GAME SOLUTION: Space Quest
From: Len Stys (aa399)
Date: 02/24/90-12:52:46 PM Z
From: aa399 (Len Stys)
Subject: GAME SOLUTION: Space Quest
Date: Sat Feb 24 12:52:46 1990
SPACE QUEST
1 Data Cartridge and Escaping
the Arcada
2 Spider, Beam, Orat, Alien
3 Slot Machine, Ship, Droid,
Sector Information
4 Empty Room, Disguise,
Star Generator, Endgame
SPACE QUEST
Part 1
ARCADA TO CRASHDOWN
Well now you're in for it. Your latest siesta in the Arcada's
janitorial closet has been rudely interrupted by a Sarien invasion.
Alarm bells are sounding, emergency lights are flashing and the blasted
bodies of your shipmates are lying all over the place. How are you going
to avoid joining them and survive this adventure?
First of all, if we're going to get you out of this in one piece, we
need to establish a few conventions. In SPACE QUEST, as in all of
Sierra's animated adventures, you move from location to location and
manipulate objects by moving your on-screen character with either a
joystick or the cursor control keys on your keyboard. For SPACE QUEST, I
strongly recommend using a joystick. There are a couple of arcade
sequences in the game, at least one of which is made much easier by
using a joystick. To move from location to location you move your
character offscreen in the desired direction. For purposes of this
walkthru, "north" means to move your character offscreen toward the top
or back of the screen, "south" means to move toward the bottom or
foreground, "east" means to move offscreen to the right, and "west"
means to move to the left.
Okay, how are you going to avoid the Sarien troops that seem to be
everywhere and shoot first and ask questions later? Well, whenever you
hear footsteps, find somewhere to hide -- pronto! Elevators work very
well for this purpose. And take advantage of the improved save and
restore features of this game; they can make death a very temporary
condition.
Now the coast seems to be clear for the moment and you're standing in
the corridor in front of the janitor's closet. Go west through the door
into the Data Archive. A quick look around reveals a wall full of data
cartridges and a computer console. Examining the computer console shows
that it consists of a screen, a keyboard, a cartridge slot, and a
cartridge retrieval unit. The screen is asking you to type in the title
of a cartridge, but you can't punch up the catalogue because you lack
the proper security clearance.
Just as you're beginning to despair over this situation, a man that you
recognize as a lab scientist stumbles into the room and collapses on the
floor. He's obviously fatally wounded, but you try to help him as best
you can. His strength fading fast, the scientist tells you that the
Sariens are after the Star Generator and that you'd better get out fast
if you want to save yourself. With his dying breath, he looks at the
wall full of data cartridges and utters "astral body."
There's no time for mourning now. Taking the hint, you walk over to the
keyboard and type in "astral body." Sure enough the retrieval unit
climbs the shelves and returns with a cartridge. Take the cartridge from
the unit, but don't try to read it here! Any attempt to read the
cartridge at this location will bring the game to a very abrupt end.
Better hold on to the cartridge until you can find a safer terminal.
It's time to move on, so go west into the corridor and west again to
the far wall of the hallway. Here is yet another fallen shipmate. Well,
maybe the poor guy has something useful that he won't be needing
anymore. Indeed he does, for a quick search of his body uncovers a
keycard; just the thing for opening doors to secured areas of the ship.
Pocket the keycard and go east and take the elevator down one level.
Walk north through the blasted-out door into the Star Generator lab.
Here your worst fears are realized. The Star Generator is gone! The
Sariens have already removed it from the ship. What's more, a look at
the computer screen at the north end of the room shows that the
automatic detonators have been set, and there's just minutes to go until
the Arcada blows itself up. No wonder that dying scientist told you to
get out fast!
There's no time to lose, so exit the room to the south, go east and
take the elevator down to the lower level of the Arcada. Walk east into
the central control area of the ship. A look through the window reveals
the empty docking bay. Just beneath the window is a control panel with
two buttons on it. Press the button marked "open bay door" and watch the
docking bay doors slide open.
