Completed Text adventures ahoy! Let's 100% Frederik Pohl's GATEWAY!

[Crooked Bee]

Bee, if imgboot doesn't rename images, you may find it easier to use Photobucket over Imgur. Imgur will rename all your images to a nonsense alphanumerical string, PB keeps naming intact. If you use PB you'll therefore only have to do one batch renaming (just replace whatever the imgur link before the filenames was with whatever it'll be in PB - if you throw all the images in the same folder, like I did for each of my LP's, that address will be the same for all of them) per post and all should be as it was before.

Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. I'm also happy to donate my own PB account if you can't get one for any reason.

Of course if Imgboot renamed your images anyway then the point is moot.

Thanks, Sceptic! You're right, imgboot didn't rename my images, that's why I used it. I guess I'll follow your advice and buy a Photobucket account. Doesn't Photobucket has a bandwidth limit or something, though?

 

[Sceptic]

First, no need to buy a PB account, they have free ones. Second, they do have a bandwidth limit. Even with 4 LP's on there I never hit it, so it can't be that low.

EDIT: it's 10Gb a month. If you're uploading 16-color PNG's from DOSBox you'll probably never reach it. You could always reupload just the old ones to PB so you don't have to do too much renaming and upload new ones to Imgur. Whatever works. And let me know if there's anything I can help with, in PB or otherwise.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Rejoice, dear readers, for I have reuploaded everything to Photobucket, and everything should hopefully remain in order for some time at least. So yeah, Hellraiser can now finally read that last update.

First, no need to buy a PB account, they have free ones. Second, they do have a bandwidth limit. Even with 4 LP's on there I never hit it, so it can't be that low.

EDIT: it's 10Gb a month. If you're uploading 16-color PNG's from DOSBox you'll probably never reach it. You could always reupload just the old ones to PB so you don't have to do too much renaming and upload new ones to Imgur. Whatever works. And let me know if there's anything I can help with, in PB or otherwise.

Thanks, Sceptic-sensei!
I'll stick with the bucket for now, I think, as it looks nice and friendly enough. I just hope it doesn't launch a full-on assault on my butt in the nearest future, the way imgboot did.

EDIT. Next update incoming later today or tomorrow.

 

[Hellraiser]

Nice job dropping the Savant near tribal dumbfucks when superior mankind started finding your shit on other planets on it's own.

Now all we need is a Sheppard Prospector to clean up the mess the the Protheans Hechee left after they hid from the Reapers Assassins.

 

[spekkio]

I recommend Wordpress. 3 GB limit per account, the number of views is not limited AFAIK (that's the main problem with PB). And it keeps filenames intact.

 

[random_encounter]

Loving this LP, wordiness and all. Legend-wise, I only got to play Companions of Xanth, Death Gate, and Timequest (which I haven't finished, got stuck in ancient China, IIRC, and lost the cool mission dossier booklet somewhere...then sold my old PC with the only 5.25 drive I had, argh).

Wanted to get into Homeworld but never had the time to, so this is much appreciated. Great story so far. Reminds me of why I chuckled when reading ME reviews touting it as the 'best story ever'.

Bee, will keep reading with renewed vigor!

 

[Sceptic]

Next update incoming later today or tomorrow.

Glad things worked out. Looking forward to the next update!

 

[Crooked Bee]

Update 10: Delta Aurigae Six

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Gateway Prospector Theme
Alternatively:

Once the debriefing is over and the epicness of the situation has been explained to us, we go back to doing all kinds of silly things, as you can see in the above screenshot.

> kick Leonard

Leonard Worden says, "Take a hike, wimp." You reflect on a more peaceful approach to this situation.

Nothing too exciting comes out of that, however, so we give up.

> ask receptionist about Leonard

"Yes, he works in this office. He is the biggie boss."

We head to the hangar and board the ship.

We input the first of the four new course codes we've been given and press "Go." New dramatic adventures await!

A purple planet, eh?

This is the first planet we've encountered so far that has large concentration of Heechee metal. I wonder what the reason behind that is.

We press "Land" and... looks bad, doesn't it?
Equipping our spacesuit, we exit the ship.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Delta Aurigae Six Theme
Alternatively:

(Yeah, I'll be including the game's soundtrack into the updates now; once I add the tracks to all the previous updates, I'll post the links in a separate post.)

The metal disk, just large enough to stand on, has a diamond-shaped depression containing a cracked prism and a square socket that has a bright cube plugged into it.

Seems like an apocalypse happened here.
But anyway. This is purely a puzzle planet, and here's the way we should proceed about it.

> take cube

> take prism

As you can see, the picture changes as we pick up the cube and then the prism: the disk sockets are empty now. Advanced stuff.

> examine cube

The small cube you are holding shines with a bright light.

> examine prism

The cracked prism you are holding is completely devoid of light.

> examine archway

The archway lies in the western curve of the high wall that encloses the landing pad. It appears to be the only exit from here.

Let's enter the archway, then.

Within the cabinet you can see an oval depression and a black pyramid. On your side of the window opening are several white knobs, a diamond-shaped depression containing a clear prism, and a square socket that has a dark cube plugged into it.

> examine cloak

The ancient cloak was woven from cloth dyed with the seven colors of the rainbow. It looks as if it would crumble to dust if you disturbed it.

I wanted to make a stupid joke about the Heechee being a nation of cloaked figures, but I think I won't.

> take cloak

Touching the ancient cloak would certainly destroy it.

Oh FFS. So what? Let me destroy it, then. Stupid game. Grrr.

> examine bed

A metallic bed with an ancient cushion occupies most of the cramped residence.

> lie on bed

The bed looks too uncomfortable for you to sleep on.

> look under bed

The construction of the bed prevents you from looking under it.

Nothing to be gained from the bed, it seems. Oh well.

> take dark cube

> examine dark cube

The small cube you are holding is jet black.

> take clear prism

> examine clear prism

The clear prism you are holding casts a rainbow-like spectrum of light.

> examine pyramid

The large pyramid-shaped object is fashioned from some black material. It looks firmly attached to the bottom of the cabinet.

> take black pyramid

There's a thick plexiglass window between you and the pyramid.

> examine small knobs

Several small white knobs are attached to the outside of the cabinet.

> push knob

Nothing happens.

Alright, let's leave this room for now and head back to the mysterious metal disk.

> put bright cube in socket

The prism that previously was inserted in the disk was cracked; let's see what happens if we insert the clear one.

> put clear prism in depression

(Yeah, we didn't really need to remove the bright cube earlier, but duh, whatever.)

And now...

> stand on plate

A metal disk similar to the one you left in the landing pad is embedded in the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]

So the metal disk is a teleporter device. And yeah, in case you're slow, this is indeed a ruined Heechee city.

> examine buildings

The skyline of the ruined city is still quite impressive. Buildings hundreds of stories tall surround the transport disk. Dwarfed by the immensity of the buildings and shielding your eyes from the heat of the firestorm, you look around for some puzzle to solve.

Meta much?

> examine sky

The atmosphere of Aurigae 6 is clearly the product of a geologically active planet. Earthquakes and volcanos have taken their toll on the ruined city and its environs. Flames arc from fissures in the ground in the city beyond. Intense waves of heat wash over your body.

> examine archway

The ornate archway leads away from the city center at the top of the stairs to the east.

> examine stairway

The wide stairway leads from the city center up toward the archway.

The only way for us to go from here is to the east.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Aurigae Six Temple Theme
Alternatively:

Hundreds of small black luminescent insects are crawling along the walls of the temple court.

Luminescent insects, yay!

> examine insects

The small black insects resemble beetles from Earth and are crawling along the walls in the temple court. Several of the oval bugs appear to be luminescent, lighting up for a few seconds at a time.

Oval bugs, you say?

> take a bug

It takes you a while, but you are eventually successful in capturing one of the luminous insects.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]

> examine bug

The beetle you caught is a shiny black oval, occasionally lighting up for a few seconds at a time.

And this bug has a use! To solve this puzzle, we must now head back to the abandoned residence.

Once we insert the clear prism and the bright cube in the respective depressions, the glass cabinet opens. But the pyramid is still attached to its bottom, and we can't take it. It is here that the oval bug comes into play -- notice that little oval socket next to the pyramid?

> put beetle in oval depression

You place the squirming insect in the oval depression inside the cabinet. The bug flickers for a moment and you hear a faint click.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]

> take pyramid

You carefully remove the black pyramid from the cabinet. It's much heavier than it looked and has sharp pointy edges.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]

Have you noticed that our score on this planet is always going up by 7? Seven colours of the rainbow and all that.

