Re: Alien Mind: HD install? Walkthrough?

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article jeffr@nortel.ca writes...

>I just got a used copy of Alien Mind, from someone advertising
>of the net.  I've got a copy of a deprotect patch for it,
>which seems to just allow you to copy the disk.  Does anyone
>know if the game can be installed to a hard drive?

    Unfortunately, no, at least not without some special patcher
(a la NFC MegaDemo hardrive install) which would create an image
of the two disks and run from those. It used its own custom OS/
filing system to fit 950K on each double-density 3.5" disk. That
is why the French United Cracking Klan's deprotected disk version
was stretched out to three 800K diskettes (which happened to be
incompatible with the ROM 3).

>I went looking for info on the game on the WWW, and found
>(on the Digisoft site) that the Golden Orchard CDROM has
>a folder about Alien Mind cheats, etc.  Does anyone have
>that CD?

    I don't own the CD, but I do have a collection of files which
tell you what bytes to sector edit (on your save-game disk) which
allow you to increase health, ammo, keys or the level your on.
Also listings to remove copy-protection and other things within
the game. Even how to invoke the easter eggs in the options menu.
I don't want to waste bandwidth posting all those files here, so
mail me if you want any of them.

>Secondly, the game included the notes of a previous owner.
>For those of you who know the game, you have to keep
>entering passwords, and get clues about what they are.
>According to those notes, on clue was "ancient mythological
>seductress who lured sailors to their deaths".  But when
>I played the game, all I got was "ancient mythological
>seductress".  Could there possibly be different versions
>of the game?  Can anyone remember this clue from their
>own experience?  I was thinking a walkthrough might
>cover this info.

    PBI Software only released one version as far as I know.  The
passwords your asked to enter throughout the game can all be found
in the background story printed in the manual (it was a subtle form
of copy-protection). Some can be guessed, others are more difficult
and you will need to read the manual. The one your asking about
above is from the second level, and the answer is: "siren".

    I have a listing of all the passwords if you want them. You'll
be asked to enter them at specific terminals in the game. That's
as much a walkthrough as you'll need, the most difficult thing in
the game was finding the correct terminal to "log-in" (and keeping
your health points intact, not easy when monsters were constantly
being regenerated and bumping into you). Follow the instructions
left to you and you should be able to locate the right terminals,
and the three pieces of the super-gun to defeat the alien later
towards the end of the game.

    The graphics and Gauntlet-like feel of the game was nice, but
I found it _much_ too repetitive (and that looped music that was
about 4-5 seconds long and the same on every single level...ack!).
I was impressed when I first saw it, but grew tired of it quickly.
I suppose that was one reason I only went back to complete it just
a year ago. ;)

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca