Astral troublemakers in my bureau! Let's Play B.A.T. - Done!

[Crooked Bee]

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1: A mysterious appointment
Chapter 2: In da club
Chapter 3: This is the end

B.A.T. is cyberpunk romp through the underworld of crime and corruption.

B.A.T., or Bureau of Astral Troubleshooters, is a single-character cyberpunk RPG/adventure game hybrid developed by Computer's Dream and published by Ubisoft in 1989. Combat is, alas, real-time, with dodging and stuff. But it has stats, so it's an RPG! I'm not sure if this thread will even go anywhere, but since the Codex Playground has gone cyberpunk, I may as well claim this game for myself to LP. I'll be playing the DOS version, but there are also Amiga, Atari and C64 ones.



The game takes place in the beginning of the 22nd century, on a planet called Selenia.

SELENIA
(Extract from "Galactica Encyclopaedia", new edition)

Temporal bridge JERICHO VII (B15)
Distance from the bridge: 0,96 AL (8 months)
Planet information
diameter: 19 143 miles
mass: 9 (Earth = 1)
temperature: 165 °C average
atmospheric pressure: 10000 mb
time: 23h 42' 44"
atmosphere: carbon dioxide

Selenia was not the first planet to be coveted in the B15 solar system. In fact, the millionaire Gordon Berghaz, who had taken this temporal passageway, first entered into contact with the population of Josephine 6, a neighboring planet. The Tetrabucs, as they were called, did not authorize Berghaz to land on their planet, and he had to resign himself to landing on Selenia...

Selenia is part of a vast solar system made up of six planets (Miriez, Selenia, Josephine 6, Pretoriusjrma, Irmall) all rotating aroundBorea, a dwarf star more than 10 million years old.

On the whole surface of Selenia, the same climate prevails; very hot, barren...

The surface is varied, but not exciting. There are many mountains, arid plains and immense plateaus like that of the area of Svorkoff, where Terrapolis, the only town on the whole planet, was built. The intensive exploitation of the Selenian subsurface (pumping of dytroxyne and extraction of licox, a material used for the composition of Khergol) transformed Terrapolis into a vast industrial complex, defying the extreme surface conditions...

Gordon Berghaz died in 2163 and his son, Stan, took control of Terrapolis.

Relations with the Tetrabucs have improved a lot since the first meeting and a colony has been established on Josephine 6, Zartrop 1. Stan Berghaz and an elite group live in Zartrop, while the administration of the city of Terrapolis has been left to a governor... This governor is assisted in his task by advisors in charge of various sectors of activity in the city.

Thanks to its policies of low tax and other favorable measures, Terrapolis has become a large commercial center, and that's why you find an incredible variety of alien races here. The dominant population is human but extremely eccentric (notably in its amazing style of dress). It lives mainly by night in total decadence, and the Terranean police forces sometimes have difficulty in maintaining law and order.

The general ambiance of the city is fairly industrial, especially since the Great Fire of 2150 when a whole area of old buildings dating from the beginning of the XXIst century was destroyed. The visitor will therefore find few tourist attractions. Nevertheless, there are some remarkable Post-Rythjuian constructions and even, in a more classical style, the magnificent governor'spalace and the Museum of Natural History. The visitor can also take a walk around the marvelous gardens of the artificial park, created to soothe the mind but also stocked with innumerable species of rare animals.

You are an agent for B.A.T., an ultra-secret organization serving the Confederation of the Galaxies in the 22nd century, and you are assigned various missions covering a wide range of spy activities.

B.A.T.
The Bureau of Astral Troubleshooters was created in 2126 by a delegation of the N.T.C. (New Terrestrial Confederation). Originally, this organization was only to be an action unit with the right to intervene in all colonized worlds. Constructed in 2128 on a moon base, the B. A.T. was developing into a true coordinator of the police of every galaxy. In 2165, following their first major case and their first major failure, B.A.T. was officially dissolved and became an ultrasecret organization in orbit around Earth, masquerading as a medical center. Since then, several cases have been solved successfully. The B.A.T. makes use of an important information network. This information is collected throughout the known Universe by bloodhounds and the SAAR. The latter have no direct right of intervention in a case, this being reserved for specialized agents. These agents are trained to undergo all sorts of physical and moral tests. They can face the most dangerous situations and emerge victorious. Moreover, they are endowed with a personal computer, model B.O.B. (Bio-directional Organic Bioputer), implanted in their right forearm. This is designed to assist the agent in his mission, by taking charge of his physical faculties and by supplying him with useful information.

Since 2173, more than 200 agents have been posted in the Universe.

SAAR
These are small robots capable of storing all kinds of information. Their systems of acquisition and communication have been perfectly designed for their missions. The SAAR are always used in areas inaccessible to human beings. They are equipped with a very effective artificial intelligence system (survival instinct, deduction) measuring over 0,7 on the OD AB scale (the organization for the defense of artificial beings created in 2134). The SAAR, continuously perfected, are destined to be used more often.

Your current mission is to prevent the terrorists from setting off some powerful bombs in Terrapolis, the largest city on Selenia, and you have only 10 days to accomplish it.

THE WORLD OF B.A.T.

The B.A.T. is an ultrasecret organization, originally earth-based, of which you are an agent. The action takes place at the beginning of the XXIInd century. Earth, disrupted by various events, reformed a world government, the C.F.G. (Confederation of the Galaxies), directed by nine savants. The known Universe is scattered with worlds having no, or virtually no, topological concentration. This phenomenon, essentially due to the type of propulsion used for very long distance voyages (artificial black holes), resulted in the extreme political development of the independent worlds, despite themselves. Spatial colonization currently extends to the solar system and its suburbs (less than twenty light years away, like Alpha of Centaur) belonging to the Tertian district and the hundreds of other worlds colonized by the millionaires (or aliens!) scattered in space and linked uniquely by temporal bridges.

