Rama

Rama

Walkthrough Abbreviations
F: Forward (Fn for n repetitions)
L: Left
R: Right
B: Back out
U: Up
D: Down
Most animations can be skipped by pressing Esc

Walkthrough Introduction
A significant characteristic of Rama is its randomization of play
components, affecting inventory item locations, the timing of
animation sequences, a few puzzles, and certain destination
locations in the central plains. For example, many inventory
items have no fixed location where they may be found - if you
need something you haven't found yet, you're just going to have
to search carefully for it (fortunately, items do not seem to
migrate within a particular game). As a result, it's not possible
to give an exact step-by-step procedure for progressing through
the game - your mileage may vary. If you can't find an item that
you need for a puzzle, continue on with the game and it may become
available later. The game designers' purpose in creating these
randomizations is not clear - they change only the details of the
game, not the basic concepts or gameplay strategy, and add little
to game replayability.
As a basic strategy, pay particular attention to the ground, as
artifacts may often be found there. A painstaking, but effective
approach to moving through the environment is to turn completely
around at each node position and check each view carefully.
Much of the inventory turns out to be "red herrings" - unneeded
in  your  actual  gameplay sequence, but  perhaps  confusing  your
choices
at various points and making gameplay a bit more complex.
To prepare for several tasks in Bangkok and other locations, brush
up on your base-8 and base-16 arithmetic skills.
Project Newton Crew:

ID  Character    Game Role

002 Yourself     Adventurer
004 Shigeru Takagishi  Scientist
005 David Brown       Mission Commander
006 Francesca Sabatini Video Journalist
007 Otto Heilmann     Chief Security Officer
008 Michael O'Toole        Codemaster
009 Richard Wakefield  Chief Engineer
010 Reggie Wilson     Print Journalist
011 Irina Turgenyev        Career Cosmonaut
012 Nicole des Jardins Medical Officer
    Hiro Yamanaka     IBI Agent
    Janos Tabori      IBI Agent
    Valeriy Borzov    Your predecessor, now deceased
All characters are from the Clarke/Lee book Rama II.
After the game introduction and animation of Nicole, move F  L  F2
to the  computer  console. Click on it, then on the MAIL  command  to
bring up  your vidmail. Each message adds a bit to the backstory of  the
game and  introduces  you  to  the  basic personalities  of  the  other
astronauts.
In particular, note Wakefield's Falstaff creation (you'll see more
of it later) and O'Toole's favorite primes sequence
41,43,47,53,...,1601
or
xý - x + 41, for 1 <= x <= 40
The cable car code is derived from the first two elements of this
sequence: 4143.
Move L and watch the animation of an avian flying by. Move F4 L F
and descend the ladder. Move R F and click on the nuclear device.
Pick  up the locker #6 key next to the INACTIVE light. Go back  up
the ladder  and move F R F R to the lockers. Open Locker #2  with  the
key in  your  inventory  and  pick  up the  ISA  multi-tool  and  your
wristcomp.
The  wristcomp  has a map feature that will often  come  in  handy
during gameplay.  Open  the unlocked Locker #9 and pick  up  your  trusty
sidekick, Puck.  If  you get a vidmail message from Sabatini requesting  
her cigarette lighter,  you can ignore it. Open Locker #6 with the key  
in  your inventory and  pick  up  two  pattern artifacts, a blank key,  
three  symbol plaques and a  datacube. Combine the datacube with your 
wristcomp  to  read  a message from Sabatini to Brown. Use t he blank 
key to open Locker  #7  and pick up an  optical lens and a datacube  
containing an encoded message from Heilmann to  his  underlings. If 
you spend a lot of time at the  hub  camp, you'll eventually get a 
friendly reminder from Nicole to come on down. From the lockers, move 
L F2 R F L and get in the cable car. Enter  the code from O'Toole's 
vidmail message and press  the  red button.
Enjoy  the  ride  down to the base camp, with a rare  third-person
POV.

Central Plains
Move  R  F  to  the  table and pick up a note from  Nicole  and  a
datacube
(both shameless plugs for Clarke's upcoming book 3001). Move L2  F
R and open the storage box on the other table. Inside, pick up any
pattern  artifact(s)  and symbol plaque(s)  you  may  find.  Other
astronauts add items to this storage box from time to time, so check 
back  on it (and  the  refrigerator) later if you seem to be missing an  
item. Move B  L2 F and watch the animation of Turgenyev. Move F3 out onto 
the central plains. To identify fixed destinations on the central plains 
radar map, we'll use a clock analogy.
It's  often  possible to enter and exit a central plains  location
from more  than one direction. There are a few randomized locations  
on the central  plains that contain a moving biot symbol. You  can  
check these out  for information on how the biots move and act, but be 
careful not to  get  in front of a triangular sextet of crab biots, or  
you'll get trashed!  In  particular,  be sure to  visit  the  centipede  
biot location (4 green squares in a row) and pick up a symbol plaque if 
it drops one. Find  Nicole's position (012) and watch the animation of 
her. Back out to  the  radar map and head for the biot garage area at 
3 o'clock. Move F  L  F  to the cube of alien plastic containing a symbol  
plaque; you'll return for this one later after the plastic is melted. 
Move R2  F2 and get a datacube from Reggie Wilson describing crab biots.
Move L2 F R F R F R and pick up a red crystal from the remains  of
the broken  sphere.  Move L F R F into the biot garage  and  let  
Puck describe the various types of biot inside:
    Biot TypePurpose

