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| MYST |
| |
| FAQ/WALKTHROUGH |
| Version 1.3 (December 22, 2003) |
| |
| By The Admiral |
| Email: Admiral1018@yahoo.com |
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INTRODUCTION
============
Even many years after its release, Myst still reigns as one of the most
innovative and revolutionary video games of all time. While its graphics and
interface have long since been bettered by other games, nothing has yet come
close to redefining a genre of gaming the way it has. Anyone seeking an
incredible playing experience or wanting to share in a piece of gaming
history would be well minded to give Myst a shot.
That being said, Myst, in many gamers' minds, is one of the most challenging
and frustrating games ever created. The puzzles require some deep thinking
and a true creativity in many cases. The game is not simply a matter of "do
this, then do that," it's more a case of "figure out how this works, then
learn to master and control it." For everyone who has ever gotten stuck
while playing this game, or who completed it but isn't sure if they got the
fullest from their experience, this guide should help you.
Before proceeding, note that Myst does require a basic level of academic
intelligence to understand. You must know simple geometric concepts, like
how many degrees are in a circle and how angle measures work. You must also
be able to do simple arithmetic computations and understand the basic
cardinal direction system (North, South, East, West). Just be mindful of
these basic requirements before proceeding.
As a final note, this guide uses two extended ASCII characters: the bullet
(•) and the over-score (¯). If you cannot see both of these symbols clearly,
it is probably due to your browser settings. In that case, try switching
browsers or opening this document in a text editor. That should correct the
problem.
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D I S C L A I M E R MYS01
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This FAQ is meant for personal use only and cannot be reproduced for
commercial use under any circumstances. No portions of this guide may be
reproduced, in part or in entirety, without the consent of the author. If
you would like to use any part of this guide in your FAQ or website, I will
probably give you permission if you ask, but you must ask first (Email:
Admiral1018@yahoo.com). The Myst title and all contents within are copyright
of Cyan, Inc.
=============================================================================
G A M E E D I T I O N S MYS02
=============================================================================
Over the years, Myst has been ported and re-released across many different
platforms and gaming systems. While all versions are basically the same,
there are subtle differences that may affect the playing experience of
particular releases. This guide has been written for and fully tested on the
following versions of this game:
• PC Classic Edition
• PC Masterpiece Edition
• PC DVD Edition
• 10th Anniversary Edition
The strategies found in the FAQ and Walkthrough sections have been verified
to work on all game versions listed below. The main exception is when
instructions involve pressing or holding a mouse key; simply replace this
command with the appropriate action button used in the particular game.
• Playstation
• Sega Saturn
• 3DO
• Jaguar CD
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S MYS03
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To jump to any section of this guide quickly, click the Edit option on the
toolbar, then go to Find and type in the index number listed in the right
column. You can also press Crtl+F to bring up the search box in most
browsers and text editors.
DISCLAIMER..............................................................MYS01
GAME EDITIONS...........................................................MYS02
TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................MYS03
PC EDITION DIFFERENCES..................................................MYS04
GAME SETUP..............................................................MYS05
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS.....................................................MYS06
SECTION I – GENERAL TIPS................................................MYS10
SECTION II – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)...........................MYS11
• Island of Myst
• Getting to the Other Ages
• Mechanical Age
• Stoneship Age
• Channelwood Age
• Selenitic Age
• Ending
• Other Questions
SECTION III – WALKTHROUGH...............................................MYS12
PART I – ISLAND OF MYST.................................................MYS13
• Exploring the Island
• Island of Myst Map
• Getting Started
• Library
• Books
• Tower Rotation
• Access Keys
• The Ages OF Myst
• Final Note about the Pages
PART II – MECHANICAL AGE................................................MYS14
• Accessing the Mechanical Age
• Arriving in the Mechanical Age
• Entering the Fortress
• Exploring the Fortress
• Rotation the Fortress
• Exiting the Mechanical Age
PART III – STONESHIP AGE................................................MYS15
• Accessing the Stoneship Age
• Arriving in the Stoneship Age
• Exploring the Stoneship Age
• Draining Away the Water
• Restoring the Power
• Finding the Pages
• Lighting the Ship and Exiting the Age
PART IV – CHANNELWOOD AGE...............................................MYS16
• Accessing the Channelwood Age
• Arriving in the Channelwood Age
• Pumping the Water
• Using the Elevators
• Navigating the Tree Level
• Finding the Pages
PART V – SELENITIC AGE..................................................MYS17
• Accessing the Selenitic Age
• Arriving in the Selenitic Age
• Finding the Sounds
• Using the Transceiver
• Opening the Shed
• Navigating the Tunnel
PART VI – ENDING........................................................MYS18
• The Final Pages
• The End Game
• Other Endings
SECTION IV – SOLUTIONS..................................................MYS19
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* * * R E A D T H I S * * *
=============================================================================
Solving the puzzles and mysteries scattered through Myst are the most
challenging and enjoying elements of the game. Relying on a guide or
extensive information during your first play through will completely ruin
your experience, in all likelihood. PLEASE keep this in mind before going
any further. The game is possible to beat in 10 minutes if you have all the
solutions, but this will totally ruin the game for you. This guide is set up
in different sections to give you gradually increasing help while spoiling
your experience as little as possible. Here are the different sections of
this guide and how to best make use of them:
• Section I – General Tips: This section contains a list of 10 tips that will
help you start off strong and show you what types of things to look for.
There are NO spoilers or specific hints given in this section, so it is safe
for anyone to read. If you are struggling or if this is your first time
through a puzzle game, it is encouraged that you read this section.
• Section II – FAQ: The FAQ section contains a Question and Answer listing
for many of the more difficult areas in the game. If you are truly stuck and
none of the tips in the first section will help you, odds are the puzzle
giving you trouble can be found in one of the questions there. The answers
to each question do not flat out tell you the solutions, but they give
instructions on what to look for and how to find the answers you need. Each
question is categorized by area in the game to make them easier to look up.
• Section III – Walkthrough: This section has a fully detailed walkthrough
and graphical solutions for the entire game. It contains complete spoilers
for the specific sections that are being described. It advised that, if this
is your first time through the game, you DO NOT use this section unless you
have unsuccessfully searched both the general tips and FAQ sections for the
answers you need. This section is also intended for veteran Myst players who
are going through the game again and want to explore/understand everything.
There should be some new information and explanations that should benefit
nearly any player, no matter how many times you have gone through this game.
Keeping this in mind, the Walkthrough is still written so as not to spoil any
solutions in areas other than the current one.
• Section IV – Solutions: This final section is an appendix of the solutions
to puzzles in the various Ages. It is meant to provide a quick look up if
you only want a number or combination at some point. This section contains
full spoilers and is not intended for anyone playing through the game for the
first time.
Hopefully, the information laid out in this guide will provide the maximum
level of help while still maintaining the full experience of playing through
Myst.
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P C E D I T I O N D I F F E R E N C E S MYS04
=============================================================================
This guide is written for both the Classic and Masterpiece editions of Myst.
While both games have identical gameplay, controls, puzzles, and solutions,
there are several differences between them. The Masterpiece edition is
essentially a re-release with improved graphics and compatibility.
There is nothing significantly different, so if you own the original, it
doesn't make much sense to purchase this version as well. On the other hand,
if you do not own a copy of Myst yet, you should definitely go for the
Masterpiece edition if you can. Beware that both still have technical
problems on newer machines and operating systems, and some of these problems
are addressed in the "Technical Questions" later on.
The major changes made in the Masterpiece version are as follows:
• Graphics have been improved. Original Myst was limited to 256 colors, but
Masterpiece was redone in 24-bit color with noticeably greater resolution.
• Digitally remixed sound. All the original sounds are the same, but they
have been remixed at higher bit rates.
• Improved FMV resolution. All the Full Motion Videos remain the same, but
the clarity and coloration are much better.
• In-game help. There is a cheat function that provides you with clues and
solutions along the way (only if you want them), as well as maps for each
Age.
• Greater Compatibility. Myst Masterpiece fully supports Win 95/98/ME. It
also has extended compatibility with newer sound and graphics cards.
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G A M E S E T U P MYS05
=============================================================================
If you haven't yet installed the game, check to make sure your computer meets
these (meager) system requirements. At the time this guide was written,
nearly every computer in existence met these requirements, so they are fairly
trivial. Still worth reading for amusement. Here are the requirements for
both Myst versions:
Myst System Requirements:
-------------------------
• Windows 3.1 or Windows 95
• 386 DX 33MHz (486 recommended)
• 4MB of RAM (8 MB recommended) for Windows 3.1
• 8 MB of RAM for Windows 95
• Super VGA (640x480, 256 colors), with compatible drivers
• Windows sound device, with compatible drivers
• CD-ROM drive (2X speed of higher recommended)
Masterpiece System requirements:
--------------------------------
• Windows 95/98
• 75 MHz Pentium of faster (133 MHz recommended)
• 16 MB RAM (32 MB recommended)
• Minimum 30 MB hard disk space
• 4X CD-ROM drive
• 640x480 resolution, 24-bit color
• Video and sound card compatible with DirectX 6.1 or higher
• Installed DirectX 6.1 or higher
• Installed QuickTime 4.0 or higher
The installation for both versions should be quite simple. Just insert the
game into the CD-ROM drive and follow the setup instructions. Both versions
will require you to load QuickTime onto your computer (to play the movie
files). Masterpiece also requires that you have DirectX 6.1 or higher
installed.
There are some operating system compatibility problems associated with this
game. Particularly, neither game is designed to work on Windows 2000/XP or
higher, and it probably won't even start in many cases. There are a few work
around solutions that will still let you play it, however. Refer to the
"Technical Questions" section following this one.
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T E C H N I C A L Q U E S T I O N S MYS06
=============================================================================
Here are some of the commonly asked technical questions that people have when
trying to run the Myst games. If you have any other technical question that
is not covered here, please email me (admiral1018@yahoo.com) and I will try
to include it in future revisions.
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Q: Can I play Myst under Windows 2000/XP?
A: The game does not support it, but there are a few viable workarounds. The
first is to run the programs in Compatibility Mode, which emulates an
earlier Windows environment and allows you to use the programs. To do
this, create a shortcut to the Myst.exe file. You can do this by right-
clicking, then selecting "Create Shortcut." Now to set up Compatibility
Mode, right-click the shortcut, select "Properties," then choose the
"Compatibility" tab. Check the box for "Run in Compatibility Mode," then
choose "Windows 95 Compatibility Layer." Click OK. You should now be
able to start and play the game normally when you click on the shortcut.
Running the game under compatibility mode isn't perfect, however. If you
minimize the game or use Alt-Tab to switch the another program while it's
running, Myst will likely crash during the next sequence where a movie is
loaded. There are also random crashes that have been known to occur.
Just be sure to save more frequently if using this solution.
If you are running Myst Masterpiece, there is a patch which you can
install to make the game compatible with Windows 2000. You can download
the patch from this site, among several others:
http://www.mysterium.ch/master/master-e.html . Note that this is NOT an
official patch, so you take full responsibility for any problems
associated with it.
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Q: My game crashes at movie sequences (including when I open some book). Is
there anything that will fix this?
A: First off, make sure you aren't frequently switching between Myst and
other programs. Minimizing the Myst window has been know to result in
random crashes. If your game crashed sporadically (not every time), this
is likely the reason. This also means that any programs that cause widows
to automatically open (like Instant Messaging clients) should probably be
turned off while you are playing Myst.
If your game crashes every time an in-game movie should load, without
exception, then the problem is probably QuickTime. This is the movie
playing program used by Myst. It is recommended, in this scenario, that
you update the most recent version of QuickTime (see next question).
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Q: Where can I find the latest versions of QuickTime and DirectX?
A: It is recommended that you update both of these before playing Myst. The
game CD's include older versions of both of these components, but you
should avoid using those and download the latest packages. The two
programs can be found at the following, their official sites:
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M E N U MYS07
=============================================================================
By bringing the cursor to the top of the screen, the control menu will drop
down. There are two categories (three in Masterpiece) that have several
different options underneath. Most of these should be fairly obvious if you
have played PC games before, but a description of all the options and
commands is given below. Shortcut keys for any of the listed commands appear
in parenthesis.
FILE
----
NEW GAME (Alt+N): Use this command to start a new game. Doing so will prompt
you to save the game you are currently playing.
RESTORE GAME (Alt+R): This command loads previously saved games. When you
restore a game, you will begin at the beginning of whichever Age you saved
in. Doing this while playing a game will prompt you to save your current
progress.
SAVE GAME (Alt+S): Saves your progress to the currently loaded file. If you
have not loaded from a file, you will be prompted to choose a name and
location for the save.
SAVE AS...: Allows you create a new save file for the game. You will be
prompted to choose a name for this new file. Use this feature to create save
files at different locations or to make backup saves.
EXIT (Alt+F4): Closes the game. Choosing this will prompt you to save your
current progress before quitting.
OPTIONS
-------
TRANSITION MODE (Alt+T): This feature creates a flowing effect between
screens. It slows down the movement a bit, but gives the effect of actually
walking through the landscape.
ZIP MODE (Alt+Z): This allows you to speed through areas you have currently
visited. If you see a far off area that you wish to go to, place the cursor
over it and a lightning bolt icon will appear. Clicking when you see this
will skip through all the intermediate screens and save you some time.
DROP PAGE (Alt+D): If you are carrying a page, the hand icon is replaced by a
page icon. This can be very annoying when exploring, however. To get rid of
the page, select this command. The page will then be returned to the area
where you originally found it.
ABOUT...: Gives you the version and copyright information for the current
edition of Myst that you are playing.
HELP (MASTERPIECE ONLY)
-----------------------
HINT (Alt+F5): Gives you a specific hint on what to do next. It stops short
of fully telling you what to do.
SOLUTION (Alt+F6): This gives you a partial or complete solution to the
current puzzle. Using it often will spoil much of the fun in the game,
however.
OVERVIEW HINT (Alt+F7): This gives you a general hint that pertains to the
current Age you are exploring. It won't tell you what to do specifically,
but it will give you insightful hints about things to look for.
MAP (Alt+F8): This brings up a map of the current Age you are exploring.
The cheat functions can also be accessed by bringing the hand icon to the
bottom of the screen. The icons down there represent the following: Light
Bulb = Solution, Magnifying Glass = Hint, Question Mark = Overview Hint. The
two arrows on the bottom right allow you to scroll through increasingly
detailed layers of hints. Again, you should use these features sparingly.
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C O N T R O L S MYS08
=============================================================================
The controls for this game are about as simple as they come. You interact
with the entire Myst world using the hand icon, and the only key you will
ever need to press is the left-mouse mouse button to walk around or interact
with something (or right-mouse button, which does the exact same thing).
With that being said, knowing what to look for and when to click on something
with the hand icon is much less intuitive.
When certain actions open up to you, the hand icon changes. Below is a list
of the different icons and actions that you will see. Note that the actions
are still never more complicated than clicking or holding the mouse button.
POINTING FINGER (UP): The default icon you will see while exploring. Point
to something with the finger to click or examine it. Pointing and clicking
at the open space in front of you will move you forward a screen. Sometimes,
you can look up and observe what is above you. The icon for this is the
same, and there is no way of knowing you can look up except by trying.
POINTING FINGER (LEFT/RIGHT/DOWN): These allow you to turn or look down at
something. Placing the cursor along the edge of the screen will usually
cause one of the icons to appear if you can turn. Turning will either be 90
or 180 degrees depending on where you are.
OPEN HAND: This indicates that you can grab something. When you see the Open
Hand icon, press and hold down the mouse button. This will grab onto the
object. Now, move the mouse around to manipulate that object. Letting go of
the mouse key will release what you are grabbing.
GREEN/RED ARROWS: These indicate that you can turn an object in front of you.
Red arrows signify a counter-clockwise motion (closing), and green signifies
a clockwise motion (opening). These icons only appear in one area, when the
direction and degree to which you rotate a wheel is important.
PAGE/ITEM: When you pick up a page or item (holding items is very limited),
it will appear to be "held" and replaces the standard hand icon. This can be
very annoying when trying to explore, however, so you might wish to refrain
from carrying things while you are still solving puzzles.
WHITE HAND: Any hand icon that is placed over an area where a FMV is playing
will turn white. Aside from this, it functions perfectly normal and follows
the same actions as listed above.
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B A C K G R O U N D S T O R Y MYS09
=============================================================================
The background story to Myst is deliberately shrouded in secrecy. You will
figure out much of the story and of your purpose in the game as you explore.
Accept the fact, for now, that you shouldn't have a clear cut sense of
purpose of a well defined objective. Here is the only modest background you
are ever given:
"You have just stumbled upon a most intriguing book: a book entitled Myst.
You have no idea where it came from, who wrote it, or how old it is. Reading
through its pages provides you with only a superbly crafted description of an
island world. But it's just a book, isn't it?
As you reach the end of the book, you lay your hand on a page. Suddenly your
own world dissolves into blackness, replaced with the island world the pages
described. Now you're here, wherever here is, with no option but to
explore..."