Now that the pyramid is ours, we should explore the temple further. From the temple court room we head northeast.

Hmm, rainbow-coloured walls, each with an archway... Meaning the correct path should be: red archway - orange - yellow - green - blue - indigo - violet. A simple calculation tells us the red wall is to the southeast, so there we go.

The orange wall is to the east.

The yellow wall is to the northwest.

The green wall is to the south.

The blue wall is to the west.

The indigo wall is to the southeast.

And finally the violet wall is to the north.

Twice the rainbow points! Nice.

>examine stand

The metal tripod dominates the center of the octagonal room. It has a sturdy gray triangular base. It decreases in width as it rises from the floor. At waist level, three distinct prongs extend from the tripod.

> kick stand

You bang on the metal stand, but it just sits there.

Hey, the pyramid should fit!

> place pyramid on stand

19? Have we, by putting the pyramid on the stand, disrupted the balance of the universe or something?
But anyway, back to the temple court we go.

Let's now see what that Heechee control panel is for.

> examine dais

Extending from the dais is a disk-shaped stage containing a Heechee control panel.

> examine panel

The shield control panel is a round extruded panel made from a silvery-white metal. It is positioned on a disk-shaped shelf extending from a metallic column. On it are a power knob and power indicator, a deployment lever and light, and an activation button.

> examine indicator

The power light is currently dark.

> examine light

The deployment light is not lit.

> examine lever

The shield deployment lever is made out of black Heechee metal. The lever can either be set to point to a gray dot or a blue dot. It is currently set to the gray dot.

> examine knob

The power knob can be set to a square or an oval symbol. It is currently pointing toward the square.

> examine button

The activation button is red and has a funny icon on it.

And here is the correct order of actions. First we turn the power knob...

> turn knob

You turn the power knob to the oval symbol and hear a low buzzing coming from all around you.

...then pull the lever...

> pull lever

You pull the deployment lever toward the blue dot and the entire room begins to vibrate. You hear a deep rumbling far off in the distance. It only lasts for a moment, and when the vibration ceases, the deployment light starts to glow.

...and finally...

...press the button of awesome!


> press button

You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]

And then a cutscene kicks in!

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Shield Generator Activation Theme
Alternatively:

The first of our new missions done, we return to the ship and fly back to Gateway.

Here's the track that plays when we're flying back after having successfully "cleared" a planet:

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway Mission Accomplished Flight Theme
Alternatively:

And it looks like we're pretty rich now, huh?

Next time: more shield generators!

 

[lightbane]

Yay, a new update, and this time improved with the OST


By the way, do the other colored rooms have something of value?

 

[Crooked Bee]

By the way, do the other colored rooms have something of value?

Nope, nothing at all. Each of them is simply a part of the rainbow puzzle.

 

[Sceptic]

One down, three to go!

Awesome update, as usual!

Gateway music is funny. Actually Legend music in general is funny. I like it while playing, it fits the mood of the games well, but as soon as I switch the games off I never remember any of it. I think the only tunes I ever remember are the Intro one from Xanth, the Gateway one from Gateway, one of the cutscene tunes from Homeworld (the one that plays many times, usually when launching), and the Day One tune from Eric The Unready. The others are all a complete blank.

Compare to Sierra or Lucas tunes, which tend to be much more memorable.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Update 11: Kaduna Three

Previously on this LP, we visited an abandoned Heechee city on Aurigae Six, solved a rainbow puzzle (the rainbow must've been considered sacred by the Heechee, ya know), activated the first shield generator, and received a $5,000,000 royalty.

We're rich now, true, but that doesn't mean we can retire and enjoy an easy life. The fate of the entire galaxy is at stake! So we input the next destination code.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Flight Theme
Alternatively:

A blue planet this time.

The name's Kaduna Three. And again, large concentration of Heechee stuff detected.

We press "Land" and are presented with a picture of lush jungle with some kind of temple-like structure in the centre.

A blast of fire from your rockets clears an opening in the jungle below, and your ship settles down in the middle of the clearing. Outside, you can see an unbroken wall of lush, dense vegetation.

We put on the spacesuit and exit the spaceship.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Kaduna Three Theme
Alternatively:

Jungle, jungle all around.

> examine pod

The fruit pods are a mottled red and yellow. They are each about as big as a good sized melon.

This, however, is a predatory jungle.

Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.

The more time we spend just standing in one place, the more dangerous it gets.

> examine shoots

They are small green plants that are just poking up through the ground.

The jungle never rests!

The small shoots are growing rapidly. They've begun to entwine themselves around your knees.

The shoots aren't our only problem around here, however.

Let's wait and see what happens.

> wait

The shoots are now up to your waist. They're beginning to hamper your movement.

> wait

The shoots have thickened considerably and are starting to grow pseudopods. As the stalks wind themselves around your chest and begin to squeeze, you suddenly realize that if you don't escape now, you probably never will.

The game is even kind enough to warn us about our impending doom.

> wait

Ouch, that's one nasty death. Not the last one we'll see in this update, though.

> take pod

You pluck a pod from the tree. The chittering sound gets louder for a moment, and then recedes.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]

Several small shoots poke up through the ground at your feet.

So yeah, no standing in one place for too long is the number one rule on Kaduna Three.
As for the worm...

> take worm

That sure was dramatic. And in case you wonder why we received score points for the event, it will indeed have some use later on.

The jungle path leads east, so to the east we go.

> examine anemones

The anemones undulate slowly, as if underwater. They are tubular stalks with openings at the top that are surrounded by concentric rows of very sharp teeth. They seem to sense your presence, and whenever you move toward them, their mouths all start to come in your direction.

Toothy flowers!

SUDDENLY

A FRIGHTENING SPIDER APPEARS!

> examine spider

Uh-oh.

Hey wait can't you see I'm your fellow spi---

Oh FFS.
The thing is, we must kill the spider with the gun we're carrying -- but, in order to do that, we must begin shoot at him the moment he first appears:

Why is that?

Well, because the first shot only cracks the spider's shell.

> kill spider with gun

The second shot can now strike the beast's belly, and the spider is killed.

Gooey. Yikes.
We shouldn't forget to fetch the gun back.

> take gun

You wade into the pool and some of the goo sticks to your spacesuit. You try to wipe it off, but only succeed in smearing on more. Soon your suit is covered in the stuff.
You pluck the gun from the gooey liquid.

And now we're covered in the spider goo, ewww. Still, it's not that bad, really, even if unintentionally so, because the anemones now mistake us for a spider and let us pass.

Man-sized plants ring the shore, and through the steam you can see that many of them are infested with the same kind of worm that keeps attacking you.

Every once in a while, an impossibly long tentacle breaks the surface of the swamp and writhes towards the shore. It plucks a worm from a plant and forces it below the surface to be devoured by what must be a monster of unimaginable size.

[Insert a joke about incoming tentacle rape here.]

The tower can be seen dimly to the east, and the anemone thicket lies to the west.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

> examine silvery plants

Their stalks are a shiny silver, and they have bulbous heads.

With that monster in there and no bridge in sight, we can't just cross the swamp and reach the temple.

You don't see any way across the swamp, and now is definitely not the time to go wading.

That's we should just wait for our friend the worm to arrive...

Suddenly the ground below your feet bursts open and a huge worm crawls up your legs and winds itself around your torso. It attaches a suckermouth to the back of your helmet and begins to chew on your headgear.

...and throw it into the swamp!

> throw worm into swamp

The two engage in a titanic battle. The pterosaur repeatedly plunges its razor beak into the body of the cephalopod, while the octopus tries to ensnare the bird in its tentacles.

Finally the bird's beak pierces the brainpan of the octopus. The monster gives a convulsive shudder and then releases its grip on both the bird and the worm. The pterosaur slowly flies away with its hard-won prey. Meanwhile, the dead octopus comes to rest floating on the surface of the swamp, its tentacles stretching from shore to shore.
[Your score has just gone up by 10.]

Epic! Skyrim's got nothing on this game.

Hey, what's that? A nice little bridge across the swamp?

The vegetation near the nearest spikeball plant is riddled with thousands of tiny holes, and a small spike is imbedded in the tree trunk next to you.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

First thing we do is take the spike, as it may come in handy.

> take spike

You pull the spike out of the tree.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]

We can also try touching a spikeball...

Bad idea.

> examine holes

The holes are about the same diameter as the spikes on the plant.

This moment is kind of not really intuitive, but here it comes:

> drop pod

Poor thingy.

