Narayan Unfinished Age — One of course is forced to wonder whether the programmers managers didn’t pull the plug and say “skip the world part,” just give me the puzzle itself and a few sketches. It’s rapidly apparent there’s not much to explore here.
Arrival
Symbols on pendants on wall steps lead out, but there is a device (likely control) to the left of the steps three devices, actually device on right side does not open; nor does device on left, regardless of way middle device is turned. Most likely power comes from some other source middle device can be turned (originally points right, turns to point left, re-pointed to right)
LEFT Passage –> Appears blocked
RIGHT Passage –> Metal spiral staircase UP –> Saavedra VIDEO & locked door –> VALVE turning on VALVE and going back down stairs allows device on right near entrance to lift and reveals a “control” consisting of interlaced circles turning valve in center the other direction allows us to life and reveal similar device the left hand device has a red substance lit at top and bottom.
Presumably the goal is to get the red stuff to reach the other connector. Can click any combination. These are clearly can duplicate the symbols on banners on the wall in the Entry Hall. 6 banners, three symbols each. There are 4 characters to place in the control, not three, so not just a matter of finding the correct banner. And there are actually 10 banners. 30 symbols. No obvious answer. Ok, that’s what makes a good puzzle.
To track where I put the symbols, I’ll use a clock notation, making the top circle 12:00.
Trying Power first: No entry is not on top, but @ 10:30, clockwise. Ah, need to check where exit point is also. Ah it’s at 4:30. Now what about connectors between circles? All exits are 4:30 and 7:30, all entries. No exits are different for each. Name circles by their order clockwise A, B, C, D because I imagine this will be necessary as I must go from A to B or C, then from B or C to D to get it open. So need 2 tables:
| Circle | Entry | to… | Exit |
| A | 10:30 | to B | 4:30 |
| A | to C | 7:30 | |
| B | 10:30 | D | 7:30 |
| C | 1:30 | D | 4:30 |
| D | 10:30 or 1:30 | GOAL | 4:30 |
A misguided attempt: So first, which ones starts at 10:30 and go to 4:30 or 7:30? go to 4:30 — Intelligence, Love, Force, decided to try Force. Now trying from 10:30 In to 7:30 out: Transform fits this. Figuring I’ve gotta use all of the 4 “words,” I’m trying C now. It’s gotta be 1:30 in 4:30 out: Power is the first that fits this. But then this seems a better candidate for the bottom one, D, because it needs inputs from both B and C. I’m also questioning putting Force in position A. Seems like it doesn’t really connects to B. Meanwhile, looking for good candidate for C. Uh oh, nothing seems quite right. Going back to A. really want one going IN @ 10:30 and going OUT both 4:30 & 7:30. Nope. Hmmmm. I can’t really find anything that fits for C. Going to start over at top and see if ANY symbol does anything on its own for first position. Starting from TOP, assuming it must at least touch 10:30 VOID looks good. ENERGY also looks good. LEFT CENTER: Then in at 1:30 out at 4:30 for Left Center TryIng POWER Then BOTTOM In @ 10:30 out at 4:30 trying FORCE and RIGHT CENTER In @ 10:30 out @ 7:30 trying TRANSFORM NO POWER looks ideal for BOTTOM TOP: ENERGY looks good, but would be even better if just came in @ 10:30 LEFT CENTER: looks odd that has end going no where, using POWER, and I’m using POWER on the bottom. Tried a mirror image of TRANSFORM but didn’t work. nah
OK, I went for a hint from Universal Hint System. Directed not to the flow in and through the symbols, but to the names of the symbols as associated with Atrus, i.e. with the Atrus notebook. Without this hint, I was totally lost, now I can move forward though I do not yet know how to solve the puzzle. 2 Pendants -> 6 symbols are missing I then collected the symbols and made a chart of each pendant and its corresponding symbol. (I’ve removed the pictures of banners from this chart, but you’ll want to create your own table connecting names to symbols; this is needed to solve the puzzle without going back and forth between the control and the banners a thousand times.)
