Robots of Dawn
Solution by Klaus Stengel
Hi,
I spent some time looking into the Robots of Dawn game on the C64 during
the last weeks and I managed to come up with an universal solution for
it. The general path was taken from the guide in [1], which is probably
the best that can currently be found on the Internet. However, that
guide still contains some mistakes, like claiming that the torch was one
of the items that can vary from game to game. The torch actually always
exists and is in the same location (but not where mentioned in the
guide), the author just seems to have had problems finding it.
------------------ MISSING FAQ ANSWERS -------------
However, the solution mentioned above is also missing specific
information how to determine who's the real murderer. So, quoting from
your FAQ, I'll try to answer this and the other remaining open
questions.
>>> Does anyone know the exact responses you have to give the chairman
in order
>>> to solve the game? None of the solutions I've found give a step-by-step
>>> solution for beating it. Who do you have to prove guilty? One person?
2? 3?
Only one person is supposed to be proven guilty. When starting a new
game, one murderer is selected among four persons at random. Depending
on which person was chosen, certain clues/items are available in the
game:
- Dr. Amadiro: Both, the report is present in the game, and the clue: "The
involvement of a skilled roboticist like Amadiro might explain why
Daneel was unable to stop the murder." is given when asking
Gladia for Amadiro's means.
- Gladia: The following clue is given: "Not unless she finally realized,
as I did, that Dr. Fastolfe is interested in only one thing - studying
the human brain. People are just guinea pigs to him.", when asking
Vasilia for Gladia's motive.
- Mr. Gremionis: Both, the guide rod and the clue "I suppose that there is
a small possibility that he was familiar enough to Fastolfe and Daneel
that he caught them with their guard down." is given when asking
Amadiro for Gremionis' means.
- Dr. Vasilia: Both, the time sheet is present, as well as the clue
"(Gremionis obviously hesitates) Well, she did mention to me that she is
working on a project involving gases." is given when asking Gremionis
for Vasilia's means.
Most importantly, if a person is not guilty, exactly one of the above
clues for that person is missing. Gladia is a bit of an exception here,
as there's just one clue: If Vasilia doesn't say something about
Gladia's motive, Gladia can no longer be the murderer. However, the
converse doesn't hold, so if the motive is there, it's still not a proof
for Gladia being guilty.
Mathematically speaking, this means there are actually 32 unique
constellations: For each murderer there are 8 possible variations
regarding the "false trails", so 4x8 makes 32 in total. Fortunately, the
differences are small enough so that it's possible to construct a common
solution until the to the point where you meet the Chairman near the end
of the game.
>>> Does asking certain questions (to certain people) trigger the appearance
of
>>> needed objects (rod, sheet, report)? Because they can't always be
found...
No. The presence of these items solely depends on which person was
selected to be the murderer when the game initialized.
>>> Can the blaster be used on anything?
No, you can't do anything with it.
>>> The guide rod seems to be an important object, but if you use it and
later
>>> give it to the Chairman (as the solution describes), it doesn't appear to
>>> prove anything to him (at least he doesn't say it does...).
It will only help to prove Gremionis' means if you previously touched it
in the gas chamber, where it becomes hot. Otherwise you won't be able to
tell the Chairman where it's leading to.
>>> And there seems to be a number of objects that either have
>>> no use (can the blaster be used on anything?? Is the viewer needed?), or
no
>>> importance to solving the game (if you get the safe open in Fastolfe's -
a
>>> somewhat complicated process that requires getting 2 other objects first
-
>>> the solution says the item inside is of no value to the case!).
The game intentionally contains some useless items and false trails. The
viewer actually can be used to interview Vasilia. According to the
solution in [1], she won't answer any questions when Daneel is with you
later in the game.
The red bookfilm, while not relevant to the solution of the case, is
supposed to give you a clue how to answer the Chairman's final question.
After presenting all the evidence, you are supposed to confirm that the
convicted person really killed Dr. Fastolfe ("[...] are you saying that
[supect] killed Dr. Fastolfe? I caution you to answer carefully.").
The hint about an humaniform that could even fool Daneel on the bookfilm
should lead the player to the conclusion, that it wasn't Fastolfe who
was killed, but a robotic clone. So the correct answer to this last
question is actually "no", as the real Dr. Fastolfe is still alive.
>>> Also, the Epyx catalogs showed a picture of the game with graphics,
but
>>> so far the only graphics I've seen is the title screen. Does the catalog
>>> picture appear when you've solved the game?
No. There are no pictures on the disk apart from the title screen that
is displayed while the game is loading.
-------------------- WALK-THROUGH -------------------
So, with the questions from the FAQ-article hopefully answered, here's
my take at the solution. I tried to keep it as short as possible, so it
skips all parts of the game that aren't essential to the solution of the
case. Clues that are relevant to determine the murderer are marked with
*** and required later to determine which evidence to present to the
Chairman. You should note the answers you get to these in order to fill
out the form at the end of the walk-through.
