Old Father Time (BBC)

Games for Spectrum, C64, Amstrad, Amiga, Apple ][ and the rest of the 8-bit and 16-bit platforms. Pleas for help, puzzles, bug reports etc.

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Gunness
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Old Father Time (BBC)

#1 Post by Gunness »

I'm stuck in this oldie. I have passed through a beam and am now standing in a room with a blinding light, unable to do anything.
I have found a "password" of sorts, Omega. Does this have any connection with the coin with the Greek text.

I know this is a long show as there are probably not many who have played this game, but here's hoping!
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#2 Post by Gunness »

If it's any help, here's what I've got:
- [url=http:///solutionarchive.com/tmp/Old_Father_Time_map.gif]the map[/url] (of course, incomplete)
- [url=http:///solutionarchive.com/tmp/OldFather1.uef]Save state 1[/url] (this is right before entering the cave - once you've gone in there's no going back outside)
- [url=http:///solutionarchive.com/tmp/OldFather2.uef]Save state 2[/url] (this is right before walking through the beam - afterwards I'm stuck)

Both savestates are for BeebEm 3.6

Here's my current list of moves:
5xE, S, S, REMOVE LEAVES, GET ROD, S, Wx4, REMOVE LEAVES (you find the following rhyme: “If you’re aiming for the top, not an object you must drop”), W, W, N, CLIMB TREE (there’s a message here: “To return the hour glass to old father time, you must not be afraid to enter the mine”), W, Nx6, REMOVE LEAVES, GET COINS (gold ones), S, Ex4, READ SIGN (“Your destiny lies to the east”), E, E, REMOVE LEAVES (another rhyme: “To pass through a door your need a key, so go east in the cavern and dig for 3”), E (a large boulder blocks the entrance to the cave), LEVER BOULDER WITH ROD (you have entered the cave and there’s no way out again).

E, DIG ROD x 3 (you find a key), GET KEY, W, OPEN DOOR WITH KEY, GET KEY (or you’ll lose 10 pts.), N, N, W, DIG ROD (you find the word ”Equilibrium”), LOOK (you’ve also uncovered a lamp), GET LAMP, E, ON LAMP, E (you see the letter ‘e’ illuminated by the lamp), Sx5 (and ‘g’, ‘m’, ‘o’ and ‘a’ – this spells “omega”), N, N, EQUILIBRIUM (you may now pass through the beam of light), E (you are in a room with a blinding light)

What next??

Thanks for your assistance :)
Alastair
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#3 Post by Alastair »

Well I've finished it, my advice is to save often as sudden death syndrome is quite common and only after you have died will you have an idea that there is a problem to solve. That said, the game is quite short so those deaths are not too bothersome.

As to your problem, before entering that room visit all the other places with the lamp switched on and just LOOK, then when you spot something GET SOMETHING, you can now check your inventory to find out what you picked up.

As an aside, to get past the boulder I used WAVE ROD, and instead of DIG ROD I used DIG LEAVES which I found to be rather odd as there weren't always leaves on the ground! I suppose DIG with ROD makes more sense, though it also works when you are not carrying the rod, which just makes things odder.
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#4 Post by Gunness »

Thanks a lot. I probably wouldn't have figured that one out on my own, but I did waste an awful lot of time rechecking each forest location. Not a very good puzzle, but there it is, all the same.

As for the digging part - the text mentions that you're digging with your hands, but if you fail to supply a noun and just type DIG, the command fails. For some really odd reason, putting ROD (and LEAVES, and probably other nouns, too) after DIG seems to work.
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#5 Post by Gunness »

Ok, I think I need one more gentle hint, as I'm tired of dying all the time.

After a number of really questionable puzzles I've made it to the oak-panelled room where I've found the hour glass. Each time I take it and try to exit through the tunnel, I am killed for "not being worthy". I've discovered that it it possible to place any item in the chest, but this doesn't help a bit, nor does rubbing or waving the hour glass or anything else.

Any subtle suggestions as to my next move?
Thanks!
Alastair
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#6 Post by Alastair »

Not a particularly subtle hint, but you are on the right track in putting things in the chest. You have to put everything but one item in the chest before taking the hour-glass, as to what that one item is the game tells you that at the beginning. I will also point out that before you open the chest you should have eight items.
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#7 Post by Gunness »

Thanks - just needed those final commands, then.
What a disappointment this game turned out to be! Way too many sudden death situations and a lot of awkward attempts at humour.
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