Moments Out of Time is a highly open-ended game. The point of
most walkthrus is to get you to the game's goal as quickly as
possible, without regard to what you may or may not see along the
way. In Moments Out of Time, what you see along the way *is* the
goal. As such, this guide will enumerate the things that are "along
the way" for you to see.
Moments Out of Time does not feature much in the way of "puzzles", at
least not in the traditional sense. It does, however, include what I
call "dependencies", conditions that must be met before some game
element is made available to you. For example, you must unlock a door
before you can go through it. This does not, in itself, constitute a
puzzle because going through the door is not necessary to continue
progress in the game. In Moments out of Time, it is up to the player
to decide which doors interest him.
Although the game manual is mainly aimed at those unfamiliar with
interactive fiction, this game contains several unusual paradigms. The
manual pages entitled "Moments out of Time Special Commands",
"Navigating Menus", and "The StreamDive Console" should be read by all
players. Additionally, the manual contains important information on the
compatability of this game with various interpreters. Please read
this information if you experience any difficulty with the game display.
The Introduction:
Necessary actions:
Take the StreamDive Console, some chips, and one other piece of
equipment from the equipment locker.
Go east from the office to begin your mission (You will be asked for
confirmation before leaving this section)
In the core, just wait until your StreamDive begins
Recommended Actions:
Read the mission description by examining the display
Read the StreamDiver manual
Hazards:
If you don't leave the office after the third warning, your mission
will be cancelled, ending the game
Starting Equipment:
You will only be able to take five chips and one piece of other
equipment. This is *not* a "divine which tools will be important"
puzzle. Every piece of equipment has its uses, and most pieces of
equipment allow access to some game element not otherwise available.
However, if you do not take the Datastore, you will be unable to get
a satisfactory rating at the end of the game.
For your first playing, I recommend the following equipment:
DataStore
Scan chip
Shield chip
Interface chip
Cryptography chip
Autokey
For subsequent playings, try substituting other equipment. The Map
and Library chips will not directly influence what you are able to see.
Main game section:
From the StreamDiver Manual, you should know that your final
evaluation is primarily dependent on the number of rooms you visit
and documents you collect. The following lists show the location of
every scored room and document
Documents:
Document: Location: Dependency:
Mission Description Prep Room, Datastore none
StreamDiver manual Prep Room, Datastore none
Grocery Receipt Kitchen (on the refrigerator) none
Report Card Kitchen (on the refrigerator) none
Family Photograph Dining room none
Kaldeki article Powder room none
Recipe Kitchen (in the cabinet) none
Letter to Julia Hall (on the table) none
Hall letter Hall (in the bible
inside the drawer) Encoded; use crypt chip
Shelter Literature Living Room Closet (in the winter coat)
Account Worksheet Office, in the computer Interface chip
Electronic mailbox (1) Office, in the computer Interface chip
Code Fragment Boy's bedroom, in the computer Interface |
guess password
Electronic Mailbox (2) Boy's bedroom, in the computer Interface |
guess password
Current Events HW Shelter, in the computer Interface | password
Suicide note Shelter, in the computer Interface | password
Vent Letter Upstairs vent shaft Probe, crypt chip
Newspaper Article Hall Only available from
785278.943 - 785278.946
Data Disc Message Attic Interface
Letter (1) Girl's room, in the dollhouse crypt chip
Letter (2) Girl's room, in the dollhouse crypt chip
Code Book (old) Girl's room, in the dollhouse none
Code book (new) Girl's room, behind the easel none
Watercolor painting Girl's room, on the easel none
Diary (fake) Bedroom Closet, under the boxes none
Photo of Julia West Hallway none
Photo of Jim East Hallway none
Memo Spare bedroom, on the memo pad scan chip
Diary (real) Downstairs Bathroom, in the toilet
tiny key | autokey
crypt chip,
new code book
LZ-50 video Shelter, on Julia's body Recharge with charger
then use interface
Visualizer recordings:
Location: Dependency:
