[Skyrain]

Originally Posted by Antoinetta

Beware!!!! Rampant spoilers below!!!!

I just finished the game and enjoyed it thoroughly. I do have a few questions though.

Thanks!

In the game’s opening movie, Marston is racing along in his hot-rod, then pulls over to meet someone at a parked car; this person hands him a small package. Does anyone have any ideas as to what this was; I can’t see it has any bearing on the game nor do I recall any references to this scene during the game itself. Does anyone know who the man that gave him the package was? Is this the same package we see Marston carrying and that Narracott asks him about when he runs into Marston on the trail just after having discovered his boat is wrecked? I feel it is probably the same package, but wonder at its significance, as it, as far as I can see does not reappear in the game. My first thoughts after finishing the game was that the guy in the car was a German, one of Marston’s handlers/contacts and he was passing along the number-code and the decoder. But the code and the decoder were single sheets of paper, and it was clearly a package, not an envelope that was handed over.

This is supposed to be the beacon and Marston's instructions. Yes, Narracott discovers Marston with the balled-up paper and twine later. Unfortunately the package as drawn is too small. And yes, the man was presumably one of Marston's Nazi handlers.

If the narrator, Patrick Narracott is filling in for his brother Fred, why, during the conversation with Blore in his room (when you are interrupted in trying to get Blore’s notebook) do both Patrick and Blore use the name Faine, Patrick and Fred Faine? Who is Faine, and why, a moment later when Blore throws Patrick out, does he then call him Narracott? Why the inconsistancy? Where does the name “Faine” come from?

Patrick and Fred's real surname is Faine. Fred has been living under this assumed name ever since bolting after he was framed in the Purcell case. Patrick and Fred saw Blore's name on the list of passengers. Fred agreed to keep out of sight and let Patrick investigate. Yes, Patrick planned on staying on the island (although not being trapped there obviously). Both brothers are familiar with the island (not the grotto). He could have stashed the boat any number of places, This is all my backstory adapted from Blore's original secret. Blore goes back to calling Patrick Narracott, as do the other guests, to keep things from getting too muddled.

And what kind of investigation could he undertake if he couldn’t mingle and converse with the others?

Surveillance, attempting to search Blore's luggage, trying to learn what he can about Blore. Maybe he planned on returning under some pretext. We don't really need to know the details since Blore inadvertently gave him a reason to be on the island.

In the opening scene, as the boat approaches the island, Mrs. Rogers is watching it arrive from the front porch, and she makes the comment that “It won’t work.” What “won’t work?” This is just supposed to be a rather extravagant party, certainly not something beyond the capacity of a servant to the wealthy, used to putting on such affairs.

Her attitude--that the house party is an uneccesary burden to be thrust upon them so suddenly after their being hired and without warning--is taken from the book. I certainly meant her comment to be mysterious however, until the later overheard dialogue between her and her husband. Some other dialogue refering to this when she meets Narracott after dropping the sheets may have been removed. I can't remember now.

This also seems to tie in with the argument that she has with her husband early on in the game, when she reproaches her husband, saying that “you promised that this would not happen again.” This implies that the Rogers’ had some scheme of their own concocted, surely putting on a party for ten people wouldn’t be a big deal for people of their class. But there are no hints in the game as to what these statements were supposed to mean.

Again, taken from the book: she is refering to their murder by neglect of their employer. They expected never having the need to be in service again. Rogers is responding that he never expected their employer to be so stingy with the inheritance.

Supposedly Cyril, the child being watched over by Vera when he drowned was the heir to his family’s titles and estates, and Vera let him drown so his older brother Hugo (who was also Vera’s lover) would inherit instead. But this makes no sense, as inheritances pass to the eldest first, so Hugo should have been in line for everything anyway.

Taken from the book. Hugo was a half-brother. I trusted Agatha's knowledge of such things.

From the dialogue and stuff found in the game, the island was occupied at one time by the British Admiralty. Yet it was also a base of German spies. How could it be both?

Not sure how you infered it was a German base. Because it was a secret Admiralty base, the Nazis were most interested in learning what they could of the experiments there. This subplot is my addition.

Also, the game ending reveals that the actress, Gabrielle Steele bought the place from it’s builder, Rodman, and never actually sold it. So when would either the British or Germans have had a chance to set up shop here? The chronology of the island seems as if it would preclude this.

Presumably she leased it to the Admiralty through Morris.

What is the significance of all the stopped clocks?

I have no idea. I had no chance to review the extraneous dialogue that was added to the game like the clock references, and those silly radiators. (Central heating? In England? On an isolated island?)

What’s with the poster for the movie “Willard” on the wall of the screening room? This movie, a thriller about rats taking over didn’t come out till 1971.

Is it really? The posters were supposed to be from Gabrielle Steele's movies. I guess "generic" poster art was borrowed instead, like the portrait--of I think George Washington--that is in the dining room. One of the posters--a film about Lucretia Borgia--would have shown Gabrielle wearing the raven earring found in the safe. I suspect this was all done due to time restrictions.

There is clearly a string or some kind of line tied to left-side pier in the Grotto. You can’t take it or elicit any comment by clicking on it, so I’m wondering why the game designers put it there?

The line is supposed to be attached to a submerged gasoline can, one of Owen's party game rewards. If it no longer is, it was probably cut out.

Did anyone catch the several Sherlock Holmes references in the game? I thought this was a nice touch, but I don’t recall Agatha ever including any references, veiled or otherwise, to Sherlock. (I could be mistaken on this, however)

I'm not sure about Agatha refering to the Holmes canon. I suspect she must have at some point though! Several Holmes references? Remind me! I certainly had fun writing the bee-keeping book.

Lee