A TESTER !!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

S T A R C R O S S
(Infocom)

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 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 , 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. 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 . 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 . 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! . Pick up the
disk, then empty the trash bin until you find the green rod. Go
North and you will be in the Room on Ring Four.

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! "Deadline.">

Continue to follow him, until you arrive at the Center of the Warren. Then
climb down the ladder to the Green Airlock , 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 , 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!


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


***************************************
* *
* SOLVING STAR * CROSS *
* *
* BY *
* *
*CORRECTIONS BY: TAMERLANE OF THE RING*
* *
***************************************


STARCROSS IS A RELATIVELY SIMPLE
ADVENTURE-- IT'S ALL SIMPLY A MATTER OF
SHOVING COLOR CODED RODS INTO THE
APPROPRIATELY COLORED SLOTS. (FREUD
WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD). THE ONLY
PROBLEM IS IN FINDING THE RODS AND
SLOTS. THIS COLUMN WILL TELL YOU
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW... (IN
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER!) SO BE SURE AND
HIT THE SPACEBAR IF I START TO TELL YOU
ANYTHING YOU *=> DON'T WANT TO KNOW
YET! <=* A WORD TO THE WISE: IF YOU PUT
A ROD INTO A SLOT OF A DIFFERENT COLOR,
IT WILL DISAPPEAR FOREVER.

THE LANDING
===========
GET UP. GET LIBRARY. E. PUSH RED
BUTTON. READ SCREEN. GET THE
COORDINATES FOR WHICHEVER UNIDENTIFIED
MASS (UM-??) HAS BEEN CHOSEN AT RANDOM
FROM THE CHART BELOW:

COORDINATES FOR MASS OBJECTS

OBJECT R THETA PHI TYPE
====== = ===== === ====
UM91 050 015 121 UNCHARTED MASS
UM12 100 345 107 UNCHARTED MASS
UM24 100 285 087 UNCHARTED MASS
UM08 150 210 017 UNCHARTED MASS
UM52 175 165 035 UNCHARTED MASS
UM70 100 135 101 UNCHARTED MASS
UM31 150 105 067 UNCHARTED MASS
UM28 250 045 178 UNCHARTED MASS
AB40 250 300 022 ASTEROID (CERES)
MARS 250 120 012 PLANET
US75 175 135 034 SHIP
AX71 125 180 047 ASTEROID
AX32 125 240 105 ASTEROID
AX01 200 240 134 ASTEROID
AX87 125 075 102 ASTEROID

ENTER COUCH. SAY TO COMPUTER "R IS (R),
PHI IS (PHI), THETA IS (THETA)". WAIT
FOR COMPUTER TO REPLY THAT THERE IS
INDEED A MASS THERE. IF IT DOESN'T THEN
YOU GOT THE COORDINATES WRONG! TRY
AGAIN. THEN TYPE: SAY TO COMPUTER
"CONFIRMED." FASTEN BELT. WAIT. (THE
ROCKETS WILL FIRE.) UNFASTEN BELT. GET
UP.EAST.DON SUIT.GET LINE. W.SIT.FASTEN
BELT. WAIT. WAIT OR LOOK UNTIL THE
TENTACLES GRAB YOU AND YOU ARE SAFELY
DOCKED. (A TOTAL OF 7 WAITS).

GETTING IN
======= ==
UNFASTEN BELT. GET UP. OPEN INNER. OUT.
CLOSE INNER. OPEN OUTER. OUT. PRESS
FOURTH BUMP. (THE SCULPTURE IS SUPPOSED
TO BE THE SOLAR SYSTEM. YOU PRESS THE
FOURTH BUMP BECAUSE IT CORRESPONDS TO
YOUR HOME PLANET (EARTH). WHY IS EARTH
THE FOURTH BUMP AND NOT THE THIRD ?
BECAUSE THE SUN COUNTS AS THE FIRST
BUMP!). AT THIS POINT YOU SHOULD SEE A
'TINY BUMP'). PRESS TINY. NOW YOU
WILL SEE A BLACK ROD RISE UP. THIS ROD
IS A 'SELF-DESTRUCT' DEVICE! DO NOT
PUT IT IN ANY BLACK SLOT, EVER!. TAKE
BLACK ROD. THE AIRLOCK DOOR WILL OPEN
WHEN YOU TAKE THE ROD. IN. CLOSE
OUTER. OPEN INNER. IN. TA-DA! YOU ARE
NOW IN THE 'ARTIFACT'!!!!