> take rat

You hoist the rat up onto your shoulders.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

We take the rat with us. We must bury the beast with honour, at least.

SUDDENLY

So yeah, had we not taken the rat, the plant would've eaten it. Scary stuff.
Meanwhile, let's see what happens when that persistent worm finally gets what it so strongly desires.

The worm is chewing away steadily at your helmet.

...

The sound of the chewing changes. The worm is about halfway through the helmet.

...

The chewing sound is getting louder. It's almost all the way through the helmet.

...

Sheesh, this update is depressing.
But anyway, let's head further east.

My, this is some planet. You can't even go anywhere without stumbling on something that either wants to kill you or swallow you whole.

> shoot snake

The gun is so clogged with ichor that it won't fire.

> examine snake

The snake is weaving back and forth. His forked tongue flickers in and out, as if he's licking his lips in anticipation of a good meal.

A good meal, you say? Well, take this!

> kick snake

Alright, I guess we should reconsider. Which means, goodbye, poor little rat.

> give rat to snake

> examine snake

The snake lies drowsily on the warm stones of the plaza, ignoring you completely.

The path inside the building is now clear.

We've made it!
But what's that green beastie doing on the control panel?

> examine pufferslug

It's just a small, insignificant looking little slug.

Small and insignificant, huh? Shouldn't be too much trouble, then.

> take slug

:shock:
Boy, the planet just keeps on giving.

> examine slug

It's a wet, obscene creature that drips with slime. It has swelled to 100 times its normal size and it looks eager to try out its newly-enlarged fangs on you.

> kick slug

The pufferslug hisses and snaps at you, missing your fingers by mere inches.

Phew, that was close. Looks like we have no choice. Sorry, you bloated slug, you.

> attack slug with spike

Ewww. This planet makes me sick.
You know what we're going to do now, don't you?

> turn knob
> pull lever
> push button

You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Shield Generator Activation Theme
Alternatively:

We safely return to Gateway's hangar bay -- and receive another $5,000,000 bonus, of course!

Next time: even more generators!

 

[SCO]

 

[Hellraiser]

So many deaths

 

[spekkio]

The last update was much more HARDCORE than last 5 Legend games together.



But the lack of tasteful sex-scenes is saddening.

 

[Sceptic]

The last update was much more HARDCORE than last 5 Legend games together.

Blackstone Chronicles and Callahan's Crosstime Saloon are awesome.

Still, Kaduna 3 is definitely the Planet of Raping The Player Hard. I raged quite a bit when I played through it.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Forgot to demonstrate yet another way to die in the last update -- by touching a spikeball:

Now edited in.
Next update = hopefully today.

 

[Azira]

 

[Crooked Bee]

Update 12: Psi Dorma Five

Which is probably the most eerie of all updates so far.

Two more codes to go, so we input the next one.

Psi Dorma Five actually has breathable atmosphere, for a change.

With a scrape and a thud, your ship touches down. The high-pitched whine of its engines diminishes to a whisper and is replaced by silence.

We land and exit the ship without putting on the spacesuit.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Dorma Five Theme
Alternatively:

Looks so idyllic. Something's gotta be wrong.

> examine flowers

The blooms of delicate yellow flowers cover the shore.

> examine pond

Sunlight reflects off the shimmering surface of the pond. Waterlilies sway slowly back and forth in the gentle eddies.

> examine lilypads

Large green lilypads sway slowly on the surface of the tranquil ponds.

> examine hedge

The hedges in the pond area resemble grassy bushes and make travel away from the pond impossible.

> examine grass

Tall grasses grow around the path surrounding the pond.

Hmm, everything seems fairly normal. I wonder what the catch is.

You feel slightly sleepy. This feels strange, given that you've only been awake for ten minutes. Perhaps it is the unusually short diurnal patterns of this planet.

Oh. Weird.
But let's continue the inspection.

> examine trees

The huge trees in this alien forest sway slowly in the constant yet gentle breeze. You sense something strange and foreboding about the beautiful giants, as if they were somehow aware of your presence.

This definitely isn't dark and, well, foreboding.

Huddled beneath the trees are young seedlings that will one day grow to fill any gaps in the forest canopy high above.

> wait

The last slice of the Dorman sun sinks below the horizon. It will be pitch dark very soon. You now feel extremely tired, though you've only been awake a few hours. Your body's need for sleep must be accommodated.

> wait

You can barely keep your eyes open now. You slump to the ground, making a pillow of fallen leaves, and drift off into a deep tranquil sleep...

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Dorma Five Sleep Theme
Alternatively:

That certainly came out of nowhere. Especially with the planet being called Dorma.

Though immersed in the murky water, you see organisms much smaller than yourself caught up in the same deadly current. The creatures each emit a single bright pinprick of light, like fireflies at dusk in the summertime on your distant Earth. Suddenly your outstretched hand encounters a rock anchored to the bottom, and your headlong progress is checked. To your surprise, your vision clears and you find you can breathe freely.

The beast dissolves into thin air and your heartbeat slows.

Well, that was... disturbing.

[Your score has just gone up by 6.]
You awake as the sun's first light is cast upon the Dorman landscape. You feel better rested now than you can ever recall.

We go east.

And then east again.

You're standing on the southeastern shore of the pond. Sunlight gently reflects off the calm blue surface of the pond. A leaf occasionally falls into the pond to the northwest and causes a small ripple, distorting the sun's reflection.

> examine stone

The large stone is oblong and fairly smooth and must weigh around two or three pounds.

> take stone

You take the large stone.

Just in case.
Let's now proceed north to the edge of the forest.

And then east.

From your vantage point in the forest, you see a creature in a clearing to the east. The beast is more horrible than anything you've dreamt of in your worst nightmares. He stands upright, but his similarity with the human form stops there. He is covered with long matted hair from his enormous head to his huge feet.

He roams back and forth across the clearing, occasionally picking small red berries from shrubs in the clearing and putting them in a crude wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 4.]

The beast of our nightmare! I wonder what the significance of all this could be.

> examine beast

The beast is more hideous than anything from your worst nightmares. He stands upright, covered with long matted hair from his enormous head down to his huge bear-like legs. Huge claws extend from his furry hands and feet. He walks with a pronounced limp, grimacing and drooling as he drags his left leg behind him. Hobbling from bush to bush, the beast is collecting some small red fruit in what looks like a crudely formed wooden bowl.

Let's try shooting the beast, shall we? Yes, we shall.

> shoot beast

Now that's a ridiculous way to die.

> examine vines

Vines spiral up tree trunks all around you, straining to reach the canopy above. Here and there you see one suspended in a graceful curve between neighboring trees.

> examine strong vine

The long, sturdy vine is several meters long.

> take strong vine

With some effort, you rip the vine from the tree to which it is loosely attached and carefully coil it to make it easy to carry.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

> examine branches

Dead branches have fallen from the trees and litter the forest floor. High above, healthy branches sway gently in the breeze.

> examine long branch

The long, straight branch fell from a tree in the forest.

> take long branch

Grabbing onto the end of the branch, you free it from the underbrush.
[Your score has just gone up by 9.]

We can actually attract the beast's attention by yelling...

> yell

...but that doesn't get us killed, only chasen away.
The thing about the beast is to wait and observe his pattern of moving around the forest.

Having picked the last of the red berries, the beast exits into the tunnel entrance on the north side of the clearing.

Sometimes he exits the clearing to the north, and sometimes to the southeast:

The beast leaves the forest clearing, entering a cave on the southeastern side of the clearing.

Later he returns, of course, either from the cave...

Six minutes since his last appearance, the beast enters the forest clearing from a cave entrance on the southeastern side of the clearing. He plays with his hair and moans quietly.

(Note that it took six minutes for the beast to make a comeback.)
...or from the tunnel:

The beast enters the forest clearing from a tunnel on the northern side of the clearing. He plays with his hair and moans quietly.

One thing we can tell for sure is that the beast doesn't look too happy.
As soon as the beast leaves for the southeastern cave, we explore the clearing:

And enter the northern tunnel:

Quickly, we take the bowl.

> take bowl

You take the wooden bowl.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]

Yes, we've just robbed the poor beast of his fruit bowl.

> examine bowl

The wooden bowl has been fashioned from a small branch with the interior gouged out. The inside of the bowl is covered with deep groves, one of which goes clear through the "bottom", creating an oval hole and making the bowl quite useless for carrying anything but large rocks. Deep red stains cover the interior of the bowl.

> examine hole

The hole in the bowl looks like it was gouged out by an ice pick or a large claw.

