TRESCOM WALKTHRU


You begin this level atop the hill with a road out in front of you. To your left,
you'll find a storage cabinet with a desert-eagle inside. Take it -

Heading down the road to where the area levels out you will see the area has been
bulldozed at some point with leftover debris pushed to the clearing's edges, there
is also a trailer and some abandoned equipment around it.

The trailer's door is locked. To gain entry, shoot the deadbolt with the gun you
had taken from the cabinet earlier. Once inside, you'll find a chalked message the
last occupant left, but more importantly, a desk beyond that. There are several
bullets scattered on the desktop, but you find that your current gun isn't a match
for them (they are for another handgun not yet found). Currently more useful is a
slide-out writer's slab, top right desk. Open this -

Here, you will find a note that has been taped to the wood. On it, is a passcode
which you assume is of some importance. Study it, memorize it. If you cannot see
it well enough, run your hand along the note to cue in a helpful voiceover and its
companion subtitle.


Back outside the trailer, you consider your route. OUt behind the trailer, there
is a pond where you'll find a compy sentry keeping a watchful eye out for any meal
to happen by. Although compies in general are of no serious threat to you bodily,
they can harrass you into shooting at them and wasting ammo. Try clubbing them if
you really feel the need to kill the little varments.

More on track, consider traveling the road you left earlier. The road is the main
route and is the most direct path to the unknown areas that await you (a secondary
path will be discussed later).

Back on the roadway, you'll note a styrac near the road's edge just past a jagged
rock. Although the animal has something of a temper, if you leave him be and walk
past without antagonizing him, he will generally ignore your passing him by. Down
further, you will come across a metal bridge. Just outside the bridge lies a box-
like generator control system which opens the far end of the gate.

The battery is dead. There is a truck which seems to have crashed on the bridge n'
its dead driver lies on the bridge decking. Open the truck's hood. Inside, you'll
find a batter with enough juice left in it to operate the bridge gate controls.


TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE:


Retrieve battery from truck.
Remove the dead battery from bridge controls.
Pick up replacement battery.
Carefully align yourself with the battery's housing.
Gently lower and release new batter into position.
Go to the front of the bridge controls. Push the 'red button'


Now note, the bridge gates have swung open and you can proceed. Beforehand, check
your weapon status. Although you may already have one weapon with a half dozen (or
more) shots left, the empty Ruger lying beside the dead driver can be reloaded, if
you feel like taking the stroll back to the trailer to reload the weapon (these are
the shells you saw earlier lying atop the desk). The dead man lying on the bridge
is also the individual who left the message on the blackboard -

Beyond the bridge, be alert. A Rex has staked out his territory within the valley
between the road connections and there are also raptors that may be meandering into
the area surrounding the valley.

As the music cues and you continue on, one raptor should be nonchalantly consuming
its latest kill just behind a big boulder. If you give him enough berth, he should
ignore you (unless of course you are looking for a fight). The grasses in front of
you also harbors some danger. There is a raptor's nest somewhere along the grasses
and dry creekbed edge. Be careful, as a mother raptor tends to their young and she
won't take too kindly to your intrusion if you venture too close.

Past the grasses, and if you're the daring type, you can continue to walk straight
through the center of the valley, though be prepared to run. The T-Rex will easily
spot you if you take this route and you haven't enough firepower to stop him. Now,
if you took this route, you still have a chance to live through this encounter. To
your left, you'll see a small plateau with some Mayan ruins. Run to it -

Some believe the Mayans possessed mystical powers, a sort of magic that modern-day
science can't explain. Well, you're not looking for explanation, you're looking at
death, and that ancient civilization has left something behind that just might help
you live to ponder another day. Amongst the floor of the ruins, you will find some
rubble, but more importantly along with this rubble is a medallion. Pick it up, n'
before the T-Rex reaches you.

No one can explain what magic this medallion possesses, but for whatever reason, a
power has been unleashed and you are now in its possession. Be forewarned; so long
as the medallion is on your person it will ward off the evils of the carnivores but
once dropped or unstored, you will again be the same vulnerable, delicious prey you
were before. Also beware, ancient magic is no match for the powers of a protective
mother-to-be, or guardian of sacred grounds.

Now that you're feeling all so safe, directly across the valley floor another site
can be visited. This is an ancient mayan temple, sacred grounds, where a person of
great importance was long ago entombed. The music cue may lend hint to the dangers
that await you if you dare to breach its entrance.

