrate chaos.)
> consult it about sealers. (They destroy the doors and keys.)
> consult it about department. (They want to control portal traffic.)
> consult it about luchtde. (They wanted to visit God; they were destroyed by Mr. Stillwater.)
> consult it about Stillwater. (Rumored to want to destroy reality.)
> consult it about instigators. (Mythical group who created the doors and keys.)
> x clothes. x house. x rock.
> e.
Church Street
> x trees. n. e. n.
Front Walk
> x grass. x detritus. n.
Front Porch
> x mat. n. (locked)
> se.
Front of House
> x window. ne.
Side of House
> x debris. search debris. x hammer. n.
Side Steps
> x door. open door. (locked)
> nw.
Back Yard
> x box. (has hole the size of a dog's head, hint hint)
> take box. x grass. sw.
Empty Lot
> x fence. ne. s.
Back Steps
> x keychain. take it. x door. s.
Kitchen
Once in the house, you will eventually see a wandering pit bull in an adjacent room. You may want to try to avoid encountering it, but it might enter your current room anyway. When you're in the same room with it, put box on dog. Otherwise, you'll soon run out of the house to the front porch to get away from it.
Note: If you don't have the box, there is a non-zero chance that in some encounters with the dog, you and the dog can eat up in a stalemate where neither of you can leave the other. I think it depends on where and how you meet the dog.
> x flies. x sink. x dishes. x counter. x stains. x cabinets.
> e.
Side Room
> x tapestries. x chair.
> n.
Downstairs Bedroom
The dresser has two drawers, top and bottom, but they're both empty.
> x mattress. x easel. x drawings. (Flower of Life mandala.)
> consult journal about flower of life.
> x end table. x paints. x dresser.
> s. s.
Room Corner
> x table. x chairs. x papers.
> x dice. x pencils. x books.
> w.
Downstairs Room
> x that clothes. x figure. x trash. x CDs. x sofa.
> x posters. x Pixies. x Marley.
> w. u. u.
Top of Stairs
> x carpet. w.
Bathroom
> x tub. x toilet. x sink. x mirror.
> open mirror. look in mirror. (empty)
> close mirror. e. e.
Hall
> x door. n.
Bedroom (the north one)
> x garden. x pot plants. x AC. x humidifier.
> x lights. x window. x tinfoil.
> search pot plants. (You take a nugget.)
> x nugget.
> s. e.
Bottom of Attic Stairs
> x mandala. ne.
Bedroom (the northeast one)
> x woman. x trunk. x belongings. (gun in there?)
> x bed. x dresser. x desk. x chair.
> talk to woman.
NOTE: You can abbreviate "ask her about" to "a".
> a herself. (She's Lydia Blackheart, a sealer. She's here to destroy a portal.)
> a Jesse. (You say that Jesse is also known as Steve Rojas. She tells he was with Zach in the attic, and since she can't get in there, she intends to burn the house down.)
> a Joe. (She calls him "The Infamous Senator".)
> a mandala. (She doesn't care.)
> a sealing. (She says you have an hour or so until her ride gets here.)
> sw. e.
Bedroom (the east one)
> x man. x aquarium. x table. x mattress.
> x projector. x stars. x lamp.
> talk to man. (doesn't respond)
You need to turn off all the lights to get his attention.
> turn off lamp. turn off projector. turn off aquarium.
> a himself. (He's Riley Waldron.)
> a Lydia. a Joe. (Joseph McCarthy, a namesake.)
> a Jesse. (As Steve, he was with Zach.)
> a Zach. a attic.
He says they want to see The Grateful Dead in 1977. He has both the attic key and portal key. He heads for the attic.
> w. n. n.
Attic Lair2014
> x window. x sofa. x table. x coffee table.
> x table mess. x bong. x hubcap. x trash.
> x tapestries. x stereo. x CDs. x closet.
You can enter the closet, but it's completely empty.
> talk to Riley. a 1977.