Alright, so the bowl has a hole in it. The berries fall right through it. No wonder the beast in our nightmare was so hungry. It's all clear now, and all connected.

We return to the edge of the forest and head north.

And then west to the northern shore.

> examine small stone

The small stone is a flattened oval that looks like it might fit perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Not only there, in fact.

> take small stone

You take the small stone.
[Your score has just gone up by 6.]

> put small stone into bowl

You insert the small stone into the hole in the bottom of the bowl. It seems to fit well.

Fixed it for ya, beastie.

We go to the northwestern shore of the pond to pick up some berries.

> examine berries

The berries are ripening in great numbers on the bushes around the northwestern shore.

> examine bushes

The few bushes you can see here are covered with ripening red berries. They give off a sour pungent smell.

> fill bowl with berries

Holding the bowl under the berries, you carefully pick a few of them and let them drop into the bowl. In a few minutes, the bowl is full.
[Your score has just gone up by 8.]

We return to the tunnel while the beast isn't there and leave the bowl full of berries there.

Hell yeah. Let's hope that can appease the beast somewhat.
After that, once asleep, we get the second dream. And it looks like the planet itself is trying to tell us something, communicating with us through dreams.

Just as you previously sensed hunger from the miserable beast, you now sense terror from the tiny creatures rushing past you. Further, you sense that the desperation is coming from ALL of them, as if they were collectively transmitting a single emotion.

The young woman glows with an eerie light that seems to come from within her own body. She slowly raises her arm and, extending the long fingers of her hand, she points deliberately at an indistinct clump high on the wall of the cavern. She stares at you, unblinking, frozen in time and space.

The meaning of this, you ask? We should visit the southeastern cave, I believe.

> examine footprints

On the dimly lit floor of the cave entrance, you can see several footprints made by huge feet.

There's an opening to the north, which we enter.

A thin beam of light emanating from the cave ceiling dimly illuminates the cave. Paths lead off in many direction.

(Usually when the game says something akin to "paths lead off in many directions", that means we can actually explore those paths. Not in this case, however.)

> examine mud

Spots of caked dried mud cover the walls and floor of the cave. They appear to be concentrated near an outcropping high above you on the cave wall.

> examine outcropping

The mud-covered outcropping is growing from the top of the cave wall above you. A single shard is perched on the edge of the outcropping, nearly within reach.

That outcropping must be the "clump high on the wall of the cavern" that the woman from our dream was trying to tell us about. Hmm, it is nearly within reach...

> hit outcropping with branch

Standing on your toes, you carefully extend the branch up toward the mud-spattered outcropping. You manage to wedge the end of the branch under it and, with a slight push, dislodge a fragment, which falls to the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 12.]

We take the shard and examine it.

The shard is oblong and encrusted with mud. A small uncovered part of it reveals a glass-like substance.

It's dirty, though, so I guess we should---

He stops dead in his tracks for a moment and then resumes walking toward you.

His grunting gets louder as he seems to become agitated. He grabs you by your left arm and slams you head first into the cave wall.

Oh fuck. That was unpleasant.

The beast again pulls you into the air by your arm and slams you against the wall.

Ouch!

Realizing you don't stand much of a chance with this creature, you jump to your feet and easily dodge his next attack. Running at breakneck speed, you exit the cave entrance and continue sprinting until you reach the relative safety of the pond.

All's well that ends well, I guess.
Another, third dream follows.

To your relief, the scene finally dissolves to the shore. It is daytime and the sun's reflection off the choppy water nearly blinds you. Nonetheless, you feel compelled to gaze into the shimmering light, which has an almost hypnotic effect. Gradually, the image of the woman takes form just above the surface of the water. She is slender and quite young, with streaming jet black hair. She smiles at you, and then her image begins a slow subtle transformation into an elongated diamond-shaped figure of perfect crystalline geometry.

That was a bit creepy.
Then we reach the pond and enter it.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Dorma Five Pond Theme
Alternatively:

Feels good.
The glint on the floor is actually the shard we got from the cave -- it seems to have fallen down as we entered the pond. Now we must reclaim it.

> dive

Holding your breath, you dive to the bottom of the pond and find a sparkling crystal. You reclaim it and resurface immediately.

The cleaned shard sparkles with a brilliance you wouldn't have guessed was possible. Sunlight striking it is reflected off its many facets in a nearly blinding cacophony of light which seems at once soothing and frightening.
[Your score has just gone up by 20.]

> examine shard

The shard is now a long, thin, transparent and symmetrical segment of a perfectly polished crystal. Sunlight strikes the crystal, causing it to emit a nearly blinding light.

The next part of the puzzle isn't really intuitive -- following the hint about the hypnotic effect from the last dream, we must now charm the beast with the magic crystal.

While the beast is just standing there motionless, we tie him up.

> tether beast with vine

The beast is caught (pokemon, anyone?), and is now following us around.

And we lead the beast...

...to the western shore:

There's a huge boulder here.

> examine boulder

The huge boulder, which appears to have been dislodged from the dike, is roughly three meters in diameter and looks extremely heavy.

It will no doubt play no significant role in this story.
Next we head east.

You let go of the vine and the hairy beast hovers on the western shore, dumbfounded by the play of light off the surface of the crystal shard.
[Your score has just gone up by 14.]

Let's pause here for a second. No doubt you're wondering just why we're doing all this. Now reread the dike's description carefully and let's watch the two final dream sequences.

And then it turns out we can actually act inside this dream.

The usual interface is here, even if the surroundings are ghostlike. The planet is clearly trying to communicate an important message to us through all this imagery. I wonder if you can guess it before I explain it later.

> examine window

Looking through the window, you see a suburban street scene, with row upon row of manicured lawns and meticulously parked automobiles. A light drizzle is falling and ripples spread out from raindrops on the few puddles within view.

A young girl stomps through the puddles in the center of the street, carrying an umbrella and leading a small white dog with a jeweled leash. The girl turns toward the window, then scampers off down the street, splashing from puddle to puddle.

> examine girl

The young girl hops from puddle to puddle, splashing her way down the street. She is holding a leash attached to a large white poodle and is carrying an oversized umbrella.

> examine puddles

Raindrops strike the surface of the small puddles, causing ripples to spread out on their surface.

> examine leash

The leash is fastened around the poodle's neck. Small jewels inlaid in the leash make it quite attractive.

> ask about woman

"I am... we..." She pauses as if in deep thought and doesn't continue.

> ask about me

You politely inquire about you. The alien woman smiles and shrugs her shoulders in apparent confusion.

With that, the dream ends. But as if that wasn't enough, the game presents us with yet another, more obvious dream.

> examine cork

The cork is a stopper of some sort, clearly designed for keeping substances within the flask.

> examine flask

The flask appears to be made of glass or some similar transparent material. It is approximately half empty.

Well, that's it.

...

And here is the answer. Note that the dike's description says it is damaged. That little detail is what the two dreams are all about: the dike is damaged, and therefore water is escaping from the pond. In fact, had we come here earlier, the text would've spoken of the dike as "slightly damaged"; meaning the gap has been getting wider. As you may have guessed, it was actually our ship that caused the damage when landing, hence the "undo what you have done" line. As for the girl with the poodle, we are that girl and the beast is the poodle, with the jewels in the leash being the crystal shard keeping the beast in check and the oversized umbrella being the huge boulder -- but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Now if we just go into the pond the beast is going to run off:

The trick is to throw the crystal into the pond while standing atop the dike:

Oopsy daisy.
Hmm, I think now is the perfect time to examine the boulder in detail...

Bad idea.
A better idea would be to quickly enter the pond.

How convenient.
When suddenly...

One of the specks in the pattern of light separates from the group and hovers directly in front of your forehead. The speck pulses for a moment, and the familiar voice of the Dorman woman resonates in your mind. "We are glad of your work. We are now as we were.

"We Dormans have lived here since beyond memory. Cut off from external intervention, we have become a self-sufficient and collective consciousness. What we think is thought by all; what we decide is decided by all. There is no individual. We are one."

"The sole remaining member of this species is the beast who lives in the forest cave. Aged and without a family, he lives for years at a time in a semi-permanent state of sleep, comforted by the images we present to him in his dreams. Only when he awakens every few years to feed is he tormented by the madness of his race. During these few days of agony, there is little we can do to care for him. We thank you for not harming this creature, who we know seems threatening to you."

See, everything is properly explained and fixed now.

And the Dormans lead us to the local generator control room.

Swell. You know the drill.