W, W, N, W (study),
GET RECORDER,
E, S, E, E, E, E, N, E, S (personal),
GET GLOVES,
N, W, N, SE (personal),
GET FILTER,
N, S, S, W, W (living room),
USE VIEWER,
VASILIA,
GREMIONIS,
TURN ON RECORDER,
DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE,
DID GLADIA HAVE MOTIVE ***,
DID GLADIA HAVE MEANS,
SAY GOODBYE,
W, W, N, N (workshop - meet Daneel),
GIVE RECORDER DANEEL,
S (N/S hallway),
TOUCH STRIP,
E, W (garage)
-- GREMIONIS' HOUSE --
ENTER AIRFOIL,
GREMIONIS,
LEAVE,
N,
TURN ON RECORDER,
DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE,
DID VASILIA HAVE MEANS ***,
DID AMADIRO HAVE MEANS,
DID AMADIRO HAVE MOTIVE,
DID AMADIRO HAVE OPPORTUNITY,
W, S, E (workshop),
GET ROD ***,
W, N (south of establishment),
GIVE RECORDER DANEEL
-- VASILIA'S HOUSE --
ENTER AIRFOIL,
VASILIA,
LEAVE,
N (meet Vasilia), NW, S, S (study),
GET NEUTRALIZER,
N, N (dragged out by robots)
-- ROBOTICS INSTITUTE --
ENTER AIRFOIL,
INSTITUTE,
LEAVE,
N (tingle field nearby),
USE NEUTRALIZER,
N, N, N, N (helical ramp),
HOLD RAIL,
E, E, S (sterilization chamber),
USE FILTER (gloves too, happens automatically),
E (gas chamber),
TOUCH ROD,
E (small lab),
GET REPORT ***,
W, W, N, W, W, W, S (Maloon Cicis' office),
GET SHEET ***,
N, W, S (Amadiro's office),
TURN ON RECORDER,
DID GREMIONIS HAVE MEANS ***,
DID GLADIA HAVE MEANS,
DID GLADIA HAVE MOTIVE,
GIVE RECORDER DANEEL,
N (back to airfoil),
-- GLADIA'S ESTATE --
ENTER AIRFOIL,
FASTOLFE,
LEAVE,
E, W, S, E, E, N, E, E, E (meet Gladia), E, E, N, U, W (workroom),
GET FORM,
LOOK,
TURN ON RECORDER,
SHOW FORM GLADIA,
GLADIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE,
DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE,
DID AMADIRO HAVE MEANS ***,
GIVE RECORDER DANEEL,
E, D, S, W, W, N, W, W, S, E, E, N, E (guest room),
WAIT 90,
WAIT 90,
SLEEP.
-- MEETING THE CHAIRMAN --
W, S, W, W (living room - Chairman asks "Have you solved the mystery?"),
YES. ("Present your evidence").
If you've noted all the results marked with ***, you can now use the
following table to determine the murderer: Make a cross for each
item/clue given in the game. If you have a full column (i.e. both fields
crossed out, except for Gladia), you have found the murderer. Gladia has
only one item and she is guilty if Vasilia says she had a motive and
nobody else has two crosses in his/her column.
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| Amadiro | Gladia | Gremionis | Vasilia |
+--------------+---------+---------------+-----------------+
| [ ] Report | [ ] | [ ] Guide rod | [ ] Time sheet |
+--------------+ Motive +---------------+-----------------+
| [ ] Means by | by | [ ] Means by | [ ] Means by |
| Gladia | Vasilia | Amadiro | Gremionis |
+--------------+---------+---------------+-----------------+
Now that you've hopefully identified the murderer, you can present the
corresponding evidence to the chairman:
- Amadiro:
DANEEL DID AMADIRO HAVE MEANS
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID AMADIRO HAVE MEANS
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID AMADIRO HAVE MEANS
DANEEL DID AMADIRO HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID AMADIRO HAVE MOTIVE
SHOW REPORT CHAIRMAN
DANEEL TELL ME ABOUT AMADIRO
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID AMADIRO HAVE
OPPORTUNITY
- Gladia:
DANEEL DID GLADIA HAVE MEANS
SHOW FORM CHAIRMAN
DANEEL REPLAY AMADIRO DID GLADIA HAVE MEANS
DANEEL REPLAY AMADIRO DID GLADIA HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY VASILIA DID GLADIA HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY VASILIA DID GLADIA HAVE MEANS
- Gremionis:
DANEEL REPLAY AMADIRO DID GREMIONIS HAVE MEANS
SHOW ROD CHAIRMAN
SHOW FORM CHAIRMAN
DANEEL DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY VASILIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
- Vasilia:
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID VASILIA HAVE MEANS
DANEEL DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
SHOW SHEET CHAIRMAN
When now asked, whether your suspect really killed Dr. Fastolfe, answer
with NO.
