FRAMES!!! Aaargghhh! I HATE FRAMES!!!

Hey check the frames. What do they look like? If you don't know go play Pathways Into Darkness.

hmmm... ok. But I still hate frames!

Sorry but frames really do work best for this type of page. Get use to using the Inventory Window to bring up pages in the Message Window. Remember you can:

click in a frame and use the back and forward commands to navigate through previously viewed pages;

resize any frame by dragging the fame border around;

open any frame in a new window.

All images are displayed in the World View Window.

Inventory Window? Message Window?? World View Window???

Go play Pathways Into Darkness and learn!

I'm starting to play the game but I'm moving around sooooooooo slowly?!!!

Some call this a feature but yes your Player's speed is slow since you only have one speed... basically walking speed. This is what Jason Jones, the creator of the game, had to say in defence of Player speed criticisms shortly after the game came out.

"I think most of these comments arise from people who have played Wolfenstein 3D. I don't think that the way you move in Wolfenstein is realistic; I think you move too fast. Most of the game-play in Pathways is based on dodging projectiles and actually not being able to outrun monsters. If I was going to let the player move really fast, I feel that the monsters would have to move like that as well. I don't like the way in Wolfenstein you can turn around and run away from a fight. In Pathways several of the monsters, like the Wraiths, can actually outrun you, and most can at least keep pace with you, especially if you're backing up. I just think that makes the game more interesting. If you were able to move much faster than you can now, dodging projectiles would be a lot easier, which I think some people would appreciate, but it wouldn't have been as challenging. A lot of the Pathways world is based on relative velocity, and if the players speed increased everything else as well would have had to increase together. All the bullets would have had to move faster, and the monsters would have had to move faster, which wouldn't really help you very much. If you want to move faster, drink the red potion."
(Inside Mac Games magazine interview with Jason Jones Oct '93)

I heard there was a Cheat Code for making the game play faster. What is it?

It's not really a cheat code. In version 2.0 of Pathways Into Darkness if you hold down the Control key and type turbo you speed up the game. However not only is the player's speed increased but so are the monsters and sounds. It makes for a rather strange experience. It's really only useful if you are backtracking over a level that has already been cleared out.

Note: the turbo code was actually mentioned by Bungie in their Pathways Updater 1.1 - 2.0 PPC Dialog Box. While you are told to type TURBO while holding down the Control key you are in fact typing turbo. If you try to hold down the Shift key as well you get the same result.

This sucks! I'm getting whacked by a monster higher up in the pyramid. Nothing seems to kill it. What do I do?

Did you talk to the Dead? The Dead offer vital clues to finding items that are needed to kill certain monsters. Try talking to all the Dead people on a level BEFORE moving to the next one.

Hey man! I don't have time to talk to the dead I'm playing against the clock here! Remember?

Yes I do. You have 5 days 7 hours and 47 minutes before the Dreaming God is scheduled to awake on Friday 13th 1400 (2.00pm). However game time is suspended when you talk to the Dead. Talk for as long as you want! :-)

Addendum: The Dreaming God doesn't actually awaken until Friday 13th 1813 (6.13pm). See The Dreaming God section for details.

Won't the Yellow Crystal wear out and shatter if I keep talking to the dead?

No. The manual clearly states that the Yellow Crystal will NOT shatter after repeated use. All the other Crystals will though. Use the Yellow Crystal as frequently as you want and for as long as you want.

Yeah right... I happen to have a life! Talking to these dead guys is seriously time consuming.

Then make time. This is the adventure part of the game. You need to talk to the Dead to successfully complete the game. You cannot win otherwise. Of course if you have a hints book you don't need to but then you'd be cheating. And you know what they say about cheaters! So grab a pencil and paper and start recording important Conversations. Also read the Conversations with the Dead section to learn about "word" triggers.

PENCIL AND PAPER?!!! I'm playing a computer game... give me a break!

Pencil and paper are essential requirements for any good adventure game. If you don't record some of the conversations you'll end up forgetting to ask the Dead about important events or names latter on. If you can't hack this then Pathways is not the game for you.

HEY! What's with all the DEAD links?

They're not dead... just dormant for the time being. They'll be activated as you play the game.

Gimmie a break... I've played the game half a dozen times before!

This seventh time will be different... trust me. ;-)

Does this page contain ALL the Conversations with the Dead?

Unlikely. Since Bungie encrypted the "Conversations with the Dead" they cannot be read except while playing the game. Thus it is quite possible that some Conversations are still missing. This just adds mystery to the game. You might be lucky and find a missing piece.

Hell! why not just crack the code?

Be my guest. Nobody has done it successfully yet. Chuck Gray came the closest. He posted his Dead Scripts (Part 1/2) and (Part 1/2) on comp.sys.mac.games back in Jan 1994. Sadly they are incomplete and somewhat disjointed.

