Key & Compass presents:
When the Millennium Makes Marvelous Moves
by Michael Baltes

• Maps
  • Map 1: Main map
  • Map 2: Final destinations
• Walkthrough
  • Ending 1
  • Ending 2
  • Ending 3
  • Ending 4
  • Ending 5
• Extras
  • Amusing, Characters, Credits, Endings, Inventory
• 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: Main map

• To get to "In the police station" (not on the map), you must first visit the beverage store during the 3.15 PM time period. When you leave with the drinks, a crowd of protestors forces you southward for a few turns after which you're all taken to the station. When you leave the station (by going west), you arrive outside the DIY store.
• To get inside the hospital, you must try to cross the avenue from west to east during the 10.25 AM time period and get hit by Jo's boss's car. The car will hit either you or the beggar, whoever tries to cross first.

Map 2: Final destinations

Walkthrough

Ending 1

Ending 2

Ending 3

Ending 4

Ending 5

Extras

Amusing

This is the response to AMUSING after reaching one of the winning endings:

Have you tried tearing the VHS tape?
Or hitting the alarm clock with the torque spanner?
Or yelling while you’re inside of the crowd?
Or asking the man in the DIY store about Iron Maiden?
Or asking the police officer about the beard?
Or showing the duck to Johanna?
Or putting the duck into the fountain?
Or pushing the duck in presence of the thieves?

Characters

• Finley Davenport is the protagonist. She works all night at a factory.
• Johanna (Jo) Nightingale is your partner. She works at the nearby supermarket.
• A gang of thieves rob the supermarket. They also kill Johanna unless you can stop them. Their faces are hidden behind masks of John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Angus Young and David Bowie.
• Police officers arrive at the supermarket after Jo is killed.
• A police officer with a beard questions you after you were rounded up with the protestors.
• The woman behind the checkstand in the beverage store is reading a fashion magazine.
• The man behind the checkstand in the DIY store is smoking cigarettes.
• A beggar is begging for money outside the DIY store in the afternoon.
• Jo's boss hits either you or the beggar with her car. In some endings, Jo sues her for other reasons.
• "Vincent Vega" is the name you assign to the man who punches you in your own home.

Background characters:

• Pedestrians can be seen during the day, but much less at night. They only react to you when you're lying on the street, in the rain, at 6.15 AM. One even gets a speaking line, if you can believe it.
• Passengers are waiting for the train in the underground station.
• Protestors force you to go with them when you leave the beverage store.
• Shoppers are in the supermarket.
• Customers are in the stores.
• Birds are enjoying the park fountain.

Mentioned:

• Peter Nightingale is Jo's father. Jo and he have been estranged partly because of her job aspirations, but mostly because of her relationship with you.
• Aunt Ellie is Jo's aunt. In ending 3, you both move in with her.
• A doctor left a medical report for you on your bed.
• Your grandpa owned the alarm clock.
• Your father died of cancer when you were eight.
• Your mother is someone you haven't seen since you met Johanna.
• Jenny is a co-worker of Jo's.
• The mechanic of the garage must be on break; you don't see them.
• "Mr W." is someone you owe money to.
• RUZD, FREAK, and KAZE are the names you see in the underground station's graffiti.
• George W. Bush signed the card.
• Bud Spencer is mentioned re the officer's beard.
• You and Jo's son is born in ending 1-3.
• A man on Jesper Street was the victim of an accidental explosion of cellar supplies, according to the newspaper found in the park.

Credits

This is the response to CREDITS:

I would like to thank both, Michael J. Roberts for the well-engineered TADS 3 system, which is always a pleasure to write an IF story with, and Eric Eve, for picking up the work on the Mercury library which was released finally as Adv3Lite library, making writing in TADS 3 someway easier and more accessible.

I also want to thank my family, who did support me the best they could and allowed me to spend much time on writing this game. My daughter Lea did great work on the cover art which sets up a perfect feeling for the game.

Thanks for testing goes to

• John Ziegler revised half of the texts and earned the badge EB (Early Bird).
• Thilo Hohl provided useful screenshots with several tweaks and became SCMOT (Screen Shot Master Of Textgames).
• Brett Witty made me change the DVD player to a VCR and earned the plaque of GSC (Great Setting Consistence).
• Deborah Sherwood found several verb-noun-tweaks, helped to add conversation topics, did several test runs with valuable feedback and got the sign of BUE (Better User Experience).
• Andrew Schultz relentlessly made runs through different versions of the game and did a lot of proofreading. He deserves the medal of LTTAPP (Long Term Tester and Passionate Proofreader).
• Robert Eggleston found lately some shelves to get away with, many tweaks, bugs and troubles with commands and earned the legendary rank of MIPSTHYM (Most Important Playtester So Thank You Very Much).

Of course, all remaining bugs are up to me. Hopefully, they should be of minor importance.

