Stationfall Manual

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STATION=ALL

OFFIClfil

TECHNICfil MfiNUfil

If you've never played Infocom's

interactive fiction before, you should

read this entire instruction manual. If

you're an experienced Infocom player,

Just read Section I: About Stationfall.

2 Instruction Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section I: About Stationf all

Preface to the Story Page 3

Sample Transcript

and Map 4

About the Author 7

Section II: About Infocom 's

Interactive Fictio n

An Overview: What is

interactive fiction? 8

Starting and Stopping 8

•"Booting up"

•Saving and restoring

•Quitting and restartmg

Communicating with

Infocom's interactive fiction 9

•Basic sentences

•Complex sentences

•Talkmg to characters

in the story

Special Commands 10

Tips for Novices 12

Eleven useful pointers about

interactive fiction

Common Complaints 13

We're Never Satisfied 14

If You Have Technical

Problems 14

Information

Quick Reference Guide

This briefly describes the most

important things to know about

interactive fict10n.

SECTION I: ABOUT

STATIONFALL

Preface to the Story

After the fall of the Second Galactic

Union in 1716 GY, a ten-thousand-

year dark age settled upon the galaxy.

Interstellar travel was non-existent, and

many star systems descended into a

near-barbanc state, burning fossil fuels

for energy and growing food directly

from exposed topsoil.

In 11,203 GY, a treaty bt:tween the

growing empires of Trt:mam and.

Gallium formed the Third Galactic

Union. A pseudo-military br~nch of the

Union government on Tremam was

created. Called the Stellar Patrol, its

ships began expl01ing the g~l~xy1

searching for the human c1v1ilzat1ons

that are the remnants of the Second

Union .

You are a native of Gallium, one of

the most politically powerful but .

culturally barren worlds of the Umon.

Your great-great-grandfather was a

foundmg officer of ~he Stellar Patrol,

and for five generat10ns, your

family has served in the Patrol. It was

always taken for granted that you

would sign up as soon as you came of

age.

Once you joined the f~trol , you

discovered that the exc1tmg career

promised in all the Patrol recruitment

brochures was nonsense. Your life was

drudgery and demerit~. The only time

you got to see an exotic planet was

right after a big parade , when they

needed a detail to sweep up all the

confetti.

Then came your big 1:1oment:

shipwrecked on a seemmgly dese~ed

world, you met an exuberant robotic

companion named Floyd. Together , the

two of you discovered the secret of th!lt

mystenous planet, Resida , and saved 1t

from near destruction.The story of that

heroic deed was told in Planetfall.

As a result of your heroics, yo~ ~ere

offered, and quickly accepted, a JUICY

promotion . Goodbye Ensign Seventh

Class - now you were a Lieutenant

First Class! No more scrubwork! No

more bathroom details! No more

cleaning of the grotch cages! Finally,

your life in. the Stellar Patrol would be

as excitinf as those brochures had

promised.

Oh, how naive you'd been. Yo~r

daily routine simply replaced tedious

scrubwork with tedious paperwork.

Since your planetfall on Resid~, five

long years have dragged by, without a

single solitary event w~rt~y ~f 1:1ot~.

Why, just look at ~oday s thnllmg

assignment: scootmg over to Space

Stat10n Gamma Delta Gamma 777-G

59/59 Sector Alpha-Mu-79 to pick up a

supply of Request for Stellar Pa_trol

Issue Regulat10n Black Form Bmders

Request Form F01ms ...

Instruction Manual 3

Sa_mple ~ra!lscript and Map

This t~ans_cnpt 1s not from Stationfal/,

but will give rou a good general idea of

how Infocom s interactive fiction

works. It contains some simple puzzles

and their solutions. The player's

commands appear in capital letters after

each promI?t (> ). The map represents

the terrain m the sample transcript as

you might have drawn it.

-+-

>WAIT )Fr

Time passes ...

The scooter glides into the station's

docking port. The retro-thrusters bring the

scooter to a halt. As the docking port fills with

air the scooter's hatch opens.

>LOOK

Scooter, in the pilot's couch

You are in the cramped one-man space

scooter. Through the viewport, you see the

docking port of Space Station BG-12. The

scooter's hatch is open.

You can see a toolbox here.

>OPEN THE TOOLBOX

You can't reach it from the pilot's couch .

>STAND UP

You are standing again.

>OPEN THE TOOLBOX

It's locked.

4 Instruction Manual

>LEAVE THE SCOOTER

Docking Port

This is the huge docking port of the space

station. Only one ship is here at the moment,

a one-man scooter , so the docking port

seems unusually empty . A tube leads down

toward the heart of the station.

>DOWN

Main Hallway, Sector M

This is the station's main corridor, which

continues to port and starboard. A tube leads

up toward the docking port.

