Covert Front 3: Night in Zurich
Switzerland. 1904. While others live out their dull, unassuming lives, a spy known as Kara continues her hunt for the elusive Karl von Toten all the way to Zurich. But while she narrows the gap between herself and her quarry, she remains all too aware that the only footsteps she hears in the dark alleyways may not be her own. The third chapter in this popular spy point-and-click adventure series is every bit as gritty and as challenging as previous installments.
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I have a ticket to Cracov, some money, a paper and a newspaper . . . stuck
Very nice! One of the best point-and-click games I've ever played!
Alexis -
You need to:
Look at the arrivals and departures board (in the same place you bought the ticket) and find the time of the train to Vienna (Vienna in German is Wien). Then find the lounge. Once you're in the lounge the room to the right is where the lockers are. Hope that gets you unstuck.
Covert Front 3 Walkthrough
Chapter 1
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Look left, and click on the man at the bench.
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Pick up and open the newspaper he drops. Pick up the pile of papers and the wallet. The papers contain a letter. Read the letter and notice in the message the characters "CII".
Think Roman numerals and decode this for later, you will need it.
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Go to the right and enter the station.
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Once in the station go to the left and find a ticket window, it doesn't matter which ticket you buy.
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Look at the schedule on the left. Note the time for Wien, you'll need that code later.
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Go to backwards, and then to the right, and right again.
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Go through the door, and then to the right. Look on the right of the room for a wall of lockers.
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Open the locker using the number from the letter as the locker number, and the time for Wien as the code for the locker.
Locker 102, code 2340
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Get all the items from the locker.
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Go back to where you bought the ticket, and use the window on the left, buy a swiss army knife.
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Go back one screen and go in the left entrance, to the restaurant.
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Go in the bathroom at the back, and enter the right stall.
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Use the swiss army knife on the screws, and exit through the window.
Chapter 2:
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Enter the hotel, and talk to the manager. Purchase key 14.
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Go upstairs and enter room 14.
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Open the bible and flip through the pages until you get the document.
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Go to the phone and put the receiver on the table.
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Enter the number you got from the bible, should be page 14 of your documents.
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Open the wardrobe and enter the secret room.
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Collect the lever from the cardboard box, and a key from the drawer on the right.
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Use the lever and the key on the panel next to the door behind you. turn them so both lights are lit.
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turn left and zoom in on the machine. Enter the your ID, found on the first letter you collected.
m-24-7-69
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Zoom out and click the main button on the machine.
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Collect the document.
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Exit to hotel and head to "Old Town"
Chapter 3
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Zoom in on the door on the left wall. Use the newspaper to break the window.
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Enter the door, and go right. Go to the door thats straight ahead.
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click on the railing to open it.
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Open the desk and get the key out of it. Then use the machine on the desk and enter 32158, and get the paper that prints out.
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Go to the main hall in the right, with the star on the floor.
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Enter the middle room and use your key to open the gate.
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look for the N, cabinet, and then the E drawer, and get the card that prints out.
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Go back out and enter the door on the left, put the card in the machine, and use the button.
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Once the machine delivers the book, open it and get the photo inside.
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Look at the photo.
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Go back to the hall, and enter the door on the right.
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Use the lever labeled Zurichsee Zeitung
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Click the newspapers that come down, and then look at the paper that drops. Examine the picture, you will get a cutscene.
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Go back to the main hall and click on the star on the floor.
Chapter 4
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Talk to the guard.
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Turn right and then zoom in on the bed. Get the four metal rods from the bed.
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Use the rusted first rod to help get the others.
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Grab the note off the windowsill.
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Turn to the right and hide the four rods in the cracks in the wall, and climb up as you do. The cracks are where the red spots are. You will have to zoom in on them.
Chapter 5:
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click on the house twice. and climb up the right gutter.
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Inside use both the switches.
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Go back outside, and go to the plane. Take out the blocks by the wheels.
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Enter the plane, and click the lever on the right of the panel.
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Go back out of the plane and turn the propeller just behind the wings.
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Enter the plane and fly away!
Oh, at last! Mateusz has never let us down, has he?
I loved the first two installments and I'm sure up front that I'm gonna love this one, too :D
Mateusz, don't forget: Poalk, wenger dwa bratanki :)
bio (from Hungary :D)
Woot! Its finally here! :D
Yay! Talk about waiting one long gnomic interval between Covert Front games
Well... to be honest I'm hoping that the magical power of posting will work, because... I got to the
library
fairly easy. I spent half an hour there, I was rather certain i did everything there i could still i was unable to proceed. Finally i decided to resort to the walkthru. It confirmed me: i did everything i was supposed to. The walkthru's last line for the chapter is:
"Go back to the main hall and click on the star on the floor."
Well, i tried it and nothing happens. I've clicked every pixel there, i believe, but neither does it show any sign of a hotspot, nor does it seem to do anything - especially taking me to the next chapter which it's supposed to do, the walkthru says.
I'm using IE 8, but i doubt it's the browser, so far everything worked fine. I suspect it's either the walkthru missing something (I guess it was made in a hurry), or I can't read...
Kero, would you be so kind as checking your walkthru for chapter 3 if everything is there and the last line is correct? I'd really appreciate it.
bio
OK, the power of posting really worked. I think the walkthru should be amended with the following line for chapter 3, before the last line:
Click on the image of Von Toten on the right side page, it triggers a cutscene.
After that the last line will work - but not until you do this step.
bio
Finished.
Fun, like the previous installments, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Two side-notes:
- it might be a good idea to have different cursors for hotspots and screen-changers. Right now both use tha same hand cursor and it gave me some extra movements to take - when i thought i found a hotspot but was taken to another screen instead :)
- a bit too many dead ends and misleading things. For example, the
screw-fastened metal cover on the house's wall
at the very last chaptewr - i was so sure i'd have to something with it, to open it somehow - and, alas, no :)
But, even with these I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to part IV.
One more thing: anyone any idea how Isaac Newton came to the story? He allegedly organized a meeting in the 1880's, some 150 years after he died???
Or is this another Isaac Newton? :)
bio
Yay yay yay! I've not played yet, but I must express my delight at being flung upon a new game from Matuesz. :D
I'm having a few problems with bugs that are ruining the game - which is a shame because I love M.Skutnik games.
So far, I got the second chapter and documents were not printed out when they should have been, and when i tried again, I could not take the phone of the hook... it just kept going back no matter where I put it.
I'm still going to try again though!
@bio
I think this is supposed to be some kind of alternate universe. I mean, check the lightpost out in the room before the bathroom. It's some luminescent material that obviously if it existed it would be a whole lot more efficient than normal lightbulbs. Maybe. I'm speculating here, but yeah.
Hi Edd! I'm not sure exactly what the problem is here.
You say the documents weren't printed out when they were supposed to be, and when you "tried again, you couldn't take the phone off the hook"? If you are in the proper room where you can enter the numbers into the machine, you shouldn't have to use the phone again. The phone only needs to be used once to open the room. Can you clarify? I have no problem taking the phone off the hook, but if you're in Room 13, the phone won't stay off the hook because it's the wrong room.
