Threediopolis is a Z-machine work of interactive fiction written with Inform 7 and is © 2013 by Andrew Schultz (writing as "Ned Yompus"). It was an entry in IF Comp 2013 where it took 7th place. At the 2013 XYZZY Awards, Threediopolis was a finalist in both the Best Puzzles and Best Individual Puzzle categories.
In this wordplay game, you play as a citizen of the multi-level city of Threediopolis in the year 2100. Today, you got lost and found Ed Dunn in a penthouse. He immediately hires you to visit several people and places, but his list is rather cryptic. Still, it includes all the addresses, so how hard can it be?
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 a work of interactive fiction. Please make an honest effort to play the work before reading this walkthrough.
(prologue)
> yes
> SPACE
Threediopolis, Sector 444
> x me. i.
> x package.
> x device. ("P" means "push the button")
> x needs. ("X" means "examine needs")
The goal of this game is to spell the words clued by your needs list but only using the letters U, D, N, S, E, and W, Going up or U spells a U; going down or D spells a D; and so on.
Note that when you reach the first location you're supposed to visit, you'll be told that for any private door, you should knock on the door (or just K for short), and for any public entrance, you should enter it (or just IN for short).
To begin a new travel path, always return to sector 444. The simplest way back is to push the button on your teleportation device (or just P for short).
To save time, you can enter your travel path as a single command. For example, to visit Dee, instead of going down, east, east, you can combine those directions to a single word: DEE. This is called fast travel, and I like how it streamlines this walkthrough.
Note that the travel path matters! SWEN, SEWN, and NEWS are all in your initial location, sector 444, but you won't find any of them unless you walk the walk and spell out their words.
> f. (Disables the fast-travel warning.)
> dee. k. (+1 for DEE @ 346)
> deeds. in. (+1 for DEEDS @ 236)
> den. in. (+1 for DEN @ 355)
> des. k. (+1 for DES @ 335)
> deus. in. (+1 for DEUS @ 435)
> dew. in. (+1 for DEW @ 344)
> dns. in. (+1 for DNS @ 344)
> dudes. in. (+1 for DUDES @ 335)
> duds. in. (+1 for DUDS @ 334)
> dunes. in. (+1 for DUNES @ 445)
> edu. in. (+1 for EDU @ 445)
> ewen. k (+1 for EWEN @ 455)
> ewes. in. (+1 for EWES @ 435)
> ned. k. (+1 for NED @ 355)
> newduds. in. (+1 for NEW DUDS @ 344)
> news. in. (+1 for NEWS @ 444)
> nudes. in. (+1 for NUDES @ 445)
> nuns. in. (+1 for NUNS @ 554)
> see. in. 0. (Don't use a hint from the scope.)
> seeds. in. (+1 for SEEDS @ 326)
> send. in. (+1 for SEND @ 345)
> senses. in. (+1 for SENSES @ 426)
> sew. in. (+1 for SEW @ 434)
> sewed. in. (+1 for SEWED @ 335)
> sewn. in. (+1 for SEWN @ 444)
> snus. in. (+1 for SNUS @ 534)
> suds. in. (+1 for SUDS @ 424)
> sue. k. (+1 for SUE @ 535)
> suede. in. (+1 for SUEDE @ 436)
> sun. in. (+1 for SUN @ 544)
> suse. in. (+1 for SUSE @ 525)
> sweden. in. (+1 for SWEDEN @ 345)
> swen. k. (+1 for SWEN @ 444)
> unseen. in. (+1 for UNSEEN @ 556)
> unused. in. (+1 for UNUSED @ 545)
> unwed. in. (+1 for UNWED @ 454)
> usedduds. in. (+1 for USED DUDS @ 325)
> weeds. in. (+1 for WEEDS @ 335)
> weenees. in. (+1 for WEENEES @ 447)
> wedded. in. (+1 for WEDDED @ 145)
> wendee. k. (+1 for WENDEE @ 356)
> wes. k. (+1 for WES @ 434)
> wusses. in. (+1 for WUSSES @ 514)
> suss.