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S E C T I O N I – G E N E R A L T I P S MYS10
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This first section gives a list of 10 valuable tips that will greatly aid you
in the trip through Myst. They contain no spoilers or any clues specific to
the individual puzzles. It makes sense for everyone to read them before
tackling this game, especially if Myst is the first strategy game you have
ever played. If you need more detailed help in any specific area, refer to
FAQ and Walkthrough sections, following this one.
1.) THINK LOGICALLY. Myst does an amazing job of creating a very realistic
world. When you come across new puzzles, try to think of how these things
might work in the real world. For example, if something needs to be powered
up, try to find power cables coming from it and see where they lead. Move to
the next step and think of HOW the power might work. What is generating it?
What happens if there is too much? How is it stored? Ask yourself the
logical questions, and, many times, logical answers will follow.
2.) PAY ATTENTION TO CLUES. One of the most important things in playing Myst
is learning how to distinguish between clues and tiny details. The world you
will explore is very intricately crafted, and you will see many things that
are thrown in to create a realistic atmosphere but have no significance in
solving any puzzles. Learn which types of things are important and which
aren't. A moldy piece of cheese lying on a desk, for example, probably
doesn't mean too much. A note you find laying on the floor, on the other
hand, is probably worth your attention.
3.) EXPLORE AND INTERACT. Never be afraid to spend some time exploring and
looking around. Go up to anything that looks interesting, try to find
unusual paths to take, and touch and interact with anything you see. Make
notes, either physical or mental, of interesting areas you come across. You
should spend a lot of time searching, but make sure you...
4.) BE METHODICAL. Don't just mindlessly push buttons or turn wheels. Take
note of what you are doing, how many times you push/turn something, what
happens each time you do, when something happens and when something doesn't.
Puzzles are often complicated enough that they force you to understand how to
do something, as opposed to simply doing it.
5.) LOOK FOR CHANGES. Once you do something in the game, whether it be
entering a code correctly or manipulating a series of levers, look around to
see what has changed, if it isn't at first obvious. This will give you
insight into how the puzzle is solved, as opposed to just stumbling across a
solution through trial and error.
6.) DON'T STRESS. Nothing will take its toll on you more than spending hours
caught up in one puzzle. If something eludes you, take a break and come back
later. You might also want to move on to something else, if you can, and see
if it sets off a spark or two on how to solve other things you came across.
Either way, the mind never solves puzzles better when frustrated, so take
breaks often when you're stumped.
7.) NEVER USE BRUTE FORCE. Nothing, and I mean nothing in Myst ever needs to
be solved by brute force. Sure, you can open a safe by trying all 999
combinations, but you will never need to. Puzzles are solved through putting
together clues and paying attention. If something seems impossible to solve,
it almost always means you haven't found the right clues yet to solve it.
8.) KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN. In many areas of Myst, sounds are just as, if not
more, important than what you see. You will get frustrated quickly if you
try to play Myst with the volume off or with music blasting in the
background. Pay close attention to sounds that you hear after doing things.
Pay even closer attention to see if the sound changes when you do something
differently. To get through Myst, you will need to assemble both visual and
audio clues into solutions.
9.) OBSERVE THE HAND. The hand icon says a lot. Just hovering it over the
screen will let you know if you can turn, look up or down, or interact with
an object. Always makes sure you fully explore peculiar screens with the
hand icon. As a strategic tip, when you come across the colored pages in the
game, note that picking them up will change the hand icon into the page icon.
This can be very distracting when trying to solve some of the puzzles.
Always make sure you solve all the puzzles in an area and find a way out
before picking up the pages. You can always return later to get them.
10.) SAVE OFTEN. While it's not as important in Myst as it is in other
games, it still behooves you to save often, especially when you finally solve
a puzzle you've been working on for a while. Nothing hurts more than losing
a few hours progress to a computer crash. It is also a good idea to keep
several different save files, as this makes it easier to return to specific
areas to explore.
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S E C T I O N I I – F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S
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The following section is meant to provide assistance on specific areas of the
game that may be troublesome. Many of the answers below only hint at the
right method or direction, stopping short of completely giving you the full
solution. If you have read through the General Tips section above and are
still stuck at some point, you can refer to the specific area below. If
these answers are still not enough to solve your problems, refer to the
Walkthrough section following this one. Note that heavy reliance on the
solutions in the following section may still spoil much of the fun in this
game, particularly if it is your first time through.
=============================================================================
F A Q - I S L A N D O F M Y S T MYS11
=============================================================================
Q: I've spent some time looking around the island. What do I do first?
A: Read the note you find as you as you climb the first hill after the docks.
It should give some clues about what to do next.
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Q: What is a Marker Switch?
A: Marker Switches are the podium-like objects that you see scattered
around the island. Each has a handle that can be placed in the "on" or
"off" positions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I use the imager in the room by the docks?
A: Move as close to the pool as you can, then turn twice so that you face the
stairway going up. On the left side, you should see a light-colored sheet
of paper on the wall. When you approach it, there will be a small button
with a green light in the top left corner. Push that and it will let you
enter codes for the imager settings.
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Q: Okay, I've spent some time in the library, found the Tower, and looked
around the whole island. I'm stumped. What do I do now?
A: Try looking at the map in the library more carefully.
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Q: How do I use the library map?
A: You will see a blinking, circular icon on the map. This represents the
Tower, which sits above the library. Try touching it on the map and see
what happens.
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Q: What do the lines on the map mean?
A: The line shows the direction the tower is facing. Stop rotating the tower
when the lines are red. At this point, you should try looking around
again.
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Q: What are the books on the bookshelf in the library about?
A: There are five books on the bookshelf in the library. Four of them
discuss the different Ages that you will visit in the game. In addition
to giving you a lot of background about the game, the books sometimes
contain useful hints about getting to those Ages or maneuvering once you
are there. The fifth book contains a large listing of patterns, and will
be used later on.
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Q: What do the Red and Blue books in the library do?
A: You should be able to tell that someone is trying to communicate with you
through them. Listen carefully to what's said, and bring back any blue or
red pages you find along the way.
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Q: What is the fireplace for?
A: This will be cleared up near the end of the game.
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Q: I've found the keys to unlocking the different areas on the Island. Which
one do I do first?
A: That's up to you. You can complete the Ages in any order you'd like. It
is recommended that you try the Mechanical Age first, as it's probably the
easiest of the four.
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Q: What are the different Ages?
A: There are four Ages in Myst, each of which can be accessed from the main
island. Each Age has its own distinct symbol:
• Mechanical Age: Stone gear
• Stoneship Age: (Sunken) Wooden ship
• Channelwood Age: Large tree
• Selenitic Age: Rocket ship
=============================================================================
F A Q - G E T T I N G T O T H E O T H E R A G E S
=============================================================================
Q: What do I do in the Planetarium?
A: First turn off the lights, which can be done by hitting the switch on the
wall next to the entrance. Sit in the center chair and enter the dates
you saw in the Tower into the coordinate finder. Once a star pattern
appears, record it and try to see if you can find something to match it
with somewhere else (like in a book).
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Q: I found the matches. How do I light them?
A: Once you take a match from the box, drag it along the side of the box. It
will ignite.
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Q: How do I get to the Channelwood Age?
A: You enter this Age by getting in the elevator in the giant tree and going
underground. The tree will start to rise once you light the furnace and
raise the pressure, and begin falling once the pressure is lowered enough.
You will need to time it so that the elevator goes up far enough for you
to enter, and starts to go back down once you get inside it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I tried increasing the volts and now one of the meters is stuck on zero.
What do I do?
A: This will happen if you exceed the correct number of volts that needs to
be entered. If this happens, go outside and climb the breaker towers,
then flip the switch. Everything should be fine when you return back
inside.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I get inside the rocket ship?
A: Once you have entered the correct number of volts in the Generator room
(without blowing the circuit), just click on the door and it will open.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I can't solve the puzzle involving the keyboard inside the rocket ship.
What do I do?
A: The key is entering the notes from the keyboard into the control panel in
the front. You can find out the correct set of notes by looking in the
back of the book corresponding to the Selenitic Age. Once you have the
right keys, there are two ways to solve the puzzle:
1.) Press each key and memorize the sound. Then, try to enter the
identical sound in the panel (in the same order that is numbered in
the book).
2.) Look at the keyboard and count out the keys, including the black ones.
This is the number of spaces you need to move up the button on the
front panel (note that the starting position is 1).
NOTE: This puzzle can be impossible to solve if your mouse speed is set
too high, as you will always move the buttons too far up or down.
To be safe, lower the speed until this puzzle is solved.
=============================================================================
F A Q - M E C H A N I C A L A G E
=============================================================================
Q: How do I rotate the fortress?
A: Take the elevator in the back hallway up one level, then push the center
button (rectangle), before exiting. This will cause the elevator to go
back down after you get out, revealing the rotation mechanism. Unlock the
fortress using the left lever, and rotate it using the right one. Place
both levers back in the down position once you are done.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What are all the objects inside the throne rooms for?
A: Most are decorative, but pay special attention to the Fortress Rotation
Simulator, especially the sounds made when the fortress stops when facing
different directions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Where are the red and blue pages?
A: In each of the two throne rooms, there is a secret door that leads to
hidden rooms with the pages. Look very carefully for them when facing the
thrones.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I leave this age?
A: Rotate the fortress so that you can reach the two other islands, one at a
time. Each has 2 of the 4 symbols needed to leave. Once you have them
all, return to the first island and enter the code.
=============================================================================
F A Q - S T O N E S H I P A G E
=============================================================================
Q: What do the buttons under the umbrella do?
A: The three buttons each control the water pumping mechanism for some area
of the Age. Pushing a button will remove the water from that area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I open the chest in the lighthouse?
A: Open the handle at the bottom to drain the water from the chest. Make
sure to turn the handle back when your done. This will allow the chest to
float.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I can't see anything inside the submerged chambers of the ship. What do I
do?
A: You will need to find the power source for the underwater chambers. Try
searching around in the tunnels that lead to the brothers' rooms.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I found the room with the compass board. Which button do I push?
A: The buttons around the compass represent angles. Going clockwise, each
button is 11.25 degrees of a circle. Try checking out the telescope, and
see if you can find any interesting angles.
=============================================================================
F A Q - C H A N N E L W O O D A G E
=============================================================================
Q: I've been walking around and am stumped. What do I do first?
A: Take the path up to the windmill. At the base of the large tank, there is
a faucet handle. Turn it once. This should start the flow of water
through the pipe, which will be obvious by the sound as you follow it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What does the red handle on the water pump do?
A: It has no purpose. It's thrown in to confuse you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I use the elevators?
A: Once you have turned on the faucet at the windmill, flip the switches
along the pipes to direct the water to the elevators. You can tell where
the water is going by following the sound.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Okay, I have the water flowing to the elevator, I get in, flip the switch,
but nothing. Why won't it let me go up?
A: Make sure you close the elevator door after getting in. This is required
before it will go up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I'm on the second floor and have been walking between the huts. What do I
do now?
A: You'll need to find the hut with the small red switch. This opens the
gateway that let's you use the stairway to return to the first level.
It's in one of the round huts at a dead end, and its easy to miss if you
aren't looking carefully.
=============================================================================
F A Q - S E L E N I T I C A G E
=============================================================================
Q: What does Selenitic mean?
A: Selenitic means something that contains smooth, transparent crystals,
often with a brilliant luster. This probably refers to the crystals found
by the flute sound, which are one of the many rare minerals found in this
Age.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I open the door near the beginning of the age?
A: You will need to find the correct order of the sounds. One of the devices
in the Age may give you some clues.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Where is the water sound located?
A: Pretty easy to miss this one. From the screen with the door at the
beginning of the stage, walk forward one screen, then face left. You will
see a small path, just to the left of the stairs leading to the Volcano
sound. Follow the path and you should eventually find the Water sound
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: I found this device behind the black doors on the small island. How do I
use it?
A: If you haven't noticed, the device is a giant antenna which draw signals
from the various transmitters around the Age. Turn on all the
transmitters by pressing the red buttons at all five locations. Now,
rotate the view on the device until you hear each sound. You can get a
general idea where each is by looking for the transmitter dishes and
remembering their relative locations. You should hear the sound when you
reach the right coordinates. After finding all five sounds, press the sum
button at the bottom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I get out of the tunnel?
A: This can be one of the most annoying parts in the game if you don't know
what you're looking for. Pay very close attention to the sounds that are
made each time you stop. You can hear the sounds again by pressing the
red button on the left side of the panel. Each sounds signifies a
different direction you need to travel in. Knowing this, it is possible
to infer the directions from the first few junctions, since you are forced
to go along a certain path. Once you learn the 4 basic direction sounds,
the game will start combining them. So, if you hear the sound for N and E
overlapped, you should NE. It also possible to figure out all the sounds
beforehand by tinkering with the rotational device in the Mechanical
Age... This, however, might not be to useful if you are stranded in this
Age.
=============================================================================
F A Q - E N D I N G
=============================================================================
Q: Do I need to get all the red and blue pages?
A: To complete all the puzzles in the game, you only technically need to
gather one full set of pages. However, the story is a bit more meaningful
if you find both sets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Which brother should I free?
A: Very difficult choice. Both brothers have warned you that the other is
lying, and neither ever tell you the same thing. Come to think of it, the
only thing they have ever agreed on is that you should never open the
Green Book...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How do I find the missing white page?
A: Find the ripped note pieces in Achenar's bedroom in the Stoneship Age and
Sirrus's bedroom in the Channelwood Age. The message contained on the two
parts should tell you what to do.
=============================================================================
F A Q – O T H E R Q U E S T I O N S
=============================================================================
The following questions deal with the game's storyline, and do contain some
spoilers. They are meant to clear up some of the questions you might still
be wondering at the end, and you should refrain from reading them until
completing the game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: How are the Ages created?
A: The Ages are created using a technique referred to as "The Art," in which
an author puts down on paper a vivid world and brings it to life. Once a
book is created, anyone can enter into it and visit the creation. The
words put down by the author are only part of the story, however, as the
Ages can and do evolve naturally, well beyond their original scope. At
many times, the author will lose control of an Age and be unable to
predict what will happen next. All of the Ages in Myst were created by
Atrus, who learned of The Art from his father.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What order were the Ages created/visited?
A: Interesting question that is never truly explained. There is some
evidence scattered throughout the library journals that put the Ages into
some chronological context. Here are two entries which help set the time
line:
• In the Mechanical Age book, Atrus thinks of Emmit, from the Stoneship
Age.
• In the Selenitic Age book, Atrus mentions his sons are in the
Channelwood Age.
From the writing, it seems most likely that the Stoneship Age came first.
The book spans more than 10 years, and would seem to start before Atrus's
sons are even born (it's the only book in which he doesn't mention them).
Additionally, this book talks about learning "The Art," implying that
Atrus was only learning how to create the books. He made a mistake in
creating the ship, which didn't seem to happen in any subsequent Age.
Also, given Atrus's age and the amount of time that has passed since
creating this Age (as evidenced by the sinking of the lighthouse), it
makes sense to place it first.
The other question then becomes whether the Selenitic Age or Mechanical
Age came first. Inside the Mechanical Age, there is a replica of the
Rocket Ship used in the Selenitic Age. This could be evidence of time, or
it could have just been brought when the sons returned and conquered the
Age later. In terms of technology, the Selenitic Age seems to be the most
advanced (excusing the invention of holography in the MA). However, Atrus'
sons are still in the Channelwood Age when he first enters the Selenitic
Age, but he brings them with him to the Mechanical Age when they are
older. This seems to be evidence enough.
The logical order would then be:
1.) Stoneship Age
2.) Channelwood Age
3.) Selenitic Age
4.) Mechanical Age
However, this is only the author's opinion based on inferences from the
game. There could very well be alternative explanations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: What happened to the brothers?
A: The game never explains how the brothers turn from the bright and
perceptive children in the journals into to the twisted and corrupted
adults we meet. Most likely, they began to realize the power that they
had over the inhabitants of many Ages. The most obvious is the way in
which the brothers treat the tree-dwellers in the Channelwood Age. The
brothers build a temple for the creatures to worship them, then torture
and slay the population.
Over time, the brothers became more and more greedy. Sirrus became
obsessed with accumulating material wealth and physical pleasures, while
Achenar fed off suffering and sadistic destruction. By the end, both are
so warped that neither truly feel what they are doing is wrong. It is
hard to decipher the truth from all the lies they tell you, but there
unrelenting blame of one another shows that they probably do feel it was
the others fault that they were imprisoned (or at least for getting
caught).
In the end, Atrus does the only thing he can do and destroys the books.
This puts an end to his sick and demented off-spring, though the self
reflection over how they became as they did will likely last for much
longer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Where can I learn more about the Myst world?