Also, if you're in the secret room and the machine isn't working, are you sure you've used the key and the lever on the wall, then turned the key? You also have to hit the button on the machine to get it to print.
Please let me know if you're having anymore difficulty!
The walkthrough says enter the station. I tried that but it won't let me leave the train. I click to get out but then I click on the only other place available and I'm right back in again. Help?
Yes I've already gotten the paper, the wallet and the letter.
Okay, so I had to use the walkthrough for the majority of that, like with
the lockers, how were you supposed to figure that out from the letter?
But, the beauty of Matuesz's games is that, even if you end up using the walkthrough, the beauty of the art and the depth of the plot always makes the adventure fun.
I also think Kara has a nice coat, where can I get one based on that design? :(
Huzzah! Covert Front 3 is finally here! I have to go out soon, though . . . gah. Got to wait 'til later to play.
I'm in
the jail, and cannot find the last hole to plug the rod in
Where is it?
AWESOME game. Just finished, didn't use the walkthrough once (quite a feat for me). Keep up the good work!
Red - in regards to your question
The note that you have telling you to use the lockers contains the locker number as well, but in Roman Numerals
i cant find the screws in the right stall
sonic,i can't either. i'm in the Right Stall and i see screws here but the swiss army knife won;t work on any of them. what am i doing wrong?
Sheer Cold,
I see. Thx for pointing it out.
Just for curiosity: is this clear from the earlier installments, or just speculation?
bio
sonicrulez,
have you tried
looking upwards
in the right stall?
bio
Dora,
you wrote:
but if you're in Room 13, the phone won't stay off the hook because it's the wrong room.
You surely meant room #12, i suppose :)
bio
Sorry for the double posts, I dunno how i did it, i only hit the button once, that's for sure...
bio
can't finish chapter 3. I
pulled the lever zurichsee zeitung,then looked at the row of papers,but she says "i don't know what i'm looking for" and no paper drops. i can't click the star in the main hall.
any ideas?
Brilliant as expected
and the very ending is superb
trouble is .......now we have to wait !
Paul
try retracing your steps against the walk-through.....you're bound to have missed something, I did
no i did everything the walk through has said up until now.
Great game, now I'm waiting for the next Submachine game. Hopefully that won't be to long now.
A book pops into the slot on the machine (to the right of the panel) once you insert the Newton card and press the button. Read it and then go search the newspapers.
I'm stuck! I'm on chapter 3...
I've done all the steps the walkthrough mentions up the point where it says:
- Click the newspapers that come down, and then look at the paper that drops.
I click the newspapers, and Kara says, "I don't know what to look for..." No papers drop.
What am I doing wrong!?
ok i got it. now i'm stuck in chapter 4
it says to hide the 4 rods in the cracks in the wall. what cracks?
The game is hanging at the Chapter 3 title page for me after I click on Old Town... everything else works just fine, the sound effects, the links at the bottom, it just won't continue on to the next chapter...
This happen to anyone else?
I tried it in both IE and Firefox (still running Win 2000 at work, that couldn't be it could it?)
I think I may have found a major faux pas. I downloaded the game to play on my puter, and it plays just like the online version only in full screen, but unlike the online version it doesn't save the game! Incredibly lame.
A word of wisdom: if it's "incredibly" lame then don't believe it is ;)
bio
Cannot finish. Got all the way to chapter 5 and cannot get the plane to crank up. There are two places to "enter" the plane. One has the propeller and the other is just empty. There are no "handy" places and I am guessing that I am missing something. I am getting arthritis in my hands and incessant clicking is just too painful.
I still give it a 4.9 (5 really) because I enjoyed it even if I couldn't finish it.
Yes, bioLarzen, thank you. :) You've uncovered my terrible secret. Namely, I shouldn't post before the first cup of coffee.
i'm stuck on chapter 3 intro page as well. tried shutting down and starting again, and still won't go any further
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now patiently awaitng the next Submachine. (well, maybe not "patiently")
Oh how lovely, a new Covert Front!
I like the new playing interface...amazing as always!
For those having problems:
Chapter 1 screws:
When trying to remove the screws make sure the tip of the knife is hitting each individual screw.
Chapter 3 Library:
For the newspaper problem, here is a screenshot of where you click on the rack. If you click there a newspaper will fall. Then back up and you will see that the newspaper fell on the table. Click on the newspaper for a close up. Screenshot. For those having problems with the star on the floor, you have to have looked at the newspaper for it to work. When looking at the newspaper in close up, you will see a picture of the scientist carrying a briefcase. Click on that briefcase and a little cut scene will play about how you've seen that symbol before. Only then should you go back to the hall and click the symbol. You will, of course, promptly get beaten up and carted off to jail. :-(.
Chapter 4 Cracks:
Here's a screenshot of the first two cracks. Click on each one for a close up to place the bars. Then click on the third crack higher up, this will get you a second view. screenshot. Place the bars in the second two cracks then click on the circle at the top to escape.
Chapter 5 The Plane, boss, The Plane!:
Here's a screenshot of the plane showing the areas to click. First, click on the wheels to remove all three blocks. Then click on the cockpit (screenshot) and hit the fuel lever. Back out and click below and to the right of the wing to see the engine. Click on the propeller and it will start to turn. Back up and go to the cockpit. Pull the control lever and you're off!
Great game, like all the CF games. Totally love it! Finished without walkthrough.
Thanks Mateusz!!!
Help!
I put in the codename into the machine in chapter 2 and the name kara came up and then I pressed the main button but nothing prints out. Am I doing something wrong?
Oh boy oh boy oh boy, it's BACON!!!
Sorry.
Sub, Daymare & Covert are my favorite episodic games. And of course I'm at the first train station at the beginning of the game trying to figure out which of those 108 lockers I should focus my attention on. As if I know the combo or anything. Swearing at point&click games is healthy, right?
Mateusz and Karol are devious....and I like that.
I just looked at the walkthrough here for the locker I just mentioned. It gives the locker # and the combo, but doesn't tell why or how they came to that answer. Not a very good walkthrough, I can't use something that blatant. Sorry, thanks for your efforts, but some of us like to think on our own a bit after a nudge.
[Edit: Sounds like you're looking for a hint-through. Maybe someone will be nice enough to create one for us. :) -Jay]
Just wondering, what does the
camera
have to do with anything? All we did was carry it around with us..
And I agree about the locker combo. No idea how Kero got it 0_o
I played and reviewed this puppy before a walkthrough was available. A lot of it was trial and error, but I was never stuck to the point where I was frothing at the mouth.
Re: Locker.
The CII in the message you're given is actually Roman numerals, which becomes 102. (C being "Centum", 100.) I floundered a little with the code, but I eventually decided that there was more to the train schedule board than met the eye. I wrote down all the times that didn't have repeating numbers, since you can only enter a number once when inputting the code, and just tried them until I got it.
If you prefer a hint-through, I will write one up tomorrow. :)
I'm writing the hint-through... does anyone know who the
portrait outside the ladies' room is? I recognize him but I can't place the name.
Thank you very much, Dora, I'd appreciate that. I didn't know 'hint-throughs' were a normal item.