What? You're going inside even after I warned you? Okay, then. The entrance is a
great stone door. Push at it from either end as it revolves around a center pivot.
Now inside, take careful note of other visitors who might have come before you. All
that is left is some shattered skulls n' bones strewn about, an ornated sarcophagus
standing silent vigil over the remains. There is a spike trap here, which you can't
defeat, so you must stay close to either side of the building's walls to stay safe.
The right side of the wall contains a lever, this opens the sarcophagus' crypt. The
spike trap is still active, so be careful as to how you approach.

Peering into the sarcophagus, you see the remains of a mayan, who you assume to be
a King, or someone of equal importance. More like a revered warrior you think, as
you take note of a battle shield and spear which were entombed along with him. You
are unable to remove any of these artifacts, they won't budge. Looking elsewhere,
your eyes take up a pair of statues resting in opposing, back corners.

Raptors? You wonder, how the Mayans could have known about prehistoric beasts? Or,
was this some type of tourist attraction set up by InGen's board of directors look-
ing to add further mystic to the island? No matter, something else has caught your
eye; a glistening of gold. Between the statues you find a stone shelf, a decorated
knife resting atop it. An altar knife, perhaps used in human sacrifices, you wonder?

Perhaps. .. be careful. Taking possession of this treasure and attempting to leave
the temple, may cause death. You still have the spikes to avoid, now poison darts,
and perhaps a temple guardian or two. Proceed with caution -


Back outside, continue down along the dry creek-bed you crossed earlier, back into
the valley. Just before the road begins again, you see a metal shed which sits atop
a small leveled hill just to the left of it. The door is locked, and shooting at it
will get you nowhere. Save your ammo -

Poking around the hillside out behind the shed, you find the skeletal remains of a
man. Perhaps an InGen employee, but appears more like a soldier to you. You feel a
sense of sadness for the man, but you make no apologies for prying the rusted knife
from his skeletal hands (it's of no further use to him).

Make your way back to the road. A short distance ahead, you'll find an abandoned
truck, its door ajar and its driver dead on the forest floor. Right away you notice
the PMp5kSilencer machine-gun still clutched in his hand. You fear the worst, that
it may be empty. Almost, as there are only a few shots left. Toss aside any other
weapon you may be carrying and take this one -

Go back to the Shed. On the backside of the shed is a smoked-glass window. Shoot
it out. Store your weapon, carry a crate over to the window and jump inside. There
isn't much inside, but there is one thing you can certainly use, a full clip. Walk
on over and reach for it. You now have a fully loaded weapon. You can now unlock
the door and leave. Head back down the road -


Passing the truck you visited earlier, the balloon compound should now be in view.
There's another compy sentry along the road, but it's nothing you can't handle. :)

The compound is locked up tight. You note the card reader along the wall near the
compound's large doors but at this point you haven't the keycard needed to activate
its mechanism.


METHODS OF ENTRANCE:


There are four legitimate ways of breaching security and entering the compound. It
can be time for a swim, a few well placed shots, you can set explosives or continue
down along the coastal cliffs to the research facility and retrieve the keycard. We
will discuss the swim first -

The Swim: Traveling to the right of the compound, find a safe location where you
climb down from the cliffs and into the ocean below. Once done, wade on over to the
concrete docks below the compound's cliff. Near the old ship wreck, you'll see the
ladder straddling the outer wall of the dock. climb it, then proceed up along the
face of the cliff, via the ramp stairs, until you've reached the top and walked in-
to the confines of the compound.

The TreeFall: Go to the left side of the compound, past the barred entrance. Down
near the end of the compound, look for a dying tree. This tree looks different, it
has small broken branches near its base that resemble spikes. The tree is rotted n'
ready to fall.

With a few well placed shots, the tree will fall, landing onto the compound walls.
Although you can't quite make the jump onto the first branch, placing a crate up a-
gainst the base of the tree will give you that little bit of height needed to begin
your tree climb. Stay in the center of the tree so you don't fall -

The Explosive: Although we have not discussed the area where this item is, we will
assume you have found the plastic explosive and you've been wondering what on Earth
you could do with it. KaBoom, that's what!

Although the explosive is not powerful enough to blow apart the compound doors (we
have too assume they were built to withstand a T-Rex charge, so a little explosives
wouldn't defeat those bulky doors), it is powerful enough to break apart a few iron
bars weakened by age & corrosive sea-mist.