To coordinate the action of the hundreds of different worlds, an organization has been created, the U.M.R. (Union of Worlds for Assembly). However, significant problems remain and the measures taken by the U.M.R. are often stifled by the veto of one government or another.

That's why the C.F.G. prefers to use its personal action organization, the B.A.T., to resolve problems in utter secrecy...

As a B.A.T. agent, you will travel around various worlds, all different from each other, meeting strange or frightening characters. You will have to achieve perilous missions but you will have the fabulous chance to visit an integral world and to discover mysteries throughout the adventures that we offer you.

Your adventure will take place on Selenia, a very cosmopolitan planet, a crossroads of civilization...

The climatic conditions of this planet are very severe. No flora or fauna exist (you may get the chance to fly over the plateaus and dunes of the desert in a DRAG!). A Terrian colony has been set up in a town protected by an enormous dome: TERRAPOLIS.

The very industrial nature of this city has made it extremely lively. A large number of different beings meet night and day (Appendix 1 describes the main creatures). You will notice the heavy atmosphere, resulting from this world which influences its inhabitants and where violence is common. We advise you to blend in with the surroundings and not to disturb the equilibrium that makes the city tick, as aggressiveness is not always the best solution...

Don't forget that this is a real world in which you'll evolve. Don't hesitate to go for a drink or have some fun; adventure isn't the only attraction of the game, and you'll rarely be at a dead end. Once you've reached your goal, you can still carry on playing.

The manual also claims this game is very dynamic and flexible in its nature.

So that the player feels free, so that he can totally immerse himself in the adventure without any restrictions, we have conceived a system where appearance, interaction and even the very framework of the game have been rethought.

The structure of the game is based on what we call a "distributed adventure." The player can reach a solution in various ways, enabling him to be blocked only rarely in the adventure. The adventure is therefore resumed by a "main backbone" composed of branches and knots. The branches can be parallel or concurrent, they converge towards the knots which lead to the next step in the adventure by logical relations.

Moreover, we needed an interactive system of high quality to communicate with the player. As far as the graphics were concerned, we opted for a completely free screen where images take shape and follow each other freely. In consequence, some screens are entirely graphical, in a "cartoon" style, destined to make the game come alive.

But enough quoting the background stuff, let's now go onto character creation.



It's all as simple as it gets. You're given 78 points to distribute among 6 attributes: Force, Intelligence, Charisma, Perception, Energy and Reflexes, each ranging from 0 to 20.

FORCE. This characteristic is the physical potential of your character. The figure chosen during the creation is the maximum level that your force can reach (when you're in very good physical condition). A minimum of 15 is advised.

INTELLIGENCE. This competence reflects your mental capacities. It enables you to resolve complex problems or, for example, to take the lead in a conversation with a less intelligent individual. You could class as a genius by attaining 20 in intelligence, while the minimum is fatal (clinically dead).

CHARISMA. Charisma constitutes your main attractive power, whether physical or mental. This competence could be very useful during bargaining, or during friendly meetings. The maximum could be to the point of pure and simple hypnotism, whereas a minimum would be a consequence of ugliness and other peoples' indifference to your character.

PERCEPTION. Perception is the development of your principle senses (hearing, touch, sight, smell, taste). It is obviously important, as a high level of perception enables you to avoid the effect of surprise, to anticipate an attack, to rapidly detect a fatal poison. With a level of 20 your character will be an exceptionally perceptive individual. It will be very difficult to surprise him. With a minimum level your character will have a considerable deficiency of the senses (blind, deaf...).

ENERGY. Vitality also includes your willpower. It is an energy potential reflecting not only your vivacity but also the speed of your intervention when faced with an action. A lifeless person has hardly any energy, whereas a lively and nervous character has considerable energy.

REFLEXES. This competence is your capacity to react to an event without letting your deductive competences intervene. Very useful during fights, your character would be desperately slow on the draw with a low level. On the other hand, if you have a high level, not even a killer robot will be able to surprise you.

Also, as you can see from the above pic, distributing attribute points in various ways influences the level of your skills, or aptitudes, of which there are 14: Chatter, Pick locks, Detection, Electronics, Climbing, Evaluate, Mechanics, Steal, Track, Locate, Vigilance, Firing, Precision, Psychology, ranging from 0 to 100%.

Aptitudes are calculated depending on your competences and other parameters too numerous to describe. They reflect your capacity to carry out certain actions. Resulting from your personal talents but also from the training that you've received, these will enable you to carry out certain actions with greater ease. Thus, your aptitudes will determine your character's disposition (scientific, manual, calculative, instinctive, etc...). They are expressed as a percentage (from 0 to 100%).

Chatter: Very useful for confusing or convincing a seller or to obtain information from an indicator. This aptitude is frequently found in resourceful, vicious individuals.

Pick locks: This capacity reveals whether you are talented at understanding and picking all kinds of locks (from simple locks to the most complex electronic system).

Detection: To detect a trap, find the invisible clue that will uncover the workings of a Machiavellian plan, an essential characteristic of all major detectives.

Electronics: Above 70% you can consider yourself to be a very good electrician. This aptitude could get you out of tricky situations.

Climbing: To cross all heights without equipment. If your percentage is low, don't attempt the impossible, take the elevator...

Evaluate: Do you have a realistic attitude? This aptitude will enable you, among other things, to avoid buying a replica of a Kar-had vase at the same price as an original.

Mechanics: To avoid having to take public transport. Below 10%, we advise you not to touch any machine, otherwise we won't be responsible for the consequences.

Steal: Speaks for itself.

Track: If you think you're Davy Crockett, you should have a good percentage of this aptitude. It will enable you to follow your prey and even react in the same way as he does.

Locate: This capacity will enable you to discover hidden objects.

Vigilance: In this violent, cowardly world, it's useful to be on your guard. A high percentage of this aptitude will keep you from finding yourself without a credit card, whereas with a low percentage, you will be ideal prey for all bandits and robbers.