>STARBOARD

Main Hallway, Sector N

This is the station's main corridor , which

continues to port and starboard . A room lies

to fore, and a tube leads down to the next

level of the station.

Lying at the base of the wall isa key.

> TAKE THE KEY

Taken.

>EXAMINE IT

The key looks like one of those new all-

purpose keys that molds itself to any lock. A

typical example of Garfoogian ingenuity.

>FORE

Sick Bay

Like the rest of the station, the medical

facility is deserted. This is odd, for regulations

require that the sick bay be staffed around

the clock, ten chrons a day! The only exit is

aft. At the far end of the room, inside a steel

cage, is a Thoosian Fussbudget, apparently

asleep.

>WAKE THE FUSSBUDGET

It jumps to its feet, all twelve of them. "Hey,

what's going on? Who are you? Lemme outta

here!"

>OPEN THE CAGE

The cage is locked.

"Open the cage!" begs the Fussbudget,

clawing at the bars . "I'm claustrophobic! I'll

starve to death! I wanna go jogging!"

>UNLOCK THE CAGE WITH THE KEY

This seems to be one of those new

sophisticated all-purpose-key -proof locks.

"Break the bars! Get an acetylene torch!

Find a teleporter! I've got an appointment

with my lawyer in five minutes) I'm allergic to

cages!" The Fussbudget begins sneezing

wildly.

>AFT.PORT.UP.ENTER THE

SCOOTER .UNLOCK THE TOOLBOX WITH

THE KEY

Main Hallway, Sector N

Main Hallway, Sector M

Docking Port

You are beginning to get hungry.

Scooter

You can see a toolbox here.

The toolbox is now unlocked .

>OPEN THE TOOLBOX

Opening the toolbox reveals an identity

bracelet, a hacksaw , and a tube of nutrient

paste.

>TAKE ALL FROM THE TOLBOX

[I don't know the word "tolbox . "]

>OOPS TOOLBOX

identity bracelet: Taken.

hacksaw: Taken .

tube of nutrient paste : You're carrying too

much weight already .

>INVENTORY

You are carrying a hacksaw, an identity

bracelet, a key, and a box of radioactive

isotopes. You are wearing a Patrol uniform.

>DROP ALL BUT THE HACKSAW AND THE

BRACELET THEN TAKE THE TUBE

key: Dropped.

box of radioactive isotopes : Dropped .

Patrol uniform: You'll have to remove it first.

Taken .

You are now quite hungry.

>EAT THE PASTE

Mmmm ... one of your favorites ... anchovies

and peanut butter. You empty the entire

tube, and your hunger dissipates.

>OUT.DOWN.STARBOARD .FORE

Docking Port

Main Hallway, Sector M

Main Hallway, Sector N

Sick Bay

"It's about time you got back. You think it's

fun being locked in a cage? What if there was

a fire?"

>CUT THE BARS WITH THE HACKSAW

You cut through one of the bars. The

Fussbudget sticks its head through the gap.

"Come on, cut some more! I'm almost

out...do you think these edges where you

cut the bars are sharp?"

>AGAIN

You cut a second bar. The Fussbudget

squeezes through and leaps to the floor.

"Thanks, bud. By the way, I'm a Fussbudget."

It hops across the room and pokes four or five

eye stalks cautiously through the doorway .

"Where is everyone? Hey, that looks like a

tube of nutrient paste you've got there."

>GIVE THE TUBE TO THE FUSSBUDGET

The FussbudQet grabs the tube , wildly

squeezes it with all six hands, and then

throws it to the deck. "Empty! If I don't eat

something soon I'll get sick."

>AFT

Main Hallway, Sector N

The Fussbudget gangles after you.

>PORT

Main Hallway, Sector M

The Fussbudget gangles after you.

>PORT

Main Hallway, Sector L

This is the station's main corridor , which

continues to port and starboard . Rooms lie

fore and aft.

The Fussbudget gangles after you. It

suddenly notices your identity bracelet.

"Hey, a bracelet. If you gimme it, I can get us

lotsa food, whaddya say, huh?"

>GIVE BRACELET TO FUSSBUDGET

The Fussbudget grabs the bracelet and

dashes forward .

>FORE

You bounce off the invisible security barrier.

Within the room, you can see the

Fussbudget, wearing the bracelet , greedily

devouring a whole crate of Mondoweed

fruits.

>FUSSBUDGET , GIVE ME THE BRACELET

Without looking up or pausing for a second,

the Fussbudget tosses you the bracelet.

Instruction Manual 5

>PUT ON THE BRACELET

You are now wearing the bracelet.

>FORE

Store Room

This is a small storage room of some sort. A

hallway lies aft.

You can see an adapter plug here.