To be honest,
reading it as a Roman numeral never occurred to me. Guess I wasn't in Rome at the time, cause when in Rome.../...I was thinking more along the Row C, line 2 meme.
As far as getting the combo correct, all 9 numbers are allowed to be entered in the same guess. You know what that reminds me of? Obamas' budget, or the price of cigs in New Hampshire. You're talking trillions or quadrillions of answers. How did you get the
4 digit number
?
Love the game! Mostly fairly logical to me,
just one question that kept me for quite a while at the start: why is the 102 locker? any clue I missed?
Same problem for me as for you, Grace - zooming out after entering the code and getting my codename, clicking the main button on the machine does not get me a document so I cannot move on to the town.
Hopefully someone will help!
TO:Corona
The locker combo comes from the depature board next to the ticket office. It's the departure time for Wien, Vienna in German. But I am lost for the locker# too.
To those having problems with the locker number and code:
The letter you receive when you pick up the newspaper states, at the bottom, "Train to Vienna" and "CII". CII is Roman numerals for 102, and if you look at the departures board you will find the train for "Wien", which is German for Vienna, is set for 23:40, which is the code for the locker.
To those not getting a printout from the machine:
Turn to the right and look at the mechanism by the door. Did you place both the key and the lever? Did you turn the key so that the bottom light is lit? Did you then pull down the lever so that the top light is lit? The machine will not give the printout unless both lights are lit.
Narrative Hint-through
Chapter 1
It is twilight as the train pulls into Zürich. I passed the time nursing a drink, reading, watching the countryside, but my mind is not at ease. I narrowly escaped the Von Toten residence, and it seems headquarters is as alarmed by his scientific research as I was. If his research succeeds, this brutal war could become unimaginable.
Here I am at the platform. Surely my superiors would not send me to a new city without any resources.
There should be a contact waiting for me.
Perhaps if I ask this fellow for his newspaper...
I wait for a discreet moment to slip the contents into my pockets. The money I leave alone; I can count that by feel, a generous 50 Franks.
I read
my initial orders. As always, too many words for too little information. The Germans are searching for Von Toten, which could mean any number of things. None of them are good. Well, it seems I am searching for the man and his watchers. A dangerous mission in a dangerous occupation. Headquarters has left more support in a locker, as well as some cues. Sloppy, in my opinion.
The last is the cue I am looking for. Vienna train. CII.
Now to explore the station.
I was on Platform One. To my right is the departure lounge. It seems
I cannot enter it without a ticket.
To the left, two arches greet me. The right arch, furthest from me, leads into the grand hall. Not many travelers tonight. I am sure it was different before the war. Casually I make my way to the customer windows.
The souvenir shop is unattended. A coffee break, it seems. The ticket office has a more diligent girl. Wired into the central system, and yet they still need a live girl to handle the money. I consider the tickets before me.
I do not want to cause a scene with the lounge attendant.
So I'll buy a ticket to anywhere. A cheap one. Perhaps I will have money left over for something to eat.
A little coffee sounds good, actually. I know a good place in the Old Town. It has been years... perhaps the fighting has not shut it down. I make my way to the grandly lit entrance to the right.
I take a step out... and stop. I scan the street, the houses, the rooftops. Though the lamps are very bright, I make out a suspicious shadow. Yes. Someone is watching me. Very carefully I retreat into the station. It is likely safest there in public.
At the end of the grand hall, I act naturally, my gaze drawn to
the giant timetable. Aha.
It's in German, but my mind automatically translates.
Warsaw, Cologne, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Krakow, Innsbruck, Wrocław.
So I make note of the time of the Vienna train.
Wien in the native German.
No doubt an agent checked the times for my exact arrival. Chancy but it narrows the window for infiltration.
Now with free rein to wander the lounge, I walk past the great windows to
the locker room. I mislike those great windows, especially at night, but I keep calm. I examine the bank of lockers, aware of the attendant and the guard behind me. A modern system of course. I need
a locker number and a combination.
The locker numbers are one to three digits, so it cannot be the
Vienna train's time
that I noted before. So it must be the
Roman numerals in my orders.
That leaves the locker combination as the four digit
time.
I collect the items and leave.
I quench my thirst at the small cafe through the left arch.
The photographs are mostly familiar, since I took them at the Von Toten mansion. The analysts at headquarters have extracted the research as well as some possible persons of interest. My escape that time was quite narrow.
The documents are more telling. Mentions of Manfred, Von Toten's supposed butler. The Kaisar Institute, where many of the great minds of the continent are developing new scientific concepts. A love letter; quite poignant. A special type of helium.
At last we have the rendezvous point.
Hotel Allstadt, Thyrmand Strasse 6. Room 13. That is not far from here.
I have to reconsider my strategy.
I need to find another way out of the station to make my rendezvous.
In the back of the cafe, I make a trip to the water closet. I catch of glimpse of myself in the mirror. I am tired, but determined. I check the stalls out of habit...
And there it is, above my head. A window. It is blocked, however. I will have to be quick. Unfortunately I was searched at the border, so I have no
tools. Hmmm.
I consider a dozen different possibilities, including asking someone for a tool. I cannot involve anyone else... I pace through the station, thinking.
Back in the great hall, I see that
the souvenir shop is open.
She is selling postcards... and Swiss Army knives.
From there on, it is quick work.
I return to the stall, unscrew the panel with my new knife. It takes a terribly long time. I keep hoping no one will come in and see me.
Finally the last screw is out. It will be a tight fit, but I toss my bag out the window and then squeeze through. A light landing, a check of the back alley, and I have escaped my watchers.
I wonder who is after me this time.
Chapter 2
A nice little hotel around the corner from the train station and the Old Town. A good place for a safehouse. The lobby is modest. There's a little restaurant, but I ate at the cafe and there is little time for a full meal.
I approach the proprietor and request
room number 13.
Then he tells me that the room does not exist.
I admit that I gape at him for a moment. He is either trying to deceive me or headquarters has become creative. At a loss, I ask for Room 12.
In the hallway, I note that there used to be a Room 13. It has simply been wallpapered over. So
access must be from an adjoining room.
I unlock the door and look around the nicely appointed room. Cozy. I check the wardrobe, the sink, the bible on the desk, the telephone... However the
portrait of Darwin does not seem to be in any way unusual. Hmmm.
What about Room 14?
I go downstairs and, trying not to feel foolish, I ask to switch rooms.
A portrait of Einstein greets me over the bed. It's the same layout, except with the sink and telephone switched. Some things are in odd places. An obvious arrangement, but clever if you don't know what to look for.
First I check the Bible on the bed. Not its usual spot.
A few page turns, and I have a code.
Where to enter the code?
There's the telephone. It's a classic rotary model, but wired up thoroughly. I take the receiver off (click and drag to the right).
Once I dial the code, I hear something from
the wardrobe.
Room 13 is
clearly for a long-term operation. There is a map of The Old Town
with the library marked;
a small desk with drawers; a cardboard box; cleaning equipment; a bed.
In the box I find a lever with a small triangle hole.
In the drawer in the desk, there is a small key.
I am a little disturbed that the table is set, as though for a meal. The autobiography of Mata Hari sits on the bed.