Firing: In case of attack and with a high percentage you can send a band of vicious skunks packing, without even aiming. Below 20%, you should ask all those around you to go several miles away before firing (if you have a Nova, we're not responsible for the holes in the disk...).

Precision: Above 80%, you're a marksman of considerable talent. Below 20%, buy yourself some glasses...

Psychology: To carefully apprehend a fragile creature (and not rush at him wildly), we advise you not to neglect this aptitude. It could be useful to know about certain civilizations and not to provoke them. Below 10%, you're a brute...

And that's where you, dear potential readers, come in. I'd like some reader participation as to who, what, in what manner our character should be. That's why I ask you to:

1. Suggest a suitable name (8 characters max)
Or unsuitable, whatever. Or support a name that has already been nominated. Wanna name our character Codexer or Tranny or Cleve or Kuroneko or, I dunno, Obama? Go ahead, say so.

2. Say how you would distribute 78 points among the attributes
Make the character as inept or skilled as you wish. Should he be a physically frail monocled gentleman, or a sturdy dumb oaf? Perceptive or half-deaf? Charismatic or ugly? Oh, the power of choice! Keep in mind that each attribute ranges from 0 to 20.

The most popular options will win. Alternatively, some kind of compromise will be reached. In any case, I'll be struggling with whatever character I get. So go ahead, voice your preference. Or come up with some preferences even if you don't really have any. Oh, and this LP is very low priority to me, but the more readers participate, the greater my enthusiasm, so go ahead if you want to see this thread alive and kickin'. In a way, I want this to be your LP as much as mine.

 

[Pussycat669]

This sounds quiet neat. Never heard of that game before.

1. Stone
2. He's got 15 force, as recommended, slightly above average IQ, high Charisma and Perception and average to below average reflexes and energy.

Also:

Moreover, they are endowed with a personal computer, model B.O.B. (Bio-directional Organic Bioputer), implanted in their right forearm.

 

[spekkio]

C64 version or GTFO!



[/Lulzur]

I'm kidding.

Name: Deckard

Skills: distribute equally (13 points into each atribute).

 

[lightbane]

B.A.T. is cyberpunk romp through the underworld of crime and corruption.

But do exist any cyberpunk setting where the world/universe/cyberspace/galaxy/whatever IS NOT a shithole?

but since the Codex Playground has gone cyberpunk

I thought it went full popamole, since it has several console games being lped


Anyways, for the character:

Name: Killy

Skills: distribute equally (but with a slightly more emphasis on force and less in charisma).

 

[Erebus]

I started B.A.T. II but gave up on it fairly quickly. You had to feed your character three times a day, to worry about the exact way you were carrying all of your belongings, etc. Does the first game also have that kind of annoying stuff ?

 

[spekkio]

Name: Killy

Weaboo faggotry detected.

 

[torpid]

New Bee LP

Name: torpid

Skills: fightan character -- high force, energy and reflexes; average perception; low intelligence and charisma.

 

[anus_pounder]

Name : Skyway
Skills : Balanced, with charisma getting slightly more love.

 

[Radisshu]

Name: Killy

Weaboo faggotry detected.

I care fuck all if it's japanese, BLAME! is the most dystopian post-apocalyptic cyber punk setting I know of.

 

[Sceptic]

Fuck yeah BAT! Awesome and weeeeeeeeeeird game that I never managed to finish (got to the end of the maze and... didn't know what to do...)

Will not submit my idea for character right now, need to go back home and check my saves first (if I still have them...)

 

[CrimsonAngel]

Crimson a FACE character to steal a Shadowrun Term.

the most points should be in Charisma and Intelligence followed by perception and reflexes.

And the rest as is needed not to be to Gimped or useless.

The skills should be something like Chatter with the most points, then Psychology and then Evaluation.
Put the point as they are needed of course not to be to horrid.

 

[SCO]

Good luck and let me know how that turns out.
*sound of giant metal door lowering on hydraulics*


(both it and the sequel were fucking hard, wtf was it with the divided screen, fucking cartoon visual designer)

 

[Crooked Bee]

So far, Killy wins after having been supported by Radisshu.


You still have a day or two to vote (e.g., by supporting one of the name/attribute choices already made by others), since I have too much real-life shit to do at the moment. As things stand, I'm all too tempted to cast a die or something.

Will not submit my idea for character right now, need to go back home and check my saves first (if I still have them...)

Your character ideas would be much appreciated, as I don't remember the game well.

I started B.A.T. II but gave up on it fairly quickly. You had to feed your character three times a day, to worry about the exact way you were carrying all of your belongings, etc. Does the first game also have that kind of annoying stuff ?

I don't remember the specifics, as it's been *very* long since I played this game (which makes this an almost blind LP), but yeah, it sure has a lot of annoying micromanagement (for lack of a better word). You can tell that doesn't bode well for this LP...

Well, I hope watching me suck at this game will prove to be at least mildly entertaining. Also, the update rate will probably be very, very low. Not that it matters on the Codex, mind you.

 

[torpid]

I'm the only one proposing a fighter -- not that I've played the game, so I don't know how much combat there is -- so vote for my character, not for the bookworms or the characters with equally distributed points. What kind of cop out is that I ask you?

Well, I hope watching me suck at this game will prove to be at least mildly entertaining.

If we can grind it, we can beat it. :sperg:

 

[Sceptic]

Your character ideas would be much appreciated, as I don't remember the game well.

I don't either, which is why I was trying to find my saves. I couldn't though, so I don't know what to recommend

Maybe a balanced set of stats?

 

[ghostdog]

I always wanted to play this game, never did.


Great idea for a LP, Bee.


Now, get your insectoid ass moving and bring us an update !

 

[Azira]

Arachnids aren't insects. M:

Otherwise, I agree.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Alright, since people aren't voting anymore, I may as well announce the results.

