o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | MYST | | | | FAQ/WALKTHROUGH | | Version 1.3 (December 22, 2003) | | | | By The Admiral | | Email: Admiral1018@yahoo.com | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o 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 (о). 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. ============================================================================= D I S C L A I M E R MYS01 ============================================================================= 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 ============================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S MYS03 ============================================================================= 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 MENU....................................................................MYS07 CONTROLS................................................................MYS08 BACKGROUND STORY........................................................MYS09 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 CONTACT INFORMATION.....................................................MYS20 REVISION HISTORY........................................................MYS21 CREDITS.................................................................MYS22 ============================================================================= * * * 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. ============================================================================= 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. ============================================================================= 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. ============================================================================= 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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:  QuickTime: http://www.quicktime.com  DirectX: http://www.microsoft.com/directx ============================================================================= 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. ============================================================================= 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. ============================================================================= 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..." _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо S E C T I O N I - G E N E R A L T I P S MYS10 _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо 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. _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо 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 _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What is the fireplace for? A: This will be cleared up near the end of the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо S E C T I O N I I I - W A L K T H R O U G H MYS12 _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо 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. o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | I S L A N D O F M Y S T | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | ___ ________ | | ___ ______/ / \ | | ____ / \/\/ _ \ | | | _/\/ \_/~ + ` + ` _ _ /|||- - - - -_- /^\ | | ~~~~/ + + ` _ _ _ _ _/ |/о/ _\__( | | | <--- H | | { ___ + ` _ ` / I оо (_)__( |=| | | | { |J |_ _ _/|||_ _/ + + ` ` // \ (m| |_| | | { |___| + |/о/ ` + ` ` ` ` _ __ _ // \ о [ | ] | | { `m|| + I о + + ` (_)__(_)/ \ | | { ` || ` `     ` _______ \ | | { || + 0 G _ _| | \/\_/\/\ | | __ { || + )=====000========{ =|_| E | ~ oo ~/ | | (M ) { ============ m 0 || |_______| ~/ o o` \ <---- F | | ( m) { \\ + +     ` || ~ ~ oo ~ \ | | оо { ` \\___ ` + ` + ` + ||m ooo `` / ` / \ / | | { + m|K | + ` + + + +{ ====o0 0o / `/ \ `\ | | { ====|___| + + + ` + || D o0 0o ` ` ` \ | | { `+ + ` + || ooo ` ` ` ooo _/ | | { + + ` + + ` + + __||______________ o _ o | | { + + ` ` ` + |__________________| o |=| o <---- C | | { + L OO + + ` _____________|=| ( )_(m о o | | { ` + ` OOOO ` + |A |=| (____o o | | {+ ` OO ` + + |_________ m|о oo | | {~~~~{+ ` + + + } __||____оооо o---------| | ~~~~{ ` ~~ |  B \__ | + Trees | | ~~{ + +} |________/ | ` Grass | | ~~~~~ | ~ Shore | | | = Path | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o LOCATIONS --------- A: Start; Secret Imager Room H: Rocket Ship (Selenitic Age) B: Sunken Ship (Stoneship Age) I: Circuit Breakers C: Stone Gear (Mechanical Age) J: Power Generator D: Planetarium K: Log Cabin E: Library L: Giant Tree (Channelwood Age) F: Tower M: Clock Tower G: Bird Bath (with model sunken ship) m: Marker Switches =============== 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: o------------------------------------------------------o | | | Bookcase | | ____________ | | / \ | | Painting // \\ Painting | | (Secret Door) / \ (Open Door) | | // \\ | | / \ | | | | | | | | | | Red Book | LIBRARY | Blue Book | | | | | | | | | | \ / | | \\ // | | Map \ / Fireplace | | \\ // | | \___________/ | | | | Entrance | | | o------------------------------------------------------o 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. o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | M E C H A N I C A L A G E | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | ______ | | \||_/ | | | / | | < \ | | < | <--- C | | \ / | | || | | || | | === | | == == | | == == | | == == | | == == | | == ___ == | | == | | == | | == _/ \_ == __ _ | | == | \ // | == __/ \/ \ <--- B | | == _/ \ / \_ == |__ || / | | == |_ D \ _| == \____/ | | == \ / / \ / == | | == |_ _| == | | == \/ \/ == | | == \___/ == | | == || == | | == || == | | == || == | | == || == | | == ||== | | === | | || | | || | | |оо| | | / \ | | _/|| / <--- A | | /|=| / | | __/ ____/ | | \___/ | | | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o 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: o---------------------------------------------------------o | __ __ | | / \ / \ | | / \____________/ \ | | \ A ____ E ____ B / | | / / |=| \ \ | | / /\_/о| _|=|_ |о\_/\ \ | | \ \ |C| ( F_ ) |D| / / | | \ \ о ( (_) ) о / / | | \ \ (_____) / / | | \ \ / / | | \ \ / / | | \ \ / / | | \ \ / / | | \ \_____/ / | | \ / | | \_______/ | | Entrance | | | o---------------------------------------------------------o 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: o----------------------------------------------------o | | | | | | ___ | ____ _ | O | /| | | / _ \ | \ / | | /\ | | ( | | | (_( )_) | \/ |_| /__\ | /\ /\ /\ | \| | | | | | | o----------------------------------------------------o 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||\\ || | | /== / / / о || || | | /== / / / _|оооооооооо| /\__ | | /== D== E|| A|=|| /_` `\ | | /== x == \ \ о|__________| \` / | | \ == == \ /о || \/ | | \ == ==_/\_/\/ || | | \__/\/ || | | // | | // | | (о) <--- B | | о | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o LOCATIONS --------- A: Start; entrance to lower ship chambers (Myst Linking Book) B: Umbrella Crow's Nest C: Lighthouse Generator D: Lookout Telescope E: Tunnel to Sirrus's Bedroom (Red Page) F: Tunnel to Achenar's Bedroom (Blue Page) ============================= 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 ---> |оо| s||\___ | | _оо ||ооо\\ | | E ---> |_| /\\s \\ | | \\_s//s\\___//s | | ооо\\ ||оо//\\ | | //Aоо // о | | D ---> _о ## <--- C | | // || | | || ____// | | ||//оооо | | //о | | F ---> |о| | | о | 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 | __ __ | | / \___/ \ | | \__/ооо\__/ | | /оо\ // \\ | | \__/ // \\ | | \\ // \\ ___ | | \|ооо| |ооо|______| | | | |___| |___|оооооо|___|\ | | \\ // \\ | | \\ // \\ | | \\ // \\ | | \/оо\/ \\ | | \__/ __ \\ | | \\ / B\ |ооооо| | | \\ \__/ A/\ ||C| D| | | \\ || /__\ ооооо | | \\ /оо\ || | | |ооо|==\__/ || | | |___| /оо\ | | \\ /\__/\ | | \\ // \\ | | \\ // \\ | | \|ооо| \/оо\ | | |___| \__/ | | | 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, | \rn 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: __ __ |1 | 10 Volts |6 | 1 Volt |__| |__| __ __ |2 | 7 Volts |7 | 2 Volts |__| |__| __ __ |3 | 8 Volts |8 | 22 Volts |__| |__| __ __ |4 | 16 Volts |9 | 19 Volts |__| |__| __ __ |5 | 5 Volts |10| 9 Volts |__| |__| 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: 1,3,8,9 4,7,8,9 1,3,4,6,7,8 1,2,3,6,7,8,10 2,4,5,6,7,9,10 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: ______________________________________________________________ | | || || | | | || | | | || || | | | || | | | || || | | | || | | | | || ||5| | | || | | | || || | | | ||3| | | || || | | | || | | | |_||_||_| | |_||_| | |_||_||_| | |_||_| | |_||_||_| | |_||_| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1 | | |4 | | | |2 | | | | | | | | | | |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| 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: Note 1: 8 Note 2: 20 Note 3: 23 Note 4: 13 