The stainless steel rat saves the world
Walkthrough by Alex Dijkstra for the c64
A few notes:
* Going from one location to another
In the game you travel through time with a portable time helix which you first have to assemble.
With the time Helix you can travel to 30 different locations. To gain a score of 100% you only may
travel 11 times. In the below solution you travel 12 times and therefore you only get a score of 97%
(you lose 3% for every time you travel more then 11 times). Locations which aren't necesary to
solve the game can be useful to find some hints on how to solve the game. Others are lethal and
shouldn't be visited at all. These locations are not included in the solution in order to get
the highest possible score but will be discussed at the end of this walkthrough.
The system of travelling consists of four numbers. For instance your starting location is 4135.
Spin 4
Flux 1
Phase 3
Resonance 5
In order to go to another location you have to alter the current number. If you want to go for
instance to 5125 you will have to change the spin-number by 2.
The number of Spin and Phase are connected and their sum always equals 7. So when you raise the
Spinnumber with 2, the phase number will be lowered by 2.
The number of Flux and Resonance are also connected and their sum always equals 6. So when you raise
the Fluxnumber with 2, the Resonance-number will be lowered by 2.
Theoratically this means that you should only have to alter the spin- and flux number to visit al
the different locations in the game but the game contains a bug which stops the game when either the
sum of the change you make to the flux-number or to the resonance number becomes bigger than 6. To
solve this when for instance the flux-number is 5 and you want to go to a place with fluxnumber 3
DON'T change the flux with 2 as the programm will crash but change the resonance with 2 and you
will get the same result.
*Getting objects from one location to another.
The game has 18 different objects:
1 TIME HELIX
2 MASSER
3 LANGUAGE UNIT
4 MINIFLASH
5 PARADOX PROTECTOR
6 COYPUS FIXATOR
7 JARLS FIXATOR
8 YOUR FIXATOR
9 NEUTRON BLASTER
10 FORCE FIELD ZAPPER
11 NOTES
12 SUPERHEAL
13 DAGGER
14 GRAV CHUTE
15 GOLD
16 POWER PACK
17 DIAMONDS
18 CASCADER
The first 8 objects are time protected which means that they can safely be carried from one location
to another location in time. The others, 9 to 18, are not. They only can be carried through the time
helix when you travel to a location which has the same phase as the location you're at he
moment. For instance when you travel from 6115 to 6313 there is no problem. They both are in phase
1. However if you travel from 6115 to 5224 the object returns to it's original location because
it can't be taken to a location in a different phase when you travel with the time helix. The
solution to this is as follows: You have to BURY the object in the location where you encounter it
then travel to a location with the same fluxnumber to retrieve it using the command USE MASSER. If
you retrieve it in a location with the same flux as the one where you encountered the object and
with the same phase as the location where you eventually want to take the object it, you then safely
can take it to that location using the time helix. For instance you want to take SUPERHEAL from
location 6115 to location 3442. In location 6115 BURY SUPERHEAL. Travel with the time helix to
location 3145 which has the same flux-number and USE MASSER to retrieve the object. You can now
travel safely to location 3442 with the object because it has the same phase-number.
It looks complicated and it is a bit complicated but after a while you get used to it. Now you know
the basic controls lets look at the game.
A last note: many places are in real-time, you have to hurry or else you'll die.
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Walkthrough of the locations needed to solve the game:
EXAM LABORATORY (you find a pack), GET PACK, GO HELIX, EXAM PACK, EXAM LABORATORY (you find a note
written by you), EXAM FIXATORS, TAKE COYPU, TAKE JARL, EXAMINE HELIX (the helix is deactivated),
HELP (hint to use the fixators), BUILD TIME HELIX, (you use Coypus fixator to build a portable time
helix), GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 0
4135
(you arrive in the laboratory a moment before your last visit and your fixator is still here),
EXAMINE FIXATORS, TAKE GRIZ (You've your fixator), WRITE NOTE (The one you read when you came
here earlier in the game), GO HELIX.
spin 5, flux 4, phase 0, resonance 0
3541
GO BUILDING, TALK CONVICT (he gives you some diamonds), GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 2
3343
GO CAVE, EXAMINE CAVE (you find gold), GET GOLD, GO MINE (a man approaches and he lets you into his
room. this happens at random so stay around until he appears), TALK MAN, GIVE DIAMONDS (obtain
chute), LEAVE OUTSIDE, PLACE CHUTE (on train ), BURY GOLD, GO HELIX.