A: There are two sequels to this game:
• Riven: A Sequel to Myst
• Myst 3: Exile
There are also a series of novels, though they are all quite rare or out
of print:
• Book of Atrus
• Book of Ti'Ana
• Book of D'Ni
_____________________________________________________________________________
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S E C T I O N I I I - W A L K T H R O U G H MYS12
_____________________________________________________________________________
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This section has a fully detailed walkthrough and graphical solutions for the
entire game. It contains complete spoilers for the specific sections that
are being described. It advised that, if this is your first time through the
game, you DO NOT use this section unless you have unsuccessfully searched
both the general tips and FAQ sections for the answers you need. This
section is also intended for veteran Myst players who are going through the
game again and want to explore/understand everything. There should be some
new information and explanations that should benefit nearly any player, no
matter how many times you have gone through this game. Keeping this in mind,
the Walkthrough is still written so as not to spoil any solutions in areas
other than the current one.
=============================================================================
P A R T I – I S L A N D O F M Y S T MYS13
=============================================================================
You stumble upon a mysterious book with word "MYST" written across the front.
Not knowing where the book has come from, you begin reading it. Your head is
filled with fantastic descriptions of an amazing island world. Just as you
finish it, you touch your hand to the image on the final page and are
engulfed in an unknown darkness. You come to your senses at the end of a
harbor on some seemingly deserted island. You hear the gentle flow of the
water and the distant calls of sea gulls. You have no idea where you are or
how you got there. Could this place somehow be related to that strange book
that you read? So many questions lie ahead...
====================
EXPLORING THE ISLAND
====================
Once you come to your senses on the dock, it's entirely up to you to figure
out what to do next. The best thing to do right now is walk around and
explore this new island where you have just appeared. Don't worry about
picking up anything or trying to solve any puzzles quite yet. Walk about and
familiarize yourself with the locations and way of movement.
The following is an overhead map of the Island of Myst (and an admittedly
poor one at that). Make sure to visit all the locations mentioned before you
start piecing together clues. The rest of this guide will assume you know
where each place is and how to get there.
===============
GETTING STARTED
===============
After having explored a little, the first clue you should investigate is the
note left on the side of the first hill you walk up, after the docks. It
reads:
_____ ________ __________
| \/ \/\/\/ |
| Catherine, |
| I left you a message |
| of utmost importance in |
| our fore-chamber beside |
| the dock. Enter the number |
| of Marker Switches on |
| this island into the imager |
| to retrieve the message. |
| Yours, |
| Atrus /\ |
|/\/\______/\___________/ \____|
While you don't know who these two people are yet, following the instructions
are the first key to figuring out why you are here and what you should be
doing. You might have noticed a small door to the left of where you appeared
at the very beginning of the game. If you missed it, just walk back to the
end of the docks now and look for it. Touch the small door, and it will open
up, revealing the fore-chamber.
Walk all the way down the stairs and you will come to a small fountain with a
button in the center. Pushing it makes the water disappear and reveals the
lights and projectors below. This is the imager that was mentioned in the
note you found. Turn around so that you are facing the stairs. One the left
side of the wall, you should see a small piece of paper that is partially
illuminated. Click on it until you are close enough to read the code
settings. There should be three different options and corresponding codes
for each. You should also notice a small button with a green light in the
top left corner of the instructions page. Push it to open up the panel,
allowing you to input codes.
Once the panel is first opened, the entered code should be "67," which
corresponds to "Water-Turbulent Pool," the image you saw in the "fountain"
when you first came down the stairs. Entering any valid code will create new
objects in the Imager. Once you enter a new code, go back to the imager and
press the center button again. The new image will appear. You don't need to
view any of the images, but you might find it useful to check out the Marker
Switch Diagram. Here is what each of the listed images does:
• Topographical Extrusion Test: Shows a 3D topographical map, which rotates.
This isn't very useful for anything. Code: 40.
• Water-Turbulent Pool: This was what you saw when you first came down. The
imager is made to replicate water to fool people into thinking they are
just seeing a small fountain. Code: 67.
• Marker Switch Diagram: Displays a small, podium like object which should
look similar to the ones you saw when exploring the island. Code: 47.
When you were walking around, you might have noticed a lot of Marker Switches
next to the various landmarks. These are the same Marker Switches that the
note mentions. You should walk around again and count the number of switches
that you come across, then make note of it. You can also use the map above
to check the locations. Marker Switches are marked with a lower-case "m".
You will notice that each Marker Switch has a handle that starts in the down
position. If you press it, it goes to the up position. The up position is
denoted as being "on" while the down position is denoted as being "off." You
can flip the switch as many times as you want now, but nothing seems to
happen. These switches will be important a little later, so just put all the
ones you see into the "on" position for now and it will save you some time.
Once you've explored the entire island for marker switches, you should have
counted a total of eight (8) in all. Go back to the fore-chamber by the dock
and enter this total into the dimensional imager. You will now see the face
of a man appear, and give you the following message:
"Catherine, my love. I have to leave quickly. Something terrible has
happened. It's hard for me to believe... most of my books have been
destroyed. Catherine... it's one of our sons! I suspect Achenar, but, I
shouldn't leap to conclusions. I'll find him and Sirrus as well. Uh... I
should have known better than to have left my library unchecked for so
long! Well, I've removed the remaining undamaged books from the library
and placed them in the places of protection. You shouldn't have to use the
books until I return, but... if you've forgotten the access keys, remember
the Tower Rotation. Oh, and don't worry Catherine. Everything will be
fine. And erase this message after you've viewed it, just to be safe."
From this message, you should take away a few important clues:
1.) There is something important about the books in this world, if you
haven't figured it out yet.
2.) The keys to unlocking the locations of the hidden books is in the Tower.
3.) The library seems to be very important.
If you piece together the clues from the note and the message, you can figure
out that the recording was made by Atrus, and that something has gone
terribly wrong. With this, you can now head to the library and begin piecing
together some of the clues you have been finding. If you want to see the
Tower that the imager message referred to first, go to the Stone Gear
(location C on the map). When looking directly at the gear, turn left once,
then point to look up. You will now have a visible view of the Tower, which
appears to be right behind the library.
=======
LIBRARY
=======
When you enter the library, you should notice that it has eight walls, each
with a different object. Be sure you don't miss any of them, as they are all
very important. Here is an overhead view of the library, with descriptions
of which items are found against each wall:
LIBRARY OBJECTS
---------------
MAP – Understanding how the map works is essential to figuring out the keys
to unlocking the secrets of Myst. Take a quick look at it now to see how it
works, but don't try to figure it out just yet. Explore the rest of the
library a little more first. A more detailed description of the map and its
usage can be found in the next section.
FIREPLACE – When you enter the Fireplace, you will notice a small switch on
the side that closes you in, when pushed. This lowers a malleable surface
that can be indented to form special patterns. Right now, there isn't
anything you can do here, but the fireplace will be very important later on.
RED BOOK – There is a red page sitting next to the book. Pick it up, and
place it on top of the red book. When you open the book now, you get a very
cryptic message from a man who identifies himself as Sirrus. He asks that
you bring the red pages you find back, and hints that he has been imprisoned
somehow.
BLUE BOOK – As you did with the red book, put the blue page on top of the
blue book, then open it up. You will receive another muddled message from a
man who appears to be Achenar. He tells you to bring back any blue pages you
find to him, with little else being clear.
PAINTING (SECRET DOOR) – When you touch this painting, the entrance will
close and bookcase will fold down, revealing a secret passage. Following the
passage will take you to an elevator, which goes up to the Tower.
PAINTING (OPEN DOOR) – Once the secret passage has been opened, touch the
painting of the open door to open up the entrance. This will close the
secret passage, but it allows you to leave the library.
BOOKCASE – Most of the books are burned and unusable, but a few ones still
remain intact. The books are all journals that describe experiences in the
different Ages. Some of them contain very valuable clues for continuing on
with your journey, so you should take a look at each one. Here are the
locations on the bookshelf of the five remaining books.
___________________________
| |
| A B |
|___________________________|
| |
| C D|
|___________________________|
| |
| E |
|___________________________|
BOOKS
=====
A – Channelwood Age
B – Stoneship Age
C – Selenitic Age
D – Pattern Book
E – Mechanical Age
The books are each fairly lengthy and give you a lot of exposition on the
different Ages. Aside from some of the diagrams found in the books, there is
nothing within that will pertain directly to what you need to do to complete
the Ages. However, the books do a great job of building the story and
immersing you into the plot of the game, so it is very strongly suggested
that you take 20-30 minutes and read through all of them. Below is a brief
summary of the contents of each. The first part of each book description
summarizes the journal log and the second part mentions any important clues
you should pick up from reading the book. If you have already read or plan
on reading the books, you can skip right to the "Tower Rotation" section.
CHANNELWOOD AGE BOOK
--------------------
The Age consisted of a small island with a few tall tress, surrounded deep-
blue water as far as the eye can see. Only a few thin wooden passageways
were visible, built right above the water and aged considerably. Not long
after he arrived there, Atrus encountered a set of monkey-like people, who
seemed to revere him. Disliking their apparent worship, Atrus still allowed
them to lead him to their leader. They took him up into the trees, where the
creatures have built an entire community of huts and cabins.
Next to throne of the apparent leader was a very old man, who was still able
to speak in Atrus' language. He told Atrus the story of the island: Long
ago, there were two types of creatures that lived here. The humans inhabited
the ground, and the tree-dwellers lived above them. One day, probably due to
tectonic activity, the island began to sink, and nearly all of the
inhabitants were killed. The island eventually stopped sinking, and only the
trees remained emerged. The tree-dwellers believe that the humans sacrificed
themselves to stop the sinking, which is likely why they are now treated as
gods.
The old man, having reached the end of his life, walked off the trees and
landed on the walkway below, dying. The tree-dwellers moved down and burnt
the pier where his body landed, after which the water turned dull green in
all directions. After getting to know the people and learning that they were
harmless, Atrus decided to bring his two young sons with him. Sirrus and
Achenar were very comfortable living in the Age, and began learning the
language of the tree-dwellers. Content that they were safe, Atrus left them
in this Age as he went to explore new ones.
CLUES: The last pages of the book contain a diagram of plans for a "future
bridge." The diagram is actually a floor map of the tree level in the
Channelwood Age. Searching in the room marked as the site of a future bridge
will reveal a secret.
STONESHIP AGE BOOK
------------------
This Age consists of a small island with very few known inhabitants.
Originally, there is only one large, main island, with many smaller rocks and
islands all around it. The island is inhabited by a group of three boys.
The first there was Emmit, followed by Branch, then, some time later, Will.
The boys spend most of the day swimming, and are quite fond of one another.
The boys are frightened by the occasional rains, and Atrus isn't able to
convince them of its harmlessness.
Wanting to add a few things, Atrus left the Age and practiced "The Art,"
which is the term given to the craft of writing objects into the Ages.
Anything written in by Atrus, if done correctly, should appear in the Age
when he returns. He wrote in a boat, hoping to return and find the wonderful
ship intact. Unfortunately, there was a problem, and the ship had been
broken in half and gripped by the rocks. The boys didn't seem to mind, as it
gave them a steady surface to play on. They continued to bond with Atrus,
who grew quite fond of them. He also learned to relish the beautiful night
sky, with constellations unlike any he had ever seen.
Wondering if there might by inhabitants in the far distance, Atrus made plans
to construct a lighthouse. With the help of the boys, it was constructed,
though they were quite scared of it when it first started working. Atrus
then decided to leave the Age. After 10 years, he returned to see that the
boys were still there, and had grown. They maintained the lighthouse
perfectly, although it continued to sink in the sea each year, as the rock is
was built on was not that secure.
CLUES: The constellation chart in the back of the book links star patterns
from the planetarium with the symbols found around the bird bath in front of
the library. One of the diagrams also shows a "submersible light," which
hints at the underwater lighting system you will need to decipher to leave
the Age.
SELENITIC AGE BOOK
------------------
Truly a beautiful Age when Atrus arrived. Though there were no people, the
Age contained a magnificent grass hill where Atrus slept his first night, as
well as a pristine lake and a spectacular sunset and sunrise. The full
spectrum of vibrant colors could be seen as the sun rose and set. Shortly
after his first arrival, the Age started to experience some horrific meteoric
activity. Huge meteors pounded the ground and destroyed most of what was
there. Atrus returned to find the original hill he slept on intact, but
everything else he remembered was barren. The lake had dried up, but the
meteor had left an even bigger crater, which now filled with water and
surrounded the Age.
Two things that Atrus noticed quickly: the world resonated with all sorts of
sounds, and the Age was riddled with volcanic activity. After an eruption
opened the earth's crust, Atrus explored and found an amazing system of
underground tunnels. He left the Age to gather some tools, and, upon return,
he located an abundance of minerals and crystals that would help him in his
construction plans. Though his journal was faded, Atrus completed a rocket
ship and underground tunnel system, amazing even himself. He leaves this Age
still unsure of many of the mysteries hidden here.
CLUES: The second to last set of pages contain a keyboard illustration, which
is needed to power the rocket ship. There is also a brief mentioning of
"fourteen," which happens to be the number of junctions in the underground
tunnel network, if you take the correct paths. Finally, one of the
illustrations shows a transmitter sending out what appears to be sound waves,
a hint at figuring out how to use the various sounds in the Age.
MECHANICAL AGE BOOK
-------------------
The sky was gray and dark when Atrus arrived, with occasional flashes of
light in the distance. He met an old man with very long beard shortly after
entering the Age, who explains the history of the islands: Years ago, a
beautiful city rose out of the water where the barren islands are now. It
housed many people and was surrounded by three tall hills. One day, the
sunny, blue sky turned dark, and black ships appeared. The ships attacked
the city and wiped it out, sinking it deep into the ocean and killing nearly
all the inhabitants. Only eight people survived, in total, of which even
fewer still live.
The old, bearded man described rumors that the black ships would return in
another ten years. Hearing this, Atrus devised some plans for protection.
He left the Age and returned with his two sons, who were now old enough to
help him. Atrus began construction of a fortress, which rested upon the
ruins of the old city. After much work, the rotating fortress was completed.
Using a new technology, Atrus left holographic instructions on how to operate
the fortress inside.
The black ships eventually returned but were repelled by the new fortress.
The ships sailed away and everyone rejoiced. The dark skies now turned blue
again.
CLUES: The diagram on the sixth page shows an overhead view of the fortress
interior. The picture points out what might be a secret room.
==============
TOWER ROTATION
==============
After looking through the books, you have probably learned enough about the
different Ages to begin exploring them. Touch the painting of the closed
door on the wall, and a secret passageway will open, leading you back to an
elevator. Get inside the elevator, and press the button on the right
underneath the word "TOWER." The elevator transports you up to the Tower.
If you look around, you should notice that the Tower is circular. On one
side of the tower you see a symbol of a book and a ladder leading up to a
small platform. One the opposite side, there is a symbol of a key and an
identical ladder leading up. If you climb either ladder, you will come to an
empty space, but keep these locations in mind; they will be the sites of
valuable clues very shortly.
Think back to Atrus' message in the imager room. He mentioned that the
remaining books were hidden in the places of protection, and that you could
use the Tower rotation if you've forgotten the access keys. If you looked
carefully the first time around, you should have noticed that the Tower and
several places appeared on the Map in the library. This is a good place to
look for clues. Go back to the elevator and push the button to go back to
the Library.
Once you have returned back down, go over to the Map and examine it again.
You should notice a small circle on the upper right side that appears to
flicker. This circle corresponds to the location of the Tower on the Map.
If you touch and hold the circle, a white line extends from it and it begins
to rotate. The white line represents the direction that the Tower is facing,
and this will rotate the Tower you just visited in exactly the same way.
You should also see that there are several other locations on the island
which are highlighted on the Map. If you remember, these should correspond
exactly to the locations where you turned the marker switches to the "ON"
position. If you missed any of the eight markers before, now if a good time
to go and turn them on. Once again, the "ON" position occurs when the
handles are flipped up.
Now that most, if not all, of the locations on the Map are displayed, you can
begin using it to retrieve the access keys. Hold down the Tower on the map
until the rotating white lines turns red. This red line means the Tower is
now facing one of the places of protection, and returning to the Tower at
this point will give you one of the access keys. Back in the Tower, the
platform above the Book icon will now face one of the locations of the
island. You should jot down the basic landmark that you see. Now, go to
other side of the Tower and climb to the ledge above the Key symbol. You
will see some words and/or numbers inscribed on the wall – these are access
keys needed to unlock the location you saw through the window. You should
record these keys carefully along with the corresponding locations.
You can rotate the Map to point to all four places of protection. After
pointing to a new one, return to the Tower and write down the new access
keys.
The following section contains a list of these access keys from the Tower.
If you would like to find the keys without this guide, skip to the next
section entitled "The Ages of Myst."
===========
ACCESS KEYS
===========
o------------------------------------------------------------o
| Age | Symbol | Access Key(s) |
|================|==============|============================|
| Mechanical | Stone Gears | 2:40 |
| | | 2,2,1 |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Stoneship | Sunken Ship | October 11, 1984; 10:04AM |
| | | January 17, 1207; 5:46AM |
| | | November 23, 9791; 6:57PM |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Channelwood | Large Tree | 7, 2, 4 |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Selenitic | Rocket Ship | 59 Volts |
o------------------------------------------------------------o
================
THE AGES OF MYST
================
Once you have gathered the access keys from the Tower, it's time to start
traveling to the different Ages and piecing together more of the puzzle.
