DIABLO
by Mark Cantrell, Nebula Design Software
Spectrum (128k version)
The 128k version is different to the 48k version in some situations and
commands, so it’s still difficult to solve the game, even when the 48k
solution exists.
The main difference is the need of a harness and rope (which you will find on
top of the lift) in order to enter the water condensing tower in Part 1.
Your first priority in Part 2 is to disable the automatic countdown mechanism
(there is a limited number of 24 moves). To do this, you have to command
Newson to cut the cables because you don’t have enough knowledge.
After doing that you need to fix the atmosphere (also a limited number of 30
moves after you feel the air is getting stale).
There are some randomly generated events, like meeting the EVIL HORROR.
When he or DIABLO arrives, you have nothing to do (often they will disappear
when you move on), but when they are snarling menacingly you have to SHOOT
HORROR or SHOOT DIABLO (or load a saved position), otherwise they will kill
you.
There are also different commands and names of some objects, and not all of
them are synonyms of the 48k names:
Part 1 – HOSE / TUBING
Part 2 – STAND / LAMP
Different commands are:
“COME” / “ FOLLOW ME”
DROP MEAT / THROW MEAT AT MINES
PUT ALGAE IN TANK / FILL TANK
PUT SHEETS ON PANEL / SPREAD BEDDING OVER PANEL (thanks Mark!)
FIRE BLASTER / SHOOT DIABLO or HORROR
Finally, the 128k version has a (very slightly) different game map (at the
beginning of Part 2 near the hallway by the lockers and around the equipment
bay in Part 3).
SOLUTION (with the help of the 48k solution and one hint by the author itself!):
Part 1:
Do not dawdle at the beginning. You see your colleagues, Dr. Russel, Newson and
Erskine. INVENTORY (radio, flight uniform [worn]), COMPASS (to display N/S/E/W
directions), SAY NEWSON "FOLLOW ME", SAY RUSSEL "FOLLOW ME", SAY ERSKINE
"FOLLOW ME", W (you feel the vibrations of the bomb), X (=EXAMINE) NEWSON, X
RUSSEL, X ERSKINE, W, X CONDUIT (protects power and cables), W, NW, U, X RAGS,
TAKE RAGS, SEARCH RAGS (you get Eikophf’s ID card), WEAR RAGS, X CARD, E, X
CASE (there is an axe for fire emergencies), CUT CASE, TAKE AXE, X COMPUTER, E,
X PLAYER, W, W, D, SE, N, X DOOR, X SLOT, INSERT CARD (the door opens), E, TAKE
SCREWDRIVER, SEARCH BIN, TAKE PAPER, X PAPER (holds the desk’s security code:
87639), SEARCH DESK, TAKE SLIDE, OPEN DRAWER (locked), 87639.
SEARCH DRAWER (you see a disk), TAKE DISK, X PLAYER, SEARCH PLAYER (you get a
battery), X CELL (powerful charge), E, TAKE TUBING, X TUBING, W, W, S, NW, U,
U, X DISH (there is a body in it), D, E, E, INSERT DISK, 100 (you read
Eikophf's personal journal, at the end he mentions mad Renfield and the key
he’s carrying to unlock the ship’s destruct unit), EXIT
Go W, W, D, SE, E, CUT CONDUIT, TAKE WIRE, W, NW, U, W, W, W, OPEN DOOR, W, X
HATCH, TAKE COMPRESSOR, X COMPRESSOR (designed to pump air in an astronaut’s
suit), E, CLOSE DOOR, E, E, SEARCH CRACK (you see a panel), OPEN PANEL, ENTER,
X MOTOR (power line has burnt out), PUT WIRE IN MOTOR (the motor appears
functional), X SEAL, PUT BATTERY IN COMPRESSOR, PUT COMPRESSOR ON SEAL
(something flexible is required), ATTACH TUBING TO COMPRESSOR, ACTIVATE
COMPRESSOR, PUT COMPRESSOR ON SEAL (the seal falls away),
NE, E, D, SE, W, PRESS BUTTON, WAIT (until lift door opens), S, U, TAKE ROPE
AND HARNESS, D, N, E, NW, U, W, ENTER , WEAR HARNESS, TIE ROPE TO MOTOR,
ENTER, D, D, D, TAKE RED UNIT, X RED UNIT (colour-coded socket for deck 1), U,
U, U, W, NE, W, W, TAKE SUIT, X SUIT, WEAR SUIT (it's too small), X CONSOLE
(red button depressurizes; blue button repressurizes).
GIVE SUIT TO RUSSEL , CONTROL RUSSEL, WEAR SUIT, OPEN DOOR, W, CONTROL PAYNE,
CLOSE DOOR, PRESS RED BUTTON (pressure is altered), CONTROL RUSSEL, OPEN HATCH,
U, E, E, U, SEARCH BODY (you get a small key), D, W, W, D, CLOSE HATCH, CONTROL
PAYNE, PRESS BLUE BUTTON, OPEN DOOR, W, SAY RUSSEL “FOLLOW ME”, E, CLOSE DOOR,
CONTROL RUSSEL, GIVE KEY TO PAYNE, CONTROL PAYNE, SAY RUSSEL “FOLLOW ME”, E,
X LOCKER (holds weapons), UNLOCK LOCKER, OPEN LOCKER, SEARCH LOCKER, TAKE GUNS
(you distribute them to your comrades), E, E, D, SE, W, REMOVE HARNESS, DROP
ALL, TAKE SLIDE, TAKE SCREWDRIVER, TAKE RED UNIT, ENTER, X BUTTONS (blue - deck
1, red - deck 2, purple – deck 3), PRESS RED BUTTON.
