I’m playing this beautiful old-school game and I’m stuck before I even started solving anything. I explored the entire available map and identified a bunch of locked doors and other candidate puzzles. I don’t have a clue where to start though. Can anyone help me find that first loose thread to get me going?
I’m probably missing something pretty straightforward because my brain isn’t used to two-word parsing.
My situation:
-my inventory contains a rope and a collection of shells that I found on the beach at the moment.
-there are locked doors in the mountain face by the frozen well and in the pyramid.
-the entrance to the wolfs den is guarded by a she-wolf.
-the entrance to the barrow is too dark so I need light.
-I think I need to put something in the bowl of the stone altar.
-there are animals everywhere but I can’t get them to react. An owl, an ram, a stag (he backs off when I try to RIDE STAG), and a scorpion.
-on the side of the volcano there is a broken mechanism, presumably for a lift that can take me down in the protected pit.
Actually, I want to sacrifice the ram in the altar bowl, give its hind leg to the wolf, ride the stag down the pit, get the scorpion to paralyze the owl and use the owl’s feathers to pick one of the locks. I don’t think these will work though.
This is a lovely game, but tricky - I also remember struggling with it (and eventually finishing it), and discussing some of the puzzles with @warrigal, who has also completed it and might remember more than me.
One thing you can do, though, is tie the rope to the boulder on the cliff, and go down.
And then I remember that you can use the thing you find there with the bowl on the altar.
The DOS version is running on DAAD with custom code for the pictures, rather than Adventuron; where the game was originally written. It may be that the port is using the new DOS interpreter; in which case, any feedback you can provide for Uto re. the crashes might be useful.
This is a charming game, but quite hard by modern standards. I have finished it, but I see that I haven’t drawn up a map and solution for CASA. I must do that.
I played the original Adventuron version, but the author (Paul Weller) has removed it from the game page. I have no idea why. You’d think a browser-based version would have a larger audience than a download that needs an MSX2, Spectrum Next or DOS emulator. [EDIT: See next message.]
Addressing your points in turn (only reveal as needed):
Inventory: Christopher Merriner has given you a use for the rope. My notes don’t indicate any use for the shells. From memory, I think they may have been a red herring.
Locked doors: For the door near the well, note the symbol on the door. Does this remind you of anything? Examine the marsh to the south to find the cauldron. Fill this with the rainbow-coloured fluid at the rocky canyon and pour this into the well. For the pyramid, break the stalagmite in the large cavern to find a large bronze key.
Entrance to wolf’s den: Examining the wolf indicates she is scrawny. She’s probably hungry. Once you have a light source, throw the thing you find in the western chamber.
Entrance to barrow: To find a light source, break the large bird’s egg into the granite dish at the clearing.
Stone altar: See above. You should have found the egg after using the rope.
Animals: You can talk to some of the animals if you have the rune. To find the rune, you need to solve the next problem first, then you can examine the tree in the burning hot caves.
Side of volcano: You need to solve the she-wolf and pyramid problems first. Once you’ve done that, use the handle, then use the cog.
In my previous message, I said the author had removed the Adventuron version. That was wrong. Apparently, it’s got its own page. For anyone interested, the Adventuron game can be played at Rite of the Druid. Check it out, even if only to wander around the first few rooms and see the really nice graphics.
@8bitAG : The crashes seemed pretty random. None of them happened twice in the same place or after the same command.
For what it’s worth, I’ll notify the author of the place and the command in a comment on the game page.
@Warrigal : Thanks for the list. Some hints gave me a last nudge, some told me there was something there I hadn’t even noticed. Some are left blurred until I solve my puzzles of interest first. Must explore harder!
I’m at the end but the final (I think) command eludes me:
The horned ram told me to choose my path. I assume this means talking to all the animals and choosing my Druid’s Way (Deceit from the scorpion, Wisdom from the owl,…) Then I should return to the stone circle and “hold up the rune of power”. None of the following work: HOLD UP RUNE, HOLD RUNE, LIFT RUNE, RAISE RUNE, SHOW RUNE, WAVE RUNE, USE RUNE, COMPLETE RITE, DO RITE, PERFORM RITE. I’m running out of ways to tell the game that I want to put the rune in the air.
You are probably missing an item. Talk to the owl and he mentions something related to a silver disc and a moon in the sky. Have you found anything like that? If not, go back to the eastern chamber in the barrow and examine the holes. Give what you find there to the owl. You should be able to work it out from there.
You have to examine everything in this game. Most of the responses are just for colour, but they sometimes include subtle hints, so subtle that you may not even realise that they’re hints.
Aha! Thanks. Your hint led me to find all three endings.
-Silver coins for the Owl → Wisdom → Peace with invaders through treaties and commerce.
-Golden mask for the Stag → Leadership → Military victory over the invaders.
-Precious gems for the Scorpion → Deceit → Defeat the invaders with sabotage and poison.