Waystation is a TADS 2 interactive fiction game and is © 1995 by Stephen Granade.
In this old-school puzzle game, you wake up in a cell after a blinding blue light from the sky engulfs you. If you can escape your prison, you may discover waystations that can teleport you to other planets. But everywhere you go is plaqued with death, destruction, and decay. Is nowhere safe and good? Is there any way you can escape or fix any of this?
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 1.1 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.
This region is identified as an Earth mining station by the "For Your Amusement" list that can be displayed at game's end. I saw no evidence of mining in this region at all. I thought it was just a prison.
The "For Your Amusement" list, displayed at game's end, places the Imperial Complex on Earth.
You were driving home when your car engine dies. Then a blue light from the sky blinds you and you lose consciousness. You wake up in a cell.
Cell (your cell)
> x bars. look through bars. (Shadow of a guard.)
> x cot. look under cot. (+2; found a slat)
> x slat. take it.
> look under cot. (+3; found a spring)
> x spring. take it.
> x sink. x toilet. x floor. x flagstones.
> move flagstone. (+5)
> d.
Tunnel Beneath the Cell
> listen. w.
Dark Tunnel (one step west from under your cell)
CAUTION: Getting any closer to the creature or doing anything (besides examining) with it is usually fatal.
> x eyes. x creature.
> e. e. e.
Damp Tunnel (east end)
> x ceiling. push flagstone. (+3)
> u.
Cell (Zarin's cell)
> x man.
Before you can do anything, the man, Zarin, pushes you through the now-shimmering east wall to...
Coatroom
> x uniform. x strip. x boots. x umbrella.
> x coatrack. x coathangers.
> take all. wear uniform. wear boots.
> e.
Building Entrance
CAUTION: The laser beams can easily slice you into pieces.
> x strand. (red beams)
> n.
Hallway (south end)
> x graphic. w.
Study
> x bookcases. x fireplace. x cover. x chair. x table.
> x pamphlet. read it. take it.
> e. e.
Worker's Bathroom
CAUTIONS: The toilet will explode if you flush it with anything solid in it. Also, the cleaning products can produce a fatally poisonous gas if used together in any way. The sponge is the only thing you need from this bathroom. Any glint you might see in the toilet's slime is just a worthless gum wrapper.
> x toilet. x slime. x sink. x cabinet.
> x scrub-n-stuff. x sponge. x jar.
> take sponge.
> w. n.
Hallway (middle)
If you're wearing the uniform, the guards think you belong there.
> x guards. x rifles.
> n.
Hallway (north end)
> x metal door.
> e.
Kitchen (entering side)
A cook gives you a tray; others add to it. You're now at the south end by a door, a box, and a dispenser.
> x tray. x meat. x potato. x fruit. x glass. x brown liquid.
> x belt. x cooks. x rail.
> x box. (empty silverware box)
> x dispenser. push ketchup. push tengin. push hirst. push salt.
> take all from slot.
> open potato. take foil.
> make bomb. (Using all four condiments.)
> s.
Cafeteria
> x table. x workers.
> sit. x can.
The workers finish eating and leave through a hidden door near the mural.
> eat meat. take glass. drink brown liquid.
> eat potato. eat fruit.
> stand. x mural.
If you ate anything, you'll vomit into the can when you leave.
> n.
Kitchen (exiting side)
The cooks take your tray and you're now at the west exit.
> w.
Hallway (north end)
> throw bomb at metal door. (+4)
> w. (The mat crackles.)
Computer Room
> x mat. (Removes static electricity.)
> x desk. x computer. x monitor.
> x keyboard. x keys. (Dvorak)
> x switch. x chair. x battery. x disk.
Use the computer to learn about wanted people. Take especial note about Henry Tapper, who is listed as a programmer last seen in Efric City.
> turn on computer. x monitor.
> push enter. g. g. g.
> turn off computer.
> take battery and disk.
> e. s. w.
Armory
> x gun. x recharger. (has plug, cord with jack, lever)
> x bottle. (acid neutralizer)
> take gun and bottle.
> attach pack to plug. attach cord to gun.
> pull lever. (+6; gun is recharged)
> unplug gun. put pack on table.
> e. s. s.
Building Entrance
> put spring on slat. (Now have a pogo stick?)
CAUTION: Make sure you specify WITH pogo, not ON pogo.
