Key & Compass presents:
Moonbase
by Mike Eckardt

• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Characters, Endings, Inventory, Score, Sound effects
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• External links:
  • This game at IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
  • Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Walkthrough

earthside transporter room

Before the game proper starts, the author tells us that KISS, SHOOT, SMASH, and WATCH are valid verbs in this game.

The presence of "your nephew's toy ray gun" makes me wonder exactly where this transporter room is. Did Earth Control lease space in your garage? Did Earth Control have a "Bring Your Nephew To Work Day"?

> x me. i. (Nothing.)

> x ray gun. take it.

> x console.

> x green button. read it. (Moon → Earth)

> read red button. (Earth → Moon)

This opening scene is not filling me with confidence. We have a two-button console where one button is pointless, a toy gun that has no business being here at all, and we're heading into a possibly dangerous rescue mission without any tools at all. And just because we think there's breathable atmosphere on the other side of the portal doesn't mean we should go without a spacesuit. Ugh.

> push red button. (+1)

> n.

lunar transporter room

You can read the curtain repeatedly to see a random ad.

> x console. (Same two buttons.)

> x ring. x curtain. read curtain.

> w.

Foyer

> x plaque. (Too high to read.)

> jump. (Alas, you can't jump higher in the reduced lunar gravity because the game author didn't put that in the game for some reason.)

> n.

workshop

CAUTION: Don't go north from here just yet. There's an instant-death monster on the other side of the north door.

FYI: You might like trying "X ALL" in this game. You'll examine everything at once as long as it's in immediate scope (that is, it's in your inventory, is scenery, or is a loose item on the floor); things inside or on top of other things are skipped over, though.

> x exoskeleton. (It's missing a battery.)

> x battery. x screwdriver. x ladder. x tools.

> take all but exo. (The exoskeleton is too heavy to take.)

> put battery in exo. (Can't; you need to tighten bolts to hold it in place.)

> s.

Foyer

> drop ladder. climb ladder.

> read plaque. (+1. Visit the ASI moonbase MOO at http://www.asi.org/adb/09/08/04/mootcan/standalone.html)

You can't explicitly get off the ladder; just walk away.

> w. n.

office

> x desk. open drawer. x key. take it.

> x video case. x trailer. (Wait, we live in a trailer?)

> open case. x video. take it.

> x slip. take slip. read slip. (+1. It has a five-digit number on it.)

> x manual. read it. (Tells you you need a wrench for the exo suit.)

> s. s.

bunk room

Disturbing that the body is described so minimally; we're told nothing about the person that would help us identify them. Really, we should've been briefed on who the moonbase crewmembers are so we can recognize them.

> x body. x locker. x top bunk. x bottom bunk.

> unlock locker with key. (from office drawer)

> open locker. x notebook.

> read notebook. (+1. Jeffer's missing; video shows creature; blue air tank needs recharging; creature is in the base.)

> n. w.

auditorium

Why a two-person moonbase crew needs a movie theatre that seats twelve is completely beyond my comprehension. I think they'd rather have a kitchen and a bathroom, honestly.

> x glint. take gear. x it.

> x seats. x screen.

> u.

projection room

The video player and the projector are treated as one combined game-object.

Also, is anyone else giggling at the idea of a moonbase using videotapes to record anything?

> x player. x buttons.

> read green button. read red button.

> put tape in player.

> put gear in projector. (+1. Using the screwdriver to fasten it.)

> push green button. d. (+1)

auditorium

Text colours change to white text on dark gray background.

On the screen, you see an alien creature approach the camera.

Although the tape supposedly loops over, none of "look", "x screen", or "wait" shows what's happening.

> watch movie. (Similar commands like "watch screen" or "x movie" just give default responses.)

> u.

projection room

> push red button. (The projector stops.)

> d. e. e. s.

airlock

Note: Push the control buttons to open and close the hatches. Closing a hatch always locks it.

> x dial. x controls.

> read green button. read red button.

The five-digit number on the slip of paper is randomized. Use that number for the dial.

And why is the suit locker locked, anyway? Exactly who on the moon would be unauthorized to use a spacesuit?

> read slip. turn dial to NUMBER. (+1)

> eat slip.

> w.

suit locker

> x spacesuit. x yellow tank. read yellow gauge. (Full.)

> x blue tank. read blue gauge. (Almost empty.)

> take blue tank. drop it.

> put yellow tank in suit.

> wear suit. (+3)

> e.

airlock

> push red button. (+1. Outer door opens; text is back to white on gray.)

> s.

lunar surface

> x rock. take it. s.

crater floor

> x dust. x boulders. x trail. x car. s.

crater wall

> x junk. x wrench. take it.

> x crater. x hatch. x trail. x boulder. x crevass.

> se. (+1)

nest site

> x eggs. x skeleton. x green tank. read green gauge.

> break eggs. (+1. Using the rock.)

> n. n. n. n.

airlock

> push green button. (+2)

> remove suit. drop it.

> n. n.

workshop

CAUTION: There's a bug where if you put on the exoskeleton and take it off, it'll be too heavy to put on a second time.

> put battery in exo. (Using the wrench to install it.)

> wear exo. (+2)

> save.

> n.

storage room

Creature attacks, but you are protected by the exoskeleton. I note that the creature doesn't chase you if you run away, if for some reason you want run away to grab something in another room.

> kill creature with suit. (+1. That works.)

