Conference rusure::nintendo

    Solstice is a derivation of my absolutely most favorite computer game,
    Head Over Heels for the Commodore 64.  I just got it at Electronics
    Boutique in Pheasant Lane Mall.

    Both games are three-dimensional -- not just in view, but in the
    movement.  Objects can be picked up and stacked on each other, pushed
    off, et cetera.  An object is "picked up" by standing on top of it and
    pressing B.  The object disappears from the room, but is in your
    possession.  Pressing B again makes the object appear under you.  You
    can carry only one object, and it can only be carried within the
    current room.  (Rooms are reset when re-entered; if you mess something
    up in a room, leave and come back.)

    Head Over Heels had two characters with somewhat different
    characteristics -- Head and Heels.  They could be operated together or
    separately, and various puzzles in the game required them to separate
    or combine.  Solstice has only one character.

    One example of puzzle-solving is (this isn't a spoiler; it's in a
    demonstration screen) to pick up a block, drop it in another (higher)
    place, and push it onto the head of a monster as it walks by.  Then you
    can jump on the block and ride the monster to a location in the room
    you couldn't reach otherwise.

    A note about the coins:  Getting a coin makes a record of your current
    location and status.  When your last life is used up, you are offered a
    continue option.  This restores you to the location and status of the
    last coin you picked up.  When you use up your lives again, the
    continue option returns you to the previous location at which you
    picked up a coin -- it is a stack of saves.

    You might want to skip a coin when you first come to it, improve your
    position in the game a bit, and then get the coin.

    Head Over Heels had a lot of puzzles -- quite a number of ingenious
    arrangements that required thinking of novel ways to use the abilities
    of Head and Heels.  One of them required Heels to push a block off a
    ledge, move it, push another block onto the first, push a third block
    partly off a ledge, go around the other side to stand partly under the
    block, jump onto the ledge (at the same time lifting the
    party-overhanging block on Heels' head), jump onto the other two
    blocks, and finally jump off the two blocks and move out from under the
    third block to let it fall onto the two.
    
    I've seen about a quarter of the rooms in Solstice.  They haven't
    gotten to the level I saw in Head Over Heels, but there are some of the
    same features.
    

    				-- edp

Yo eric and edp!
How's Solstice going? I've been curious about this game since I saw 
it advertised. Is it maintaining your interest? Too difficult/easy?

I'm planning on buying it...any reason I shouldn't?

thanks-
/chuck

    Re .2:
    
    I'm sorry, but I can't give you an update yet.  I played through a
    couple of dozen rooms, but then I moved on to finish The Magic of
    Scheherazade and start Tombs and Treasure (sort of a Shadowgate-like
    game, although the interface is clunkier and the game doesn't seem too
    deep yet, but it may be early in the game).  I'll play a little of
    Adventures of Lolo 2 and Final Fantasy before I get back to Solstice.
    
    
    				-- edp

Since I've been playing this game for a short while now I thought 
I'd give a brief recommendation. This is an all adventure game, with 
about 250 different rooms or areas to explore.  The graphics and 
sound are both excellent. I've played Link I and II and like the 
whole layout and implementation of the game much more.

The hero has to save the woman from the evil clutches of the bad 
guy, and finding parts of the staff hidden throughout are what make 
the final battle possible. Keys need to be acquired to open 
invisible doors as well.

What makes this game really nice is the 3-dimensional display. The 
hero moves easily across the floors and jumping is very easy. Unlike 
Link, there's much more emphasis on exploring than having to fight 
off creatures to stay alive, although there is some of that.

You really need to map the basement (lower) areas to figure out 
where you are. Mapping in general is well advised. I've been having 
a ball making maps and converting them to a SuperPaint document on 
my Macintosh. *If* I can get them complete enough, I may be able to 
make them available, but duplication would cost some bucks, since 
they're fairly large.  The castle is massive. It's much easier to 
explore than Metroid, with maybe about 20% more areas to enter into.

I hope others try this game, especially if you like adventure games, 
where you really need to think and remember rather than just shoot 
things up.

More to come I'm sure.

/chuck

    I just got this game yesterday, and it seems like a lot of fun, BUT,
    unless my controller is messed up, there is one major difficulty:
    the directions on the controller don't agree with the movement of the
    character. Ther are consistent, but pushing ^ on the controller does
    not make the character move toward the top of the screen (same for <>).
    Perhaps this is an attempt to simulate 3d animation, but it sure makes
    it hard to do delicate moves (if you have a limited memory like mine),
    because you have to 'try' each direction periodically to remember how
    to make the character move in the direction you want. Anybody else
    having this problem?

