Username: Password:
RegisterForgotten Password

Cranston Manor (Cranston_Manor_Adventure-North-Star-Horizon_solution.txt)

Solution for "The Cranston Manor Adventure" for the North Star Horizon
(100% completion).

Contents
---
1. Acknowledgements
2. Loading the game
3. Bugs and patches
4. The 100% solution
5. Notes
---

1. Acknowledgements

Thank you to the following:-
* Jason Dyer of "Renga in Blue" for extensive notes on the game. Also general 
  tips on how to load the North Star Horizon games.
* User Canalboy on CASA for his Trizbort map of the Atari 8-bit version.
* Anonymous user on CASA for his/her solution to the Apple II remake.
* Tom Hayes on CASA for his solution to the Apple II remake.
* Dave Dunfield for his Horizon emulator for MS-DOS.


2. Loading the game

The game loads fine in the two North Star Horizon Emulators that I know of.
That is GUI-based NSE for UNIX/Linux and HORIZON for MS-DOS.

The following instructions are independent of which emulator is used.

The Cranston Manor game disk itself is not bootable, so you need to boot from 
a suitable North Star DOS disk with a BASIC interpreter on it and then swap 
disk images in the emulator.

Most North Star text adventures only work properly when loaded from disk 1.

If a standard North Star DOS boot disk is used, you will likely get the error 
TOO LARGE OR NO PROGRAM ERROR
when attempting to load the game from BASIC, due to insufficient available 
memory.

So instead, obtain a copy of "Zodiac Castle". This is a bootable disk image 
containing both NS DOS and NS BASIC. It somehow provides an environment with 
sufficient memory to load all currently-known North Star Horizon text 
adventures. 

Boot from the Zodiac Castle disk, and you should get the following message:-
NORTH STAR DOS 5.0

Then use LI command to get a disk listing. You can then type GO BASIC to load 
the BASIC interpreter after which you will get the READY prompt.

Optionally, you can then type BYE to temporarily exit the BASIC interpreter 
which does leave it resident in memory. This has the advantage of allowing 
listing of the game disk in case you can't remember the filename to load.

Next swap the disk in the emulator to the Cranston Manor disk and ensure it is
mounted read/write for the game saves (which are needed in Cranston Manor).

If you exited the BASIC interpreter above, then type LI again to get a file 
listing of the Cranston Manor disk, where you will see the filename you need to
load is ADVEN. this is the only file on the disk showing file type "2" in the 
rightmost column, indicating it is a BASIC program.

On double-density systems, as is the case here, jump back into BASIC with
JP 2D00 from the NS DOS prompt (JP 2A00 on single-density systems).

As a side note you can alternatively use JP 2D04 (DD) / JP 2A04 (SD) to jump 
back into BASIC and preserve any existing listing, but it is not needed in 
this case.

Once back in BASIC, simply type LOAD ADVEN to load the game. Note the filename 
is specified as a bare word, no quotes.

The game can then be started with RUN as usual, but you may want to apply 
some of the below patches first.


3. Bugs and patches

The unpatched Cranston Manor game is completable with a full score of 248/248.
However, you can only explore 96% of the estate. Furthermore, you will not be 
able to exit the game west from the starting location to escape on completion, 
as the author clearly intended. Instead, you have to manually QUIT the game. 

If these things do not matter to you, then no need to apply any patches. 
You can still consider yourself to have fully completed the game as released, 
if you QUIT with a full score of 248.

If however, you would prefer to fix the above issues, then you can apply the 
below patches after LOADing the game, but before RUNning it.

CHEESE FLAG NO EXIT BUG
In the game, two treasures are only obtainable if you have caught the mouse by 
allowing it to nibble on the cheese. Once the cheese is nibbled, Flag 15 is 
permanently set. This flag is used to determine whether you can catch the mouse 
or not. I can't see any legitimate way in-game of resetting this flag.

