Adventure Gamers - Forums

>step on platform
You can’t enter the cage while the flap is closed.

The console readout blinks; it now says, “Accumulators charging: pulse in 1.”

“There’s only one entrance, with-commander. We’re standing in front of it,” the voice continues, a little nervously now. “The walls are armor plate underneath. The ventilation system is secure. We haven’t been briefed on any explosive or cutting equipment in the lab inventory. There’s simply nowhere to go.”

>step on platform
You step through the open flap and onto the platform.

The console readout blinks; it now says, “Accumulators charging: pulse in 1. Note: scan-web coverage not yet complete.”

>close flap
You pull the flap back against its seals, closing yourself in the cage.

“Nowhere…” the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, “Blast it down,” he says, very quietly. And screams, “BLAST IT!”

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds…

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant, dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the light.

Then blackness slaps into you with a silent snap. You can dimly feel yourself falling to a padded surface, and the shouts of the guards go on—until you are hauled to your feet, and the muzzle of a pulse-gun is pressed to the back of your head.
 
 
  *** You have failed to make a difference ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, or QUIT?

My apologies - I had to replay the section due to taking too many moves and forgot to push the grey oval.

Here is the result when it is pushed:

“Nowhere…” the familiar voice begins, and there is a terrible silence.

Then, “Blast it down,” he says, very quietly. And screams, “BLAST IT!”

But a light is pouring out around you, a sourceless glow that seems to shine straight through solidity, as if metal and plastic were starlit ice. The light builds and builds…

Beyond the light you see the door burst open, with a distant, dreamlike roar. The lucent faces that crowd through seem to move in slow motion. Their guns are firing, but the pulses are frozen in space. You can see their eyes slide across you, the cage around you, the papers in your hand, the light.

Then the world vanishes. Blackness slaps into you with a silent snap.


  *** You have made a difference ***



Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, or QUIT?

To clarify: The grey oval controls the waveform - where the transported object is sent. When it isn’t pushed we materialize back to the platform and are shot.

When it is pushed, we are sent…well, who knows?

TimovieMan - 15 September 2016 08:23 AM

Is that all? “You have made a difference”???

I haven’t tried them, but the game source code lists several slightly different endings: “jumped to the mat (captured)”, “jumped to the mat, but burned the lab”, “just leave (don’t take papers)”, “take papers”, “burn papers”, “burn lab, take papers”, “burn lab and papers”.

It goes on to note that “Of these, burning just the papers is almost the same as leaving them behind, because there are backups.”

It seems that making a difference is the best you can hope for.

TimovieMan - 15 September 2016 08:23 AM

Is that all? “You have made a difference”???

“You have made a difference” - you get the same message for all endings, even if you drop your entire inventory before teleporting.

It seems the message is that the difference is up to us. Is it good or bad? It’s not really for the game to say. I had heard before playing Hadean Lands not to expect fireworks at the end of a Plotkin game, and that is true for Spider and Web too. I don’t mind that. The subject matter here didn’t suit a morally black-and-white ending anyway. I like the idea of our character in the interrogation chair thinking of the mission and its consequences while face-to-face with the other side, and making up his or her mind about what to do about the lab.

Personally I didn’t see either side as the good guys, just two sides waging a cold war in an increasingly fearful and militarized world, and what the interrogator said about a world “without walls” seemed the better option than only one side having this technology. Someone else might decide differently.

Anyway, congratulations and thanks for playing everyone!!! Until next time.

Ending theme music (diego)

It’s done!

Terrible ending but it was fun.

Thanks Oscar for putting all the work for leading this and the other players/spies.

wilco - 15 September 2016 12:10 PM

It’s done!

Terrible ending but it was fun.

Thanks Oscar for putting all the work for leading this and the other players/spies.

It was fun seeing others reacting to the game. You figured out some things a lot quicker than me.

I hope this continues. I haven’t followed the text adventure scene that closely in the past decade or so, so I’m sure there are plenty of good games that I haven’t even heard of.