In this game, you are the last person on the agricultural spacestation RWSS Founder's Mercy. Everyone else has left or died. Your parents were the last. You feel so alone. But today, you will leave this place and find people on another world.
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.
P = port; S = starboard; SW = spinward; ASW = antispinward
Walkthrough
Home
> x me. i. x scanner. x jumpsuit.
> x blanket. take it.
> d.
Cellar
> x shelves. x jars.
> x mask. take it. scan mask.
> u. out.
Sector 4: Crops
Note: You can abbreviate spinward to SW and antispinward to ASW.
> x crops. x walls. x hub. x platform. x pylons.
> x panels. x mirrors. x stars.
> sw.
Sector 5: Forest
> x house. x trees. x pylon.
> in.
School House
> x machine. x power. scan it.(functional)
> x instruction. scan it.(faulty)
> take power. take faulty. drop it.
> x chalkboard. x desk. x eraser. take it.
> erase board.(Eraser is now dusty.)
> out. sw.
Sector 6: Hydroponics
> x machines. scan machines.
> d.
Supply Vault
> x boots. wear boots.
> x crate. look in crate.(You take two modules.)
> scan pressure. scan instruction.
> u.(A laser scan stops you.)
> clap eraser.(The dust reveals where the laser is.)
> u.(+1. You bypass the laser.)
Sector 6: Hydroponics
> sw.
Sector 1: Crops
> x crops. x graveyard. x barn.
> in.
Barn
> x plow. scan it. x hoe. take it.
> out. d.
Pod Control
> x brass plate. x pressure suit.
> x pump. x unscanned power. scan it.(faulty)
> x unscanned pressure. scan it.(faulty)
> take all faulty.
> x display.(Three problems to fix.)
> u. sw.
Sector 2: Aquaculture
> x pond. x fish.
> drop all faulty.(just to lighten the load)
> remove boots. wear mask. enter pond.(+1)
> remove mask. wear boots. scan mask.
> sw.
Sector 3: Forest
> x house. x church. x red pylon.
> p.
Church
> x altar. x book. x organ. x cable. x unit.
> scan unscanned power.(faulty)
> take it. drop it.
> put functional power in unit.
> play organ.
> unplug cable from organ.
> take unit. take cable.
> out. s.
House
> x doll.(You don't need it.)
> out.
Sector 3: Forest
You must have the boots on to be able to climb the red pylon.
> u.
Platform 3
> x breaker. scan it. turn it on.(+1)
> sw.
Platform 5
The pigeons are unimportant but try to interact with them anyway.
> x pigeons. take pigeons. search pigeons. scan pigeons.
> d. in.
School House
> take power. put it in machine.
> put functional instruction in machine.
A hologram appears. A history lesson begins.
> z. z. z. z. z. z. z.
Crop rotation lesson begins.
> z. z. z. z. z.
Hard work lesson begins.
> z. z. z. z. z.
The history lesson begins again.
> take power.
> out. sw. sw. d.
Pod Control
> x display. put power in pump.
> put functional pressure in pump.(+1)
> close hatch. p.(+1)
Pod Bay
Hey, where's my car? Guess you'll need to call a taxi.
> x berths. x pile.
> x sensor. take it. scan it.
> x comms. scan it. take it.
> s.
Pod Control
> take power.
> close port. u. sw. sw.
Sector 3: Forest
> u. asw. u.
Inside the Hub
> wear blanket.(because it's cold up here)
> p.
Airlock
> close starboard. wear mask.
> turn handle.(air rushes out)
> port.(+2)
Antenna Control
First, get some air in here:
> x sensor.(It's flashing red.)
> x window. x panels. x antennas.
> x lever. push it. put hoe in it.(+1)
> push lever.(Air rushes in.)
> x sensor.(amber)
> remove mask. scan sensor.
Next, calibrate the antenna. The PDF feelie that comes with the game tells you these non-randomized calibration values:
> x panel. x display.
Epsilon/Lime > type 3
Delta/Plum > type 8
Gamma/Banana > type 5
Beta/Cherry > type 2(+1)
> x dish.
Finally, connect up your comm unit:
> put power in audio.
> plug gray into comms.
> plug yellow into comms.(+1)
> z.
Someone at OV-random-number answers your call.
*** You are not alone. ***
Extras
Characters
Fish still swim in Sector 2's pond.
Pigeons roost on Platform 5.
Someone at OV-random-number answers your emergency signal.
Your parents died a thousand days ago. (Note: The word "thousand" in this game should be understood to mean an undefined large number. Do not take it literally.) You buried them in the graveyard.
Everyone who used to live and work on Founder's Mercy left or died even longer ago. Your grandparents brought the pigeons.
The Founder is mentioned in the Testament and in your prayers.
Credits
About Founder's Mercy
This is my second released Inform project, conceived and implemented in the last months of 2018.
Thanks to everyone contributed to the Inform and Glulx ecosystem. Thanks also Juhana Leinonen for the Object Response Tests extension, Erik Temple for the Real-Time Delays extension, and Sean Turner for the Plugs and Sockets extension. Exit listing code is inspired by Eric Eve's Exit Lister and keypad code is inspired by Emily Short's Computers.
