Escape from the Dome Room
This week's escape the room game is a look back at one of our favorite designers, Tesshi-e. Long before Tesshi-e discovered a save button, long before they found a competent translator, long before we first featured one of their games (Escape from the Living Room), Tesshi-e created a cute little puzzler that deserves a spot in the Weekday Escape spotlight. Welcome to Escape from the Dome Room!
How did we get to the Dome Room? Why are we there? How did we get locked in? As the prologue is entirely in Japanese, it is up to a faithful fellow escaper who can read the language to let us know. All we know is that there is a mysterious door, so of course we have to open it and get ourselves locked in. It's what we do, people, we're room escapers!
Yes, Tesshi-e's later efforts are fun and easier (due to the new translations), but in this case the way-back machine takes us to a simpler time, when the game designers were still finding their feet. Escape from the Dome Room has a lot of the problems that plagued early efforts, no English translation, pixel hunting galore, and very familiar music. But that doesn't mean that the game isn't worth a look-see. Au contraire.
Escape from the Dome Room is still a gem. There are some fun and innovative puzzles, the usual gorgeous scenery, and you frankly just have to love a game that requires that you drink wine to escape the space (ooops, spoiler alert!). Yes, there is pixel hunting, the navigation takes a bit of getting used to, and the clickable areas of some objects are odd, but despite the flaws this is quite a fun little game. Here we see the genesis of what would later become some fantastic games (Escape from Mr. K's Room 2, Escape from Restaurant Minshio). There's a lot to enjoy in this look way back when (all of a year and a half ago). Time sure flies when you're having fun.
So yes, pixel hunting. Yes, no English translation. That doesn't mean you shouldn't give Escape from the Dome Room a try and enjoy seeing this early and amusing effort. As we look forward to the next big thing, a little retrospective never hurts as we also look back to the past and have fun comparing it to the present. And despite the flaws, there is still a lot of entertaining room escaping to be had. And yes, even back then there was an alternate happy coin escape. What are you waiting for? Get drinking! Er, rather, get escaping.
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
First Panel
Walk down the stairs and then turn back. Take the screwdriver. Walk up the stairs. Before you go all the way up, look at the right down corner [N=X]. Remember that.
Look at the door and click on it[about 1/4 from the top]. Use your screwdriver to unscrew the thingy and look outside. It says.. 29N98 . But we know that N=X . So... 29x98 = 2842
As you face the door, turn left. Enter the number (2842) on the panel. Press the big button at the bottom and the red light should turn green. Now the red door is open!
Wine Box
Walk down the stairs, through the red door. Now, look at the first and second painting on the right. Write down the equations. We'll need them later.
Look away from the paintings and face the ladder. On the left, there is a handle. Click on it couple of times to turn it.
Climb up the ladder. You see a vase with four balls. Turn right, click on the table and take the glass.Turn right four times (As you turn, mention the vases with the different number of balls in them). You see a wooden box with some wine bottles in it. On it's right, there is a panel where we see the same symbols from the second painting..Hmmm.. And we must use the letters N E S W, one time each .
As in almost every EtR game, the letters N-E-S-W, refer to North-East-South-West. From the second painting we know that E=1. So East=1. Can you imagine what 1 refers to? Yes, the vase with the 1 ball in it.
So, if East=1 ball, then while facing the vase with the one ball in it and turning clockwise, we get the following:
East= 1=E
South= 2=S
West= 3=W
North= 4=N
Math time! From the second painting we know that:
_ / _ x _ + _ = N+W
N+W=7 ..so
_ / _ x _ + _ = 7
From the panel next to the box, we know that we must use the letters/numbers NWES one time each. So which combination on numbers/letters gives as a result, 7 ?
The combination is
4/2x3+1=7 -> N/SxW+E =7 . Use these letters in this order to open the wooden box. When you open it, take a bottle of wine and the key from the bottom. Turn left two times.
Wine weight and Card
Use the key to open the piano. Take the corkscrew. Click the bottle of wine in your inventory, then the "about item" button. Click the bottleneck and use the corkscrew to remove the cork. Turn left 4 times.
Look at the left box. It says "wine 3600 ml" with an arrow pointing underneath at the gram calculator. So we have to find how many grams 3600ml of wine weigh. Go back and click on the right box. It's a scale!