The Fussbudget is just shoving the last

few fruits into its huge mouth. "Alf the food is

gone," it says with its mouth full. "Where am I

gonna sleep tonight?"

>AFT.AFT

Main Hallway, Sector L

The Fussbudget gangles after you.

Director's Office

This is the office of the station manager. It

is simply furnished, with a file cabinet and a

desk. There's an electrical outlet on one wall.

Sitting on the desk is a portable computer

and a slip of paper.

The Fussbudget gangles after you.

>READ

[What do you want to read?]

>SLIP OF PAPER

[taking the slip of paper first]

"Buy milk. Dentist at 3300. New password is

133."

> TURN ON THE PORTABLE COMPUTER

Nothing happens.

The Fussbudget shivers. "Does it seem

chilly in here? I hate drafty places." A look of

concern crosses its face. "Do you think the

heating units have failed?"

>EXAMINE THE COMPUTER

The portable computer has a screen, a

keyboard , and a power cord. The screen is

blank.

The Fussbudget says, "See ya later, bub.

I'm gonna go catch some winks." It gangles

out.

>PLUG THE POWER CORD INTO THE

ELECTRICAL OUTLET

The cord ends in a nine-prong plug, but the

outlet will only accept five-prong plugs.

6 Instruction Manual

>FORE.FORE

Main Hallway, Sector L

Store Room

The Fussbudget is snoring loudly in the

corner.

You can see an adapter plug here.

>TAKE

[the adapter plug]

'raken .

>EXAMINE IT

The adapter seems designed to fit nine-

prong plugs into five-prong outlets .

>AFT .AFT.PLUG THE ADAPTER INTO THE

SOCKET .PLUG THE CORD INTO THE

ADAPTER.

Main Hallway, Sector L

Director's Office

Sitting on the desk is a portable computer .

Done.

> TURN ON THE COMPUTER

The computer beeps and the screen lights

up, saying, "Please type password."

>TYPE "133"

The screen says "Password accepted . Type

7 for memo file. Type 11 for correspondence

file."

>TYPE 7

The last page of the memo pad appears on

the screen:

"22-Bozbar. All personnel have teleported

down to the planet. I will be joining them in a

chron or so, but I wanted to say goodbye to

this old station; it's too bad we couldn't stop

that reactor build-up . By the way, the latest

reading for Critical 1s 6900."

>TIME

Adjusted Galactic Standard Time is exactly

6897.

>FORE

Main Hallway, Sector L

Suddenly, a giant fireball engulfs the

entire station .

**** You have died *****

Your score is 9 points out of a total of 80, in

92 moves. This gives you the rank of pot

scrubber.

About the Author

Steve Meretzky ( 1957- ) was born

and raised in Yonkers, NY, where his

early hobbies included rooting for the

New York Mets and against Richard

Nixon.

Historians of interactive fiction point

to Meretzky's first job, packing nuts

and bolts for his father's hardware

business, as the formative moment of

his writing career. Most others think

that there's absolutely no connection,

and that all historians of interactive

fiction are fruitcakes.

Meretzky arrived at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

in September of 1975 to pursue a

career in architecture. MIT's

Department of Architecture convinced

Meretzky that he should pursue a career

in Construction Management.

Following his unexpected graduation,

several construction firms convinced

Meretzky that he should pursue a career

as a game tester for Infocom. Finally,

by 1982, Marc Blank had convinced

Meretzky that he should pursue a career

as an author of interactive fiction

("implementor" in Infocom lingo).

While at Infocom, a heart-warming

interoffice romance blossomed between

Steve and the. Sales Department's

Elizabeth Rock. Married since

September of 1985, Steve and Betty

have no children, but they do have a

garage door opener that they're very

proud of.

Other works of interactive fiction by

Steve Meretzky:

Planetfa/1 ( 1983)

Sorcerer (1984)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

(1984) (with Douglas Adams)

A Mind Forever Voyaging (1985)

Leather Goddesses of Phohos ( I 986)

Instruction Manual 7

SECTION II: ABOUT

INFOCOM'S

INTERACTIVE FICTION

An Overview: What is

interactive fiction?

Interactive fiction is a story in which

you are the main character. Each

interactive story, such as Station/all,

presents you with a series of locations,

items, characters, and events. You can

affeC:t the direction of the story by

mC?vmg from place to place, using the

obJects you find, and interacting with

the other characters.

An important element of interactive

fiction is puzzle-solving. Think of a

locked door or a ferocious beast not as

a permanent obstacle, but merely as a

puzzle to be tackled. (Find the key that

unlocks the door, or figure out what

tune will_charm ~d tame that beast.)

In Statwnfall, time passes only in

response to xour input. Nothing

happens until you type a sentence and

press the RETURN (or ENTER) key, so

you can plan your turns as slowly and

carefully as you want.