Now walk east to the elevator at the far end of this level. Hmm, this
elevator doesn't open automatically like all the others on the Arcada.
Aha! There's a security panel next to the elevator with a slot for a
keycard. Now the elevator opens obediently. So ride it down to the
flight prep room on the lowest level of the ship.
The first thing you notice in the flight prep room is a closet with a
button for each of its two doors. Push both buttons and take the gadget
from the closet on the left and the flight suit from the closet on the
right. A quick look at the gadget reveals that it's a dialect
translator. Might come in handy later. Now, however, we need to find a
way out of here. It looks like there's a control panel in the front of
the room, so walk around the barrier and have a look at it. Thankfully,
there's a button on the panel marked "airlock." Press it and the door on
the west side of the room slides open.
Exit the room through the open airlock and walk out into the docking
bay. You notice that the bay is empty and that there's a large hole in
the middle of the floor. However, there is also a control console
standing next to the airlock. Amid all the unfamiliar controls on the
console is a button marked "platform." Press the button and an escape
pod rises from the hole in the floor! Walk around the pod to the open
door on its left side and get in. You're almost out of here!
Once seated in the pod, the first thing to do is close the door. Now
take a look around the pod. You see seat belts and a dark console.
Buckle up the seat belt then have a look at the console. Push the button
marked "power" and the console springs to life. The screen tells you to
pull the throttle to initiate the launch sequence. So give it a tug and
you're off!
Whew! You've made it safely off the Arcada, but now your pod is
drifting helplessly in space. What to do? (For a laugh you can press the
button marked "don't touch;" just make sure you save the game first!)
Look at the panel again. There's a button there labeled "autonav." Try
pushing it. That did it! The pod's navigation system is locked onto the
planet Kerona, and the automatic landing sequence has started. There's
nothing to do now but sit back and enjoy the ride.
Congratulations! You've crash-landed on a desolate, desert planet.
Aren't you glad?
SPACE QUEST
Part 2
SPIDER DROIDS, ORATS AND THE UNDERGROUND EMPIRE
Okay, so here you are sitting in a wrecked escape pod in the middle of
a burning desert. Well, at least you're still in one piece. And a look
around the pod reveals that a survival kit has broken loose from
somewhere. That could sure come in handy, so take the kit and have a
look inside. You find a handy-dandy jack-knife and a can of dehydrated
(?) water. Dehydrated water is a strange concept, to say the least, so
take a close look at the can. The label says that you can get a drink of
water any time you need it by simply putting the nozzle in your mouth
and drinking. It also says that the can is highly pressurized and that
puncturing it can have catastrophic consequences. Those sound like two
pieces of information to remember.
Now you're as ready as you'll ever be to leave the pod, so go ahead and
get out. Before you leave the area, however, walk around to the front of
the pod and have a look at it. You never know when you'll need a piece
of reflective glass, so take it.
If you try going in any other direction, you'll soon discover that the
only directions that you can go without getting eaten or flattened by a
meteor are east and southeast. So go southeast to the area described as
the "southwest edge of a mesa." Exit the screen at the southeast corner.
Take a look around and note the natural land bridge to the north.
Again, exit the screen at the southeast corner. Notice the ramp on the
west side of the screen. Walk up it and follow it until you exit the
screen to the north. Then follow the trail around to the west.
About now the spider droid will appear. Don't worry, this is one nasty
you can dispatch with a bang! Walk across the bridge to the large
boulder. Position yourself behind the boulder and type in "push boulder"
without hitting <Return> or <Enter>. This is a good place to save the
game! Wait until the spider droid is directly under the boulder (it's
the spot exactly between the two green patches on the ground). Now hit
<Return> or <Enter>. Kaboom! Wasn't that fun? (Read on for an alternate
way to kill the spider droid, but for less points.)
