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Announce: Cottage
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:20 am
by FredrikR
I played a very minor role in the release of Cottage, a brand new English translation of the Swedish game Stuga. Stuga was first released in 1978, and this translation is based on the final mainframe version from 1982. Johan Ottosson did the translation.
If you love a real challenge, and you love real old-school games, this should be right up your alley!
Beware though, the game is very hard and often unfair, so don't expect to finish the game without hints. Luckily, there are built-in hints in this version.
Here's the announcement of this translation:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.game ... e5f30050ab#
And here's the game at IFDB, with download links and all:
http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=1z3m4yew6bg3bfc
Regards,
Fredrik
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:04 am
by Gunness
Hi Fredrik,
thanks for the head-up

Sounds interesting!
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:46 am
by FredrikR
Just let me stress again how unfair this game is, so you're not too afraid to resort to hints when you get terribly stuck.
-------------- Begin extremely minor spoiler-----------
There's a puzzle where you need to visit a certain location holding a certain object. Now that doesn't sound too unfair, or too unconventional for that matter. But, as far as I can tell (and I've studied the game and the source code extensively):
1: There's no clue anywhere in the game that this particular location could prove useful for this puzzle or in conjunction with this object.
2. If you do carry the right object and visit the right location, the game uses randomization to decide whether you get the reward or not.
-------------- End extremely minor spoiler-----------
This game goes off the scale when you try to rate it with the Zarfian forgiveness rating.
Nevertheless, it's fun to stroll around in, and many of the puzzles are indeed possible to solve without hints.
It's kind of interesting to think that this game was on just about every PC in Sweden at the end of the eighties, probably tens of thousands of people played it, and I seriously doubt anyone ever completed it.
/Fredrik
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:18 am
by terri
I am trying to play it, and believe you when you say probably no one ever solved it.
Of course, I looked at all the hints. If they are there, I look.
I noticed the random elements in places. Also the need to map thoroughly.
I probably should explore the house a bit more now.
Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:23 am
by terri
Well, I have 130 points, but appear to be stuck. The randomization is such that previous exits are no longer available.
The intoxicated guard keeps sobering up and I have not found a way to refill the empty vodka bottle. Can't get back to the strange room.
Also the lifts are temperamental.
While the order one does things may not be hugely important, it plays a factor.
Any help you can give me?
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2009 11:22 am
by FredrikR
Sorry for not replying earlier. I got email notifications about your post on Aug 5, but I didn't get any email about your post on Aug 6.
Hmm... Well, the map of the maze does change between a few different states, and I don't really know what makes it change. I found it possible to make a map which worked reasonably well anyway. Sometimes I would just have to wander around aimlessly anyway.
Aren't there any other puzzles you can tackle for now, and hope that the map changes for the better?
/Fredrik
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:52 am
by terri
Yes, of course, I have many unfinished games.
The difficulty is with the guard sobering up since I don't know where to refill the empty vodka bottle before he does so.
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 11:30 am
by FredrikR
What I meant was - solve other puzzles in Cottage, and hope that something you do makes the map change back to where you recongnize it. I think the map just changes between 2-3 different states.
You can check the hints about the vodka bottle in the game. Type HINT.
/Fredrik
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 5:34 pm
by terri
I did type Hint, and it told me that I could wander around and someone may help, or I needed to get back to (I think) the ZZZZ room, which I can't seem to do.
I think I have solved all I can do to this point, though I may be wrong here.
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:53 pm
by FredrikR
Getting back to ZZZZ room: Try this:
Take the lift to floor 1. Go right, then forward.
Now go right. If you don't end up in ZZZZ room, undo and try again. And again...
And when you do succeed, think of the poor people who played this before 2007, who didn't have undo.
/Fredrik
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:07 pm
by FredrikR
Okay, I found a simpler route, which I remember using several times and not having any trouble with.
Take the lift to the eighth floor. Then type:
R
B
R
You should always end up in the ZZZZ room, but you may have to try several times to get the desired effect.
Are you making progress now?
/Fredrik
Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 5:08 pm
by terri
Thank you. Yes, I found another way.
However two other questions:
1. Is the beach house, the same as the bathing hut? I have not found the beach house so I am hoping they are one and the same place, and that is the place to drop the treasures.
2. The old man and the laurel wreath, water bottle, blinding with the lamp. I think I followed the hints as written. I got the wreath, gave it to him, got the water bottle, filled it. When I met him again, I gave him the bottle, but the direction BLIND MAN WITH LAMP does not work, as he hugs the water bottle to him.
All these things cannot be done at the same time. I have tried saying the words to restore the wreath to where I found it, both before and after, as well as a few steps ahead of meeting him, but this does not work. Is there something I am missing here? How many times doews one have to meet him?
Thanks
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:11 pm
by terri
I can't seem to locate the ornate gate. Can you tell me the general vicinty where it is? Thanks.
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 9:08 pm
by terri
I found the gate.
I think I am finished. The message said congratulations on the election to the council.
325 points. Is that the maximum?
The most unusual issue I think, is that so many things are random - the locations, your treasures being taken by the pirate, the elevators not working. I really cannot imagine playing this game with no SAVE/RESTORE feature.
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:20 pm
by FredrikR
Oops. Once again, I didn't get any notifications about your posts, so it took me a while to see them.
Congratulations on solving the game!
Judging from the Swedish source code, the maximum score seems to be 335. On the other hand, you should only get the congratulations if you reach 335.
Do you share my suspicion that noone has ever completed the game without clues?
/Fredrik