~n_the story, time is kept in

milhchrons , the galactic standard. A

thousand rnillichrons make up one

chron, and ten chrons make up one

day. In addition to keeping track of the

time, Station/all measures your

progress by giving you a score. You'll

get P<?ints for ~olving puzzles and for

reachmg certam new locations. A

perft?ct score of 80 is your goal;

!11akmg sure you have fun getting there

1s ours.

8 Instruction Manual

Star_ting and Stopping

Starttnf? the story: To load Station/all

follow the instructions on the '

Reference Card in your package.

On your screen, you will see a

description of the opening location of

the story, D~ck _Fiv~, followed by the

prompt (> ), md1catmg that Station/all

1s waiting for your first input.

He_re are a few inputs for you to try at

the f1~st severalyrompts. After typing

each mput, don t forget to hit the

RETURN (or ENTER) key.

>INVENTORY

>EXAMINE THE PATROL UNIFORM

>WALK STARBOARD

>DROP THE CHRONOMETER

You should now have a feel for

interacting with the story. You decide

what to do next.

Saving and restoring : It will probably

take you several days to complete

Station/all. Using the SAVE feature

you can continue the story at a late;

time without having to start over from

the beginni_ng, just as you can place a

bookmark m a book you are reading.

Even if you aren't about to stop

playing, it's useful to SAVE before (or

a~ter) trying something dangerous or

tncky. That way, even if you get lost

or "killed" in the story, you can return

to your saved position.

To save your place, type SAVE at the

prompt(>), and then press RETURN (or

ENTER). Then follow the instructions

for saving and restoring on your

Refe_rence Card. Some computers

requue a blank SAVE disk, initialized

an~ formatted. Using a disk with data

on 1t (other than Statio"nfall saves) may

result in the loss of that data

depending on your compute;. You can

save :your po~i_tion as often as you like

by usmg add1t1onal blank disks.

Any time you want to return to a

saved position, just type RESTORE at

the prompt(>), and hit RETURN (or

ENTER). Then follow the instructions

on your Reference Card. You can then

continue the story from your SAVE.

You can type LOOK for a description of

where you are.

Quittinf? and restartil1f?: If you want to

start over from the beginning , type

RESTART and press the RETURN (or

ENTER) key. (This is usually faster than

re-booting) Stationfall will ask you to

confirm this command.

If you want to stop entirely, type

QUIT and press RETURN (or ENTER).

Once again, Station/all will ask to make

sure this is really what you want to do.

Remember: when you REST ART or

QUIT, you must first SAVE if you ever

w~nt ~o return easily to your current

pomt m the story.

Communicating with

Infocom's Interactive

Fiction

In Stationfall, you type your

commands in plain English each time

you see the prompt (> ). Most of the

sentences that Station/all will

understand are imperative sentences.

See the examples below.

. When you have finished typing your

mput, press the RETURN (or ENTER)

ke)'..

Station/all will then respond,

tellmg you whether your request is

possible at this point in the story, and

what happened as a result.

Stationjall recognizes your words by

their first six letters, and all

subsequent letters are ignored. For

example, Station/all would not be

able to distinguish among SPACEShip,

SPACEStorm, and SPACESickness.

_To i:nove around, just type the

d1rect1on you want to go. Directions

can be abbreviated: NORTH to N, SOUTH

to s, EAST to E, WEST to W, NORTHEAST

to NE, NORTHWEST to NW, SOUTHEAST

to SE, SOUTHWEST to SW, UP to U, and

DOWN to D. IN and OUT will also work in

certain places.

Station/all understands many ·

different kinds of sentences. Here are

examples, using objects and characters

that don't actually appear in

Station/all:

>WALK TO THE NORTH

>WEST

>NE

>DOWN

> TAKE THE METEORITE

>OPEN THE HATCH

>READ THROUGH THE MANUAL

>LIE DOWN ON THE ACCELERATION

COUCH

>EXAMINE THE SHINY LASER RIFLE

>PUT THE POWER PACK IN THE RIFLE

>SHOW MY ANTENNAE TO THE ALIEN

AMBASSADOR

>SHOOT THE MENACING ALIEN WITH THE

SHINY LASER RIFLE

>ASK THE SENTIENT CRAB ABOUT THE

ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

You can use multiple objects with

certain verbs if you separate them by

the word AND or by a comma. Some

examples: ·

> TAKE THE MEGAFUSE AND THE

TANGERINE

>DROP THE BOTTLE OF ARGON, THE

SPOON, AND THE LEMMING FOOD

>PUT THE MATTER AND THE ANTI-

MATTER IN THE BOX

You can include several commands on

one line if you separate them by the

word THEN or by a period. Each

command will handled in order, as

though you had typed them

individually at separate prompts. For

examp!e, you could type all of the

followmg at once, before pressing the

RETURN (or ENTER) key:

>PUSH THE BUTTON. ENTER THE SPACE

SCOOTER THEN SHUT THE HATCH

If Station/all doesn't understand one of

the_ sentences on your input line,

or 1f an unusual event occurs it will

ignore the rest of your input iine.