Endings

• I WAS SHOT DEAD ON MILLENNIUM’S EVE
• if you persist in squeezing the plastic duck near the thieves.
• [1-N] THE THIEVES WERE ARRESTED, NO ONE WAS INJURED AND WE GOT AWAY WITH ALL THE LOOT.
• if you knock out the thieves with the firecracker. The game ends in "Acapulco flat".
• In [1-1], Jo sues her former boss and wins.
• In [1-2], Jo breaks up with you.
• In [1-3], Jo has a son with you via in-vitro fertilization.
• In [1-4], you and Jo pass exams and get better jobs.
• [2-N] THE THIEVES ESCAPED IN THE VAN AND WE HAD A BROODING MILLENNIUM'S EVE.
• if you escape via the gate (using the key) and go home. The game ends in "Same old flat".
• In [2-1], Jo tries to sue her boss, but fails.
• In [2-2], Jo leaves for a week or two to help a sick aunt.
• In [2-3], Jo has torn up the exams, not worth a penny.
• In [2-4], Jo's aunt has had a baby girl.
• [3-N] THE THIEVES ESCAPED IN THE VAN AND WE HAD A FRISKY MILLENNIUM'S EVE.
• if you spray the detector in the supermarket. The game ends in "Aunt Ellie's flat".
• In [3-1], with Ellie's support, you and Jo get your degrees and better jobs.
• In [3-2], you become a competative runner.
• In [3-3], Jo wins a university innovation prize for her thesis.
• In [3-4], Jo breaks ties with her father via a letter.
• [4-N] THE THIEVES WERE ARRESTED AND WE HAD AN EXCITING MILLENNIUM'S EVE.
• if you unscrew the van's wheels with the spanner. You are hailed as heroes. The game ends in "Industrial loft".
• In [4-1], you and Jo burned the exams; you no longer need them.
• In [4-2], you've taken your first parachute jump.
• In [4-3], the newspaper has a glowing article about you and Jo.
• In [4-4], Jo breaks up with you.
• [5-N] THE THIEVES ESCAPED AND WE HAD A SURPRISING MILLENNIUM'S EVE
• if you escape via the gate (using the key), then enter the underground train (using the ticket). You confront Jo's parents at their home and there is reconciliation. The game ends in "New flat".
• In [5-1], Jo's father writes a newspaper article advocating for queer tolerance.
• In [5-2], you're leaving fun notes about the flat for Jo to find.
• In [5-3], Jo is dismissed from her supermarket job.
• In [5-4], you're planning to visit your mother for the first time since meeting Johanna.

The variant endings are determined from how you talked to Jo during the flashback conversations. Here are some of the ways you can reach some of the endings:

• For [1-1], always answer "2" to Jo, then use the firecracker.
• For [1-2], always answer "3" to Jo, then use the firecracker.
• For [1-3], always answer "1" to Jo, then use the firecracker.
• For [2-1], always answer "3" to Jo, then escape for home (using the key).
• For [2-2], always answer "2" to Jo, then escape for home (using the key).
• For [2-3], always answer "1" to Jo, then escape for home (using the key).
• For [3-1], always answer "2" to Jo, then use the spray.
• For [3-2], always answer "3" to Jo, then use the spray.
• For [3-4], always answer "1" to Jo, then use the spray.
• For [4-1], always answer "2" to Jo, then use the spanner.
• For [4-3], always answer "1" to Jo, then use the spanner.
• For [4-4], always answer "3" to Jo, then use the spanner.
• For [5-1], always answer "1" to Jo, then escape to the train (using key and ticket).
• For [5-3], always answer "3" to Jo, then escape to the train (using key and ticket).
• For [5-4], always answer "2" to Jo, then escape to the train (using key and ticket).

