In this comedic game, you play as a cat named Jacques. You and your throwable ferret partner, Ralph, are private investigators in need of a case. Soon, you're hired to find a thief who's been stealing art and artifacts all San Francisco!
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
> ask Ralph about machine. ask Ralph about cleaner.
By the way, "Festerton" is a reference to Wishbringer by Infocom.
> e.
Sunnyvale
> x car. x drunks. x debris. search debris.
> enter car. n.(no: missing a tire)
> out. e.
Alley
> x tire. throw Ralph at tire.
> Ralph, untie tire.(+2)
> take tire. x tire.(needs balancing)
> w. w.
Office
> put tire on machine. turn on machine.
The tire is fixed, and the phone rings. You have a job. Get a note from the owner of Benny's Cafe.
> take tire. e.
Sunnyvale
> put tire on car.(+1)
> enter car. n.
Palo Alto
Once you've driven the car anywhere, you can ignore the car. You'll enter and leave the car automatically when it makes sense to do so.
> x cafe. w.
Inside Benny's cafe
> ask Benny about note.(He puts it on the counter.)
> take note. read it.(+2)
There's been a rash of art and artifact thefts in San Francisco, and you need to stop the rash from spreading.
> x Benny. x counter. x customers. x food.
> e. n. nw. w.
Cliff House
> ask hostess about bathroom.(Ralph dashes west.)
> x book.(You can't read any of it.)
> x hostess. ask hostess about Cliff House.
> ask hostess about Musee.(down the hall)
> w.(+3)
Hall
Ralph rejoins you.
> n.
Bathroom
> x toilet. x sink. s. w.
Musee Mecanique
> x game. play game.(Ralph wins.)
> x cinescope. look in cinescope.
> x booth. turn on camera.(There's a picture in the slot.)
> take picture.(+3)
> x it.(You see a woman in a long coat and wide, floppy-rimmed hat loading a machine onto a cart.)
> e. e.
Cliff House
> show picture to hostess.(She doesn't remember anyone.)
> e. e.
Golden Gate Park
> x trees. x grass. smell.
> nw.
Golden Gate Natural History Museum
While in the museum, you see glimpses of a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows.
> x skeleton. nw.
Paleozoic fish exhibition
> x aquarium. x figure. ne.
Mesozoic crime scene
> x platform. search it. x tape. se.
Cenozoic evolution exhibition
> x skull. x light. sw.
Golden Gate Natural History Museum
> touch skeleton.(+1. It falls apart!)
An angry curator loudly escorts you out, but also whispers he hired you and wants to meet you at the top of the Transamerica Pyramid. The museum is now locked.
Golden Gate Park
> e.
Financial District
> x Pyramid. nw.
Transamerica Pyramid
> x elevator. n.(You push the call button.)
> z.(Ralph runs off to find a washroom.)
Unfortunately, Ralph always runs off before the elevator door opens, and you refuse to enter the elevator without him. So, um, this isn't actually the way upstairs.
> se.
Financial District
Ralph is here.
> n.(Ralph objects. There's a cop in the way, and ferrets are illegal in California.)
> give hat to Ralph. Ralph, wear hat.
> give coat to Ralph. Ralph, wear coat.
With Ralph in disguise, you can pass the cop.
> n.(+1)
Pier 39
> x old man. x woman. x son. x tourists. x ferry.
> ask Ralph about ferry. ask Ralph about Alcatraz.
> n.(Ferryman says the woman and son have the last two tickets.)
> listen to son.(He wants to see a fish.)
How do you get a fish? Go fishing? Visit a fish market? No, don't be silly. First you need to get a particular feather; it's in Santa Cruz.
> s. sw. s. s. se.
Santa Cruz
> x rainbow. w.
Mystery Spot
> x can. x rainbow. touch it.(out of reach)
> x hole. enter hole.
Darkness / Dark Mystery Basement
> u. out.(You can't find the exit. Then a light turns on.)
> x bulb.(broken, yet its ghost still shines)
> n.
Rainy Mystery Basement
> x rain. x feather. take rain.(That works?)
> x feather. take it.(It's dry without the rain.)
When you leave, the rain stays behind.
> s. u.
Mystery Spot
> drop feather.(+1. It briefly turns into a jub-jub bird.)