Basement
Downstairs Landing
Upstairs Landing
Boy's Bedroom (1) Read e-mails from Michael Pendragon
Boy's Bedroom (2) Read fake diary entry for June 12
Master Bathroom
Upstairs Bathroom
Dining Room
Den
Girl's Bedroom
Bedroom Closet Find fake diary
Hallway, East end
Laundry Room
Other:
Object: Location:
Wire key Pantry, inside the lazy susan
Brass key (a) Laundry room, in the lint trap of the drier
Knife key Master bedroom, under the bed
Deadbolt key Den, in the couch
Magnet Nook, in the window seat
Brass key (b) Girl's Bedroom, in the dresser
Tiny Key Upstairs Bathroom, behind the toilet
Large key Hall, inside the bannister (remove the ball)
Little closet Behind the stairs, use steel key or autokey
Steel Key Back hallway, behind the painting
Antique key Master Bedroom, in the dresser
Exterior key Office, in the wastepaper basket
Password to Julia's Computer Girl's Bedroom, on the dresser. Use scanner or
clean with furniture polish
Eye charger Girl's Bedroom
Large data recordings Boy's bedroom computer, Julia's
computer. Use interface and blank chip
Medicine bottle Upstairs bathroom, in the cabinet
Spam Pantry
Eye recharger Girl's bedroom
Data Disc Attic
RUR code Inside the downstairs vent shaft
Pitfalls:
There are two opportunities to have the game prematurely end. The
first of these occurs at 785278.741, when an explosion will cause the
boxes in the basement to topple. If the player in in the basement, he
will be killed. If he is not present, the boxes will fall, blocking
the ways into the basement. The player must complete his examination
of both basement and survival shelter before this occurs.
Alternatively, if the player has the shield, he will survive the
falling boxes. Moreover, the shield will deflect the boxes as they
fall, leaving the basement open for the rest of the game.
The second pitfall occurs from 785278.942-785278.995. A thief will
enter the house and explore the lower floors. If the player and the
thief are in the same room at the same time, the game will end unless
the player is cloaked. If the player is using the probe, the game will
end if the looter comes upon *either* the probe itself, or the
player's body. The StreamDive Console will warn the player whenever
the thief approaches. To get the Newspaper Article document, the
player must read the newspaper left by the thief before he picks it up
again, the first time he is in the entry hall.
Endgame:
The endgame will automatically begin when time expires. This normally
occurs 12 hours (game time) after the dive begins, but this time is
reduced for every turn during which the shield is active.
If the StreamDive console is not in reach of the player when time
expires, the player will be trapped in the past and dies immediately
afterward. You may also begin the endgame early, using the "RECALL"
command on the Dive chip
During the endgame, your final evaluation is determined by Joxley
Douzen. It is based on the following elements:
25% - Number of rooms seen (excluding vents)
5% - Visualizer recordings
50% - Documents
20% - "Discretionary Points" given out during the interview
The discretionary points are awarded as follows, one percent per item:
(Questions which refer to a specific document will not be asked
unless the document is in your datastore)
- Not removing any object from the past, with the exception of
anachronisms
- Answering "shelter" (and having been there) when Joxley asks about the rooms
- Answering "vent" (and having been there) when Joxley asks about the rooms
- What is the name of the female child? (julia)
- What is the name of the male head of household (james)
- What is the name of the male child (jim/stephen)
- What is the name of the female head of household (katia)
- What became of Julia (shelter/suicide)
- Which eye was artifical (right)
- How were marital relations (bad -- only get the point if you've
seen the master bathroom visual as evidence)
- Why was the diary so juvenile (fake)
- Why was the real diary encoded (mother/spy)
- (Kaldeki article) What was interesting about the article (kaldeki)
- (code fragment) What is the code fragment (ai)
- (large data recording) What is it? (brain scan)
- (Eye video) What happened to Julia after the video ends (died)
- How many people lived in the house (5)
- Who was the fifth person (donna)
- Explain your reason for bringing things back (tampering, then the
name of the particular object)
- Other evidence of temporal distortion (name another anachronistic object)
