/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Myst III: Exile | | The Perfect Place To Plan Revenge | | FAQ/Walkthrough | | Written By: crb72588 | | Copyright: 2004 By: crb72588 | | Version: 0.70 | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Table Of Contents | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ 1. Introduction A. Version History B. Writers Notes C. Gameplay Disclaimer 2. The Game A. The Plot B. Commands and Controls 3. The Characters A. Atrus B. Sirrus & Achenar C. Saavedro D. Catherine 4. Tomahna A. Atrus' Study B. Attack of Saavedro C. The Journal 5. J'Nanin A. First Day of Class B. To Saavedro's House We Go C. Breaking and Entering D. Going Up E. A Birds Eye View F. A Barrel of Fun 6. Amateria A. Arrival in a New Age B. A Balancing Act C. All Pegged Up D. The Trick to the Track E. The Final Puzzle 7. J'Nanin G. A Bridged Age 8. Edanna A. Flowers, Everywhere 9. J'Nanin H. At the Poles 10. Voltaic A. A Powerful Age 11. J'Nanin I. One Last Thing... 12. Narayan 13. Saavedro's Journal 14. Atrus' Journal 15. Appendices A. Contact Me B. Sites With Permission /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 1. Introduction | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. Version History --------------------------------------------------------------- Version 0.25 : Introduction and Characters completed. Walkthrough through beginning of J'Nanin completed. Version 0.40 : Revised prior version, made walkthrough more detailed. Done up to Amateria. Added Atrus' journal. Version 0.55 : Amateria completed, and J'Nanin (Sec. 7) updated to take you into Edanna. Version 0.70 : Edanna NOT completed. In it's place, Voltaic has been completed. The next update will take you through Edanna and into Narayan. B. Writer's Notes --------------------------------------------------------------- This Walkthrough, and all text contained within is the intellectual property of crb72588. Personal, non-profit, use is permitted, however, placing this on a web site (without permission), selling, or otherwise plagiarizing this text is against every Copyright law in the States, and is strictly prohibited. For everyone that didn't understand that, all I said was ask me permission to use this on a web site, and don't make a profit off of this. Alright, this should be a helpful Walkthrough/FAQ. I tried to be as detailed as I could when writing this. However, this is a chance that I made a mistake, or did not explain a task or entire Age clearly enough. If you need clarification, please ask me to help. I don't take kindly to people ordering me around. The last thing I have to say is good luck. Myst III: Exile is definitely a hard game to play, but I thought that it was easy to pick up on after I tried some parts a few times. Please note: Distances are measured in clicks, the distance that one click of the mouse takes you. Again, please note: Any text in the sections on Atrus' and Saavedro's journals comes directly from the game, and is trademarked and copyrighted to it's respective owners. You may use the content of those two sections ONLY, without my permission. I do not own the copyrights to them, so therefore I cannot keep them to myself. However, I do ask that you give me credit for taking the time to get all the text correct. A simple "Transcribed By: crb72588" will do. C. Gameplay Disclaimer --------------------------------------------------------------- DO NOT touch anything in any Age, unless you are told to do so. If a certain puzzle is to be solved in a certain number of clicks, then clicking on it will mess up the order of clicks. This walkthrough takes you through the entire game as though you are incapable of moving on your own. If you have already clicked around and messed up several puzzles, then you can email me (see the Contact Me section) and ask how to solve a puzzle. I will then include a different, and more complicated way to solve the puzzles in an update, but for now, I am assuming that you have followed all my instructions in the order given, and that you are to lazy to mess with anything else. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 2. The Game | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. The Plot --------------------------------------------------------------- Your sons, Atrus. Do you know what your sons have done? They have destroyed Narayan, my home, destroyed by your carelessness. You don't care about Narayan, but you will. Just wait, Atrus, you will care. I'll make you care! You'll see the pain and suffering I went through! You'll see how terrible your sons are, how terrible you are! Just you wait. Just you wait. You'll take your class. You'll see what your sons did, and what you haven't done right. You will never be the same. Saavedro will make you pay... B. Commands and Controls --------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Control | Function | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Move Mouse/Numpad | Rotate view | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Left Click/Spacebar/Enter | Interact with objects | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Right Click/Caps Lock | Unlock cursor | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Shift | Temporarily unlock cursor | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ctl+O | Open a game | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ctl+S | Save a game | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ctl+Q | Quit a game | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ctl+G | Option menu | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Esc | Game menu | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 3. The Characters | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. Atrus --------------------------------------------------------------- Writer of Ages. He puts into words the composition of worlds, and because of that writing, the worlds are created. He had two sons, Sirrus and Achenar. His current occupation is the restoration of an age, and the writing of Releeshahn, an age created to replace the ruined age of D'ni, which harbored the D'ni people, of which he is a part. B. Sirrus & Achenar --------------------------------------------------------------- Atrus' sons, who have a passion for destruction, and no appreciation of the Ages that their father so painstakingly wrote into existence. They were banished into separate in-escapable Ages in Myst, and have not been heard of since - until now. Their past evils are being revealed, and that which they have wronged are being made right again. C. Saavedro --------------------------------------------------------------- A crazed man, he walks about talking to himself, and wants to kill Atrus, and his family for what they did to his Age, Narayan. He is always one step ahead of you, and will be until you can stop him, back in his home world. (This is not a spoiler, if you couldn't guess that you would end up in Narayan, then you are not thinking very well. You just had to look at the Table of Contents.) D. Catherine --------------------------------------------------------------- Atrus' wife, that's about all the importance she has. She simply exists. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 4. Tomahna | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. Atrus' Study --------------------------------------------------------------- You start the game in looking out over a canyon-type area. After you look around for a few seconds, a voice sounds from behind you. You lose control over the game, and you turn around to see where the voice came from. It was Catherine, holding her newborn child. She welcomes you to her home, and invites you into Atrus' study. Apparently he's waiting for you, but is away taking care of a few tasks (changing the locks on all the doors). It's the door straight ahead. B. Attack of Saavedro --------------------------------------------------------------- Once you're inside, the game begins, but you have a chance to look around for a little bit first. There is nothing of real importance on his desk, however, you must click on the linking book next to the desk, and open it to have the cutscene, begin. You can look at whatever you want, but if you don't look at the (ruined) linking book, you cannot start the game. After you do that look to your left, you will see a pedestal. Go to it, and click on it to look at it. A cutscene with Atrus will take place, but that's not what's important. After a few seconds of chatting with Atrus, a haggard man (Saavedro) will appear, (he used a linking book to get here) he will break into the pedestal, (which you now know contains Releeshahn) and he will take the book. Before you or Atrus can stop him, he uses another linking book, and disappears, dropping the book. Atrus then gives you a task, follow Saavedro, and save Releeshahn. Click on the linking book and you will be taken to J'Nanin. C. The Journal --------------------------------------------------------------- Before you leave to follow Saavedro, you were given a journal of Atrus' detailing the reconstruction and writing processes he has been going through. You do not need to read it immediately. But it will be crucial near the end, and will be helpful for developing the plot, and for getting you through the game. I would suggest taking the time to read it. I will include a section that has the text of the book, in case you need to refer to it while reading this. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 5. J'Nanin | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. First Day of Class --------------------------------------------------------------- J'Nanin is Atrus' "training Age." This is where he taught his son's about Ages, and how to write them. It also taught them how to ruin the ages. Once you are back on terra firma, follow Saavedro. This does no good. He beats you into the tower, and locks the door behind him. Take the point that you are at, and turn around, and look at the lay of the land. You will be seeing a lot of it. You should see little street-lamp towers around you, and another tower, this time tooth shaped, in front of you. To your right is a path leading up a mountain- like slope. That's where you need to go. B. To Saavedro's House We Go --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't just go there. Pay attention as you go. You will hate this place when you finally finish this game. You will loathe it, but not as much as the other Ages. Take the only path to the right, until you come to a fork. There will be a right-hand path with steps. Go down that. Follow the steps, noting that on the left there is the option to go onto a small platform (You'll need to go there later). By now you should see a door, an entrance to Saavedro's House. C. Breaking and Entering --------------------------------------------------------------- The door is unlocked, contrary to the misleading title. When you first get in, click on the small mechanical device and open the gate to the left. Go through and look at the small garden. There is a button, push it, and a mechanical device will activate, allowing you to enter into the rest of Saavedro's House. Now for the thievery. On