Again, go to the left side of the compound. Go to the barred entrance, placing the
plastic explosive pack near the right center of the entrance. When the correct lo-
cation is found, the explosives will set into position and its timer will activate.
In five seconds, the explosives will detonate. Don't panic; although you will suf-
fer some damage from the blast, you won't be seriously harmed. Afterwards, simply
wiggle your way inbetween the broken bars and walk into the compound -

The KeyCard: Go to the right side of the compound. Walking along the cliff, you
will arrive at the 1st wooden bridge. Be alert here, as there's a raptor hiding in
the hillside and it's likely to surprise you. Once across the bridge, the path you
see in front of you leads to the 2nd wooden bridge. Just before this bridge and to
the right is the scattered remains of an InGen employee. His proximity box is lay-
ing on the ground near him.

As Hammond said; We tagged the most dangerous animals with radio collars that trans-
mitted a warning signal. workmen carried ittle boxes that played a tone when a tag-
ged animal came near at which point they would panic and flee in terror. ..

Apparently, the proximity box didn't help this poor soul. You may find this proxy
box still operative, but if you carry it with you and hear a tone growing stronger,
perhaps you should drop the box and ready your weapon!

Back on the path, cross the 2nd bridge. Up to the right, a mother steg is alertly
keeping an eye on her offspring. They pose no threat, and the stego will leave you
be so long as you keep to yourself and don't mess with her offspring. Continuing a-
long the path, you'll soon walk into view of the research center. Although you call
there is no response, it seems just as all the other buildings you've found, it too
is abandoned.

Inside, it's quiet, save the haunting melody that taunts the silent machinery that
was left behind. There's no power, yet the wind turbine that generated the energy
the facility used is still standing, though motionless against a steady wind. Is it
jammed, or rusted, you wonder?

Who said guns never solved anything? Ha! You should still have a weapon with sev-
eral shots left, if not go back inside and enter the 1st door to your left. This is
a makeshift bedroom/bathroom workers & visitors once used. Look towards the bed; a
revolver is tucked part way beneath the pillow. Take it if you need it. You'll al-
so find a diary someone left behind. Reading it, you'll realize it wasn't written
by any former InGen employee, but more likely from Biosyn spies who seized upon the
abandonment of the island to take what wasn't theirs.

By the tone and content of the diary, they weren't very successful -

Outback, take aim at one of the turbine blades and fire. You need to get this damn
thing spinning again, at least long enough to charge up the storage cells inside so
be certain you get the blades turning to complete a few rotations. Well, well, you
done it, hu? Great!

Now, go back inside. You notice some power has indeed returned to the building and
being the clever person you are, you also remembered the passcode you stumbled upon
earlier inside the trailer's desk. Go ahead then, tap in the code -

As the door eases open, you peer inside and immediately see what you came for; the
keycard lying on top a large, metal desk. There's a corkboard with numerous postups
too, though their faded with age and difficult to read. No matter, you got what you
came here for -

Although, curiousity makes you pause, wondering about the road out back. You take
the detour, and find the road ends at a pair of large wooden doors. They're locked
up tight, but upon further exploration you find a hole tore into chain link fencing
that bypasses the doors. Within a few steps, you realize the road is gone, and the
ocean has filled the deep gorge that developed when the road and surrounding cliffs
slide into the waters. It's a dead end -

Straining your eyes, you notice electric fencing lining the hillside that overlooks
the road on the otherside of the gorge. Is that fence still electrified? Is there
something else, something of value up there, you wonder? Perhaps. But you realize,
the available route would mean going back up through the valley, and facing the Rex
again to find out -

Heading back to the other side of the wall, you've been ambushed. A pair of rapt-
ors have been waiting for you to come back through the fence and they're coming for
you! Let's hope you still have a weapon. Better yet, if you still have the PMp5k-
silencer with you and you're running low on ammo, you're in luck. There is a fresh
clip inside the supply cabinet hung on the wall beside the large wooden doors.

Phew, well you made it. You're back at the compound and still in one piece. Take
the keycard and use it to activate the card_reader. The doors will slide apart and
you can now walk into the compound -

ALTERNATE ROUTE:

Back at the trailer, you decide not to follow the road. Instead, you've headed up
the hill just behind the trailer and to the ridge above. You take notice to an area
of forest that was hit by fire, and the skeletal remains of a tricreatops which you
think may have been caught up in the fire & smoke and perished. Further along, you
find water runoff has gouged a small ravine into the forested hillside, though oth-
er than some scattered bones & a proximity box, you find nothing of particular use.

You've back-tracked, and coming up over the rise of the knoll you come across what
appears to be a hastily made cemetary tucked in against the mountain side. You also
note the fallen log just before the cemetary, the remains of what you assume a man,
sitted against the log and appearing eerily serine, his fedora still shading him a-
gainst the elements.