> take feather.
Okay, now this feather can help you get a worm.
> e. nw. n. n. w.
Meadow
> x birds. Ralph, dig.(He finds worms, but they're not here.)
> take hat and coat.
> drop feather.(+1. The jub-jub pulls up a worm before turning back into a feather.)
> take worm and feather. x worm.
> e. s. s. se. sw. nw.
Aquarium viewing area
Ah, finally, some fish.
> x sign. x tank.(see ladder up)
> x exotic fish. x sardine.
> u.
Catwalk
> x door. take sardine.(They're afraid of your cat's paw.)
> Ralph, take sardine.(He's having trouble too.)
> give worm to Ralph.
> Ralph, enter tank.(+1; he gets a sardine.)
> Ralph, give sardine to me.
Before using the sardine, head back to the mystery spot:
> d. se. ne. w.
Mystery Spot
Did you notice how the tin can was floating earlier?
> u.(+2; Ralph will catch up to you.)
Over Santa Cruz
> n. n. d.(+1)
Conference room
Ralph and the museum curator are here.
> x curator.
> ask curator about thief.(+3)
The curator tells you about an inquisitive woman who gave him a calling card. He gives the card to you.
> x card.(A randomized shop in Sausalito is named.)
> show photo to curator.(He agrees it's the same woman.)
> ask curator about platform.(A part of a meteor was stolen.)
> ask curator about skeleton. ask curator about note.
> ask curator about Benny.
> ask curator about Musee.(He saw an empty spot there.)
> ask curator about Alcatraz.(An escape map was stolen.)
> ask curator about money.(Only after the arrest.)
> d. z. z. d.
Elevator
> z. z. s. se.
Financial District
Your car falls from the sky.
> n.(+1)
Pier 39
> give sardine to woman.(+1. You get the tickets and they leave.)
> x ticket.
> n.
Alcatraz
> x guide. listen to guide.
> g. g. g. g. g. g. g.
> g. g. g. g. g. g. g.
> ne.
Cell 10A
> x cot. x blanket. look under blanket.
> x pillow. x toothbrush.
> sw. se.
Cell 12A
> x blanket. x pillow. x tray.
> take blanket and pillow. x cot.
> nw. e.
Cell 11A
> x cot. x green pillow. x green blanket.
> x mirror. rub mirror.
> x hole. enter hole.(guide stops you)
> take all green.
> put both pillows on cot.
> put green blanket on green pillow.
> put orange blanket on orange pillow.
> e.(This time, the tour guide doesn't stop you, thinking the pillows are you and Ralph.)
Crawlspace
> x scrap.("ESC-PE M-P"; fingerprint)
> take it.(+3)
> w. w. s. w.
Golden Gate Bridge
Ralph warns you that you don't have any money to pay the toll when going south. You should have the photo, calling card, and map scrap before heading north into Sausalito. If you go there too soon, use XYZZY to get back here.
> n.
Sausalito
All six art studios and galleries are functionally identical, each with art, shelving, a proprietor, and a private stairway that goes up. Go into the shop named on the calling card.
> x card.
> nw.(for Emma's)
> w.(for California Art)
> sw.(for Parry And Thrust)
> ne.(for Little Things)
> e.(for Bright And Beautiful)
> se.(for Jason's)
(Art shop named on the card)
> x art. x proprietor.
> show card to proprietor.
> show photo to proprietor.(They thinks that's Carla, who's upstairs.)
You should probably save here before going any further.
> save.
> u. u.
Roof
You see Carla Sanantonio, dressed in scarlet, board a helicopter, which is already lifting off!
> throw Ralph at helicopter. u.(+4)
Helicopter
> x Carla. x panel. pull yoke. take wires.
> tie Carla with wires.
Ralph pilots the helicopter to the police department.
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
Main characters:
Jacques is a cat, a private investigator, and the player-character.
Ralph is a ferret, a private investigator, and your partner. He's small, throwable, and energetic. He also has a weak bladder.
Benny is the owner/operator of Benny's cafe in Palo Alto. He has a note for you.
The hostess of the Cliff House is a petite blonde.