Myst gives you the freedom to explore the Ages in any order, so the choice is
completely yours. Some Ages are more difficult than others, so you might
want to start out with an easier one first to get a feel for it.
Additionally, a few of the Ages contain some clues about how to solve some of
the puzzles in a different Age. While these clues are never necessary, they
are helpful. The following sections of this guide are written in the order
that the author recommends playing them (easiest to hardest). Following this
order will also give you access to the important clues that pertain to later
Ages. The details for unlocking each age from the Island of Myst are listed
at the beginning of the section for that particular Age. Here is the order
in which the Ages are discussed:
1.) Mechanical Age
2.) Stoneship Age
3.) Channelwood Age
4.) Selenitic Age
Feel free to jump to whichever section you decide to tackle first. This
guide is written so that the Ages can be completed in any order.
==========================
FINAL NOTE ABOUT THE PAGES
==========================
In you exploration of the Ages, one of your main goals will be to locate the
Blue and Red Pages. You can only carry back a single page per trip, so
you'll need to return to the Age if you'd like both. Collecting both sets of
pages is NOT necessary, however. You can legitimately beat the game by only
collecting one set, though you will miss out on some very interesting
dialogue if you do this. If this is not your first time through the game,
you might want to focus on collecting only a single set to save some time.
The choice is yours, and neither set is significantly easier to collect than
the other. Once you return with a page, be sure to listen to what new
information the brothers give you. Their stories slowly become more detailed
as you return more pages. So, make sure you keep a look out for the colored
pages when exploring, and try not to leave the Ages until you find them.
=============================================================================
P A R T I I - M E C H A N I C A L A G E MYS14
=============================================================================
The Mechanical Age is probably the easiest Age to reach and to explore, so it
makes sense to start here. Once you have the access key, it's time to find
the book that leads to the Age. First, from the library, follow the path
that leads straight down towards the shore (past the Bird Bath and through
the woods). At the shore, you should see a small island with a clock tower
over the water, and, in front of you, a control box with two wheels and a
button.
The wheels on the control box at the shore control the time set on the clock.
The idea is to enter the time you saw in the tower, then press the red
button. The larger, left-side wheel controls the minutes hand, and the
smaller wheel controls the hour hand. Turn these two hands until the clock
reads 2:40 – this can be done by turning the large wheel 8 times and the
small wheel twice. Once the clock shows the correct time, push the button
and a path should emerge, allowing you to enter the Tower.
Walk over the path towards the tower, and make sure you turn "ON" the Marker
Switch when you pass by it (this will save you some time later). Once inside
the tower, you will see a stone counter with three numbers near the top (set
to 3-3-3), two levers on the side, another lever on the far right, and a
small gear directly in front of you. The key here is to match the number on
the counter with the one you observed in the Tower.
The puzzle is pretty easy once you figure out how the controls work. The
right-side level controls the movement of the top and middle numbers. The
left-side gear controls movement of the middle and bottom numbers. Pulling
each lever causes the counter to turn one position. For example, pulling
down on the left level will cause the counter to go from 3-3-3 to 3-1-1. The
numbers will rotate from 3 to 1 to 2 to 3 again. If you pull down a lever
and hold it down, the two numbers that the lever controls will change, then
only the middle number will change for as long as the lever is held. Note
that you can only pull/hold the levers for 9 rotations before the machine
needs to be reset. You can reset the machine by pulling on the far-right
lever. This will reset the numbers to 3-3-3 and give you another 9
rotations.
You want to enter the numbers 2-2-1 into the machine. There are several
combinations to do this, but the easiest way to do this is the following:
Pull down and release the right level twice. This should change the numbers
to 2-2-3. Now, pull down on the left lever, then hold it for two rotations.
So the numbers should go to 2-3-1 after the lever is pulled down, then to 2-
2-1 after it's held for two rotations. Once the counter reads 2-2-1, the
small gear in front of you will open half way, and the puzzle is solved. If
you mess up the combination along the way, just pull the lever on the far
right side to reset the counter.
Head over to the large, stone gears that you saw near your starting point on
the island. You will notice that this gear is half open, and there is a
small book laying inside it. Pick up the book and click it once to open it.
You will see what the Age looks like in the small window on the right. After
you have seen enough, touch the picture and you will be transported to the
Mechanical Age.
LOCATIONS
---------
A: South Island (Start; Myst Linking Book)
B: East Island (Code Symbols)
C: North Island (Code Symbols)
D: Rotating Fortress
==============================
ARRIVING IN THE MECHANICAL AGE
==============================
You come to your senses on a small, rocky island, seemingly alone in the
middle of a vast ocean that stretches as far as the eye can see. There are
stone gears all around you, just like the ones that held the linking book
that brought you to this age. Ahead of you is a large fortress, surrounded
by a circular track. You can also see two other islands in the distance,
outside the ring of the fortress track. Your only option is to follow the
small bridge that connects this island to the fortress, hopefully finding the
solutions you are searching for inside.
=====================
ENTERING THE FORTRESS
=====================
After arriving in the Mechanical Age, you will find yourself facing a small
chamber like the one that held the linking book from Myst. Next to your
starting position on the small island, there is a waist-high panel with four
green symbols on it. Underneath each symbol is a circular button, and
underneath these buttons is a larger, red button. This panel is the key to
returning to Myst, but you'll need to find the correct combination before you
can use it. Start now by following the bridge that leads into the fortress.
The fortress itself is very small, and consists of only a few rooms. Below
is a map of the fortress interior:
LOCATIONS
---------
A: Red Throne Room
B: Blue Throne Room
C: Hidden Room (Red Page)
D: Hidden Room (Blue Page)
E: Stairway to Basement
F: Elevator
======================
EXPLORING THE FORTRESS
======================
Once you enter the fortress, the hallway will split into two paths. It
doesn't matter which one you choose to take, so let's start with the right
hand path. Follow this to the end and it leads into the Blue Throne Room.
Looking around this room, you will see several interactive objects and many
fascinating details. Some of the things to examine in this room are listed
below. Most of them are purely decorative:
• Weapons: There are weapons littered everywhere. Maces and crossbows are
hung on a rack, swords decorate the wall, an axe next to the throne, and
large poles are strewn across the floor.
• Snake in the box: Wind up the small box sitting next to the weapons rack
with the maces. The crank will unwind and a toy snake will pop out and
make an attacking motion.
• Sword and Helmet: These two objects rest on top of an overturned chest.
• Throne: A plain oak throne with dark blue padding. This color should
remind you of something you've seen elsewhere. The presence of a throne in
this age should also tell you something about that person...
• Head Trophy: One the wall you will see two crossing swords and a wooden
dragonfly. Above that is a mounted head taken from one of the inhabitants
of the Channelwood Age.
• Fortress Rotation Simulator: This object is actually quite important. It
is located on the left side of the throne, and will turn on as soon as you
approach it. A holographic image of the fortress will appear, and the two
levers are used to rotate it. The lever on the left locks and unlocks the
fortress in place. It must be placed in the UP position before the
fortress will rotate. The lever on the right controls the rotation.
Holding the lever up will rotate the fortress counter-clockwise. The red
triangles in the four cardinal directions are the only valid stopping
points. Once you approach the point where you wish to stop, move the right
lever back down, then move the left lever down; this will "snap" the tower
into place.
You should also pay very close attention to the sounds that are made when
the fortress stops when facing each different direction. Each sound is
different, and will be very important when trying to determine the rotation
direction (and also in the Selenitic Age). Try to write down a general
description of each sound along with the direction. More details about the
sounds are given in the next section.
If you approach the throne, you will notice a yellow line running across a
small section of the wall on the left side. Touch this area, and a secret
door will open, leading to a hidden room.
Like the throne room, this one also has very fascinating objects that should
tell you a lot about the person who was here. Right near the entrance there
is a small cutting block with a hatchet embedded in it and some dried blood.
On the far side of the room, there is shelf containing an assortment of
sedatives and poisons. In a wooden crate next to this, you can flip open the
lid to see a decomposing head. The small cage in the center of the room is
also telling, and has a switch on the left that "shocks" whatever is placed
inside it. Obviously, the person inhabited this room was demented and
sadistic, and you should be able to figure out who this person is from the
blue coloring... The notable object in this room is the Blue Page, which
sits on the bottom shelf where the poisons were found. You shouldn't pick up
the page just yet, but remember the location. Leave this room now and return
to the Throne Room.
If you take the exit from the Blue Throne Room, you should approach a long
hallway with a red button in the center of the left side wall near the
passageway. Pushing this button will open a stairway leading into the
basement. Before going down there, proceed to the end of the hall first, and
examine the Red Throne Room.
Like the Blue Throne Room, the red one has many objects within. Most are
purely decorative, but they should again tell you about the person who
inhabited this chamber. Some of the interesting objects you will find here
are:
• Pictures: The walls are decorated very elegantly with pictures. There is
one picture of a mountain landscape, one of a rich woman (probably of
royalty), and one of a young nobleman, probably a prince or a king. There
is also a large drapery, which appears to represent some sort of fight
between two men, one in white and one in black.
• Red Bird Ornament: There is a small wooden bird by the entrance to the
room. Winding the crank at the bottom will cause the bird to rotate its
head and flap its wings.
• Telescope: The telescope looks out the window into the distance. The view
will change depending on which direction the fortress is facing. When
facing North, you will see a skeleton hanging from the mast of a submerged
ship. This is likely all the remains of the Black Ships that once attacked
this fortress. Aside from this trivial observation, none of the views hold
any clues.
• Colored Cubes: There are three cubes which each hold a different colored
object – a yellow, green, and red one. Touching the cubes causes them to
illuminate.
• Symbols from other Ages: You will notice replicas of two objects from Myst
on one of the tables. On the left is a large Rocket Ship, which represents
the Selenitic Age. On the right is a Wooden Ship, representing the
Stoneship Age.
• Clock: Behind the telescope is a small clock.
• Throne: The center of the room contains a large thrown, crafted in marble
and backed with a golden carving. There is an empty wine glass on the
armrest.
• Chessboard: At the base of the throne is small, marble chessboard. It
doesn't have any pieces, however.
Taking a clue from the Blue Throne Room, if you face the throne, you should
see a small indented area on the right side wall, just behind the tapestry.
Push that section, and a secret passage will open up, leading to another
hidden room.
Inside the new room are crates filled with gold bars and expensive coins.
The floor is littered with gold and silver doubloons, and there is a full
wine rack against the wall. On the right side of the wine rack, you can find
a rather interesting note detailing a small quarrel between the brothers. It
reads:
"Sirrus,
Your greed sickens me! Your desire for wealth and plunder
is never satisfied. I will instruct my subjects not to pay
your new tax and you know they'll listen to me.
Regards,
Achenar"
This note, though insignificant in your problem solving, helps paint a
picture of the mentality that the brothers had towards their "subjects" in
the various Ages. It also chronicles the beginning, or perhaps continuation,
of an ongoing struggle for greed and power. You probably won't be able to
make much of it right now, but keep this in the back of your mind when you
run across other evidence linking the two men.
On the far side of the room, you will see an open crate, and a Red Page
sitting next to some gold bars. This should tell you whose room this is, and
that the person is bent on greed and material possessions. Leave the Red
Page for now, but remember where it is.
=====================
ROTATING THE FORTRESS
=====================
Head back to the hallway connecting the two throne rooms. When you get to
the small passageway, press the red button on the wall and the stairway to
the basement will open. Head down and you will come to a small control
console sitting before a large, cylindrical turning mechanism. This room
controls the elevator on the previous floor. The console contains a lever on
the right and a display on the left, with a symbol that looks like an
encircled 'C'. Pull up on the lever and you will see the small symbol on the
left rotate. Just before the mouth of the 'C' faces down, let go of the
lever. It will take a short while for the movement to stop, but the symbol
should turn red if you timed it correctly.
Go back up the stairs and press the red button again so the floor reappears.
There will be an elevator at the end of the passageway now. Walk down the
passageway and enter the elevator. You should see three red buttons on the
left – an upward arrow, and downward arrow, and a rectangle in the middle of
the two. Press the upward arrow and wait for the elevator to stop. Now,
before getting out, press the rectangular button. This sends the elevator to
move between the two floors, and allows you to access the rotational
mechanism on top. There is a few second delay after pressing the rectangular
button, so move out of the elevator within this time.
Once the elevator moves back down, you will be able to access the rotational
control levers. Move forward to the console. You will see two levers, just
as you did on the Fortress Rotation Simulator, and a small red button. The
red button sends the elevator back up, so don't push it until you are
finished. To rotate the fortress, do exactly what you did in the throne
room. Move the left lever to the UP position, which should unlock the
fortress's rotation. Now, hold the right lever up to move the fortress.
It's very difficult to tell how far the fortress has rotated, but you can
watch one of the gear blades in front to get a general idea. After you think
you've rotated it enough, place the right lever, then the left one, back in
the DOWN position.
When the left lever is placed DOWN, you should hear one of four possible
sounds. These will be the same as the ones you heard downstairs, and they
indicate the direction the fortress is facing. Below are the four sounds and
some basic descriptions. The names are made up and will be used to refer to
the sounds:
• Ping: A high-pitched, metallic ping. Very distinctive. This sound
indicates NORTH.
• Spring: This sounds like a large, industrial spring is retracting. Very
similar sound to an airbrake, but still hard to describe. This sounds
indicates EAST.
• Dong: Sounds like a low-pitched cow bell. This sound indicates SOUTH.
• Chirp: A high pitched, artificial chirping sound. It's easy to confuse
this sound with the Spring, but this sound is slightly higher. It
indicates WEST.
If you raise and lower the left lever, you will hear the Dong sound, meaning
the fortress is currently facing south. If you remembered the view from
outside, you would have seen other islands in the East and North; this is
where you need to point the fortress. Manipulate the controls until you hear
the Ping sound (North), then press the red button to recall the elevator.
Exit the fortress and you will see the bridge leading you to a new island.
Walk to the very end and examine the small pedestal. It has the first two
symbols of the combination to leave the island. Write them down.
Now, head back into the fortress and repeat the above steps until you face
East (Spring sound). Leave the fortress and copy down the symbols that
appear on this pedestal. You should now have all four symbols. Go back into
the fortress and rotate it once more to face South. This is will lead you
back to the island you started on.
==========================
EXITING THE MECHANICAL AGE
==========================
Before you leave, go to one of the secret rooms and grab a page. It doesn't
matter which color you grab right now – the choice is yours. Leave the
fortress and walk back to the island that you started on. Next to the giant
gear you will see the panel with the four green symbols. They should each
look like a "plus sign" if you haven't touched them yet. Now, enter the code
you were able to piece together from the two islands. A (very poor)
representation of each symbol is as follows:
In case the diagram does not help, here is the number of times you must push
each button to get to the above symbols from the starting "plus signs"
symbols.
Symbol 1: Push 2 times
Symbol 2: Push 8 times
Symbol 3: Push 5 times
Symbol 4: Push 1 time
Once you have entered the correct code, push the large red button. This will
open a staircase right next to your starting position. Go down the stairs
and open the book. Touch the image on the right page and you will return to
Myst library. Be sure to place whatever page you are carrying in the correct
book right away. If you choose to return to this age for the other page, all
the puzzles you have already completed will remain.
=============================================================================
P A R T I I I - S T O N E S H I P A G E MYS15
=============================================================================
The Stoneship Age is slightly more challenging than the Mechanical Age, but
if you have been able to solve the puzzles up to this point, it should not be
too difficult. Once you have obtained the access key from the tower, you can
start looking for the linking book. The access keys are a series of very
specific dates, and you can enter this information into the telescope in the
Planetarium. The Planetarium is the large building right next to the
library, which you can find by following the wooden path. Enter the room,
then turn directly around. You will see a square, blue button. Press it and
the lights will go off, allowing you to view the stars clearly.
Walk over to the chair in the center of the room, sit down, and click on the
suspended control panel. You will see a screen showing a set of stars on the
left, and a series of sliding switches on the right. Between the two is a
square button, which will move the telescope once the date is inputted.
These switches are used to input the correct dates. From left to right, each
switch controls the following:
1: Month
2: Day
3: Year
4: Time (hh:mm)
When you enter a date and press the center button, the telescope moves to
observe that date's constellation. The screen on the left will display a
pattern of stars, which form a constellation. After seeing an image, try to
sketch the general orientation of the stats. Note that there are three
different levels of brightness between the stars, and this will also be
important. The dates to enter are:
October 11, 1984; 10:04AM
January 17, 1207; 5:46AM
November 23, 9791; 6:57PM
After viewing each, you can match up the images with the constellation chart
that is in the back of the Stoneship Age book in the library. Head back into
the library and pick out the right most book on the top shelf. Turn to the
back and compare the images with the ones you recorded. The patterns won't
match identically, but they should be close enough for you to discern which
star patterns you saw. Here is what the patterns you should have observed
look like, along with the correct symbol:
Leaf
o---------------o
| o |
| o |
| o |
| • |
| .• |
| . |
o---------------o
October 11, 1984; 10:04AM
Snake
o---------------o
| • o |
| o• |
| |
| : |
| |
| o |
o---------------o
January 17, 1207; 5:46AM
Beetle
o---------------o
| . |
| o. . |
| o • |
| . |
| o |
| . |
o---------------o
November 23, 9791; 6:57PM
Once you have the patterns, walk outside the library to the Bird Bath with
the model of the sunken ship. All around it are 8 markers, which match the
constellations from the Stoneship Book. Try to find the 3 that match the
Leaf, Snake, and Beetle. When you hover the cursor over each marker, it
should make a sound and glow red. Click on it and it will glow green
instead. Do this for the three constellation symbols (and only these 3
symbols). After the third one is activated, the game should pause and you
should hear the sound of flowing water. If you look into the Bird Bath at
this point, the sunken ship will now have emerged from the water. If this
did not happen, check to see that you didn't turn on any other markers. Only
the three ones mentioned should turn green when you examine them; all the
others should remain red.