THE ARTIFACT
=== ========
THINK OF IT AS AN INTERGALACTIC
INTELLIGENCE TEST. PUT THE RIGHT
BLOCKS IN THE RIGHT HOLES AND WIN THE
PRIZE. THE ARTIFACT IS CYLINDRICAL IN
SHAPE, AND DIVIDED (LIKE A PIE) INTO
FOUR WEDGES, WHICH (LIKE THE SLOTS) ARE
COLOR CODED. THESE COLORS ARE: RED,
BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW. THESE WEDGES ARE
TRANSECTED BY 5 CONCENTRIC RINGS: IN
SHORT, THE CYLINDER IS DIVIDED INTO A
SORT OF CIRCULAR GRID SYSTEM OF RINGS
AND COLORS. (THIS WILL BE MORE OBVIOUS
TO YOU AS YOU MOVE ABOUT IN THE
ARTIFACT.) DIRECTIONS ARE: N,S,E,W,U,
AND D. UP AND DOWN CORRESPOND TO IN
AND OUT. EAST AND WEST CORRESPOND TO
LEFT AND RIGHT, AND ALSO TO PORT AND
STARBOARD. WHEN YOU ENTER THE
ARTIFACT, YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO ENTER
THE YELLOW SECTION WITHOUT BEING EATEN
BY THE GRUES (WHICH WERE APPARENTLY
CAPTURED ON THE PLANET ZORK, BUT WHO
ESCAPED FROM THE ALIEN ZOO FOR THE
EXPRESS PURPOSE OF MENACING ADVENTURERS
FOOLHARDY ENOUGH TO TRAVEL WITHOUT
LIGHT. )


COLLECT THOSE RODS!
======= ===== =====

YOU CAN GET THESE IN DIFFERENT ORDERS,
BUT THE FOLLOWING ONE WILL DEFINITELY
WORK: BLACK, RED, SILVER, YELLOW,
PINK, BLUE, GOLD, BROWN, VIOLET, GREEN,
CLEAR (CRYSTAL), WHITE.



GETTING THE RED ROD: IT'S BEING HELD
CAPTIVE BY 'ANT-MEN'! TO GET THERE:
N. W. FORWARD. E. NOW, THE ANT-MEN
WILL BE VERY NASTY IF YOU TRY TO TAKE
THEIR ROD AWAY. SO LET'S KEEP THEM
BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE--LIKE
REBUILDING THEIR NEST.... THROW
SOMETHING AT THE NEST--THE TAPE PLAYER
WILL DO NICELY, AND YOUR SPACE SUIT
WILL ALSO WORK IF YOU WANT TO BOTHER
TAKING IT OFF. THEN GET RED ROD.
DON'T FORGET TO RECLAIM WHATEVER IT WAS
YOU THREW!! (GET LIBRARY)


GETTING THE SILVER ROD: (IT'S ON THE
WAY TO THE YELLOW ONE, WHICH WE REALLY
>NEED S. PORT. GET GUN. LOOK INTO GUN. GET
SILVER ROD. (TOO EASY, NO?)