Inventory

• some money. You're carrying it.
• Don't worry about the money. While you may be having trouble paying for utilities, you can afford to buy drinks and a test spray.
• You can also give some money to a beggar who's outside the DIY store at 10.25 AM. He gives you a ticket for the underground train in exchange. Then he promptly tries to cross the street and is hit by Jo's boss's car. She takes him to the hospital.
• a plastic duck. It's in the basin in your bathroom.
• Take the rolled paper from the duck.
• Feel free to squeeze the duck to make it squeak, but also know the noise annoys everyone nearby.
• CAUTION: If you squeeze the duck too often near the the thieves, they kill you.
• You don't actually need the duck for anything.
• a rolled paper. It's in the plastic duck.
• Take and unroll the paper: it's now an unrolled paper. Read it. The riddle's answer is WIND. This is Jo's way to remind you to wind the alarm clock.
• In the backyard, feel free to show the paper to Jo. She asks if you know the answer to the riddle. SAY WIND. She smiles.
• some letters. They're in the mailbox of your flat. When outside your door, examine the door to notice the mailbox.
• Take and examine the letters. They're mostly bills. Perhaps you can put them on top of someone's else's satchel in another game, but they're of no use to you in this game.
• a newspaper. It's in the park's waste bin between 3.15 PM and 9.45 PM.
• You don't need the newspaper but feel free to read it. There's a story about an accidental explosion. Perhaps it's meant to help prod you towards using the firecracker against the thieves?
• a sticker. It's on the shelves in the supermarket. Examine the tapes there to see the sticker.
• You can read it, but do little else with it. For some reason, it is not listed in your inventory when you take it.
• Avoid taking the sticker. Having this item may interfere with your ability to restore your game from a save file.
• what must be the last copy of THE SOPRANOS. It's inside Jo's bag. She bought it for you. At 9.45 PM, after Jo is killed in the supermarket, her bag is on the floor and available for you to open. Open the bag and take the tape then.
• In your flat, at 6.15 AM, put the tape into the recorder. If you have the energy drinks, drink a drink. After Jo leaves the flat, turn on the recorder (or just WATCH TAPE). You fall asleep on the sofa. If you didn't drink, you wake up at 3.15 PM, but if you drank, you wake up at 10.25 AM.
• When you wake up, take the tape so as not to lose it.
• a pack of energy drinks. At 3.15 PM in the beverage store, find the drinks by examining the shelves there.
• Buy the drinks. Now the drinks are on the checkstand. TAKE DRINKS. Don't leave them in the store!
• In your flat, at 6.15 AM, you should drink a drink. If you now SLEEP, you wake up at 9.45, just as if you had wound up the alarm clock. But if you watch the SOPRANOS tape instead during your energy boost, you wake up at 10.25 AM!
• a small card. It's stuck under a table leg in the police station.
• Ignore the card. While you can take the card, a bug in the game prevents you from reading it unless you DON'T take it. The description of the card is: On the card was written: “I was here -- George W. Bush ;-)”
• a firecracker. It's in the park's waste bin at between 3.15 PM and 9.45 PM.
• To reach ending 1, at 9.45 PM, first unlock and open the backyard gate with the iron key. Next, put the firecracker into the backyard's bin, then light the firecracker with the lighter. From the safety of the other side of the gate, you and Jo watch the firecracker's first explosion summon the thieves and the second explosion knocking them out. Jo grabs their bag of loot and you're both off to Acapulco!
• an iron key. It falls out of Jo's boss's bag when she leaves the waiting area in the hospital.
• To get into the hospital, cross the avenue at 10.25 AM before the beggar crosses it. You are hit by Jo's boss's car.
• The iron key unlocks the supermarket's backyard gate and is needed for endings 1, 2, and 5.
• To reach ending 1, see firecracker for details.
• To reach ending 2, at 9.45 PM, unlock the gate and lead Jo back to your flat. This is the most depressing of the winning endings because your overall situation doesn't change or improve in any significant way.
• To reach ending 5, see ticket for details.
• a medical report. It's attached to the foot of the hospital bed in the waiting area.
• Read it, but you don't need to take it. Your injuries are light and you're free to go.
• a test spray. At 10.25 AM in the DIY store, find the spray by examining the shelves there.
• Buy the spray. Now the spray is on the checkstand. TAKE SPRAY. Don't leave it in the store!
• To reach ending 3, at 9.45 PM, spray the smoke detector inside the supermarket. In the epilogue, you and Jo will visit her aunt Ellie for a hiatus and eventually just stay with her.
• a lighter. At 10.25 AM in the DIY store, because the man behind the checkstand is a smoker, ASK MAN FOR LIGHTER. Since he has plenty of lighters and is in a generous mood today, he gives you a lighter.
• The lighter is needed to light the firecracker for ending 1; see firecracker.
• a torque spanner. At 10.25 AM in the garage, find the spanner by examining the service lifts. Take the spanner. (You tell yourself you're just borrowing it.)
• To reach ending 4, at 9.45 PM, unscrew the wheels of the black van parked outside the supermarket. This messes up the thieves' getaway, and the police capture them all without anyone getting hurt. This makes you and Jo heroes in the eyes of the public, and you both get new security jobs and move into an industrial flat.
• a ticket. At 10.25 AM, there's a beggar outside the DIY store. Give him some money, and he gives you a ticket for the underground train, good for two adults. Then he promptly gets hit by a car and goes into the hospital.
• To reach ending 5, you must have both the iron key and the ticket. At 9.45 PM, unlock the backyard gate with the key and lead Jo to the underground station, then ENTER TRAIN. You travel to Jo's parents' home and Jo spills her heart out. There is a reconciliation, and Jo's parents help you both get into a new flat.

Note that you cannot pick up the alarm clock in the flat.

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, Allyson Gray, and Daniel Stelzer;
• the generous support of Janice M Eisen, Matthew Foxley, Thomas Insel, and Brian Long;
• 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 Christos Dimitrakakis;
• 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!