    CentipedeRepairs other biots
    Mantis       Uses colored light
    Crane        Lifts heavy loads
    Crab    Trash collector
    Shark        Water-borne
    Spider       Assassin
Exit the biot garage, move L F2 R F and be sure to check for items
on  the  ground  under  the large slanting  building.  At  various
points, you may be interrupted with an animation sequence in which
you  are  given  an inventory item (symbol plaque,  optical  lens,
etc.)  from one of the astronauts. Move back to the radar map  and
head for London at 1 o'clock.
Move  F  and  listen to Takagishi. It's a little hard to  pick  up
through his accent, but he does make a reference to a "pattern" in
the  pulsing  of the forcefield blocking entry to the  red  London
building  ahead.  If  you  count  the  individual  pulses  of  the
forcefield, you'll note that after every ninth pulse  there  is  a
short  pause during which the field is off. If you time it  right,
the pause will give you enough time to move through the forcefield
without  getting fried. After you've passed through,  move  L  and
pull  the tan-colored drawer to turn off the forcefield. Note  the
encircled  triangle at the top of the forcefield switch  -  you'll
need  to  use  that later. Pick up any items lying on the  ground.
Move R2 F to the London entrance.
Click  on  the  small flanking column to the right, having  a  red
design  on it. This is the London entrance puzzle. Pick  a  symbol
plaque from your inventory that has an appearance appropriate  for
the  pattern displayed by the other eight plaques; for example,  a
horizontally-split yellow-and-green pentagon with  two  white  and
two black dots. You have undoubtedly picked up some "red herrings"
along  the way, so examine your choice carefully. When the correct
plaque  has  been  placed, you'll hear the  sound  of  the  London
entrance door opening.
Move  F2  and  and turn all the way around checking for  inventory
items,   looking  in  particular  between  the  decorated   column
supports. Also check the doorway through which you entered and the
doorway  on  the opposite side of the room. To the left,  you  can
operate  a  device showing various aspects of the Rama spacecraft,
including a red sphere that seems to show the locations of various
species inside Rama. Another sequence shows the fabrication of the
Rama  spacecraft shell, but a more likely construction method  (at
least   for  humans)  would  involve  hollowing-out  an   existing
asteroid.
On  the  opposite side of the room, zoom in on the left panel  and
place  your pattern artifacts to create an oval representation  of
New York island in Rama's cylindrical sea. When complete, the oval
shows  a map through a maze of corridors to three plazas. Zoom  in
on the right panel and place your six remaining pattern artifacts.
Getting the correct order is tricky, descriptions may help:
Left to right:
Yellow island in purple sea at center
Italy-shaped yellow protuberance at lower center
Small rectangular yellow region at lower center edge
Irregular yellow region extending down to lower center edge
Single yellow island in purple region at lower edge
Several yellow islands in purple region at lower edge
When complete, the display shows a map of the central plains, with
red   dots  representing  artifact  locations  and  white  smudges
providing close-ups. Left to right, the locations are:
Dock
Biot Garage
London
Big Wheel
Bangkok
The  second  door  puzzle in London requires two  symbol  plaques.
After  you've  opened the door, move F2 R F  L  F  and  watch  the
animation of the mantis biot using a red laser (twice) to  descend
on  an  elevator. Move F2 and pick up the biot box.  On  examining
this  box, you'll see that it looks like it can be opened, perhaps
using  the  triangular  button on its back.  Have  you  seen  this
triangular shape before?
Move B L and create a red laser equivalent from your inventory  by
combining  the red crystal shard and the ISA multi-tool  (use  its
button  to  put it into flashlight mode). To summon the  elevator,
use the red flashlight on the laser target in front of you. Move B
F  and repeat the laser procedure to descend into the sewage  pit.
Explore the pit areas at the ends of all three walkways to pick up
symbol  plaques, which will be dirty from the fluid  in  the  pit.
There   may  also  be  clean  symbol  plaque(s)  on  the  walkways
themselves. Exit the pit using the elevator as before.
Facing  the door the mantis came out of, move R F2 R F2  R  F  and
observe  the  trash transport carts. Move L to  yet  another  door
puzzle.  The  plaques on this type of door puzzle are most  easily
identified  by  the symbolic base-3 notation at  the  bottom;  for
example, the symbols
 Base-3 Symbol Plaque
represent the digits 0 0 1 2 0 in base 3 (which translates  to  15
decimal). By translating their base-3 digits, you'll see that  the
symbol  plaques in the door puzzle are arranged in sequence,  left
to  right  and  top to bottom. It then becomes straightforward  to
identify which symbol plaque(s) you need in order to fill  in  the
gap(s) in the sequence - make a note of them. Of course, the trick
is  getting the plaques themselves and cleaning them if necessary,
for  they  won't insert into the door puzzle when dirty. Also,  be
aware  that  "red  herrings" may creep into  your  inventory;  for
example,  plaques with the correct base-3 symbols,  but  with  the
other symbols wrong.
With  this  goal in mind, exit the London structure and return  to
the  forcefield control switch outside. Put the biot  box  on  the
triangle  at the top of the switch. Remove the symbol plaque  from
the  now-open biot box. Move L F3 to the central plains radar map.
Return  to  the  base camp and pick up a box of  powder  from  the
refrigerator. Go back to the radar map and head for the Big  Wheel
area at 10:30.
If  you  run  into  Francesca, she'll give you a decryption  card.
First  her cigarette lighter and now a computer card --  she  does
consider  you to be her gofer, doesn't she? Go ahead and load  the
card  into your wristcomp, and you'll be able to read the  encoded
message  from  Heilmann (subject: Trinity)  that  you  intercepted
earlier.  You'll  also be able to read any other encoded  messages
you happen to come across in the course of gameplay.
Move  F  and pick up a symbol plaque from the trash dump  transfer
tray. Move B R F2 R and pick up a metal seed from one of the cone-
shaped  "plants" on the ground. Move L2 F R F and pick up  a  bent
rod at the site of the damaged biot. Move L F2 to the distillation
mechanism. Zoom in on the central part of the mechanism and insert
the metal seed into the star-shaped hole at right. Put the box  of
powder into the adjacent receptacle. Turn the thumbwheel at  upper
right to get fluid flowing into the mechanism. Move B and click on
the  device  at right shaped like a pot-bellied stove.  Press  the
triangular red button to clean the blue material off the tray. The
vertical  graduated tube at left indicates you have four remaining
cleanings. Find the needed symbol plaque(s) in your inventory  and
clean each one by putting it in the tray and using the red button.
Return to the radar map and find Wakefield's position (009). Watch
the  animation of him and get a third optical lens. Return to  the
big  wheel  area and move to the gun in the center  of  the  area.
Click on it to open its barrel and insert the three optical lenses
from your inventory. After the gun fires, return via the radar map
to  the biot garage area. Move F L F and pick up the symbol plaque
from  the  now-melted plastic cube. This will  probably  give  you
everything  you  need to open the third door in London.  While  in
this area, check the trash dump transfer tray for any artifacts.
Return to London via the radar map and go back to the closed  door
at  the  top  of  the sewage pit. Use symbol plaque(s)  from  your
inventory  to  open the door. Move F2 L F L F2 R F R  through  the
biot demonstration room. Click on the device to fire a green laser
at  the  crane biot and get it to disable the spider  biot  guard.
Move  R  F  L F2 L and pick up the alien palette. Zoom in  on  the
display console behind the spider biot and pull the lever down  to
activate a video link with the big wheel control room you'll visit
later.
Exit  London  and return to the radar map. Along the  way,  Nicole
will  give you a datacube describing Wilson's death, and Rama will
make  a course correction, apparently now heading for impact  with
Earth.  Go  to Bangkok at the 9 o'clock position on the radar  map
and  solve  another symbol plaque puzzle to open its  front  door.
This puzzle uses base-2 symbols rather than base-3.
Move  F and use the three machines at left to solve simple symbol-
matching,   counting   and   addition/subtraction   problems.   On
completion  of a set of problems, each machine will open.  In  the
left machine, click on the phonograph-like device to open the door
at  the far end of the room. In the right machine, pick up  a  red
gem.  Enter  into the first Bangkok level, a human  museum  (don't
forget to keep hunting for symbol plaques).
After exploring the museum (and admiring the bikini, if you're  so
inclined), move to the elevator car at the back of the room. Click
on  the  marked  post at center to bring up another symbol  plaque
puzzle.  This puzzle typically involves sequences of white,  black
and circle sectors, and requires, for example, plaques with
    White at 5:30, middle ring
    Black at 3:30, outside ring
    Circle at 5:30, inside ring

