Thanks. I'm done. :)

I think "features" in your translation should be "creatures", maybe. I can't say I followed the story that well.

Rather than explicitly telling you exactly what to do, I'll just provide a translation of the book. If you still can't figure it out, then let me know and I'll just tell you the answer:

This is definitely not 100% what the author had in mind, but it should be close enough to win you the game:

[quote]
Portal Control Settings
Care should be taken, as there is extreme danger when powering the machine.
If you do it wrong, it could be disastrous!

To control the features when (computing?) the portal:
First [i]square, then circle, then triangle.[/i]
First set to [i]blue, green, then red[/i], not [i]red, white, then green, as this would free the beings from the other world.[/i]

When ready, [i]place the tree block, the snake block, the many-legs block, and finally the gear block [in the slot].[/i] This will secure the portal.

IMPORTANT! (Work?) quickly: if the clock strikes twelve, it's too late!
[/quote]

(Explicitly discussing turning on the machine)

[quote="pinback"]1. Read the book and mentally fill in the spaces.

2. C'mon, you can do this.

3. C'mon.[/quote]
Unfortunately, I'm still stuck, even though I think I can figure out the book pretty well. I think I know what colors go with what shapes (and I know how to change the colors of the shapes). I'm fairly sure that I need to do something with the blocks in a certain order, and I've deciphered what that order should be. I just don't know what to do with the blocks! They get spit out every time I try to put them in the slot, no matter in what sequence I tried putting them in! I can't think of anything else to do with them, though.

Thanks for the help. The glass case puzzle was clever beyond my shallow puzzle-solving skills.

Thanks, pinback! You saved me!

In the book, I had only discerned [quantity] colors where there are actually [quantity].

SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY... DOY???

You've found the Machine. You've fiddled with the automaton! You've picked up various objects! You've [i]killed yourself with the sledgehammer and the glass box[/i].

But now you're stuck!

I will now attempt to HINT YOUR ASS through the rest of the game. I'll do this in the format of the old hint books that gradually give you more and more info until it tells you the answer basically, so when you get far enough, stop reading this and go do it.

There's really one main puzzle here, which I'll call POWERING THE GODDAMN MACHINE.

[b]POWERING THE GODDAMN MACHINE[/b]

1. You've played around with the hammer and the glass box, right? That never ends well.

2. Is there somewhere where it doesn't end well [i]differently[/i] than other places?

3. Is there some way to achieve the same effect without being in the room?

4. Use the automaton to do your handiwork!

5. Carry the trash receptacle to the reaction room, then put the glass box into a waste basket and have the automaton go in there and bash the fuck out of it.





Then there's, [b]WINNING THE GODDAMN GAME WITH THE MACHINE[/b].

This really comes down purely to being able to read the book scraps and figure out what they're telling you by mentally filling in the spaces.

1. Read the book and mentally fill in the spaces.

2. C'mon, you can do this.

3. C'mon.