Weigh the glass that you found earlier. It weighs 230 grams. Take the glass and fill it up with wine. It now weighs 475g. From the first painting we know that a glass fills up with 250ml. So with simple maths we find out that 250ml of wine weighs 475-230=245gr. So if 250ml=>245gr then 3600ml=>3528gr. Furthermore, it's written on the scale that 590g=>card. So if we find something that weighs 590g we get a card.
Take the glass, drink the wine, fill the glass up again, drink it, refill it and drink it again. Now we have an empty bottle of wine, which weighs 465g. The screwdriver weighs 125g. So only if we could combine those two... :p Click the "About item" for the empty bottle and use the screwdriver to combine them. Weigh them and get the card.
Go back, click the box on the left and use the number we found earlier(3528). Take the spanner (or however this thing is called. Go back, turn left 3 times and climb down the ladder. As you face the ladder (with the paintings on your right), click the small box on the left. Use the spanner and turn it. Turn back and walk up the stairs. Face the door and click the panel on the left.
Second Panel (front door)
Use the card to activate the panel. You see some letters. They can change from A to G. Hmmm... Turn back, walk down the stairs, climb up the ladder and go to the piano. There are some keys pressed. These pressed keys can be represented with letters. (google search "piano letters" if you don't know how) . We get the letters A G E C.
Head back to the panel and insert those letters. You're freeeeeee!
Posted by: Vasilis
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November 17, 2010 6:24 AM
Escape from the Dome Room Walkthrough
General Information
Don't forget to pick up everything you can, and see what you can combine.
There is no construction, per se, but there is combining of objects.
Lots of math ahead.
Yes, there is a happy coin escape.
Good luck!
Exploration (Interior)
You begin inside some sort of industrial type hallway, facing a white door. Notice that there is a slat in the door at about eye-level.
Click on the slat for a close up and you will see that it is held closed with screws. Back up.
To the left of the door is some sort of code machine, click on it for a close up.
Looks like this needs a swipe card, which we don't have. Back up.
Turn left.
There's an area for another code, looks like a four digit number code, which we also don't have.
Turn right to face the door and then back up.
You should now be facing a staircase going down. Click on the stairs to descend.
Now we have a red door which is, of course, locked.
Back up. You are now facing the staircase going up. Notice the item on the stairs? Take the item (screwdriver).
Go up the stairs (if you hover your mouse towards the top of the stairs you will see an arrow appear, then click).
You are now back in the upper area, looking at the floor. Notice on the far right, below the metal railing, is a small equation, N = X.
Hover your mouse at the top of the screen until a bar appears then click.
You are now facing the white door again. Click on the slot for a close up.
Use the screwdriver on the screws to open the slot.
Click on the open slot for a close up.
Okay, that looks like the dome room itself. Notice on the ground in front of you is a message, 29 N 98, with an arrow pointing towards you.
It's a clue!
Back up.
Opening the Red Door
If you remember, the code we saw on the floor said that N = X.
If you substitute X for N in the code seen through the slot, you get 29 X 98. 29 times 98 is 2842, a four digit code.
Turn left from the white door to see the code device on the wall.
Enter the code 2842 and push the large button at the bottom.
The light underneath the code should turn green. Go right, then back up.
Go downstairs and click on the red door, it should now open.
The Underground Space
You are now facing a long hall through the open red door. Hover your mouse in the doorway and an arrow will appear. Click to move forward.
There's a metal pipe on the left running the length of the hall. You can see a junction box of some sort halfway down. Click on the box for a close up.
Looks like you need a lever or a handle, back up.
On the wall on the right are two pictures. Click on the closest one for a close up.
According to the picture, a bottle of wine equals 750 ml, a glass equals 250 ml. Good to know, I guess. Back up.
Click on the picture that is farther away for a close up.
Okay, looks like a math problem missing a lot of numbers or values. Blank divided by blank times blank plus blank equals N + W. Also, apparently, E = 1. Again, good to know.
Back up and click on the ladder ahead for a close up.
Okay, a trap door to the roof, presumably, but it isn't open.
Back up and look closely at the ladder.
To the left of the ladder the pipe goes up the wall to the ceiling. There appears to be a small lever halfway up the wall. Click on the lever for a close up.
Click on the lever to turn it to the left. The hit detection here is odd, so you may have to click several times before you can get the lever to move. Back up.
Click on the ladder again and you will see that the trap door is now open. Click on the open trap door to go through.