Instruction Manual 9

The words IT and ALL can be very

useful. For example:

>LOOK AT THE OXYGEN TANK. TAKE IT.

PUT ITON.

> TURN ON THE HYPERSPATIAL

COMPUTER. PROGRAM IT. TURN IT OFF.

>PICK UP THE ENERGY TABLET. SMELL

IT. SWALLOW IT.

>TAKE ALL

> TAKE ALL THE TOOLS

>DROP ALL THE TOOLS EXCEPT THE

WRENCH AND THE PHOTON SPANNER

> TAKE ALL FROM THE CARTON

>PUT ALL IN THE POCKET OF THE

JUMPSUIT

>GIVE ALL BUT THE BATTERY TO THE

BROKEN CYBORG

The word ALL refers to every visible

object except those inside something

else. If there were an apple on the

ground and an orange mside a cabinet,

TAKE ALL would take the apple but not

the orange.

There are only three kinds of

questions that Stationfa/1 understands:

WHO IS (someone) , WHERE IS

(something), and WHAT IS (something).

Here are some examples you can try m

Stationfa/1:

>WHO IS PLATO?

>WHAT IS A GRUE?

>WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

When you meet intelligent creatures

in Stationfall, you can talk to them

by typing their name, then a comma,

then whatever you want to say to them.

Here are some examples:

>ZEKE HELLO

>CAPTAIN MEASEL, TELL ME ABOUT THE

ASTEROID

>UNCLE OTTO, GIVE ME YOUR WALLET

>BOY, RUN HOME THEN CALL THE

POLICE

>GALACTIC OVERLORD, PICK UP THAT

PLANETOUD. EAT IT

Notice that in the last two examples,

you are giving the character more than

one command on the same input line.

But remember, many creatures in the

story don't care for idle chatter.

10 Instruction Manual

You can use quotes to answer a

question , type something on a

keyboard, or say something "out

loud." Examples:

>SAY "HELLO"

>ANSWER "YES"

>TYPE "520''

Stationfall tries to guess your

intention when you give incomplete

information. When it does so, it will

tell you. For example:

>UNLOCK THE CONTROL PANEL

[with the key]

The panel is now unlocked.

>SHOOT THE SEVEN-HEADED PURPLE

ALIEN

[with the seven-headed purple alien gun]

'A bolt of energy vaporizes one of the alien's

heads. Unfortunately, it continues to

advance, and there isn't a six-headed purple

alien gun in sight.

If your command is ambiguous,

Statwnfall will ask you to clarify. You

can answer these questions simply by

supplying the missing information at

the very next prompt. For example:

>SHOW THE HOLOGRAM

Whom do you want to show the hologram to?

> THE BUG-EYED MONSTER

The monster takes one look at the hologram

of the slime pits of its homeworld, has an

acute attack of homesickness, and runs off in

search of a travel agent.

>GIVE THE MELON TO THE ALIEN

Which melon do you mean, the honevdew

melon or the molay Venusian melon?"

>MOLDY

The alien grateful for such a delicious

homeworlcfdelicacy, gives you its time travel

belt.

Special Commands

Below are explanations for a number of

useful one-word commands. In many

cases, these will not count as a tum.

Type the command after the prompt (>)

and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key.

AGAIN -This will repeat your previous

input. For instance, typing SHOOT

THE LASER AT THE RADI0M-POWERED

ROBOT then typing AGAIN would be like

trying to kill the robot twice in a row.

You can abbreviate AGAIN to G.

BRIEF -This command tells Stationfall

to fully describe a location only

the first time you enter it. On

subsequent visits, Stationfall will tell

you only the name of the location and

any objects present. Stationfall

will begin in BRIEF mode, and remain

in BRIEF mode unless you use the

VERBOSE or SUPERBRIEF commands.

SUPERBRIEF tells Stationfa/1 to display

only the name of a place you have

entered, even if you have never been

there before. In this mode, Stationfall

will not even mention which objects are

present. Of course, you can always get

a full description of your location and

the items there by typing LOOK. In

SUPERBRIEF mode, the blank line

between turns will be eliminated. This

mode is meant for players who are

already familiar with the geography.

The VERBOSE command tells

Stationfall that you want a complete

description of each location, and the

objects in it, every time you enter a

location, even if you've been there

before.