> turn knob
> pull lever
> press button

You press the activation button and a deafening high-pitched squeal hammers at you from all sides.
[Your score has just gone up by 25.]

Just like in the previous updates, we activate the shield, return to Gateway, and receive a $5,000,000 royalty. Only one generator left to activate now.

Next time: multiple ways to screw up!

 

[SCO]

The plot oriented douche dungeon master special

 

[lightbane]

That was quite strange... But awesome. So, the planet had a Hivemind that lived with harmony with the ape-like creatures, but then these creatures eventually degenerated and declined into savage beasts... Hmm, sounds familiar.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Yeah, I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the last update. Unlike that A Dance with Rogues NWN mod, it's weird and creepy in a good way, not in a borderline mentally ill one. And the whole dream sequence thing really just comes out of nowhere when you're playing it for the first time, especially the last two dreams. Overall, I thought it was quite well done.

 

[Sceptic]

Awesome update for an awesome planet

I love the symbolism and the writing. And that it slowly gets more obvious. It's like an in-built help system that actually FITS the in-game universe, and that you can easily skip by just figuring out what to do straight away.

 

[Hellraiser]

Poor Cleve, the only survivor of ITZ. He warned them what would happen but they wouldn't listen. Now all he has left is getting mindraped by a hivemind in his dreams.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Update 13: Nemira Three, Part 1

The first part of what is going to be the longest (and wordiest) of all the planetary missions.

Just one more course code to go, one more Heechee shield generator to activate, and we're good. (No, the fact that there's still place left in the interface for one more code definitely doesn't mean anything.)

We arrive to Nemira Three, and thankfully it too has a breathable atmosphere.

Looks fancy. We exit the ship without wearing the spacesuit.

Let's listen to: Frederik Pohl's Gateway OST - Nemira Three Theme
Alternatively:

Now there are multiple ways to screw up this planet's side-quest, with three possible end results: a bad ending, a good ending that doesn't get you the perfect score, and the best ending with the best score. You still advance the main plot in any case as long as you've activated the generator. First I'll cover the best route and then demonstrate the other options in some detail; all that's gonna take at least two updates, though, so stay tuned.

> examine archway

The archway is formed from a continuous stretch of rock over an opening between two large rock formations.

> examine rocks

Rocks of many varieties litter the mountain plateau. You scan them for anything of possible interest and then resume your quest.

We head south first.

A river winds through a deep chasm thousands of meters below you. On the far shore you notice a metallic glint.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

Yeah, five scores for just noticing the glint.

> examine glint

The metallic glint is located far below you on the opposite side of the river within the chasm

No way to get there at the moment.

> examine river

The river trickles noisily in the chasm far below.

> examine chasm

The chasm is more than a kilometer deep and a few hundred meters across. You become slightly disoriented gazing into its depths and steady yourself against a nearby rock.

Well, you know what we're going to do now.

> jump off chasm

Falling hundreds of meters into the chasm would certainly prove fatal. Want to do it anyway?

> yes

Tragic.
But let's go back to the plateau and then west.

> take pickaxe

You take the rusty pickaxe.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

> examine pickaxe

It's a rusty pickaxe. It would probably be good for mining and stuff like that.

> examine pit

The pit has been carved out a few centimeters below the surface of the ground.

> examine bush

The bush reminds you of a creosote with funny flyswatter-shaped leaves.

> taste bush

This plant looks delicate and rare. It would probably be good to leave it alone.

Whatever you say, game.
We return to the plateau and then head northeast.

The valley is bounded on the east by a deep chasm gouged over the eons by a winding river. About a thousand meters below you to the northeast you spot the wreckage of a small Heechee ship. It looks like you might have some company. Trails lead away in several directions.

There is a pile of rocks on the ground.

> examine pile of rocks

Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is actually a crude cairn pointing southwestward from the halfway point.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]

An improvised road sign... Interesting.

> examine tree

The immense tree rises majestically from the meadows far to the northwest. Its actual distance from the halfway point is difficult to determine with any certainty.

> examine path

There are trails leading off in many directions, which is slightly confusing. Let's see, you just entered the halfway point from the east, right? Or was that the southeast? Now totally confused, you stare at the many paths and consider your alternatives.

And that's most likely the reason why the cairn has been put here in the first place.
Next we go northwest.

WHEN SUDDENLY

Meet Rolf Becker, the famous prospector that the Gateway technician and then the magazine we received from the receptionist told us about:

The old man removes a component from the machine, squints at it, and then replaces it. He turns to look at you. "Say, you remind me of someone. Rolf Becker. You look just like him. He was a young prospector, started shipping out back in '92. He was a lucky sonofabitch, scored on every mission, made a bazillion dollars." The old man points his screwdriver at you. "Lucky until his last mission, of course.

"Anyway, Becker's first mission, he comes out of Tau space in orbit around an icy planet about three AUs out from an M class star. He scans and finds a concentration of Heechee metal seventy feet under frozen methane ice. What a pisser, huh?"

The old man takes the wrench and resumes tinkering with the machine. "Well, Becker was not to be deterred. He used the chemical rockets on his ship to blast a crater in the ice and discovered the remains of a Heechee supply dump. Corporation gave him a cool million for that find."

The old man pounds on something inside the machine with the wrench. "Becker scored big on his second mission as well. This time it was a science bonus for taking film of a rare astronomical event: A planet with a moon being ripped apart by gravitational stress and turned into a ring. Corporation scientists went crazy when they saw the tapes from the recorders. Board gave him a half million for the data.

Soon after Becker came back from his second trip, he made the biggest score of all. Becker married Adriana Lafore, the sweet lookin' daughter of a Corporation big shot. She was a babe." The old man whistles appreciatively.

The old man picks up the pliers and starts to wrestle with a pipe fitting inside the machine. "Becker should have stopped there, but he didn't. He had to push his luck, had to ship out one more time. Well, he didn't come back."

> ask receptionist about magazine

"It's an interesting magazine. All about poor Adriana Becker, still broken over Rolf's disappearance all those years ago. What a stupid SOB he was, to go on another mission when he was already so rich. Oh well."

> examine magazine

You are looking at the November 2101 issue of "Interesting People" magazine. On the cover is a beautiful middle-aged woman. "Adriana Becker: still Waiting For Rolf!" the headline screams.

> read magazine

You flip the cover story and begin reading: "One year before famed prospector Rolf Becker embarked on his ill-fated final mission, he married Adriana Lafore, daughter of Corporation VP Edwin Lafore. The marriage was in trouble within six months, when Adriana announced that she was bored with Rolf. Since Becker's disappearance, however, Adriana has gone through a profound change. 'I had a lot of growing up to do after Rolf left,' said Adriana to IP. 'I realize now what I had in him.' Adriana continues to live on Gateway, and her offer of $1,000,000 for information or action leading to Becker's safe return still stands."

So let's get this straight. There's a $1,000,000 bonus for returning Rolf Becker to Gateway safe and sound. When he embarked on his last mission, Rolf didn't know Adriana was so fond of him -- in fact, she had told him she was tired of him -- and it's likely that he still doesn't know about the "profound change" she has gone through. Our side-mission on this planet is to please Becker so that he agrees to fly back to Gateway with us.
And that's why we should be nice to him and shake his hand.

> shake hands

"Well met!", says Becker. "Maybe you're okay. I've sorta had my fill of people and wasn't looking for company, but if you've got a mind to hang around here, the least I can do is be a friendly host." Becker pauses, studying you for a moment. "Let me tell you a little about myself."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]

Now we should hear him out.

> wait

"I came here as a young and very successful pilot. By the time I was thirty five, I'd flown just about every kind of ship and mission imaginable. I was filthy rich and seemed to have a special knack for finding Heechee stuff and coming back alive.

"When I crashed here and realized I probably wouldn't be making it back home, I was overcome with despair. But after a while I got over that and started filling my days with the work necessary to keep me alive. I was damned lucky that this planet has a breathable atmosphere, I'll tell you that.

"Anyway, I began cataloging all of the various plants and animals around here and grew to love each and every one of them. Yep, studying and caring for the creatures on this plateau has given me a peace of mind I hadn't imagined possible during my days as a hotshot pilot."

"Well," ponders Becker, "I guess that's the end of my story. There's a lotta other stuff I could tell you about, but you don't seem that interested. I've got some errands to run so I'll be going now." As he wanders off, Becker turns to you and says, "Come by my house sometime and we'll share some conversation."

"By the way, take it slow across the bridge. I'd hate to have my new guest fall to an untimely death." He laughs to himself as he departs the mountain trailhead.

