2400 A.D.: Won!

You have to wonder what kind of security system allows all the robots to be destroyed by entering three words.

Well, that was a bit anticlimactic. At the end of my last 2400 A.D. posting, I suggested that I thought the game would be a quick one. I was right. I continued wandering through the streets of Metropolis, killing robots, building my statistics, and making money. I visited each building and got all the available clues from the denizens. The picture that emerged was that to win, I would need to:

• Visit several computer consoles under the administration building, enter a code, and get each of three "deactivation codes."
• Sneak in to the Authority Complex through a maze that began in the junk yard, fighting robots and solving puzzles along the way.
• Find my way to the top level of the Authority Complex and enter the three deactivation codes.

To accomplish all of this, I needed several pieces of equipment:

• A field disperser, the best armor in the game, which also allows the wearer to pass through force fields
• A plasma rifle, the best weapon in the game (I'm not sure if it has a 40-watt range).
  
• A transporter guidance device to make my way through a transporter maze
• A jetpack, to get over some obstacles

One by one, I collected the clues and visited the locations to find these items. The plasma rifle was most difficult. I wasn't sure where to get it, but I sort-of lucked into it after I bought several lesser weapons from Wes the weapons dealer.


He ended up just giving me the plasma rifle, but it was broken. I took it to Hugo in the repair shop, and he outlined what I needed.


These spare parts came from a couple of electronics dealers. Once I had it, I was unstoppable, to both robots and doors. I broke in to the Social Rehabilitation Center just to slaughter the robot guards and speak to the prisoners.


The field disperser was a bit easier, requiring only that I find a set of blueprints and pay an absurd amount of money to a guy named "Les" to make the armor.


I picked up the other items along the way, too, but didn't take screen shots. It wasn't all that exciting. The game was far too easy by this point--no robot could really damage me, and they all died in just a couple of shots.

A random pop culture reference. Origin likes these.

Perhaps knowing that robots were no longer a challenge, the game threw some different puzzles at me as I explored the depths of the Administration Center, looking for the deactivation codes.

First there was a moving sidewalk maze. I didn't bother with it; I just fired up my jetpack and flew over it.


Then we had a maze that required me to shove crates around until I found the path to the computer terminal. It took a little time, but we're not talking Wizardry IV-level difficulty, here.


Once I had the codes, it was a simple matter to sneak into the Authority Complex, work my way to the top, and enter the deactivation codes into the main console. I took a video of the last five minutes, starting with the end of a battle with some reasonably difficult robots.

The greatest disappointment? I never got to see what a Tzorg looked like! I guess they're saving that for the sequel.



Alas, according to Wikipedia, the sequel--2500 A.D. (guess it took the Tzorg a while to get there)--was canceled in development.

If this whole post seems a little lackluster, that reflects my feelings about the game. Maybe it was what I needed after Wizardry IV, but it was horribly easy and quick. I'll do a quick summary posting next and then hopefully head on to something more challenging.