Let's see what else this mesa has to offer. Exit the screen to the west
and follow the trail around several screens until you arrive at the
broken arch at the mesa's far eastern edge. What's this all about? Well
step between the two columns of the arch and...Whoa! Talk about the
first step being a doozie! Nothing to do now but ride this elevator
straight to the bottom.
Once you arrive at the bottom of the shaft and recover your stomach,
step off the platform and look around. That rock might prove useful, so
take it. Follow the cavern to the west. That grate looks and smells
dangerous. Better edge around the back of it. Aieee! It's a good thing
you didn't step on top of that grate!
Looks like you've come to the end of the trail, doesn't it? But if you
take a careful look around, you'll notice that the rock will just cover
the hole on top of that steam vent. So put the rock there and shades of
"open sesame!" Exit the screen to the northwest. The pool room is
pretty, but there's not much you can do in here, so walk around the
rocks and again exit the screen to the northwest. Hey! Those light beams
could just make you go all to pieces! So hold that piece of reflective
glass in the beams and put the heat on them. Now walk up the ramp and
exit the screen to the east.
Save the game! Those aren't water drops dripping from the ceiling;
they're deadly corrosive acid. One false step here and you're fried.
Time your walk between the drops carefully and exit the screen to the
east. Now take a look at the gadget that you took from the closet back
on the Arcada. Notice that it's a dialect translator and that there's a
dial on it. Turn the dial until the gadget glows and exit the screen to
the east.
And you thought the Wizard of Oz was tough on Dorothy! If you've
already had the misfortune to stumble into Orat, you know that stealing
the Wicked Witch's broomstick was child's play compared to collecting a
piece of this baby's hide. I mean he looks like Tyrannosaurus Rex with
teeth to match, and he seems to enjoy playing basketball with human
beings taking the part of the ball. But a piece of Orat's hide is just
what this Alien is telling you that you'll have to bring him if you want
his help in getting off this dustbin of a planet. Yours is not to
reason, so once you're transported back to the surface, follow the mesa
trail back across the bridge and down the ramp.
Exit the screen to the north. Orat's cave is in the cliff face on the
east side of the screen. Steady your nerves (and save the game) before
you go in. Okay, now Orat is coming straight for you, and it's a sure
bet that the only dinner invitation you'll get from him will feature you
as the main course. Instead of panicking, calmly look at Orat's razor
sharp teeth and remember what you read about the water can and what
would happen if it were punctured. So what have you got to lose except
your life?
Throw the water at Orat! Kaboom! (again). Isn't it nice the way your
enemies keep blowing up real good? Fortunately, there's a little piece
of Orat still intact over in the eastern part of the cave. Control your
stomach and take the Orat part. (NOTE: An alternate way to kill Orat
involves *not* killing the spider droid with the boulder. Instead,
carefully lead the droid (it will start following you once you get close
to it) into Orat's cave and step aside. Orat will rush straight into the
droid and they will both blow up real good at the same time. However,
you do not get as many points for blowing them up together as you get
for blowing them up separately.)
Now take your disgusting prize and return to the Alien's underground
chamber the same way you got there before. Drop the Orat part before the
Alien's image and proceed through the portal that now appears.
My, this room is interesting! So don't be in a hurry to jump on that
skimmer that the Alien gives you. Instead, take a look at the panel on
the back wall. Yes, it's a data cartridge reader! And there's no Sarien
here to shoot you when you try to use it. Insert the cartridge in the
slot and read the story of the star generator. Make a note of the
destruct code sequence number and be sure to take the cartridge with you
when you're done reading it. Now hop on the skimmer, turn the key, and
ride off.
Now you have to play the arcade game of dodge the boulders. This is
where a joystick comes in handy. It's also a good idea to save the game
here, in case you're as big a klutz as I am. Before too long you'll
arrive in the thrilling metropolis of Ulence Flats.