    Re .5:
    
    The screen is "slanted" to show the three-dimensional view.  Up on the
    joystick corresponds to either the top-right or top-left of the screen;
    I forget which.
    
    I find it helps to determine which way the movement is and then turn
    the joystick in my hands so that it is aligned with the movement on the
    screen.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Well, I've done a couple of hundred rooms now, so I can tell more about
    the game.  Also, I could use some clues from anybody who has finished
    -- see below.
    
    For those deciding to buy, this game is pretty good.  It has not seemed
    as difficult as the computer game it is based on.  I think that is
    partly due to the fact that I know some of the puzzles already and
    partly because this game is in fact easier than the computer game Head
    Over Heels.  However, Solstice is challenging and interesting.  You
    will almost certainly need to make a map.
    
    Also, a key sequence is available to give unlimited lives and potions;
    let me know if you want it.
    
    
    				-- edp
    
    I have five pieces of the staff and three keys and I have explored
    every room I can get to.  The only doorway I cannot get through is a
    small square room where you come in from the northwest and there is a
    doorway southwest -- but it is at the top of three circular blocks. 
    There is nothing in the room to work with, so I have not got a clue. 
    This room is reached two rooms after the room where you have to jump on
    three trolls to reach the doorway.  Can anybody help?
    

    Nevermind about my help request in .7; I've finished the game.  I
    called Nintendo to ask for help, and they told me that nothing special
    was needed in the room I was stuck in.  I went back and there were
    blocks in it that weren't there before.  I don't think I picked up any
    keys; it might have been a bug in the game.  Anyway, I got through that
    and went on to the rest of the rooms.  They saved the tough puzzles for
    the end -- some really tricky things.
    
    I entered every doorway and up or down exit possible except for one
    near the end that I could not go through before I had the complete
    staff and that I did not try afterward.  I finished with 245 rooms, 84%
    of the game.  So there must be another few dozen rooms beyond that
    passage -- maybe something worth trying someday.
    
    By the way, I don't know what's going on with the game's calculation of
    percent, but it is not correct to the four figures they show, at least
    not if they are figuring it as number of rooms done.  The arithmetic is
    a bit off.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Here's the key sequence that gives you a large number of lives and
    refills your potion bottles.  In the subscreen, press the following
    buttons ("S" indicates the start button; B is B):
    
    	BSSBBSSBBSS
    	SBSBBBSSSBSB
    	SSBSSBBSBS
    
    The screen will start to flash.  If you leave the subscreen and return,
    your hats and bottles will be full.  Nintendo Power said there were a
    lot of lives, but not how many (255 is a likely number) -- so you might
    want to check every now and then to be sure you are not getting low.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Sounds like a lot of BS. ;^) ;^) ;^)
    
    I just couldn't help myself.
    
    Cowboy

    This is one of the games that I have on my "intend to buy someday"
    list.  It sounds pretty interesting, but I do have one question on it.
    If you don't consider yourself too logical and calculating when it
    comes to games, would this game prove too difficult to be enjoyed?  I
    hope not.  I'll probably still get it if the answer is yes, I'll just
    be here asking a lot of questions.
    
    I noticed a few replies back that someone mentioned calling Nintendo
    for game tips.  What is the current number to call for that?
    
    
    >> David <<

    re: .11
    
    Current game couselor number is: 206/885-7529.  It's a
    local call for me, so no sweat.  But be careful, as you
    may be on hold for awhile after you connect.  To save
    money, I would save up a few very specific questions and
    they'll usually be very helpful.
    
    Joel
    

    Thanks for the number information and the advice on it, Joel.  Would 
    you happen to have an opinion on my question about the game itself?
    
    
    >> David <<

    Re .11:
    
    Solstice is not as hard as its computer-game predecessor, Head Over
    Heels.  You will probably need to make a map.  There will be places
    where you have to sit and scratch your head and go "Huh?  What do I do
    here?".  You will need to figure out what to push where to get certain
    things to happen.
    
    This is not a puzzle game like Adventures of Lolo.  I found most of the
    puzzles not too hard, but I'm really good at these things; they're my
    favorite.  Maybe somebody else has an opinion?
    