Killy wins the name race. Weaboo Codex, yay!

As for the attributes... First, I must say I hate those of you who suggested distributing the points equally. I mean, what kind of a character would that be? FFS. But anyways.

spekkio: equally (all 13s)
lightbane: +force, -charisma
torpid: +force, +energy, +reflexes, -intelligence, -charisma
anus_pounder: +charisma
CrimsonAngel: +charisma, +intelligence, +reflexes

Hmm, let's see: we have two -charisma and two +charisma, meaning charisma will stay low (trololo). We have +intelligence and -intelligence, meaning intelligence will stay low, too. Force, energy and reflexes will get more love, though, with special emphasis or force and reflexes. Got it.

Also, I never read that BLAST! manga thingie, but Killy's wiki description puts some quite similar accents:

Killy (霧亥 Kirii) is a fictional character from the manga series Blame!, by Tsutomu Nihei. ... Looking to be in his early to mid 20s, he is a glum looking person, never smiling (except madly when shooting on occasion) and has a slight slouch in his normal standing position, he isn't afraid to fight, and readily shoots the GBE. He also often shows superhuman strength and endurance.

Never smiling, huh? Alright, I'll try playing a bloodthirsty meanie, provided the game gives me such an option.

 

[spekkio]

BLAME! is one of the best mangas evar. Recommended.

 

[lightbane]

Also, I never read that BLAST! manga thingie, but Killy's wiki description puts some quite similar accents:

Killy (霧亥 Kirii) is a fictional character from the manga series Blame!, by Tsutomu Nihei. ... Looking to be in his early to mid 20s, he is a glum looking person, never smiling (except madly when shooting on occasion) and has a slight slouch in his normal standing position, he isn't afraid to fight, and readily shoots the GBE. He also often shows superhuman strength and endurance.

Never smiling, huh? Alright, I'll try playing a bloodthirsty meanie, provided the game gives me such an option.

It's Blame!, not Blast!, sis. That manga is one of the best cyberpunk stories ever existed (plus the protagonist is not an emo nor a retard and does not like to carry stupidly oversized swords). Oh, and Killy's aggressiveness is understandable, in the grim universe of Blame!, everything is trying to kill you, all the time.

PS: And please update ASAP.

 

[Crooked Bee]

PROLOGUE

A. LORE

Cutting from "Earthly Chronicles," by Jane Equest:

Contemporary history still tends to prove the periodicity of time...

In fact, the end of the XXth century was also marked, as in the Middle Ages, by the fear of a new century. In a world of 7 million human beings, fear but also occultism eroded the considerable scientific advances of a population which hadn't stopped asking questions... So emotion was running high when the new century arrived, while time continued its progress tirelessly. Relieved but also drunk with life, the human race experienced a new upsurge, a new trend, a new way of thinking called "Worldism"... The Worldists favored a return to the planet's surface, thanks to modernism but also to a better division of exploitations. They were the precursors of the important humanist movement characterizing the beginning of the XXIst century...

This growing ideology was crushed, sometimes with bloodshed, by the assassination of their leader, Joseph Milewski, on the 2nd of June, 2006, in Mexico, but above all by the setting up of immense financial machinery.

A monster, a beast, that is the image we will keep of the economic liberalism that followed. The world went mad, money re-established its power. The destabilization of governing bodies, human exploitation, excessive productivity, but above all scientific meddling (meteorology, genetic engineering) were the new earthly jewels. Gigantic dinosaurs, that's what these new companies were, fed endlessly with new supplies. Fearsome carnivores, that's what their managers became.

The press, duly disgusted by what it nicknamed "the red economy" or "recolonisation," fell victim to this system where growth followed a mathematical law called "Exponentialism"... The threat menacing political equilibrium obliged the governments to put a brake on the audaciousness of these trusts. New taxes were imposed, as well as systematic control of stocks by governmental commissions. By creating new public companies, some bodies even managed to compete with the private sector, significantly increasing the already considerable tension.

To battle against these governmental measures, those that were now called "millionaires" decided to start economic and legal war... Overproduction, law breaking, those were the rich men s tactics. Prohibition of sales, fixing of quotas were the government's reactions. The crisis was reaching a peak. Earth's population, crushed by these relations of force, could only react and yet the outcome was so unexpected!

On the night of January 23rd, 2065,122 of them departed (the control screens of the seismic detection centers registered tremors surpassing 8 on the Richter scale). Powerful thermal variations were also registered at the epicenter, even serious seismic activity...

People were astonished when it was discovered that the 122 recently formed craters corresponded with the sites of megacities built over the years by the millionaires... What motivated these millionaires to undertake such madness? Thirst for conquest, megalomania, fear? Why did they exile themselves in galactic infinity? So many questions still remain unanswered.

During these ten years of economic war, they had carefully concealed what they were up to, engaging the best specialists in the fields of mechanical engineering, dietetics, biochemistry and aeronautics. In silence, they constructed fake antipollution domes and developed an amazing way of transporting their gigantic cities light years into space. Their action, dominated by a technology extremely advanced for the period, composed principally of the element Konchovski and by the process Eckerman-Rolf, was the driving force behind a new era for the human race, a new era which would nevertheless begin rather badly...

Konchovski: Nikita Konchovski (2027-2112) was one of the major physicists at the beginning of the XXIst century. He perfected an ingenious method of overcoming what he termed "mass quantity." Using classical propulsion methods, even with the most sophisticated technology, no spacecraft could get anywhere near the speed of light: it would have had to carry millions of times its own weight in fuel. He therefore invented a sort of spatial vacuum cleaner which swallowed up and used the particles of interstellar hydrogen as fuel. The method, however ingenious it might have been, didn't enable you to reach the speed of light (7% maximum) but it was a great step forward for the astronautics of the day. This method was used, among others, by the millionaires to gather the stellar material which they needed for their project of space travel.