To the right, against the hallway wall, is the secure communication console. I have
memorized my codename; besides, it's listed on every document from headquarters.
However, if I follow the wires...
the power supply is controlled by the breaker by the wardrobe entrance.
The triangle bit is for
the lever. I pull the lever down.
The round hole is for
the key.
Now I can activate the console.
Here come my orders. Perfect.
The agent here is missing. "I've found them"? Never mind Von Toten, my priority is retrieving our agent before his codes and procedures are compromised. I must be on the lookout for hostile agents. Now I must head to the library. I consult the
map and make my way to the Old Town.
I hurry out into the night, hoping the proprietor does not find this suspicious.
Chapter 3
Zurich Hauptbibliothek. The building is imposing... what I am searching for is an entrance.
I check the main doors in front of me, likely with elaborate locks... the wooden door to the left... and the side door on the right.
The last has a window.
However, I must be stealthy. That means I need something to baffle the noise of breaking glass.
Fortunately I still have the newspaper.
I place it over the pane and punch through, unlocking the door.
The hallway is dark. This must be the employees' entrance.
The room in front
is full of chairs.
Room 12
is up the stairs to my left. It's locked, with janitorial supplies beside it.
Room 6
is a map room.
Room 15
has a lot of boxes and an old desk with lots of drawers.
The room at the end
opens up into the library proper. It's an office overlooking the stacks.
A simple railing is between me and the desk.
I unlock the bolt and step inside.
On the desk is a book of borrowers. Naturally our agent had a library ID.
I double-check my orders before entering his library ID into the machine. It seems they read a biography... and returned it to the library. That seems like a promising lead.
I make my way to the end of the hall, into the large gallery. Another one of those huge windows. Moonlight spills over the mosaic floor. I check the upper gallery, then consider the three arched thresholds.
Books
I unlatch the railing and consider the elaborate contraption before me. The control panel has an alcove for the arm of a large rotating machine in the middle of the stacks. There's a slot for some sort of paper.
Catalogue
They seem to be maintaining an old fashioned card catalog. However the cage is locked.
Newspapers
A more modern indexing system keeps the newspapers in order. A console in the middle of the reading room lowers the newspapers from their racks.
Who would have the key
to the catalogue room?
I return to the office overlooking the stacks. Aha.
There is a key in the drawer.
I return to the catalogue room
and unlock the cage. Inside, there are several card catalogue bureaus arranged alphabetically. I check the author's name, and I check the title.
There is nothing in the 'P' section, so I check the 'N' section. Sure enough, the 'NE' drawer has the punchcard I'm looking for.
A punchcard is an input for the new computing machines.
I return to the books room and the control console for the giant rotating arm.
The punchcard fits into the slot nicely. (Watch that the cursor doesn't exit the room.)
Amazing!
The arm retrieves the book automatically, and I take it from the slot. Of course, I wonder how many librarians have been replaced by this contraption.
The book
has an interesting design on its cover. I page through it, looking for a message, as is one of our standard methods for communication. Sure enough
a photograph falls out. It is of a conference, and taken right outside this very building. The agent has hastily scribbled the following:
Zurichsee Zeitung 13/86.
What's more, he has circled a face... is that Von Toten?
I return to the
newspaper room. The console shows
Zurichsee Zeitung, and I pull the corresponding slide. The newspaper rack lowers from the ceiling.
I sit down to read.
I scan through (mouse-over). The article is about a mysterious conference in May, organized by the Newton and inviting all the great scientific minds. And there is Von Toten. I hope I can catch him with my camera...
I examine the photograph more closely.
And then more closely still. I think I've seen this symbol before.
Excited, I make my way to the
mosaic in the middle of the gallery.
This pattern? What does it mean?
Unfortunately for the guard trying to sneak up on me, I hear him coming. I quickly take him out, but the others are too quick for me. Ah!! My vision goes black for a second, and before I know it, I am surrounded.
The man in charge approaches, loathing in his eyes. I do not recognize him, but when he says his name is Manfred Nikolai, I realize: he was Von Toten's butler. The one they suspected.
Then they pull a sack over my head and all is dark.
Chapter 4
I come to in a small cell. All of my things have been confiscated; headquarters will have to change the codes now, even if I manage not to talk. Manfred is there with his cohort, watching me. Belatedly it alarms me that he knows my codename.
He reveals to me that he is the chief of the Kaiser's intelligence service. I school my face to show little surprise. Naturally, he wants something... apparently an organization has taken Von Toten, and Manfred wants to know where. I scowl at him. I know it will make me less valuable to Manfred, but I admit I don't know.
Then he tells me that Von Toten is in Lisbon. Immediately my mind whirls. How can I fulfill my mission now? What's more, Manfred is clearly mad with power. Even if Von Toten's work is the key to rule the world, to use the Kaiser's own intelligence agency in order to grab it is madness.
At last they leave. I look around my cell. The moonlight through the window is comforting; I am not in an interior cell. There is
a bucket in the corner, and my bed.
The bed has a rusty bar. I begin to loosen it. It's making such a racket! Then a sound startles me...
it's someone slipping a note through the bars of my window. Leave immediately, it says. We have an agent in the prison, but I can't blow his cover. I can only hope he is aiding our missing agent... if indeed the agent is here. Fortunately there's a plane waiting for me in the airfield.
But first I must escape. There are no guards around...
I finish loosening the bar and examine it. I sit on the bed... I do not want to be stuck here forever, counting the cracks on the wall where the facade shows the original brick and mortar.
Wait. The cracks. I have an idea. Carefully I tap the bar into one of the cracks. It goes in easily! There are
four cracks, two of them up near the ceiling, in a blind spot of the cell.
However I only have one bar.
I return to the bed and use my one bar to loosen the other bars. It's making quite a din, which tells me this is indeed a good idea: the guards are too far away to pickpocket or otherwise suborn. This is the easiest way to lure them into the cell. My time is short. That plane will not be ready forever.
If I escape, I must escape tonight.
I insert the bars into all the cracks...
drop my coat, and climb them like a ladder. In the dimness, no one will notice the bars. They *will* notice my supposed absence. (Click on the space between the two top bars.)
Then I wait. Soon I hear the sound of footsteps, regular as a metronome. Then he stops. I can almost see his shocked face. His keys jingle... exactly as I planned. I tense and wait for him to enter. All he sees is my coat, and he bends over.
He's probably one who beat me up earlier. I give as good as I get.
My escape is quick and easy. Now off to escape this compound, and on to Lisbon.
Chapter 5
The airfield does indeed have a plane ready. I hope it has enough fuel for Lisbon, though I will settle for enough to leave the country. I must get it ready for flight.
It's night time,
so I must light up the runway. I can't see where it ends. I check the control tower... nothing wrong with the powerlines supplying it. It's a moot point if I can't get inside, though. The door is locked and the first floor window is bolted shut.
A second-floor window ajar.
I scale the gutter and enter the room. (Be careful of clicking the exit.) Once inside, I throw the switches.
I examine the plane. I have to work quickly. They'll be looking for me, and it's almost morning.
I look at the wheels and
remove the blocks.
I check the cockpit
and activate the fuel switch.
Then the engine.
