Key & Compass presents:
Why Pout?
by Andrew Schultz

• Map
• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Characters, Credits, Inventory, Score
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• Support me on Ko-Fi
• External links:
  • This game at IFDB, IFWiki, and github.
  • Post about this walkthrough on X.

Map

Walkthrough

Eh, Raw Air, Aww

> about. verbs. credits. ext. version.

> x me. ("A NAME")

> an aim. (+1)

Tomb Apse

Your name is Mike Orr.

> two maps. (+1. You use them and go to...)

Hype Lane

> self owns. (+1; new: prize talk)

> pry stalk. (+1; you have a stalk.)

> high plane. (+1. You plant the stalk and climb to...)

Naff Haze

> nah phase. (+1. The haze lifts.)

High Plain

> pole east. (+1. new: path east and a war pawn)

> shore trail. (+1; it goes south)

> key pillar. (+1; you can now go west)

> grow star. (+1; you can now go north)

When all four cardinal directions are open, down opens too!

> e.

Lobe End

> low bend. (+1; north path to water, which you can't cross yet)

> w. w.

Keep (Iller)

> x mold. x row. x herb. x racker. x sign.

> plan tracker. (+1)

> x tracker. (needs plans or ideas)

> s. (not without support)

> e. s.

No Notion

> known ocean. (+1; new: a sick squid)

> six quid. (+1; you talk the coins. Also the squid is willing to help you travel.)

> get on squid. (no: you need to show it a map or something for where you want to go)

> n. n.

Wolf Rock

> wool frock. (+1; you have it.)

> hide out. (+1; it's below!)

> d.

Hideout

> boost role. (+1; the new troll now follows you and gave you a bottle of Base Ale.)

> t troll. (shake oneself free from despair)

> u. s. e.

Low Bend

> bay sail. (+1. You buy a weak raft for two quid.)

> n.

Storm Isle / Store Mile

> store mile. (+1; new: MY STALL and MEN SHELF.)

> mensch elf. (+1; elf here, and north passage)

> t elf. (You learn to discreetly identify who or what needs help.)

> n.

Trees Mall

> tree small. (+1; you find a real one.)

> x tree. (needs to be bigger)

> neutral. (no! don't reject help!)

> s. s. w. w.

Keep (Iller)

> rogue old. (+1; you pay him three quid)

> gnome old. (+1; you give him the frock)

> x rogue. (slow and quiet)

> x gnome. (full of vigor)

> see design. (+1. With your friends' support you go to...)

Nigh Fright

> knife right. (+1. You run out with it.)

Keep (Iller)

> x knife.

> manna curb. (+1; the mensch elf helps you find manna!)

> x manna. (looks dull)

> t gnome. (re finding hidden psychic weaknesses)

> t rogue. (re sneaking and not feeling guilty)

> e. e. n.

Store Mile

> mice tall. (+1. The gnome helps you free the mice.)

> t mice. (re using opponent's arrogance, numbers, dexterity, and quickness against bigger opponents)

> s. w. n.

Wolf Rock

> low door. (+1. The tall mice find it.)

> in.

We Loan / We'll Own / Whee! 'Lone!

> we'll own. (+1. Some merchant arrives. "buy low".)

> summer chant. (+1)

> bile oh. (+1; they storm off)

Nice and silent here now. How to enjoy that?

> whee lone. (+1; oaf liar arrives)

> oh flier. (You use your last quid and buy it.)

> x flier. (It lists a wharf isle, a thief isle, and a grove isle.)

> out. s.

High Plain

Just noticed BRUISE WARES is here. This part of the game is optional and is focused on rude sound-alikes. If you skip it, you miss out on getting the crude orc as a companion and several bonus points.

(Continue from here if you skipped the rude part of the game.)

> s.

Known Ocean

From "wharf isle" on the flier:

> war file. (+1. The squid carries just you to...)

Wand Wharf

> wan dwarf. (+1. You find him and take him back to...)

Known Ocean

> x dwarf. talk to dwarf. (balance magic with physical skills, balance experts and generalists)

From "grove isle" on the flier":

> grow vial. (+1. You take it.)

> n. e. n. n.

Trees Mall

You automatically use the grow vial on the tree (small); it becomes a tree (tall)!

> s. s. w. d.

Worm-Eaten / We're Meetin'!

> gaunt raider. (+1)

> t raider. (re past actions)

You develop a talk-ache.

> tall cake. (+1; using the manna)

> were meetin. (+1; you need a rallying cry from within you)

> u. e. n. n.

Trees Mall

> treat all. (+1; using the cake)

> s. s. w. s.

Known Ocean

From "thief isle" on the flier; you also need lots of companions for this to work.

