Adventure Diploma - completable?

[Jonathan O]

At the request of ahope1, and for the benefit of any other user who may wish to look at this issue, here is a walkthrough showing how far I have got with the BBC game Adventure Diploma:

GET LAMP, EXAM NOTICE, S, D, GET STICK
U, W, W, N ,GET KNIFE
S, E, E, E, E, N, E, E, E, E, KILL SNAKE
DROP STICK, GET DIAMOND
W, W, W, W, S, W, W, D, S, W, W, DROP DIAMOND

At this point I am stuck - the game specifically requires you to find the treasures in a fixed order (and there is a strong clue that the diamond is the first one), then take them to the Secret Cave and use a magic word. I cannot find this word, and am stuck in the cave. The in-game hints are no help, and I believe I have found every possible noun (the game doesn't reset when you quit, which makes it easy to do this). Any thoughts?

[ahope1]

The answer to question 6 is "Read the cryptic message on the cave wall and think it out."

It doesn't sound like you've found that "cryptic message" yet. The description of the room with the cryptic message on the wall literally says "a cryptic message on the cave wall", and the cryptic message itself follows. But your walkthrough doesn't seem to visit that particular room.

Have you found that room? If not, then you need to find it! (Btw, the only reason I know about the room is that I cheated and printed out all the room descriptions in the file DIPLOCS!)

I read the cryptic message, figured out the Magic Word (although I don't quite understand the logic behind the final letter), went to the room where you deposit treasures (following your walkthrough), dropped the DIAMOND, and typed the Magic Word... and a positive result seemed to ensue!

NB: I think the room with the "cryptic message" on the wall and the room in which you have to drop the treasures are two different rooms!

[Jonathan O]

Yes, thanks, that works. I was assuming you had to use either the verb USE or CAST so that the secret word would be one of the nouns, (which I'd found by using the fact that the emulator doesn't reset after you quit) but I hadn't thought of looking at all the verbs. I had to find the last letter by trial and error, and I agree that the clue for it doesn't seem to make sense. I'll try to complete now - hopefully without needing further help!

[ahope1]

I had to find the last letter by trial and error, and I agree that the clue for it doesn't seem to make sense.

<rot13>
V guvax gur pyhr sbe gur ynfg yrggre -- "gur bar gung'f gehr" -- zvtug ersre gb gur rkcerffvba "gehr-craal" va Unzyrg. Naq n craal pna or nooerivngrq gb "q" va byq zbarl (y,f,q = cbhaqf, fuvyyvatf, crapr). Gung'f gur bayl pbaarpgvba V pna pbzr hc jvgu, naljnl.
</rot13>

[Jonathan O]

You may well be correct - although I think that would definitely be regarded as obscure!

The thing that makes me annoyed (with myself) is that the room with that message in was perfectly easily accessible - I had just missed it.

I wonder if this word is the reason why the game recognises the first four letters of verbs, but only three for nouns?

[Jonathan O]

I now have a further problem with this game. I've found treasures 2 and 3 and taken the appropriate actions with them. To get the fourth treasure I need to wear the goggles. This causes a difficulty when I try to take it to the Secret Cave - to do this I must pass through the location which is very humid, and if I have the goggles still on they steam up and I fall down a hole and die. This would be easily dealt with ... except that there is no command to remove the goggles (or any other items I am wearing)! Can anyone help? The hints are no help, and I've looked at all the messages and location descriptions without success. Below is a walkthrough to get to this point, starting from where the one in the original post stopped (for brevity I've omitted commas except when they are needed for clarity).

YARD
E E S S W W N N E N E E, GET ROD
W W S W S S, USE ROD, DROP ROD, GET CROWN
E E N N W W, DROP CROWN, YARD
E E S S W W N N E N N, GET SPADE
S S W S S E E N N E S E E E, DIG, DROP SPADE, GET PEARLS
W W W N W W W, DROP PEARLS, YARD
E E S S W W ,W GET GOGGLES, WEAR GOGGLES
E N N E N W W, CLIMB TREE, GET EMERALD
D E S W S S E N

(You will gather that you have to do a lot of moving around compared with other actions!)

[ahope1]

Your walkthrough goes wrong at the "S[outh]" at the end of the following excerpt:

... CLIMB TREE, GET EMERALD
D E S

At this point the game says, "You cannot move that way."

??

[ahope1]

CLIMB TREE
GET EMERALD
D
E
E
S
W
S
S
E
E
N
DROP KNIFE
GET GOGGLES
INV
N

[Jonathan O]

Thanks - I didn't think that getting the goggles was the required command!
Walkthrough corrected, thanks.

[Jonathan O]

BTW, I have obviously done the above post twice. Is there any way to edit or delete one's own posts?

[Alastair]

BTW, I have obviously done the above post twice. Is there any way to edit or delete one's own posts?

Near the top of your post you should see boxes containing a pencil, cross, exclamation mark, etc. The pencil is for edit and the cross to delete. If the delete box isn't available to you, tell me, and I'll delete the duplicate post on your behalf.

[Jonathan O]

I can't see the delete button (or any of the others), I'm afraid.

[ahope1]

I can't see the delete button (or any of the others), I'm afraid.

You need to be logged in to the forum.

But even if you are logged in, I think you won't see the Delete button (the cross) unless the post in question is the final post in the thread.

[Alastair]

I think you won't see the Delete button (the cross) unless the post in question is the final post in the thread.

You may well be right, it's a bit difficult to tell what is and what isn't moderator specific.


Jonathan, as promised I have deleted one of the duplicate posts.

[Jonathan O]

Thanks.