Please read the Rubicon Spoiler Guide for an explanation of the name of this level. It’s very apt. This is the first of several secret levels in Rubicon (the 1st in the Pfhor plank, anyway). Whereas the secret levels in Infinity, with the exception of the vidmaster levels, are closely tied to the story, the secret levels in Rubicon are more for fun. Some of the dream levels are major sources of ammo. Although this one provides the player with a mortar, the amount of fighting involved makes its worth questionable, at least in contrast to the White Room in the Salinger Plank that, if survived, yields moderate gain with limited pain. Cow Pushing is full of action and fighting from the moment the player arrives . . . and arrives . . . and arrives – let’s just say that it takes most of us a few tries before we manage to survive the opening volley.
Is this level a dream? If we are to attempt to tie it to the story, it’s hard to imagine otherwise. Still, the player does get to keep the mortar, but this is also true of the other dream levels, as it was in Infinity. On the other hand, Cow Pushing introduces a number of things that the player will not encounter until later in the game. The tar pools, for example, contain a fluid that the player will not encounter again until near the end of the Pfhor Plank. We will later learn that the tar is a product of Pfhor physiology and that it smells. We quickly discover here that tar drains the player's shields, but it does not kill. The player also has an opportunity to encounter invisible S’pht’Wr - a genetically engineered Pfhor version of the S'pht'Kr that we’ll also encounter later in the plank. So is Cow Pushing a dream level in which the Jjaro warn the player of things yet to come, a real level with some really funky terminals, or just a level for fun? You decide.
The real fun in Cow Pushing comes from reading the terminals, which almost certainly reflect the humor of the members of the Rubicon Team. On one terminal, for example, we find a complete recepie for lutefisk (trust me, it tastes as bad as it sounds). On another, you can read all about Ruby's Diner, which offers an authentic 2050’s experience. The best terminal of all, however, is the final one, which conains a treatise on corporate blunders in multinational advertising – and an ad for eating lard. Yum, yum. I could have reproduced some of it here, but that would spoil all the fun. By the way, be sure to check out my Rubicon Secrets Guide for some helpful hints on how to survive this level, including a major shortcut. From here, it’s off to drink some Molten Dihydrogen Monoxide.
