Personally, I am a Puzzle Weenie and will usually read hints if
they're available, and then I regret it later. But it's not fun to be
stuck either. In an effort to make some sort of compromise, I'm
including some gentle nudges/hints for puzzles in area 31 leading up
to one possible solution. The hints have been rot-13 encoded so you
don't see extra answers by accident. To decrypt, replace a by n, b by
o, .. m by z, n by a, etc. On unix you can use the command 
"tr '[A-MN-Za-mn-z]' '[N-ZA-Mn-za-m]'" 
to do automatic decryption.

This isn't a complete explication of the game. If you need more hints
than this, feel free to post to rec.games.int-fiction for help, or
mail me (my address is currently dbs@cs.wisc.edu. It will be something
different after 6/99 or so, but I don't know what.)

[some blank space before the hints start]






























Hints: 

-What's going on?
Er-ernq gur vageb. Be ybbx nebhaq.

-Who am I?
Lbh ner zbire-pynff znpuvar.

-Why am I moving incorrectly?
Lbhe flfgrz pbzcnff vf bss.

-I'm running out of power.
Yrnir gur erpynvzngvba nern naq jnvg n ovg.

-The drone keeps coming into the reclaimation area and deporting me.
1) Gur qebarf qba'g zbir hayrff gurl ner nyregrq ol fbzrguvat. 
2) Gur fnyintref frrz yvxr gur zbfg yvxryl phycevgf.

-How do I avoid the notice of the salvagers?
1) Gurl pynffvsl vgrzf va gur erpynzngvba nern nf genfu gb or chg njnl, 
genfu gung unf orra chg njnl, naq guvatf gung fubhyqa'g or gurer.
2) Vs n fnyintre frrf n guvat gung fubhyqa'g or gurer, vg nyregf gur
qebarf.
3) Vs vg frrf genfu abg lrg chg njnl, vg qvfnffrzoyrf vg naq chgf vg
njnl.
4) Fb gur bayl fnsr pngrtbel vf gb or genfu gung unf orra chg njnl.
5) Jurer qb gur fnyintref chg gur genfu nsgre gurl cvpx vg hc?

-Where is area 31?
Guebhtu gur qnex ubyr.

-How do I get past the drones / to area 31?
Lbh fubhyq or hfvat gur vaqrk pbzznaq ba zbfg rirelguvat vagrerfgvat.

-What to do with the driller?
Gurer'f fbzrguvat lbh jnag va gur ebbz jvgu vg.

-What to do with the constructor?
Gurer'f fbzrguvat lbh jnag va gur ebbz jvgu vg. Ohg lbh pna'g zbir vg
lbhefrys.

-What to do with the lifter?
1) Gevrq chggvat fghss va vgf fybg?
2) Fbzr vzcyrzragf ner zber rssrpgvir onfuvat qrivprf guna bguref.
3) Ernq vgf vaqrk ragel naq guvax nobhg ubj gur yvsgre qrpvqrf jung gb
   cvpx hc.