GETTING THE YELLOW ROD: IT'S IN THE
SPACESHIP DOCKED OUTSIDE THE BLUE
AIRLOCK. FROM THE WEAPONS DECK: E. N.
OPEN INNER. OUT. CLOSE INNER. OPEN
OUTER. OUT. S. S. GIVE THE TAPE LIBRARY
TO THE SPIDER (THE CLUE HERE WAS THAT
HE IS INTENSELY INTERESTED IN NEWS).
HE'LL GIVE YOU THE YELLOW ROD, BUT
THAT'S ALL HE'S GOOD FOR. (GIVE TAPE.
GET YELLOW ROD.) THE YELLOW ROD IS ONE
OF THE 'USEFUL' RODS: YOU'LL NEED TO
STICK IT IN THE YELLOW SLOT TO GET SOME
OF THE OTHERS. TO GET TO THE YELLOW
SLOT: N. N. IN. CLOSE OUTER. OPEN
INNER. IN. UP. (YOU ARE NOW IN THE
GRASSLANDS. THE WEASELS AND UNICORNS
HERE ARE STRICTLY LOCAL COLOR, NOT
USEFUL.) S. OPEN HATCH. D. PUT YELLOW
ROD IN YELLOW SLOT. (PUTTING THE
YELLOW ROD IN THE YELLOW SLOT WILL TURN
ON THE EMERGENCY LIGHTING IN THE YELLOW
SECTION OF THE 'ARTIFACT'.) WHILE
YOU'RE HERE, PUT THE RED ROD IN THE
>SECOND< RED SLOT (THIS WILL TURN ON
THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM AND GET THAT
TELL-TALE WINDEX AROMA OUT OF THE AIR
IN A FEW TURNS. LATER ON THIS WILL
ENABLE YOU TO TRADE YOUR OLD SPACESUIT
FOR SOMETHING TRULY USEFUL (LIKE A
BROWN ROD)). GET CARD. YOU'LL NEED TO
PUT THIS INTO THE COMPUTER-- I SUSPECT
IT'S A DISK II CONTROLLER CARD-- CAN'T
BOOT UP WITHOUT ONE!


GETTING THE PINK ROD: IT'S IN THE
SPACESHIP DOCKED OUTSIDE THE YELLOW
AIRLOCK. BE CAREFUL, ONE FALSE MOVE
AND IT'S DEEP SPACE FOR YOU. TO GET
THERE : U. N. D. W. OPEN INNER. OUT.
CLOSE INNER. OPEN OUTER. GET BASKET.
(THIS BASKET CAN BE USED TO HOLD THE
RODS TILL YOU NEED THEM--THAT WAY THEY
WON'T TAKE UP VALUABLE INVENTORY
SPACE.) OPEN OUTER (YES, AGAIN: IT
STUCK THE FIRST TIME!). OUT. ATTACH
LINE TO SPACESUIT. ATTACH LINE TO
HOOK. PORT. GET PINK ROD.


GETTING THE BLUE ROD: IT'S IN THE
LABORATORY, WITH OTHER USEFUL
IMPLEMENTS. TO GET THERE: E. DETACH
LINE FROM HOOK. IN. CLOSE OUTER. OPEN
INNER. IN. S. S. PUT ALL RODS IN
BASKET. E. GET ALL DISKS. NOW COMES THE
TRICKY PART: THE ROD IS IMBEDDED IN THE
SILVER SPHERE. ALL WE HAFE AT OUR
DISPOSAL TO OBTAIN IT IS THE 4-POSITION
DIAL AND THE TWO DISKS.... FORTUNATELY,
THESE ARE 'TRANSPORTER DISKS'.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY EXPLODE INTO
NOTHINGNESS IF YOU ALLOW THEM TO
TOUCH..... ANYWAY, HERE'S THE
PROCEDURE: PUT RED DISK UNDER GLOBE.
PUT BLUE DISK ON FLOOR. PUT CARD ON
GLOBE. TURN DIAL TO 4. TURN DIAL TO 2.
GET CARD. GET BLUE ROD. GET ALL DISKS.
PUT BLUE ROD IN BASKET. W. PUT BLUE
DISK ON FLOOR. (YOU *>HAVE<* TO PUT IT
ON THE FLOOR HERE SO THE 'MAINTENANCE
MOUSE' CAN COLLECT IT AND PUT IT IN THE
GARAGE SO YOU CAN TRANSPORT THERE (AND
OUT OF TROUBLE) LATER!!!)


GETTING THE GOLD ROD: N. N. N. N. W.
AFT. NOW YOU'RE IN THE COMPUTER ROOM.
OPEN PANEL. PUT CARD IN SLOT. CLOSE
PANEL. TURN COMPUTER ON. (IT WILL SPEW
OUT A GOLD BAR FOR YOU). PUT GOLD ROD
IN BASKET. LOOK AROUND IF YOU LIKE, BUT
THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO DO HERE. THE
ENUNCIATOR PANEL TELLS YOU WHAT YOU
HAVE TO FIX TO PUT THE ARTIFACT IN
ORDER, BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT
ANYWAY......