(Center of the plane) I spin the propeller and the engine starts with a comforting purr.
I hop in the cockpit and
(Front, just by the end of the top wing) grab hold of the stick.
At last I take off into the rosy dawn of the skies over Zürich.
After
"remove the blocks" /spoiler, there should be I check the cockpit _spoiler_ and activate the fuel switch. _/spoiler_
Those having problems with hiding spoilers:
plz read the bullet-pointed list just above the "enter your comment" box and study bullet-point #3.
The newspapers not falling at all...what do I do?
I get the number for the locker from the document: CII, which is the roman number for 102. Sorry for mistakes, but English isn`t my mothertongue...
And I also stuck on the intropage of chapter three...I tried to reload etc...but it doesn`t work.
I've no idea what I was doing, but it looked gorgeous!
Shudog,the picture you refer to looks like composer Johannes Brahms to me.
Looks close, dave, but I'm not quite convinced. The chin doesn't look quite right. I thought maybe it was Tesla but I don't think that's him either.
BTW I do have something missing from the last portion of my walkthrough.
After
"remove the blocks" /spoiler, there should be I check the cockpit _spoiler_ and activate the fuel switch. _/spoiler_
Sorry about that!
[Edit: Fixed. And thanks very much for your hint-through, Shudog! :) -Jay]
In Ch 5, the hint-through is missing a step.
The switch in the cockpit needs to be moved before the propeller will spin.
For those who are stuck on the title screen of chapter 3, I may have found a way to unlock it :
Go visit the areas that are to the left of the hotel's manager. It is just a couple of locked doors, but seeing them enabled me to finally move on to chapter 3.
I'm also having trouble. The game is not proceeding past the Chapter 3 intro screen. I'm using Firefox 3.0.11 on Windows 2000.
I've not been able to replicate the Chapter 3 bug. I didn't do as JIGuest above said, and I'm still able to go past it. I have the same system as Zeta, pretty much. What exactly are you guys seeing?
(twm, it was an error on my part, and Jay added my fix.)
Thanks JIGuest. I tried that, but still am stuck on intro to chapter 3.
I'm stuck at the very start, when I'm still in the station.
I tried to go through to the lounge, was stopped, bought a ticket to vienna, tried again and was stopped, looked at the timetable, tried again and was stopped, then as a last resort bought another ticket(to munich this time) and was stopped AGAIN. The tickets are visible in my inventory, but while they disappear off the table while I'm in the scene, if I leave and come back they've been replaced.
Is there something obvious that I have to do that I'm missing? Or am I just bugged?
"Germany. 1904. While others live out their dull, unassuming lives, a spy known as Kara continues her hunt for the elusive Karl von Toten all the way to Zurich."
Well, Zurich is in Switzerland now as it was in 1904...
[Edit: That piece never actually made it into the review. It was left over from a previous and partially used excerpt, recycled and apparently unedited from its original hasty existence. Thanks for pointing it out, though. -Jay]
The next chapter will be in my country, I hope you don't blow it up in the end, lol.
Scotian, Jay,
since this story takes place in an imaginery Europe - one that saw Newton in the XIXth-XXth centuries - in this world Zurich can easily be in Germany :)
bio
i really need some help in the library.
i entered the client number into the machine and got the paper with the book information but i'm not sure where to go from there. i clicked over the far railing and theres a large room with a metal looking something in the middle. i don't know where the room with the star in the middle is. what am i missing?
Unfortunately i have a problem with the library chapter. Everytime i get to this part the game freezes and cant continue.
Its a pity because i was enjoying this game a lot as i do with all Skutnik's games....
Anyone else having the same problem?
@JIGuest:
Paper with the book information
The agent you're looking for returned the book to the library, correct?
So you want to look for the book. Before computers, you looked up books in a library ...
By checking the card catalog.
The machine
That room with the big machine? You see how it has kind of a window to the right? Zoom in to the left. There's a slot there that you'll need *later*.
The star
It's not so much a star as a compass-looking star.
Look down!
I really liked it (thank goodness for that hint-through).
My only complaints are:
1) It needs to be more obvious when clicking will pick something up vs exit a scene.
I swear I jumped out of that &^%$ed airport five times trying to figure out what to click on.
2) The inventory shouldn't hide. Just make the window bigger. It's irritating when you have to open and close it dozens of times.
For example, breaking the metal bars in the prison. This made a simple thing tedious.
3) Finally, please, please don't put sponsor links where they can be accidentally clicked while playing the game. Not only is it annoying to the user (windows keep popping up), but it also breaks the immersing effect of great games like this. :-(
It got a 4 from me because of those issues. The game and story itself are perfect, otherwise.
The thing missing in the walkthrough as posted by Kero, is that when you punch in newton's card (card ne from the library), you have to take the book from that machine, then open the book and find the photo from within. Those TWO steps are missing before the newspaper falling, and that is why I had some issues. I had to go back to the last step to see if I missed something. And that's when i discovered this book.
Looks like Jason also noticed this piece of missing information, and yet the walkthrough has not been amended.
@Tara:
Thanks for pointing that out. I've added it to the walkthrough :). I guess that's why I shouldn't write walkthroughs at 1 am. Sorry for the inconvenience.
~Kero.
OverZealous,
what you told under the first spoiler button happened to me too :) I felt like a stupid stuntman practicing for a film :)))
bio
What I noticed for most of the Pastel-type games, indeed most of the adventure-style ones, is that they tend to be full of smaller areas that have at least one useful or notable thing in each of them but are devoid of other people; in this one, there are plenty of other people and places to look at but only few areas and objects of actual importance. This approach makes the majority of the game draw your attention away from what is needed to figure out how to accomplish your mission, and will have the more detail or puzzle-oriented people head for a walkthrough when they don't see why clicking where they can click on something won't do anything.
I like games with stories, as they focus less on pure puzzling and more on plot-moving obstacles and interactions. Once the realizations happen, the game gets easier once you focus less on combing every square inch of every screen and more on the immediate task at hand.
Ah Ha. I will bet the answer to this series story lies in quantum physics and the potential state of being. Nazis worked on this in the 1940s as an alternate source of energy/weapon.
i cannot get past chapter 3 intro no matter how many times i refresh the page. is there a problem with the game or am i doing something wrong?
I can't find the screws in Chapter 1. I know they're in some obvious place, but I can't find them.Help, please?
nvm i was looking in the wrong stall :P
I'm stuck in room 13.I used the key and the lever on the wall, then turned the key.Then I have enter the number in the machine (m 24769)
I zoom out the machine and hit the button, but nothing happened,the documents weren't printed out . Am I wrong or I miss something?
Please help me...thanks.
nadia -
Is the lever sticking straight up? Did you pull the lever to the side? The lever must be pulled and both lights lit before the machine will work.
Oh, marvelous. I found the previous two Covert Front games long on atmosphere and short on story, but this was a perfectly-sized slice of gameplay. Great puzzles, great art, great everything.
Can't wait for CF4!
how do i get a full - screen version? The screen is so tiny, and the download version doesn't "save"
[Edit: The online version does not support Full screen. -Jay]
I am in jail and I have one Rod from the bed, but I cant get the other three, I tried reloading my game and I still cant get them. I have already gotten and read the note. . .