The museum curator of the History Museum hired you for this case. He's also the mysterious figure lurking in there. While he ushers you out of the museum, he meets you in the conference room of the Transamerica Pyramid.
A woman and her son are at Pier 39 but they're unhappy. The son wants to see a fish, and the woman doesn't know what to do about it.
A tour guide on Alcatraz is busy reciting historical facts. He's also making sure that artifacts don't leave the island.
A small jub-jub bird appears briefly whenever you drop the dry feather.
A worm looks up at you expectantly.
Sardines are swimming at the top of the aquarium tank. Ralph can catch one of them if he has a worm.
Jason Layne is the proprietor of Jason's.
Emma is the proprietor of Emma's.
Chris Parry is the proprietor of Parry An Thrust.
Other unnamed proprietors are running the other three art shops.
Carla Sanantonio is the art thief. She has long black hair and typically wears a bright scarlet flowing coat and matching wide-brimmed hat. She is clearly based on the character of Carmen Sandiego.
Background characters:
Drunks in Sunnyvale are watching the mold grow.
The customers in the cafe are mostly students.
Tourists are bustling about Pier 39.
An old man is playing a dulcimer at Pier 39. His music makes the din made by everyone else more bearable.
The ferryman tells you that the last two tickets for today were sold to the woman and her son.
Birds chirp overhead in the meadow.
Exotic fish are swimming at the bottom of the aquarium tank.
Cameos:
A man in bright pajamas dashes out of the cafe's restroom.
A cop in Chinatown is looking for illegal fireworks, blocking your way to Pier 39. He's only a problem because Ralph is an illegal ferret.
A head briefly peaks out of a hole in the mystery basement.
A singing frog is briefly seen in the mystery basement. This is a reference to the Looney Tunes character Michigan J. Frog.
A strange man with a chainsaw falls from the sky, screams about zombies, and runs off.
Mentioned:
Willy sold you the desk in the alley.
King Henry VIII supposedly once owned the desk.
The neighborhood kids tied the tire to a third floor railing.
A pimply-faced youth took the photograph of himself.
Euclid is name-dropped at the Mystery Spot.
Dewey is Ralph's lawyer. This is a joke reference to "Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe".
The Russian judge only gives Ralph a 5 for his swan dive.
Morris and the Anglin brothers made the escape map and escaped the island.
Several prisoners (Al Capone, George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Alvin Karpis, Robert Franklin) are mentioned by the tour guide.
Richard McKenzie, Richard Oakes, and other Indians are also mentioned by the tour guide.
Credits
The credits are in a menu-item accessed via ABOUT or CREDITS:
Credits
Flat Feet A Farcical Interactive Mystery
Release 1 / Serial number 050313 / Inform v6.30 Library 6/11 S
STORY AND CODING
Joel Ray Holveck
BETA TESTING
Samson de Jager
Scott Talafuse
Reese Warner
And three anonymous testers
INFORM COMPILER AND LIBRARIES
Graham Nelson
GAMEPLAY LIBRARIES
Neil Cerutti
David Wagner
Roger Firth
MENU, HELP, & HINTS LIBRARIES
L. Ross Raszewski
Emily Short
Michael Coyne
INSTRUCTIONAL TEXT
Fredrik Ramsberg
Emily Short
Stephen Granade
CAMERA OPERATOR
Dusty Lenz
GRAPHICS
Tiresias
MUSIC
John Cage
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Helen Keller
SECURITY
Sam & Max, Freelance Police
CATERING
Domino's Pizza
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Roger Firth
Sonja Kesserich
Scott Talafuse
Andrew Hunter
Evin Robertson
Andrew Plotkin
Matthew Russotto
LucasArts
Brøderbund
The readers of rec.arts.int-fiction and rec.games.int-fiction
The interactive fiction community; keep the games alive!
The soundtrack is available
wherever fine music is banned.
WATCH FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE OF JACQUES AND RALPH
Jacques And Ralph Against the World Crime League
Endings
You have died
if you fly too far west over the Pacific Ocean.
if Carla wins the scuffle in the helicopter.
You have let the villain escape
if the helicopter flies away without you.
You have won
if you capture Carla Sanantonio.
