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

• Maps
  • Map 1: Cabin and observatory
  • Map 2: Research station
  • Map 3: Just the Jumping
• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Artwork, Characters, Credits, Endings, Inventory, Score
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• Support me on Ko-Fi
• External links:
  • This game at CASA, IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
  • Follow me at Bluesky, Ko-Fi, Mastodon, Patreon, and Wordpress.

Maps

Map 1: Cabin and observatory

Map 2: Research station

• For clarity, this map is more topological than usual. Also, "jw" means "jump west" and "je" means "jump east"; there just wasn't room everywhere to write "jump" in full.
• By the way, once it's clear that the only way to go from habitat to habitat is by jumping, you don't have to preface your command with "jump" anymore; you'll just jump whichever direction you try to go regardless.

Map 3: Just the Jumping

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

• Austin Colborn is the player-character, a young man. The earthsuit you wear gives you great strength and invulnerability.
• Emily is your sister. The skysuit she wears gives her the ability to fly, create fog, and cast lightning bolts.
• Penguins might be seen in the arctic. They have wing-fingers.
• A giant squid might be seen in the ocean. It can count to three.
• Parrots might be seen in the rainforest. They seem to be able to talk to each other.
• Felines might be seen in the veldt. They stand upright and wear loincloths.
• Slugs have infested a touchplate in the rainforest.
• Security robots charge at you in a corridor late in the game.
• An alien scientist is the observation center. They're probably the "Al" mentioned on the notepad, "Al" being short for "Alien". They're quite upset with the interruptions to their work and the damage you've caused. Their race is the iueeoorr, a cat-like species. Al is researching the "missing link" in iueeoorr evolution by using unusual bacteria in specialized habitats.

Mentioned:

• Your parents are scientists. They made the suits you and Emily wear, but they're now missing. You learned they were working with Dr. Andrews. Your mom's name is Claire.
• Dr. Nina Icolari ("Aunt Nina") is your parents' best friend. In the last episode, she inhaled ancient bacteria and turned into a behemoth.
• Dr. Thaddeus Andrews is an astronomer who spends most of time in an observatory and cabin in the Sierra Nevadas. (He's the "T" refered to on the "What We Know" list, and the "Amdereuws" mentioned by the white cylinder.) He made the initial contact with the alien and then contacted your parents.
• Owrr is Al's male pridemate, another iueeoorr, who makes a lot of demands and gets in Al's way.
• Essrua is Al's rival in bacteria studies.
• A spy-creature of Essrua's got into the station. It killed Owrr, then escaped to Earth.
• Insects can be heard in the veldt.
• Simians are in the forest, according to the white cylinder, but I never encountered them. Maybe you'll have better luck spotting them.

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

• You are a prisoner in an alien laboratory. Again.
• if you don't fight the security robots. They herd you into the cell, then gas knocks you unconscious.
• Earth awaits
• if you find the alien researcher, then go through their transporter curtain back to Earth. (If Emily came through the first curtain and got locked in the second cell, you and she both go through the second curtain together.)

Inventory

• an earthsuit. You're wearing it.
• The earthsuit enhances your strength and invulnerability to super-human levels. In practice, this means you can easily break things, carry very heavy items, jump high and far, and fall from great heights without injury.
• Unexpectedly, the suit also enables you to explore underwater. When you enter a body of water, you automatically put your smaller items into waterproof pockets. While underwater, you're provided with breathable air, and you're immune to the "bends" if you surface quickly.
• If you're not in water, you are unwilling to put anything into your pockets. You suit is skintight, after all, and having anything in your pockets is uncomfortable.
• a cabin key. You're carrying it.
• The key unlocks both the front door and the back door of the cabin.
• some loose papers. They're on the table in the cabin's main room.
• Read them and show them to Emily.
• a notepad and a legal pad. They're inside the locked drawer of the cabin's bedroom's nightstand.
• Read them and show them to Emily.
• a headset. It's inside the desk drawer inside the observatory.
• In the veldt dome, wear the headset. Now when you push the button on the white cylinder, you understand the alien's recorded log entries.
• After destroying the security robots in the corridor, wear the headset before going north into the observation center. But if you don't, it's not a problem; the alien turns on a translator when it's obvious you don't understand what they're saying.
• a canister. It's in the rainforest.
• Open it; it contains a few crystal grains. Feel free to taste it; it's a small amount a salt, If you listened to the entire set of recordings in the white cylinder, you know the salt is for getting rid of the slugs. But this isn't enough salt to help you.
• See bowl on how to get more salt in the canister.
• In the rainforest, pour the pile of sea salt onto the slugs to get rid of them. Now you can touch the indigo plate.
• an enormous bowl. It's in the desert after you open the gap in the sandy dome.
• Note that the bowl is too bulky to carry if you're carrying anything else. Feel free to drop everything else in the desert; nothing is blown away, stolen, or lost in the sand.
• On the island, fill the bowl; it now contains a massive quantity of salt water.
• Put the lens in the desert's cactus. This focuses sunlight into the bowl, and the water starts to boil.
• Leave the desert and return later. The salt water is transformed into a pile of sea salt. Put the salt into the canister. Close the canister.
• a very thin sponge. It's on the indigo touchplate in the rainforest dome.
• I assume the sponge is basically the alien version of a Post-It Note. You can't read the sponge, but I further assume it says "Out of Order".
• When you take the sponge, it no longer sticks to anything. Possibly you need to wet it first, but since you don't need the sponge, just ignore it.
• a lens. It's on a pole in the forest dome. Get onto a platform and unscrew the lens to acquire it.
• In the desert, after dropping a bowl of salt water there, put the lens in the desert's cactus. This focuses sunlight into the bowl, and the water starts to boil.
• Leave the desert and return later. The salt water is transformed into a pile of sea salt. Put the salt into the canister. Close the canister.
• a white cylinder. It's on a platform in the veldt dome.
• While wearing the headset, push the cylinder's button several times to hear an alien's log entries.

Score

The response to SCORE is:

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

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with

• the support of Robin Johnson, Ville Lavonius, Andrew Schultz, Kenneth Hon, Carl Muckenhoupt, Mark Musante, Phil Tatro, and Daniel Stelzer;
• the generous support of Janice M Eisen, Matthew Foxley, and Thomas Insel;
• the very generous support of Karl Ove Hufthammer, Lance Campbell, and DrkStarr;
• the extremely generous support of Emily Short, Allen Garvin, Jesse McGrew, Jacqueline Ashwell, Jennifer Rexrode, and Durafen;
• and the invisible support of several anonymous patrons.

Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!