End of Part 1 (you have to take the screwdriver, the slide and the red unit
with you).
Part 2:
You are one level down on the ship (you have 24 moves to disable the automatic
countdown). Go E, S, E, TAKE ALL FROM LOCKER, S, E, S, OPEN FRIDGE, TAKE ALL
FROM FRIDGE (you get the frozen meat), N, W, N, W, N, E, E (navigation deck),
UNSCREW LEVER, GIVE CUTTERS TO NEWSON, CONTROL NEWSON, CUT CABLES, CONTROL
PAYNE,
(from now on up to the point where you see the coolant DRUMS you should often
save your position because you have no moves left to shoot Diablo or the Evil
Horror before the air becomes more stale!)
W, W, S, E, S, NE, E, CLIMB TOILET (30 moves left after the air is getting
stale), SLIDE PANEL, D, TAKE PIPING, W, SW, N, W, N, W, W (you see flesh
disintegrating mines), THROW MEAT AT MINES (the mines are detonating), S,
(SAVE)
W, N, SW (you see destroyed algae bottles), TAKE LAMP, UNLOCK CABINET, OPEN
CABINET, TAKE ALL FROM CABINET, PUT BULB IN LAMP, NE, W, ATTACH PIPING TO TANK,
FILL TANK (with algae), PLUG LAMP, DROP BOTTLE AND LAMP, E, PULL LEVER,
(SAVE)
S, E, S, X DOOR (it has a greasy fingerprint), PRESS SLIDE ON DOOR (the
fingerprint adheres to the slide), S, E, E, SE, E,
(SAVE)
X BOX (it has a sensor pad), PRESS SLIDE ON PAD, OPEN BOX AND LOOK INTO IT,
TAKE CROWBAR, W, NW, W, W, W, W, N,
(SAVE)
SEARCH DRUMS (you get a white unit), S, E, E, N, N, N, (air becomes more stale
again – if this happens before you are here you will die at the beginning of
Part 3! – from now on, SHOOT DIABLO or SHOOT HORROR if they are menacing you)
E, E, S, E, S, SW, TAKE BEDDING, N, X PANEL (closed), OPEN PANEL, SPREAD
BEDDING OVER PANEL, WAIT (about 14 times until Renfield comes and falls in the
pit), D, SEARCH RENFIELD (you get a large key), X KEY (unlocks the activation
handle to the ship's self-destruct mechanism), U, S, NE, N, W, N, E, E, SMASH
PADLOCK (with crowbar), LOOK IN CASE, TAKE BEACON, X BEACON (will need
attaching to a socket on the pod’s hull), W, W, W, S, PRESS PURPLE BUTTON.
End of Part 2. Make sure you have the cream, the beacon and the detonation
units.
Part 3:
You are on another part of the ship. Go D, S, X TAP (opens water valve to the
fire fighting equipment; it's off), READ SIGN (keep away from electrical
equipment), TURN TAP, N, E, S, X DROID (blocks the entrance to the equipment
bay), E (you can't), TAKE HOSE (you can't), SPRAY CREAM AT DROID (you blind the
droid), TAKE HOSE, FIRE HOSE (the droid burns out), DROP HOSE, E, N, E, E, SE,
X BARRIER (lifts up into the ceiling), U, X CYLINDER (valve wheel is missing),
D, SW, DROP ALL, TAKE KEY, TAKE WHITE UNIT, TAKE RED UNIT, TAKE BEACON, TAKE
LANCE, X LANCE (it's a cutting tool and needs to be plugged in), W, N, E (you
see a half-track blocking a hatch), X TRACK (it has a socket), PLUG LANCE,
ENTER TRACK, X BUTTON (it starts the motor), X LEVER (set to ‘neutral’),
PULL LEVER, REPEAT, REPEAT (set to ‘generate’), PRESS BUTTON, D, CUT HATCH, D,
DROP LANCE, E, TAKE WHEEL, X WHEEL (it fits a gas cylinder), W, U, NW, E, E, SE,
UP, ATTACH WHEEL TO CYLINDER, TURN WHEEL (the oxygen fills the vacuum within
the landing bay), D, OPEN BARRIER, E, U, TAKE PURPLE UNIT, X PURPLE UNIT (for
deck 3), D, W, SW, W, N, E, D, W, W, W, ATTACH BEACON TO POD, E, E, E, U, W, W,
N, W, W, D, (SHOOT DIABLO if necessary; the evil Horror isn’t dangerous any
more though he seems to be), TURN SWITCH, S, W, N, N, NW (you see a net brake),
X BRAKES, E (Lawson shoots at you), RELEASE BLUE BRAKE (the cargo buries
Lawson), E, X CARGO,
U, X HANDLE (initiate the countdown to the destruct sequence), X BLUE SOCKET
(4), X YELLOW SOCKET (8), X BLACK SOCKET (7), DROP RED UNIT IN YELLOW SOCKET,
DROP PURPLE UNIT IN BLUE SOCKET, DROP WHITE UNIT IN BLACK SOCKET (the detonator
retracts into the wall), PULL HANDLE (it's locked), UNLOCK HANDLE (the ship's
destruct unit is primed), PULL HANDLE (the countdown begins – T =30), D, S, S,
S, E, N, N, U, E, E, S, E, E, D, W, W, W, UP, PULL HANDLE. The pod seals and
jettisons away. You see the Discoverer's death. You have finally completed
DIABLO.
Boldir, June 2012