Eckerman-Rolf: Eckerman and Rolf are the two scientists responsible for the perfection of the type of space travel used by the millionaires (cf the article published in INTERWORLD n° 3127).

B. STORY

Jeff Sohansen was a typical ambitious young inspector. 32 years old, of average height, and with a well-proportioned, but cold face. His apparent youth in fact concealed a solid experience in criminology, which had gained him the high post of inspector for B.A.T. It was now two months since he had taken charge of the file EP1 N° 3406 (Priority Escapes), and two months since he had slept properly.

He was in charge of the spectacular escape of Vrangor, a mentally-ill psychopath, but also a remarkable genius. The latter had escaped about two months ago with a certain Merigo and there was no doubt that he would try something. It should be said that this was Vrangor' s third escape and each time he had attempted a criminal exploit. For example, nine years ago, he had planted sixteen pulsoneutronic nuclear warheads in Stockholm, and demanded the death of the nine decision-making masters of the C.F.G.

Stockholm: Stockholm is now the international capital of the Universe. The Guereid Palace, where the parliament assembles, is located here.

C.F.G.: The Confederation of the Galaxies (C.F.G.) is in charge of all the interior and exterior affairs of the Universe. It in fact forms an international government responsible for the smooth running of all the organizations forming the main framework of society. The C.F.G.meets in Parliament. This is composed of two chambers, that of the decision-makers and that of the masters. The nine decision-makers are all honorary masters (see A.M.E.) and form the real Universal decision-making power. The chamber of masters, consisting of 8 members, is only there to outline eventual problems. It is in fact the direct link with the organizations in charge of various different sectors (social, leisure and education, defense and interior order, science and technology, interior affairs, exploration and transport, environment, communication, and internal logistics).

The B.A.T. had arrested him just in time. Jeff reflected that because Vrangor was an explosives expert, he had wisely put his bloodhounds on the alert and placed his SAAR in the most strategic areas of the land, as Vrangor hated the C.F.G.

Yet he still didn't really have much to go on, and this situation annoyed him more than anything. So he hoped that Bon Topic, his superior, would give him a better lead.

Topic had asked him to come urgently. This business must therefore be of capital importance, but for the moment Jeff was walking around in circles in front of the large bay window of the waiting-room. He looked at the constellations and the stars. He never tired of this magnificent spectacle and yet, in this swarm of luminous dots, a dangerous madman was quietly going about his evil plans. Furious, he turned around and went towards the secretary to ask her to announce his arrival yet again. The latter did so with a casualness unlikely to calm Jeff down, but he told himself that she was very attractive with her little blond curls, and that it was no use getting annoyed...

At last Topic's familiar voice could be heard :

"Please send in Mr. Sohansen, Peggy."

"Yes sir."

The secretary got up and opened the office door. She signaled to Jeff that he could go in. He entered... The office was spacious and remarkably decorated. Topic liked to say that it was his wife who had done it. On the right you could see magnificent paintings, perfect reproductions of old masters. As for the wall on the left, it was decorated with various holograms and trophies from Topic's school days at the A.M.E.

A.M.E.: The Academy of Masters and Experts (A.M.E.) is a college aiming to form the elite of Terranean society. It recruits through competition (of a very high standard). The curriculum offered is totally multi-disciplinary and therefore extremely demanding. The degree of instruction is split into various levels. Thus each student climbs a sort of ladder at the end of which he will possibly become an honorary master. Students from levels 0 to 50 are designated "virgin" (70% of new recruits will never advance beyond this level), from 50 to 75 they become "confirmed," from 75 to 95 they become "expert." Once he has reached level 99, the expert must spend five years in the monastery of the Khyriadyne Sisters to acquire the art of controlling vital and cerebral essences. If he passes these difficult tests, the student becomes a "master" and maybe later an "honorary master," on the instigation of other members of the C.F.G. (notably following the death of a member).

Topic was sitting in the middle of the room, behind a large desk covered with huge files, and paperwork which indicated an important post. The man was small and extremely thin. His eyes, although hidden behind his filtering glasses, suggested a very vivacious mind. Although he was aware of the immense intellectual capacities of Experts with a level higher than 75, Jeff had always been impressed by the fact that Topic could carry out several tasks at the same time without any problem. Thus he could simultaneously talk to you and compile one or several important files. This remarkable aptitude nevertheless irritated Jeff, who didn't find the attention that he needed to see in his superior's expression. For the moment, Topic was typing on a keyboard and didn't seem too interested by Jeffs arrival.

"Come in, my dear Sohansen, excuse me for keeping you waiting a bit, but you know what it's like; it's difficult keeping a schedule..."

Topic continued typing on the terminal, and then stopped :

"All right, that's finished. I'm all yours now. I called you because there's something new in the Vrangor case. We're on the trail of his accomplice, Merigo, who according to our information, is to be found on Selenia, a planet of the B15 system."

"It's incredible that I haven't been informed. Have you forgotten, sir,that it's up to me to centralize all the information of the bloodhounds and all the findings of the SAAR!!!"

"Indeed, I understand that you're surprised by this, but several things are worrying me..."

"And what are they, sir?"

"Well first of all, the fact that it was me and not you who received the information from the bloodhound on duty on Selenia. In fact, our agent's network system didn't work. It must have been destroyed! The information was transmitted to me by an indirect telecommunication coming, according to the boss, from the governor of Selenia. We had a lot of difficulty explaining what one of our agents was doing there... From the transmission, it was obvious that our bloodhound had been killed, therefore I sent our agent to Selenia. He found nothing more than a charred corpse. But what intrigued me the most was that the murderer had taken the trouble to disintegrate the head of our man, thus making it impossible to analyze his optomemorizer..."

"Certainly, all that is very upsetting, but you have to admit that it could be a coincidence..."