----------------- BUG ----------------
There is another bug in the part where you present the evidence to the
Chairman which makes the game no longer completable. You have to be
careful not to show something that incriminates (i.e. proves
means/motive/opportunity) of multiple persons at once as the final
missing piece. Otherwise the game fails to properly check whether the
amount of evidence is enough for the Chairman to be convinced, thus the
game won't proceed to the final question. The list of affected clues is:
- Light-form (opportunity for Gladia & Gremionis)
when Gremionis is guilty
- Gremionis, did Vasilia have motive? (also motive for Gremionis)
when Vasilia is guilty
- Vasilia, did Gladia have motive? (also motive for Vasilia)
when Vasilia is guilty
Regards,
Klaus
[1] http://dorothyirene.fateback.com/Solutions/R/Robots%20of%20Dawn%2
0(Jon%20Leupp)%20(ddd).rtf
> And the bug you found would explain why I could never solve the game,
> as the way I played, I simply provided all the evidence to the
> chairman, thinking he would be able to decide who was guilty.
I don't think this can be attributed to the bug. If the Chairman wasn't
designed to be that impatient, this actually would work. However, there
exist some deliberate measures to prevent this strategy from being
successful. The chairman generally won't stay longer than about a dozen
of turns and the game contains some mechanics to determine his current
mood to make him leave even earlier in some cases. He quickly becomes
upset if you let him wait too long or fail to continuously present new
and relevant evidence. Moreover, the number of clues that can be found
in the game is so big, that I think it is impossible present everything
before he becomes impatient and leaves. In order to win the game, you
have to selectively make the case against one (or maybe if you're lucky
two) person(s).
The bug I mentioned in my last mail only concerns the end of the
meeting, immediately before the chairman is supposed to ask the final
yes/no question. I know this probably wasn't very clear last time, but I
have a hard time to explain the precise circumstances under which it can
occur.
For each of the "categories" means, motive and opportunity [Do you know
any better generic term for these?] the chairman usually goes through a
sequence of 3 answers, expressing his increasing confidence: First he
just nods, then he scratches his chin, and finally he confirms that he
shares the suspicion. Some evidence is strong enough to make him skip
these steps, so you don't necessarily see all of them, or you may see
the same step multiple times if you've presented something rather shaky.
Now, the bug only occurs when:
- the last step is entered for two different suspects simultaneously
... and ...
- one of them (the one mentioned second in the sentence the
chairman says) was supposed to be declared guilty.
Or in other terms, the chairman reaches the third step in the last
missing "category" for two suspects at once. In practice, this is
probably only relevant in case of the light-form, as it is a key piece
of evidence and will immediately convince the chairman regarding the
opportunity. Thus it's very easy to trigger the bug if Gremionis is
guilty. You just have to present the light-form last, i.e. the following
order exhibits the problem:
DANEEL REPLAY AMADIRO DID GREMIONIS HAVE MEANS
SHOW ROD CHAIRMAN
DANEEL DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY VASILIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
SHOW FORM CHAIRMAN
Note that this is exactly the same evidence I listed in my previous
e-mail, just with the light-form shifted to the last position. This was
actually my first solution I came up with, and it took me quite some
time to figure out what was wrong with it. For Vasilia, it should be
possible to reproduce the bug using the following sequence:
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID VASILIA HAVE MEANS
DANEEL DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
SHOW SHEET CHAIRMAN
DANEEL DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GLADIA DID GREMIONIS HAVE MOTIVE
DANEEL REPLAY GREMIONIS DID VASILIA HAVE MOTIVE
Here it is necessary to present some clues that hint at Gremionis first,
otherwise the last statement won't convince the chairman of both
person's motive at the same time. If you entered the last line earlier,
it should work without problems.
> Are there any other interesting facts like that in the game, or any
> hidden messages or Easter eggs?
I couldn't find anything special. There are a few minor things I found
interesting, but I'm not sure if these really qualify; Most are probably
already known.
There is a shaver in the game, which is supposed to be used in the
morning (works also on first day, bug?). If you don't, you'll just get a
message that the chairman frowns upon the beard stubble when you meet
him; Other than that, it doesn't have any effect.
The game maintains an internal clock and you can get a timeband
somewhere at Fastolfe's to find out the current time. At around 06:70
you start getting sleepy.
The game also knows the word "kill", so you can even take the law in
your own hands and kill people, but this will also end the game.
> One more thing. At the end of the game, it asks if you want to play
> again. If you say NO, it asks "are you sure?" If you keep answering
> YES, it keeps asking, adding another "really" to the question (are you
> really sure? are you really, really sure?). Is this just an endless
> loop, or does something happen if you reply X number of times (you a
> get a different reply, or the game crashes)?
A normal 8-bit counter is used to count how often the word "really"
should be printed. If it overflows (i.e. you answered "yes" more than
255 times), the game just stops asking and restarts anyway. There's no
crash, nor are there any other different questions.
Regards,
Klaus