> jump over strand with pogo. (+5)
Your slat breaks. You fall into a booth? And now you're somewhere else!
Sludge Plain (outside booth)
> read sign. (Don't go north.)
> x booth. ("Melica"; two buttons)
> x buttons. ("Comanis" and "Efric")
At some point soon during your travels on Melica, some deadly acid rain will fall. Let's pretend that you learned this will happen from a previous game session where you died, and make something that will protect you: an open foil-covered umbrella. And you might as well make that sooner rather than later.
And there's really enough foil from a single potato to cover an entire umbrella? Yes, of course there is. This is perfectly reasonable, especially if it saves your life.
Oh, and use the right syntax! You must "wrap umbrella with foil"; commands like "put foil on umbrella" or "attach foil to umbrella" won't work!
> open umbrella. wrap umbrella with foil.
> w. nw.
Sludge Plain (by skeleton)
> x skeleton. x whip. (It's rope.)
> take rope. take shovel.
> s.
Rocky Plain (by plants)
> x plants. x pods. take pod.
> sw.
Flatter Rolling Hills
> x hole. (6 inches in diameter)
> dig hole with shovel. (+8; found trapdoor)
> x trapdoor. open it. d.
Glowing Cavern
> x pile.
Hm. We can't solve this puzzle yet. Return to the booth:
> u. ne. e. e.
Sludge Plain (outside booth)
If necessary, wait for the acid rain before continuing.
> z. (Repeat until the acid rain is over.)
> x umbrella. (+7, the turn after you survive an acid rainfall.)
> push Comanis. (The booth opens.)
> enter booth. (You're teleported to...)
Forest Clearing
> x booth. x buttons. (Melica and Efric)
> x trees. x bushes. x trail. nw.
Dead Forest (west end)
> x barricade. e.
Dead Forest (by broken barricade)
> x barricade. (This one's broken)
> e.
Dead Forest (east end)
> x skeleton. (Humanoid, but not human.)
> x bones. w. n.
Outskirts of a City
> x building. x road. x potholes. x foundations.
> e.
Bend in the Road
> x rails. x park. x car.
> in.
In the Car
> x seat. x windshield. x dash. (key found)
> x key. take it.
> out. n.
Back Alley
Weirdly, there's nothing in this dumpster for you.
> x dumpster. s. w. nw.
House
> x chairs. x tables. x cabinets.
> x machine. x wires. x staircase.
> u.
Second Floor
CAUTION: This house is extremely unstable! Don't take the stool until you've prepared the rope!
> x furniture. x frame. x hook. x stool.
> tie rope to hook.
> take stool. (The house is about to come down!)
> climb rope. (+5; you're now at...)
Outskirts of a City
Yes, you will need the rope again.
> take rope. n.
Main Street (outside church)
> x buildings. x signs. x open building.
> e.
Church
> x bowls. x pews. x altar. x windows.
Not much to do here yet.
> w. n.
Main Street (outside store)
> x rubble. e.
Store
> x counter. x paper. take paper. (batteries found)
> x batteries. take batteries.
> e.
Basement
> x dust. x windows.
> e. (The floor breaks and you fall to...)
Sub-basement
> x glass bottle. x viscous.
> take glass bottle.
> x rack. x hole.
> drop stool. raise stool. climb stool. u. (+5)
Basement
CAUTION: Don't go east again. You'll fall into the sub-basement again, and you dispersed the dust bunnies you fell on last time.
Instead, head back to that glowing cavern on Melica:
> w. w. s. s. s. s.
Forest Clearing
> push Melica. enter booth.
Sludge Plain (outside booth)
> w. w. sw. d.
Glowing Cavern (by trapdoor)
> put pod on pile.
> pour viscous on pod. (+7; the growing plant moves the rocks)
> n.
Glowing Cavern (by stream)
> x stream. (It's very acidic.)
CAUTION: If you try to go west through the stream, your boots will melt off you feet! And you can't pour the neutralizer directly on the stream; it'll just be washed away. Instead, you'll need to use the sponge:
> pour neutralizer on sponge.
> put sponge in stream. (+6; stream temporarily safe)
> w.
Cave
The lizards immediately explain how people are destroying their planet, and that refugees on Comanis hid a "personal waystation" underneath a church's altar. With it, you could reach the Imperial Complex and stop the aliens. Then they ask for your help.
> yes. (They thank you and leave.)
