Key & Compass presents: The Magnificent Museum of Masterly Masterworks by Nils Fagerburg
The Magnificent Museum of Masterly Masterworks is a Glulx interactive fiction work written with Inform 7 and is © 2020 by Nils Fagerburg (as "Inverted Normals"). It was an entry in Event One of the Second Quadrennial Ryan Veeder Exposition for Good Interactive Fiction in 2020 where it took 5th place.
In this puzzleless work of interactive fiction, you may tour a small museum of art pieces inspired by the interactive fiction works of Ryan Veeder. The source code is also presented as artwork.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the work.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction work. Please make an honest effort to play the work before reading this walkthrough.
Walkthrough
ArtsyPhoto- graphy Hallway
NiftyGallery of Beautiful Paintings
SuperbStatue Exposition Room
Nifty Gallery of Beautiful Paintings
Odd spacing in the painting descriptions.
> x ship. (inspired by Captain Verdeterre)
> x woman. (of Allison Chase)
> x cops. (inspired by Taco Fiction)
> e.
Superb Statue Exposition Room
> x dinosaur. (inspired by The Island of Doctor Wooby)
> x bust. (of Allison Chase)
> x snowman. (has wine bottle nose and Slytherine robes)
> w. w.
Artsy Photography Hallway
> x cat. (of Gideon the cat)
> x rat. (of an unkempt brown rat)
> x montage. (of Allison Chase and hearts)
Although you can take all nine exhibited items, there's no reason to. Just look at the items then quit.
> quit.
Artwork
The source code itself was presented as art like so:
" T h e M a g n i f i c e n t M u s e u m o f M a s t e r l y M a s t e r w o r k s " b y I n v e r t e d N o r m a l s T h e N i f t y G a l l e r y o f B e a u t i f u l P a i n t i n g s i s a r o o m . " A w e l l l i t r o o m w i t h p a i n t i n g s h a n g i n g o n t h e w a l l s . I t a l s o h a s t w i s t y l i t t l e p a s s a g e s h e a d i n g t o t h e e a s t a n d t o t h e w e s t . " . T h e p a i n t i n g o f a s h i p i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " T h e p a i n t i n g s h o w s a b e a u t i f u l g a l l e o n ( y o u s u p p o s e , y o u c a n ' t r e a l l y t e l l t h o s e o l d s h i p s a p a r t ) f l o a t i n g i n a m a j e s t i c m a n n e r o n o n e o f t h e s e v e n s e a s ( t h e C a r i b b e a n i f y o u h a d t o g u e s s ) . A s m a l l r a t w i t h a r e a l l y c o o l p i r a t e h a t i s p o s i n g o n t h e d e c k . L o o k i n g c l o s e l y y o u s e e h e i s w i e l d i n g a j a m b i y a . " . T h e p a i n t i n g o f a b e a u t i f u l w o m a n i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " T h e w o m a n i s s o s o b e a u t i f u l . S h e i s a l s o q u i t e s c a n t i l y c l a d . O n t h e b o t t o m o f t h e f r a m e i s a l i t t l e p l a t e w h i c h s a y s : ' A l l i s o n C h a s e ' . S o m e o n e d r e w a l i t t l e h e a r t w i t h a b r i g h t p i n k s h a r p i e n e x t t o t h e n a m e . " . T h e p a i n t i n g o f a p a i r o f c o p s i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " O n t h i s c a n v a s i s a p a i r ( o r i s i t * a r e * a p a i r ? t h e r e ' s o n l y o n e p a i r b u t t h e r e a r e t w o c o p s . . . ) o f p o l i c e o f f i c e r s . T h e o n e o n t h e l e f t i s b l o n d e a n d t h e o n e o n t h e r i g h t h a s a g r e a t b i g m u s t a c h e . T h e y a r e b o t h s i t t i n g i n s o m e k i n d o f b o o t h , e a t i n g s o m e d e l i c i o u s l o o k i n g t a c o s . T h e y h a v e l i t t l e n a m e t a g s t h a t i d e n t i f y t h e m a s R a e a n d B o b . " . T h e A r t s y P h o t o g r a p h y H a l l w a y i s w e s t o f T h e N i f t y G a l l e r y . " H e r e i n t h e a r t s y p h o t o g r a p h y h a l l w a y o n e c a n f i n d f r a m e d p h o t o g r a p h s . O n e c a n a l s o f i n d t h e w a y b a c k t o t h e p a i n t i n g s g a l l e r y b y g o i n g o f f t o t h e e a s t . " . T h e