Riley shows the portal key: a statuette of Siva. He activates the portal, telling you that without him, you won't travel in time, but he can warp the time aspect. Then you both walk through to...
Filthy Rest Room1977
> x stall. x single toilet. x sink. x mirror.
> x graffiti. ("You made it")
> x machine. turn crank. take condom. x it.
> x door. n.
Parking Lot
Some young people are having engine trouble with their VW bus.
> x woman. x boy. x Melvin. x man. x Sep.
> x bus. x engine. x gas station.
> talk to Sep. a Sep.
> a Gwendy. (Sep's girlfriend.)
> a Melvin. (Gwendy's brother.)
> a thermostat. (You offer to look for one.)
Feel free to skip talking to Gwendy and Melvin, but they offer no new information.
> talk to Gwendy. a herself. a Sep. a Melvin.
> talk to Melvin. a himself. a Sep. a Gwendy.
Getting on with it:
> take toolbox. open it. x crowbar.
> x flashlight. take it.
> sw. (boarded door is locked)
> pry boards with hammer. sw.
Darkness / Abandoned Store
> turn on flashlight.
> take brochure. read it. (You're in Weed, California.)
> x shelves. x counter. x ceiling.
> n.
Garage
> x lift. x controls. push release button.
> x car. open trunk. (empty)
> open engine. x thermostat. take it.
> s. ne.
Parking Lot
Riley tells you the portal back to the yellow house no longer works.
> turn off flashlight.
> give thermostat to Sep.
The bus is fixed and everyone gets in on the road to San Fran.
Inside the VW Bus
You're prompted to talk to Riley.
> talk to Riley. a next portal. z. z.
You tell Sep that you and Riley came from Maryland.
The bus stops, out of gas. You and Melvin are now looking to syphon gas from somewhere.
Darkness / Dark road
Melvin is suspicious. You auto-ask about his book.
> turn on flashlight. w. nw.
Outside Gate
You need both hands free to climb.
> put all in satchel. climb gate.
Inside Gate
Melvin threw the gas can and hose over the fence before climbing. He does not pick them up.
> take all. n.
Junky Path
> x cars. ne.
Clearing in the Junk
> x car. take cap. syphon car.
Melvin hears a vehicle. You need to avoid the owner, so circle through the junk the other way, and wait a turn partway through.
> w. z. sw. se. s.
I tried to enter the garage here, and maybe that counted as a 'wait one turn'. Need to test the timing.
Outside Gate
You automatically grab the can, but not the hose. You don't need the hose, but why leave evidence?
> take hose.
> se. e.
Dark Road
Sep takes the gas can. Riley tells you the next portal is in Chinatown. You note it's unhealthy mentally to be in the wrong time for too long.
Inside the VW Bus
Would you believe it took me a few turns to realize that the bus had stopped and everyone else got out? Don't I look foolish.
> out.
Crowded Lot (near the VW bus)
> look. x deadheads. x old hippy.
> ask old hippy about Jesse. (He refers you to Adriana, who should be dancing in the drum circle.)
> e.
Crowded Lot (near the drum circle)
> x drums. x dancers.
> enter circle. dance. x Adriana.
> ask Adriana about Jesse. (She says he was staying with vegans; check with the vendors.)
> out. s.
Crowded Lot (near the vendors)
You didn't really need to talk to either the old hippy or Adriana, but you do need to ask one of these two about Jesse.
> x vendors. x trinkets. x grill. x grilling man. x woman.
> ask grilling man about Jesse. (He's looking for tickets, west.)
> ask woman about Jesse. (She points west.)
> w.
Crowded Lot (within the crowd)
Because you got directed here, Zach is now here and calls Riley over. Zach says Jesse is inside already.
> ask Zach about ticket. (He tells you to "find ticket".)
> find ticket.
A hippy woman offers a ticket for $20, but you have no money. She asks if you have anything to trade.
>> yes
> show pot to woman. (You trade the pot for a ticket.)
> x ticket.
> s. e.
Sidewalk (near the entrance)
> x bouncer. e.