Head back to the church on Comanis:
> e. s. u. ne. e. e.
Sludge Plain (outside booth)
> push Comanis. enter booth. n. n. n. e.
Church
> dig altar with shovel. (+4)
> take waystation. x it. (A gauntlet with keypad and jack.)
CAREFUL: If you activate the waystation when not wearing it, it can and will teleport without you.
> wear station.
> x keypad. press help.
> type "0". (Only three preset destinations.)
> x jack. (To access the waystation's computer.)
> type "3".
You teleport to a warehouse on Efric!
Warehouse
Note: I hope you're still in uniform; this door won't work without it.
> x sign. ("Efric--Gardone Sector 3H")
> open door.
A robot eye scans your uniform's ID code; the door opens and you go to...
Sidewalk (east of warehouse)
CAUTION: Don't walk out onto the street!
> x street. ("No foot traffic allowed")
> x force wall. x sidewalk. x buildings.
> s. w. w. n.
Dim Alley
> x cans. x newspaper. take it. read it.
> s. w. n.
Park Path (south end)
> x grass. read signs. ("Keep off the grass")
> ne.
Pool
> x sign. read sign. ("No wading. Violators may be electrocuted")
> x pool. x coins. x switch. x fence.
If you're wearing the boots, you can safely enter the pool:
> enter pool. (Your boots protect you.)
> turn off switch. (It's off.)
> take coins. (Nah.)
> out. sw. nw.
Park Path (northwest end)
Turning off the switch in the pool made this gate safe to touch.
> read sign. ("Warning: Electrified Fence")
> x gate. x fence.
> unlock gate with small key. (Unlocked.)
> open gate. (+4)
> n.
In Front of a Building
> x building. x guard. talk to guard.
Alas, you can't reason with this guard. Stun him.
> shoot guard. (with stun gun)
> e.
Black Market
A hooded figure asks, "Whom do you want to see in the Black Market?" I hope you still remember the info from the computer.
CAUTION: You only have one chance to get this right. If you try to revisit, the figure will shoo you back out again immediately.
> say "Tapper". (+7)
Tapper's Booth
Henry Tapper asks what you need programmed? While you do have some leeway to look around first before getting down to business, I think it's best to not do anything that might upset him.
> give waystation to Tapper.
He asks what destination do you want programmed? CAUTION: If you name any other destination but "Imperial Complex", he'll want ten thousand dollars which you obviously don't have, and the transaction will fail.
> say "Imperial Complex". (+4)
He does the programming for free, and you're now back at...
In Front of a Building
> wear waystation. type "0". (Imperial Complex is now 004.)
> type "4"
Hallway (south of Information)
Every locked door in this hallway requires a keycard to unlock. This is just one such door.
> x door. x slot. (Has green strip.)
> n.
Information
> x desk. x sign. x attendant. x card.
Obviously, you want that card, but you can't just take it or ask for it.
> s. w. n.
Library
> x bookcases. x covers. x chair. (One leg is short.)
> sit on chair. take old book. (The chair collapses.)
> x old book. ("Talking to Bureaucrats")
> read it.
> s. e. n.
Information
> read book to attendant. (She puts a card and a sign on the desk before snoring.)
> take card. x small sign. x attendant.
> s. e.
Hallway (under grey box)
> x box. e.
Hallway (north of supply room)
> x door. x slot. (Has blue strip.)
> s.
Office Supply Room
> x screens. x sign. x vendor. ("34C"; slot)
> put card in slot. (+5; ladder produced)
> x ladder. x controls.
The ladder can be pushed, but not taken or adjusted. It's 3½ metres tall.
> push ladder north.
Hallway (north of supply room)
> push ladder west. (The box is in the way.)
> climb ladder.
Top of the Ladder
> x tiles. push tiles. u.
Dusty Crawlspace (above ladder)
> x pipes. w.
Dusty Crawlspace (west end)
> x floor. move tile. d.
Top of Box
> x screwdriver. x cord. take all.
> u. e. e.
Dusty Crawlspace (east end)
> move tile. tie rope to pipes.
Note: This is a one-way trip down. The only way back is by using the waystation, but you shouldn't need to go back.
> d. (+2)
Hallway (below rope)
> e. n.
Lounge
I found nothing useful to do in this room.
> x couch. x cooler. x dispenser. x table.
> s. e.