> the file. (+1; you get The File. The squid swallows the flier.)

> x tracker. i. (It's now full.)

> n. d.

We're Meetin'!

Remember your name is "Mike Orr"? You have to say your rallying cry here.

> my corps. (+1; you clear out a passage below)

> d.

Doom Ending

> cease cull. (+1; the skull spews blood at all of you)

> wipe out. (+1; why-division)

> wide vision. (sorry, you didn't experience enough)

> do mending. (+1)

*** Gray day?! Grade A! ***

So I guess I missed something regarding "wide vision", but we finished the game with the high score, so I'm satisfied.

Extras

Characters

Don't forget to talk to everyone you meet!

• People in Hype Lane are chatting into their cell phones loudly. It's very distracting.
• A booze troll in Hideout becomes a new troll (and a companion) when you BOOST ROLE.
• A mensch elf is found near the men shelf in the Store Mile. He becomes a companion.
• A gnome (old) is found near the no mold in Keep (Iller). He can be a companion if you have something he can wear.
• A rogue (old) is found near the row (gold) in Keep (Iller). He can be a companion if you can pay him for his service.
• A sick squid is in the Known Ocean. If you cure him, he can ferry you to nearby isles if you know where to go.
• Some mice (tall) are found near my stall in Store Mile, but only if you have the gnome helping you. The mice become a companion.
• Some grinch earls also known as grin churls taunt you in Brew Swears.
• A crude orc in Brew Swears will become a companion after you weaken the grin churls sufficiently.
• A wan dwarf on Wand Wharf becomes a companion when you find him there.
• A gone traitor in Worm-Eaten becomes a gaunt raider (and a companion) when you tell him his new role.
• A sea skull in Doom Ending is your adversary at the end of the game.

Credits

This is the response to CREDITS:

Thanks to Michael Baltes, Clem Bing-Storrs, Wade Clarke, Hanon Ondricek, P. B. Parjeter, Fred Snyder, and Daniel Stelzer for testing. They found stuff I just didn't have the time to find, or stuff I convinced myself I'd checked, honest I did, or even broke down cases for stuff where I was muddled and not sure how to test stuff. Oh and they inspired several ideas, too. It's always hard to ask someone for their time and energy, but I appreciate it so much!

Michael, Fred and Daniel have IFComp '24 entries as well, and I always appreciate being able to trade testing with a fellow competitor, so it doesn't feel cutthroat.

B. J. Best and Arthur DiBianca, who've written a lot of good stuff, both found bugs within two hours of IFComp starting. So thanks to them!

The cover art is my fault, and my fault alone.

GENERAL THANKS:

Thanks to everyone past and future involved in the administration of IFComp.
Thanks to the I7 board on Intfiction.org for their help, as well as the people in the general topics as we discussed our plans.

Inventory

• a stalk. In Hype Lane, you acquire this when you PRY STALK.
• In Hype Lane, say HIGH PLANE to plant the stalk. It grows quickly, and you climb it to Naff Naze.
• a war pawn. In High Plain, you acquire this when you POLE EAST.
• In any location where you are stuck and can make progress, WARP ON to solve the next puzzle in your location, losing the pawn.
• six quid. At the Known Ocean, you acquire this money when you SIX QUID.
• At Low Bend, using the Base Ale, BAY SAIL to purchase a raft in exchange for two quid. Now you can travel north across the water.
• At Keep (Iller), ROGUE OLD to hire a rogue (old) for three quid.
• In We'll Own, OH FLIER to buy a flier from an oaf liar for one quid.
• a plan tracker. In Keep (Iller), you acquire this when you PLAN TRACKER.
• The tracker fills up with battle plans during your adventure. I'm not certain where the plans come from; possibly via THE FILE at Known Ocean, using the flier. And I assume you use your plans automatically during the WIPE OUT fight scene in the Doom Ending.
• a wool frock. At Wolf Rock, you acquire this when you WOOL FROCK.
• In Keep (Iller), you hand over the frock to the gnome (old) when you recruit him with GNOME OLD.
• some Base Ale. In the Hideout, a booze troll gives it to you when you BOOST ROLE.
• At Low Bend, you use the ale automatically to christen your new raft when you BAY SAIL with two quid.
• a knife (right). In Nigh Fright, you acquire it when you KNIFE RIGHT.
• You automatically use this weapon during your fight in Doom Ending.
• some manna. In Keep (Iller), when you have the mensch elf as one of your companions, you acquire the manna when you MANNA CURB.
• The manna is an ingredient when making a tall cake.
• a flier. In We'll Own, when the oaf liar is there, you acquire the flier in exchange for one quid when you OH FLIER.
• The places named on the flier are visitable from the Known Ocean. Wharf Isle suggests WAR FILE, Thief Isle suggests THE FILE, and Grove Isle suggests GROW VIAL (see grow vial).
• When you no longer need the flier, the squid swallows it.
• a grow vial. At the Known Ocean while holding the flier, you acquire the vial when you GROW VIAL.
• In Trees Mall, assuming you found the tree (small), you automatically use the vial to grow the tree into a tree (tall).
• a talk-ache. Acquire this by talking to all of your companions.
• In Worm-Eaten, make a tall cake your from talk-ache and manna by saying TALL CAKE.
• a tall cake. In Worm-Eaten, make this from talk-ache and manna by saying TALL CAKE.
• Take the cake to Trees Mall where you've grown a tree (tall), then TREAT ALL.