"Of course, but now listen to this, we received a message this morning on a frequency reserved exclusively for B.A.T., which is only known by a small number of people:"

• "This is Vrangor. I hope that you 're not getting too tired trying to find me, because you'll have to get a move on now. I have a new game to propose to you. I have planted sixteen nucturobiogenic bombs in a very well-frequented place which is extremely important to the bunch of puppets called the C.F.G. I have chosen Terrapolis on Selenia, and I leave you and your little cretins ten days to evacuate Selenia and draw up an act of property for the area in my name. Otherwise, I will eliminate all life in Terrapolis, and in any case I will control the town... Arrange it with Selenia's authorities. You have ten days, no more."

Topic stopped the machine.

"Of course, Vrangor took care to change the expansion factor of the transmission, so we couldn't locate the exact source of the message. You must be aware that Selenia is one of the major producers of dytroxyne and licox, the base materials for producing khergol. It would be a catastrophe for the U.M.R. if we were to lose Terrapolis...

U.M.R.: The Union of World Assembly (Union des Mondes pour le Rassemblement) is certainly the largest and most important organization ever created by Man. Founded in 2126, this organization is composed of 155 members, and decides the laws and orders concerning "assembly," in other words, all the known planetary governments that have agreed to join together to form a single Universe. Each year, a major conference is held by video transmission, the most serious problems are discussed and resolved where possible. The U.M.R. draws up articles concerning the "code of the planets," the "collection of universal decisions" and the "collection of universal laws." Obviously, the C.F.G. is a member of this organization, as are the various millionaires inhabiting the colonized galaxies.

"In any case, the fact that we found Merigo in Terrapolis proves that these aren't just idle threats... The facts are there, and we have to consider the possibility that there's a leak in our organization. We have already analyzed the files of our most important executives, without any luck, and that's why I'm talking to you now. Obviously, it's out of the question to warn the authorities of Terrapolis. We must act under cover and first eliminate Vrangor. Then we can discover the traitor.

"You are therefore going to contact a new agent and send him to Terrapolis to resolve this affair. Luckily I think we have someone on Josephine 6. Contact him and give him the mission of eliminating Vrangor. There, do you have any questions to ask me about this case?"

"Will my agent have a contact on Terrapolis?"

"Upon his arrival, your agent must get in contact with the person already on duty. He will provide him with the information necessary for his free circulation and will fill him in on the details. Choose him well, he must not fail..."

"Yes sir, I will organize it right away."

"Don't forget, it is essential that your man succeeds in his mission. Remember that under no circumstances will he be helped by Selenia's authorities. He will be considered as a stranger and therefore likely to be watched by the Terranean police."

"Yes sir. Is that all?"

"You can leave now, good luck."

Jeff went out and headed for his office to organize the intervention of his new agent. The die was cast, his decision would be all important...

And so the adventure begins. The new agent in question is, of course, our protagonist, Killy.



Killy isn't exactly bright nor charismatic. He is, however, strong and dexterous, quite energetic and more or less perceptive. He doesn't excel in chatter, but his aim is steady and he can probably steal something if need be.
We can also choose a couple of weapons for Killy at the beginning.

Choosing your weapons: Before setting out on the adventure, it would be advisable to stock upon one or two weapons. In fact, the number of weapons is a function of your constitution. You can take two small weapons or a large one. Each weapon possesses its distinctive features as well as its own ammunition (by the way, the ammunition is not provided with the weapons, you'll have to try and get hold of it in town). Your weapon will be issued to you when you make contact with your agent.

Types of weapon: The choice of a weapon is crucial for the rest of the game. We'll therefore present the type of weapons that you can use:

- Voktrasof: A light weapon, like a pen which you keep in your pocket. Not very powerful but easy to hide.

Name: Voktrasof
Price: 150
Weight: 250
Ammunition (PC)
LP-12 (4)

-Beckmann: It's a classic photonic beam of medium power. Weighing around 2 kg, it's the preferred weapon of the Skunks.

Name: Beckmann
Price: 390
Weight: 2000
Ammunition (PC)
LP-57 (5)

- Hacker 30: The butcher's weapon, it projects several thousand needles simultaneously. You can regulate the dispersion level of the needles as well as the pressure of the propulsion gas. In short, it's a little gem for acupuncture experts!

Name: Hacker 30
Price: 410
Weight: 2080
Ammunition (PC)
AG-10-80 (6)

- Haas 10: It consists of a type of pistol launch-missile. Two types of missiles can be used:
- N 29: Missile with non-controllable trajectory
- T 02: Missile tele-guided by body wave

Name: Haas 10
Price: 560
Weight: 1880
Ammunition (PC)
N29 (5) T02 (7)

- MOZ: The moz is a very powerful and devastating infrasonic cannon, extremely useful for destroying completely any type of conventional engine. The Terranean police possess a weapon of this kind.

Name: Moz
Price: 810
Weight: 5300
Ammunition (PC)
E-10 (7) E-300 (8)

- NOVA: The most powerful weapon offered, its cannon is in fact a genuine photon accelerator. It is carried on the shoulder and is equipped with multiple shockabsorption systems. In short, it's not to be used in a very busy public place...

Name: Nova
Price: 995
Weight: 10550
Ammunition (PC)
Nova Battery (9)

I guess we'll just go for the two default weapons, a Voktrasof and a Haas 10, as I really have no clue which weapon is the most useful one. Stay tuned to find out what awaits our agent on his no doubt dangerous mission!

 

[Radisshu]

Killy isn't exactly bright nor charismatic. He is, however, strong and dexterous, quite energetic and more or less perceptive. He doesn't excel in chatter, but his aim is steady and he can probably steal something if need be.

 

[Crooked Bee]

CHAPTER 1: A MYSTERIOUS APPOINTMENT

My new mission began in some kind of rundown hangar.