    White at 9:30, middle ring
    Black at 6:30, outside ring
    Circle at 12:30, middle ring
Click  on  the  purple triangular button to take the elevator  up.
Turn  around and enter a room containing Raman arithmetic teaching
machines. The machines on the right can be used to define the base-
16  Raman  numbers. After listening to Wakefield's lecture,  solve
the  base-16 arithmetic problems using the three machines at left.
On completion of a set of problems, each machine will open. In the
left machine, click on the phonograph-like device to open the door
at  the  far end of the room. In the center machine there  are  11
marks  per display row, and number buttons range from 0  at  upper
left  to 15 at lower right. Note that the base-16 answers you must
provide may contain more than one digit; for example, if there are
72  marks  shown in the display, you must enter (4,8) using  Raman
symbols,  since  72  = 4 x 16 + 8. Similarly,  if  there  are  111
symbols in the display, you must use the buttons for Raman symbols
(6,15); that is, the button second from the right in the top  row,
and  the  button at far right in the bottom row. When the problems
in  the  center machine have been completed, pick up a human  icon
from  inside  the  machine.  In the  right  machine,  addition  is
symbolized by a simple hexagon and subtraction by a circle  inside
a hexagon. When its problems have been solved, pick up another red
gem.
Enter  into  the  main room of the second Bangkok level,  a  Raman
museum. Go to the display to the right of the Raman furniture  and
pick  up  a  Raman cutting tool. Note also the statue of  a  Raman
(looking  like something out of Yellow Submarine) and a  slideshow
of the weird Raman life cycle.
At  the  far side of the room, enter the second Bangkok  elevator.
Click  on  the marked post at center to bring up the  last  symbol
plaque  puzzle. This puzzle again typically involves sequences  of
white,  black  and  circle  sectors, and  requires,  for  example,
plaques with
    White at 10:30, outside ring
    Black at 12:30, middle ring
    Circle at 6:30, inside ring

    White at 12:30, middle ring
    Black at 8:30, middle ring
    Circle at 11:30, middle ring
One  or  both of these symbol plaques may require cleaning in  the
distillation mechanism at the big wheel area; while there you  can
free  an  avian  from  the clutches of the  broken  biot  you  saw
earlier. To accomplish this, zoom in on the sparking area  in  the
bottom  of  the biot and use your Raman cutting tool to sever  the
electrical cable. Move B and use the bent rod in your inventory to
free  the  avian. Be sure to pick up the red neck ring  the  avian
gives you.
Return to the second elevator in Bangkok and activate it with your
now-clean   symbol  plaque(s).  Again  operate  three   arithmetic
machines,   this  time  with  rainbow-colored  base-8   octospider
numbers:
    0  White
    1  Red
    2  Orange
    3  Yellow
    4  Green
    5  Blue
    6  Dark Purple
    7  Light Purple
    +  Red/white striped
    -  Blue/white striped
As  before, complete the problems to open the door and  obtain  an
octospider  icon and a red gem. Enter into the main  room  of  the
third  Bangkok  level, an octospider museum. Note the  interesting
statues  showing a pregnant octospider and a communications  demo.
Pick up an indigo-green jewel on the floor in this room.
Return  to the elevator you just used and put the three  red  gems
you  have  in inventory into the receptacle at center. Pick  up  a
number   box  showing  equivalences  between  human,   Raman   and
octospider number systems, coming in very handy later in the game.
You're  now  finished with Bangkok; return to the  central  plains
radar map via the two elevators.
Head  for the big wheel area. From the gun at the center  of  this
area,  move F2 D F to the perimeter of the big wheel, then move  L
F3  R F2 into the control room. Zoom in on the display screen  and
press  the  right  button. Watch an animation  of  a  mantis  biot
releasing spider biots from the biot garage. Move B L F2 L F3 R F6
to the radar map. Note that there are new location(s) on the radar
map  where you can (fatally) encounter a loose spider biot. Return
to  the  biot garage area. Make your way to the back of  the  biot
garage and pick up the gate lying on the floor.
Return  to the big wheel control room and put the gate up  against
the central pillar. Using the gate as a ladder, go up and take the
blank plaque from atop the control pillar.
Return  to  the  central  plains radar  map.  For  an  interesting
perspective with the Rama lights on, you can revisit the hub  camp
by  taking  the cable car back up from the base camp.  You've  now
visited  all  the important areas in the central  plains,  so  you
might  as well head for the docks (iceport) at 4:30 and meet Brown
(005).  If you wait a few minutes, you'll get vidmail from  Nicole
asking  you to come there anyway. In the meantime, you  can  track
down  Heilmann (007) and listen to his Rama paranoia. By the  way,
if  you  try to go to the iceport earlier in the game,  you'll  be
repeatedly  warned to stay away, and eventually "fired"  from  the
expedition.
From  your  initial entry from the radar map, move L F R  to  meet
Brown and obtain a datacube. Brown and Nicole will block your exit
back  to  the central plains, so you're forced to eventually  take
the  icemobile  with Nicole to New York island  in  Rama's  frozen
cylindrical sea. First, however, view the vidmails from  Sabatini,
O'Toole  and  Takagishi that you received  in  the  datacube  from
Brown.  Also,  be sure to note the second nuclear  device  on  the
upper  level of the iceport, currently inactive as was  the  first
one  you saw at the hub camp. The bomb's disarming code apparently
consists  of  20  digits, grouped as a sequence  of  five  4-digit
numbers. Go on down the ramp and notice that Nicole is sitting  in
the  icemobile's cockpit (if you watch her from two steps back  on
the  lower platform, she kind of looks like one of those  bobbing-
head toy dogs people used to have in their cars). Join her in  the
icemobile and change CD's. Enjoy the ride to New York island while
listening to Nicole's chatter.

