MURDER IN SPACE June 30, 2000\5. 06:45 universal time, Base Kourou. Intense activity is in the air at the jupiter control hall, the rocket ariane 5, chartered by the Pegasus space consortium, is ready for take off from launch pad a3. At the top of the rocket, inside an european space shuttle along with a british astronomer, you mentally count the final seconds before lift of... Even though you aren't a speacialist in the domain of space, at least you have built up a reputation for yourself through prior investigative research. The Pegasus consortium has called you rather than another due to the gravity of the situation. In fact, a few days ago, the mission commander alerted ground control of unusual incidents on board. The worst of which being the assassination attempt on his life! Taking advantage of a routine flight, you are being sent to the space station to resolve the affair and to unmask the culprit. Apart from the commander, the crew has not been informed of your arrival. Officially, you are making a routine administrive check-up. Your cover: Dick Anderson. For technical reasons you must reurn to earth the following day with the astronaut who has finished his mission. The 24 hrs aboard wont be much... Yet at times the hours will seem lone enough! But be careful! Due to the stalemate at the berlin negotiations in march 2004, and the absence of the signatures from the countries involved with the space charter 0f the united nations; you should be quite careful in your investigation involving citizens of 8 different nationalities. You have been advised to use the utmost discretion. In the case of 'non-accidental' death to an astronaut, you should take all available measures to hide the event until the end of your mission. The space station Pegasus: The first parts of the Pegasus were put in orbit at the end of the 20th century. The space station consisted of only 4 modules. Organised around a central module, it is today made up of a:command module, two habitation modules, two laboratories, an extravehiular activity module (eva) and a storage module. The docking systems are compatible with all space vehicles (in reference to the esd-404). In 2006, two industrial production modules (metallurgy - electronic - pharmaceutical) will join with the Pegasus space station. The space station will then weigh 275 tons. It is self supporting for a period of up to 3 months under normal use. Re-fueling and crew change is assured by a rotation of orbiters. Pegasus is in orbit altitude of 400 kilometers. It completes one orbit around the earth every 90 minutes just like its neighbouring american space station 'freedom' in which the first parts have just been installed. It is in the same orbit as the soviet 'mir' which was abondoned and destroyed at the end of the last century when the USSR decided to put a space station on the moon. The crew: Phillipe Amiot mission commander Pegasus crew mission specialists Ronald Higgins Dieter Schmidt 'flight engineer' 'doctor of biochemistry' Omella Alvisi Akira Kamakura 'eva specialist' 'electronic engineer' Tania Boronova Jeremy Mahrubi 'social pschychiatrist' 'agronomical engineer' They will be joined by 'astronomer' Andrew Connoly. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aim of the game: The Pegasus consortium is sending you to the space station to investigate the attempted murder of the 'mission commander' once in place, events will happen, making your mission more difficult than you imagined. To win, you must succeed in leaving the space station at 11 o'clock, the day after your arrival, leaving the crew operational and able to complete the mission. To achieve this task, you must save each crew member in danger. To do that, apart from traditional investigation techniques (interrogation, searching of people / places) you should explore the computer systems and material on board. Biological experiments, space scooter, telescope, manipulating arm. To complete your mission you must also find out the 'secret' of each astronauts. Almost all of them have something to hide... The game: Murders in Space is part of the 'murders collection' from Infogrames. This series is an original type that cannot be compared to any other adventure/sim program. Here you progress freely: you dont have to collect a 1000 different objects, nor type a 1000 words to access the next stage, nor die 7346 times before the game finally ends. 1) Docking Except by your own intervention (press f1 to go manual) you dock automatically. After the security check has been completed, the airlocks open and you may eneter the space station. 2) Area of investigation Your investigation will take place throughout the space station. You will see the on board profile of each module. You pass from one module to another through airlocks. Refer to the central page of the log book for a complete view of the space station. Description of the space station -------------------------------- Right dudes, this is by me as i view the space station from the log book... The space station is made up of 2 modules at the top and 4 modules running in a straight line... 2 more modules come out from here at the bottom, then a further module is attached to the left hand one beneath again... Check the little piccy out. [] [] [] [] [] [] == == -------- -------- ------- ------- [ ][ ][ ][ ] -------- -------- ------- ------- -- -- [] [] [] [] [] [] -- [] [] [] Right from looking at the piccy heres what theyseem to be... Module 1 (top left) some sort of lab-come hospital Module 2 (top right) sleeping quarters Module 3 (middle section far left) some sort of bathroom setup Module 4 (middle sect 2nd left) this is the docking area Module 5 (middles section 3rd left) this is a stores section Module 6 (middle sectionfar right) storage and piloting cabin Module 7 (bottom left) another sleeping area Module 8 (bottom right) some sort of storage room Module 9 (extreme bottom left) lab of some sort... Sorry if they are out but its a small piccy... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The game continued... 