the hammock in the main room is a journal. This is Saavedro's journal. He has put all his thoughts into it, and it details his plans, and gives you an understanding of why he's psychotic. Unfortunately, you only have a few pages worth. The rest are spread about the four puzzle Ages of the game. The pages you have now will be of great help in a few moments. While you're here, take a look around. Remember especially the weights, and the plants. That is, remember them if you want to at least be able to say that you thought out and tried to solve the puzzles on your own. D. Going Up --------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of the room is an elevator. Get inside and you'll see a lever on the left. Pull it, and you will go up. Press Esc to skip the short (and rather annoying after a while) cutscene. You will arrive just inside of the tower you tried so hard to get into when you first arrived here. There is a short cutscene where Saavedro will mistake you for Atrus (he will until the end). After watching that, you can look around. You'll have a door to your right, and a window to your left. The one on the right leads outside, but you cannot get out there. The window on the left shows you the inside of the tower. Click on the window to magnify the view, and see Saavedro walking about, talking to himself, although calm. Pull the lever again, and go back down. Now, there has to be some way to get in that tower... But how? It's so simple, you'll question why you're reading this, and why you didn't think of it before. Get out of the elevator, and pull the lever. It will go up, unmanned. Look at the area where the elevator was. You should see some mechanics, and they should look familiar. They are the mechanics that you saw in Saavedro's Journal. (I told you that the madman's thoughts would come in handy.) These are the answers to the mechanical puzzles. If you want to try and do it on your own, skip this paragraph and continue on. The puzzles are not that hard. You were given the answers. There are three levers that you will see in a row. Pull the one on the left two times, and then pull the one on the right two times. That's it for that puzzle. The next puzzle is a wheel type puzzle. You will have a tube facing you, click on it, and then click to the right of it, to rotate the wheel. Click on the next tube to rotate it, and then rotate the wheel again. That's it for this puzzle. The next two are simple. Solve the next puzzle by clicking on the lever. It will move and solve the puzzle. The last puzzle can be solved by clicking and holding on the black gear until the empty portion of it is over the golden gear. That's it, you've solved the puzzles. Get out from under there, and pull the lever again. The elevator will come back. Get in, and take it up. If you got the mechanics right, you'll go up slightly different than before. There will still only be one door, which this time takes you into the tower. The window will face outside. Open the door, and then the next door too. Saavedro will use the caged linking book, and will be gone. If you go to the right two clicks, and you look at the floor you'll see a few pages from Saavedro's journal. Two more clicks in the same direction will take you to the place where Saavedro disappeared. Click on the button to your right. A long and informative cutscene will start. I would suggest watching it. E. A Birds Eye View --------------------------------------------------------------- After the long, but very important, and very informative cutscene, you'll see around you three box type objects. If you look at one closely, and you magnify it, you'll turn to a telescopic view. The image from the telescope corresponds with a window on a tower. Your job is to make the light fit into the window as best you can, using the levers. The lever on the left controls zoom, and the one on the right controls focus. Click and drag the image itself around to change where it is. Folded Wing Bird Puzzle ------------------------- One more click to the right (which has become forward) and you will be at the first of the puzzles. Click on it to magnify it, and then use the levers to zoom and focus. Then, move the image. When you get it correct, the little balls around the edges will be in the following positions: Outermost: In the middle between the South and Southwest marks. Outer Middle: Barely above the Western mark. Inner Middle: Barely to the right of the Southern mark. Innermost: A little above the Southeast mark. Spread Wing Bird Puzzle ------------------------- I will skip right to where the balls should be. Outermost: In the middle of the North and Northwest marks. Outer Middle: In the middle of the West and Southwest marks. Inner Middle: Just to the left of the South mark. Innermost: In the middle of the South and Southwest marks. Circle Puzzle ------------------------- Again, I'm skipping to the solution. Outermost: In the middle of the North and Northwest marks. Outer Middle: In the middle of the East and Southeast marks. Inner Middle: On the Southern mark. Innermost: On the Western mark. F. A Barrel of Fun --------------------------------------------------------------- Probably the least difficult of these three puzzles is the puzzle I have deemed "The Barrel Puzzle." The object of this challenge is to move a big barrel into a door, to smash through and provide a floor. Now, all you have to do is pull a lever or two, and you're in. It's knowing which lever and in what order to pull it that's tricky. It's a lot more simple than it seems. Make sure that you open the door first. The tusk that you