New York
Don't  feel bad when Nicole abandons you on the New York  dock  so
she  can  "look around" in the icemobile. Yeah right, she probably
just  wants  to hotrod it on the ice. Anyway, you're on  your  own
again, and won't see Nicole (or much of anyone else) until the end
of the game. Go on up the stairs and use the alien palette to open
the doors into New York. Move through the doors (which lock behind
you)  and  pick up a datacube lying on the ground. It  contains  a
message from Heilmann to his underlings, and mentions a bomb whose
disarming code is "five of (O'Toole's) favorite numbers". Move  F3
into the Avian Plaza.

Initial Explorations
Looking  up,  you'll get a view of the walls around the  hexagonal
perimeter of this plaza, as well as gaps at the top and lower left
indicating passageways leading out of the plaza. In the  distance,
you'll be able to see the cylindrical sea on the far side of Rama.
The  mapping  feature of your wristcomp will come in  particularly
useful during your explorations of New York; use it frequently  to
maintain  your  bearings  and  to  identify  points  of  interest.
Throughout New York, you'll find alien artifacts in the form of bi-
colored jewels, optical tuning forks and other devices. Unlike  in
the  central plains, the locations of these artifacts do not  seem
to be randomized for each gameplay of Rama.
Using the following Avian Plaza map:


EXIT TO MAZE                          TALL          WHITE
                                    SCULPTURE       RAMP

AVIAN LAIR

                                                   MANNA MELON
                                                     PICTURE


                        TETRAHEDRON




RECESS                  PURPLE MAT                           LATHE




                        ENTRANCE
                        FROM DOCK

visit  the  Raman manna-melon picture to the right of the  central
tetrahedron structure. Then make your way to the cul-de-sac behind
the  semicircular  tank  to the right of the  central  tetrahedron
structure.  Zoom in on the lathe-like device having five  vertical
red  lights  on it. Put the blank plaque from your inventory  into
the  similarly-shaped depression in the center of the device.  The
green triangular buttons can be used to move the yellow-tipped rod
over  the  plaque; each position is identified by one of  the  red
lights. Each position (except the center one) records a tone  onto
the  blank  plaque.  Each  of the three tones  corresponds  to  an
initially-locked door in the New York maze that you'll be entering
shortly.  If  the plaque has been recorded with the  corresponding
tone,  the door will be opened. The simplest way to open  all  the
doors  in the New York maze is to record all three tones onto  the
plaque, which fortunately can be done by moving the rod until it's
fully  extended  and the rightmost red light is  glowing.  If  you
remove the plaque while the rod is in this position, it will  have
been properly recorded.
Use the New York map:
 New York Map
you  first saw in London to explore the maze passageways.  If  you
have  trouble finding the exit from the Avian Plaza to  the  maze,
find the central tetrahedron and face its front steps (flanked  by
avian  and  Raman statues), then move L F R2 F2. Inside the  maze,
Puck  will  point out the location of five "tuning fork"  devices;
you need only the red and blue ones (see map above). The color  of
a tuning fork can be checked by pressing the switch on its handle.
After  picking  the red and blue ones up, make  your  way  to  the
Octospider Plaza.
Using the Octospider Plaza map:


