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- STARCROSS Part One
-
- Ah, outer space! No dank and dusty dungeons here....but you can be sure
- that the puzzles are no easier than they were in the Great Underground
- Empire! So, settle in and get ready for lift-off.
-
- There you are, floating around space in your ship, alarm bells ringing in
- your ears. Obviously, something's about to happen. Get the tape library,
- then get up and go Starboard into the Bridge. Push the red button, which
- will shut off the alarm bell, and read the screen. This will tell you which
- object on your map is the one to head for.
-
- Now, there's no way I can tell you the exact coordinates, as the destination
- changes from game to game. However, it isn't hard to figure out what they
- are. Once you've done that, sit down in the control couch and fasten the
- belt. Now you have to enter the course into the computer, which is done as
- follows: Computer, range is x, theta is y, phi is z. The computer will ask
- you to confirm the new course, which you do by saying: Computer, confirm
- new program. After that, you're off!
-
- And now it's time for the hallmark of all Infocom games: Waiting! You'll
- sit in the couch, and wait until you arrive at the alien ship and you are
- captured by it <however, you can enjoy the verbose descriptions while you
- wait>. Once your ship is down on the dock, unfasten the belt, get up, and
- go Starboard into the storage room. Get the suit, put it on, then get the
- line. Head Portwards back to the bridge.
-
- Fun times with airlocks begin now. Open the inner door, go out, close the
- inner door, open the outer door, and go out. Get used to doing that,
- because you'll be doing it again, and again! So, now you're on the Red
- Dock, and there's a strange-looking sculpture here. Closer examination, and
- a little thought, shows that it's a representation of the solar system.
- Aha! Could it be...? You press the fourth bump, and strange things happen.
- Press the small bump, and a black rod appears...get the rod, and the outer
- airlock door opens!
-
- Okay, go inside <close outer, open inner, etc.>, and you are in a Red Hall.
- At this point, you might want to save the game, and just wander around,
- doing some mapping. Actually, I recommend that you do so, since there will
- be a point in the game where I won't be able to give you specific
- directional instructions.
-
- Now that you've checked out the territory a bit, restore to your original
- entry point. You're ready for the great rod hunt....because the object of
- the game is to activtate and control the artifact, which is done via
- different colored rods. Right now, you want the red one, so, go North, then
- West into the Room on Ring Two. From there, North into the Zoo, and East
- into the rat-ant cage.
-
- The red rod is part of the nest, and you just can't reach over and get it.
- This is one of the very few times in an Infocom where violence is necessary:
- Throw the tape library at the nest, which will be smashed. While the rat-
- ants look at you in terror, grab the red rod and the tape library.
-
- Now it's time for the yellow rod, so head along West, South, West, which
- will bring you to the Blue Hall. Go South once and you're at the Blue
- Airlock. Open the door, go down, close inner door, etc. When you reach the
- Blue Dock, go Aft until you come to the Spider-like alien. It's quite
- intelligent and even friendly. Give it the tape library, and in return you
- will get the yellow rod. Take that, and make your way back to the Blue
- Hall.
-
-
- STARCROSS Part Two
-
- You have two rods, and you will be using them now. From the Blue Hall, go
- up, and you're in the Grasslands. Go South to the Thin Forest, open the
- hatch there, and go down into the Repair Room. Put the yellow rod in the
- yellow slot. That turns on the lights in the Yellow Hallway. Put the red
- rod in the SECOND red slot. Make sure it's the second; this will provide a
- breathable atmosphere for you.
-
- Now, get the metal square, and go up, then North, then down again to the
- Blue Hall. From there, West to the Yellow Hall and Yellow Airlock. You
- know the drill by now, but there's an extra feature this time: You will
- have to try to open the outer door twice <it's balky>. Also, while you're in
- the Yellow Airlock, pick up the basket; it will come in very handy!
-
- Once on the Yellow Dock, tie the line to the suit and then to the hook.
- Head Portwards, get the pink rod, put it in the basket, then go back
- Starboard to the dock, untie yourself, and return to the Yellow Hall.
-
- Now, it's time for the blue rod. Go South twice, then East once. You are in
- a laboratory with a mysterious silver globe floating in mid-air. Inside the
- globe, although you can't see it now, is a blue rod. It's easy to get,
- however. Take the two disks off the wall. Put one on the floor, and one
- under the globe. It doesn't matter which way you do it, the result will be
- the same. Put the basket on the globe, then turn the dial to 4. Ta-da!
- The basket suddenly appears on the disk on the floor, with the blue rod!