DIAGNOSE -Stationfall will give you a

report of your physical condition.

FOOTNOTE -Occasionally, the text in

Stationfall will mention the existence of

a footnote. To read the footnote ,

simply type FOOTNOTE followed by

the appropriate footnote number (for

example, FOOTNOTE 7). This will not

count as a turn.

INVENTORY -Stationfal/ will list what

you are carrying and wearing. You

can abbreviate INVENTORY to I.

LOOK -This will give you a full

description of your location. You can

abbreviate LOOK to L.

OOPS -If you mistype a word, such

that Stationfall doesn't understand it,

you can correct yourself at the next

prompt by typing OOPS and the correct

word. For example, if you typed HAND

THE CHAIN SAW TO GARNDMA and were

told "(I don't know the word 'garndma']" you

could type OOPS GRANDMA rather than

retyping the entire sentence.

QUIT -This lets you stop. If you want

to save your position before 9uitting,

follow the instructions in the 'Startmg

and Stopping" section on page 8. You

can abbreviate QUIT to Q.

RESTART -This stops the story and

starts it over from the beginning.

RESTORE -This restores a previously

saved position. See "Starting and

Stopping" on page 8 for more details.

SAVE -Thi~ puts a "snapshot" of your

current pos1t10n on your storage

disk. You can return to a saved

position in the future usin& the

RESTORE command. See 'Starting and

Stopping" on page 8 for more details.

SCRIPT -This command tells your

printer to begin making a transcript of

the story. A transcript may aid your

memory, but is not necessary, and will

work only on certain computers. Read

your Reference Card for details.

STATUS -This command gives you

the following information: your current

mode of descriptiveness, your score, a

ranking based on that score, and the

current time in the story. Note that your

score and the time can also be found on

your status line at the top of the screen.

SUPERBRIEF -This command tells

Statio11fall to give you the sparest level

of description. See BRIEF above.

TIME -This will give you the current

time in the story.

UNSCRIPT -This tells your printer to

stop making a transcript.

Instruction Manual 11

VERBOSE -This command tells

Statiorifall to give you the wordiest

level of descnption. See BRIEF above.

VERSION -Stationfall responds by

showing you the release number and

the serial number of your copy of the

story. Please include this information if

you ever report a "bug" in the story.

WAIT -This causes time in the story to

pass. Since nothing happens until you

type a sentence and press RETURN (or

ENTER), you could leave your

computer, take a trip to Rigel Seven,

then return to the story to find that

nothing has changed. You can use WAIT

to make time pass in the story without

doing anything. For example, if you

met an alien robot, you might WAIT to

see if it will say anything; if you were

aboard a moving space scooter, you

might WAIT to see where it goes. You

can abbreviate WAIT to Z.

Tips for Novices

1. Draw a map. It should include each

location and the connections to

adjoining locations. When you find

yourself in a new place, make note of

any interesting obJects there. (See the

small sample map that goes along with

the sample transcript on page 4.)

Remember, there are 10 possible

directions (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST,

NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST,

SOUTHWEST, UP, and DOWN) plus IN and

OUT.

2. EXAMINE all objects you come across

in the story.

3. TAKE and carry as much as you can

carry. Most objects that you find are

important for solving one or more of

the puzzles you'll run into.

4. SAVE your place often, so that if you

mess up or get "killed," you won't

have to start over from the beginning.

See page 8 for instructions.

5. Read the story carefully! The re are

often clues in the descriptions

of locations and objects.

12 Instruction Manual

6. Try everything you can think of -

even strange or dangerous actions are

fun and may provide clues ; you can

always save your position first. Here 's

a silly example:

>GIVE THE BASKETBALL TO THE LION

The lion takes an experimental bite out of the

basketball but spits it out. It continues to

gnaw on your leg.

Thus, you discover that giving

something more edible to the lion

(that slab of raw meat?) might save

your leg .

7. There are many possible routes to

the end of Statiorifall. If you get

stuck on one pu zzle, move on to

another. Some puzzles have more than

one solution; other puzzl es don 't need

to be solved at all. Sometimes you will

have to solve one puzzle in order to

obtain the item(s) or information you

need to solve another puzzle.

8. Play Stationfall with a friend! As the

dual-brained worm beasts of

Nebulon are fond of saying, "Two

heads are better than one."

9. If you get completely stumped, you

can order a hint booklet and map using

the order form in your package . You

don't need this booklet to enjoy the

story, but it will help you to solve the

puzzle s.

10. Read the sample transcript on page

4 to get a feel for how interactive

fiction works.