The problem arises when you try to exit the game at the end. It checks 1. That 
you have taken at least 30 turns and 2. that the "cheese flag" is not set. If 
either of these tests fail then you will instead get the message (sic):-
"Thats the way we came. I'm not going back emptyhanded!"
There will be no way to complete the game apart from manually typing QUIT.

This appears to be an unintentional bug. For example, the Atari 8-bit version 
does not check the cheese flag on exiting, as one would expect.

Here is the fix:-

REM FIX CHEESE FLAG NO EXIT BUG
1010C$(2148,2148)=CHR$(21)

How it works:- like many text adventure systems of the era, the game implements 
a table of possible user actions alongside bytecode strings to be interpreted by 
a simple bytecode interpreter. This is why very little of the game logic can be 
found in the BASIC listing, it is in fact encoded in the binary file COMAND on 
the Cranston Manor disk. This entire file is loaded into C$ during game 
initialisation. There is an action "LOC W 1" which is consulted when the user 
attempts to exit west from the starting location. The opcode causing the bug is 
character 2148 within C$, which is 1Eh (30 dec), which translates as "If flag 
15 is set then …". In this case preventing the exit action if it is set. 
The above BASIC patch, changes the opcode to 15h (21 dec), which means "If flag 
6 is set then …". Flag 6 is the darkness flag. Since the starting location 1 
can never be dark, this flag is never set there and therefore the player is 
always allowed to exit, provided at least 30 turns have been taken.


GHOST ROOMS
There are four "ghost rooms" which were never intended to be part of the game 
in the final release. They are completely disconnected from the game map. 
They don't in themselves cause a problem, apart from the fact they are still 
counted in the total percentage of the manor estate explored.
This is why it is not possible to score more than 96% explored in the game as 
released.

If you wish to score 100% EXPLORED for the ultimate game completion, then apply 
the following patches:-

REM CONNECT GHOST ROOMS 53 AND 54 - ONLY REQUIRED FOR 100% EXPLORATION
4040IFC0=58THEND(7)=53\IFC0=53THEND(3)=58\IFC0=58THEND(1)=54\IFC0=54THEND(5)=58

REM CONNECT GHOST ROOMS 102 AND 108 - ONLY REQUIRED FOR 100% EXPLORATION
4042IFC0=110THEND(7)=102\IFC0=102THEND(3)=110
4044IFC0=110THEND(3)=108\IFC0=108THEND(7)=110

Once those patches are active, you will be able to visit the fours ghost rooms 
as follows:-
Ghost room 53 - to the west of "Dark Closet".
Ghost room 54 - to the north of "Dark Closet".
Ghost room 102 - to the west of "Round room".
Ghost room 108 - to the east of "Round room".

How it works:- The room connections are stored in the file "SHORT" on the 
Cranston Manor disk, which also stores the short room descriptions.
This file is kept open throughout game play and when a new room is entered,
it is read in random access mode on the fly, retrieving the record just for 
the current room. The exits for the current room are stored in the D() 
array. The above code overrides the values from that file with the new 
connections, for the relevant rooms. A much more elegant and efficient 
solution would be to edit the SHORT file directly in a hex editor, but 
with the BASIC patches, the user has a choice whether to apply them, or leave 
the game unpatched. Also the BASIC patches can be applied with no third-party 
tools needed.


DARK GARAGE / ATTIC LANTERN BUG
To go up from the dark garage into the dusty attic, you need to be in 
possession of the lantern. However, the game does not check if the lantern is 
switched on or not. Since switching it on drains the solar cells, it might as
well just be left switched off. I did not bother to make a patch for this 
minor issue.


4. The 100% solution 

* Notes are in round brackets ().

* Optional commands are in square brackets [] but do reveal more about the 
  game.

* Some commands in square brackets require the above patches to have been 
  applied.

* If no patches were applied then simply skip those optional commands for a 
  final score of 248 points with 96% explored.

* Shorthand commands beginning with a number, such as 6E mean type "E" then 
  <ENTER> six times, i.e. go east six times.