The cover art is adapted from Figure 1.1 from NASA SP-413, Space Settlements: A Design Study, edited by Richard D. Johnson and Charles Holbrow, and available from The Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/SpaceSettlementsADesignStudy1977 .
Please send your feedback, bug reports, and requests for help to email redacted. You can always find the current version of this story at http://tinsel.org/IF/ .
if, after visiting the pod bay, you get on your blanket and sleep. However, you can still wake and continue from this ending.
You are not alone.
if you contact someone by using the emergency communications unit.
Inventory
Clothing
a green jumpsuit. You're wearing it.
You can mostly ignore your jumpsuit. Its pocket acts as your player's carryall.
your blanket. You're on it in your home.
The blanket can be used as a coat. Wear the blanket when inside the hub. You must be wearing the blanket when visiting the airlock and Antenna Control where it's very cold.
The blanket is also your bed. If you ever want to sleep, drop the blanket and get on it, then sleep.
an emergency mask. It's on the cellar shelves.
Wear it when you want to visit airless environments.
You must be wearing the mask when entering the pond in Sector 2.
You must be wearing the mask before turning the handle inside the airlock for the first time.
You must be wearing the mask when first visiting Antenna Control. When atmosphere has been restored there (see hoe), then you may remove the mask.
Note 1: Wearing the mask depletes its oxygen supply. When not wearing it, it gradually refills. This is usually not an issue to worry about.
Note 2: You can't talk to your scanner while wearing the mask.
a pair of gravity boots. They're in the supply vault.
See eraser on how to get the boots out of the vault.
You must be wearing the boots if you want to be able to climb the red pylon in Sector 3. (You cannot climb the pylons in Sections 1 or 5, but you may slide down them.)
You cannot enter the pond in Sector 2 while wearing the boots.
Modules
Modules are initially described as unscanned. Scan all of them with your scanner to learn if they are functional or faulty.
a functional power module. It's in the learning machine in the school house.
If you put both the functional power module and the functional instruction module in the school house's learning machine, you can watch some hologram lessons for several turns. This exercise is optional.
If you put both the functional power module and the functional pressure regulation module in the pod control's pump, atmosphere is restored to the pod bay.
If you put the functional power module in the audio unit, you can use that unit; see audio unit for details.
a functional pressure regulation module. Acquire this module by looking in the supply vault's crate.
See eraser on how to get the module out of the vault.
In the pod control, first discard the faulty pressure module that's already in the pump. Then put this good one in its place.
a functional instruction module. Acquire this module by looking in the supply vault's crate.
See eraser on how to get the module out of the vault.
In the school house, first discard the faulty instruction module that's already in the learning machine. Then put this good one in its place.
two faulty power modules. One is in the pod control's pump; the other is in the audio unit in the church.
Take them and discard them.
a faulty pressure regulation module. It's in the pod control's pump.
Take it and discard it.
a faulty instruction module. It's in the learning machine in the school house.
Take it and discard it.
Everything else
a scanner. You're carrying it.
Modules are initially described as unscanned. Scan them with your scanner to learn if they are functional or faulty.
Scan any machine or device you find to get additional information about it.
Note: You can't talk to your scanner while wearing the mask.
a clean eraser. It's in the school house.
Erase the board in the school house to make a dusty eraser.
When in the supply vault, clap the dusty eraser so you can see the laser. Now you can avoid the laser when leaving the vault with anything you found there.
a hoe. It's in the barn.
In Antenna Control, put the hoe in the hollow lever. The lever is now effectively longer and you can now push the lever to restore atmosphere to Antenna Control.
The Founder's Testament. It's on the altar in the church.
You don't need this book.
an audio unit. It's in the church, connected to the organ via a gray cable.
It contains a power module. Scan the unscanned power module with your scanner to learn the module is faulty. Take and discard the faulty power module.
If the audio unit is powered and connected to the church's organ via the gray cable, then you may play the organ. This exercise is optional.
Take the audio unit, the functional power module, the gray cable, and the emergency communications unit to Antenna Control. Put the power module in the audio unit and plug the gray cable into both the audio unit and the emergency communications unit there.
a gray cable. It's in the church, plugged into both the organ and the audio unit.
Keep it plugged into the audio unit. Plug the other end into either the church's organ or the emergency communications unit.
a doll. It's in the house in Sector 3.
You don't need the doll.
an atmosphere sensor. Find it in the pile of discarded items in the pod bay.
It flashes green when the atmosphere is good, amber when the atmosphere is acceptable, and red when the atmosphere is unacceptable.
Scan the sensor with your scanner to get a more detailed description of the atmosphere in your current location.
You don't really need this sensor, but it's good to have the extra information. It's mostly useful in Antenna Control to see if it's okay to remove your mask or not.
an emergency communications unit. Find it in the pile of discarded items in the pod bay.
a yellow cable. It's in Antenna Control, one end plugged into the control panel there.
You don't need to take this cable anywhere. Leave it plugged into the antenna control panel and plug the other end into the emergency communications unit.
Score
The response to SCORE is:
You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 10, in some turns.
How points are awarded:
1 point for getting past the laser in the supply vault.
1 point for opening the backup valve inside the pond.
1 point for turning on the breaker.
1 point for fixing the atmospheric pump.
1 point for visiting the pod bay for the first time.
2 points for visiting Antenna Control the first time.
1 point for making the lever at Antenna Control longer.