                         LATHE









     GROTTO





                                            TETRAHEDRON



                        ENTRANCE

and  the  mapping function of your wristcomp, you'll find a  lathe
device in a cul-de-sac identical to the one you found in the Avian
Plaza  (in  fact  all three plazas have one and the  rod  position
seems to be synchronized between all of the lathes). However,  you
won't  need  to  use  it if you've already programmed  your  blank
plaque with all three door tones.
From  the  plaza  entrance, move center-forward toward  the  aqua-
colored  dome,  then  move  R  F2 L  and  pick  up  a  green-green
octahedron  lying  on the ground. Move R2 F and  pick  up  a  blue
filter from the ground. For more of the backstory, move L2 F L  F2
R F2 L F and pick up Takagishi's video camera. Remove the datacube
from  it and play it in your wristcomp (the particular area  shown
in  the  octospider lair is not actually encountered in the game).
Using the New York map, proceed to the Human Plaza.
From  the  plaza entrance, move R F2 and note that access  to  the
door  opposite is prevented by a deep chasm. Looking down,  you'll
see  two  shiny  rods reminiscent of elevator  pistons,  so  maybe
there's a chance you can bridge this gap. Your wristcomp map  does
seem to indicate some sort of indirect access to that area of  the
plaza.  Move  L2 F2 R F R F and pick up a blue-yellow  octahedron.
Move  L2 F R2 F2 R into the lathe cul-de-sac and pick up a  green-
red  octahedron lying in the corner. Move R F2 R2 F R and zoom  in
on the large green tuning-fork sculpture. Put the blue tuning fork
(the one with a single red mark on its handle) into the similarly-
shaped  depression  in  the  sculpture to  provide  matching  blue
colors. Move L and watch the animation of a mantis biot coming out
of the pyramid and entering the far door using a blue laser. Using
the  same method you employed inside London, prepare a blue  laser
simulacrum  by combining your ISA multi-tool flashlight  with  the
blue  filter in your inventory (first removing the red  shard,  if
necessary). Move F and use the light on the laser target  to  open
the door. Enter the room and get into the blue subway chair.
Click  on the large red button to take the subway counterclockwise
to  the next station. Move F2 R and note the nine monitors at  top
and  three at bottom. If you zoom in on the lower monitors, you'll
see  that  they  each represent a form of Earth life.  Your  goal,
which  will require visiting other stations along the subway ring,
is  to put the lifeforms in size order (smallest to largest) along
the top row of monitors. The correctness of any answer you try can
be  checked  simply  by  returning to the subway  chair  and  then
immediately re-entering the room. When complete, the left-to-right
order of images in the upper row of monitors should be:
    Protozoa
    Ant
    Snail
    Frog
    Cat
    Eagle
    Seal
    Cow
    Elephant
When you've completed the puzzle, go to the now-open fourth subway
station  and get into another subway chair. Press the  red  button
and exit at your destination. Press the yellow handle to raise the
platform  in the distance. This action bridges the chasm  you  saw
earlier in the Human Plaza.
Return to the Octospider Plaza entrance, move L F L and pick up an
indigo-yellow octahedron lying on the ground. Move R2 F R  F  into
the "grotto".
Click on the bright green pedestal at left. Borrow the green-green
jewel  from your inventory to release O'Toole's anniversary photo.
Pick  up the photo and make a note of the numerical value  on  its
back  (which varies from game to game). Back out and click on  the
gray-and-white  pedestal to the right. Use the  blue-yellow  jewel
from  inventory  to  obtain  a  yellow-red  octahedron  from   the
pedestal.  Back out and click on the central pedestal  flanked  by
gold-and-bronze  columns. Ignore the obvious  solicitation  for  a
yellow-orange jewel (which you'll never find) and instead use your
ISA  multi-tool flashlight (without a filter) to shine white light
into the prism on the pedestal. If the light does not release  the
prism  from  the  pedestal, try clicking on  the  little  circular
mirrors  about  five times with your hand cursor to re-orient  the
prism.  Pick  up the prism and move B R3 F L F L  F  R  F  to  the
tetrahedron in the Octospider Plaza (although the grotto  contains
a  number of other interesting items, you won't need any of them).
Put  the  prism  into the triangular hole at left.  Click  on  the
inserted prism with your flashlight to open the tetrahedron door.
Move  B  F  into  the  tetrahedron for yet  another  color-related
puzzle.  Here,  the object is simple - just use  the  three  large
slide  controls to mix colors matching the targets  shown  at  the
top.  Press the central red button to turn on the puzzle, and  use
the  tan-and-red control at right center to select each  of  three
colors to match:
    Left color:
    Left and center slides all the way down,
    right slide 3/4 of the way up

    Center color:
    Left slide 3/4 of the way up,
    center slide half way up,
    right slide all the way up

    Right color:
    Left slide half way up,
    center slide 3/4 of the way up,
    right slide 1/4 of the way up
When the puzzle is complete, you'll hear the sound of another door
opening,  this  time  in the back of the Octospider  Plaza  (which
you'll visit later).
Return to the Avian Plaza. From a position facing the front  steps
of  the  central tetrahedron (flanked by avian and Raman statues),
move  R F L2 F2 R F R into a hidden courtyard. Zoom in on the wall
recess and put the red tuning fork (the one with four red marks on
its  handle)  into  the similarly-shaped depression  in  the  wall
recess  to provide matching red colors. Click the tuning  fork  on
the  recess again to move the white ramp behind you into  position
at  the open doorway above it. From the recess, move B L2 F2 L2 up
the  white ramp and into the upper room. Pick up the piston device
lying in the corner of the room.
Move F2 R F R and zoom in on the base of the tall sculpture in the
courtyard.  Place  the  piston (in  its  retracted  mode)  on  the
sculpture base. Click on the piston to cause the sculpture to  tip
over.  Move B and use the sculpture like a staircase to reach  the
reviewing  stand on the upper level. Move R and pick up  an  avian
perch. Move R and go back down the staircase. Move F L F R2  F2  L
to  a  close-up  of  the  avian statue  at  the  entrance  to  the
tetrahedron  in  the  plaza. Put the avian  neck  ring  from  your
inventory  onto the statue to disclose a handle that operates  the
tetrahedron entrance door. Move R and put the avian perch  on  the
top  step so you can reach the door handle. Zoom in on the  handle
and  click  on  it to open the tetrahedron. Move  B  F2  into  its
interior. Click on the red handle to activate the device. Use  the
left  rotary dial to select an image of the Raman manna melon  you
saw  earlier in this plaza, then click on the right slide control.
You'll hear the sound of another door opening, this time an access
portal  to  the  Avian  lair. Move B  L  F2  R2  and  observe  the
flightpath  of an avian. Move F2 L and watch the avian  jump  down
into  its now-disclosed lair. Move F2 to the edge of a deep  shaft
and listen as the avian you saw earlier moves through some tunnels
and  activates  a ladder for your descent into the shaft.  If  you
move F at this point, you'll not be able to back up into the Avian
Plaza until you've completed the full avian lair solution.

Avian Lair
Move F into the avian shaft; the portion of the ladder you used is
retracted. Your initial orientation is looking down into the shaft
from  the  remaining rungs of the ladder; move F U L to the  north
corridor on level 2:
             Avian Lair Map (Side View)


    Level            North Side       South Side


      1 (top)        Control Room     (locked)