Threediopolis, Sector 514
Normally, if you needed help, you'd answer Y to the guy:
But in this case, the guy runs away. So, instead, go IN to earn this point:
Threediopolis, Sector 444
This is your last chance to obtain up to three hints from the scope at the SEE location, but in this walkthrough, you don't need any hints, do you?
> x. eddunn. in. yes. (+1 for ED DUNN @ 365)
Ed is very pleased with your work and suggests that you should play freeware games all day.
*** The End ***
There's a few other words I think you should know about:
This is very much a solo adventure with brief cameos by everyone else. Oftentimes, the game doesn't mention the people you're meeting at all, prefering to focus instead on the objects given and received.
Mentioned:
The response to CREDITS is:
Thanks to (alphabetized by first name) DJ Hastings, Geoff Moore, Jim Warrenfeltz, Kevin Jackson-Mead, Melvin Rangasamy (who also provided I6 coding help), and Wade Clarke, who also designed the cover art that gave me a few extra ideas.
Heartless Zombie provided hash code for a previous game, which, simplified, facilitated the user input here.
Tangential thanks to PERL creators/maintainers and more importantly the people who created and maintained Inform.
By the way, the source code and a logical walkthrough should be readily available if you want to get all the points and easter eggs. I hope nothing is too obscure or unfair.
All endings end with The End, but they're not all the same ending.
The response to SCORE is:
You have completed your-score of 45 searching tasks. You can look at your list (just type X) for what's left.
This is the response to X, re-formatted and edited to show both the target words and their respective clues side-by-side.
**************ED DUNN'S NEEDS**************
LOOKING IN MIDDLE OF JOURNEY IS USELESS.
--friends mostly super near:
- DEE = pal@346,
- DES = pal (English name)@335,
- EWEN = near pal (Scottish-Canadian name)@455,
- NED = pal@355,
- SUE = pal (female)@535,
- SWEN = near pal@444,
- WENDEE = far pal@356,
- WES = pal@434
--super near:
- DEN = Visit ultimate super-private man-cave and report@355,
- DEW = Park with wet grass@344,
- DNS = Chat with my web service@344,
- EDU = Visit online learning center's physical home@445,
- SEE = A powerful spying telescope, to help you find somewhere on here@436 (up to 3 hints),
- SEW = Repair holes in my clothes@434,
- SUN = Soak Up Vitamin D@544
--near:
- DEUS = Church where Latin is spoken@435,
- DUDS = Clothes, new or used@334,
- EWES = Sheep's milk@435,
- NEWS = Information--for you and me@444,
- NUNS = A conventional convent@554,
- SEND = Package handling and deployment@345,
- SEWN = Handmade clothes with love in every stitch, 1@444,
- SNUS = Smokeless tobacco (for others, natch)@534,
- SUDS = Root Beer &/or Cream Soda@424,
- SUSE = New Linux system--boo Windows 27@525,
- SUSS = Get a free hint@514
--kinda far:
- DEEDS = pay property tax@236,
- DUDES = cowboy hat and boots@335,
- DUNES = sandy beaches@445,
- NUDES = ART not porn@445,
- SEEDS = stuff to grow in private garden@326,
- SEWED = handmade clothes with love in every stitch, 2@335,
- SUEDE = leathery clothes, not the fancy stuff@436,
- UNWED = Matchmaker--find That Someone@454,
- WEEDS = visit that vacant lot I loved as a kid@335
--far:
- EDDUNN = Return to Ed Dunn for evaluation and reward@365,
- SENSES = a smell test. And a taste test, I hear@426,
- SWEDEN = reserve Scandinavian vacation@345,
- UNSEEN = Invisible Institute secret docs@556,
- UNUSED = brand new stuff-in-general@545,
- WEDDED = new bride and groom stuff@145,
- WUSSES = the anti-athletic club@514
--real far:
- NEWDUDS = unworn clothes boutique@344,
- WEENEES = improperly vowelled hot dog hut@447
--extra far:
- USEDDUDS = 2nd-hand clothing boutique@325
Hm, he said it was alphabetized, but you have no clue what he was talking about.
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