A HOUSEQUEST!
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

OVERVIEW

This is a general instruction manual. Viewing it will provide an understanding of how to play, interact and get the most out of the game. It is a general tutorial, and not give away any game secrets. Feel free to read on.

General Gameplay Philosophy

HOUSEQUEST! is a simple text adventure, and works sort of like a reading a detective book where you get to decide what the main character investigates and tries next in order to find the final solution to all the plot puzzles. The game will tell you where you are and what you see, and you must then decide what (if anything) to do about it.

To do this you must imangine yourself in the actual locations the game describes. Think of what you might do if you were really there in that situation. If you try something and it doesn't work, look closely at how the computer responds, sometimes there's a hint there as to what needs to be done instead.

Read the room descriptions carefully, did they change since the last time you read them? Are there any clues in the descriptions? Sometimes doing something in one location will trigger an event in another location.

Try to think of other solutions, things other people might do in the same situation. Most, if not all the puzzles are logical. Others however, may require a leap of faith. Don't restrict yourself to what 'should' work. (If it were that easy, it wouldn't be much fun of a game would it?) Even if an idea seems silly, try it...what do you have to lose?

Look at the items you carry with you in your inventory, can they help you? Did you see something in another location that may help? If so, can you carry it? Examine all items closely, perhaps they have more than one use or a hidden attribute. Can you use two items together? Do they have to be used in a specific order? Does an item have to be used in a specific location?

Think of other things that have happened in the game, Perhaps you had something once, but it may be gone now. Some items can only be used once, so save often, especially right before trying something that may be irreversable. If you can't get an item back that you once had, you may have to go back to an earlier saved point in the game.

Finally, some puzzles can only be solved after others. If you think you've tried everything and you've gotten nowhere, go somewhere else and come back to it later. Sometimes you may stumble upon something else that may help you. Careful observation of your surroundings and correctly using items, combined with an open mind and good imagination is the key that will lead to victory.

Interacting With HOUSEQUEST!

The game breaks down communication into its most basic structure. You cannot type sentences. Rather you can only give commands. The most basic command structure is in the form of one or two word phrases. These phrases must contain a verb, or a verb and a noun. You must provide these elements in every command you give to the game. First you must say what you want to do, then you must say what you want to do it to. Thus if you wanted to "get the red key off the shelf", you would just type "get key". In this game, if you try to type any more than two words, the computer will not understand.

When you type in a command, the game will first see if it recognises the words you typed in. If it doesn't, it will give you an error message. If this happens, you must try to think of a synonym and try again, or try something else. If however, the game understands what you have typed, it performs the task and reports back the results.

Remember: a list of every command you can use in the game can be accessed at any time by typing "help". (There is also a printable version on the site here). If what you want to do is not on that list, you cannot do it in the game.

Note:
At the time I decided to stop writing the game, I was experimenting with a four word parser (the part of the program that attempts to comprehend what you type) and in ONE instance you can "put [item] on [item]. Like I said, however, this was just a test and you don't need to use this command to win.

Moving Around, and Other Special Commands

You move from room to room by typing the letters that refer to points on a compass. "N" to go North, "S" to go South, etc. You can also go "u" (up) and "d" (down) in some instances. Each time you enter a room the game will list the all the directions that have a possible exit. This does not necessarily mean you CAN go that way...there might be something stopping you that you must get around.

If you need to see a room description again, or see what items might be lying around, you can "look".

If you want to know what you are carrying, you must check your "inventory" or "i" for short.

Sometimes you may want to "examine" an item to inspect it in depth and perhaps find out more information about it.

When at a dangerous spot, or if you are finished playing for a while, you should "save" your game. That way you can "load" later and return to that same spot.

When you no longer wish to play, You can "quit" to end your session.

Finally, you can type "help" at any time in the game if you are having trouble remembering valid commands.