With that, Becker leaves.

Out of the corner of an eye, you spy a small rodent scurrying along the sandy desert. When you turn to inspect it more closely, it freezes in anticipation of your next action.

> examine rodent

The prairie dog is a small furry rodent with an extremely high metabolism. Momentarily frozen, it studies you carefully.

The prairie dog scampers away across the desert and out of view.

To the northwest lies Rolf Becker's garden.

> examine kiln

The kiln is of ceramic construction and doesn't look all that sturdy. It has been built over a natural vent from the planet's interior. You can feel intense heat radiating from the top of it. There is a handmade shovel on the ground behind you.

> take kiln

Ouch! You burn yourself slightly on the hot surface of the kiln.

> take all

metal pail: You take the metal pail from Becker's tidy garden and dump the plant in it onto the ground.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

plant leaves: You pluck a few of the palm-shaped leaves from the the plant.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

shovel: Taken.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

We have have a pail, a shovel and some plant leaves. Should come in handy.

> examine pail

The metal pail looks like all the other pots in the garden except it's made out of metal.

> examine leaves

The plant leaves are red and give off a familiar odor.

> taste leaves

You select the leaves from your possessions and pop them into your mouth. They're good. Quite good. Very vanilla-like.

Hmm, I wonder what kind of plant that is.

> examine shovel

It's a shovel. It's probably good for digging holes and stuff like that.

And now let's climb up the ladder.

> examine window

The view through the large picture windows is dominated by the huge branches of the tree you're in. Through the branches, you can see mountains off in the distance and little else.

This is probably the same tree we saw from the halfway point earlier.

> examine desk

The wooden desk is of a simple wooden construction and has a single drawer that is closed.

> take axe

You take the axe.

> take notebook

You take the field notebook from the wooden desk.

> open drawer

> take all

actuator calipers: Taken.
actuator discharger: Taken.

> examine calipers

The actuator calipers are strangely shaped tweezers for the safe removal of field actuator cores.

> examine discharger

The actuator discharger is a small metal box with two clips connected to it. One clip is gray and the other is blue.

And now, dear readers, we are going to read through Rolf Becker's notebook -- and that's a whole lot of :blah:! Still, this is a completionist LP, after all.

> read notebook

You open the field notebook and read the first entry:

Date: February 21, 2088
Subj: S. canterlope humonga

Observed a four legged animal that strongly resembles a horse grazing in a grassy area on top of the mountain plateau. It saw me and ran away but was back in a few hours. I found a good place to hide and observe him. I named them S. canterlope humonga, because they canter like horses and are really big.

> read notebook

You turn to the next entry on page 2 of Becker's field notebook:

Date: March 3, 2088
Subj: S. phylangomorph mandibilia

I've been sighting these things on the plateau since I landed. They range from about ten to twenty centimeters in length and are about seven centimeters wide. There are thousands of them.

They're invertebrates of some kind but have many of the traits of amphibians. Their bite is poisonous and hurts like hell. I've been bitten a few times and the wounds take weeks to heal, which is why I've named them phylangomorph mandibilia. Their pincers are about ten times larger than their abdomen. They are nearly impossible to catch, making them difficult to study.

> read notebook

The next several pages contain a comparative analysis of the migratory behavior of gyranthymus swoopa. You stop flipping pages at an interesting entry on page 18:

Date: July 9, 2088
Subj: S. gyranthymus swoopa

Since my arrival, I've had to deal with a huge variety of bird that is quite prevalent. They strongly resemble pterodactyl species from Earth textbooks I read as a child. The indigenous species here are much smaller, though, and extremely intelligent. I learned quite by accident that various high-pitched tones elicit specific (and often strange) reactions  in them, perhaps relating to migratory or mating behaviors. After experimenting with a few handmade whistles, I was able to make one that causes them to sleep, another that causes them to attack, and yet another that seems to pacify them.

A few months after I arrived, one aggressive one of these birds made a nest beside the wreckage of my ship and wouldn't let me get near it. I eventually was able to find the correct frequency on a whistle to drive it away. Another one built a nest in the pinnacles outside my house and yet another whistle was required to appease it. The whistles don't seem to have the same effect on each animal. Very strange, indeed. Anyway, I think the one outside my house likes me. Its been there for a long time and has periodically protected me from canterlopes that have wandered into the cliffs. It swoops down from its perch and bars the way across my rope bridge. But it just lets me pass right on by.

I've sighted twenty four different subspecies of S. gyr. swoop. in the vicinity of my home. Some are aggressive but most of them make themselves scarce when they see me coming.

So whistle sounds scare those birds off? Duly noted.

> read notebook

You turn to the next entry on page 19 of Becker's field notebook:

Date: February 15, 2089
Subj: S. geraldo cassius

An aggressive species of cactus occurs sparsely throughout the desert terrain of this planet. Standing over four meters tall, an adult S. geraldo cassius possesses limbs of unimaginable destructive power. Clearly as an evolved defense mechanism, these organisms are able to propel their massive limbs at will to the detriment of the casual observer. The slightest pressure on the surface of one of the spine-covered limbs causes the plant to swing its limbs wildly in the direction of the unwary victim.

I was lucky enough to learn of these plants' behavior by watching one impale a helpless injured jackalope that happened to brush one of its arms. Needles from the arm of the S. geraldo quickly skewered the animal, causing immediate death. Thank god these plants do not possess mobility or the desert terrain would be dominated by huge green barbed aggressors intent on making pincushions out of all the creatures they encountered. Although fierce and deadly, the plants do not seem to possess any reasoning ability and I've often amused myself by throwing things at them (from a safe distance). The arms wave violently in all directions for a moment and soon resume their seemingly harmless frozen pose.

> read notebook

The next several pages contain a study of feeding patterns of desert invertebrates. You stop flipping pages at an interesting entry on page 28:

Date: August 13, 2090
Subj: S. rodenta roadrunna

The fastest organism to inhabit this planet appears to be the ubiquitous S. rodenta roadrunna. Sprinting at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers/hour, they are nearly impossible to catch. I have been marginally successful at capturing a few injured specimens for further study, although I always release them when I'm done with my observations.

They run from 23 to 40 cm in length and resemble miniature prairie dogs. Their incredible speed seems to be the result of specialized leg muscles and aerodynamic body shape. They are warm blooded and seem to bear their children live. Their metabolism resembles that of earth rodents, their hearts beating over three hundred times per minute. Perhaps resulting from the extremely short nights on this planet, they seem to require little or no sleep.

Analyses of their fecal deposits has led me to conclude that they subsist largely on a diet of leafy plants and small insects, of which there are hundreds of species in the local habitat. They build subterranean tunnels just below the surface of the desert in which they rest and rear their young. It is quite amusing to see a tunnel being dug, a slight furrow rising from the desert as it winds out of sight.

It is not at all uncommon to see a group of S. rodenta racing at top speed across the desert terrain. Although disconcerting at first, I have grown fond of their playful games, racing to and fro amid the fragile ecosystem of my adopted home.

> read notebook

The next several pages contain an analysis of the chemical composition of gyranthymus droppings. You stop flipping pages at an interesting entry on page 34:

Date: December 24, 2091
Subj: S. gopheria robustus

Certainly the oddest of intelligent organisms on this planet is S. gopheria robustus, similar in appearance to Earth dinosaurs, but extremely small. Standing less than a foot tall, gopheria are adept at negotiating the craggy cliff tops of the local terrain. Living like bighorn sheep, they roam courageously atop the rocky mountaintops, building nests and eating flora that only occur naturally at extreme elevations.

S. gopheria, like S. rodenta roadrunna, are extremely mobile, enabling them to evade their natural predators which are, at this time, unknown to me. They possess an extremely small horn embedded in their head which serves as a powerful deterrent to the unwary aggressor. They communicate with each other through a system of barking and whining that can be quite noisy and annoying. When happy, the gopheria is a quiet and peaceful species, desiring lots of food and sleep but little else.

S. gopheria seem to be extremely social, living in groups of two to seven. I encountered a member of a gopheria 'clan' on a recent hike in the mountains surrounding the mountain plateau where I live. It seemed to be stranded on a particularly jagged cliff top and its friends or family had abandoned it. Risking my own life, I did manage to free the small creature and it immediately befriended me, following close behind my heels all the way back to my house. It insisted on sleeping on my mattress until I fashioned one especially for it. It seems content to lounge around my home day in and out, leaving only occasionally to hunt for the mysterious plants it needs to survive. As pets go, S. gopheria is certainly one of the gentlest and most rewarding animals a human could befriend, attentive and empathetic, and requiring little other than a soft bed.