I checked Chuck Gray's Dead Scripts and there is text in there that I can't get to appear in the game. What's up with that?

There are a few Conversation pieces decoded by Chuck Gray that don't seem to be triggerable. Whether this is a bug or we are not using the right trigger at the right time is unclear.

Didn't the Pathways Into Darkness Story page have all the Dead text?

Yes most of it but not all. It also only had the text for Pathways Into Darkness version 2.0. The Pathways Into Darkness Story page was maintained by Jim Mitchell (aka BobJam). It's no longer on the web.

Is there a difference in the Conversations between Pathways Into Darkness version 1.1 and 2.0?

Yes.

Who wrote the dead conversations?

According to an early Inside Mac Games interview Jason Jones and Colin Brent worked on the plot together. As to who actually wrote the Dead Conversations that would be Jason Jones.

I found a piece of dead text not listed on your page. Do you want it?

Yes please. Take a screenshot of your screen containing the Conversation dialog box. Please also indicate what version of Pathways Into Darkness you were playing. If the level has multiple Dead people please indicate who you were talking to. Thanks. All additions will be fully credited.

Is Pathways Into Darkness still available?

Bungie no longer sell the game. Your best bet is eBay. Search for either the original standalone game, or Bungie's Mac Action Sack or the Marathon Trilogy Box Set. Pathways was bundled with these later two items.

The game was also bundled with The Games of Fame Vol.1 and the Extreme Mac 12-Pack. All games in these bundles have won a MacWorld Game Hall of Fame award.

Update: Pathways Into Darkness is available for free download at the Macintosh Garden. The Macintosh Garden is an abandonware games archive, dedicated in particular to supporting the Macintosh computer platform. A notable feature of Macintosh Garden is its emphasis on game emulation, encouraging users to run historical and in some cases genre-defining games, on modern systems.

However, Bungie have recently officially confirmed that Pathways Into Darkness is not 'abandonware'.

Is there anything special about the Trilogy Box Set version of Pathways Into Darkness?

Only that copy protection has been turned off. You no longer have to look-up a code in the manual.

I heard there was a separate CD version of Pathways Into Darkness but I can't seem to find it?

Ah the mysterious CD version. Very rare. Apparently it was an OEM version that came in a CD envelope. It also had copy protection turned off. The CD did not come with a hard copy version of the manual. A picture of the PID CD can be found here.

errr... what's an OEM version?

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer". The term is something of a misnomer when referring to software. An OEM version of a product is the full version made available for bundling with other company's products. The OEM version is normally packaged differently from the retail version.

Is there a PC version of the game?

No.

Is there a map editor for the game?

Bungie have never released their map editor for Pathways Into Darkness. Ben Semmler <ben@torquerod.com> released Torch, a third party map editor, on April 2, 2000. You can find the latest version here (551K). It used to be at http://www.torquerod.com/ben/torch/.

What font was used for the PID title?

The title font is Friz Quadrata. Details about this font can be found on this Wikipedia page. Thanks to Hopper for identifying the PID font.

Who wrote the Official Hint Book?

According to Jason Jones the Hint Book was written by a friend of his, Dan Meltz, from University of Chicago. Dan is listed first in the credits followed by Alex Seropian and Jason Jones. Jason admits to not being "closely involved" in writing the Official Hint Book.

Is the Official Hint Book still available?

Bad news I'm afraid the Pathway Into Darkness Official Hint Book is no longer listed at Bungie's on-line store. Bummer!

You can see some of the text that was cut from the Hint Book in the Pathways Hint Book: Raw and Uncensored! section.

Note that the Official Hint Book doesn't tell you about all the secrets in the game.

Are there any 3rd party spoiler guides?

The main ones are Pou Lee's "Pathways Into Darkness Basic Survival Guide" and David Reevely's "Pathways into Darkness FAQ Sheet/Walkthrough". Although these will get you through the game they are actually quite limited and in one or two cases inaccurate. Hey but they're free and still available!

Ok what if I combine the Official Hint Book and the 3rd party guides will I know everything about the game?

No. Even if you included the Inside Mac Games' "Strategy & Tactics" and "Hints, Tips, & Tricks" sections for Pathways Into Darkness you still wouldn't know everything! But you would be getting close.

Oh so THIS page is going to tell me EVERYTHING?

One day... perhaps. ;-)

I found a secret page called The Labyrinth but I can't find it anymore. What happened?

Odd how its location keeps changing... just like the map I guess. ;-)

Isn't this the Awfully Awesome Pathways Into Darkness Page just revamped?

Hey! who told you about that... and where's your overcoat?

Hey what's with the overcoats? Is this some secret cult thing?