Kirissa -
Use the rod in your inventory to get the next one. Pick up the rod and use it to hit the next one. Once you pick up that one use one to hit the next and so on until you have all of them.
Chapter 4 seems to be seriously bugged:
once I started using the rods on the cracks in the wall, after putting the first rod in place, it was impossible for me to put the rod left in my "hand" (i.e. being in use) down, i.e. return it to the inventory, or stick it in any other place.
I tried pressing ESC, but that only paused the game. After I returned to it, the blasted rod was still in my "hand".
Update on my previous message: I finally DID manage to depose the rod.
May I ask the inventory be made easier to see, please? This is a recurrent problem in this fascinating series of games: the inventory is not "lit" well enough (and I have perfectly good eyesight.)
In the newspaper hall of the library (old town) I would like to choose another newspaper than the currently chosen one (I think I pulled the uttermost left lever). However, the rack of newspapers obscures the selection machine and the click-area either results in a zoom onto the rail with newspapers (front left rail) or in an exit of the room ... Is this a possible bug, or is there a possible action to undertake that I've missed?
Thanks in advance
this may be really unimportant but i wonder how she fits through that hole in the toilet.it looks really small.
I have the swiss army knife in the bathroom but i don't know where to unscrew. HELP!
HELP -
You need to go into the stall on the right. Move your cursor to the top of the screen and click. Now you should see a window that has six screws. Use the swiss army knife on each of the screws and the window will fall away. Then click on the now revealed space and you will get a cut-scene leading you to chapter 2.
I found this a lot less intuitive than the previous two Covert Fronts, as well as the Submachine series, which I can usually get through mostly or entirely without walkthrough. This one just doesn't really work for me. :(
Well, I walked into a room in the library with an orange cushioned chair and now I can't click back out of it because my inventory and a bunch of cardboard boxes are blocking the bottom of the screen. This bug is so annoying, I think I'll give up on this game.
Uhhh... and then one second after posting that, I realize that all I needed to do was press the inventory button to hide it. XD
For some reason, I'm having a problem with the phone -- it won't stay put on the table. I tried doing it in a different browser, but I guess that's not it... grr. Is anyone else having this problem?
Indigo:
You might be in the wrong room. The phone only stays on the table in one room.
Just a fun detail to put behind the spoiler cut... what the last newspaper article says. Yeah Covert Front 3!!
[Photo captions]
An informal conference took place on May 3rd this year. The sole organizer of that meeting was Isaac Newton. [Isaac Newton invited some of the most famous people in science.] We were unable to establish the meaning of this conference. One of the best physicists, Karl Von Toten, was also present. [Karl Von Toten caught arriving at the library.] Is it the first step in (sic) creation of multinational science committee? It took place in our Hauptbibliothek.
This game makes me feel like a paranoid collecting information from billboards and using it as codes. Apparently random puzzles and a few bugs pushed me away from this game.. maybe i'll give it a try again later!
Question--game reality??
The first time I played this game
I found or entered some code on the code machine in room 13 which gave me the alias of the person who was previously staying there....I think. There code started with a 'k'....I think.
Anyone else find this....or did I dream it???
Why cant i get of the train! :S i went right and went up the small steps where there is some kind of signs? :S Anyways, when i click back to the left i am still on the train and cant do anything. What shall i do? Anyone else with this problem. And now i mean first page, first chapter. lol, already stuck.
The locker number "102" comes from a document you receive. At the bottom of the doc it reads: "-further instructions in locker. Vienna train. CII" CII is the roman numeral equivalent of 102.
Have already finished Covert front 1 & 2 and Just now finished covert front 3, what great games. Not too hard not too easy, I can't wait for covert front 4. Thank you for your work & imagination ....
trou
Hmmm.. I am at Chapter 2 in the correct hotel room and have the phone off the hook. I dial the code, but nothing happens.
No noise, nothing.
It doesn't seem to accept the code received...
Odd... Can anyone help me?
Hello,
I've tried it now for the 4th time, and I always stuck at the intro of chapter 3 - the library and can't go on ... is it possible, that there is some bug, or is it a mistake I made?
Greetings, mermaid
This series is amazing. Pastel Games have the most amazing, dramatic, atmospheric visual effects and nice game play that requires logic and common sense, its a an exciting, puzzling adventure till the end. I wish for an infinite series of Covet Front! Really really impressed with this great piece of art and the dedication that Pastel Games has to make each one of their games looking like art work, providing us with gastronomic experiences:) I have played all 3 Covert Front games/ And I await Covert Front 4;)
What railing!?
Does anyone else s inventory keep just disappearing all of the sudden and not coming back? I mean it's there when I close the game and reopen it but then POOF! It's gone and i can't do anything!
Nevermind. I was looking for the little i button as described in the blurb above but it turns out you have to press the i key on your keyboard ;)
Leave a comment [top of page]
Game of the week
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
Covert Front 3 Walkthrough
Chapter 1
Look left, and click on the man at the bench.
Pick up and open the newspaper he drops. Pick up the pile of papers and the wallet. The papers contain a letter. Read the letter and notice in the message the characters "CII".
Think Roman numerals and decode this for later, you will need it.
Go to the right and enter the station.
Once in the station go to the left and find a ticket window, it doesn't matter which ticket you buy.
Look at the schedule on the left. Note the time for Wien, you'll need that code later.
Go to backwards, and then to the right, and right again.
Go through the door, and then to the right. Look on the right of the room for a wall of lockers.
Open the locker using the number from the letter as the locker number, and the time for Wien as the code for the locker.
Locker 102, code 2340
Get all the items from the locker.
Go back to where you bought the ticket, and use the window on the left, buy a swiss army knife.
Go back one screen and go in the left entrance, to the restaurant.
Go in the bathroom at the back, and enter the right stall.
Use the swiss army knife on the screws, and exit through the window.
Chapter 2:
Enter the hotel, and talk to the manager. Purchase key 14.
Go upstairs and enter room 14.
Open the bible and flip through the pages until you get the document.
Go to the phone and put the receiver on the table.
Enter the number you got from the bible, should be page 14 of your documents.
Open the wardrobe and enter the secret room.
Collect the lever from the cardboard box, and a key from the drawer on the right.
Use the lever and the key on the panel next to the door behind you. turn them so both lights are lit.
turn left and zoom in on the machine. Enter the your ID, found on the first letter you collected.
m-24-7-69
Zoom out and click the main button on the machine.
Collect the document.
Exit to hotel and head to "Old Town"
Chapter 3
Zoom in on the door on the left wall. Use the newspaper to break the window.
Enter the door, and go right. Go to the door thats straight ahead.
click on the railing to open it.
Open the desk and get the key out of it. Then use the machine on the desk and enter 32158, and get the paper that prints out.
Go to the main hall in the right, with the star on the floor.
Enter the middle room and use your key to open the gate.
look for the N, cabinet, and then the E drawer, and get the card that prints out.
Go back out and enter the door on the left, put the card in the machine, and use the button.
Once the machine delivers the book, open it and get the photo inside.
Look at the photo.
