Time Travel Paradox

Narrative

Your research team had just finished work on the world’s first prototype time machine. However, your colleague, Dr. Hessenberg, chose to betray everyone and steal the time machine for himself! To hide his crime, he decided to send all his teammates back in time to the Jurassic era to be eaten by dinosaurs. You need to find a way to get back to the present and stop Dr. Hessenberg before something catastrophic happens!

Puzzle Solutions

Prehistoric Jungle

This puzzle starts with a bit of a cutscene where the players are transported to the time of the dinosaurs to be eaten by the first thing to find them. For the first 20 seconds, the players do not have anything they can do. A “Black Hole” will appear above them and the time machine will land in the center of the playspace, ejecting all of the top row power cells. After this cutscene, the players get their first task. They must collect the power cells and place them on the time machine to repair it.

There is one power cell that will be outside the playspace, under the feet of a raptor. To get that power cell, players must throw the lava rocks that litter the playspace at the raptor, a successful hit will cause the raptor to recoil, and run away. The power cell will then roll safely to the play area.

Once all the cells are attached to the time machine, one player must press and hold the time machines activate button.

When the time machine is activated, it will begin to power up like in the intro sequence, but with an audio warning to abort time travel. (there is no way to abort) 3 power cells will then pop off the machine and players will be transported to the next room.

Time Split Past/Future Lab

This level is split into 2 time zones. one in the past (1984) and one in the future (2035). Players can travel between time zones by pressing and holding the time machine’s activate button. The room will start by having at least one player in each time zone. ie. 2 players in past, 2 in future.

The primary goal of this room is to secure the 3 power cells in the past so they may survive into the future where they can be attached to the time machine and return to the present.

(May be completed in any order, and solutions can be undone)

Radioactive Storage Chamber

The Radioactive Storage Chamber or RSC for short works like a crane game, there is a joystick to move the crane and a button to pick up and drop objects inside the chamber.

In the past: There are 2 power cells and 2 concrete pillars inside the RSC, they cannot be removed from the machine in the past.

In the Future: The machine is smashed by debris, except for slots B2, B3, B4, and B5. where a metal pipe is being held up by the concrete pillars, protecting the slots in between.

Solution: The players must use the crane in the past to place the power cells in slots B3 and B4. The power cells will then appear in the future protected by the concrete pillars and can be grabbed and placed on the time machine.

If the cells are moved out of those spots in the past, the future power cells will be erased from existance, unsolving the puzzle.

Stasis Chamber Power Cell and Keypad Codes

In the Past: There are 2 stasis chambers, each with a keypad to open them. in the first stasis chamber, there is a Hacker 9000+ and in the second chamber there is a power cell. on the opposite side of the room there is a safe with a pink squeaky toy cow inside.

In the Future: There are 2 stasis chambers, one that is cracked open, giving players access to the Hacker 9000+ and the other one is completely destroyed, No power cell. The safe is still in the opposite side and still has the pink squeaky toy cow inside.

Solution:

  1. A player must remove the Hacker 9000+ from the past and plug it into the keypad for that stasis chamber. it will quicky hack the keypad and display the code. That player usually then enters that code into the keypad, it will then display the correct code in green and shatter the rest of the glass chamber.
  2. They must communicate the code to the players in the past or travel there themselves and input the code. Once the code is used on the past stasis chamber, the glass chamber will shatter and the Hacker 9000+ in the future will disappear.
  3. Now that the Hacker 9000+ is available in the past, players can then plug it into the keypad for the stasis chamber holding the power cell. This Keypad needs a 5 digit code and will take a REALLY long time to complete.
  4. Players must send the Hacker 9000+ to the future using the safe while hacking the hard code. The code for the safe is on a paper pad in the future, or can be obtained with the Hacker 9000+. When placed in the safe, the Hacker 9000+ will appear in the safe in the future with the solution to the 5 digit keypad code.
  5. Players must communicate this code to the players in the past, or memorize it and travel to the past to input it themselves. This will then shatter the glass chamber and give access to the powercell.
  6. Last step is to place the cell into the safe, retrieve it in the future and place it on the time machine.

If the power cell is removed from the safe in the past, then it will disappear in the future and unsolve the puzzle.

Present Lab

Players will then appear in the lab in the present, Dr. Hessenberg will see them and run away, closing the door.

Solution: There is a keypad next to the door. the solution is written on the whiteboard. Players may also use the Hacker 9000+ on the table to get the code.