Head over to docks where you began the game. The full size sunken ship there
should have emerged also. Cross onto it and walk into the cabin at the back
end. You will find another book there. Open it and touch the image you see
on the right to enter the Stoneship Age.
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| S T O N E S H I P A G E |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| ___ |
| | ( ) <--- C |
| /^\ (___) |
| / \ // |
| _______| |__ // |
| / ====|___|__\ || |
| \ == / F|•|\ || |
| /== / / / ¯ || || |
| /== / / / _|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| /\__ |
| /== D•== E|•| A|=|| /_` `\ |
| /== x == \ \ ¯|__________| \` / |
| \ == == \ /¯ || \/ |
| \ == ==_/\_/\/ || |
| \__/\/ || |
| // |
| // |
| (¯) <--- B |
| ¯ |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
=============================
ARRIVING IN THE STONESHIP AGE
=============================
You awaken on the deck of an old, wooden ship. The mists from the ocean are
blown into your face, and you hear the thunder rumble within the clouds
around you. A glance in either direction reveals the violent sea heaping
wave after wave against the ship. Before you, the ship seems to be split by
a giant, rocky island. You can see the forward half protruding from the rock
a small distance away. Damp and battered by the winds, you hope to find a
quick way to leave this Age.
===========================
EXPLORING THE STONESHIP AGE
===========================
You begin facing the entrance to one of the flooded tunnels. Behind you is a
staircase leading down into the lower chambers of this ship, also flooded.
To your near-right is a long plank leading to the lighthouse, and to your
far-right is a path that leads to other portion of the ship. On your left is
a plank which leads to an umbrella crow's nest (as the game calls it) and a
set of buttons. There aren't too many places to go, and you'll notice that
most of the promising areas are flooded. You need to find a way to clear out
the water from the key areas before you can start exploring. The buttons
underneath the umbrella are a good place to start.
=======================
DRAINING AWAY THE WATER
=======================
Begin by taking the plank from the starting position that leads out to the
umbrella crow's nest at the end of the plank. When you get to the end, you
will notice a set of three black buttons, each of which can be pushed down.
Only one can be pushed at a time, and a small orange light on top of the
button signals that it has been activated, along with a helicopter-like sound
that ensues each time. Pushing in a button once it is lit will turn it off,
and pushing a different button turns off the previous one to activate the new
one.
The purpose of these buttons is to pump the water out of the important areas
of the Age. Only one area can be cleared at a time, so you will have to plan
your strategy knowing this. From left to right, here are the areas that each
button controls.
1: The lower chambers of the ship
2: The tunnels leading to the rooms of the brothers
3: The basement of the lighthouse
If you experiment with each button and explore, you will see that even once
an area is drained, there is still no power going to it. Both the lower ship
chambers and the tunnels are still in darkness. You will need to find a way
to activate some sort of power source to illuminate the rest of the Age. The
lighthouse seems the logical place to start looking.
===================
RESTORING THE POWER
===================
From the starting location, take the plank of the near right over to the old
lighthouse. As soon as you enter, you should see a hatch on the ceiling with
a lock holding it shut, and a key linked to the floor. Clicking on the key
causes it to move, but it does nothing. If you haven't already, go back the
umbrella crow's nest and click on the third button to pump the water out of
the lighthouse basement. Now, return to the lighthouse and take the spiral
staircase all the way down.
You should come to a large chest at the bottom. It won't open when you click
it, but you will notice a handle on the bottom left. Flip the handle, and
the water from inside the chest will drain out. Now, flip the handle again
to close the spigot so water can't enter again. It would seem likely that
the key at the top of the stairs might open the chest, and now that the chest
has been emptied of its water, perhaps it would float. You can test this out
by flooding the basement again.
Go back to the umbrella crow's nest and either push the third button again or
press some other button. This should pump the water back into the lighthouse
basement. Return to the lighthouse and you should see the chest floating on
the bottom left-hand side of the screen. Go back and click on the floor key,
and it will now be used to open the chest. Inside the chest is another key.
Click on it to pick it up, and it will replace the hand icon. Back away,
then look up at the hatch on the ceiling. Touch the key to the lock on the
left side of the hatch, and it should open. You can now open the hatch and
enter the lighthouse.
Inside the lighthouse you will spot a small crank-winded generator. You can
examine the battery on the right to see the generator power level (should be
empty when you arrive). Click on the crank to begin turning it and
generating power; the battery will store it.
From its starting position, it will take about 6 full rotations to completely
fill the battery. You don't need to fill it all the way, but the power does
drain afterwards, so this will save you the hassle of possibly retuning
later. The generator seems to store power more quickly if you stop and start
again after the first rotation (not sure if this is a bug). You can charge
the battery most quickly by doing the following: turn the crank one full
rotation, then stop. If you didn't go around a full rotation, the battery
will still be empty, otherwise is will be about 1/6 full. Now, go back to
the crack and repeatedly click on it a few times, without holding it. After
4-5 clicks, the battery should be completely filled. This method is much
quicker than manually turning the crank the full rotations.
Once the generator has been recharged, you will notice the lighthouse has
become illuminated and the lights in the tunnels are now on. The lower
cabins of the ship are still dark, however, so you will need to find another
way to light them up. With the lights now activated in the tunnels, you can
begin exploring the brothers' rooms, and hopefully come across the pages.
=================
FINDING THE PAGES
=================
Go back to the umbrella crow's nest and push the second button, if you
haven't already. This will drain the water flooding the passageways to the
brothers' rooms. The first tunnel nearest to the starting point takes you to
Sirrus's room, and this is as good a place to start as any. Enter the tunnel
and walk down the stairs, through many screens. Eventually you will come to
a gray metal door, with a button in the middle (the door likely sealed off
the room to prevent the flooding). Push the button, and the door will open.
Sirrus's bedroom has a very elegant feel to it. The floors and walls are
laden with oak, and the decor has a very Victorian feel. Looking around, you
will notice rich carpeting, murals on the four walls, crests hanging near the
ceiling, and several well-kept plants. Across from the entrance is Sirrus's
bed, to the right is his desk, and to the left is a set of drawers. Here is
are some of the more interesting things you might notice around the room:
• Globes: The two corners opposite the entrance have a set of waist high
globes. Putting the icon over one reveals the calm skies, while the other
reveals the tumultuous skies. This was probably meant to reflect the
weather patterns in either this Age or the Mechanical Age, as both had
periods of calm and stormy skies..
• Dresser: Many interesting things in the drawers. Going down from the top
one, you will find:
- China, glasses, candles
- Set of rolled, elegant draperies. The far right drapery has the insignia
of the Black Ship fleet from the Mechanical Age. It's possible that
Sirrus brought this back with him. Also, in the Mechanical Age, you can
see the remains of one of the sunken Black Ships when the fortress faces
North. That ship's mast is stripped of it's flag and a skeleton hangs
from it... was Sirrus responsible for this?
- Empty
- Red Page (see below)
• Desk: On the top of the desk, you will see what looks like a small ball
sitting on top of a rectangular pedestal. If you touch the object, you
will see it "morph" and move around freely. This is one of the
technologies new to this age.
Inside the desk, you will find a syringe, small knife, and an assortment of
pills and other drugs. In addition to his lavish lifestyle, you can see
that Sirrus had other vices.
Before you finish looking around, be sure to note the location of the Red
Page in the bottom drawer of the dresser. It is advised that you leave the
page here for now, until you have discovered a way out of the Age.
Walk all the way back up the tunnel. When you come back out onto the deck of
the ship, make a left (hugging the wall of the large rock mountain). Walk
two screens, make a left, and you will come to another tunnel leading down.
This one takes you to Achenar's room. Follow the path all the way down, then
open the door using the button in the center.
Achenar's room has a much colder feel to it. The room is dimly lit,
illuminated only by a series of hanging lanterns in the corners and a candle
placed within a suspended rib cage. The bed consists of a soiled mattress
and pillow with no sheets, along with the Blue Page. On the wall with the
hanging rib cage is a shelf with an assortment of poisons and sedatives,
along with two sets of antlers from some animal. Some of the other
interesting things in this room:
• Holographic Imager: On top of the dresser, there is small imager. It has a
green button in the center and a sliding disk along the bottom. When the
button is pushed, you will see an off-color projection of a rose. As you
slide the disk at the button from left to right, the rose morph's into a
skull. You also see it quickly morph when you shut it off.
• Masks: Tribal masks from the natives of the Channelwood Age.
• Dresser: The dresser has 7 drawers. The first five contain maps, the sixth
contains a ripped note (see below), and the seventh contains another map.
As with the Red Page, it makes sense to leave the Blue Page here until you
have unlocked the exit to this Age. Of more interesting significance is the
ripped note in the sixth drawer of the dresser. You should pay careful
attention to it and write down what it says. The message written on it is
listed below:
____________________
| Marker Swit\
| Isl/
| /
| The vault is loca/
| the island of M\
| achieved very\
| instructions are f\
| each of the Marker/
| Turn everyone of\
| "on" position. The/
| as a final step, tu\
| there to th/
|____________________\
=====================================
LIGHTING THE SHIP AND EXITING THE AGE
=====================================
With the pages discovered, it's time to leave this Age. You might have
noticed that the inner cabins of the ship near where you started are still
dark. It's time to find a way to illuminate them, revealing the linking book
back to Myst.
From each tunnel leading to the sons' rooms, there is a hidden passageway.
From the top, the hidden passageway is on the third flat landing going
downward, the last before the door leading to the rooms. In the tunnel
leading to Sirrus's room, the secret door is on the left; going to Achenar's
room, it's on the right. The secret door has a small red square in the
middle of it. Pressing anywhere on the door will open it, revealing the
passage. It's almost impossible to find without the lights turned on, so
make sure the generator has first been charged.
Both secret passages lead to a glass room looking out into the water. There
is a large compass board in the middle, with 32 buttons aligned around it.
This compass board controls the underwater lighting system. The correct
button will activate the system, while the incorrect one will overload the
generator and blow out the power. The only other place on the island that
hinted at angles was the lookout telescope, situated on top of the large
island found by climbing the stairs that circle the giant rock.
Leave the room and walk back up the tunnel. Turn left and walk forward until
you find the wooden stairs spiraling up the hill. At the top, the is a
telescope, which can be rotated 360 degrees. To rotate it, click on the
viewable area so that the "grabbing" icon appears, then drag the hand in
either direction with the left-mouse button depressed. Do this until you
find something interesting.
After rotating for a while, you should spot a blinking light coming off the
top of the lighthouse (this requires that the Generator is still powered).
The location of this light is 135 degrees. This is probably a pretty good
bet for the angle on the compass board.
Return back to secret room with the compass board. If you count the number
of buttons around the circle, you will notice 32. This means that each
button represents 11.25 degrees. The angle measures start with the topmost
button, which is 0/360 degrees, and increases clockwise. The button which
corresponds to 135 degrees is the 12th button down, not counting the top one.
This button also has one of the red compass arrows pointing at it, if that
makes it simpler to find.
Below is an (admittedly poor) illustration meant to represent the compass
board. The X signifies where the button you will need to push is located.
o---------------------------------------------o
| |
| o o o |
| o o |
| o ^ o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o <------- -------> o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | X |
| o v o |
| o o |
| o o o |
| |
o---------------------------------------------o
If you press the wrong button, the lights will go out and a siren will sound.
If this happens, you'll need to return to the lighthouse and recharge the
generator. If you press the correct button, the lights outside the room will
turn on and brighten the area. With this done, you can now access the
linking book to leave this age. If you haven't yet picked up a page, now is
a good time to do so from one of the brothers' rooms.
Return to the surface and back to the umbrella crow's nest. Press the first
button to empty the water from the ship. Walk down the stairs into the
chambers of the ship, and press the button to open up the door. When you
enter, you should now be able to easily see your way around. Proceed down
two flights or stairs, and you will come to a small, wooden table. Touch
this table and the Myst linking book will morph out of it (very much like the
object in Sirrus's room). It appears that this morphing technology will only
function in the presence of light, as you can never access the book in the
dark. Open the book, click on the picture on the right side, and you'll be
returned to Myst. Note that if you return later to collect the other page,
you will need to recharge the lighthouse generator and activate the
underwater lighting system again. All the other puzzles will remain
complete.
=============================================================================
P A R T I V - C H A N N E L W O O D A G E MYS16
=============================================================================
Once you have obtained the access key from the Tower, you can begin searching
for the linking book to the Channelwood Age. The access key is a simple set
of three numbers. If you looked around carefully before, you might have seen
a safe with a three-digit combination in the Log Cabin. Head over there now.
Walk down the path in front of the library, past the Bird Bath five steps,
then look left. You should see the entrance to the Log Cabin there.
Go all the way inside the cabin. You will see a picture of a large tree on
the left, a furnace directly in front of you, and a large, red wheel on the
right. Turning the red wheel begins opening the valves that let gas into the
furnace. The more times you turn it, the faster the gas enters the furnace.
To open the valves, place the cursor over the red wheel until a set of green
arrows appears. This will turn the wheel clockwise and allow gas to start
flowing. You only need to turn it once to initiate the gas flow. If you
wish to close the valves, move the hand over the wheel until the red set of
arrows appears. This turns the wheel counterclockwise and slows the flow of
gas into the furnace. For now, just turn the wheel once, to start the flow
of gas.
From your current position, turn directly around. You should see a safe on
the right-hand side of the wall. The combination can be entered by pressing
the blue buttons underneath each digit. Enter the following numbers in
order, from left to right:
7-2-4
After this, pull down on the handle and the safe should open. You will see a
box of matches inside. Touch it once to open up the box, then again to pull
out a match. Now, hold down the left mouse key and drag the match across the
side of the box. This will light it, but it will only stay lit for a few
seconds. Turn around now and look at the furnace. You should see a small,
square shaped opening near the bottom left. Place the lit match on that
square and click it. If the gas is flowing, you should see the furnace
ignite. Even if the gas isn't flowing yet, touching the match to this area
now will start an ignition as soon as the gas is turned on.
Once the furnace is lit, you can begin increasing the pressure by turning the
wheel more. After you have turned it 13 times (including the first), the
pressure will begin to rise. You will notice this by watching the needle
move on the pressure gauge from left to right. Once the needle has reached
the end, you will hear a loud, explosive burst, followed by the needle
quickly dropping and climbing again. You should go outside to inspect this.
To the right of the Log Cabin there is a path leading to a large tree. Each
time you hear the explosion, the tree is forced upward. You will notice an
entrance into the tree once it has been shot up 4 times. This entrance acts
as an elevator car that has been carved into the wood. There is a button on
the left side that will move the tree back down one "step" each time it is
pressed. It will not go below ground level, however. The key to reaching
the linking book is to use this opening as an elevator to take you
underground. To do this, you will need to send the opening up several steps,
then turn off the furnace so that it will fall back down.
Go back into the Log Cabin now. Turn the wheel as far as you can, and this
will maximize the rate at which the pressure increases (you can turn it up to
25 times). After you have heard 8 or more explosions, begin closing the gas
valves by turning the wheel. You will now see the pressure gauge move in the
opposite direction, and the explosions will be the tree falling back down.
The farther you turn it towards completely closed, the faster the tree will
fall back down. You will need to time it so that you can run over to the
tree and jump into the elevator, so use your best judgment.
Once you shut off the gas, return back to the tree outside. If you did
everything right, the elevator should either be in front of or above you.
Wait until it falls so that you can enter it, then enjoy the (slow) ride
down. When it finally stops, you will be in the basement underneath the Log
Cabin and the other trees. A linking book rests on the wooden stump before
you. Pick it up, open it, and touch the moving image on the right. You will
now be transported to the Channelwood Age.