Go back to the hall, and enter the door on the right.
Use the lever labeled Zurichsee Zeitung
Click the newspapers that come down, and then look at the paper that drops. Examine the picture, you will get a cutscene.
Go back to the main hall and click on the star on the floor.
Chapter 4
Talk to the guard.
Turn right and then zoom in on the bed. Get the four metal rods from the bed.
Use the rusted first rod to help get the others.
Grab the note off the windowsill.
Turn to the right and hide the four rods in the cracks in the wall, and climb up as you do. The cracks are where the red spots are. You will have to zoom in on them.
Chapter 5:
click on the house twice. and climb up the right gutter.
Inside use both the switches.
Go back outside, and go to the plane. Take out the blocks by the wheels.
Enter the plane, and click the lever on the right of the panel.
Go back out of the plane and turn the propeller just behind the wings.
Enter the plane and fly away!
Posted by: Kero
|
July 17, 2009 1:57 AM
Narrative Hint-through
Chapter 1
It is twilight as the train pulls into Zürich. I passed the time nursing a drink, reading, watching the countryside, but my mind is not at ease. I narrowly escaped the Von Toten residence, and it seems headquarters is as alarmed by his scientific research as I was. If his research succeeds, this brutal war could become unimaginable.
Here I am at the platform. Surely my superiors would not send me to a new city without any resources.
There should be a contact waiting for me.
Perhaps if I ask this fellow for his newspaper...
I wait for a discreet moment to slip the contents into my pockets. The money I leave alone; I can count that by feel, a generous 50 Franks.
I read
my initial orders. As always, too many words for too little information. The Germans are searching for Von Toten, which could mean any number of things. None of them are good. Well, it seems I am searching for the man and his watchers. A dangerous mission in a dangerous occupation. Headquarters has left more support in a locker, as well as some cues. Sloppy, in my opinion.
The last is the cue I am looking for. Vienna train. CII.
Now to explore the station.
I was on Platform One. To my right is the departure lounge. It seems
I cannot enter it without a ticket.
To the left, two arches greet me. The right arch, furthest from me, leads into the grand hall. Not many travelers tonight. I am sure it was different before the war. Casually I make my way to the customer windows.
The souvenir shop is unattended. A coffee break, it seems. The ticket office has a more diligent girl. Wired into the central system, and yet they still need a live girl to handle the money. I consider the tickets before me.
I do not want to cause a scene with the lounge attendant.
So I'll buy a ticket to anywhere. A cheap one. Perhaps I will have money left over for something to eat.
A little coffee sounds good, actually. I know a good place in the Old Town. It has been years... perhaps the fighting has not shut it down. I make my way to the grandly lit entrance to the right.
I take a step out... and stop. I scan the street, the houses, the rooftops. Though the lamps are very bright, I make out a suspicious shadow. Yes. Someone is watching me. Very carefully I retreat into the station. It is likely safest there in public.
At the end of the grand hall, I act naturally, my gaze drawn to
the giant timetable. Aha.
It's in German, but my mind automatically translates.
Warsaw, Cologne, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Krakow, Innsbruck, Wrocław.
So I make note of the time of the Vienna train.
Wien in the native German.
No doubt an agent checked the times for my exact arrival. Chancy but it narrows the window for infiltration.
Now with free rein to wander the lounge, I walk past the great windows to
the locker room. I mislike those great windows, especially at night, but I keep calm. I examine the bank of lockers, aware of the attendant and the guard behind me. A modern system of course. I need
a locker number and a combination.
The locker numbers are one to three digits, so it cannot be the
Vienna train's time
that I noted before. So it must be the
Roman numerals in my orders.
That leaves the locker combination as the four digit
time.
I collect the items and leave.
I quench my thirst at the small cafe through the left arch.
The photographs are mostly familiar, since I took them at the Von Toten mansion. The analysts at headquarters have extracted the research as well as some possible persons of interest. My escape that time was quite narrow.
The documents are more telling. Mentions of Manfred, Von Toten's supposed butler. The Kaisar Institute, where many of the great minds of the continent are developing new scientific concepts. A love letter; quite poignant. A special type of helium.
At last we have the rendezvous point.
Hotel Allstadt, Thyrmand Strasse 6. Room 13. That is not far from here.
I have to reconsider my strategy.
I need to find another way out of the station to make my rendezvous.
In the back of the cafe, I make a trip to the water closet. I catch of glimpse of myself in the mirror. I am tired, but determined. I check the stalls out of habit...
And there it is, above my head. A window. It is blocked, however. I will have to be quick. Unfortunately I was searched at the border, so I have no
tools. Hmmm.
I consider a dozen different possibilities, including asking someone for a tool. I cannot involve anyone else... I pace through the station, thinking.
Back in the great hall, I see that
the souvenir shop is open.
She is selling postcards... and Swiss Army knives.
From there on, it is quick work.
I return to the stall, unscrew the panel with my new knife. It takes a terribly long time. I keep hoping no one will come in and see me.
Finally the last screw is out. It will be a tight fit, but I toss my bag out the window and then squeeze through. A light landing, a check of the back alley, and I have escaped my watchers.
I wonder who is after me this time.
Chapter 2
A nice little hotel around the corner from the train station and the Old Town. A good place for a safehouse. The lobby is modest. There's a little restaurant, but I ate at the cafe and there is little time for a full meal.
I approach the proprietor and request
room number 13.
Then he tells me that the room does not exist.
I admit that I gape at him for a moment. He is either trying to deceive me or headquarters has become creative. At a loss, I ask for Room 12.
In the hallway, I note that there used to be a Room 13. It has simply been wallpapered over. So
access must be from an adjoining room.
I unlock the door and look around the nicely appointed room. Cozy. I check the wardrobe, the sink, the bible on the desk, the telephone... However the
portrait of Darwin does not seem to be in any way unusual. Hmmm.
What about Room 14?
I go downstairs and, trying not to feel foolish, I ask to switch rooms.
A portrait of Einstein greets me over the bed. It's the same layout, except with the sink and telephone switched. Some things are in odd places. An obvious arrangement, but clever if you don't know what to look for.
First I check the Bible on the bed. Not its usual spot.
A few page turns, and I have a code.
Where to enter the code?
There's the telephone. It's a classic rotary model, but wired up thoroughly. I take the receiver off (click and drag to the right).
Once I dial the code, I hear something from
the wardrobe.
Room 13 is
clearly for a long-term operation. There is a map of The Old Town
with the library marked;
a small desk with drawers; a cardboard box; cleaning equipment; a bed.
In the box I find a lever with a small triangle hole.
In the drawer in the desk, there is a small key.
I am a little disturbed that the table is set, as though for a meal. The autobiography of Mata Hari sits on the bed.
To the right, against the hallway wall, is the secure communication console. I have
memorized my codename; besides, it's listed on every document from headquarters.
However, if I follow the wires...
the power supply is controlled by the breaker by the wardrobe entrance.
The triangle bit is for
the lever. I pull the lever down.
The round hole is for
the key.
Now I can activate the console.
Here come my orders. Perfect.