    
    				-- edp

    re: .13
    
    No, sorry, no opinion as I have not played this game.  The
    Game Counselors might be your best bet - I've called them
    many times myself and, as I say, they are usually helpful.
    
    Joel
    

    I have Solstice, and have played it for about fifteen hours - I find
    that the most annoying part of it is the lack of a 'save' feature - the
    game is too long to play straight through (at least at my modest
    ability level). I would think hard before buying this game again.
    (just my 2cents)
    Rich
    

    Re: .16
    
    It's 2 cent information like that that I need.  It gives me something
    to weigh my decision on.  Personally, I haven't gotten all the way
    through any of the games that I have (and at times I doubt that I ever
    will).  Part of the reason being that I usually put in about an hour a
    day on my Nintendo and part because (I hate to admit this) I'm not that
    good at video games.  So not getting through in one sitting won't
    necessarily stop me from buying this game at some point.  As long as
    what you do play on it is enjoyable, I'm (usually) content with that.
    However, I'm sure that I'll get frustrated enough one of these days and
    have to defeat at least one of them.  I have a little money in my check
    this week (one of those rare times) and I want to add a new game to my
    collection this weekend.  Solstice is one of my four considerations.
    
    Thanks for the two cents.  I'll spend it as wisely as I can.
    
    >> David <<

    Mention of the game counselors reminds me:  I called for some
    information about rooms I had not been in even though I finished the
    game, and the counselor congratulated me on finishing the game, saying
    it was very hard.
    
    Although there is not a save feature, there is a key sequence in .9
    that gives the player a humongous number of lives.  I didn't find it
    too difficult to replay everything up to whatever point I had figured
    out already -- I think it takes between one and two hours to play if
    you know what you are doing.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Well, I picked up the game on Friday.  So far, I've gotten through 94
    rooms.  As I knew would be the case, I have some questions for you
    Solstice experts.
    
    1)  Once you get the magic boots, do they last for as long as your man
        is alive or just for a couple rooms?
    
    2)  Has anyone found a room that the green potion actually reveals
        something?
    
    3)  In the beginning of the game there is a room that has a blue box
        falling into it.  There is nothing in the room besides the box and
        no obstacles in the room.  Is there some secret that I'm missing?
    
    4)  In the first room that you come to that has a credit you have to
        jump to get across the room.  When you jump a tile rises (three
        tiles in this room raise diagonally).  Does this mean anything
        beyond the obvious need to know you have to jump to cross the room?
    
    5)  I entered a room that has two doors at the top (one on each side)
        of the room.  There is a purple box suspended half way to the
        ceiling.  You can't jump to the doors or the box.  How do you
        reach the doors?
    
    I think that those are all the questions that I have for now.  I hope
    someone can answer them for me.
    
    
    >> David <<

    Re .19:
    
    1)  The jump boots last forever.
    
    2)  Yes, there are rooms where the green potion reveals something. 
    There are some rooms which look impossible.  That's because there are
    hidden platforms.  You can find hidden platforms by guessing, by trial
    and error, or by using the green potion.  Hidden platforms will become
    visible once your character walks or jumps on them.
    
    3)  There are a couple of rooms that have things falling into them but
    no apparent use.  I completed the game without worrying about these. 
    You might try the green potion.  I don't know the particular room you
    asked about.  Just make sure you try all the exits.
    
    4)  That tile is one of the hidden tiles.  It is probably there in that
    room early in the game just to familiarize you with hidden tiles.
    
    5)  You reach those doors through other rooms.  Some rooms, like this
    one, are partially one-way only, because you can go from some of the
    doors to others but not vice-versa.
    
    
    				-- edp

    
    Can anyone out there help me I'm really stuck in of the rooms where
    there are rooms above it, it the room where you enter from the south
    and on the left is a block (pink) that goes up past the first room to
    the next room up in this room the block just stays in the room there is
    another block in the top left of the room and a step with a ball on it
    in the top right but I cant seem to get up to the next room and know is
    there because if you stay on the pink block there is a step right next
    to you and if you step on it and jump you can see the next room I've
    tried jumping of the block down to the first floor going up the steps
    and on to the step and pushing the ball over to the pink block but this
    does'nt allow me up to the next room I've tried jumping of the block
    up into the next room but still with no joy, I have 5 peices of staff
    and 4 keys . on the map it shows a hidden door on the first floor of
    the room?
    
    please can someone help me, I realise this game is quite old now but
    I've only just got.