SPACE QUEST
Part 3
BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN ULENCE FLATS
You've successfully dodged all of the boulders and you're now sitting
in the heart of the shimmering metropolis of Ulence Flats. Get off the
skimmer and have a leisurely look around the immediate vicinity. In a
short time one of the locals will approach you and offer to buy your
skimmer for 30 buckazoids. You can do better than that, even if the
skimmer is somewhat beat up, so refuse this initial offer. The fellow
will walk away angry, but don't worry; he really wants that skimmer and
he'll be back. Just wait around a while and take in the scenery. Sure
enough, after a few minutes have passed, your "customer" approaches you
again. This time he offers to throw in a jetpack with the 30 buckazoids.
That's a much more reasonable offer. So say yes.
Now that you have some cash, it's time to visit that bar whose flashing
sign has been tempting you ever since you arrived in this berg. Upon
entering the bar, you notice a band (isn't there something familiar
about those guys?), a slot machine off to one side that seems to have
rather dire consequences for losers, and, thankfully, an empty seat at
the end of the bar.
Slide onto the stool and order a brew. It might not be the best suds
you've ever had, but in your condition you're not complaining. So drink
up. In fact, you'd better drink three. As you start to down the third
(and are beginning to develop a distinctly better outlook toward this
little planet), you overhear a conversation among your fellow drinkers.
Make a careful note of the space sector that is mentioned.
Feeling fortified by the Kerona beer in your belly, you decide to
tackle that slot machine. As you've doubtless noticed, you can lose
*everything* at this game, including your life! Nevertheless, you're
going to have to win $250 from this one-armed bandit if you want to get
off this planet. The way to win at this game with a minimum of
frustration is to save your game after every significant increase in
your winnings. That way you can restore to a higher amount if you start
to lose too much, and it will minimize the effects of getting yourself
killed. Once you have your $250, you can walk away from the machine a
happy winner (at that point the slot machine will inform you that there
has been a circuit failure).
Now it's time to see if you can buy yourself some transportation off of
this planet. Leave the bar and walk west. You'll find yourself in Tiny's
Used Spaceship Lot. Tiny is like all used spaceship salesmen, you can't
trust him as far as you can throw him. He will try to sell you on the
two little ships in the foreground. Provided you save your game first,
you can go ahead and buy them for a laugh; however, a much more
substantial looking ship is visible to the north. So exit the screen in
that direction. Don't worry, Tiny will follow you. Now this is a ship!
In fact, you wonder how a lowlife like Tiny got his hands on it. Well
that's not your concern. Go ahead and pay Tiny his asking price for this
slick space cruiser.
As your fork over your hard-won money, Tiny informs you that you'll
need a droid to pilot this baby. No problem. Walk east and then east
again. You'll find yourself conveniently in front of Droids-R-Us. Go
inside. The droid you want is upstairs on the right. He's the one that
the proprietor describes as a pilot. Pay the owner for the droid (you
can present your coupon for a discount) and return to your ship (your
faithful droid will follow you).
Now you're almost off this miserable asteroid! Just climb up the ladder
and get in. Your droid will move to his position under the ship. Look at
the ship. There's a button on the panel marked "Load." Press it and your
droid will automatically be lifted into the ship. When your droid asks,
type in the sector that you overheard in the bar. Off you go into the
purple yonder in your wonderful new ship! Sit back and enjoy the ride.
In fact, you better enjoy it as much as you can. Because just beginning
to fill your vision screen is the profile of the flagship of the Sarien
fleet: the dreaded Deltaur itself!
SPACE QUEST
Part 4
HERO OF THE DELTAUR
Your pilot droid has parked you a safe distance from the menacing
Deltaur and he's not going to take the ship any closer. So it's time for
some EVA action. Put on the jetpack that you acquired in Ulence Flats
and exit the ship. Take a look around and steer yourself over to the
door. Look at the door, then turn the handle. Move into the airlock.