- Turn the dial to 1, then get both disks, the basket, and the blue rod. Put
- the rod in the basket. In fact, put all rods in the basket when you get
- them.
-
- Okay, there's still plenty of rods to collect, so let's keep moving! Head
- West, then North four times to the end of the hallway, then West to the Room
- on Ring One, and South from there into the Computer Room. Open the panel on
- the computer, then insert the metal square into the slot. Turn on the
- computer, and you will get a gold rod. Don't worry about all the displays;
- they aren't important to you.
-
- Now comes more waiting. What you're waiting for this time is the mechanical
- "mouse" that collects trash. So, move around until it makes an appearance.
- As soon as it does, drop one of the disks <either one>. The mouse will pick
- it up. After that, you must follow the mouse around until it disappears
- into a secret door in one of the rooms. There are several different rooms
- where the mouse can do this, so you *must* follow it.
-
- Wait there until it reappears and leaves, wait a little longer to make sure
- it won't come back, then drop the other disk on the floor and step on it.
- Zap!! You're in the Garage! <Hurray for transporter disks!>. Pick up the
- disk, then empty the trash bin <yuck!> until you find the green rod. Go
- North and you will be in the Room on Ring Four.
-
-
- STARCROSS Part Three
-
- You are now in the Room on Ring Four. Now, this is why you had to do some
- mapping on your own: You must get the other disk you dropped, and there's no
- telling exactly in which room that was. So, you must explore on your own
- until you find the disk. Once you've done that, make your way to the Blue
- Hall where the airlock is. From there, go North twice, then West into the
- Observatory. Drop off one of the disks, then hike along East, South, East,
- East, South, East into the Weasel Village, and then East once more to the
- Village Center. Wait around a short while, and the Weasel chief will
- appear.
-
- He will indicate that he wants your space suit. That's no problem, since
- the air will remain breathable, and you don't need the suit anymore. So,
- give it to him. Then, when he wants to give you something in return, point
- to the brown rod he wears around his neck. He will give it to you, and
- start to leave. Follow him! <Think of all this following around as good
- practice for "Deadline.">
-
- Continue to follow him, until you arrive at the Center of the Warren. Then
- climb down the ladder to the Green Airlock <yep, another one!>, and do the
- usual job with the doors. From the dock, go West to the Umbilical, then
- West again to the Cargo Hold. Pick up the visor fragment, then go Forward
- into the Control Room of the wrecked ship. Move the skeleton, and you will
- find a violet rod. Now, drop the disk on the floor, and step on it. If you
- attempt to leave the way you came, the Weasels will kill you for disturbing
- their shrine.
-
- So, now you've materialized in the Observatory, and it's time to pick up
- another rod: Look at projector through visor. Aha! A clear rod. Sneaky,
- huh? Get the rod, drop the visor, then move along East, then South three
- times to the Melted Spot, then West into the Weapons Deck. Get the genuine
- Ray-gun, and look inside it.
-
- Sonuvagun! A silver rod! Get that, then East and North, and up to the
- Grasslands, 'cause it's time to get this show on the road. Now, trek on
- South twice to the Dense Forest, then East to the base of the tree. Climb
- the tree, all the way up to the top, then jump to the Drive Bubble.
-
- Insert the silver rod into the slot, then enter the bubble. There's a white
- rod here; get that and put it into the white slot. Under no circumstances
- should you insert the black rod into the black slot!! That will shut
- everything down! Okay, the drive mechanism has been activated; now you have
- to make the thing move. So, out, and up to the top of the Bubble,
- and....jump! Isn't floating in air fun? However, you still have some things
- to do yet, so shoot the gun at the Drive Bubble three times, which will
- bring you to the Control Bubble. Go Down, then put the gold rod in the
- slot, and enter the Bubble. Inside, you will find the slots for the
- remaining rods. Put each rod in the slot of its own color.
-
- Now, at last, you're ready to bring the artifact to life! Touch the large
- pink square, and the scene in the small one will change to show the inner
- solar system. Now touch the brown spot until a picture of Earth appears.
- Press the violet one until a ellipse shows <it *must* be an ellipse!>, then
- press the green spot, and flashing lights appear. And last, but certainly
- not least, the final move: Touch the blue spot, which activates everything,
- and brings the alien ship safely to Earth!
-
- Of course, it isn't over yet! That final remark by the alien sounded a
- little ominous....I have a feeling you'll be heading out again into space
- sooner than you might think!
-
-
- sounded a
- little ominous....I have a feeling you'l