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message from deep space
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:05 pm
by terri
This is the last of Barrie Eaton's games, that Doreen is yet to finish.
Available at nvg.
Have a good time on your holidays, Doreen. We will miss you.
Though the forum may settle down a touch, and I can get back to reading a book
Anyway, I am playing this. It does not appear to be as easy (i.e. limited verbs, many ways to die, etc.
I have no idea if the android guard is able to be activated and how?
Not to mention the vehicle, how to open things, the robot, etc.
Any others bored out there?
A few starters: you can go DOWN PIT. Though that's about all I have right now.
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:59 pm
by terri
Hey folks out there.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could make some progress in this game, so that when Doreen comes back from her holiday, we can say we have helped and made some progress?
I have made a bit more progress, but this game seems to depend on the "sequence" you do things.
"Reading" the .dsk suggests that this game was compiled/released at the same time as another game (maybe Kingdom of Zaar?). Vocab is limited. GET/Take does not work in many places. Once you have found the "magic" word, this opens up possibilties, as you appear to be transported into a different location depending on where you are.
I have found that you cannot use CLIMB anywhere.
Most objects appear to be unnecessary, except for "other" keys you find. Let's not "cheat" more than necessary. Reading the listings does not count as a cheat in my opinion (like cracking the code would be).
I think this is a solvable game, so let's get to work folks.
Re: message from deep space
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:00 am
by Juan
terri wrote:A few starters: you can go DOWN PIT. Though that's about all I have right now.
From where? Every time I try moving down I "slip and fall" which leads nowhere but to your death.
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:27 pm
by andreas
terri wrote:Reading the listings does not count as a cheat in my opinion (like cracking the code would be).
I guess it matters WHO reads those listings
If I do that, I might have the whole game solved in no time!

That would be a lousy spoiler campaign eh?
So by all means you have to exclude dave and me because we're coders!

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:38 pm
by terri
When I say "read the listings", I mean opening up the .dsk file in Wordpad. Nothing fancier or more esoteric than that!
Anyway this is some bizarre game. I tried playing it again from the beginning and doing things in a different order (once you have the magic word). What worked the first time, doesn't work now. The verbs needed to get the keys change. The magic word doesn't seem to work twice in the same location. Very confusing.
OK - I suppose we can wait until Doreen gets back. I for one don't like to play a game that's already been solved, unless I am/was really interested. Like if someone had a solution to one of my many unfinished games, some very boring ones too.
Maybe I only typed DOWN at the pit. Or this may be one of those times that depend on the order. Or what you are carrying. So if you guys decipher the code that won't help unless we have previous, identical moves.
I'm trying to determine if the boat is needed. Maybe I'll find another game for now.
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:30 am
by Alastair
This game's a nightmare, I thought that by 1987 the practice of killing the player without suitable warning had been excised from the genre.
Is there a way to determine whether or not an object is safe to pick up, or whether it is safe to climb in a particular location? [1]
Juan wrote:terri wrote:A few starters: you can go DOWN PIT. Though that's about all I have right now.
From where? Every time I try moving down I "slip and fall" which leads nowhere but to your death.
Juan, there is a pit mentioned in one of the location descriptions, I can't tell you where as I came across it after repeated use of the magic word. (Other repeated use of the word led me to the wizard mentioned when you type HELP, but again I was unable to map this.)
[1] Looking at the code (it's in BASIC) I have found a way to continue the game after dying, though I cannot guarantee that it does not introduce bugs. Instead of directly running the game, type in the following three lines:
Now when you receive the "You are dead" press any key to continue with that game.
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:30 pm
by terri
Thanks, Alastair, I'll see if I can do this.
Yes, it is a bizarre game.
To get to the wizard, I got the book from the library (before I even met the wizard), swam into the reservoir, used the magic word after I pulled the lever, which took me to outside the shrine building, and then went north.
If this is as random - I know that is not the correct word, but I have no other - as it seems, is it even worth playing as a group?
Got another game going. Lordy, I'm as bad as Doreen

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:02 pm
by Alastair
I can tell from the code that the magic word transportation is random, so no wonder I became lost after using it about twenty times in a row! I think I'll resist using the magic word until I have properly mapped out the game.
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:05 pm
by Alastair
I've nearly finished, I just need to pick up the Key10 segment but despite having the pentagon I cannot work out how to do it. Has anyone managed this?
Also, HELP suggests that you push the animal out of the way, I've had no luck, has anyone else?
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:41 pm
by terri
No to both of your questions.
Looks like you are going to have to help ME out, like maybe the order you took the keys in? or what locations you were in, in the order you got to them?
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:29 am
by Alastair
terri wrote:No to both of your questions.
Looks like you are going to have to help ME out, like maybe the order you took the keys in? or what locations you were in, in the order you got to them?
I have not used any special order in obtaining the keys or the gem [1], the problem is finding the words required by the game - sometimes it is FIT, other times OPEN, UNLOCK, even DROP.
I will say that I have been unable to reach some parts of the game except by the magic word, though I have found that you can enter the Animal Enclosure when you are Outside the Shrinelike Building by typing GO IN. There is another location you can reach with GO IN, to escape from that room you may type GO OUT. Also, when you are in the Brilliantly Lit White Room you can GO TRAIN and the android will take you to a location near the starting location (i.e., a place north of the water).
[1] From looking at the code I can see that when you are in the library the game should also tell you "It goes ON TO say that whoever locates the ten hidden segments that make up the KEY including the rare gem TO RUN it will gain mastery over it. But where is the machine."
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:24 am
by terri
Ahhhh - that I can help with. Yes I've tried all kinds of verbs. Nada.
At the animal enclosure, go north, then south, then east, and all the way south.
Have you found the gem? I haven't.
Also playing another game (see new post).
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:37 pm
by Alastair
terri wrote:Ahhhh - that I can help with. Yes I've tried all kinds of verbs. Nada.
At the animal enclosure, go north, then south, then east, and all the way south.
I can't get this to work, were you carrying anything special?
terri wrote:Have you found the gem? I haven't.
Yes, it's in the ancient looking building with the locked steel door.
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 1:24 am
by terri
I haven't found the ancient building with the locked steel door. At least not from my map.
Can you tell me the vicinity of where it is?
At the cables, I was carrying (lots of red herrings I think):
ultrasonic device, antigravity device, rope, pentagon, motionless android, key 11, key 4, robot, box, and software. Who knows which of these are necessary?
On another go round I was carrying:
key 4, key 11, boatlike object, pentagon, traingular shaped object, and key 11. I had typed the magic word in the room with the table and unfamiliar objects.
Why do I play these games? I am nowhere near good at them?
Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:22 pm
by Alastair
terri wrote:I haven't found the ancient building with the locked steel door. At least not from my map.
Can you tell me the vicinity of where it is?
It's near the beginning, the same place where you initially find the boatlike object.
terri wrote:At the cables, I was carrying (lots of red herrings I think):
ultrasonic device, antigravity device, rope, pentagon, motionless android, key 11, key 4, robot, box, and software. Who knows which of these are necessary?
On another go round I was carrying:
key 4, key 11, boatlike object, pentagon, traingular shaped object, and key 11. I had typed the magic word in the room with the table and unfamiliar objects.
The effects of the magic word are totally random, it does not matter where you are or what you are carrying.
terri wrote:Why do I play these games? I am nowhere near good at them?
You're kidding, right? For every post on the main site there are usually more contributions by TS than anyone else.