Once in the airlock, wait for the droid to appear and then move by him
into the ship.
In the "empty" room, notice that there is a trunk sitting in the middle
of the room and that there is a vent high up on the west wall. Move to
the right of the trunk and type "push trunk." Once the trunk is against
the wall, open the trunk and put your jetpack inside it. Then close the
trunk and stand on top of it. Open the vent with the jack-knife and
enter. Once inside the airshaft, climb up the ladder to the next
cross-shaft (climbing down will take you the same place, but it takes
longer) then crawl east. Kick open the vent, then exit the screen to the
east.
NOTE: You can get yourself to the same location simply by getting
inside the trunk and hiding inside of it until the Sariens move you.
This will net you the same amount of points as the method described
above, but it's not as much fun.
Now you're in the laundry room and it's time to come clean. Walk over
to the washing machine, open the door and get in the machine. When the
Sarien enters the room, remain calm and ride out the rinse cycle. Open
the door and emerge from the machine cleverly disguised as a Sarien,
complete with helmet! Now you can move around the ship without
attracting attention. Before you go, however, look in your uniform
pocket and notice that you have a Sarien I.D. card.
Exit the laundry room to the east. Talk to the first Sarien you see as
this will get you an extra point. The Sarien guard outside the Empty
Room (down one level) will ask you if you've played Kings Quest III!
Tell him yes for yet another point. Walk over to the two elevators at
the rear of the corridor. The elevator on the right is temporarily out
of order, but don't worry about it. It will work when you need it. For
now enter the elevator on the left and ride it upstairs.
Exit the elevator and walk east. Here it is, the Star Generator! Note
that it's protected by a guard and a force field, and that you can't get
close enough to get a good look at its control panel. Exit the room to
the west and then go west again. Take the elevator up. Go east and then
east again. Now you're on an elevated walkway directly above the Star
Generator. Go east and enter the ship's armory.
Once in the armory, look at the counter and notice that there are two
gas grenades sitting in the corner. Walk up to the counter and show your
i.d. card to the droid. When he leaves to get your weapon, move smartly
around the counter and take one of the grenades. When the droid returns,
take your pulseray and exit to the west.
Back on the elevated walkway, stand directly over the Star Generator
guard and throw the grenade. After the guard collapses, go back into the
armory and get the second grenade for an extra point (the droid will
attempt to get you another weapon and then return empty-handed, noting
that you already have one).
Go west from the elevated walkway and then west again. At this point
you will stumble and lose your helmet. No, there's no way you can avoid
it. The Sariens will shoot you on sight now, so be ready to fire your
pulseray instantly upon entering each new screen and don't let a guard
droid touch you! It will also help to save the game frequently from now
on.
You've got no time to waste now, so head straight back to the Star
Generator. Search the dead guard's body. Take the remote control and
press the on/off button. Walk up the stairs leading to the Star
Generator and look at the control panel. Punch in the destruct code that
you learned from the data cartridge (in case you forgot, it's 6858) and
then punch the "enter" key (the one on the control pad, not your
computer!). Looks like things are really starting to get hot around
here, so don't stand around. Exit to the west and take the first
elevator down.
The elevator on the right is now back in service so take it! When you
get off the elevator move quickly to the waiting space ship and get in.
Look at the ship. Press the launch button. Now sit back and enjoy the
rest of the show because you're a hero! Wonder how much a golden mop is
worth?
NOTE: I played the game through a few times using all of the moves
described above. Each time I netted a varying amount of points that was
slightly less than the game's stated maximum of 202, depending on how
many Sariens I shot with the pulseray. Like other members of the Gamer's
Forum, I never discovered a use for the plant that can be found growing
on Kerona. That is why the walkthru does not tell you to take the plant.
If anyone does discover a use for the plant, or any other way to
increase your score legitimately (i.e., without taking advantage of a
bug in the program), please leave a message in the Gamers' Forum
addressed to Jason 75046,444.
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