      2              Roost            Hatchery

      3              Theatre          (locked)

      4 (bottom)     (locked)         Schoolroom

                                      Lower Level
Move  F2 into a large roost area (if you try to exit back  to  the
shaft, your way is blocked by a purple avian). Watch the red avian
obtain  a manna melon from the dispenser and hold it out  to  you.
Take  it  from  him  and cut it in half with your  ISA  multi-tool
knife.  Eat half of the melon using your ISA multi-tool spoon.  As
"your  brainwaves are being altered within your optic lobe",  note
the  hidden  purple figures on the wall murals. These are  visible
because you're able to see ultraviolet light (like the avians) for
a  short  time after eating some of the manna melon. This ability,
although temporary, will come in handy later in the game. For now,
return  one  half of the melon to the red avian, and he'll  direct
you  to an elevator at the rear of the room. Take the elevator  up
to  the  avian  triumvirate  and accept  their  gift  of  a  Raman
numerical translator. Move L for a view of the entire avian roost.
Move L, then wait for the avian kingpin to send you back down  the
elevator.
Move L F R2 and operate the handle of the dispenser to obtain  two
more  manna  melons. Cut them open so they're ready to eat  later.
Move  R2  F2  D F U L F into the theatre in the north corridor  on
level  3, and watch the avian actors leave the stage. Move F  L  F
and pick up the oil-filled gourd to the right of the lit one. Move
R F3 R2 into the dressing room and watch the upset green avian fly
up.  Move L and take the octospider pyramid from the stand holding
the  octospider  costume (the other stand holds  a  costume  of  a
Raman). Move R F3 L and then move right-forward to leave the stage
area. Move R2 back to the shaft.
Move R and click on the bridge control mechanism at lower left. If
you try to move the green wheel, it jams. Put some of the oil from
the  gourd on it and you'll be able to fully turn it to extend the
bridge  across  the shaft. Move B L F L D F  U  L  F  L  into  the
schoolroom in the south corridor on level 4. Note the room code at
the top of the entrance; you can use the number wheel from Bangkok
to  translate it to (11,8,3). Move L F2 L F L F to zoom  in  on  a
wall  mural depicting extended ledges in the avian shaft. Eat  one
of  your manna melon halves to disclose a hidden three-digit Raman
number  code, which translates to (6,9,8). Move R F R F R F  to  a
circular  wall  mural.  Eat another manna melon  half  to  show  a
special  relationship  between  the  rings  of  Raman,  human  and
octospider numbers:
    Raman sequence:        27   4  49  57   9  32
    Human sequence:        60   4   8  14   9  17
    Octospider sequence:    27   4  18  22  23   3
The only sector in which the numbers in all three systems agree is
the  one  at right, for which all values are 4. This structure  of
rings of numbers will be seen again later in the game.
Move  R  F L3 F3 U F D F R U F2 D L F to a closed door inside  the
north  corridor on level 1. Note the Raman number code  above  the
doorway, which translates to (7,2,15). Move F and play this number
sequence on your avian translator, whose buttons are numbered from
0  at upper left to 15 at lower right. The door opens; move F2  to
the  control panel at left. Click twice on the large circular  red
knob  to  activate the third monitor from the left.  Use  the  16-
button  Raman  keypad to enter the schoolroom code  (11,8,3)  -  a
translation of the keypad is
1   2   3   4
5   6   7   8
9   10  11  12
13  14  15  0
The  monitor  now displays a real-time view of the  schoolroom  on
level  4.  Move the blue sliding knob at the right of the  control
panel  down to its lowest position in order to activate both upper
and  lower  staircases to the schoolroom podium; you can  see  the
results of your changes on the monitor. Move R F and again use the
(7,2,15) code on the translator to open the door. Move F2 D F2 U F
L  U  F  D  L  F R F2 L F U into the avian hatchery in  the  south
corridor on level 2. Grab the overhead bars to enter a recess near
the  ceiling. Move L and pick up a grappling hook and cable.  Move
L2 and use the bars to descend to the floor of the room.
Move F4 D F2 U L F3 R F3 R to the podium in the schoolroom in  the
south corridor on level 4. Attach the grappling hook to the handle
in  the  elevator shaft and use it to descend to the lower  level.
Move F R F2 L and pick up a bowl from the storeroom. Move F4 L  F2
L  to  a pool filled with a caustic liquid. Use the bowl from  the
storeroom in the pool to obtain some of the liquid. Move F L F and
use  the  liquid from the bowl to loosen a corroded lever  on  the
pool control panel. Click on the now-freed lever to bring it down.
Click  twice  on  the  central triangular  pointer  so  that  it's
pointing left, then click on the red post at right to move it into
a  vertical position. Click on the small red button at the  center
of the triangular pointer to drain the left pool. Move B L2 F R  F
R  and  take the small white pyramid from the center of  the  now-
drained pool.
Move  B R F4 R and use the rope to climb back up to the schoolroom
podium. Move R F2 R F L2 F3 U F2 D L F R F L F L2 to the back side
of the large purple cylinder in the hatchery in the south corridor
on  level  2. Zoom in on the hatch in the cylinder and  place  the
costume  (octospider) pendant in the receptacle. After  it's  been
scanned, return it to inventory and place the pool (human) pendant
into  the  same  receptacle. Pick up the magnetic card  after  the
hatch opens.
Exit the hatchery back to the central shaft. Move D F U F L U F2 D
L  F2  back to the closed door in the north corridor on  level  1.
Again use the avian translator to gain access to the control room.
When  you  have gone through the door, note the Raman number  code
above  the  entrance  to the elevator shaft, which  translates  to
(9,14,7).  Enter the shaft, look down and use this  code  on  your
translator to ascend to the upper level. Move U L F and insert the
magnetic  card into the slot to activate the control panel.  Using
the Raman keypad, enter the (6,9,8) shaft platform extension code.
Return  to  the central shaft; you'll now be able to move  up  and
exit the avian lair.
On  exit,  listen to Wakefield's warning about the bomb detonation
countdown  and get Falstaff from him. From this point  on  in  the
game,  you're under a time constraint to find the bomb and  disarm
it  before  the six-hour countdown elapses. You can check  on  the
countdown  status by using your wristcomp, but be aware  that  the
rate at which it counts down accelerates when you move through the
New York environment, just as if you were actually taking the time
to  walk  about rather than just clicking with a mouse  interface.
However, when you are standing still, the countdown progresses  in
real  time. During your explorations, save and restore  your  game
frequently to avoid running out of countdown time.

