Eight characters, a number, and a happy ending: game guide

FAQ and guide to the text adventure Eight characters, a number and a happy ending.

FAQ

HOW DO I GET THE DOORS TO OPEN?

The ship will have to approve you as fit for duty.
Go to the medical bay for an examination.
You'll have to SIT on the examination table.

HOW DO I OPEN THE CHEST IN CREW QUARTERS?

Have you looked at it? It has a DNA lock. It'll want to sample your DNA.
Have you used the gun? It's also DNA locked.
TOUCHing the LOCK should do it.
Or, you know, it's your chest. You know how to use it. Just UNLOCK it.

HOW DO I TURN ON THE COMMS SCREEN?

Officers are the public face of the Earth Alliance and must be in uniform when using communications systems.
Put some damn clothes on.
You'll find your uniform in the chest.
WEAR UNIFORM. You'll now be able to use the screen.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHO I AM?

Search all rooms, drawers and containers. TAKE, EXAMINE and READ everything you find.
Don't forget to ACTIVATE the comms screen.
You should READ MESSAGE 1 thorough 4.
The fourth message appears after you've played the game.
REMEMBER

HOW DO I PLAY THE GAME IN COMMS?

You'll have to turn it on first
It's paused until it recieves your opponent's next move via the comms system
Once you've READ the relevant MESSAGE…
PRESS PLAY

HOW DO I DECLARE WAR?

To be legal, a declaration of war has to come before the first attack, but you have to wait until the very last minute to avoid being intercepted.
You can't declare war until you're close enough to the sun for the ship to launch the void warhead. It'll take you a couple of days to get there.
There's not much to do on an almost entirely computer controlled ship. Maybe just get some shut eye?
Go to Crew Quarters. Those bunks look comfortable, don't they?
In Crew Quarters, SLEEP twice.
You'll need to send a declaration. There's a radio in comms.
USE RADIO. SEND MESSAGE.
Maybe you can do something interesting with your time while you wait for the Void warhead to launch. Or not. It's your funeral, either way.

HOW CAN I STOP THE ATTACK?

The computer and the ship are both locked into their course. There's nothing you can do to change this.
You're only here to make thinks nice and legal by sending a message at the right time.
You could permanently kill yourself, but that won't help.
You have to destroy your own ship.

HOW DO I DESTROY THE SHIP?

The computer can probably help with that.
But you'll need a self-destruct code.
Your journal will inform you that you set it to something meaningful.
You can find the journal in the chest in Crew Quarters, by the way.
You need to work out what "day that changed everything for me, when I first came to be a part of Earth Alliance" was.
Have you checked the archive?
Check out the photo in the green drawer.
There's something written on the back of it.
READ NOTE
If you REMEMBER, you'll find out why that date's important.
COMPUTER SELF-DESTRUCT. 28831010

WAIT, I DIED. WHERE'S MY STUFF?

Check the last location before your death.
That'll either be the Sanitation Room or wherever you last shot yourself.
Isn't it a good thing the waste disposal system only disposes of organic matter?
And what the hell is that uniform made of anyway?

IS IT POSSIBLE TO DIE PERMANENTLY?

Yes
With some effort
You're one of eight clones. All of your backups have to die.
You can shoot yourself with your service pistol or disintegrate yourself in the waste disposal unit.
Or you could blow up the ship.

EXTRA SUGGESTIONS

You've probably READ the journal, but have you tried to WRITE in it?

Keeping a diary's a great habit. How about writing something every day?

How about listening to the radio in comms every day?

And after launching an attack?

Have you tried to MAKE A BLANKET FORT lately?

Death is always an option. There are a couple of ways to go about achieving it.

Have you checked out the Stasis Chamber? How about taking another look after you die?

EVERYTHING YOU CAN ASK THE COMPUTER ABOUT

self-destruct

yourself

where am I?

Iastrai

mission

status

help

who am I?

clones

why are you telling me this?

artificial intelligence

freedom

who is Aleph?

date

open pod bay doors

tell me about yourself

memory

hello

luna

location

clone

ship

Earth Alliance

Iastrai

kaiten

open stasis pods

dissidents

28831010

c9cc8d863bc491845a8fb4104a77096d

void warhead

Protests

FULL WALKTHRU: "Good" ending

East (to Medbay). Lie on examination table. W (to control room). Look document file. Examine file. Look computer manual. S (to archive). Open green drawer. Get photo. Look photo. Read photo. Open blue drawer. Get letter. Read letter. Open white drawer. Get gun. Open black drawer. Read leaflet. N, W (to crew quarters). Open chest. Touch lock. Get journal. Wear uniform. Get journal. Read journal. E, N (to comms). Switch on comms. Read message 1. Read message 2. Read message 3. Examine game. Turn on game. Press play. Read message 4. Computer who am I? Computer clones. Computer where am I? Computer mission. Computer Iastrai. Remember. Examine photo. Read note. Computer self-destruct. 28831010

FULL WALKTHRU: ineffectual ending

East (to Medbay). Lie on examination table. W (to control room). S (to archive). Open white drawer. Get gun. Shoot myself.

East. Lie on table. W, W (to crew quarters). S (to sanitation room). Press black button. (Do nothing for five seconds).

Get gun. East (to Medbay). North (to Stasis Chamber). Examine pods. S. W. Shoot myself.

Get gun. Shoot myself.

FULL WALKTHRU: bad ending

Look document file. Examine file. Look comms manual. Look radio manual. East (to Medbay). Lie on table. W, W (to crew quarters). Open chest. Touch lock. Get journal. Wear uniform. Get journal. Read journal. Write journal. E, N (to comms). Listen. Computer mission. Send message. S, W. Use right bunk. Read journal. Write Journal. E, N. Listen. S, W. Use left bunk. Read journal. Write journal. Read journal. E, N. Listen. Send message. 1 (Yes). Listen. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.