Pendant #1 & 2: Torn off
| Pendant #3 |
| NATURE |
| VOID |
| INTELLIGENCE |
| Pendant #4 |
| LOVE |
| ENERGY |
| ENTROPY |
| Pendant #5 |
| FORCE |
| MUTUAL |
| SOCIETY |
| Pendant #6 |
| TRANSFORM |
| CONTRADICT |
| CHAOS |
| Pendant #7 |
| CHANGE |
| POWER: |
| GROWTH |
| Pendant #8 |
| MACHINE |
| POSSIBILITY |
| CIVILIZATION: |
| Pendant #9 |
| FUTURE |
| CONVEY |
| SPUR |
| Pendant #10 |
| CYCLE |
| ENCOURAGE |
| INFINITE |
| Pendant #11 |
| MERGE |
| WISDOM |
| MOTION |
| Pendant #12 |
| DEPENDANCE |
| DYNAMIC |
| HARMONY |
.
| WORD Phrases from Atreus diaries | “Missing” symbols (not on any banner) |
| Energy Powers Future Motion | None |
| Nature Encourages Mutual Dependence | None |
| Balanced Systems Stimulate Civilizations | Balanced; Systems; Stimulate |
| Dynamic Forces Spur Change | None |
From drawings: position in the “solution” sheet makes me hypothesize the words are entered clockwise. North (12 o’clock), then East (3:00) then south (6:00) then West (9pm on a clock)
- Change + Force (so need to add Dynamic (12:00 & Spur 6:00) YES!
Controls 2 & 3 are solved by the same method.
I also used a hint Universal Hint System to use the “solutions” of each of the three “learning worlds” to fill in the two of the four symbols in each larger circle, then use the words from the book for the other two. It seems to me that following my clockwise system would have arrived at the same result. Once you have one large circle with the correct 4 symbols inside, it will light. (It apparently doesn’t matter which set of words you put in each of the three large circles, but each large circle must have the exactly correct 4 symbols in the right “order”
Continuing to plod on, this strategy works, opening the first blocked entrance! Are the “Lighthouse” above and pentagonal “jewel” one crosses over clues? Or are they only details?
next to stairway down…
(WARNING: SAVE YOUR WORK NOW! You are entering the ENDGAME phase. Remember other Myst journeys? There are deathtraps near the end. Death or glory has always felt rather arbitrary/random to me. Anyway, you may want to see what happens either way. So save your work, try what you like, and if you die, just go back to this checkpoint.) …led to linking book to Tomahna which disappeared when I touched it! …and I’m back in the Banner Room
very confusing
(This was wrong, of course, it was a book like the journals — so when I touched it I added it to my “collection” below the screen…now, another surprise: it is a linking book, but one I keep rather than have to return to it’s spot. (Well, it turns out, it’s quite another thing. Do not touch this book if you can’t go back to when you solved the orb that opened the passage for you to get here. )
Ah, so it works this way (after solving CodeOrb #1):
Passageway now open–> View of lighthouse, above –> Ship, but no obvious controls Down passageway —> past linking book –> DIFFERENT Banner Room (Lower Banner Room)
Back up stairs from Upper Banner Room –> turning large toggle switch –> creates Globe near sailing ship (But seemed to me that the passage was now blocked again.)
Trying the phrase from Atreus diary not yet used and applying the clockwise approach to the right-hand control. My advice: Save your work and play with the options.
Final hint: Remember the toggle at the top of the stairs that lead up from the top level banner room? Use it!
Releeshahn is SAVED !!!
Afterthoughts:
Once Saavedra gave me the book, I let him escape and he was very pleased. Gotta go back and check what happens if we don’t let him escape. Checked. Isn’t possible to get back to the book. Ok, but what if I’d taken the book and not used it immediately. Looks like this way I could have stranded poor Saavedra. Still appears on way to get to Releeshahn…
It seems odd to me that the door Saavedra clicks doesn’t ever open. I can’t remember another control in all of Myst III where something appears to be activatable and never gets activated, used in the solution (e.g. the squid pods, the safes). Another unfinished bit?