3) Organisation of display Top half of the screen: - Inboard profile of the module with a window for displaying short messages. Bottom half of the screen: - 10 buttons corresponding to the function keys (f1-f10) or numbers, depending on the situation. - An electronic clock - 3 icons - A picture of the investigator 4) Movements a) Mobile investigator (without mouse cursor) The player appears as a person wearing blue flight overalls. The player can be moved in zero-gravity by using the mouse. By pressing the right mouse button or right shift key, a clock wise dive is performed; the left shift key induces a counter clockwise dive. And a 180 degree turn may be achieved by using alt and ctrl. Changing modules is done through the airlocks (horizontal and vertical in the central module) if the player bounces off the airlock, the airlock is 'closed' or 'locked' in this case, click with the mouse on the control frame to obtain the diagram, and try to open it ('locked' airlocks cannot be opened) b) Exploratory mode; investigator is stationary (mouse arrow is visible) Once inside a module, clicking the left mouse button, you 'release' the character; the arrow reappears and can be manipulated with the mouse to explore more easily. When you click on: - A person; his/her photo appears - An object without a diagram:the name of the item appears. 'Thought' sentences may be available. - An enlargement of the object appears; the diagram may be explored with the Mouse and 'thought' sentences will be available, watch out, where you put your fingers. To 'quit' a diagram or a person while in exploratory mode, just click elsewhere. It is best to click in the sky or the lower part of the screen, if you want to avoid the investigation of another person or object. The people are displayed in the foreground. So they mask details of the decor. If you wish to see what they are hiding... Come back later! It may be that they are doing it on purpose... Advice; to save time, you can access a module directly by pressing the corresponding key in the lower left corner of the screen. In exploratory mode, you may click on the corresponding function key. 5) Dialogues, thoughts and actions. a) The principles. Click on the forehead of the investigator: list of possible actions at this point in the game:i think... So i act! (action sentences) Click on the mouth of the player: list of possible sentences for dialogue with the person selected (hisher photo has appeared) For these two basic actions: - Click the right mouse button:back up the previous sentence - To confirm a sentence and obtain an answer, you must click on the 'thought' bubble or spoken text of the player (Be careful! Ccomfirming a sentence can cause you to accept a proposal you may regret) - If a bubble is to small for text, arrows will appear in the centre strip, just click on them to scroll the text line... Line by line. Dialogues change each hour. The crew members also change thier positions and activities according to their scedhules. Example of action: Bringing a person to the medical analysis:afetr displaying the picture of the person, select the thought, 'im just going to run a few bio-logical tests'... If it is possible at this moment, a message will pop up asking you to wait a few seconds. Then you will find yourselves in lab 1. You are next to the crew member who is connected to the annalysing device. You then have at your disposal new sentences adapted to the situation. Example of thought 'the analysis is over'... b) general functions accessible by thought Throughout the thought 'inventory' you access the list of objects at your disposal. Only necessary items may be picked up, so there is no need to try to stuff your pockets! Questionaire. Through the thought 'i'm going to answer the questionaire' you may access the 30 question list established by ground control. These may possibly serve as clues in your investigation. Answer by typing the text in the bubble for the player. [Esc]allows you to escape at any time. The questionaire will not work if the connection with ground control is brocken... In which case the system must be repaired. Secrets: Every crew members is hiding something... You can ask 'what secrets have been discovered' the program answers with an 8 digit number, each digit corresponding to a crew member; in alphbetical order (Alvisi - Amioti - Boronova - Connoly - Higgins - Kamakura - Mahrubi - Schmidt). Possible response: 00100001 means that you have discovered the secrets of Boronova and Schmidt. End of the game: You may end the game by choice using the sentence 'back to the start of the game' (and then comfirming choice) or by switching off the computer. When it is 11 o clock or you kill a crew member. (Which is not your main goal, but can sometimes happen!) You then proceed to the epilogue. c) Time The game takes place between the time you arrive at the station (opening of the airlocks) and 11 am the following day. It is divided into 20 parts. Each of them corresponds to events or tasks that the player must fulfill, as each hour passes, a disk access takes place. You can examine an airlock to see if it has been opened by comparing its status before and after the hour... Advice concerning time. - Beware of the changing hour that can cause an event to take place (or you could become aware of it... example: alarm) - You may be interested in changing the speed in which the time passes (see 'clock regulation') During your stay, the mission shall continue and the astronauts will follow their scedhule as usual. When they are asleep, you are authorised to try and wake them, for example to bring them to a medical analysis. When someone has been awakened, they will stay up till the end of the hour, the following hour they will return to the state in which they were found: back at their post or asleep. d) Alarms Apart from those which you may program yourself to remember an event or an apponitment... Certain alarms go offduring the game when certain events occur. The alarm may sound until the end of the hour. Of course you can cut the sound by pressing f8. When an alarm goes off, it may cause the appearence of new dialogue sentences which can be worth a closer look... Further more an internal report will be created in the 'main computer' (c.O.P.S system). e) Evidence items After a search you obtain a list of objects. These items are eventually marked by an (*) if they are part of a kit, or their log book number if they are printed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ V-functions ----------- Loading saving games in progress (disk icons) For the Amiga: First insert the prepared disk, then choose the 'format' option. Common