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Key & Compass presents:
Another Earth, Another Sky
by Paul O'Brian

Another Earth, Another Sky is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 6 and is © 2002 by Paul O'Brian. This is the second game in the Earth and Sky trilogy. It was an entry in IF Comp 2002 where it won 1st place overall and took 2nd place for Miss Congeniality. At the 2002 XYZZY Awards, it won the Best Use of Medium award and was a nominee in five other categories (Best Game, Best Writing, Best Setting, Best Puzzles, and Best Individual NPC).

In this sequel game, you play as Austin Colborn, a young man who wears an earthsuit made by your scientist parents. It gives you great strength and invulnerability. You and your sister Emily, who wears the skysuit, came to this isolated observatory searching for clues to your missing parents' whereabouts.

This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.

SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.


Maps

Map 1: Cabin and observatory

Outsidethe Cabin Bedroom MainRoom Behindthe Cabin ObservatoryEntrance Inside theObservatory Cell (to bathroom) (to road)

Map 2: Research station

Inside theObservatory Cell Arctic Veldt Desert Forest Island Veldt Desert SandyDome ForestDome Ocean VeldtDome Water-lock OceanObserv-atory Nexus Desert Forest Island Ocean Veldt Rain-forestDome Rainforest ObservationCenter Corridor Corridor Inter-section Corridor Cell jump. jump. jump jump s jump n jump e jump n jump n jump w jump n jw jw jump w jw open gap jump e push beige d push cactus push leaf push crimson push cat pushcrimson push crimson push waves push tree push crimson jump n jump s jump e jump s jump s jump s jump w jump s in jump n je je jump e je d jump w u (back to Earth)

Map 3: Just the Jumping

Ocean Arctic Forest Island Ocean Veldt Desert Forest Island Ocean Veldt Rain-forest Ocean

Walkthrough

Outside the Cabin

> x me. i. x earthsuit. x key.

> x Emily. x skysuit.

> x cabin. x door. x observatory. x driveway.

> talk to Emily. ask Emily about cabin.

> unlock door with key. s.

Main Room

Emily asks you to take the lead.

>> 1 ("No problem")

> x papers.

> show papers to Emily.

> ask Emily about papers. ask Emily about Al.

> x table. x chairs. x hotplate. x TV.

> se. (Nothing in the bathroom.)

> ne.

Bedroom

> x nightstand. open drawer. (locked)

> x curtains. open them. x window.

> x bed. look under bed. x wallpaper.

> break drawer.

> x notepad. show notepad to Emily.

> x legal. show legal to Emily.

> w.

Main Room

> s. (locked)

> unlock back door with key.

> s.

Behind The Cabin

> x valley. x observatory.

> s.

Observatory Entrance

> x door. open door. (locked)

> x dome.

> Emily, fly. (dome is closed; there's solar panels)

> ask Emily about solar panels.

> jump.

> jump onto roof. (no: too destructive)

> Emily, open dome. (can't)

> break door. (You only dent it.)

> Emily, blast lock. (She only scorches it.)

> pull door. (You tear it free.)

> x door. s.

Inside the Observatory

> x curtain. x desk.

> open drawer. x headset.

> show headset to Emily.

> x computer. (password-locked)

> type password on computer.

> x machinery.

> Emily, fog curtain. (nothing happens)

> touch curtain. (It tries to drag you in, but only your suit's strength lets you resist it.)

> e. (Emily stops you.)

>> 1 ("I think we have to...")

>> 1 ("...alternatives? ...")

>> 2 ("... you should stay ...")

Cell

> break north wall. (The field slows your fist.)

> x floor. jump. jump. jump.

The floor splits and you're falling towards a small world.

Arctic

> out.

> x tube. x machinery. x crater.

> x panel. x triangle. (elevator button?)

> x penguins.

> w. (You don't make much progress.)

To get around this place, you will need to jump like the Hulk. This walkthrough will tour all the land before visiting the ocean.

> jump west.

Veldt

> x grass. x trees. x hills. x dome.

> listen. (insects)

> jump east.

Desert

> x cactus. (Sun shines directly through its arms.)

> jump east.

Forest

> x trees. x tower.

> u. (Arctic to north.)

> jump south.

Rainforest

There's a chance you may see parrots here; feel free to examine them when you can see them.

> x moss. x trees. x bushes. x grass.

> x slugs. x panel.

> x canister. take it.

> open canister. x grains. taste grains. (salt)

> x tube. touch tube.

> x dome. touch dome.

> jump. (You see something to orient yourself by.)

> jump south.

You quickly stow your stuff into a pocket of your suit to protect them from water damage. Your suit also provides air when you're underwater.

Ocean

There's a chance you may see a squid here; feel free to examine it when it's present.

> x plants. x hatch.

> x turquoise. x beige. x bubble.

> touch beige. (The ground rises and you're now on an...)

Island

Raising the island is how you normally escape from the ocean.

> d.

Ocean

> x cylinder. touch beige. (The cylinder lowers.)

> touch turquoise. (The hatch opens.)

> d.

Waterlock

> x crimson. (circle with six spokes)

> x turquoise. (same as outside)

> push turquoise. (The hatch closes, air replaces the water, and an eastern entrance opens.)

> e.

Ocean Observatory

> x bubble. x ocean. w.

Waterlock

> push crimson.