spin 1, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 0
4333
USE MASSER (retrieve gold), GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 1
4234
BUY NEWSPAPER, GO ARCH, THROW MINI FLASH, GO GIRL, TALK ANGELINA, SHOW FIXATOR, GIVE GOLD (thanks to
this your score will increase because Angelina will have a fortune in the future), GO HELIX.
spin 2, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 0
6214
ENTER STATION, EXAMINE STATION, GO TUNNEL, GO EAST, EXAMINE VAULT, GET NOTES, GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 1
6115
EXAMINE PARK (a small mob ask you for a tribal greeting), HAVE A NICE DAY (you are taken to se uncle
Sam), EXAMINE JUNK (you see a box marked "paradox protector"), SHOW NOTES (gives
protector), BURY PROTECTOR, GO HELIX.
spin 3, flux 1, phase 0, resonance 0
3244
BUILD EQUIPMENT (you use Jarl's fixator to build a neutron blaster and a force field zapper),
GO CATHEDRAL, LISTEN CRIES, EXAMINE CRIES (you see yourself being welded to a post by napoleon), USE
BLASTER (you stun the evil fiend), FREE YOU (you need to have the paradox protector. you free
yourself and you are now both irretrievably joined), BURY ZAPPER, GO HELIX.
spin 4, flux 1, phase 0, resonance 0
1363
EXAMINE SWAMP, EXAMINE CAPSULE, GET PACK (an unused power pack), bury pack, GO HELIX.
spin 3, flux 0, phase 0, resonance 1
4234
USE MASSER (retrieve zapper), GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 1, phase 0, resonance 0
4333
USE MASSER (retrieve pack), GO HELIX.
spin 0, flux 1, phase 0, resonance 0
4432
(Angelina gives cascader) USE MASSER (retrieve chute), GO TOWER, EXAM TOWER, FLY CHUTE, USE ZAPPER,
USE CASCADER.
You have saved the world again!!!
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Locations where you can find some hints on how to solve the game:
2155
EXAMINE ENCAMPMENT, SPEAK BATTLESHY, THROW MINI FLASH, TAKE BOX, EXAMINE BOX (you find a note from
Coypu), GO HELIX.
5224
EXAMINE ROOM, TAKE BOOK, READ BOOK (hint about a mule train from africa that disappeared below the
Eiffel tower in 1808), GO HELIX.
6313
EXAMINE SWAMP (you've found old castle ruins), EXAMINE RUINS (you follow the walls), EXAMINE
MONUMENT (two identical statues of you), WIPE DUST (you now can read the text 'they saved us
from the evil "he" Paris 1975'), GO HELIX.
2353
EXAMINE COMMOTION (some gorillas playing in a tree with a box and a parachute), STEAL BOX (they
repel you with force), THROW MINI FLASH (they scatter. the box contains a note), GO HELIX.
5422
EXAMINE GALLERY, EXAMINE STATUE, GO HELIX.
1561
EXAMINE WRITING, GO HELIX.
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Locations where you can do something but without getting a hint or being useful to complete the
game:
2254
EXAMINE BATTLE (a man falls from his horse), EXAMINE MAN, OPEN POCKET, GET DAGGER, GET SUPERHEAL,
GIVE DAGGER (he kills himself. If you give him the superheal he'll fight on and kill one of
your ancestors which means you don't exist), GO HELIX.
6412 & 6511
GO DOWN (King Bossimodo takes your helix and is only willing to return it if you go and rescue queen
Esmeralda in Australia), TALK CAPTAIN, SAIL WEST, GO HUT, FREE GIRL, SAY PORPOISE, TALK GIRL, GO
BOAT (the king exchanges your helix for the queen), GO HELIX.
3442
CHOOSE TOWER (if you choose the flat building you'll be killed when you go to location 4432),
GO HELIX.
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Locations where there is nothing to be done or locations which are lethal:
5125
When you type JUMP you jump from the roof and commit suicide.
3145
Nothing at all
1165
Nothing at all
1264
Nothing at all
5323
If you stay here longer than 16 seconds you are killed by an atomic cloud.
2452
You'll drown if you stay here longer than 30 seconds.
1462
If you stay longer than 30 seconds you're stung by a deadly mosquito and die in agony.
5521
Nothing at all
4531
Nothing at all
2551
If you stay longer than 30 seconds you're fried.
