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Key & Compass presents:
To Catch A Dragonfly
by Andrew Metzger

To Catch A Dragonfly is a TADS 3 interactive fiction game and is © 2011 by Andrew Metzger. It was a participant in the Thanksgiving Speed-IF event in 2011.

In this small game, you play as an electrical engineer, maybe? Anyway, you were getting ready for a big date in a rented tux when your boss orders you to get the new high-powered experimental safety net working so his joyriding boss flying the malfunctioning Dragonfly doesn't crash and go splat.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 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.


Map

out out Junkroom Viewingroom Safetynet in in

Walkthrough

Junk room

> i. x slacks. x shoes. x tie. x hat. x tux.

> take all.

The labradorite and charm are too far. When you take the arm guard, you find a ladder.

> x ladder. take it. drop ladder. (which sets it up)

> climb ladder. take lump and charm. (+2)

> d. (to get off the ladder)

> x ball. x glass. x prism. x pistol.

> x bismuth. x jar. x silica. x guard.

> x lump. x charm.

Don't bother picking up the ladder again; it won't fit through the doorway.

> out.

Viewing room

> x light. (needs to be focused)

> x stand. (loop to hold something; light shines through the gap)

> x window. x door.

> out.

Safety net

If you put anything else on the stand, you just get a shadow.

> put magnifying glass on stand. (+2; a small shelf is revealed)

> x shelf.

Nothing fits on the shelf but a prism:

> put prism on shelf. (a randomized color of the rainbow shines into a crack)

> x crack. (an optical fiber is in the crack)

> turn prism. (repeat until the correct randomized color shines on the crack; +2; a panel opens!)

NOTE: There's a 1 in 6 chance that the game won't let you turn the prism because the game thinks it's already at the correct color, but because you didn't get to that color by turning the prism, the panel never opened. If this has happened, take the prism and put it back on the shelf. Hopefully it's the wrong color now and you can try turning it again.

> x panel. (wires and note)

> read note. (+2; you should short out these wires)

> shoot wires with pistol. (+2)

You hear the generators starting, but the new puddle of water is a problem. CAUTION: Don't touch the puddle!

> x puddle. open jar.

> put silica on puddle. (The lights stop flickering.)

You are prompted to head to the viewing room.

> in.

Viewing room

You now see an energy device with a button here.

> close door.

> x device. ("0: Requirements Not Met")

> x hopper. x button.

> i. x lid. (shiny)

The last two points are earned by repeatedly pushing the button and annoying the parser:

> push button. g. g. g. g. (+2)

You can put almost anything into the hopper, and it will happily accept everything, but it's not satisfied until you put your hat in.

> put hat in hopper. ("READY")

> push button.

The Dragonfly lands safely, but your boss screams you just needed to turn on the switch in the junk room! What switch? There isn't any switch there.

*** You win! ***


Extras

Characters

Mentioned:


Endings


Inventory


Score

The response to FULL SCORE is:

In several moves, you have scored your-score of a possible 12 points. Your score consists of:


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