(You start at the west end of Main Street with a score of 5)
[QUIT, N (*note0)], [W] (That is the way out once the 
game is completed, but we can’t escape yet), E, 3S, E, 3N, E, 2S, 2N, E, SE 
(junkyard), GET CROWBAR (score +5=10), NW, W, 2N, SW (old dusty store), 
GET LANTERN, NE, N, NW, SE, S, 2W, SE, S, SE, U, D, 3SE, S, NE, N, E, 2N, W, S, 
OPEN GATE, DROP CROWBAR, 2S, E, N, 4E, N (large low room / kitchen), GET POT, 
E, S, N, 2W, N, 2E, N, ENTER FIREPLACE, GET DAGGER (score +10=20), GET TRIANGLE 
(score +5=25), 2S, 2W, SW (south side of fountain), GET WATER, E, N (garage), U 
(attic), GET COINS (score +10=35), D, 2E, S, 2E, S, E, W, S, 3W, S, 2SW, 
(*note1, SAVE=001), D, LIGHT, 2D, (deserted subway platform, save=002), 
INSERT COIN, GET PASS (save=003), U, E, 2S, INSERT CARD, THROW WATER 
(save=004), GET SPHERE (score +20=55), 3N, W, N, GET GOLD (score +10=65), S, E 
(east end of the large E/W hall; *note2, save=005), N, [THROW DAGGER (*note3), 
GET DAGGER], 2U, OFF (*note4, save=006), NE, E, NW, N, SW, W, N, W, N, 
DROP COINS, DROP GOLD, DROP SPHERE, DROP DAGGER, DROP CARD, S, E, S, 2E (back 
at the driveway), NW, 2W, GET JEWELRY (score +10=75), E, 2S, E, W, N, 2S, 3E, 
N, NW, D, LIGHT (bottom of stairs), OPEN DOOR, W, 2N, GET PENDANT (score 
+10=85), E, OFF (*note5), E, LIGHT, U (nugget room), GET NUGGET (score 
+20=105), 2D, S, GET EGGS (score +20=125), 2E, GET JADE (score +10=135), S, W, 
N, W, N (three way intersection), DROP NUGGET (score -20=115 ; *note6), E, U, 
OFF, E, SW, S, 2W, SW, W, N, W, N, DROP JEWELRY, DROP EGGS, DROP TRIANGLE, 
DROP PENDANT, DROP JADE, S, E, S, E, GET WATER, 5E, N (kitchen), D, LIGHT 
(cistern room), PRIME PUMP (this uses your water from the pot), START PUMP, 
GET BOTTLE (score +20=135), S (another stone room), N, U, OFF, 2N, SE, U, W, 
PULL TORCH, S, E, S, E, N, S, W, S, D, 2W, DROP POT, N, 2E, N (observatory), 
READ BOOK (*note7), GET BOOK (score +5=140), S, W, N, S, 3W, NW (small booth / 
bird atrium), GET CAGE, E, E, SW, S (large low room / kitchen), GET CHEESE, 3N, 
E, DROP CHEESE (*note8), GET MOUSE (score +3=143), 2W, [GET TEA] (the suit of 
armour grabs it back), DROP MOUSE (score -3=140), GET TEA (score +10=150), 
GET MOUSE (score +3=153), W, 3S, W, OPEN DESK, GET KEY (score +5=158), E 
(library), [E] (no obvious passage), [READ BOOK], EMASES (you are now inside a 
tower), U, GET SPYGLASS (score +10=168), D, W, N, E (dining room), DROP MOUSE 
(score -3=165), GET CANDLE (candlesticks ; score +10=175), GET MOUSE (score 
+3=178), 3N, W, SE (long room with empty cabinets / hunting room), OPEN DOOR, 
S, CLIMB ROPE, [GET BILLS] (too far away), SWING, GET BILLS (score +10=188), 
D, N, W, 2S, 3W, SW, W, N, W, N, DROP CANDLE, DROP KEY, DROP SPYGLASS, 
DROP TEA, DROP CAGE, DROP BILLS, DROP DIAMONDS, DROP BOOK, S, E, S, 5E, N, NW, 
D, LIGHT, W, GET NUGGET (score +20=208), 2N, 2NW, W, DROP NUGGET (SCORE 
-20=188), LIFT NUGGET, 2E, U, E, D, U, OFF, S, SW, E, U, W (large empty room), 
PULL TORCH (*note9), GET NUGGET (score +20=208), S, GET RING (score +10=218), 
S, E, S, W, GET RAFT, 2E, OPEN DRESSER, GET NECKLACE (score +10=228), S, JUMP, 
D, E, S, W (dusty room / small house), GET SCREWDRIVER, W, NW, N, SW (south 
side of the fountain), INFLATE RAFT, N, PRY EYES (you take the rubies ; score 
+10=248 - FULL SCORE), S, W, N, W, N, DROP RUBIES, DROP NUGGET, DROP RAFT, 
DROP PEARL, DROP EMERALDS, DROP SCREWDRIVER (*note10), S, E, S, 6E, 2N, 
GET CHAIR, 2S, W, N, NW, [W, E, N, S (*note11)], D, LIGHT, W, S, E, S, 2E, N 
(eastern narrow passage / enormous stalagmite), E, S, 2D (large cul-de-sac), 
U (low room), 2W, S, N, W, DROP CHAIR, U (narrow path), N (round room), [W, 2E, 
W (*note12)], SE, 2S, E, U, OFF (100% EXPLORED), E, S, 3W, SW, W, N, W, S, NW, 
S, 2W (back to the starting location at the west end of  Main Street), [W] 
(*note13).