Present Rooftop

This stage is a boss fight against Dr. Hessenberg and his gunship that he stole from some future timeline. The fight is scripted into 5 phases. Players can use the time machine to pause time, reverse time, or resume time. The players goal is to defeat Dr. Merik while not letting the time machine be destroyed. Each time a player is damaged they will be temporarily stunned and unable to grab until the next phase. If the time machine is damaged or destroyed. it will automatically pause time, allowing players to rewind and prevent this fatal damage from happening again.

After a brief cutscene with Dr. Hessenberg gracefully entering his gunship and taking off, players are given access to the time travel controls.

  • Phase 1: Missiles The gunship will fire 2 missiles at the playspace, without interference, they will explode the playspace and destroy the players and time machine. Players must pause time right before the missiles impact the playspace. Then players will be able to grab and change the missiles direction. They must point the missiles at the gunship and hit it or it will charge a laser shot at the time machine, causing it to be destroyed and pausing time. only 1 missile needs to hit the gunship to continue the fight

  • Phase 2: Strafing Runs The gunship will now make 3 strafing runs at the players. getting hit with the lasers will cause the players to be stunned and unable to be useful for the next round. The first 2 strafing runs can simply be dodged by not being in the path of the lasers. The last strafing run will swipe across the playspace and players must duck or hide behind the box to avoid damage.

  • Phase 3: Missiles The gunship will then fire 4 missiles at the playspace. However, this time the gunship will dodge to the left, players must remember where the gunship is going to be to hit it this round. only 1 missile needs to hit the gunship to continue the fight

  • Phase 4: Barrel Strafing Runs The gunship will now drop 2 red barrels into the playspace. As we all know, red barrels explode if they are shot. So players must move the barrels out of the way of the strafing runs to prevent them from exploding. the first 2 rounds simply just need to be moved out of the path of the lasers. the last strafing run will swipe across the playspace, players must position the barrels behind the large crate so they are not damaged.

  • Phase 5: Final barrage The gunship will now fire 6 missiles at the playspace. players must hit the gunship with at least one of these missiles to win the game. Again, the gunship will dodge to the left and players will have to remember where the gunship goes to hit it.

Hardmode Changes

Subject to Change

Time Split Past/Future Lab:

  1. keypad codes are now generated and not the same as in normal mode.
  2. the concrete pillars in the RSC can now be moved along with cells, and do not start in a solved state.
  3. stun effect lasts much longer.

Time Travel Paradox Keyboard Shortcuts

The keyboard is used from the server computer to control several in-game functions. There are some keyboard commands that apply to every level in the game, as a host a level-specific commands.

General Commands

Y - toggles ‘spectator mode’, allowing the camera to fly around and observe the game. The server computer starts in this mode automatically.

W, A, S, D, Q, E - when in ‘spectator mode’, this freely moves and re-orientates the camera position

0 - warps all players to the lobby

1 - Warps all players to the present lab

2 - warps all players to the prehistoric level

3 - warps all players to the time split lab

4 - warps all players to the rooftop

Numeric Keypad Plus - adds 1 minute to the timer

Numeric Keypad Minus - subtracts 1 minute from the timer

H - increase the number of hints the team can request (default 2)

Shift+H - decrease the number of hints the team can request

Alt+H - force revealing of the next hint

Shift+[number] - loads a different game/experience, list is shown in lobby levels

Shift + L - skips the story introduction (only while introduction is being played)

Lobby Commands

Spacebar - begins playing the automated intro (VR safety, Hint description, mission), then starts the game

M - plays the mission intro only, then starts the game

V - starts the game

Shift+Insert - toggles the in-game mic feature on/off

R - toggle showing/hiding of the score message

U - cycles through a list of available languages and apply the new language after 5 seconds (It restarts the server and wipes the current score.)

Prehistoric Volcano

J - solves the raptor puzzle

V - toggles completion for all puzzles, and advances players to the next room

Time Split Past/Future Lab Commands

M - toggles time zone view

J - shatters the Hacker 9000+ stasis chamber in the past

K - shatters the power cell stasis chamber in the past

V - toggles completion for all puzzles, and advances players to the next room

B - triggers the failure condition (Time Machine Explodes) and ends the game warping every player to the lobby level

Present Rooftop

BE VERY CAREFULL WHEN USING THE TIME MACHINE OVERRIDE CONTROLS! THEY ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO NORMAL GAMEPLAY CONDITIONS AND CAN CAUSE THE GAME TO RESUME AFTER TIME MACHINE DESTRUCTION.

J - press to start rewinding time

K - pauses time

L - resumes time

B - triggers the failure condition (Time Machine Explodes) and ends the game warping every player to the lobby level

V - triggers the victory condition (Destroys the gunship and causes black hole on gunships position) and ends the game warping every player to the lobby level

[ - blows up all current missiles

] - deals damage to the gunship