11. You can word a command in many

different ways. For example, if you

wanted to make a wish, you could type

in any of the following:

>DROP THE COIN DOWN THE WISHING

WELL

> TOSS THE COIN INTO THE WELL

>PUT COIN IN WELL

If you type a sentence that Stationfall

doesn't understand, try rephrasing

it or using syno nyms. If Stationfal/ still

doesn't under stand , you're probably

trying something that isn't important

for completing the story.

Common Complaints

Stationfall will complain if your input

confuses it completely. Statiorifall

would then ignore any further

sentences on your input line. (Certain

events, such as being attacked, will

also cause Station/all to ignore any

additional sentences on your input line ,

since the event may have changed your

situation drastically .) Some of

Station/all's complaints:

I don't know the word "--~-

That word is not in the story's

vocabulary. Sometimes using a

synonym or rephrasing will help; more

hkely, you're just barkmg up the

wrong tree. Stationfall recognizes

over 800 words , ail that you need to

use and most that you're likely to

use. However, Station/all uses many

words in its descriptions that it

will not recognize in your inputs .

Thus, you might read, "The moon casts

violet shadows across the crater." but

discover that Station/all doesn't

understand the words MOON or

SHADOW or CRATER in your input.

When this happens, you can assume

that you don't need to refer to those

things to complete the story; they are

only there to create a more vivid image

of your location.

You used the word "~~~-" in a

way that I don't understand.

Station[all knows the word but

couldn t use it in that sense. Usually

this is because Station/ all knows it as a

different part of speech. For example,

if you typed GO TO THE LOWER LEVEL,

you are using LOWER as an adjective,

but Stationfall might know LOWER only

as a verb, as in LOWER THE ROPE.

There was no verb in that sentence!

Unless you are answering a que stion,

each sentence must have a verb (or one

of the special commands). Among the

most important verbs that Station/all

understands are TAKE, DROP, PUT, GIVE,

LOOK, READ, EXAMINE, OPENi,..,CLOSE,

ENTER, EXIT, EAT and WEAR. i here are

many more . Remember: you can use a

variety of prepo sitions with your

verbs. (For example, LOOK can become

LOOK AT, LOOK INSIDE, LOOK BEHIND,

LOOK UNDER, LOOK THROUGH, and so

on.)

There seems to be a noun missing in

that sentence. This usually means

your sentence was incomplete , such as

EAT THE BLUE or PUT THE BOOK IN THE.

There were too many nouns in that

sentence. An example is CARVE MY

INITIALS ON THE TREE WITH THE KNIFE,

which has three noun "phrases," one

more than Station/all can digest in a

single action.

I beg your pardon? You pressed the

RETURN (or ENTER) key without typing

anything.

You can't see any~~~- here!

The object you referred to was not

visible. It may be somewhere else, or it

may be present but in a closed

container.

The other object[s] that you

mentioned isn't [aren't] here. You

referred to several objects in the same

sentence, and at least one wasn't

visible.

You can't use multiple [in]direct

objects with"--.--.~~~"· You can

use multiple objects (that is, nouns or

noun phrases separated by AND or a

comma) or the word ALL only with

certain verbs, such as TAKE, DROP, and

PUT. For example, EXAMINE will not

work with mu.ltiple objects; you

couldn't say EXAMINE ALL or EXAMINE

THE BOWL AND THE SWORD.

That sentence isn't one I recognize.

Usually, this means that the syntax

(sentence structure) you used is not

among the 300 or so syntaxes that

Station/all understands. For example,

SIT UNDER THE TREE and SKIP AROUND

THE MAYPOLE are syntaxes that

wouldn't be recognized by Station/all.

There' s a limited amount of space in

the program, so syntaxes that are less

common or not useful aren't included.

Try rephrasing the sentence.

Instruction Manual 13

We're Never Satisfied

Here at Infocom, we're constantly

trying to "push back the envelope" and

explore the possibilities of this

fledgling medium. Your input is

important. If you liked or disliked the

story, or some section of it, or if you

found a bug, or if you think a certain

puzzle was too hard or too easy, or if

you have some other suggestion, drop

us a note! We love every excuse to stop

working, and a letter from you is just

such an excuse! Write to:

Infocom , Inc.

125 CambridgePark Drive

Cambridge, MA 02140

Attn: FLOYD

If You Have Technical

Problems

You can call the Infocom Technical

Support Team to report "bugs" and

technical problems, but not for hints to

solve puzzles, at (617) 576-3190. If

your disk develops a problem within

ninety (90) days after purchase , we

will replace it at no charge. Otherwi se,

there is a replacement fee of $5 (U.S.

funds). If you call to report a bug,

please provide your release number ,

which you can find by typing

VERSION. Please return xour

registration card if you'd like to be on

our mailing list and receive our

newsletter , The Status Line .

Information

Limited Warranty

This software product and the attached instructional materials

arc sold "AS IS." without warranty ,ts 10 their perfonnance. The

entire risk as to the qua I i1y and perfomutnce of the computer

software program is assumed by the user.