The agent here is missing. "I've found them"? Never mind Von Toten, my priority is retrieving our agent before his codes and procedures are compromised. I must be on the lookout for hostile agents. Now I must head to the library. I consult the
map and make my way to the Old Town.
I hurry out into the night, hoping the proprietor does not find this suspicious.
Chapter 3
Zurich Hauptbibliothek. The building is imposing... what I am searching for is an entrance.
I check the main doors in front of me, likely with elaborate locks... the wooden door to the left... and the side door on the right.
The last has a window.
However, I must be stealthy. That means I need something to baffle the noise of breaking glass.
Fortunately I still have the newspaper.
I place it over the pane and punch through, unlocking the door.
The hallway is dark. This must be the employees' entrance.
The room in front
is full of chairs.
Room 12
is up the stairs to my left. It's locked, with janitorial supplies beside it.
Room 6
is a map room.
Room 15
has a lot of boxes and an old desk with lots of drawers.
The room at the end
opens up into the library proper. It's an office overlooking the stacks.
A simple railing is between me and the desk.
I unlock the bolt and step inside.
On the desk is a book of borrowers. Naturally our agent had a library ID.
I double-check my orders before entering his library ID into the machine. It seems they read a biography... and returned it to the library. That seems like a promising lead.
I make my way to the end of the hall, into the large gallery. Another one of those huge windows. Moonlight spills over the mosaic floor. I check the upper gallery, then consider the three arched thresholds.
Books
I unlatch the railing and consider the elaborate contraption before me. The control panel has an alcove for the arm of a large rotating machine in the middle of the stacks. There's a slot for some sort of paper.
Catalogue
They seem to be maintaining an old fashioned card catalog. However the cage is locked.
Newspapers
A more modern indexing system keeps the newspapers in order. A console in the middle of the reading room lowers the newspapers from their racks.
Who would have the key
to the catalogue room?
I return to the office overlooking the stacks. Aha.
There is a key in the drawer.
I return to the catalogue room
and unlock the cage. Inside, there are several card catalogue bureaus arranged alphabetically. I check the author's name, and I check the title.
There is nothing in the 'P' section, so I check the 'N' section. Sure enough, the 'NE' drawer has the punchcard I'm looking for.
A punchcard is an input for the new computing machines.
I return to the books room and the control console for the giant rotating arm.
The punchcard fits into the slot nicely. (Watch that the cursor doesn't exit the room.)
Amazing!
The arm retrieves the book automatically, and I take it from the slot. Of course, I wonder how many librarians have been replaced by this contraption.
The book
has an interesting design on its cover. I page through it, looking for a message, as is one of our standard methods for communication. Sure enough
a photograph falls out. It is of a conference, and taken right outside this very building. The agent has hastily scribbled the following:
Zurichsee Zeitung 13/86.
What's more, he has circled a face... is that Von Toten?
I return to the
newspaper room. The console shows
Zurichsee Zeitung, and I pull the corresponding slide. The newspaper rack lowers from the ceiling.
I sit down to read.
I scan through (mouse-over). The article is about a mysterious conference in May, organized by the Newton and inviting all the great scientific minds. And there is Von Toten. I hope I can catch him with my camera...
I examine the photograph more closely.
And then more closely still. I think I've seen this symbol before.
Excited, I make my way to the
mosaic in the middle of the gallery.
This pattern? What does it mean?
Unfortunately for the guard trying to sneak up on me, I hear him coming. I quickly take him out, but the others are too quick for me. Ah!! My vision goes black for a second, and before I know it, I am surrounded.
The man in charge approaches, loathing in his eyes. I do not recognize him, but when he says his name is Manfred Nikolai, I realize: he was Von Toten's butler. The one they suspected.
Then they pull a sack over my head and all is dark.
Chapter 4
I come to in a small cell. All of my things have been confiscated; headquarters will have to change the codes now, even if I manage not to talk. Manfred is there with his cohort, watching me. Belatedly it alarms me that he knows my codename.
He reveals to me that he is the chief of the Kaiser's intelligence service. I school my face to show little surprise. Naturally, he wants something... apparently an organization has taken Von Toten, and Manfred wants to know where. I scowl at him. I know it will make me less valuable to Manfred, but I admit I don't know.
Then he tells me that Von Toten is in Lisbon. Immediately my mind whirls. How can I fulfill my mission now? What's more, Manfred is clearly mad with power. Even if Von Toten's work is the key to rule the world, to use the Kaiser's own intelligence agency in order to grab it is madness.
At last they leave. I look around my cell. The moonlight through the window is comforting; I am not in an interior cell. There is
a bucket in the corner, and my bed.
The bed has a rusty bar. I begin to loosen it. It's making such a racket! Then a sound startles me...
it's someone slipping a note through the bars of my window. Leave immediately, it says. We have an agent in the prison, but I can't blow his cover. I can only hope he is aiding our missing agent... if indeed the agent is here. Fortunately there's a plane waiting for me in the airfield.
But first I must escape. There are no guards around...
I finish loosening the bar and examine it. I sit on the bed... I do not want to be stuck here forever, counting the cracks on the wall where the facade shows the original brick and mortar.
Wait. The cracks. I have an idea. Carefully I tap the bar into one of the cracks. It goes in easily! There are
four cracks, two of them up near the ceiling, in a blind spot of the cell.
However I only have one bar.
I return to the bed and use my one bar to loosen the other bars. It's making quite a din, which tells me this is indeed a good idea: the guards are too far away to pickpocket or otherwise suborn. This is the easiest way to lure them into the cell. My time is short. That plane will not be ready forever.
If I escape, I must escape tonight.
I insert the bars into all the cracks...
drop my coat, and climb them like a ladder. In the dimness, no one will notice the bars. They *will* notice my supposed absence. (Click on the space between the two top bars.)
Then I wait. Soon I hear the sound of footsteps, regular as a metronome. Then he stops. I can almost see his shocked face. His keys jingle... exactly as I planned. I tense and wait for him to enter. All he sees is my coat, and he bends over.
He's probably one who beat me up earlier. I give as good as I get.
My escape is quick and easy. Now off to escape this compound, and on to Lisbon.
Chapter 5
The airfield does indeed have a plane ready. I hope it has enough fuel for Lisbon, though I will settle for enough to leave the country. I must get it ready for flight.
It's night time,
so I must light up the runway. I can't see where it ends. I check the control tower... nothing wrong with the powerlines supplying it. It's a moot point if I can't get inside, though. The door is locked and the first floor window is bolted shut.
A second-floor window ajar.
I scale the gutter and enter the room. (Be careful of clicking the exit.) Once inside, I throw the switches.
I examine the plane. I have to work quickly. They'll be looking for me, and it's almost morning.
I look at the wheels and
remove the blocks.
I check the cockpit
and activate the fuel switch.
Then the engine.
(Center of the plane) I spin the propeller and the engine starts with a comforting purr.
I hop in the cockpit and
(Front, just by the end of the top wing) grab hold of the stick.
At last I take off into the rosy dawn of the skies over Zürich.
After
"remove the blocks" /spoiler, there should be I check the cockpit _spoiler_ and activate the fuel switch. _/spoiler_
Posted by: Shudog
|
July 18, 2009 12:53 AM