Octospider Lair
Head  for  the  Octospider Plaza. From the entrance, move  forward
toward  the tetrahedron at right, then move L F3 R F L to the  row
of  gray squares at the back of the plaza. This door was disclosed
by the prism-tetrahedron puzzle you solved earlier.
Zoom  in  on  the  hexagonal access panel and put the  star-shaped
octospider  icon  in  the lower triangular hole  and  the  costume
pendant  in the upper triangular hole. Move B F3 R F2 L F3  R3  F5
down  to the fountain room. Zoom in on the closed door ahead, then
click  on  the  left-center region of the door.  Use  Falstaff  to
retrieve  the blue-orange octahedron. Move B R F R and take  three
datacubes from Sabatini's uniform for more of the backstory  about
the  guilty parties. Move B L2 and press the second white key from
the  right on the left-hand keyboard. Move L2 and zoom in  on  the
wall  panel. Put the indigo-yellow jewel from your inventory  into
the  indicated  receptacle to open the  panel.  Pick  up  all  the
octahedra  inside the panel, in particular the orange-red  one  at
bottom.
Move B L F2 and use the blue-orange jewel to open the door back to
the  octospider  hub.  Move  F2 onto the  central  purple  sinking
platform  in  this  room.  Look up and note  the  displacement  of
colored  squares  on the ceiling. This is part of  a  puzzle  that
needs  to  be  solved  in order to reach the lower  level  of  the
octospider lair. It works like a base-8 clock - note the number of
positions (0-7) that the white square has been displaced, counting
clockwise  from  the  home position at right. For  each  clockwise
displacement of the inner ring white square, count 8, and for each
clockwise displacement in the outer ring, count 1. The total is  a
key number that will be used in an alien device you'll find later.
For  example,  if  the  inner white square  is  at  6  o'clock  (a
displacement of 2) and the outer white square is at 9  o'clock  (a
displacement of 4), the key number is 2 x 8 + 4 = 20.
This  puzzle  re-randomizes every time you  step  on  the  sinking
platform.
From  the  sinking platform, move L2 to face the  doorway  to  the
immediate  right of the entrance ramp. Move F and use the  yellow-
red jewel from your inventory to open the door. Move F6 R and zoom
in  on the alien device. Click on the spongy blue button at bottom
to  bring up the alternate display. Find the position of your  key
number  from the ceiling puzzle and click on it to light  up  that
many red bars. Click again on the blue button; the black circle at
left  will  show  spikes extending outside its perimeter  and  the
right  diagram will match what you saw on the ceiling in the  hub.
Move B L and use your green-red jewel to open the door. Move F2  L
F D F3 R into the lower level of the octospider lair.
Zoom in on the octospider lair map and click on the blue button to
activate  one  of  the doorways on the upper  level;  the  colored
triangles  start  blinking. You are again standing  on  a  sinking
ceiling-puzzle platform; move B U and figure out its  key  number.
Move  D  R F3 and use the alien device with the new key number  to
activate  the spikes in the access tube. Move B L F R  and  notice
O'Toole's crucifix lying on the ground - not a good omen! Move U F
R  and head for the left-hand door. Use the violet-blue jewel from
your  inventory to open it. Move F R F into the octospider  trophy
room.  Here you'll see such gruesome sights as Takagishi  stuffed,
and a photo of him getting that way (with clamps). How about those
octospiders, anyway? If you read the Rama book series, you'll find
a  similar episode occurring, in which Takagishi is later found to
have  died  by  "natural causes" (perhaps heart failure  on  first
encountering an octospider!). There's also a good color photo of a
couple  of  Ramans here, and another trilingual  number  wheel  in
which the sector directly to the right is again emphasized.
Move  to the closed door at the far side of the room and use  your
orange-red  jewel to open it. Enter the back room and observe  the
octoteacher. When it displays 7 and waits for your response, click
on the upper-left corner of the color tower to rotate it a quarter
turn,  then  click  on  the light-purple square  second  from  the
bottom. The octoteacher seems thrilled by your response, gives you
O'Toole's  catechism card, and exits the room. Oh, well,  I  guess
O'Toole won't be needing it any more!
Before  leaving the room, pick up O'Toole's favorite-number  chart
from  the  top  of the color tower, and an organic lump  from  the
octospider  food dish (it could be part of Takagishi for  all  you
know!).
Move  L2  F3 L F2 R F D F4 L F into the subway room in  the  lower
level (you needn't re-solve the ceiling puzzle if you avoided  the
main  octospider  hub). Put the organic lump  into  the  miniature
subway  car,  followed  by Falstaff. From Falstaff's  perspective,
take  the organic lump and click on the white button in the subway
car. Move F and watch the animation of the big octospider stealing
food from a miniature one. Move L and take the hand laser from the
wall. Move B R and put the organic lump into the empty light-green
feeding  dish at right. After the octospider returns to his  meal,
move  R  and get O'Toole's ID card. Move B R, re-enter the  subway
car  and  use it to return to the subway room. Move F out  of  the
subway car and restore your normal perspective. If desired, move R
F2  and  note Sabatini's scarf in the full-size inoperative subway
car.  Exit the subway room onto the sinking platform. Since you've
now  reset  the ceiling puzzle at least twice, look up and  derive
the new key number.
Use  the previously-established procedure to exit the lower level,
then  return through the right-hand tunnel to the main  octospider
hub. Exit up the ramp back into the Octospider Plaza and head  for
the Human Plaza.

Endgame
From  the entrance to the Human Plaza, move R F3 to the door  that
was  previously  inaccessible on the other side of  a  chasm  (for
which you raised a bridge by solving the subway puzzle in the back
of  this plaza). Zoom in on the hexagonal access panel and put the
human  icon  in the right holes and the pool pendant in  the  left
hole.  Move B F2 inside. Solve the trilingual number wheel  puzzle
by  making  all rings display 9 at right; that is, by clicking  on
the  inner,  middle and outer rings 3, 1 and 4 times, respectively
(digits  of  pi?).  Move F L F R and use the green  laser  on  the
reflection  of the crane biot to have it disable the  spider  biot
guarding  the  bomb. Move R F L F and zoom in on the  bomb's  code
panel.
The  bomb's  disarming sequence is a set of five 4-digit  numbers,
with  leading zeroes used when necessary. Each time Rama is played
(at  least from the point when you've exited the avian lair),  the
disarming sequence is re-randomized.
From  Heilmann's  message to Yamanaka and  Tabori,  there's  every
reason to believe the disarming code is generated from five of the
numbers  on  O'Toole's prime sequence chart.  Each  of  the  forty
numbers on the chart contains four or fewer digits.
The clues in O'Toole's belongings all refer to the sequence number
in his list of forty favorite numbers; for example, if the reverse
side  of  his  anniversary photo makes a reference to  "21st",  it
means  that one of the 4-digit disarming code numbers is the  21st
element  of  his sequence, which from his chart is 0461  (you  may
have a different number on the back of the photo). On O'Toole's ID
card,  the month and date of his birth are circled, providing  two
more sequence numbers.
Looking  at  the reverse side of O'Toole's catechism card,  you'll
see that the first 4-digit code number is the 15th in the sequence
(0251), and the last is the 33rd in the sequence (1097).
You  now  know  what  all five code numbers  are,  with  the  only
question  being the positioning of the middle three. Of  the  four
digits  already displayed on the bomb's panel, the first  two  are
the  trailing digits of the second code number, and the  last  two
are  the  leading digits of the third code number. Using O'Toole's
sequence chart in conjunction with the above information, you  can
define the positioning of the middle three code numbers.
Here's an example from one particular Rama game:
Bomb digits displayed: 61|00