You are now in the dome room (cue dramatic music).
Exploration (The Dome Room)
When you enter the dome room you are looking directly at the door with the slot, this time from the outside.
In front of you there is a blue vase with 4 balls in it. If you look closely you can also see part of the lettering of the 29 N 98 clue.
Since, when viewed from the door, the arrow from the N was pointing at the door, you can presume that you are facing North.
Turn right.
There's a nice glass table here with two chairs. Click on the table top for a close up.
In the close up you should be able to see the glass sitting on the table. Take the glass and back up.
Turn right again.
Here's a blue vase with one ball in it. You've turned 90 degrees by this time, so you are facing East.
Turn right.
Nice piano there, but there's nothing you can do with it at the moment.
Turn right.
You should now be able to see the trap door, and another blue vase with two balls. You've moved 180 degrees, so you are now facing South.
Turn right.
You are now facing a really fancy wine cooler, with a black box on a pipe to the right of it. Click on the black box for a close up.
Looks like the equation from the picture down in the hallway. Four empty boxes and the math symbols match. Below each box is a button, and there is a capital N on the left.
If you play around with the buttons, you will see that clicking on one transfers the letter to that box, causing another letter to appear to the left. The letters are N E S and W, which also coincide with the points of the compass (North, East, South, and West).
Back up and turn right.
Yet another blue vase, this one with 3 balls. You are now facing West.
Turn right.
There's a low table here with two devices. Click on the glass box on the left for a close up.
It says "wine 3600 ml" and a four digit code that has a g at the end. Presumably that means grams. Looks like you need to find out how much 3600 ml of wine weighs if you want to get whatever object is inside.
Back up and click on the right hand object on the table for a close up.
We have a scale that appears to weigh in grams. Yay! It also says 590 grams will get you a card.
Back up and turn left twice to the wine cooler.
Time to solve some puzzles.
Opening the Wine Cooler
To solve this riddle you need to remember the clue from the second painting and the clue on the black box.
First, assign a number value to the four letters that the box shows, N, E, S, and W.
This is pretty easy, the value is the number of balls in the vase at that point. So N = 4, E = 1 (we also know this from the picture), S = 2, and W = 3.
So ___ / ___ * ___ + ___ = N + W.
___ / ___ * ___ + ___ = 7 (N + W = 7).
The entire problem reads as 3 / 2 * 4 + 1 = 7.
That would mean the letter sequence is W (3) S (2) N (4) E (1).
Click on the black box for a close up.
The N needs to go in the third box from the left, so push the button to place the N there.
Now an E appears. It needs to go in the far right box, so push the button beneath that box to place it there.
When the W appears, push the button beneath the first box on the left to place it.
Place the S in the second from the left box. It should read W S N E.
Once the letters are placed properly push the larger button at the very bottom of the box.
If you got it right, the word "good!" will appear. Back up.
Click on the wine cooler for a close up and then click on the cooler door to open it.
There's a gold key on the floor of the cooler, take it.
Take the bottle of wine from the lower shelf of the cooler.
Click on the top of the bottle to see the cork in close up, then click on the top again to remove the cover from around the cork.
Put the wine back into your inventory and back up.
Weights and Measures
Time to figure out what to do with the scale.
Turn left twice to face the piano.
Use the gold key on the keyboard cover of the piano to open it.
Click on the keyboard for a close up and take the object there (corkscrew).
Back up and turn right 4 times to the low table with the scale (and the glass box).
Click on the scale for a close up.
Time to weigh stuff!
If you weigh everything in your inventory you will find: screwdriver = 125g, key = 30g, glass = 230g, full wine bottle = 1205g, and the corkscrew = 190g.
None of that is 590g, which you appear to need for a card. And you don't seem to be able to combine any of the objects.
Perhaps if you open the wine bottle and remove some of the wine?
Pull up the bottle from your inventory.
Click on the top of the bottle for a close up, then use the corkscrew on it (2 clicks) to open it.
Put the bottle back in your inventory and pull up the wine glass.
Use the bottle on the wine glass to fill the glass. According to the picture downstairs, the glass should hold 250ml of wine.
Place the full wine glass on the scale and you will see that it weighs 475g. Not enough, but you can now figure out that 250ml of wine = 245g (full glass of 475g minus empty glass of 230g = 245g).