However. to the original purchaser of a disk prepared by

lnfocom and carrying the lnfocom label on the disk jacket.

lnfocom. Inc. wairnnLs the medium on which the program is

recorded 10 be free from defects in materials and foully

workmanship under normal use and service for a pe1iod of

ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. If during this

14 Instruction Manual

period a defect on the medium should occur. the medium may

be returned 10 lnfocom, Inc. or to an authorized lnfocom. Inc.

dealer, and lnfocom, Inc. will replace the medium without

charge to you. Your sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a

defect is expressly limited 10 replacement of the medium as

provided above. This warranty gives you speciric le2al ri•hts

and you may also have other rights which vary fron1 "

state to state.

THE ABOVE WARRANTIES FOR GOODS ARE IN LIEU

OF ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED. OR

STATUTORY. INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY

IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND

FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND OF ANY

OTHER WARRANTY OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF

INFOCOM, INC. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW

LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED

WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY

NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN NO EVENT SHALL INFOCOM,

INC. OR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN

THE CREATION AND PRODUCTION OF THIS

COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROGRAM BE LIABLE FOR

INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENT IAL DAMAGES,

SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF

ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR BENEFITS RESULTING

FROM THE USE OF THIS PROGRAM, OR ARISING OUT

OF ANY BREACH OF THIS WARRANTY . SOME STATES

DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF

INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE

ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

N.B. After the warranty period, a defective lnfocom disk may be

returned to lnfocom, Inc. with a check or money order for $5.00

U.S. funds for replacement.

The enclosed software product is copyrighted and all rights arc

reserved by lnfocom. Inc. It is published exclusively by

lnfocom. Inc. The distribution and sale of this product arc

intended for the use of the original purchaser only and for use

only on the computer system specified. Lawful users of this

program are hereby licensed only to read the progmm from its

medium into memory of a computer solely for the purpose of

executing the program. Copying (except for one backup copy

on those systems which provide for ii - see Reference Card).

duplicating, selling. or otherwise distributing this product is a

violation of the law.

This manual and all other documentation contained herein arc

documents may not. in whole or in pun, be copied,

photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced 10 any

electronic medium or machinc-reudablc form without prior

consent. in wri1ing, from Infcx:om. Inc.

Willful violations of the Copyright Law of the United Stales

can result in civil damages of up to $50,000 in addition to

actual damages, plus criminal penalties of up to one year

imprisonment and/or $ 10,000 fine.

Swtionfa/1. Leatht'r Goddesst•s r!f' Pho/ms and A Mind

Fore1·er \loya;.:ing

are trndcmurks of Infocom, Inc. Planetfa/1 and

Sorcerer are registered Lrndcmarks of lnfocorn, Inc. The

Hitchhik,,r's Guide /0 the Gala.,:r is a trademark of Douglas

Adams.

Printed in U.S.A.

Quick Reference Guide

1. To start the story ("boot up"), see

the separate Reference Card in your

Stationfall package.

2. When you see the prompt (>) on

your screen, Station/all is waiting for

your input. There are four kinds of

sentences or commands that Station/all

understands:

A. Directions: To move from place to

place, just type the direction you want

to go: NORTH , SOUTH , EAST, WEST ,

NOl=lTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST,

SOUTHWEST , UP, DOWN , IN, or OUT.

B. Actions: Just type what you want to

do. Some examples: READ THE BOOK or

OPEN THE DOOR or LOOK THROUGH THE

WINDOW or GIVE THE BALL TO THE CAT.

More complex sentences are described

in "Communicatin~ with lnfocom's

Interactive Fiction' on page 9.

C. Commands to other characters: Talk

to characters in the story by typing their

name, then a comma, then what you

want to say to them . For example:

FRED, HI or OLD MAN, GIVE ME THE

TROMBONE.

D. Special commands: These give you

information, such as INVENTORY , or

affect the state of the program , such as

VERBOSE. A list of these appears in the

"Special Commands" section on page

10.

3. After typing your input, you must

press the RETURN (or ENTER) key

before Station/all will respond.

4. Your screen will display a special

line called the status line. It tells

you your current location , your score,

and the current time (if known).

5. You can pick up and carry many of

the items you'll find in the story.

For example, if you type TAKE THE

TUBE OF JELLY, you will then be

carrying it. Type INVENTORY to see

what items you have.

6. When you want to stop, save your

r,lace in the story, or start over, read

'Starting and Stopping" on page 8.

7. If you have trouble, refer to the

specific section of the manual for more

detailed instructions.

Instruction Manual 15

INFOCOM

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Stationfall

Stationfall Manual