A shovel stands upright beside him, dirt still caked to its blade. A heart attack,
maybe? Perhaps he had simply sat down rest, but never awoke. But who was he, does
anyone know that he's even here? You get a sudden chill, realizing that soon your
own bones may be left to bleach in the sun, forgotten.

With a silent nod, you continue on the path in front of you. You notice a pair of
jeeps off to either side of the path. Although the jeep to the right is locked up
tight, the other vehicle to your left is flipped, resting on its roof, and the door
on the passenger side is part way open. Most likely, vehicles that were part of the
unwelcomed hunting party that arrived here some time ago, you surmize. Inside, you
look for anything that might help you stay alive, a gun or even a radio. Your eyes
spot an object in the rear of the jeep; an explosive? You laugh nervously. A bomb,
with a timer. Great. You were hoping for something edible though, perhaps a bag of
stale chips and warm Coke -

You may store the plastic explosives safely, though be certain not to use it, oth-
erwise you may find yourself face down on the forest floor. Continuing on along the
pathway, you'll encounter a lone steg meandering around the low end of a pond. Al-
though they are herbivores and not particularly territorial, a steg is still rather
large, with a spiked tail and teeth besides. It can still inflict bodily harm, al-
though it'd prefer to just to be left alone -

Okay then, you've had your fun with the stegosaur and you've walked on. Down past
the rock formation and then down into the rain ravaged ravine. When you've reached
bottom, you have entered the territory of the T-Rex -


OTP (off the path):
Note: Otp area is not shown on atx_map

The area above and beyond the cemetary can be reached. Head up to the right of the
cemetary and head for some level ground spotted above. Here, is yet some more Mayan
ruins, a scattering of pillars of some type of structure never completed. Look to-
wards the center of the first area; you should spot a brush knife lying about, near
some old & broken relics of Mayan past. Be aware, there are some raptors lingering
here, so keep a keen eye out for them.

If you've gotten this far, you might as well continue upwards. Look ahead, find a
fallen tree which you can hop onto to traverse the steep incline of the hill. Once
you've reached the crest of the hill, take a sharp left, then climb up and over the
rocky ridge-line.

Before you is a quaint forest of mostly young trees, spread out comfortably within
the confines of two ridges. Head downwards. To the right, you should encounter an
evening meal, well, at least someone (or something) is having an evening meal. You
hear the eating sounds, realizing it's nothing more than a few compies feasting up-
on a chunk of meat.

Further down and to your left, you come across a crashed helicopter, just short of
a clearing. It's in pieces, and upon finding a lone skull, you assume finding help
here isn't going to happen. Ahead of you lies the clearing, a rather vast area of
dried, and cracked mud, ample signs that this land has seen plenty of precipitation
in recent times.

Be alert, as this is the domain of a Ceratosaur. If spotted and you find yourself
without the fire-power to take him down, head for the trees. Unlike raptors, large
predators will often give up on the chase if their prey proves too elusive or quick
afoot. The tagged raptor, animals mentioned by Hammond as 'dangerous' is also lin-
gering somewhere beyond the trees and down the hill to the left, so reconsider your
path if you so choose to limit the chance of an encounter. If you've chose to bolt
straight ahead, past the Ceratosaur, you'll find yourself in an area that overlooks
the research center. You can head back down that hill and to safety -

But, you haven't come all the way up here just to leave, have you? No. .. To your
right, you've seen the perimeter fences, and by sight you assume the fence electri-
fied. Well, it is, so be careful not to come into contact with the top sections of
the fence. Though a bit tricky, you can skirt around the end of the fence from the
area you are now or you can follow the fence back towards the start of the clearing
to the right of where you first glimpsed the crashed helicopter. The Hillside that
overlooks the fence on this end can be climbed, but before you do, and if you still
have the PMp5kSilencer silencer with you, then stop at the storage cabinet hung on-
to one of the pylons of the fencing and reload your weapon -

Once on the other side of the fence, be very cautious of any 'no trespassing signs'
you may see. It's unknown if some half-crazed, former InGen employee was forgotten
and left behind during the evacuation, or some type of automated weapons system has
a bead on you and it's just waiting for a clear shot. Either way, someone or some-
thing may shoot you if venture too close to the posted warnings.

Across the way, to the other side of the dam water, there's a narrow strip of land
dotted with trees. Up past the abandonded bulldozer, the dam's powerhouse is situ-
ated just behind the dam wall. Its door is locked up tight, but curiousity has you
pondering, is there a way in? Well, just one. And you need the plastic explosives
to do it. If you have it (or haven't used it elsewhere), place the explosives pack
at the center of the door.