Note 5: 6 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. o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | S E L E N I T I C A G E | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o | _ | | (_) <--- A | | // | | ___ /\ /\ (о) | | / \/ \/ / || | | / \ (о) | | ^ // \ // | | ^ __ ^ // \// | | F || // __ //\ | | ^ _|| ^ / |B | (о) \ | | ^ | _| ^ // |__| == о \ | | ^ ||_ // = / | | ^ |= | // == \ | | /\ =/\/\/\/\ // _ == \ | | //// = \/ (_) == \ | | / = = = = = = = == ||o = = \ ____ | | / = /\__/\/\ == о E = == \/ \ | | // = /\/ \/\ == = == \ | | / = / \ == = == == _____/ | | / = \\ \/\/\ /=/ == / | | / = \ //=/ == / | | / = \ __ \_\=\ == + / | | / = \ / \ <--- H \\=\ +|=|` \ | | / = \ | =| \\=\ _____ + |=|+ \ | | // = \ \==/ \ ==__ | ` |=|` \ | | // = \ оо \ | ||_D | + = +\ | | // = \ \ | \___ | + ` = \ | | // = \ \ |_______| _ + = `\ | | / = \\__/\_ \ __ ______/ \` = `\ | | // = = = / \ / \ / \ + = +\ | | \/\_|=|/ \_/ \/ \ + =` \ | | ()= <--- G \ || / <--- C | | о \____/ | | | o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o LOCATIONS --------- A: Rocket Ship Pad; Start F: Crystal Forest (Crystal sound) B: Shed to Underground Tunnel G: Wind Tunnel (Wind sound) C: Oasis (Water sound) H: Main Antenna (transceiver) D: Chasm (Volcano sound) E: Ruined Clock Tower (Clock sound) ============================= 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. o--------------------------------------o | Sound | Center | Minimum | Maximum | |=========|========|=========|=========| | Crystal | 15.0 | 10.1 | 19.9 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Clock | 55.6 | 50.7 | 60.5 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Water | 153.4 | 148.5 | 158.3 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Volcano | 130.3 | 125.4 | 135.2 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Wind | 212.2 | 207.3 | 217.1 | o--------------------------------------o 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: Switch 1: Crystal (6th sound) Switch 2: Water (10th sound) Switch 3: Wind (1st sound) Switch 4: Volcano (7th sound) Switch 5: Clock (8th sound) 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 / / \ | | / | | | \ | \/о\ | | / | | | \ | \ | _ _ _| 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. _______________ |X|X| | | | |X|X| | |X|X| |X| |X|X| |X| |X| | | |X|X| |X| | |X| | |X|X| |X|X| | |X|X| | | |X|X|X|X|X| |X| | ооооооооооооооо 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\rn 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. _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо S E C T I O N I V - S O L U T I O N S MYS19 _____________________________________________________________________________ ооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооооо 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): Note 1: 8 Note 2: 20 Note 3: 23 Note 4: 13 Note 5: 6 MECHANICAL AGE ============== Exit Combination: o----------------------------------------------------o | | | | | | ___ | ____ _ | O | /| | | / _ \ | \ / | | /\ | | ( | | | (_( )_) | \/ |_| /__\ | /\ /\ /\ | \| | | | | | | o----------------------------------------------------o STONESHIP AGE ============= Umbrella Crow's Nest Controls:  Button 1: Ship's chambers  Button 2: Tunnels to brothers' rooms  Button 3: Lighthouse 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: o--------------------------------------o | Sound | Center | Minimum | Maximum | |=========|========|=========|=========| | Crystal | 15.0 | 10.1 | 19.9 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Clock | 55.6 | 50.7 | 60.5 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Water | 153.4 | 148.5 | 158.3 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Volcano | 130.3 | 125.4 | 135.2 | |---------|--------|---------|---------| | Wind | 212.2 | 207.3 | 217.1 | o--------------------------------------o Shed door sound combination: 1.) Crystal 2.) Water 3.) Wind 4.) Volcano 5.) Clock Directions through the Tunnel: N, W, N, E, E, S, S, W, SW, W, NW, NE, N, SE ENDING ====== Fireplace Combination: Pattern 158 (shown below) _______________ |X|X| | | | |X|X| | |X|X| |X| |X|X| |X| |X| | | |X|X| |X| | |X| | |X|X| |X|X| | |X|X| | | |X|X|X|X|X| |X| | ооооооооооооооо Ripped Note Solution: _____________________________________________ | 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\rn 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=================================