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| C H A N N E L W O O D A G E – G R O U N D L E V E L |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| __X___ |
| / |^| \ |
| | /= | <--- B |
| | ===/ | |
| \___= _/ |
| // |
| || |
| // |
| s/|| |
| //|| |
| ||\ |
| // \ |
| G ---> |¯¯| s||\___ |
| _¯¯ ||¯¯¯\ |
| E ---> |_| /\s \ |
| \_s//s\___//s |
| ¯¯¯\ ||¯¯//\ |
| //A¯¯ // ¯ |
| D ---> _¯ ## <--- C |
| // || |
| || ____// |
| ||//¯¯¯¯ |
| //¯ |
| F ---> |¯| |
| ¯ |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
LOCATIONS
---------
A: Start F: Elevator (to Myst Linking Book)
B: Windmill (inside: spigot) G: Stairs/Elevator (to second level)
C: Sunken Bridge/Raising Mechanism s: Water Flow Switch
D: Telescoping Pipe
E: Elevator (to second level)
===============================
ARRIVING IN THE CHANNELWOOD AGE
===============================
You come to your senses at the end of an old, wooden pier, facing a large
tree that extends far into the sky. In all directions you see water, save a
small island with a large windmill off in the distance. The sounds of the
crickets and flowing water are omnipresent in this Age. Far above you, you
notice what looks like old huts, seemingly abandon and left to rot. There is
no sign of the tree-dwellers that once occupied this Age. Down at your feet
you see a thick pipe that interconnects with others along the pier, all
leading up the large windmill. This is as good a place as any to start your
exploration.
=================
PUMPING THE WATER
=================
You start at the end of pier, facing a large tree. Throughout the planks are
a series of pipes, which appear to be used to power the various devices you
will find here. Your first objective will be to find out how to use and
regulate the flow of water.
From the starting point, turn directly around and start following the planks.
You only need to move forward now, and avoid taking any of the paths that
split off. After a few steps, you should begin seeing an island with a large
windmill in distance. Continue to follow the planks until you approach the
island. Cross over the final plank to the island, up the few twists along
the way, and enter the water pumping room.
The right side of the pumping room contains a large, corrugated tank that
stores the water. At the foot of the tank is a water faucet, which regulates
the flow into throughout all the pipes you saw. Reach down now and turn the
faucet once (and only once). This will initiate the flow of water down
through the pipes.
On the left side of the pumping room is the actual pump and a small, red
handle. Pulling down on the handle slows the flow of water into the tank,
but has absolutely no purpose as far as the game goes. This is just here to
throw you off course, so you can ignore it completely.
Take a few steps down the hill, and you should hear the water flowing through
the pipe (sounds like a steady trickle). If you don't, go back up and turn
the faucet (once), then return until you hear the water. If you hear it at
this point, you know it is flowing throughout the entire network. Follow the
pipe all the way back to the planks, and stop when you come to the first
junction.
Throughout the network of piping, there are junction switches that regulate
the flow of water in specific directions. In order to power up any of the
devices you find, you will need to correctly flip each switch to send the
water to the desired location. Below is an illustration of a junction
switch. You regulate the flow of water by moving the switch (C) into either
the A position or the B position. The water flows in the opposite of the
direction you turn the switch, and follows the path demarcated by the yellow
circles. Below, since the switch is in the B position, the water will flow
freely in the A direction. If you move the switch over to the A position,
this will allow water to flow in the B direction. Spend a minute or two
familiarizing yourself with these switches, as they play a very important
role in maneuvering throughout this Age.
o----------------------------------o
| |
| ///////// |
| /// /// |
| // O O// |
| / O /\ O / |
| / O \C\ O / |
| / O \ \O / |
| / O \ \ / |
| / O O \ \ / |
| / A O \ \ B / |
| / O \ \ / |
| / O \/ / |
| / O / |
| / O / |
| // O // |
| /// O /// |
| ///////// |
| |
o----------------------------------o
===================
USING THE ELEVATORS
===================
After some brief looking around, you may have noticed that there are a couple
of elevators leading to the tree level of the Age. This is the next place
you want to explore. There are two different elevators that can be accessed
from the ground level: the elevator to the tree level and the elevator to the
linking book. This section gives details for accessing both. Even though
you won't be leaving the Age yet, it's easier to solve the puzzles that allow
you to use the linking book elevator now.
Linking Book Elevator
---------------------
This is marked as F on the Channelwood Age map above. Walk so that you are
in front of the first water junction switch just before the bridge that leads
to the Windmill. You should be facing the trees, with your back to the
windmill. Note that the water flows in the opposite direction from the way
you turn the junction switch; the water should be traveling in the same
direction that you are instructed to walk. The following steps will detail
which direction to flip each of the switches you encounter. Some of the
switches may already be in the desired positions.
1.) Turn the first junction switch to RIGHT. Follow the left-side path (all
the while following the sound of the water through the pipes)
2.) Turn the second junction switch RIGHT. Follow the left-side path.
3.) Turn the third junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path.
4.) When you get to section where the path splits, bear left.
5.) You should come to the bridge raising mechanism. Pull down on the red
handle, and the bridge should emerge. If it doesn't, retrace the
previous steps and make sure that water is flowing through the pipes
6.) After the bridge, follow the pier straight until the piping resumes. At
this point, you will see the elevator on the left. Turn right.
7.) Follow the plank to the end. You should see the pipe stop at the water,
and there should be a crank handle there. This is the telescoping pipe
mechanism. Turn the crank and the pipe should extend. This will now let
you power up the elevator to leave this Age.
Once you have completed the above steps, return to the first water junction
switch before the bridge leading to the windmill. The following directions
will let you direct the flow of the water to the elevator. Again, it isn't
advised that you do this now, but refer to this section if you wish to leave
the Age or have found the pages.
1.) Turn the first junction switch RIGHT. Follow the left-side path.
2.) Turn the second junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path.
3.) Turn the third junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path.
4.) Turn the fourth junction switch RIGHT. This should send water through
the telescoping pipe that you have now extended.
5.) Using the steps you followed above, walk all the way around and return to
the elevator. You should hear the motor running when you approach it.
6.) Open the door, move inside the elevator, then close the door. Pull down
on the red switch, and you will be taken upward. The room that you come
to has the linking book bask to Myst.
Elevator to Tree Level
----------------------
To proceed with the Age, you will need to go up into the tree level. To
power the elevator leading there, first go all the way back to first water
junction switch just before the bridge leading to the windmill. Note, again,
that the water flows in the opposite direction from the one in which you flip
the switch. From the first switch, follow these instructions:
1.) Turn the first junction switch RIGHT. Follow the left-side path.
2.) Turn the second junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path.
3.) Turn the third junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path.
4.) Turn the fourth junction switch LEFT. Follow the right-side path to the
elevator. You should hear the motor running when you approach it.
5.) Open the door, move inside the elevator, then close the door. Pull down
on the red switch, and you will be taken upward to the tree level.
=========================
NAVIGATING THE TREE LEVEL
=========================
The tree level is quite large, and it's very easy to become lost or
frustrated by walking around endlessly. The number of required actions on
this level are very limited, however. Below is a map of the tree level.
Each shape is a hut, connected by the suspended rope bridges. Note the
different shapes of the huts in the map below and in the game.
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| C H A N N E L W O O D A G E – T R E E L E V E L |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| __ __ |
| / \___/ \ |
| \__/¯¯¯\__/ |
| /¯¯\ // \ |
| \__/ // \ |
| \ // \ ___ |
| \|¯¯¯| |¯¯¯|______| | |
| |___| |___|¯¯¯¯¯¯|___|\ |
| \ // \ |
| \ // \ |
| \ // \ |
| \/¯¯\/ \ |
| \__/ __ \ |
| \ / B\ |¯¯¯¯¯| |
| \ \__/ A/\ ||C| D| |
| \ || /__\ ¯¯¯¯¯ |
| \ /¯¯\ || |
| |¯¯¯|==\__/ || |
| |___| /¯¯\ |
| \ /\__/\ |
| \ // \ |
| \ // \ |
| \|¯¯¯| \/¯¯\ |
| |___| \__/ |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
LOCATIONS
---------
A: Elevator (to first level)
B: Switch
C: Elevator (to third level)
D: Stairs (to first level)
The tree level is filled with old huts, many weathered and destroyed over the
years. There is still no evidence of the large community of tree dwellers
Atrus mentioned, and it would appear that the huts have been abandoned for
some time. The only sounds are the steady winds and creaking of the rope
bridges all around you.
The main objective on this level is to find the switch that opens the doorway
leading to the first floor. This allows you to power up the third floor
elevator, which leads to the pages. The switch is small and easily
overlooked, hidden within one of the circular huts. Here are the directions
to the switch from the starting point:
1.) Walk FORWARD to the circular hut.
2.) Bear RIGHT and go to the rectangular hut.
3.) Turn RIGHT, then walk FORWARD (the only other exit) to another
rectangular hut.
4.) Turn and walk RIGHT towards a circular hut.
5.) Walk LEFT to another circular hut (only other exit).
6.) Inside the last hut, look for a small red handle. Pull it down, and the
gate leading to the stairway will open in the distance.
Once the gate has been opened, head over to area with the stairway. This
isn't nearly as difficult to find as the switch is, but here are the
directions, again from the starting location. To reach the staircase from
the switch, go back through the two circular huts into the rectangular hut.
Turn right, then resume the directions from Step 4 below.
To get to the stairway from the starting elevator:
1.) Walk FORWARD to the circular hut.
2.) Bear RIGHT and go to the rectangular hut.
3.) Turn RIGHT, then walk FORWARD (the only other exit) to another
rectangular hut.
4.) Walk FORWARD through the hut and towards a circular hut.
5.) Bear RIGHT and follow the path to rectangular hut.
6.) Turn RIGHT, then walk forward into another rectangular hut.
7.) Turn RIGHT again and walk towards the platform with the stairway and the
elevator.
8.) Click on the stairway gate on the left side of the platform coming from
the huts. This opens a path leading back down.
You will also notice an elevator next to the stairway which shouldn't be
working (yet). You will need to supply it with power, just like you did with
the others. Take the stairs back down to the first floor. Walk to forward
to the first water junction switch and turn it to direct the water RIGHT.
This should provide power to the elevator by the stairway. Walk back up the
stairs and enter the elevator. Close the door and pull down on the handle.
You should be taken up again, to the third floor.
=================
FINDING THE PAGES
=================
Once you reach the third level, nearly all of the puzzle solving in this Age
is completed. The only tasks left are exploring and finding the missing
pages. This level is very small, and doesn't require any map to navigate.
There are three main areas to visit:
• Achenar's Room
• Sirrus's Room
• Temple
Once you get out of the elevator, you can either proceed forward or turn
around and go left. It doesn't matter which you choose first, but let's take
the forward path right now. Walk a few steps and you will come to a small
wooden room. Open the door and proceed inside.
As soon as you enter, a holographic image of Achenar speaking the tree-
dweller language will begin playing. The room is quite small, but also has a
pair of tribal masks and set of candles on the side. The holographic image
is projected directly over a small, alter-like object. When touched, the
alter has a pair of spiked metal jaws that slam closed and crush anything in
their way. It can only be guessed what Achenar used this device for.
Perhaps it was intended for living sacrifices of the tree-dwellers, or
perhaps it was a deadly sign not to investigate the "magic" image of Achenar,
who was surely revered (or feared) as a god. The room has a back door that
leads back outside an onto the path again. Walk out through the back and
continue exploring.
A few steps after the Temple is another small hut. Once inside, Achenar's
music begins to play and it becomes clear that this was his room. The hut is
very open, and constructed from thatched wooden strips, wooden poles, and
rope. The decor is very limited. Aside from a bed frame and a suspended
light bulb, the room is essentially empty. The only things of particular
interest are found in the bottom left corner from the entrance.
One the floor is the Blue Page, which you might as well pick up now. Behind
it is a small stand with a circular image monitor and four buttons. Upon
pushing the first button, you will see the message that was projected in the
Temple. This device was obviously used to record the messages that were
played for the natives. The first three buttons all have recordings in the
tree-dweller language, but the last is somewhat more interesting.
The fourth button on the holographic recorder is a message from Sirrus that
he recorded for Achenar. The important lines of the message are: "He is
preparing. Take only one page, my dear brother." The significance of this
saying will have more meaning later on. If you wish to see Sirrus's message
again in a clearer medium, leave the fourth button pressed (and lit) when you
exit Achenar's room. This message (or whichever you select) will then be
projected if you return to the Temple.
Head back towards the elevator now. If you wish to return to Myst with the
blue page, you can do so now, but it is still worthwhile to explore Sirrus's
room first. Walk towards the elevator, taking the path on the right that you
see when facing the elevator. Follow the path and you will come to large
cabin. This is Sirrus's room. Open the door to proceed.
Sirrus's room, as expected, is far more elegant that either Achenar's or the
homes of the tree people. The room is constructed of finished wood and a
stone ceiling, with wall lamps throughout to provide lighting. Here are a
few things you might notice when exploring this room:
• End Table: There is an empty wine bottle and a slice of moldy cheese
resting on top. Gives a decent indication of how long it's been since
someone was here.
• Broken Chairs: Next to the doorway, there is a set of broken chairs on the
floor. How these were broken – whether in anger, a fight, or as a weapon –
is indeterminable.
• Desk: There is a bed next to the desk. On top of it sits an ornament that
has a series of circular orbits. Inside the desk is the Red Page and few
empty ink bottles.
• Sink: Next to the bed is small sink. Sirrus's rotting toothbrush rests in
a holder at the back.
• Bed: Sirrus's bed is quite nice, and there are empty wine bottles scattered
around it. It would appear that this is yet another vice he succumbs to.
The bed has two drawers:
- The first draw holds an average sized dagger
- The second draw has several wine bottles and a ripped note. See below
for more details.
The important items in this room are the Red Page and the ripped note. The
Red Page is found in the drawer of the desk next to the bed. It is up to you
whether or not you wish to take this page now. The ripped note seems to have
some cryptic (yet indecipherable) clues. You should be sure to jot down what
the note says, as it will be very important later on. The ripped note reads
as follows:
_________________________
\ch Vault Access |
/and of Myst |
/ |
/ted in very plain view on |
\yst, and access can be |
\easily if the simple |
\ollowed. First, locate |
/Switches on the island. |
\these switches to the |
/n go to the dock and, |
n the Marker Switch |
/e "off" position. |
\________________________|
With the note read and a page in hand, you can now exit this Age. Proceed
back down to the ground level, by getting back in the elevator, then walking
down the stairs. If you haven't already, power up the elevator leading to
the Myst linking book (see the "Using the Elevators" section above). Once
you reach the linking book, place your hand on the picture inside. You can
now rest assured that this Age is over with. If you return for the other
page, all the puzzles should already be solved. Just make sure to power up
the third floor elevator, and your trip should be a short one.
=============================================================================
P A R T V - S E L E N I T I C A G E MYS17
=============================================================================
You enter the Selenitic Age through the large rocket ship next to the library
that you've probably passed by many times already. Once you have obtained
the access key from the Tower, you can start searching for a way to enter
this age. As was mentioned before, it is recommended that you complete the
Mechanical Age before this one, as it has some clues that will help you solve
some of the puzzles there.
You will notice, upon approaching the rocket ship, that the door does not
open. You will also notice a cable running from the ship across the island,
suspended by a few towers along the way. You should trace the power line
back to its source, which is the Generator shed. To get there, from the
library, follow the central path downhill, past the Bird Bath and three steps
into the woods. On your right, you should see the entrance to the Generator
shed, which is made of brick and has no main door. When you enter, there
will be a long series of steps leading down. Don't confuse this location
with the log cabin, which is on the other side of the path. That building
contains a single room with a large furnace when you enter.
Walk down the stairs and follow the path until you get to a steel door. Push
the blue button on the right side to open the door to the Generator room. As
the door opens, you will see the lights turn on to illuminate each generator.
In front of you is a console with two gauges and ten red buttons. If you
turn directly around, you will see an explanation of the console on the wall.
The left-side gauge is the power level and the right side gauge is the power
to the ship. The red buttons are numbered 1 through 10, and this designation
will be used below.
You target is to reach the volt total listed in the Tower. The desired value
is:
59 Volts
You reach this total, and this total exactly, by pressing the right
combination of red buttons. Each red button adds or subtracts a fixed number
of volts when pressed or depressed. You should play around to see some of
the values. You should come up with the following results:
You need to find the right combination that will add up to 59 volts exactly,
without going over. There are many combinations that will do this. A few of
them include:
There is no signal that goes off once 59 volts has been reached. You will
know you are done here when the total appears on both gauges. If you go over
59 volts at anytime, the circuit breakers controlling power flow to the space
ship will be tripped. When this happens, the right-side gauge will be stuck
at zero, and no power will be sent to the ship. To fix this, you will need
to flip back the breaker switch on the tower where it was tripped. Before
setting out to do this, make sure that the power level is below 59 volts, or
you will not allowed to reset the circuit.
Going over the maximum volt total will flip one of the breakers, and the
exact one occurs randomly. The one that was tripped will visibly be set
lower than it should be. You reset it by pulling down on the handle, after
which you will hear a definitive clicking sound. If you hear a small click,
you've probably gone to the wrong tower, and should try the other one.
The first breaker tower can be found right behind the Generator shed. Click
the path on the right hand side, then go down to the tower and climb up the
ladder. Pull down on the breaker to reset it. You should be able to tell by
the sound if this was the correct one. You can always double check by going
back into the Generator room. The two power gauges should read the same
values if you restored the circuit. The second tower is right near the ship.