Like any self-respecting member of B.A.T., you have a computer, the B.O.B., implanted in your arm. Based on electro-organic technology, it is an entirely separate organ of your body. Powered by four fibro-veins, it electronically analyses and controls your blood flow in order to supply you with all kinds of information about your body. Its particular method of operating enables you to modify some of your physical and psychological characteristics. B.O.B. is therefore not a gadget but a work tool that will help you in your mission and could even save your life. It's up to you to put the 4 functions to their best possible use to profit from B.O.B.'s extraordinary capacities.

Program 1: Reminder of your characteristics

LEVEL: increases each time your experience reaches 99.

EXPERIENCE: some of your actions during your mission will increase or reduce your experience. It varies from 0 to 99 between each level.

FORCE, INTELLIGENCE, CHARISMA, PERCEPTION, ENERGY, REFLEXES: these values were defined before the mission during character creation.

Program 2: Physical condition

This function indicates the state of your health.

LIFE POTENTIAL: The LIFE POTENTIAL informs you on the state of your health. At the beginning of the game, you're in great shape, and your life potential is therefore at a maximum: 99%. But the hostile world of Selenia seems fairly likely to make you weaker: illness, wounds, hunger, etc... are the parameters which will diminish your life potential. When your LIFE POTENTIAL reaches 0%, you're dead (ask the pharmacist...).

B.O.B. continuously analyses your blood in order to detect any weakness likely to endanger your mission.

HYDRATION: Your body dehydrates during physical effort. B.O.B. keeps an eye on the dehydration level and indicates in its diagnosis if you need to drink.

CALORIES: Your body consumes energy: calories. At the beginning of the game, your energy potential is 2000 calories. Your physical activity uses up energy, so your calories will slowly diminish. Only a regular nutritious intake can conserve the balance between the energy consumed and the energy intake. B.O.B. will indicate in its diagnosis if you need to eat, but watch out for indigestion...

SILHOUETTE OF YOUR CHARACTER: Thanks to its diagram of a body, B.O.B. indicates the injured parts of your body after fighting. The injured part of the body is in red.

Program 3: Translate language and electrocardiogram

LANGUAGE TRANSLATED: B.O.B. controls your mental capacities, notably your ability to understand and speak a foreign language. On Selenia, there are three main ethnic groups: robots, aliens, and humans. To understand the aliens, click on "Alien," the arrows "> <" position themselves and thus indicate the language being spoken.

CARDIOGRAM : This option enables you to control your heart beat.

NORMAL: is in use unless you change it (the arrows "> <" are positioned on either side of "NORMAL"). Your heart beats at a normal rate.

HIBERNATION: this option enables you to slow down your heart beat. Your reactions to an enemy will be slower, but if you are injured, for example, you will become less tired and above all will lose less blood.

ACCELERATION: this option enables you to accelerate your heart beat. It is useful during fighting, for example, your vitality, foresight and speed are increased (all important physical effort is increased by this function, ask the ...).

QUIT: enables you to return to the main menu.

Program 4: Programming B.O.B.

In order to automate the preceding functions and to avoid repetitive manipulations, B.O.B. possesses original and revolutionary programming in the computer games field.

The thing is, this game has a programming feature that allows you to programme your B.O.B. so that it issues basic warnings, displays messages, or auto-changes some of its settings depending on the circumstances. I won't be explaining the procedure to you in detail, but here is an example of such a programme, one that issues an audio warning when pursued:

We'll also be using two other programmes. One for robot/alien translation:

IF ROBOT
TRANSLATE ROBOT
END IF
IF ALIEN
TRANSLATE ALIEN
END IF

And one for displaying a message whenever Killy is hungry, thirsty, exhausted or diseased:

IF HUNGRY
DISPLAY "STARVING"
END IF
IF THIRSTY
DISPLAY "THIRSTY"
END IF
IF TIRED
DISPLAY "TIRED"
END IF
IF ILLNESS
DISPLAY "ILLNESS"
END IF

Overall, you can set up to 5 messages for the B.O.B. to display.

I understand what the displays mean now.

Right-clicking gives us access to some basic game menus: Inventory (browse the items you're carrying), Look (examine the surrounding area and crucial items), Search (search the area for hidden items, sometimes must be used several times to succeed), Drop (drop, hide or conceal an item), Health (eat, drink, sleep), Help (access the game menu).

CAREFUL! Don't let other characters steal from you or kill you while you're asleep.

CAREFUL! There's a risk of indigestion if there is not a need to eat or drink.

In fact, there's a good chance of something being stolen from you if you just stand in one place for too long. Hardcore!

The inventory screen is quite basic and self-explanatory. Currently, Killy's carrying a Credit card with 1000 credits remaining...

...and 504 krells (=local currency) in cash.

The bubble icon appears over the so-called "stationary characters", i.e., those always standing in one place. A different kind of talk icon appears for characters that are (randomly?) passing by in real time. There's a maximum of two active real-time characters on a screen at a time.

In every stationary conversation, there are three default options: "Hello", "Question", and "Ask about time". Time matters in this game, a lot. More often than not there's a set deadline you must meet to progress, not to mention the global time limit of 10 days.

The questions we can ask are standard and concern the criminals we're after (mentioned earlier in the Prologue) as well as the city of Terrapolis, truly a huge city that never sleeps.

The local police officers are generally not a helpful bunch. "Would you mind not wasting my time!" and "Respect the law" are all the things they say.

From what I've seen, the least thing any character can do is tell time. Useful.

I was supposed to meet my contact in the nearby toilet room, of all places.

As I was taking my sweet time looking around, however, I got attacked by a killer robot. Having no weapons nor ammo, I had to flee.

I ran for the restrooms. The scent of a public toilet is one thing even a robot cannot bear.

Conversations with passers-by have more options than stationary ones. The options are self-explanatory, I guess. This particular stranger is an alien -- a Kradokid. As you remember, we have the translation programme running, but he doesn't really have anything useful to say.

The contact was hiding in one of the cabins. I asked him for details.