So Becker has a little dinosaur friend? Interesting...

> read notebook

The next several pages contain observations of the mating rituals of gopheria robustus. You stop flipping pages at an interesting entry on page 47:

Date: January 1, 2092
Subj: S. jubifruitus deliciosa

Tracking my adopted S. gopheria, I was able to finally determine the exact species of plant it requires for subsistence. S. jubifruitus deliciosa is a quite delicious and sweet leafy plant that occurs naturally at extreme elevation in the mountains surrounding my clifftop home. The leaves of S. jubifruitus give off a pungent and sweet aroma and S. gopheria seems to eat twice its weight in them every few days.

That's probably the plant from which we collected the leaves in Rolf's garden.

> read notebook

You turn to the next entry on page 48 of Becker's field notebook:

Date: January 2, 2094
Subj: S. winnerpeller avia

Napping in a nearby meadow, I came across the strangest of trees I've seen so far. These trees, which I've named S. winnerpeller avia, produce seeds which occasionally take flight like small helicopters, spinning around a few feet in the air. They then settle back toward the ground. Perhaps this behavior is a defense mechanism, protecting them from predators. Perhaps the seeds re-orient themselves to areas where soil conditions are better. These questions remained unanswered.

As far as I've been able to determine, the one S. winnerpeller avia I've found is the only one on this entire plateau. It may be the last of its kind and I treat it with special care, watering it occasionally during times of drought.

And there's a tree Becker takes particular care of.

> read notebook

The next several pages contain recordings of average ground speeds of rodenta roadrunna. You stop flipping pages at an interesting entry on page 78:

Date: October 5, 2097
Subj: S. mendobrillium violeta

This strange bush resembles a creosote but possesses leaves shaped like flyswatters that attack small insects hovering beside them. Apparently not carnivorous, the reason for this evolved behavior is unclear. It is, however, quite amusing to watch.

> read notebook

You turn to the next entry on page 79 of Becker's field notebook:

Date: May 2, 2098
Subj: S. parroo vocallis

I first observed S. parroo vocallis early this year, hunting for rodenta scurrying across on the desert floor. They resemble parakeets and make an awful racket, screeching and squawking constantly. They're extremely timid and avoid all contact with me with one very strange exception. I discovered this quite by accident when I was experimenting with some drums I manufactured to enhance my life here with the joys of music. One day while I was experimenting with abstract meterless rhythms, a parroo landed less than a meter away from me and began squawking like crazy. The moment I stopped playing, he flew away, but immediately returned when I resumed my playing. I'm not sure this is a trait shared by all S. parroo, but whenever I start playing, one of them soon appears and lands on the stand, squawking along with me until I'm done.

Perhaps S. parroo vocallis possesses an innate attraction to certain percussive rhythms and is drawn to rhythmic sources against its will. More study is required of this strange bird.

We also learn that Becker enjoys playing drums, and that the music tends to attract local parrots.

> read notebook

You've already read the entire notebook. Do you want to start at the beginning again?

Nooo!!

> no

Yeah, it wasn't very interesting reading, was it?

> no

[That was a rhetorical question.]

And if "yes":

> yes

Old man Becker would certainly agree.



Done with the notebook, we return to the halfway point and then, following the cairn, proceed southeast to the crash site.

You see a venturi, a fuse cover, a bedistor, a terrain sensor, a doppler antenna, a maintenance crib, an actuator chassis and a geraldo cactus here.

On the maintenance crib you see some thyristor clips.
The actuator chassis has an actuator panel.
The actuator panel has some grommets.
On the geraldo cactus you see a wooden whistle.
[Your score has just gone up by 3.]

> examine wreckage

The ship looks to be the remains of a Heechee ship not dissimilar to your own. It has mostly been disassembled and various parts lay strewn about the site.

Must be the remains of Becker's spaceship. And hey, we've only just read the description of that cactus in Becker's notebook.

> take whistle

Taking the utmost care not to touch the cactus itself, you untie the whistle from the geraldo cactus and wear it around your neck.
[Your score has just gone up by 7.]

Again, judging by what we've read in the notebook, the whistle could be of use.

> examine whistle

The whistle has been crudely carved from wood. It is hanging around your neck.

> examine nest

It's a large nest of some kind, nestled atop a pinnacle on the east side of crash site. It's currently unoccupied.

> examine cactus

The geraldo cactus stands about four meters tall and is covered with tiny sharp needles.

> touch cactus

One of the massive arms of the geraldo cactus swings menacingly toward your head. You barely dodge it. If you hadn't, you sure wouldn't have survived. You'd better take Becker's advice from now on and avoid making contact with that thing.



> examine antenna

The doppler antenna appears to be severely damaged. It is in several pieces, all of which are embedded in the ground beside the downed ship.

> take antenna

Even if you could unearth the doppler antenna, the pieces wouldn't be of any use.

> examine sensor

The terrain sensor has been entirely disassembled and as you examine it you realize it's little more than a pile of useless refuse.

> examine bedistor

The bedistor is firmly embedded in the soil beside the crash site. It is about a centimeter in length, tarnished and weathered almost beyond recognition.

> examine thyristor clips

Four thyristor clips are rusted to their storage slots on the maintenance crib. The clips are encrusted with orange rust and residue from the dusty environs. A bluish-black fluid oozes from the clips onto the crib.

> examine venturi

If you've seen one venturi, you've seen them all.


(I have no idea what's a "venturi," though.)

> open crib

You open the maintenance crib and discover a flange defuser and a grommet wrench.

> take all

flange defuser: Taken.
grommet wrench: Taken.

> examine defuser

The flange defuser is used for effective removal of flange connectors from field actuator cases.

> examine wrench

The strangely shaped wrench is apparently intended for the efficient removal and installation of Heechee grommets.

> examine grommets

The four silvery-blue grommets secure the actuator panel to the actuator chassis.

> examine chassis

The actuator chassis is a small shiny octagonal structure with a small panel bolted to it by four blue metallic grommets.

It's all so confusing. This puzzle was one of the most difficult for me in the entire game when I first played it; we'll solve it a bit later, though.
Back at the mountain trailhead, we turn north.

Again, we read about that tree in Becker's field notebook. And that thing on the other side of the chasm must be the one we saw from above at the beginning of this update -- or maybe not. I won't tell you that right now.

> examine tree

The winnerpeller tree has one especially long limb.

> examine seeds

There are dozens of them scattered around the base of the tree. These must be the winnerpellers mentioned in Becker's field notebook.

> take seeds

The winnerpeller seeds are important to the survival of this tree's species. Leave them alone. Besides, Becker told you to leave the plants and animals around here alone.

> examine far side

The far side of the chasm contains something small and glassy.

One of the winnerpeller seeds starts spinning and is soon airborne. It flies around the tree a few times and then settles back to a stationary position on the ground beneath the tree. It looks like Becker knows what he's talking about when he says these seeds are strange.

From here, we head north.

> examine pile of rocks

Upon closer inspection, you notice that the pile of rocks is actually a crude cairn pointing northeastward from the cliff trailhead.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]

And northeastward we go.

You see a coil of rope here.

SUDDENLY

Meet the pterodactyl-like bird Becker was talking about in his notebook.

> examine gyranthymus

The gyranthymus is several meters wide, with huge black wings and a thin strangely shaped head. It is blocking the entrance to the rope bridge.

Uhm, pterodactyl diplomacy?

> talk to gyranthymus

Doesn't it strike you that talking to a gyranthymus is just a little strange?

Well,

> no

Well, it is. So don't do it.

Now I know for sure: this game is no RPG. :/
First we take the rope and then, keeping in mind what we read in the notebook, blow the whistle:

And the problem is solved without resorting to any kind of violence. Good.

> examine bridge

The long rope bridge stretches out across the chasm separating two large pinnacle formations. It sways slightly in the breeze running through the chasm.

> examine nest

The nest is built on the top of one of the stone pinnacles high above you. The nest is currently occupied by a gyranthymus egg and its parent.

> examine doorway

The doorway is an opening in the cliff formation across the chasm from you. The rope bridge leads directly to it.

The path to Becker's house is now clear.

A small housing underneath the panel is open, revealing a tray for a focal lens, a socket for a lens cover, and a slot for an actuator cell.

Becker is lounging on a large mattress lying nearby on the floor. Beside it is a personal log. A closed door is set into one wall and a wooden stand occupies a corner beside a strange blue machine.
Becker notices you coming in his front door and says, "So you found it, did you? Come on in and have a look around."