> look. s. s. e.

lunar transporter room

> push green button. e. (18 out of 18 points.)

You quickly report in to Earth Control, and receive hearty congratulations for a job well done.

Extras

Characters

• A body of one of the moonbase crewmembers is on top bunk in the bunk room.
• Jeffer's is reported missing according to the notebook. I assume that's their skeleton in the nest site.
• A horrendous, many legged creature is waiting to kill you in the storage room.

Mentioned:

• Your nephew owns the toy ray gun that you find in the earthside transporter room.

Endings

• You have died
• if you push the red button in the airlock and you're not wearing the spacesuit.
• if you push the red button in the airlock and you're wearing the spacesuit and there's no air tank in it.
• if you go south from "lunar surface", the game will claim you've run out of air if the blue air tank was in your spacesuit back when you pushed the red button in the airlock. It looks like a timed event, but it isn't. It also isn't checking where the tanks are except when the airlock button is pushed. You can remove the blue air tank, walk in and out of the airlock door, put the good yellow air tank into the suit and you'll still die only when going south from "lunar surface", even though you were fine without air earlier and have lots of air now.
• if you enter the storage room without wearing the exo suit; the monster kills you instantly.
• You win if you return to Earth after killing the monster.

Inventory

• a battery. Found in the workshop. Put it in the exoskeleton; you'll need the wrench for this to work.
• an exoskeleton which you can abbreviate to exo. Found in the workshop. It's heavy. You need to put the battery in it before you can use the exo, and you'll need the wrench to do that.
• NOTE: A bug in the game makes the exoskeleton too heavy to pick up and wear if you take it off and try to re-wear it.
• a gear. Found in the auditorium, presented initially as a glint on the floor. Put it into the video player in the projection room; you must be carrying the screwdriver at the time. This fixes the video player.
• a ray gun. It's a toy gun found in the earthside transporter room. You can try to kill the monster with it, but of course, it won't work.
• a key. Found in the desk drawer of the office. It unlocks the locker in the bunk room.
• a step ladder. Found in the workshop. Take it to the foyer, drop it there, then climb the ladder and read the sign. Reading the plaque earns you a point. You do not need to get off the ladder afterwards. Just walk away.
• a manual. Found on the desk in the office. Reading it tells you a little about the exoskeleton, mostly the fact that you'll need a wrench when putting in a new battery.
• a rock. Found on the lunar surface. Use it to break the eggs in the nest site.
• a notebook. Found in the locker in the bunk room; the key unlocks the locker. Read the notebook to gain a point.
• a screwdriver. Found in the workshop. You'll need it in your inventory when you put the gear into the video player.
• a small slip of paper. Found in the office. Read it to learn the combination number for the dial in the airlock, and to get a point.
• a spacesuit. It's in the suit locker. Remove the blue tank from it and put the yellow tank in its place. Wear the spacesuit so you can go south from the airlock. Remove and drop the suit when you're back in the airlock.
• a blue air tank. It's in the spacesuit. Examine its blue gauge; it's empty. Remove the blue tank from the spacesuit and put the yellow tank in its place.
• a green air tank. It's in the nest site. Its green gauge reads empty. Leave it alone.
• a yellow air tank. It's in the suit locker. Examine its yellow gauge; it's full. Remove the blue tank from the spacesuit and put this yellow tank in its place.
• a video. Found inside the video case in the office. Put it into the video player in the projection room. When the video player is fixed (see gear), push the green button of the player and go down to the auditorium to see the movie play. The movie shows the alien monster found by a member of the moonbase crew.
• a wrench. It's at the crater wall. You need to have it when you put the battery into the exoskeleton.

Score

• 1 point for pushing the red button in the earthside transporter room.
• 1 point for successfully reading the plaque in the foyer.
• 1 point for reading the slip of paper in the office.
• 1 point for reading the notebook found in the bunk room's locker.
• 1 point for putting the gear into the video player.
• 1 point for going down into the auditorium while the video is playing.
• 1 point for unlocking the suit locker in the airlock.
• 1 point for wearing the spacesuit.
• 2 more points for wearing the spacesuit with the yellow air tank in it.
• 1 point for pushing the red button in the airlock.
• 1 point for entering the nest site.
• 1 point for smashing the eggs with a rock.
• 2 points for pushing the green button in the airlock
• 2 points for wearing the exoskeleton suit.
• 1 point for destroying the alien creature, by hitting it with the exoskeleton suit.

Total score: 18 out of 18.

Sound effects

• airleak.wav
• I don't know when this one gets played, if ever.
• click.wav
• Played when a transporter button is pressed.
• Played repeatedly with pauses when the video player is running in the projection booth.
• Played when the dial is turned to the correct number in the airlock.
• Played when the red button in the airlock is pressed.
• doorslide.wav
• Played after the click in the airlock when the ship locker door opens.
• Sometimes played when the green button is pressed in the airlock.
• hiss.wav
• Played after the click in the airlock when the red button is pressed. (outer hatch opening)
• Sometimes played when the green button is pressed in the airlock.
• hiss1.wav
• I don't know when this one gets played, if ever.
• powerdown.wav
• Played after the click when a transporter button is pressed.
• scream.wav
• Played if you encounter the monster without wearing the exo suit. It's rather corny. I also don't know how the monster is able to roar if it's native to an airless moon.
• transport.wav
• Played when teleporting from Earth to the moonbase, or vice-versa.
• transport1.wav
• I don't know when this one gets played, if ever.

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