GETTING THE BROWN ROD: N. W. W. S. S.
E. E. REMOVE SUIT. LOOK AROUND OR
'WAIT' OR SOMETHING UNTIL THE CHIEFTAIN
COMES. OFFER SUIT TO CHIEF. POINT AT
BROWN ROD.


GETTING THE VIOLET ROD: YOU HAVE NO
TIME TO PUT THE BROWN ROD IN YOUR
BASKET! FOLLOW THE CHIEF WHEN HE
LEAVES. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE
THE VIOLET ROD!!! JUST KEEP SAYING
'FOLLOW CHIEF' UNTIL YOU GET TO THE
'CENTER OF THE WARREN'. THEN: D. CLOSE
INNER. OPEN OUTER. OUT. P. P. GET
VISOR. N. MOVE SKELETON. GET VIOLET ROD
(MOVE THE SKELETON ONLY ONCE!!). S. S.
PUT RED DISK ON FLOOR. STAND ON RED
DISK. SURPRISE==> TRANSPORTER CITY.
WITH ANY LUCK YOU'LL NOW BE IN THE
GARAGE. IF THE MOUSE HASN'T COLLECTED
THE BLUE DISK YET, YOU'LL BE BACK
OUTSIDE THE LABORATORY. YOU'LL JUST
HAVE TO WAIT TILL HE COMES AND GETS IT,
THEN TRANSPORT TO THE GARAGE......


GETTING THE GREEN ROD: ENTER BIN.
(KEEP TYPING 'ENTER BIN' OR 'AGAIN'
UNTIL YOU FIND THE GREEN ROD. IT MAY
TAKE UP TO 10 TRIES!). GET GREEN ROD.
PUT GREEN ROD IN BASKET.


GETTING THE CLEAR ROD: F. P. N. N. N.
N. W. LOOK AT LASER THROUGH VISOR. GET
CLEAR ROD.


GETTING THE WHITE ROD: E. S. S. U. S.
S. P. U. U. JUMP. PUT SILVER ROD IN
SILVER SLOT. IN. GET WHITE ROD.


YOU'VE GOT ALL THE RODS NOW. ALL YOU
HAVE TO DO IS FIGURE OUT WHY YOU'VE
COLLECTED THEM.


FINISHING UP
========= ==

PUT THE WHITE ROD IN THE WHITE SLOT. (A
BLACK SLOT WILL APPEAR. DO =>NOT<= PUT
THE BLACK ROD IN THE BLACK SLOT!).

GETTING TO THE CONTROL BUBBLE: OUT. U.
JUMP. FIRE GUN AT DRIVE BUBBLE. AGAIN.
AGAIN. (YOU SHOULD NOW BE 'ON CONTROL
BUBBLE'.) D. PUT GOLD ROD IN GOLD SLOT.
IN. PUT CLEAR ROD IN CLEAR SLOT. FIVE
COLORED SLOTS WILL APPEAR. PUT THE
APPROPRIATE ROD IN EACH SLOT--> THE
ORDER YOU DO IT IN DOESN'T MATTER.

THE FINAL SEQUENCE: YOU NOW USE THE
VARIOUS COLORED SPOTS TO SET THE COURSE
OF THE ARTIFACT TOWARD EARTH. TOUCH
LARGE SQUARE. (THE VIEW NOW COVERS THE
AREA FROM THE SUN TO JUPITER). TOUCH
BROWN SPOT. (YOU WILL HAVE TO TOUCH IT
4 TIMES, UNTIL THE EARTH IS
HIGHLIGHTED). TOUCH VIOLET SPOT (THREE
TIMES, UNTIL THE PATH FORMS A CIRCLE
AROUND THE EARTH. (DON'T STOP AT THE
ELLIPSE!)). TOUCH GREEN SPOT. (THE
PATH WILL FLASH.) TOUCH BLUE SPOT.
BLAST-OFF!!!!! YOU WIN!!

SIT BACK AND BASK IN THE GLORY OF A
PERFECT SCORE.