Distress

Science Fiction Outer space IF Comp 2005 4th of 36 XYZZY Awards 2005 Best Puzzles XYZZY Awards 2005 Finalist - Best Game, Best Story, Best Setting, Best Individual Puzzle, Best Use of Medium

Distress
Author(s)	Mike Snyder
Publisher(s)	n/a
Release date(s)	01-Oct-2005
Authoring system	Hugo
Platform(s)	Hugo
Language(s)	English
License(s)	Freeware
Multimedia
Color effects	none
Graphics	optional
Sound/Music	none
Ratings
Cruelty scale	Cruelty to be determined

How It Begins

You're a young ensign in the wreckage of an escape pod, stranded on the planet Runoma II. The lifeless body of your colleague lies crushed under the pod's torn door, while your lieutenant has slipped into a sleeping stupor; a spike has ground itself into his left shoulder. None of the other crew members made it.

The desert stretches away in all directions, with the wreckage of the Sirius Dream still blazing to the distant north.

You hear a faint, guttural droning.

Versions

Competition version

• Distress (Mike Snyder; 01-Oct-2005; Hugo).
  • Beta-testing by Greg Boettcher, Kevin Venzke, Ray Rantala, Drew Mochak, Zach Flynn, William Head, James Cunningham, Robert Fogt, Ramona & Anna White.
  • Distress (Version 1.7)
  • IF Comp 2005: 4th place.
  • Note: Winner of Best Puzzles, XYZZY Awards 2005. Also, finalist for Best Game, Best Story, Best Setting, Best Individual Puzzle, and Best Use of Medium.
  • IFID: HUGO-25-6A-61-09-30-05
    IFID links: IFDB
  • Files in the hugo/distress/ directory:
    • distress.hex (184 KB; story file; download).
    • distress.txt (8 KB; readme; download).
    • distress.sol (30 KB; solution; download)
    • DISTRESS (19 KB; optional resource file with cover image; download).

Version 7

• Distress (Mike Snyder; Hugo).
  • IFID wanted. (Please replace this line with a babel template.)
  • Download dist_src.zip from the IF Archive - Source code.

Links

General Info

• Distress homepage
• Distress (archived) - at Baf's Guide
• Distress - at IFDB
• Distress - at Home of the Underdogs

Reviews

• Distress - at SPAG - a review by Valentine Kopteltsev.
• Review by Dan Shiovitz.
• Review by Rob Menke.
• Spanish review (.pdf) at SPAC by Baltasar el Arquero.
• Distress - at IFReviews.org

Spoilers

• Solution by Mike Snyder, containing verbose, terse and "speed run" walkthroughs, an author's commentary, and a game map.