Augmented Fourth

Comedy Fantasy Under­ground XYZZY Awards 2000 Finalist - Best Individual NPC and Best Puzzles

Augmented Fourth
Author(s)	Brian Uri
Publisher(s)	n/a
Release date(s)	01-Apr-2000
Authoring system	Inform 6.21
Platform(s)	Z-code 8
Language(s)	English
License(s)
Multimedia
Color effects	none
Graphics	none
Sound/Music	none
Ratings
Cruelty scale	Cruelty to be determined

How It Begins

You are an amateur musician who failed to impress King Goosen of Papoosen with your rendition of "Ode to a Duck". That is why Rob and Jim, the guards in green tights, have tossed you into the very deep Orchestra Pit, and you are now falling to your doom, carrying nothing. If you survive the fall, Rob and Jim will generously toss in your trumpet after you, and you'll want to wait for the sea monsters to eat you.

Or, if you really want to, you could try to escape from the pit and find an underground community that calls itself Nolava to explore instead.

Notable Features

• Magic system based on music; instead of casting spells, you play special songs. Magic helps solve some of the puzzles, but not all of them.
• Cutscenes are used both to reward the player for making progress, and to partition out the storyline. The backstory will eventually provide the PC with motivation beyond the initial desire to escape from exile.
• Several IF in-jokes, including the response to "undress" and an elaborate set of responses to "xyzzy". The description of the Darkness room is:

  It is pitch black. You are unlikely to be tripped by a polydactyl raccoon.

• Several reviewers remarked on how technically sound the game is; that is, although there is little that is innovative here, it's all done so well.
• Several reviewers remarked on how clever the humor was; it's not just funny descriptions of things.
• Some reviewers remarked on the game's Zork-like feel, without it actually being Zork.

Trivia and Comments

• This is the author's only work of IF. He planned to write a game for the following year's IF-Comp called Robin Caruso but stopped 40% of the way through due to lack of time; see the author's Robin Caruso page.
• "Nolava" is Avalon spelt backwards.

Versions

Release 1

• Augmented Fourth (Brian Uri; 01-Apr-2000; Z-code 8).
  • Release 1 / Serial number 000401 / Inform v6.21 Library 6/10
  • XYZZY Awards 2000: Was finalist for Best Individual NPC (King Goosen of Papoosen), and Best Puzzles.
  • Download Aug4.z8 from the IF Archive - the story file.
  • Download Aug4Solution.zip from the IF Archive - the walkthrough and map.
  • Download Aug4Source.zip from the IF Archive - the source code.
  • The URI! Zone: Augmented Fourth download page. All three of Aug4.z8, Aug4Solution.zip, and Aug4Source.zip can be downloaded from the author's site.
  • Play it online - at The URI! Zone.

Links

General info

• The URI! Zone: Augmented Fourth - Homepage. Contains reviews and links.
• Augmented Fourth (archived) - at Baf's Guide
• Augmented Fourth - at Home of the Underdogs.

Reviews

Note: Most of the reviews listed below are collected on the game's homepage; see above.

• Review - by Duncan Stevens.
  • Review - by Duncan Stevens for SPAG.
• Review by Eric Crahan for the IF Review Conspiracy, hosted by Brass Lantern.
• Review - "An Undiminished Chord" by Emily Short for IF-Review.
• Augmented Fourth - at IF Ratings
• Augmented Fourth - at IFReviews.org

Spoilers

• Debugging Diary.