YOU HAVE SCORED  248 OF  248 POINTS IN  XXX MOVES.
YOU HAVE EXPLORED ABOUT 100 % OF THE ESTATE (*note14)


5. Notes

*note0 - In this game, the QUIT command is used to 1. Show the current score, 
2. Save the game, and of course 3. Quit the game. Running the command at the 
beginning reveals the starting score of 5 points. Also note placing an "at" 
symbol @ on the end of any line causes the parser to ignore it. 

*note1 - The player is about to enter a critical section where lantern time is 
limited, and there is a considerable chance of getting randomly killed by a tin 
soldier, so several saves are needed to reliably navigate this section. 
QUIT/RUN/RESTORE must be used since there is no dedicated save command.

*note2 - There is one soldier remaining even after destroying the computer, so 
it is advisable to save again here.

*note3 - Repeatedly THROW DAGGER until the soldier is dead. You could in theory 
have killed all the previous soldiers this way, but in practice the lengthy 
combat will result in depletion of lantern power. It probably is worth 
defeating this one remaining soldier however since it will clear the entire 
route of hazards.

*note4 - The lantern’s solar cells will slowly recharge while the player is 
above ground. Also, now safety has been reached and the critical section 
exited, it is worth making one more save and the rest of the game can be 
played normally.

*note5 - The lantern is temporarily shut off to prevent the bull from 
destroying the droid.

*note6 - The nugget can’t be taken out this way. We will pick it up again and 
send it up in the lift to get the points back later.

*note7 - Note the password "EMASES" which will be used in the library later.

*note8 - if the "CHEESE FLAG NO EXIT BUG" patch was not applied, then you are 
trapped in the game from this point, and can only complete it by manually 
typing the QUIT command.

*note9 - The player enters the small secret room, the nugget has been lifted 
here.

*note10 - We now have a full score and have visited 90% of the estate. We will 
now embark on a final tour to visit the remaining 10% of locations.

*note11 - Run these optional commands to visit ghost rooms 53 & 54 - only if 
the relevant patch has been applied.

*note12 - Run these optional commands to visit ghost rooms 102 & 108 - only if 
the relevant patch has been applied.

*note13 - To exit the game with a full score, only if the CHEESE FLAG NO EXIT 
BUG patch has been applied, otherwise QUIT to finish manually.

*note14 - Unlike the Atari 8-bit version, there is no congratulations screen, 
although the score indicates that you have fully completed the game.  

benkid77 - 20 May 2025