Sidewalk (near the dumpster)
Climbing the dumpster and entering the window here is an alternate way inside, but only if you can't get a ticket because you didn't bring any pot from the yellow house to trade with.
> x dumpster. x window. w.
Sidewalk (near the entrance)
> show ticket to bouncer.
> s. (Ticket-less Riley will meet you inside later.)
Corridor
> x photographs. s. w. n.
Men's Room
Several times while inside the venue, you'll get several reminders how you look out of place in this crowd.
> x stalls. x sinks. x mirror. (You have short hair.)
> s. e. e.
Concessions
> x workers. x counter. x registers. x signs. x menu.
> x door. n.
Store Room
> x supplies.
> s. w. s.
General Audience
> x lights. s.
Near Stage
You need to visit here and return north.
> x stage. x instruments. n.
General Audience
The main lights go out, and the stage lights up. The Grateful Dead are now on stage. You also see someone in the crowd who isn't a hippy or deadhead.
> x Dead. x man. talk to man. (He can't hear you here.)
> n.
Junction
The concert begin behind you as you and Haker Ix arrive here. Haker Ix is an Absurdist. He tells you that Jesse was here last night but has gone on to a portal in Chinatown.
> save.
> ask Haker about next portal.
He has the key to it: his earring. He wants Riley's Siva statuette in exchange. And he knows about you from Lydia. Then he tries to hit you!
Your best strategy is to hit Haker twice with the crowbar or hammer, but you can still lose because it's randomized how often attacks actually land. If you do lose the fight, either UNDO and try again, or restore back to your save point before the fight starts.
> hit Haker with crowbar. g. (Repeat until you Haker is defeated.)
When Haker is unconscious:
> take earring.
Washington Street
> x earring. x mural. n.
Wentworth Lane
> x laundry. x painted door. ("LSD" for Lucky Star Diner)
> w.
Lucky Star Diner
> smell. x patrons. x tables.
There's two ways to get a secret room. Do you want to go through the men's room or go through the kitchen?
Lucky Star Diner
> n.
Short Hall
> x board. x notices. n.
Men's Room
> x stall. x sink. x mirror. x machine.
> turn on machine. (A secret door is revealed to the west.)
> x secret door. open it. w.
Jump to Chapter 5, part 3.
Lucky Star Diner
> w.
Lucky Star Kitchen
> x cooks. x machinery. nw.
Porter's Area
> x dirty. x clean. x machine.
> open machine. x machine. (You see an opening in the wall.)
> enter machine. ne.
Secret Room
By the way, the secret door to the east and the secret hatch to the southwest can only be opened from their other sides.
> x light.
> n. ne. n.
The Door Room
CAUTION: The door is electrified. Don't touch anything here yet.
> x graffiti. ("Buridan's Bridge", a Junction of Doors)
> x wires. (which? red, blue, or green?)
> x red wire. (connected to drywall)
> x blue wire. (connected to drywall)
> x green wire. (connected to metal frame)
> w. w.
Pool Room
> x windows. x pool. enter pool. se.
Flooded Chamber
CAUTION: Pulling the red or blue wire here is fatal.
> x box. open it. x panel.
> pull green. (Are you sure?)
>> yes
A hum fades to nothing.
> nw. out. e. e.
The Door Room1997
> enter door.
Parking Lot (near room 2)2014
> read door. ("Welcome to Buridan's Bridge")
> give earring to Lydia. (She leaves through the door.)
*** This timeline ends here ... for now. ***
This is the winning ending. You never found Jesse, you need transportation, and you need a new destination, but at least you're back in your proper time.
Named characters:
Unnamed individuals:
Groups:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
Playtesters: Geoff Moore, Francisco Tortorici, Jason Lautzenheiser, Hanon Ondricek, Mike "Jizaboz" Phipps, Neil Butters, and Daniel Stelzer. Cover photo by Anna Hoge.
You have an inventory limit of seven items, not counting clothing. Excess items should go into your satchel.
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