commands: undo; return to game play f1-f4 file selection upper and lower arrows (f8 and f9) scroll directory f10 to re-make a directory afetr changing disks. Saving To erase a previously saved item, select a name from the menu, or click directly into zone f6. Type the name you have chosen, confirm with return. Put the game disk (number 2) back ino the disk drive. Loading Select a name from the menu then click into the zone f6. Put the game disk (number 2) back into the disk drive. Reading bar codes (optical pen icon) In clicking on the optic pen the mouse becomes a reading header permitting one to read bar codes on the screen (below the pictures) and to obtain the posting of a message. You may escape this mode by clicking on the icon again. Click regulation You can alter the time displayed by the clock. Click on the time display in the 'exploratory'mode. Clicking with the left mouse button on the + allows you to advance the minutes, clicking with the rmb advances the hours. Clicking on the alarm will allow you to set the time (as described above) when the alarm will go off. You cannot set the alarm for a time that is before the actual time setting. When the alarm goes off, the clock is automatically set. Clicking on the bell turns the alarm off. Passing of time Regulating the speed in which time passes:keys h and j (in movement mode). The number that appears in the clock window indicates the coefficient of acceleration (variable between 0-60) 0 = time stopped h = faster j - slower v1- games within the game During your investigation you are supposed to use the on board material and experiments. Discovering how these device work is part of the game. For use instructions consult the manufactures manuals, explanations given during play (thought: how does this work?) or those given by the expert astronauts. The MMU (mobile manned unit) In the eva module, a mmu is at your disposal. Click the space suit and use the mmu... If you are not used to flying a space scooter (which is excuseable) we'd suggest that you practise with the simulator in the control module. There you will find user instructions as well (for example: the r key allows you to return into the space station if you are near an air lock) Advice: before going into space save the current game. The yakoto manupulating arm This arm, that allows you to realise mixtures of pharmaceutical products in weightlessness, is accessed in laboratory 2, click on the arm module and validate the thought'i am going to use the manipulating arm... The products can be mixed in a test tube which can be left in the lower airlock. The arm is equipped with numerous security devices. In general when a manoeuvre is not achieved, it is possible that you are badly positioned... The solar telescope bubble The telescope is accessed by the thought 'i'm going to use the telescopes'in laboratory 2 after clicking on the screen. The specialist for the equipment is the englishman, andrew connoly. The CLISS module (cyrogenic life support system) This is an experiment system which allows the metabolism of the astronauts to be lowered. It also allows complete analysis and posesses a superior intergrated system capable of certain diagnostic actions, the data recorded thanks to the electrodes and blood stream catheter, can be transferred to the main computer. The module includes the management of the cryogenic system:'internal'mode (possibility to program the wake up time) and the biological analysis system:'external' mode. For security, you toggle from one mode to the other by switching the two corresponding keys; you toggle the same way from the 'auto' mode to the 'program' among your investigative prerogatives, you can bring the astronauts to lab 1 for a thorough medical analysis. If nothing opposes this request (machine already in use-blocked airlock) , just think 'i'm going to run a few biological tests... The thought 'the analysis is over'... Frees the person who resumes the post he had left. Think of transmitting your first analysis to obtain the results. Trick! The authors taken by pity, have provided a procedure that allows for the shortening of certain procedures to be carried out. These short cuts are thought of when certain members are saved... Your personal terminal (accessed by pressing f10) You have a terminal at your disposal which has certain functions available: Editor....... For the storage and orginisation of notes. Backspace.... Insert a line Insert....... Delete a line f1........... Load a document f2........... Save a document f3........... Erase the entire text f4........... Beginning of the line f5........... End of the line f6........... Top of the page f7........... Bottom of the page f9........... Quit The editors disk access system is the same as the one for the game. We suggest that you use a specially formatted disk. There is nothing to keep you from exchanging ideas with other players in this form. Cops for communication Pegasus system which understands the mailbox system of the crew and the control of the space station (protected by a code) is the way to send messages to ground control. The functions previous and next allow you to display the different messages. Access the functions by clicking on the zone where they are written or press the correspoding keys. Example of usage: -press (or click f10) -press f2-cops -type 'control' (common bal) -type 'system' as a password (the others you must find yourself) -press f1-read (the first message is posted) -press f1-next to see the next one (there is one after 4pm) -press f2-previous to return to the previous one -press f9-to escape -send works like the 'save option', but the messages can only be chosen from those that appear in the directory. They are automatically transferred to ground control when you have confirmed. Advice and hints for the game Try to find the codes for the mailbox of each person through the evidence items... If you discover a dead crew member, discreetly take him to the eva module to hide him from the rest of the crew... The setting in which the story takes place is based on actual american and british projects (freedom and columbus respectively) , for space stations... Of course taking into account actual project delays, Pegasus is ahead of its time and benefits from technology that will not be used for a long time in the field of energy production and heat converters.