Use the special command WINNABLE to check if the game is still winnable. If it is not, try using the magic word XYZZY to help you. Assuming you can be helped, you're teleported to either "Over Santa Cruz" (if you've flown too far), or to the bridge (if you're stuck in Sausalito).
If you got as far as the shop's roof, though, you're in the endgame sequence and XYZZY can't help you.
Inventory
Items are listed in the order seen in this walkthrough.
Note that anything you find in any of the cells on Alcatraz can't be brought back to the mainland. The pillows, blankets, toothbrush, mirror, and tray are all considered to be artifacts and the tour guide stops you from leaving the island with them.
a coat and a hat. You're wearing them.
When you try to go north from the financial district, Ralph points out the cop in the way, and he also informs you that ferrets are illegal in California. So give your hat and coat to Ralph, and order him to wear them. This disguise is enough to get past the cop.
Once the cop is bypassed, it no longer matters if Ralph is disguised or not. Note that Ralph will drop everything if asked to dig in the meadow.
a gun. You're carrying it.
It's not loaded. You never use your gun.
a tire. It's tied out of reach in the alley.
To get the tire, throw Ralph at it, order him to untie it, then take it.
In the office, put the tire on the tire-balancing machine. Turn the machine on to balance the tire.
In Sunnydale, put the tire on your car. Now you can use your car to get around town.
a case note. You learn that Benny has a note for you when you balance the tire.
Inside Benny's cafe, ask Benny about the note. He puts it onto the counter. Read the note to learn about the wave of art thefts and where they happened.
a photograph. In Musee Mecanique, turn on the camera in the photo booth to notice the picture that's already in the slot.
This is one of three key pieces of evidence that you need to acquire. Examine it to note that a woman in a floppy hat stole a machine from the Musee Mecanique.
In the conference room, show the photo to curator to get confirmation that it's the same woman he saw.
In the shop named on the calling card, show the card and the photo to the proprietor. They tell you that it looks like their employee, Carla, who's upstairs; go on up.
a tin can. It's at the Mystery Spot.
You don't need the tin can.
rain. It's in the rainy mystery basement.
Take the rain, then take the feather so it's a dry feather. The rain stays in the rainy basement when you leave.
a (wet) feather. It's in the rainy mystery basement.
First take the rain, then take the feather. When you take the rain, the feather is no longer wet. The wet feather is of no use to you.
Drop the dry feather anywhere: it briefly turns into a jub-jub bird before turning back into the feather.
Drop the dry feather in the meadow. The bird pulls out a worm from the ground before turning back into the feather.
a worm. It can be found in the meadow, by dropping the dry feather there; the jub-jub bird pulls it out.
Note: Neither you nor Ralph can obtain a worm by digging, but you can try.
On the catwalk above the aquarium, give the worm to Ralph before ordering him to enter the tank. A sardine, attracted by the worm, swims into Ralph's grasp.
a sardine. Ralph can obtain the sardine from the aquarium tank if he has a worm when entering the tank from the catwalk.
At Pier 39, try to go north to learn that the unhappy woman and her son have the last two ferry tickets. Listen to the son to learn he wants to see a real fish. Give the sardine to either the woman or son to get the tickets in exchange.
a callng card. In the conference room, the curator gives the card to you when you ask him about the thief or about the history museum.
This is one of three key pieces of evidence you need to acquire. Examine the card to learn which shop in Sausalito is associated with the thief.
In the shop named by the card, show the card and the photo to the proprietor.
two ferry tickets. At Pier 39, the woman has them. Give the sardine to her to get them.
You automatically give the tickets to the ferryman when you go north to Alcatraz. Your hands get stamped on the way back so you can return there if you have to.
In cell 11A, put two of the pillows from the cells onto the cot there, and cover those pillows with two of the blankets. Now you can go east into the crawlspace without the tour guide stopping you.
a map scrap. It's in the crawlspace east of cell 11A.
This is one of three key pieces of evidence you need to acquire. To get into the crawlspace, put two of the pillows onto the cot in cell 11A, then cover those pillows with blankets. Now you can go east into the crawlspace without the tour guide stopping you.
You don't need to do anything with the map scrap. Just hold onto it. You must have the card and map scrap with you when showing the photo to the relevant shop proprietor for them to recognize the woman as Carla. Otherwise, the proprietor won't recognize the woman.