A field of crimson carries you down to...

Nexus

> push snowflake. (fails)

> push leaf.

Rainforest Dome

> x pedestal. (crimson and indigo plates; thin sponge on the indigo one)

> x sponge. (spongy paper with ink scrawls)

> take it. (It peels off easily.)

> x indigo. (upward-pointing triangle icon)

> push indigo. (nothing happens)

> put sponge on indigo. (It no longer sticks.)

> take sponge.

> push crimson.

Nexus

> push tree.

Forest Dome

> x forest. x platforms.

> x device. (has lens, face-shaped indentation)

> x lens. x indentation.

> unscrew lens. (no: out of reach)

> climb platforms.

> unscrew lens. x lens. look through lens.

> d.

> push crimson.

Nexus

> push cat.

Veldt Dome

> x white cylinder. x black button.

The cylinder is an alien's audio log. Wear the headset so you can understand what the alien says. There's a lot of backstory explaining what this place is for, problems they've had, and how your parents got involved.

> wear headset. push button.

> g. g. g. g. g. g.

> g. g. g. g. g. g. g. (first message again)

> remove headset.

> push crimson.

Nexus

> push cactus.

Sandy Dome

> x platforms.

> x pile. (dome isn't flush with the ground)

> push crimson. (nothing happens)

> x gap. open gap.

Desert

The pedestal and platforms are buried, but the dome is now an enormous bowl.

Because the bowl is so bulky, you must drop everything else before you can take it. Your items can be safely left here; they won't get damaged or stolen.

> drop all. take bowl.

When going between here and the ocean, pick a route that avoids trees, please.

> jump north.

Arctic

> jump north.

Ocean

The bowl is now floating on the surface. I assume the island is lowered. If it isn't, you need to touch the beige touchplate twice.

> push beige.

Island

You automatically retrieve the bowl.

> fill bowl. take bowl.

> jump north.

Arctic

> jump south.

Desert

> drop bowl.

> take all but bowl and cactus.

> put lens in cactus.

The water begins to boil. Leave and return to give it time to evaporate, leaving salt.

> jump north. jump south.

> open canister.

> put sea salt in canister. close canister.

> jump south.

Rainforest

> open canister. pour salt on slugs.

> push indigo. (The tube opens.)

> in. (You travel up to...)

Corridor (west end)

> x machinery. x door. x touchplate.

> touch plate. s.

Cell

If Emily came with you through the curtain in the observatory, you reunite with her here.

> n. e.

Corridor (scorched)

> x marks. x blood.

> e.

Intersection

An alarm starts when you enter here. Walls slam down, with niches north and south. Security robots advance on you from the east!

> hit robots.

Corridor (east end)

> n.

Observation Center

The cat-creature is angry about the destruction you've caused. I don't know their name or gender, so I'll just call them Cat.

>> 2 ("... back off Sylvester! ...")

Cat accepts that their own impatience contributed.

>> 1 ("Well, I'm sorry all the same ....")

Their species is called iueeoorr. Cat was researching the missing link using bacteria. Their rival, Essrua, planted a spy-creature that killed their pridemate. Your parents (the simians) followed it to your world.

>> 2 ("I'm sorry for your loss ...")

Cat tells you to chase your parents and leave them to repair the research station. They throw you through the curtain.

*** Earth awaits ***

By the way, if Emily followed you through the first curtain and if you don't open her cell, the alien releases her, and you both go through this new curtain together.


Extras

Artwork

Here are thumbnails of most of the artwork used in the game. Please play the game to see the art in its intended sizes and contexts.


Characters

Mentioned:


Credits

This is the response to CREDITS:

As always, grateful acknowledgement is due to Graham Nelson for creating Inform and its excellent documentation, notably the fourth edition of the Inform Designers Manual. Now that I'm using Glulx, I acknowledge further debts: to Andrew Plotkin for creating the virtual machine, to L. Ross Raszewski for the Blorbifier, and to Adam Cadre and Marnie Parker for adding to Plotkin's documentation. Thanks as well to Adam for his flags.h library extension, and to Brendan Barnwell for his help deciphering Inform's mysterious adjudication process. The AskTellOrder library, which allows syntax like TELL EMILY TO FLY, was written by Irene Callaci, and modified for Glulx compatibility by Emily Short and Dan Shiovitz. Also, a tip of the hat to the crew on #glulx and #inform at ifMUD, who always came through when I needed them.

Lots of the fonts used for title pages and sound effects are courtesy of Blambot fonts at http://www.blambot.com.

All the chapter-head quotes are from Emily Dickinson.

Some of my handwavy science owes a debt to the significantly less handwavy work of Stephen Baxter, particularly his story "The Cold Sink" in the August 2001 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction.

My wife Laura is unfailing in her support of my work, and she is an instrumental part of making these games happen.

ANOTHER EARTH, ANOTHER SKY is dedicated to my mom, who bought me comics when I was a kid and still does today.

And finally, my warmest and humblest thanks to the best and the brightest, my betatesters: Admiral Jota, Suzanne Britton, Jenny O'Brian, and Emily Short. Each of them provided a ton of useful feedback on an entirely volunteer basis, without which this game would be a much more painful experience. They rule.


Endings


Inventory


Score

The response to SCORE is:

I'm not keeping score, but you're probably doing fine.


Thank You to my Patreon supporters

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