p h o t o o f a c a t i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " A b l a c k a n d w h i t e p h o t o g r a p h o f a w h i t e c a t . T h e c a t h a s a f e w b l a c k s p o t s o n t h e e n d o f i t s t a i l . T h e s l i g h t o v e r e x p o s u r e o f t h e p h o t o m a k e s t h e c a t l o o k a l m o s t g h o s t l i k e . B e l o w t h e p h o t o i s a n a m e p l a t e t h a t s a y s : ' G i d e o n t h e c a t ' . " . T h e p h o t o g r a p h o f a r a t i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " I t ' s a n u n k e m p t b r o w n r a t . Y o u d o n ' t k n o w w h y a n y o n e w o u l d t a k e a p i c t u r e o f t h i s p a r t i c u l a r r a t . " . T h e p h o t o m o n t a g e i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " Y o u s e e a l a r g e m o n t a g e o f p h o t o g r a p h s o f a n e l e g a n t l a d y w i t h b a n g s . T h e r e a r e l i t e r a l l y t e n s o f p h o t o g r a p h s o f h e r . I t s e e m s l i k e s o m e o n e i s a t a d o b s e s s e d . A m o n g t h e p h o t o s , i n c u t o u t p i n k a n d r e d l e t t e r s , i s t h e n a m e ' A l l i s o n C h a s e ' . T h e r e a r e l o t s o f l i t t l e h e a r t s m i x e d i n a m o n g t h e p h o t o g r a p h s ( c r e e p i l y s o m e o f h e a r t s a r e a n a t o m i c a l l y c o r r e c t ) . " . T h e S u p e r b S t a t u e E x p o s i t i o n R o o m i s e a s t o f t h e N i f t y G a l l e r y . " T h e s t a t u e e x p o s i t i o n r o o m i s u s e d f o r t h r e e d i m e n s i o n a l p i e c e s . T h e w a y b a c k t o t h e p a i n t i n g s i s t h r o u g h l i t t l e d o o r w a y t o t h e w e s t . " . T h e l a r g e d i n o s a u r p l u s h i e i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " Y o u s e e a s m a l l f e l t d i n o s a u r . S h e i s s e w n o u t o f p e r i w i n k l e f e l t , a b o u t 3 f e e t t a l l , w i t h a g r a c e f u l n e c k a n d a b u n c h o f v i o l e t p l a t e s o n h e r b a c k . T h e d i n o s a u r l o o k s s l i g h t l y o v e r s t u f f e d . S h e ' s a l s o w e a r i n g a n a d o r a b l e l i t t l e c o w b o y h a t . A t i n y o r a n g e s i g n a t u r e i s s t i t c h e d o n t o h e r f o o t , i t ' s a t a d u n t i d y , b u t y o u c a n m a k e o u t : ' D o c t o r W o o b y ' . " . T h e h u g e s n o w m a n i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " U n d e r n e a t h a l a r g e a i r c o n d i t i o n i n g u n i t i s a h u g e s n o w m a n . I t s n o s e i s n ' t t h e u s u a l c a r r o t w h i c h w o u l d b e t o o s m a l l b u t r a t h e r i t i s m a d e f r o m a b o t t l e o f e x t r e m e l y c h e a p w i n e . T h e s n o w m a n h a s b l o n d h a i r a n d i s w i e l d i n g a h a w t h o r n w a n d a n d w e a r i n g S l y t h e r i n r o b e s . I t s e e m s l i k e t h e s c u l p t o r w a s s o m e w h a t c o n f u s e d w h e n t h e y a s s e m b l e d t h i s p i e c e . " . T h e b u s t o f a b e a u t i f u l w o m a n i s h e r e . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n i s " I t ' s a l o v e l y m a r b l e b u s t o f a b e a u t i f u l w o m a n . Y o u c a n ' t h e l p b u t f a l l i n l o v e w i t h h e r . C h i s e l e d i n t o t h e b a s e o f t h e b u s t y o u f i n d a n a m e : ' A l l i s o n C h a s e ' . " .
Inventory
Although you can pick up everything in the game, there's no need to do so. Just look at everything instead.
In the Nifty Gallery of Beautiful Paintings:
a painting of a ship .
a painting of a beautiful woman .
a painting of a pair of cops .
In the Superb Statue Exposition Room:
a large dinosaur plushie .
a huge snowman .
a bust of a beautiful woman .
In the Artsy Photography Hallway:
a photo of a cat .
a photograph of a rat .
a photo montage .
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IF Works
Last updated: 28 Sep 2020 2020-09-28: Walkthrough first published. davidwelbourn(a)hotmail*com