Score

The response to SCORE is:

You have scored X of 45 necessary points [if any bonus points awarded] and Y bonus points [end if]. You also performed Z of 20 actions ahead of time.

Standard points are awarded as follows:

• 1 point for AN AIM from "a name".
• 1 point for TWO MAPS from "Tomb Apse".
• 1 point for SELF OWNS from "cell phones".
• 1 point for PRY STALK from "prize talk".
• 1 point for HIGH PLANE from "Hype Lane".
• 1 point for NAH PHASE from "Naff Haze".
• 1 point for POLE EAST from "policed".
• 1 point for SHORE TRAIL from "short rail".
• 1 point for KEY PILLAR from "keep, iller".
• 1 point for GROW STAR from "gross tar".
• 1 point for LOW BEND from "Lobe End".
• 1 point for PLAN TRACKER from "plant racker".
• 1 point for KNOWN OCEAN from "no notion".
• 1 point for SIX QUID from "sick squid".
• 1 point for WOOL FROCK from "Wolf Rock".
• 1 point for HIDE OUT from "high doubt".
• 1 point for BOOST ROLE from "booze troll".
• 1 point for BAY SAIL from "Base Ale".
• 1 point for STORE MILE from "Storm Isle".
• 1 point for MENSCH ELF from "men shelf".
• 1 point for TREE SMALL from "Trees Mall".
• 1 point for ROGUE OLD from "row (gold)".
• 1 point for GNOME OLD from "no mold".
• 1 point for SEE DESIGN from "seedy sign".
• 1 point for KNIFE RIGHT from "Nigh Fright".
• 1 point for MANNA CURB from "manic herb".
• 1 point for MICE TALL from "my stall".
• 1 point for LOW DOOR from "lode ore".
• 1 point for WE'LL OWN from "We Loan".
• 1 point for SUMMER CHANT from "some merchant".
• 1 point for BILE OH from "buy low".
• 1 point for WHEE LONE from "We'll Own".
• 1 point for OH FLIER from "oaf liar".
• 1 point for WAR FILE from "wharf isle".
• 1 point for WAN DWARF from "Wand Wharf".
• 1 point for GROW VIAL from "grove isle".
• 1 point for GAUNT RAIDER from "gone traitor".
• 1 point for TALL CAKE from "talk-ache".
• 1 point for WE'RE MEETIN' from "Worm-Eaten".
• 1 point for TREAT ALL from "tree (tall)".
• 1 point for THE FILE from "thief isle".
• 1 point for MY CORPS from "Mike Orr".
• 1 point for CEASE CULL from "sea skull".
• 1 point for WIPE OUT from "Why Pout?"
• 1 point for DO MENDING from "Doom Ending".

Bonus points are awarded as follows:

• 1 bonus point for BREW SWEARS from "bruise wares".
• 1 bonus point for GRIN CHURLS from "grinch earls".
• 1 bonus point for WEAK US from "We cuss".
• 1 bonus point for CREW DORK from "crude orc".
• 1 bonus point for HUH SHIT from "Hush it."
• 1 bonus point for BASTARD E from "Bah! Sturdy?"
• 1 bonus point for HECKLE ASS from "Heh, class!"
• 1 bonus point for LIE FUCKERS from "Life occurs."
• 1 bonus point for WE'RE DICKS from "Weird! Ick!s".

Note that you cannot check your score after you win the game.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with

• the support of Robin Johnson, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Kenneth Hon, Carl Muckenhoupt, Mark Musante, and Phil Tatro;
• the generous support of Janice M Eisen, Matthew Foxley, and Thomas Insel;
• the very generous support of Karl Ove Hufthammer, Lance Campbell, and DrkStarr;
• the extremely generous support of Emily Short, Allen Garvin, Jesse McGrew, Jacqueline Ashwell, Jennifer Rexrode, and Durafen;
• and the invisible support of several anonymous patrons.

Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!