The gopheria stands up on the small mat and sniffs the air, looking pointedly in your direction.
[Your score has just gone up by 5.]

Alright, there are several things of interest here: the gopheria, the personal log, the wooden stand, Becker himself, and what looks suspiciously like a Heechee shield generator device.

> examine Becker

Rolf Becker, the way-cool earth daddy, is lounging on a handmade mattress.

> examine small mattress

As you approach the small mat, the gopheria bares its teeth and growls a warning at you. You're not going to be able to mess with anything on the panel while the gopheria is there.

> examine control panel

As you approach the control panel, the gopheria bares its teeth and growls at you. It snaps at you in warning. You're not going to be able to mess with anything on the panel while the gopheria is there.

We can't approach the panel as long as the gopheria is there, but we also can't hurt Becker's feelings by treating his little friend badly, duh.

> examine gopheria

The gopheria is a fierce-looking miniature Tyrannosaurus Rex with an imperceptibly small horn. It is standing on the small mat, perched precariously atop the shield control panel.

> touch gopheria

As you make a move to touch the gopheria, it rears up on its hind legs and barks at you.

Awww.

> examine wooden stand

It's a wooden stand of some sort, though there isn't much room on it to put things.

> examine personal log

The personal log is roughly bound from several different kinds of paper, sewn together at the seam. "Personal Log" has been scrawled on the cover.

> take log

Becker's apparent "dormant" period comes to an abrupt end as you reach down to pick up the personal log. "Don't be trying to read my personal journal, boy." He looks very serious. Quietly and deliberately, he continues, "Everything in that book is...personal. Very personal. Okay?"

Sheesh, calm down.

>yes

"Thank you. I am sincerely grateful. What has a man got that's worth anything if he doesn't have his privacy?"

My, this man is a pain in the butt.
But whatever. First we hand Becker the magazine with that article on him and Adriana. Before that, however, let's ask him about his wife.

> ask about wife

"That two timing bitch! I'd sick a gyranthymus on her right now if she were here!" He pauses for a moment, reflecting on his outburst. "No I wouldn't," he whispers.



> give magazine to Rolf

"Thanks! I've been cast off from civilization for so long that I'd be very interested in any news from home."
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]

I wonder if his feelings about Adriana are different now that he has read the magazine... We'll learn about that in the next update!

>ask Becker about gopheria

"I found that little feller back in '93, trapped on a cliff ledge. He was roaring his head off when I got there, but he befriended me once I'd rescued him. He's been hanging around ever since and he really likes it there up on that panel. I made a little straw bed for him about a year ago and he's calmed down quite a bit since then. It took me a while to figure out what he likes to eat but there's this one kind of plant that he just gobbles up if he smells it. I grow it in my garden and feed him a little every few days. If he eats more often than that, he balloons up and has a hard time walking around at all. I've named the plant Jubifruit, after a..." Becker's voice trails off. "Gee, I can't remember.

"I call him Mr. Pookie," Becker smiles. "The name of his species is Gopheria. Pookie's a real swell pet. He doesn't eat much and only charges now and then. If he gets his dander up, the best thing to do is get out of the way. He's a little feller but that nose horn packs a wallop."

> ask Becker about jubifruit

"It took me a long time to figure out what foods my gopheria friend preferred. In fact, he almost starved until I discovered and transplanted several jubifruit plants. I keep a bunch of them growing in my garden and they seem to keep the little fella happy and in good health." Becker leans toward you and whispers, "I don't let him know where the G, A, R, D, E, N is, so don't mention it around him."

We're carrying the jubifruit leaves we plucked in the garden, so let's use them to move the gopheria off the control panel.

> drop leaves

As the gopheria spots the jubifruitus leaves, it begins panting and screeching vigorously. The gopheria leaps into the air and snatches the pungent leaves from your hand. Now on the floor of Becker's house, the creature begins rapidly consuming them.
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]

And then we should move the small mat down to the floor:

Done. We can now access the control panel. Note, however, that some details are missing:

A small housing underneath the panel is open, revealing a tray for a focal lens, a socket for a lens cover, and a slot for an actuator cell.

> turn knob

You fiddle with the power knob for a second but soon realize that nothing on the panel is operable. "You're not going to get that stuff working without replacing the stuff I took from under the panel." Becker looks slightly ashamed.

Grrr. So yeah, we're going to need a focal lens, a lens cover and an actuator cell to operate the shield generator.

> ask about lens

"Which one was that, the shiny sparkly thingy or the hmmm..." Becker seems to have temporarily lost his place in the book of life. In a moment he resumes. "I really don't remember much about it. Sorry."

> ask about actuator

"There's a field actuator in most large Heechee machines. The actuator has something to do with power generation. I learned about them from some scientist on Gateway years ago and I don't rightly remember much else about them. There's probably a salvageable one in the wreckage of my ship."

> ask about lens cover

"If you got me something special from the mine, I might give it to you."

Nothing's simple.

> ask about mine

"That's the mine I explored in the mountains to the south. I managed to pull a fair bit of vermaculite out of there."

> ask about vermaculite

"I mined a fair bit of vermaculite from a shaft in the mountains to the south. It turns out that vermaculite makes my garden pots about a hundred times stronger than they are without it. It took me forever to find some and, when I finally did, I used it up real fast."

"If you manage to find me some of that purple stuff, I'll give you the lens cover that I took from underneath that panel."

> ask about control panel

"That's that funny panel over there, right? I, uh..um.. don't really remember much about it. I know I got some useful stuff from it when I first moved in here. There was a lens, a lens cover thingy, and an actuator cell in there when I first arrived." Becker nods in the direction of the control panel.

"Wait a minute. This thing was inside it, I think." He holds a Heechee lens cover in his hand and shows it to you. "If you find me some vermaculite, I'll give you this little trinket you seem to want so badly."

Alright, but we'll get to that a bit later. For now, let's ask Becker about that mysterious wooden stand.

> ask about wooden stand

"I use that in my musical pursuits. You aren't interested in music, are you?"

The correct answer here is, of course, yes.

> yes

"Ah, music. I surely do miss it at times." Becker sits up straight on the mattress and smiles broadly. I've made a few musical instruments since I came here and I've been practicing quite a bit. Do you play?"

> yes

"You do! Wonderful. I've been lookin' forward to playin' with other musicians. Do you want to play?"

Sigh.

> yes

"Great," says Becker exuberantly.

Becker opens the wooden door and disappears for a minute. He soon emerges holding two wooden drums with tops made from animal hide. "The animals I skinned to make these drums were long dead when I got to them. I figured I might as well put them to good use. Music soothes my soul, as they say."

He places one of the drums in front of you and sits back down on his mattress and begins to tap out an interesting beat. "Join in whenever you want," says Becker.

> play drum

[Taking the drum first.]
[Your score has just gone up by 1.]
You exercise your musical talents and join in the percussive fray.
Becker and you continue banging away on his fine percussion instruments.

Now we must wait and go on playing drums with Becker for a few turns so that he's perfectly satisfied.

At some point, a parrot joins in -- the "parroo" we saw mentioned in Becker's notebook.
And some time later old man Becker finally has enough.

Becker drums his way to a dramatic flourish and concludes. You do an impressive solo finale as well. The parroo takes flight, leaving Becker's house from the doorway it entered.

"That was a lot of fun," beams Becker. "You aren't half bad, either. We'll have to play again sometime." He takes both of the drums, returns them to the room behind the wooden door, and securely fastens the door again.

And then he gets all sleepy.

"Listen, friend. I'm getting a little old and I could really use a short nap. You don't mind, do you?"

> no

"Sorry. I wish I could keep up with you, pilot. An old man's gotta get his rest."

Rolf Becker, maintaining the lotus position, appears to be having a pleasant nap.

We could read his personal log now that he's asleep, but now isn't the best moment as he won't be sleeping long (and the log is quite lengthy); we'll be sure to get to it later, in more appropriate circumstances.
We can also observe Becker as he sleeps.

Rolf Becker, maintaining the lotus position, slumbers in peace.

Rolf Becker, maintaining the lotus position, shifts his position slightly.

Rolf Becker, maintaining the lotus position, talks to himself unintelligibly.

Rolf Becker, maintaining the lotus position, snores with abandon.
Becker slowly opens his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. "Hope you enjoyed yourself while I was asleep," Becker says, stretching his arms.

I'm loving all those flavour lines.

Next time: lots of stuff left to do.