Pick up the full glass from the scale. When it goes into your inventory you will notice some red bars at the bottom of the picture.
Pull the full wine glass from your inventory and you will see a question, drink the wine yes or no.
Might as well drink it, so answer yes.
You can weigh the bottle now that it only has 500ml of wine, but it weighs 955g, too heavy, so take it back.
Pull up the glass from your inventory and use the wine bottle on it again.
Drink the wine and put the glass back in your inventory. Now the bottle should have 250ml of wine left so weigh it again.
It now weighs 710g, which is still too much. Take the wine back, pull up the glass, and pour the wine into the glass. Yes, drink the wine yet again.
Now weigh the empty bottle. It should weigh 465g, which is below what we need.
Is there anything we could add to the empty bottle to bring it up to 590g?
Pull up the empty wine bottle into a close up. Add the screwdriver to the top, then place it on the scale. It should weigh precisely 590g (465g + 125g = 590g).
A swipe card will pop out of the scale, take it.
Back up.
Now click on the glass box on the left for a close up.
The box apparently wants to know how much 3600ml of wine weighs in grams.
We know that 250ml of wine weighs 245g (from weighing the empty and full wine glass).
Divide 3600ml by 250ml and you get 14.4. Multiply 14.4 by the wine weight of 250ml (245g) and you get 3528g of weight.
Enter the code 3528 and push the red button to the right of the code.
If the code is entered correctly the door to the box will swing open and you can take the object from inside (lever).
Note: you have to do the math using the wine glass and the wine. You cannot use the full bottle because the weight of the full bottle is the empty bottle + wine weight + the cork, and once you remove the cork it disappears and you can't weigh it.
Now that we have a key card, let's see what it does. There was a key card swipe back at the door where we began.
Door Keypad (Part 1)
Turn left 3 times until you can see the trap door.
Hover your mouse at the bottom of the screen until a bar appears, then click. This will open the trap door.
Click on the ladder to go in, then back twice so that you are facing the red door.
Go through the red door, up the stairs, and look up so that you are facing the white door again.
Click on the swipe card code to the left of the door for a close up.
Use the swipe card on the reader and letters will appear in the four slots. If you click the buttons beneath them, the letters will change, from A to G.
Do you know what that means? Yes, it's a music clue.
Back up twice, go down the stairs, and through the red door.
Once in the hall, click on that box on the pipe on the left wall for a close up.
Use the lever (that you got from the glass box) on the box and click it again so that it goes to the right.
Back up, click on the ladder, then click on the trap door to go back to the dome room.
Turn right 3 times until you are facing the piano, then click on the keyboard for a close up.
You will see 4 of the white keys are depressed. From left to right, this is the code for the door.
If you can't read music or don't know what the notes are, they are A, G, E, C.
Back up.
Time to escape!
Regular Escape
Turn right once from the piano and you will see the trap door.
Use the back bar to open the door, go down, then go back twice until you are facing the red door.
Go forward through the door, up the stairs, and look up. You are now back at the white door.
Click on the reader on the left of the door and enter the code you learned from the piano.
Once the code is entered click on the larger button at the bottom. You should now see "ok" to the right of the large button.
Back up, then click on the white door to open it, and click on the open door to escape.
Happy Coin Escape
Follow the regular escape until you enter the piano code and push the button and "ok" shows up.
Back up, but don't go through the door.
Instead, back up again, go down the stairs, and through the hall to the dome room.
Once in the dome room, turn right 3 times to face the piano.
Click on the keyboard for a close up.
While in the close up, hover your mouse to the left and you will see a left navigation bar, click it.
You are now looking at the left side of the keyboard. Click on the black area just to the left of the keys to open it.
Take the happy coin and back up.
Turn right, open the trap door, go down, through the hall, and back to the white door.
Now open the door and go through.
Happy coin will bring happiness to you!
Posted by: grinnyp
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November 17, 2010 6:28 AM
3rd ending??? I had to find it as I missed the 2nd :P
Walkthrough for the 3rd ending!
At the end, after you insert the letters in the last panel (the one next to the front door, find the Happy Coin (it's on the left of the piano's keyboard) and climb down the ladder. As you face the ladder, click the small box on the left. Then click the valve until it turns left. Climb up the ladder and enjoy the 3rd ending :)
Posted by: Vasilis
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November 17, 2010 2:14 PM