3 - The Balloon World

Sam
The Compass-puzzle

Sam has landed

far away in a
world of
balloons. He
tries to get in
contact with
Hannah and
when he fails
he records his position and commentaries.
At the bottom of the screen you see something that looks like a compass but with strange
symbols. Zoom in on it.
Note down the sign the hand is pointing to and which direction it is. The sign is different
every game. You have to find them all without saving in between.

Turn around
and enter the
room. There is
a big round
plate. Zoom in
on it. You find
the same
symbols as on
the compass but placed differently. Click at them and you'll hear their names in the Argilian
language. Check the compass to see the corresponding direction. Take a note of the signs and
direction and give a phonetic description of the sound so you can recognize it later. On the
picture at right you can see my notes but we all hear differently so make your own notes.

There must be something more to it than this. Maybe their are some more compasses. Go
looking for them. For each compass you find note down the sign and direction and the order
in which you find them. There are five in total. Here are some hints how you can go.
F means take a step forward, L and R means turn left or right.
L, F, R, F, L, F, R look at compass two and note down the symbol and the number 2.
R, F, F (you see a gondola) F, L look at compass 3 and note down the symbol and the number
3.
R, F, L look at compass 4. Note dome the sign and the number 4.
R, F look at compass 5, Note down the symbol and the number 5.

Now you have found all five compasses.

 Turn right and
look at the
mission-log.
Click at it and
you'll see and
hear Dr.
Frances
Bremmer
rapport. She says that Susan has taken a balloon and gone alone to base 2 but is not heard
from for 12 days. From the beginning they were 32 in her team, now only 4 remains. He also
mentions that Angela Davies has found something important at Bosh Tunnel and that the gas-
collector doesn't function properly.
Walk the whole way back to the round blue plate. There you find another mission-log. This
time it is Dr. Hovis and he tells you there is danger ahead and that you should leave this place
immediately.

Zoom in on the
round plate and
click at the
symbols in the
order that you
found them,.
Have you done
it rightly the
center part opens and shows nine pearls. Pick then up to get them in your inventory.

A new balloon

Now it is time
to leave this
balloon. Go to
the gondola
you saw earlier.
Click at it to sit
down. Click at
the handle to
take off.
You land at another balloon a bit further away.
 Turn around
and take a step
forward. Look
left. There is a
big round plate
looking like a
Dart-board
with a lot of
unknown symbols.
Walk all the way to the other side of the balloon. Go left to the border and look down. You
can see a fishlike balloon but it is empty. If you could fill it you might be able to use it.
Turn around and walk to the crossroad in the balloon.

Gas-collector puzzle

Look left and

right. On both
side you see
similar
machines. A
big round plate
with a smaller
one to the right.
Go to one of the big plates. Two pipes lead from the center-button. The right one goes to a
small balloon the left one goes to the flat fish-balloon you saw outside. The hand in the
center-button is pointing to the right indicating that the gas first is lead to the small balloon.
Click 15 times at one of the handles. Then click the center-button.

You are
automatically
turned to the
small plate. It
has one outer
and one inner
ring with 12
markings in
each just like a clock. Let us name the markings from 1 to 12 as on a clock. Look at the
hands. The black hand in the outer ring is pointing to 1. The grey hand in the inner ring is
pointing to three. You pressed the button 15 times. 15=1x12 + 3. Each time you press the
hand in the inner circle is moved on step. When it has moved 12 times the hand in the outer
ring moves 1 step.
If you press 50 times the outer hand would show 4 and the inner hand 2. 50 = 4x12 + 2. Just
multiply the mark on the outer ring with 12 and add the mark on the inner ring.
Return to the big plate and press the same button. The hand in the center-button turns to the
left and you can see the gas going into the fish-balloon but then it goes out again and the
balloon is as flat as ever.
 Turn around an
go to the other
machine.
Before you get
there Frances
Brenner
appears in an
optical effect.
She talks in broken sentences.

"... one gas can be used ...

... two times stronger than the other gasses in the collector that gets it from the atmosphere.
... collector is unstable so you can't know which pipe carries the correct gas ...
... measure lifting power ...
... just one try because the pattern changes each time...
... I wish I could ..."

You can't test by taking one pipe at the time because the pattern changes. But you could be
smart and find a method to find the heavier gas in one try. Number the pipes from 1 to 10.
Start where you like but remember your choice. I did as shown on the right picture.
If you just click once at each pipe and then at the center-button the small plate will show 11.
You have sent 10 portions of gas but one is twice as heavy as the others. You can't decide
though which pipe holds the heavier gas.
But if you fill 1 portion from pipe 1, two portions from pipe 2 and so on until you have filled
ten portions from pipe 10, then you know that you have filled 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10=55
portions.
Press the center button and check the weight-meter. It should show more than 55 since one
gas is heavier. If the meter reads 56 then the heavier gas must be in pipe one. If the meter
reads 65 the heavier gas is in pipe 10. (65-55=10)
When you have decided which pipe contains the heavier gas return to the big plate and press
the corresponding button and the gas is transferred to the fish-balloon, This time it rises half
way and stays there. Now you must do exactly the same thing on the other gas-collector. But
be careful, because if you fail you must redo everything from the beginning.

The fish-balloon

If everything is
correctly done
the fish-balloon
is filled and
you can see it
mooring at the
platform.
Go there and
enter the fish-balloon. When you can't go any further turn around and go forward into the
steering-cabin.
 There are two
chairs. Turn
left and look at
the chair. Take
the CD.
Turn around
and look at the
other chair to
sit down. Look at the maneuvering panel. There are three groups of symbols similar to those
you saw at the big blue plate when you landed.
Exit the fish-balloon and go all the way through the balloon and zoom in on the plate.
Your pointer is turned into a claw and the CD in your inventory is highlighted. Click at the
plate and the CD is placed in the middle and one of the sectors is highlighted.

Click at the
three
symbols in
the
highlighted
sector, one at
the time.
Each time
two other symbols are highlighted. Note down what they look like and if they are found on
the upper or lower part of the plate. Then return to the captain's chair in the fish-balloon.

Save your game.

Now you must

enter the
symbols on the
controls.
Move the left
handle until the
first of the
three radial
symbol is shown. Move the indicator on the arc to the corresponding upper symbol on the
plate. Move the right handle to the lower symbol on the plate. (Look at the leftmost picture
above.)
Do the same with the remaining symbols. (Look at the middle and right picture above.)
When all is correctly done, press the middle button and take off. (Hopefully you are mooring
at the right place. If not return to your saved game and try again.)