Reference and Representation: An Approach to First-Order Semantics is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2016 by Ryan Veeder.
In this short game about abstract thought, knowledge acquistion, and survival, you play as a caveman before language was invented. Your mate sits on the furs, clutching her head, and squeezing her eyes shut. You don't understand a lot of what your mate does, but when you act like that, your head hurts. Does her head hurt? You don't want her to hurt. Go find that special tree bark she likes to chew on.
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.
Cave
> x me. x mate. (Her head is hurting. Go find that special tree bark she likes.)
> x furs. x axe. take it.
> out.
Tunnel
> x walls. out.
The game attempts to explain compass directions.
Clearing
> x mastodon. x spear. take it.
> x dirt.
> n.
Woods
> x trees.
> s. s. s.
Hilltop
> cut bark with axe. x bark.
> d.
Hillside
You think about the bug that looked like a leaf. Then you think about one thing can look like another sort of thing on purpose.
You then realize your mate's dirt arrangement looks like the surrounding area.
> x dirt. (The mounds are hills; the furrows are streams.)
> d.
Clearing
You realize that the Tyrannosaurus is smelling the dead mastodon and will crush the dirt thing! You have to stop it!
> in.
Tunnel
> x walls. (You realize it's a painting of you killing the mastodon.)
> in.
Cave
> give bark to mate. (You hear a crunching noise.)
> out. out.
Clearing
> x map. (hills north and south; streams west and east)
> e.
Creek
> n. (no: water too treacherous)
> s.
Unfamiliar Area / Big Rock
> x rock. x stream. w.
Other Cave
> x walls. (hunter has a pole with a hook for throwing a spear)
> x skull. (human)
> e. e. e. e.
Cemetery
> x tree. (has straight branches)
> x graves.
> cut branch. (The bulge at the end could be a hook.)
> cut bulge. (You've made a spear-thrower; an atlatl.)
> put spear in atlatl.
> w. w. n.
Woods
> z. (repeat uniil it's here.)
> throw spear at eyes. SPACE
*** But you're not a total idiot. ***
Found dead:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
Thank you for playing this game. Thank you for typing "about" or whatever you just typed.
I wrote this game in January of 2016 after fantasizing about writing "a caveman game" for at least six months. Then for Certain Reasons I didn't release it until April of 2016. If you enjoyed my caveman game then you should hit me up on Twitter (@rcveeder) or email me (
email redacted) or rate it on ifdb.tads.org or something. ANYTHING. COME ONExtreme thanks to my beta testers: Fallon Brady, Zach Hodgens, Jenni Polodna, Emily Boegheim.
Also thanks to the Patreon supporters who supported the release of this game via Patreon (patreon.com/rcveeder)! They are: Thomas Bøvith, A. Johanna DeNiro, Carl Muckenhoupt, Carolyn VanEseltine, Cat Manning, Darius Katz, David Simon, Doug Orleans, Janice M. Eisen, Emily Boegheim, Emily Short, Jason Baldus, Jason McIntosh, Jenni Polodna, Maiko Ziegler, Derek Sotak, Rich Cheng, Jeff Lindsay, Simon Carless, Matthew Zimmermann, Stuart Lloyd, Hamish McIntyre, Steven McKinney, Sammy El-Bahrawy, Zachary Hodgens, Jacques Frechet, and Jenelle Wierman.
One paragraph in this game was copied out of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. You'll know it when you see it.
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.
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!