From the library, follow the path that leads to the ship, then click on the
hill to the left of the walkway. Proceed down the path and climb up the
ladder. Pull down on this switch as you did the other, and the power to the
ship should be restored.
Once you have the two power gauges reading 59 volts, head over to the rocket
ship. The door should now open when touched. Inside you'll see a keyboard
on the right and a control panel on the left. The control panel has five
sliding bars, a handle, and a spherical display screen at the top. Moving
the buttons up or down produces different notes. The key is to find the
correct series of notes, match these using the sliding buttons, then pull
down on the handle.
You might remember seeing a keyboard diagram in the back of the Selenitic Age
book. Go back to the library and turn to the second to last set of pages.
You should see a keyboard with a five highlighted and numbered keys. Try to
make a general note of where each one is. The diagram should look something
like the following:
Return now to the rocket ship. You will need to match the sounds produced by
each key with the corresponding button in order. This is no small task. If
you are tone deaf or have no musical background (or even if you have poor
speakers), this may likely be the most difficult puzzle in the game. There
are a couple ways you can go about solving it, but there is something
important to take into account before that.
TECHNICAL NOTE: In order to complete this puzzle, you may need to first lower
your mouse speed. If the cursor moves too fast, you will not be able to
slide the switches in small enough intervals to reach the right notes. So,
to be safe, lower the mouse speed to the SLOWEST setting for this puzzle,
then reset it afterward.
Now, there is two main ways to go about solving this puzzle:
1.) For those who can hold and maintain a note, press the key on the organ,
hold it or tap it for a while to get the note in you head, then go over to
the switches and find the melody. You may need to slide the switches to a
general area, then return to the organ to double-check the sound.
If you have a musical background, you can probably identify the notes by
sight, then simply enter them by playing the correct ones. In this case, the
puzzle is probably quite easy, but most people aren't this fortunate.
It can be kind of a pain to adjust the switches without accidentally moving
them around, so make sure you place the open hand directly over the switch,
so the thumb touches the middle part of the left side of it. This will help
you avoid inadvertently moving the switch around.
2.) If you have no musical inclination at all and/or are becoming quite
frustrated by this puzzle, there is an alternative. You can count the
placement of notes and then move the switches that many spaces to find it.
To use this method, look at the keyboard illustration above. From the left,
count all the keys leading up to the specified ones. Count both the black
and white keys in order, and make sure you count the first key as "one."
For example, note 1 is 8 keys away from the first key on the organ. On the
console, slide the switch up 8 notes (7 increments), counting the starting
position as one. Using this method, you should get the following figures:
With some persistence, you should be able to get the correct order. Once you
feel you have it, pull down on the right-side handle. It will then play
through the notes, and, if you are successful, the spherical screen in front
of you will light up. If it doesn't, the combination is wrong and you'll
need to try again. This is not an easy puzzle, so be prepared to try many
times before you finally get it right.
When the screen lights up, you will see a picture of a rotating book.
Touching it will change the image into one of the Age you are about to visit.
This appears to be a new form of technology, as there is no physical linking
book around. Touch the screen again, and you will be taken to the Selenitic
Age.
=============================
ARRIVING IN THE SELENITIC AGE
=============================
After much movement and disorientation, you find yourself still inside the
Rocket Ship you entered back in Myst. You open the door, and entirely new
world stands before you. A rich, deep fog covers the Age and intensifies any
light passing through it, making for some beautiful displays of color at dawn
and dusk. You can see the signs of meteoric activity that Atrus had
described; much of this Age is now rocky and barren. In all directions you
hear unique sounds echoing about, and you feel they hold some significance in
the vast new Age that awaits you.
==================
FINDING THE SOUNDS
==================
You begin inside the Rocket Ship that brought you to this Age, but nothing
inside functions anymore. Once you step out, the door will close and cannot
be reopened. Before you is a walkway that leads from the landing pad to the
rocky terrain that makes up much of this Age. While this Age may seem
complicated, it is actually quite straight forward. The majority of the Age
consista of a main pathway with smaller, linear paths protruding off into
sub-areas. On the map above, the main path is designated with a (=) symbol.
Refer to this map if you get lost, but keep in mind that every place you need
to explore will be accessible from this main path.
After some walking, on the right-hand side of the pathway you will come
across a large door leading into a shed. The mechanism for opening the door
appears on the right, with a set of sliding switches that are needed to input
the correct combination. Upon closer examination, the sliding switches each
make specific sounds when moved up or down. The order of the sounds, from
top to bottom, goes as follows (the names given are not official):
• Wind: strong and steady guest
• Pendulum: exaggerated back and forth sound
• Train: the horn of a large train
• Cannon: flying projectile that crashes
• Electricity: uncontrollable sparking sound
• Crystal: soft flute sound
• Volcano: violent rumbling
• Clock: ticking sound of an old, broken clock
• Crash: loud fall and crash
• Water: gentle tickling water
To open this door, you will need to find the correct sounds in the correct
order. Once you have this order, press the button on the left, and the
sounds will play through. If correct, the door will open. There are hints
and clues scattered all about the island to help you find the correct
combination.
The following are the directions for finding and activating the different
sounds. You can go in any order, but the one below is recommended.
Water Sound
-----------
One of the most easily missed sounds, but the nearest one to the start of the
Age. From screen with the shed, walk one screen forward, then turn directly
left. You should now see a brick stairway on the left. There is also a
brick stairway on the right, but make sure you take the left-side path for
now. Follow the path, then walk forward all the way through, over the
bridge, through the trees, and up the hill. At the top, you should come to a
small landing with a small pool of water. This seems to be a fairly lush
area, and is likely the same hill that Atrus described being untouched in his
journals. If you look around, you will notice a few things:
1.) There is a small desk with a red button on it and a "dripping water" icon
behind it.
2.) There is a microphone above the trickling waterfall.
3.) Overhead, there is a transmitter dish.
Putting these things together, you can begin to understand a bit about how
this Age works. The water sound you hear is caused by the trickling water
from the small pool. The microphone suspended over it can record the sound.
The transmitter above can send this recorded sound somewhere (you don't know
where just yet). The recording/transmission process is activated by pushing
the red button, and you will know this has happened if the icon behind it
illuminates.
So, for now, just push down on the red button. You will also notice, to the
left of the button, the Blue Page. Do not pick this page up yet, but note
that it is here.
Walk back along the same path you took to get to the oasis. After crossing
over the brick stairway, you should reenter the main pathway. To your left,
you should see another brick staircase. Move over and climb it.
Volcano Sound
-------------
The Volcano sound can be found by taking the brick stairs from the left of
the water sound pathway, or by walking two screen forward from the shed, then
turning left. Follow the stairs up a couple of flights, and you will hear a
loud roaring sound. If you look over the hand rail on either side of you,
you will see a deep chasm with flowing magma and bursts of flame.
Again, this location has a red button, this time with a cracked earth icon
behind it. There is also a microphone suspended over the chasm, which
connects to another transmitter dish above. Just push down the red button,
and you are finished with this area.
Walk back down the stairs that you originally climbed. When you return to
the main path, you should be a faint clock tower in the distance.
Clock Sound
-----------
After exiting the chasm area, walk 2-3 screens forward and you should see a
broken clock tower on your right. If you're coming from the shed, walk three
screen forward, make a right, then walk 2 screens forward. You should hear
an off-rhythm ticking sound. At the base of the clock tower you will see
another red button. Push it, then turn left and proceed on your way.
Crystal Sound
-------------
From the clock tower, walk two screen forward, then turn right and follow the
path. You will climb up a hill, then come to a brick pathway. Just follow
the path to the end. Along the way, you will see odd shaped crystals jutting
out from the water. The crystals appear to resonate when wind passes between
them, making a soft, high-pitched, flute-like sound. It is very possible
that the name of this Age – selenitic – comes from these crystals.
Regardless, follow the path to the end until you come to another red button.
Once again, push the button. You should notice, on top of the desk with the
button, lies the Red Page. It isn't advised that you pick this one up yet
either, but remember the location for when you return past here later.
Head back over the same path you took to get here. When you get back to the
main path, turn right.
Wind Sound
----------
After turning back onto the main path, follow it all the way forward until
the very end. You should eventually approach a small manhole-like tunnel
leading down, with another red button before it. Coming from the tunnel is a
strong gusting sound, probably caused by the wind as it passes quickly
through it. Push the red button, then take the ladder down into the tunnel.
After you climb to the bottom, there will be a long, dark path ahead of you,
and switch to your left. Flipping up the switch will turn on the tunnel
lights. Walk forward to end of the tunnel, and you will come to another
ladder leading up. There is another switch at this end that also controls
the lights. There is no need to touch it, however.
When you climb out of the tunnel, you will be on a small island that you had
a few views of from different screens before. Walk up the stairs and follow
the brick path, until you come to a large device with two black doors.
=====================
USING THE TRANSCEIVER
=====================
The large device at the end of the path on this island is a transceiver.
Click on the middle to open the doors, revealing the scanning locator. This
device is a little tricky to figure out at first, but it's not so difficult
to use once you realize how it works.
Think back to all the red buttons you pushed. Near each one was a microphone
and a transmitter. The microphone recorded the sounds you heard, and the
transmitter sent that sound out somewhere. This transceiver is where the
sounds were sent. If you look to the top, you will see a column with 5
rotating receiver dishes. These are designed to pick up transmissions when
pointed in the right direction. The whole purpose of the scanning locator
within is to rotate the dishes to pick up the appropriate sounds. So, if you
haven't pushed the button for one of the sounds, you should go back and do so
now. You won't be able to locate its sound otherwise.
With that being said, it's not too hard to figure out how to use the locator.
The video screen shows where the antenna for the selected dish is currently
pointed. You can switch between the receivers with the five buttons at the
bottom, and each of the five receiver dishes is programmed to look for only
the sounds specified by its icon. For example, the first icon is the water
symbol. This receiver will only scan for the water sound, and you will know
you have found this location when the speaker begins emitting the water
sound. The same thing goes for all the symbols.
The receiver can rotate 360 degrees, and you move it in either direction by
pressing the two green arrows. The idea is to rotate the transceiver until
you get within the range for picking the specific sound. Each sound has a
9.8 degree range during which you will hear it. When you get within the
range, the sound will start playing from the speaker, and the green arrow
will blink in the specific direction the signal is coming from. Each sound
has an exact measurement to within 0.1 degrees, but all you really need to do
is get anywhere within the range.
The goal is to get all five sounds within the right range, so that you hear
that you hear each coming from the speaker. To do so, rotate each antenna
using the green arrows, and try to look for the transmitter dishes within the
locator. If you remember the orientation of this Age (or use the above map),
you should be able to get a decent idea for where each signal range is. Try
moving in 5 degree increments at a time, and stop to listen if you hear the
sounds yet. The center value and range for each sound is listed in the table
below. A sound will play so long as it is between the minimum and maximum
values, but the center value will give the clearest signal.
Once you have located all five transmitters and can hear the sounds for each,
press the sigma (summation) button at the bottom. If you aren't familiar
with it, it resembles the letter "E". Once this button is pushed, you will
hear the sounds played for you in a specific order. Record this order. Play
the sounds back a few times if need be. The sequence you are hearing is the
combination to the shed near the start of the Age. The order in which you
should hear the sounds goes as follows:
1.) Crystal
2.) Water
3.) Wind
4.) Volcano
5.) Clock
TRICK: It's entirely possible to solve this puzzle without pressing all, or
even any of the red buttons. The sigma key will always cycle through the
transmitters in the correct order, whether you have a sound playing or not.
When it cycles through, it shows both the location and the degree coordinates
on the locator. Also, the sound that would be played obviously matches the
icon for each receiver. So, keeping this in mind, you can solve this puzzle
simply by entering different degree values at each location and noting where
you entered them. For example, let's say we assign the following degree
values to each receiver: Water = 10 degrees; Volcano = 20; Clock = 30;
Crystal = 40; Wind = 50. Now, when you press the sigma button, the
coordinates will be displayed in this order: 40, 10, 50, 20, 30. So long as
you remember which values you assigned to those 5 degree measures, you can
figure out the correct sound sequence. This trick is probably a little too
complicated for a first time play through the game, but can definitely save
you time when replaying the game if you miss one or two of the sound
locations.
================
OPENING THE SHED
================
Once you have the above combination, head back to the shed near the start of
the game. Before going into the shed it is very important that you pick up
one of the pages. Since it is on your way, it is easiest to get the Red Page
now (unless you have a preference for the blue one). From the island, take
the wind tunnel back to the main path, then follow it until you come to the
intersection for the crystal forest (if getting the Red Page). After this,
follow the path until you come to the clock tower. Walk forward 2 screens,
the make a left when you see the brick staircase. From here, the shed should
be visible. Walk 3 screens forward to reach it.
When you get back to the shed, you can input the sound sequence you just
found at the transceiver. The different sounds are found by moving the
sliding switches up and down. Start by entering the first sound using the
first switch, from left to right. The order and position goes as follows:
After entering the combination, push the button on the right and the sounds
will play through in order. If you have the correct sequence, the shed will
open up. Once inside, you realize that this small shed is actually the
entrance to a vast underground tunnel system.
Follow the path down the stairs and into the tunnel. The advanced technology
within this area is evident. Such was probably needed to survive the severe
seismic and meteoric activity that this Age surely endured. At the end of
the pathway, you will come to another ship which looks similar to the rocket
that brought you to this Age. This one is called a Mazerunner (named by the
game). Walk up to the ship, press the blue button on the left side, then
step inside.
=====================
NAVIGATING THE TUNNEL
=====================
Before proceeding any farther, make sure you are carrying one of the pages.
You cannot easily return soon after this point, and it will be extremely
frustrating if you unnecessarily need to complete the tunnel area again to
get the pages. The tunnel is arguably the most tedious and confusing area in
the entire game, so be prepared, in advance, to be frustrated. Hopefully the
long trek will be made a little easier by the strategies below.
Once you enter the Mazerunner, you will see a chair and a control console
near the far end. Sit down in the chair to access the control panel. You
will see several buttons and gauges in front of you:
• Forward: Use this button to move the Mazerunner forward along the track in
the direction you are currently facing.
• Backtrack: Press this button to backtrack along a path you just took.
Depending on which way is closer, it will either send you back along the
track backwards, or manually turn you, then send you facing forward.
• Blue Arrows: Use these two buttons to rotate the Mazerunner in different
directions.
• Compass Gauge: Found on the right side of the console, this gauge tells you
the direction you are currently facing.
• Red Button/Speaker: The red button and speaker are found on left side of
the console. When you stop at a junction, you will usually hear a sound
emitted from the speaker. Pressing the red button will let you hear that
sound again.
Before going any farther, it will be of great value to recall (or learn) the
sounds that corresponded to the 4 cardinal direction in the Mechanical Age.
• Ping: A high-pitched, metallic ping. Very distinctive. This sound
indicates NORTH.
• Spring: This sounds like a large, industrial spring is retracting. Very
similar sound to an airbrake, but still hard to describe. This sound
indicates EAST.
• Dong: Sounds like a low-pitched cow bell. This sound indicates SOUTH.
• Chirp: A high pitched, artificial chirping sound. It's easy to confuse
this sound with the Spring, but this sound is slightly higher. It
indicates WEST.
You will hear these sounds quite often, and they tell you the way to proceed.
At some junctions, two sounds will play together. This indicates that you
need to travel in the combination direction. For example, if the sound for
North and East were overlapped, it would indicate that you should travel
North-East (NE).
Once you are in the control seat, press the FORWARD button to lower the ship
onto the tracks. This will take you to the first junction. As soon as you
stop moving, you will hear the "Ping" sound. This indicates which direction
you should be traveling. To return back to the surface, press the BACKTRACK
button anywhere will resting at this junction.
The first few junctions don't give you many different options as to which way
to travel, so this is a good opportunity to learn what a few of the sounds
are. When you see an open track ahead of you, press the FORWARD button and
you will move along it. Simply move FORWARD in the direction indicated by
the sounds, and you will navigate through the maze. Note that there will be
a "BUZZ" sound if you cannot move forward in the direction you chose.
If the sounds description above is confusing and you are still lost, here are
a few other ways to go about completing this section.
1.) You don't need to understand the specific sounds to make your way out of
the maze. Just follow the tracks and keep progressing so long as you hear a
sound every time you stop. If you get a junction and there is no sound
(including when you press the red button), just backtrack and choose a
different route. This method would work perfectly were there not a few wrong
turns that still play sounds. In those cases, if the subsequent paths are
wrong, the previous one was also. Regardless, this method should be
sufficient.
2.) You can always make a map of the tunnel system. The paths are pretty
straight-forward, so long as you pay attention during the bends or when your
direction changes.
Assuming you have the hang of how to interpret the different sounds, proceed
through the maze. A map of the underground tunnel is given below. A (o)
symbol represents a junction. Any junction with a number next to it
represents a correct path. The directions at each junction are listed
underneath the map.