Hallway (by out-of-order waystation)
> x box. x hole. ("Waystation 34D")
> x directory. (Codes 10 to 99)
You note Waystation Control is code 24. This station is out of order. There's an access panel and number pad below the screen.
> x panel. unscrew panel with screwdriver.
> x wires. x socket.
> plug jack into cord. plug cord into socket.
> type "24" on number pad. (+4)
> unplug cord from socket. unplug cord from jack.
> type "0" on keypad. ("005: Programmed Destination")
Before teleporting to destination five, there is another room down the hall I think you should see first.
> e. n.
Office
> x desk. x nameplate. x container. x pencils.
> x ferns. x seascape. x treadmill.
> stand on treadmill.
Well, that was fun. But destiny awaits.
> type "5" on keypad.
Committee Room
You can't move at all while in this location.
> x committeepersons. x forms. n. x table.
You are teleported to...
Trash Heap
> read instructions. (Shovel pile into vaporizer or die.)
> shovel pile. g. g.
> take remote. x it. open remote.
> shovel pile. g. g.
> put batteries in remote. push remote. e. (+3)
Shower Room
Taking a shower is optional, but c'mon, you probably need one after all your adventures so far.
> x shower. push button. (You get a shower and clean uniform.)
> x toilet stall.
> x door. ("Waystation 87L Mark II")
> n.
Hallway Outside Waystation Control
> x windows. x door. ("Waystation 111 Mark III")
> x scanner.
> e.
Guard Room
> n.
Waystation Control
> x workstation.
> put disk in it. (+6. Boom!)
A sentient glow thanks you for destroying the waystations and you're back by your car. Congratulations!
When the game ends, you're asked if you'd like to see a "For Your Amusement" list and if you'd also like it printed to the file "way.fun". This is that list:
Earth Mining Station
- Get the flagstone before pulling it. Keep playing.
- Lie on the cot.
- Turn on the sink in the cell.
- In the tunnel underneath your cell, look at the mud and then eat it.
- Poke the glowing eyes.
- Beneath Zarin's cell, look at the water and then drink it.
- Touch the laser beams.
- Jump them.
- Crawl under them. Twice.
- Mess with the guards.
- Put things in the toilet and flush it.
- Drop the bomb.
- Eat the bomb.
- Throw it at the cooks.
- Throw it at the guards.
- Eat the food. All of it. Didn't your mother teach you to clean your plate?
- Smell the tea.
- Enter the trashcan in the cafeteria. Keep playing; see how others react.
- Stun yourself.
Melica
- Stun the yellow bird.
- Find all the possible deaths by wandering outside the stabilization field.
- Get the skeleton's leather jacket.
Comanis
- Get the rubble at the north end of Main Street.
- Open the battery package. Twice. Three times.
- Drink the plant growth formula.
Efric
- Enter the street.
- Step on the grass in the park.
- Throw something over the fence by the pool.
- Throw something over the fence by the gate.
- Swim in the pool.
- Enter the black market building twice.
Earth Imperial Complex
- Sit in the chair after you've removed the book.
- Clean the sleeping attendant.
- Ask the attendant for the card.
- Go down from the ceiling before tying the rope to the pipes.
- Enter the waystation door.
- Stand on the treadmill.
- Play with the no shovel.
In the mining station:
On Melica:
On Comanis:
On Efric:
In the Imperial Complex:
Mentioned:
From the README.TXT file that comes with the game:
Betatesters
Here's where I thank all the people who helped me iron out many of the bugs which plagued early beta versions of Waystation:
Paul Gilbert, Anders Haavie, Ville Lavonius, Stephen Tjasink, Drew Vogel.
And very special thanks go to Michael Kinyon, first to complete Waystation and finder of many MANY bugs, and Michael Self, who put up with me bouncing ideas off him at a rapid rate. To all these guys and many more besides, I owe a great debt of gratitude.
There are so many ways to die in this game; I'm certain I didn't catch all of them. Also, when you win the game, there's several paragraphs of text explaining how you saved everyone without ever explicitly saying "You have won" or anything close to that.
The response to SCORE is:
In a total of several turns, you have achieved a score of your-score points out of a possible 110, giving you the rank of ranking.
Points are awarded as follows:
The possible rankings are:
This walkthrough was funded via Patreon with
Ko-Fi is a way to send me small one-time donations. Every little bit helps, and thank you!