Yeah, I wonder if the robot was part of the welcome party.

"You are well aware of the important role that Selenia plays in supplying raw materials to Earth.

"As a matter of fact, if Selenia was seized by an enemy, Earth would soon be in serious trouble.

"We have received information, from a reliable source, that this dreadful possibility could soon become a reality!!!

"We lost all trace of him after the escape, but recently discovered the presence of an ECG wave corresponding to that of Merigo, a prisoner who escaped with him.

"Merigo is our only possible lead to Vrangor.

"The ultimatum was actually signed by Vrangor!!!

"The loss of Selenia would be a lethal blow to the galactic confederation...

"We've added a hologram of Merigo. Everything depends on your success... Good luck.....!"

The contact gave me no real leads, but at least I got the weapons I was promised.

We now have a weird laconic proclamation in our inventory, as well as a Voktrasof and a Haas 10. No ammo for now, alas.

I tried fighting the killer robot unarmed, but it bested me. Good thing I had the power of reload.

Despite my high reflexes, stealing failed me more often than not. I guess killing is indeed the only real option.

"The place stinks!!" is probably the most favourite NPC reply when asked about the city.

"Dirty and disgusting" comes second.

There's a phone nearby, but we have no number to call at the moment.

The next area is a transit one. We can access a pub through it.

I had a bad feeling about the place. Especially about that alien guy smoking some kind of pipe.

To be able to eat and drink, which is vital in this game, you must first buy something to eat and drink. Makes sense.

I first bought a Nitrokola and then approached the guy.

The alien said he had some useful info for me. He named his price: 35 krells.

The deal was a rip-off. Too bad the game didn't give me the option to attack the bastard.

The city is quite huge, Astroport Square being its major hub. It's an incredible place, especially for dying in.

At the automated food store, Killy buys some sushi.

Shhh, tell them I bought a burger.

Alright, a burger it is, then.

Fair enough.

Sometimes you can chat up two passers-by simultaneously. It's just a gimmick though.

The Exchange Center is the only place where we can cash our credit card.

Even with my low intelligence, the ruins looked important to me, but the question mark indicated I lacked that special something to proceed further.

The Astroport Hotel is a place for hibernating, but it costs a lot of money. Not really a good option.

For 20 krells, the receptionist shared some rumours with me. All useless.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't interact with that red car. A shame.

The central junction had just the thing I needed: a weapon shop.

Here, you can buy or sell weapons and ammo. You can also ask for a piece of advice...

"Your purse does not appear to hang heavy upon your belt, so I would suggest a Voktrasof, with some nice little LP-12's."

I already had a Voktrasof, though. Useless old man.

We buy some ammo for our two weapons. We can now engage in combat with random strangers and robots, which is an exercise in clicking the enemy to death and therefore too boring for me to be covering.

Hey, I had fun!

No wonder, with your intelligence. But anyway.

A lot of side streets around here, with random encounters waiting for us. Their rate is low, though. Encounters also trigger when we try stealing something from a character too often.

A first class hotel. I liked the way that sounded.

On my way to the hotel, I stumbled upon the police station. Definitely not my kind of place.

The police station is where you end up if you go around stealing from shopkeepers. Not advised.

Another side street -- and a perfect example of this game's divided screen.

At the armor shop, I bought a level 8 force shield for 400 krells. Lots of money, I know, but the temptation was too strong, and bear in mind I'm not very intelligent.

And here's the promised posh hotel.

I only had enough cash to stay for 1 night. Dongs.

I wonder what happens if we don't return the key... I'll leave that option for the next update to explore, as I forgot to do that in this update. Silly me.

The room looked nice and spacious. A perfect special agent kind of place.

As I searched around the room, I located an access card saying "Technicians security permit". That could come in handy, I thought.

With my superior reflexes, I always had up to 10 seconds to prepare for any encounter.

(To prepare for an encounter, Killy must activate the shields and one of the weapons. The number "6" in the screenshot means we have 6 seconds left before the enemy starts attacking us.)

Exploring the city, Killy discovers a place where he can buy medicine.

Stimulants sounded just like the kind of thing I could always use, so I bought some.

Bah!

Wake-u-up capsules? Now that's a silly name.

It looks like we're approaching the local park.

The airlock. I guess we can hire a vehicle here, but I'll leave exploring that option for future updates. Let's visit the "famous artificial park" now.

Peace and serenity isn't my kind of thing, but I decided to explore the park nevertheless.

Also, the game warns us about pickpocketing, which is the most unfortunate thing that can happen to us. Better not linger in one place.

Ah, a crossroads. Left or right, which is better and why?

Left.

Left it is. The fountain is our alternative to buying and consuming drinks. Killy looks thirsty, so he drinks from the fountain, feeling refreshed.

Some more (artificial) rural scenes.

There was a museum in the park, so I decided to explore it.

Nothing but a babbling alien was inside. Disappointed, I left the place.

This is an, uhm, alternative food merchant.

I didn't really like the way his food looked, so no deal, sorry.

There was that lady at a night bar... I asked her about Merigo, and she asked me for 46 krells. There were many other things I wanted to ask her about, but the game was strict. Too strict.

She told me to find a Kradokid. A Kradokid. Did she even realize how many of those stinky aliens were wandering around the streets?

That man looked like he could know something, so I paid him the 30 krells he asked for.

This was an outrage! Again, no option to attack him, meh.

The Hot Quarter was an attractive place, sure, but I had to keep my mission in focus. Everywhere I went, I kept looking for that goddamn Kradokid.

And finally I found him! "17:00 at the museum", he told me. Little did I know of what the future had in store for me...

 

[Trash]

Played this one and its sequel a long time ago and despite never getting very far into it the atmosphere and attention to detail was always staggering. Not to mention that the sheer size of it is overwhelming as it gets. Amazing games.

 

[Radisshu]

And damn, they gave some real attention to the art