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| S E L E N I T I C A G E – U N D E R G R O U N D T U N N E L |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| o |
| o | |
| N | | |
| | o | | |
| W--x--E | | | |
| | | | o |
| S _ _| | \ |
| | | \ |
| | | ) |
| | | / |
| | | / |
| o------------------o----------o 6 |
| |4 5 | |
| o | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| o---------------o | | |
| \ | 3 | |
| \ o----------o 2 7 o-----------------o |
| / ,--o 14 | | / |
| o / / \ | | / |
| | \ | \/¯\ | | / |
| | \ | \ | _ _ _| o o |
| _ _ _| \| \ | | | |
| | o 13 o o Start | | |
| | / End | _ _ _| |
| | / ,------o 8 | |
| | / / \ | |
| o-------o 12 | \ | |
| | \ | \| |
| | \ | o |
| | / o 9 / |
| | \ _ / / |
| / \ / \_/ / |
| o------/ \ 10/ o |
| 11 o----------o---------------o |
| /| | |
| / | | |
| / |_ _ _ | |
| o-----o | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | o | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | o |
| | \ |
| o `-------o |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Here are the directions from the starting point (Start is the 1st junction
below). The spaces in the list are meant to make the directions easier to
follow:
1.) North
2.) West
3.) North
4.) East
5.) East
6.) South
7.) South
8.) West
9.) South-West
10.) West
11.) North-West
12.) North-East
13.) North
14.) South-East
Once you have taken the final correct route from the last junction, you will
enter a large station and can leave the Mazerunner. At long last, you have
completed the tedious underground and are finally free to leave this Age.
Take a few seconds to enjoy the accomplishment, as this previous puzzle was
enough to permanently end the explorations of many previous Myst players.
Press the blue button by the door of the Mazerunner to open it, then walk out
and move 3 screens forward. You should see a linking book on the central
pedestal in the open room. Open it, touch the picture, and exhale as you
have made it through this Age. Keep in mind that your travels here may not
be over yet. If you wish to return to this Age for the other page, the
combination at the shed will already be entered, but you need to navigate
through the tunnel again. You will surely learn to hate this part of the
game by the end, if you don't already.
=============================================================================
P A R T V I – E N D I N G MYS18
=============================================================================
By this stage, you have found all the pages of at least one colored book
scattered throughout the four Ages. While this is all you technically need
to do to proceed, it is suggested, for the experience, that you find all the
pages to BOTH books. The dialogue that follows from doing this is more
interesting and informative. Either way, you should have returned a total of
five pages to one of the books: one that was originally sitting next to them
and four from the Ages. If you have done all this, prepare yourself to enter
the final stage of Myst. It is also advised that you SAVE your journey at
this point, just to be safe...
===============
THE FINAL PAGES
===============
After completing the last Myst Age, you will be transported back to the
library with a colored page in your hand. Place the page on the
corresponding book. If you are collecting both sets of pages, take the time
now to retrieve the page(s) for the other book, before listening to either
brothers' ending dialogue.
Up to this point, you have heard a rather scattered account from both
brothers as to what actually transpired. You have probably learned much of
their demeanor from their talking to you from the books: Sirrus is the
intelligent and manipulative brother; Achenar is the anxious and uncontrolled
one. From you exploration throughout the Ages, you also should have learned
some things: Sirrus has a taste for vast riches, liquor, and drugs; Achenar
partakes in sadistic torture, destruction, and lunacy. Both seem to feel
that they were wrongfully imprisoned, both tell you not to trust the other,
and both brothers hint at the likely murder of their father. Until now,
their dialogue has pretty much been that of coaxing you into gathering more
pages. The exact details of what happened have not been cleared up. Once
you open a colored book after having put five pages into it, you will hear
the "true" story from each of the brothers.
Sirrus's Book
-------------
Sirrus tells you a tale of deceit and destruction, one which has trapped him
in the red book. He and his brother, Achenar, had been freely exploring the
Ages created by their father. Over time, Achenar became demented and started
craving carnage and destruction. He slew innocent people and demolished much
of what they had built over the countless years. Finally, not knowing what
had truly occurred, their father, Atrus, imprisoned them both within the
confines of the two books. Sirrus, of course, has been wrongfully punished
because of the twisted actions of his brother. To free him, look up pattern
158 in the burned book at the right end of the middle shelf. Enter its
contents on the back of the fireplace door, and you will be taken to the
location of the final book. No matter what, you need to ignore the Blue Page
and never free Achenar. Also, there is a Green Book shelved within. You
must never open it, as it is a trap that will imprison you, just as Sirrus
was. Once you return the final page, you will be very handsomely rewarded.
Achenar's Book
--------------
Achenar has a hard time holding back his anger and frustration, but described
how his brother pillaged the Ages and amassed a hoard of riches and wealth.
Sirrus tricked their father into believing it was Achenar who did all this.
Because he succumbed to Sirrus's lies, Atrus trapped both brothers, and
Achenar has been wrongfully imprisoned since then. You must reach down and
see that he is telling the truth, then do whatever it takes to free him. To
do so, look up pattern 158 in the burned book of the library. This book is
at the end of the middle shelf. Enter the pattern there onto the wall at the
back of the fireplace door, then you will be taken to the final location. Do
not, under any circumstances, take the Red Page. Also, as a warning, avoid
touching the Green Book. It is a trap, and just opening it will cause you to
be stuck within the book, as Achenar is.
After hearing their tales, one of the things they both seem to agree on is
that pattern 158 is needed to retrieve the final set of pages. Go over to
the book shelf and click on the very last book on right side of the middle
shelf. Inside are 200 sets of patterns. Turn to pattern 158 (if you click
and hold the mouse button, the pages will be turned in increments of 10,
rather than one at a time). Pattern 158 should look like the image below,
with an X being a square you need to press.
Go over to the fireplace, walk inside, and flip the red switch on the left
side. This will lower a wall with a very malleable metallic surface. Press
on the wall to make the pattern listed above, then flip the red switch again
when you are done. If the pattern was right, the room should begin to turn,
taking you to a shelf with the final two pages and the Green Book.
The two colored pages sit on the shelf below the Green Book. Before picking
one of them up, now is a good time to think back on what the two brothers
have told you. They both accuse each other of lying, you have seen the evil
acts they are guilty of, and neither will corroborate the word of the other.
The only thing that the two brothers do agree on is that you should never
open the Green Book... perhaps the Green Book is worth taking a look at after
all. Open it up, but whatever you do, DO NOT click on the picture.
Green Book
----------
You open the book to find a man sitting and writing, who warns you not to
come to Dunny (D'Ni) just yet. He introduces himself as Atrus, the father of
the two men now trapped in the Blue and Red books. All the books that you
have seen on your journeys were created by him using an Art he learned from
his father. He created the Red and Blue books as traps to stop greedy
explorers who might stumble into his library. He gave his sons free rein
over the library books, and they spent much time traveling throughout the
different Ages. Over time, their greed grew, and they dreamt of furthering
their power. They did not know the contents of the Red and Blue books, and
began begging for their father to share them.
So, they conspired with each other and devised a plan to trap their father in
an Age called Dunny, at which point the Red and Blue books would be theirs.
To do this, they removed a single page from his Myst linking book, meaning he
could not return from where they sent him. Atrus asks that you free him by
finding the final page to his book and bringing it to him. Then, once he
returns to Myst, he can bring justice to his sons for their actions.
============
THE END GAME
============
Instead of helping the brothers escape, it's probably a better idea to listen
to Atrus. Ignore the Blue and Red pages, and begin your search for the
missing White Page. If you remember, there was a mention of this missing
page back in the Channelwood Age. Sirrus had left a message for Achenar
detailing their plans to take only one page, as they feared their father was
planning. But what other evidence was there?
If you think back throughout your travels, there was one mystery that was
never quite resolved: the details of the two ripped notes that you found.
The first piece was located in Achenar's room in the Stoneship Age; the
second was found in Sirrus's room in the Channelwood Age. If you do not
remember these pieces, now is a good time to find them. With all the puzzles
solved, it shouldn't take very long at all to return to those two Ages and
locate the papers. Write down the contents of each. When you have done
this, you should get a message that reads as follows:
_____________________________________________
| Marker Swit\ch Vault Access |
| Isl/and of Myst |
| / |
| The vault is loca/ted in very plain view on |
| the island of M\yst, and access can be |
| achieved very\easily if the simple |
| instructions are f\ollowed. First, locate |
| each of the Marker/Switches on the island. |
| Turn everyone of\these switches to the |
| "on" position. The/n go to the dock and, |
| as a final step, tu
n the Marker Switch |
| there to th/e "off" position. |
|____________________\________________________|
NOTE: In Myst Masterpiece, there is a bug that causes the seventh line to
read "off" position. This makes the contents of the note confusing, if not
outright meaningless. Make a mental note that the phrase should be "on"
position, as shown in the note above.
This note gives fairly simple instructions for finding the vault, which will
hopefully have the page you are looking for. You may have even found the
vault already, if you played around a lot with the Marker Switches during
your exploration. The instructions say to turn all the Marker Switches ON,
then, go back to the very first on by the dock and turn it OFF.
If you did not turn all the switches on at the beginning of the game, do so
now. Remember, there are 8 of them in total. Once this is done, go back
down to the dock near the wooden ship. Pull down the handle on the Marker
Switch, and the bottom should open. Inside, you will find a single White
Page. This must be the one Atrus was referring to.
Walk back to the library, enter the fireplace, and input the pattern code
again. Open the Green Book, and Atrus will instruct you to come IF you've
brought the page. Click on the image, and you will be transported to Dunny.
Once there, you will find yourself in a giant, cavernous room. The walls and
floor are all stone, and there are deep alcoves cut away at each bend. You
can explore if you want, but all the paths lead no where, and this Age is
actually very small. Turn until you see Atrus, who will be writing at a
desk. Walk up to him, and he will begin to speak to you. Atrus asks you to
give him the page, then he extends his hand towards you. Place the page icon
over his hand, then click the mouse button. This will turn the page over,
and begin Atrus's speech.
Atrus tells you that he now has a very difficult choice to make. He puts the
page you gave him against the book, and it fuses back into it as one. He
sits pensive for a few moments holding his brow, then comes to a realization:
"My sons have betrayed me. I know what I must do."
Artus then tells you to wait here for a short while, and he places his hand
upon the Myst book and vanishes. He is gone for about 20 seconds, then
reappears at his desk. He explains to you that while you must have many
questions, his writings cannot wait. His wife is being held hostage in
another Age, and he fears his delay may have already doomed her.
Your reward for freeing him, he explains, is access to his library on Myst.
You may freely explore any of the Ages and do as you please. Atrus finally
mentions that he is in the midst of fighting a great foe, and may need you
again in the future to help him. But, for now, you should enjoy your
explorations throughout the Ages.
On Atrus's desk is a linking book leading back to Myst. Pick it up, open it,
and touch the picture. You are now back in the Myst library, where the Red
and Blue books are destroyed. No sign of Sirrus or Achenar remain. You are
now free to explore the Ages and the island for as long as you'd like. While
the game will never end, your explorations are over. Congratulations! All
your work and problem solving have paid off, and you now join the ranks of
the Myst Elite. You can now relax and travel at your leisure, until Atrus
calls on your skills again in Riven... but that is whole other game.
=============
OTHER ENDINGS
=============
There are actually four endings to this game. The previous section described
the successful ending, but there are three other scenarios that happen when
you fail. Each is worth seeing once you have completed the game properly.
They occur when you do one of the following:
1.) Bring the final Blue Page to Achenar
2.) Bring the final Red Page to Sirrus
3.) Return to Dunny (D'Ni) without the White Page
In both the first two scenarios, you return the page to the book, then find
yourself looking up at the library, with the brother looking back. It
doesn't take long to realize that you are now trapped in the book and they
are free. The brothers laugh in delight in either scenario. Sirrus makes
note to call you a fool, while Achenar giggles with giddiness. Both brothers
then start ripping pages from the books, and the signal grows less and less
clear. Finally, after half a dozen pages are removed, the screen fades to
black. You are now trapped inside the books forever...
The third possible ending occurs if you return to (or enter) Dunny without
the White Page. You can enter it at any point by clicking the picture, so
you must be careful when talking to Atrus. When you approach Atrus without
the page, he is shocked at first, then slams his fist down and calls you a
fool, wondering why you did not heed his warnings. He then relaxes and tells
you: "You and I will live here... forever." You can pick up and see the Myst
linking book, but it does not work. Atrus goes back to writing and will not
speak with you again. All you can now is wander about Dunny, passing the
remainder of eternity.
_____________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
S E C T I O N I V – S O L U T I O N S MYS19
_____________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This section is an appendix of the solutions to puzzles in the various Ages.
It is meant to provide a quick look up if you only want a number or
combination needed at some point. This section contains full spoilers and is
not intended for anyone playing through the game for the first time.
ISLAND OF MYST
==============
Number of Marker Switches: 8
Access Keys:
o------------------------------------------------------------o
| Age | Symbol | Access Key(s) |
|================|==============|============================|
| Mechanical | Stone Gears | 2:40 |
| | | 2,2,1 |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Stoneship | Sunken Ship | October 11, 1984; 10:04AM |
| | | January 17, 1207; 5:46AM |
| | | November 23, 9791; 6:57PM |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Channelwood | Large Tree | 7, 2, 4 |
|----------------|--------------|----------------------------|
| Selenitic | Rocket Ship | 59 Volts |
o------------------------------------------------------------o
Bird Bath symbols: Leaf, Snake, and Beetle
Rocket Ship sliding switch order (from bottom up, counting the starting
position as 1):
Compass Board Combination: 135 degree, which is where the X is below:
o---------------------------------------------o
| |
| o o o |
| o o |
| o ^ o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o <------- -------> o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | o |
| o | X |
| o v o |
| o o |
| o o o |
| |
o---------------------------------------------o
CHANNELWOOD AGE
===============
No solutions
SELENITIC AGE
=============
Sound locations on the transceiver:
_____________________________________________
| Marker Swit\ch Vault Access |
| Isl/and of Myst |
| / |
| The vault is loca/ted in very plain view on |
| the island of M\yst, and access can be |
| achieved very\easily if the simple |
| instructions are f\ollowed. First, locate |
| each of the Marker/Switches on the island. |
| Turn everyone of\these switches to the |
| "on" position. The/n go to the dock and, |
| as a final step, tu
n the Marker Switch |
| there to th/e "off" position. |
|____________________\________________________|
=============================================================================
C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N MYS20
=============================================================================
Thank you for taking the time to read through this guide. I hope you found
it informative and useful in your adventures through Myst. If you have any
comments on the guide, whether they be corrections, suggestions for future
revisions, spelling/grammar mistakes, formatting problems, or any other type
of feedback, please let me know. I would also appreciate some feedback from
anyone who is familiar with the Myst novels, as perhaps that can clear up
some of the storyline presented in this guide. I can be reached regularly at
the following email address: Admiral1018@yahoo.com. Please include "Myst" in
the email subject heading if you can, so I don't accidentally delete the
email.
=============================================================================
R E V I S I O N H I S T O R Y MYS21
=============================================================================
Version 0.99 – December 18, 2002
• Preview Version
Version 1.0 – December 19, 2002
• Initial Release
Version 1.1 – January 13, 2003
• Corrected information about the Fireplace puzzle
• Added new information about some of the objects in the Sirrus's room in
the Stoneship Age
• Added small observation when looking out of the telescope in the
Mechanical Age
• Minor spelling and formatting corrections
Version 1.2 – August 22, 2003
• Corrected information about transceiver coordinates in Selenitic Age;
Volcano and Water sounds were reversed.
• Added new information about the note hidden in the Mechanical Age
• Improved a few of the ASCII maps
• Minor spelling and formatting corrections
Version 1.3 – December 22, 2003
• Corrected chart in Section IV listing Selenitic Age sound ranges
• Included information about compatibility on newer release versions
• Clarified some walkthrough descriptions
• Major spelling and formatting corrections
=============================================================================
C R E D I T S MYS22
=============================================================================
Big thanks to everyone who helped me with this guide, especially the members
at the GameFAQs message boards –- this guide would not have been possible
without your ongoing support. Particular thanks to the following:
• jamesa@haaga.com: For going through this guide, in its entirety, and
helping me correct the spelling, grammar, and other readability issues.
This guide reads much nicer now, and a huge thanks to you for all your time
and help.
• Spug Enigma: For information on the Black Ship insignia in Sirrus's room in
the Stoneship Age and clarification of the skeleton in the Mechanical Age.
• Jackleber: For pointing out an error in the Fireplace puzzle.
• SpiderMan 2: For noting the hanging skeleton from the masts of the Black
Ships in the Mechanical Age.
• NeonDragon9000: For helping me piece together the order in which Myst Ages
were created.
• junk@ftsp.org, TufrThanu@aol.com, and mikesykora_65@hotmail.com: For
providing correct information on the transceiver coordinates in the
Selenitic Age.
• lava@edsamail.com.ph and applefan84@mac.com: For telling me about the
hidden note in the Mechanical Age.
• Everyone reading this guide and who has emailed me with feedback on it.
Special thanks to Centurion, cRaZyHaMmIeS, and Assault.
================================END OF GUIDE=================================