The timer;

5, 4, 3, 2, 1. ..

"Dammit!"

This time, the timer has failed. Although, the explosive is primed and ready to be
detonated. Shoot the explosives pack (don't worry, it won't hurt much). If you are
without a weapon, go to the road out behind and to the right of the blockhouse, and
follow it down to the set of large wooden doors. The supply cabinet hung here has a
desert eagle inside. (Note, this is a another dead-end)

Back at the powerhouse, take your shot. The door should become unhinged and slide
back onto the powerhouse's floor. Inside the powerhouse, you note that the station
appears to be running at minimal power and in stand_by mode. At the moment, a com-
puter is currently doing a systems check and purging excessive water thru the dam's
penstock intakes.

Overall, there is little here to help you other than an ak47 which can be found on
top of some crates near the doorway. You can never have enough fire-power. There's
a good chance that a carnivore or two had heard the explosion that you caused. It'd
be prudent to be alert once you leave the powerhouse -

Back outside, and heading out past the road and down towards the shore, there's an
ample amount of woods here. It seems peaceful enough, but as you near the electric
fencing be aware that a spitter has staked out his territory here. These creatures
act benign enough at first, but it may end very badly for you if you ignor the dan-
ger and turn your back.

Say,

You've done well; in less than ten minutes you've bagged yourself both a raptor and
a spitter. Although you consider going back for the Ceratosaur, the return trip to
him seems a bit too much, so you've decided to take a short-cut back, crossing down
in front of the dam, through the muddied runoff, and down over the hill to the road
out behind the research center.

You've been this way before, now all you need do is to get back to the compound -


INSIDE THE COMPOUND:

Here, you've taken notice to the entire area, from the dwindled and weather beaten
supplies left alongside the cliff overlooking the ocean, to the little picnic spot
no doubt setup by former InGen employees to combat the stress and perhaps lonliness
of their environment. You also see what had drawn you to this location from the be-
ginning, you admire it standing tall against the gray skies that surround it.

The balloon. ... You wonder, can it fly? Traversing the creaky stairs, you circle
it a few times before entering the basket. The balloon is poorly secured, held in-
to place on top the platform by several heavy sandbags.

One by one, begin tossing them out until the balloon itself begins to lift. After-
wards, hop up onto the bench. For the moment, you feel rather safe. But as you go
higher and higher, looking down at the place you once were, you can't help but won-
der just where it is you're going to. Will this balloon bring you to safety or will
it deliver you to yet more danger. Of this, you can only await the unknowns -


***Smack Video/End of Level***


EASTER EGGS (& SECRETS):


Trailer Folk: The last visitors to the maintanance trailer were MadPpiper & Remdul.
Paul (MP), left the message on the blackboard for Remdul (Martijn), and was also the
unfortunate soul who perished on the bridge.

The Fire: The fire damaged area to the woods is in the shape of Anne's tatoo.

Magic Medallion: This Mayan relic wards off most carnivores, whether it's held in
your hand or stored.

Hidden Room #1: This room lies behind the pyramid staircase inside the balloon's
compound. Just before the stairs, look for an 'x'. Keep pressing until you find
the control block (the stairs will recede back into a hidden corridor).

Killer Klowns: ...from outer space, that is. Paying homage to this cult classic,
a toy box of a Killer Klown can be found inside Hidden Room #1.

Hidden Room #2: This room lies hidden from sight, but can be accessed, via plastic
explosives. Go to the left side of the balloon storage box and search out the wall
here. Once spot is found, the explosive pack will set into place and the timer will
begin its countdown. The ensuing explosion will reveal a 2nd hidden corridor which
leads to hidden room #2.

Big Red's Gold: Apparently, the developer of _atx not only likes trespasser, but is
quite the hoarder of riches as well. Hands off though, seems he's coming back for
those shinny bricks. He also left an Ak47 behind (on top of the crates). Regards
hidden room #2 -

TresCom ClipBoard: This item lists the original trescom members who first worked
on the tc-level. It can be found perched atop the empty bookshelf inside the re-
search center's office.

DeadMan's Diary: A diary left behind by those damn Biosyn spies. The diary's main
characters were MikeTheRaptor, Christopher, Travis and Paul (MadPpiper).

TSord Tribute: The name of the research station was changed to offer remembrance
of Charles Hughes, aka TSoRd.

Andres James: A picture of the creator of TresEd (and a great many other things)
can be found pinned to the corkboard of the research center's office. He's listed
as still missing. ..

Mayan Temple: Our little tribute to the Indiana Jones styled trappings.