Source             Sequence Number     Code Number     Position

Catechism card           15               0251         First
Catechism card           33               1097         Fifth
Photo                    21               0461         Second
ID Card                   3               0047         Third
ID card                  29               0853         Fourth
The  positioning of the second, third and fourth code  numbers  is
the  only  arrangement matching what is already displayed  on  the
bomb.
Once  the disarming code numbers have been entered, click  on  the
INPUT  button to disarm the bomb (you get three tries  before  the
bomb automatically detonates). If you hear the sound of compressed
air  being released and a majestic fanfare begins, you've done it!
Back out and listen to Nicole's vidmail describing what's going on
upstairs. Move R2 F4 and watch the endgame sequence, at the end of
which Arthur C. Clarke makes a vague reference to a game sequel.

A Primer on Arithmetic in Bases Other Than 10
The  ordinary  arithmetic problems we're used to  seeing  are  all
based  on decimal (or base-10) numbers, but systems using  a  base
other  than  10  are possible. In all systems, the position  of  a
digit  in  a  number  determines the  value  it  contributes;  for
example,  the  base-10 number 2347 represents an implied  addition
problem:
    2347 (10) =   2 x 1000
                + 3 x  100
                + 4 x   10
                + 7 x    1
Here we've included "(10)" after the number to emphasize that base
10  is  being used. Note that the value multiplied by  each  digit
increases by a factor of 10 as you move each position to the left,
with the rightmost digit always representing ones. This use of the
base to distinguish the role of each digit in a number is the  key
to  understanding arithmetic in all bases. For example,  the  same
sequence of digits in base 8 (octal) would translate to
    2347 (8) =   2 x 512
               + 3 x  64
               + 4 x   8
               + 7 x   1

             = 1255 (10)
Again, note that the value multiplied by each digit increases by a
factor  of  8  (the base) as you move each position to  the  left.
These  multipliers  are referred to as powers  of  the  base;  for
example,
    Base 10              Base 8

      10 = 10          8 = 8
     100 = 10 x 10         64 = 8 x 8
    1000 = 10 x 10 x 10    512 = 8 x 8 x 8

            etc.
As  seen in the conversion above, it's fairly easy to translate  a
non-decimal number into base 10, but the opposite conversion is  a
bit trickier. The procedure can best be illustrated by means of  a
specific  problem, for example converting the decimal number  1255
(10) into base 8.
First,  we begin by finding the largest power of the base  present
in  the starting number. Since 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 = 4096 (10) is larger
than  1255  (10),  we next try 8 x 8 x 8 = 512  (10),  which  does
factor at least once into 1255 (10):
    1255 = 2 x 512 + remainder
In  fact, 2 multiples of 512 (10) can be found in 1255 (10) - this
2 then becomes the first digit in our base-8 equivalent.
To find the next base-8 digit, start by removing the effect of the
first  digit, which changes the starting number from 1255 (10)  to
231 (10):
    1255 - 2 x 512 = 231
The  procedure  is repeated with the new starting number  and  the
next smaller power of 8 to come up with the second base-8 digit:
    231 = 3 x 64 + remainder
Continuing the process eventually results in the definition of all
base-8 digits:
    1255 (10) =   2 x 512
                + 3 x  64
                + 4 x   8
                + 7 x   1

              = 2347 (8)
Any  single digit in a number can never be as large as the base  -
the  maximum digit in a decimal number is 9, and the maximum in  a
base-8  number  is 7. For bases larger than 10, we must  introduce
other  symbols  for  values  above 9 -  letters  are  usually  the
convention. In base 16 (hexadecimal), we have the possible digits
    0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  A  B  C  D  E  F
For example, C (16) is equivalent to 12 (10).
Unless  you  have  a  translating calculator or  other  aid,  it's
usually  easiest  to  solve complex arithmetic  problems  in  non-
decimal  bases  by  first  converting  all  numbers  to  base  10,
performing the arithmetic, then converting the answer back to  the
desired  base.  For simple addition problems,  an  analog  of  the
decimal columnar method may be used; for example in base 8,
        1   <--- carry digit
        5 3
    +   2 7
    -------
      1 0 2
Here are some examples of arithmetic problems in various bases:
    Base 3                   Decimal Equivalent

    1 + 2 = 10                1 + 2 = 3

    10 - 1 = 2                3 - 1 = 2

    21 + 12 = 110             7 + 5 = 12

    21 - 12 = 2               7 - 5 = 2

    1201 - 111 = 120           46 - 13 = 33


    Base 8                   Decimal Equivalent

    2 + 4 = 6            2 + 4 = 6

    7 - 2 = 5            7 - 2 = 5

    53 + 27 = 102             43 + 23 = 66

    52 - 41 = 11              42 - 33 = 9

    13053 + 17345 = 32420           5675 + 7909 = 13584


    Base 16                  Decimal Equivalent

    A + 4 = E            10 + 4 = 14

    D - B = 2            13 - 11 = 2

    24 + 12 = 36              36 + 18 = 54

    FF - AA = 55              255 - 170 = 85

    1F40 + 5A8F = 79CF         8000 + 23183 = 31183

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