need to go to is the one that you were closest to when you first got to J'Nanin. You must first get the barrel into a spot so that you can open the door. So, go to the opening to the left of the tusk and look right. You should see a ladder. Go down that ladder, and you will be at the control console for the barrel. Pull the levers in this order, to open the path so that you can open the door. Pull L, R, L, R. Then go up the ladder, and to the hole in the rock. Go down that ladder, and to the door. Open the door, and go back to the controls. Pull the levers in this order, and you'll be done. Pull L, L, R. That's it, the barrel is in, and you can go in and enter the code from the Circle Puzzle. Then click on the symbol in the middle, and the balls will slide back into their original positions, and the linking book to Amateria will come down. Click on the book, and you're done with J'Nanin... for now. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 6. Amateria | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. Arrival in a New Age --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, some new scenery. A major change of place. This will be your home for some time, so look around and get to know it. I would have to say that this is the second most puzzling age, and is my personal favorite. It almost looks like a bad Chinese restaurant, which would suit the wise man of the mountain with the four main puzzles it contains, the final being one of the most complicated, and having the greatest finish. Anyhow, look around, see that your path is cut off to the right, that there isn't one to the left, and that one either of the remaining directions is a ladder, where you can go down to find three of the puzzles, needing the first three to go North to the last puzzle. I would suggest going forward, as it leads to one of the easier puzzles on the Age. NOTE: There is a linking book back to J'Nanin three clicks forward from where you start. B. A Balancing Act --------------------------------------------------------------- Go forward and follow the path down until you get to a fork. Take the right fork, and go one click forward and one click slightly left, and you'll be in an elevator. Click on the lever and go up, turn around and you will see pages from Saavedro's Journal. That's all you really need to get here, and all you need to look at. Take the elevator back down, and go to your right, and take the right fork. Follow the path all the way along until you get to a house, passing a control console. Go into the house and put one metal (darkest piece) and 2 wood (only other brown pieces) onto the partially completed ball in the middle of the room. Exit and return to the control console. Pull the lever on the left toward the bottom of the platform to go up, and then pull the top lever in the set of three, then pull the lever by itself on the right. This puzzle is solved. Make a note of the pattern shown in the hexagon, you'll need it soon. C. All Pegged Up --------------------------------------------------------------- From the control console, pull the lever to go down, and then make your way back to the starting point. Once you get there, keep going, and you will eventually make it to a place where there is stone and grass. Five clicks after you get onto the grass, there will be an opening to your right. Go into it, and click on the door to open it. Go inside and turn around. Several pages of Saavedro's Journal are on a rock behind you. Go onto the control console and pull the lever to go up. Put pegs in the following places. On the left wheel, put a peg above the blocked out peg (not the one at the bottom, the other one) and then one to the right of that. Then put a peg to the right of the one you just put in. On the right wheel, put a peg two wedges clockwise (to the left and up) of the empty bottom wedge. Pull the lever at the bottom, and you've solved this puzzle. Make a note of the hexagon shapes, you'll be needing it very soon. D. The Trick to the Track --------------------------------------------------------------- Go out the door and to the right. If you keep going, you will end up on a track. When you walk into a circular part, you'll start vibrating. This will ruin the crystal ball if it goes through at the wrong time. You have to figure out how to get it to turn off as the ball goes through. Right next to a vibrating circle is a panel, with five settings. I have numbered them starting at the top left, and continuing clockwise. The panel that you originally walk through starts off as number 4, but needs to become number 5. If you follow the track you will come to a central area. The net track to your right should be changed from 2 to 3. Turn around and come back to the center. The next panel on your right should be changed from 5 to 1. Again, back to the center. The next panel on the right should be changed from 1 to 4. The last panel to the right should be changed from 3 to 2. When you get back to the center this time, go to the next right, and go as far as you can. You will see a bunch of rocks. Climb on them, and you will get to a bridge with a painting. It is of Sirrus and Achenar laughing, and of Saavedro (who painted this) standing in the middle, calling for help, as the people of Narayan turn against him. After looking at that, which is a very good painting, in my opinion, go into the glowing hallway, and look to your left. You will see a ladder cut into the stone. Climb it, and follow the path to another control console. There are pages from the journal to your right. Pull the lever to go up, and then pull the lever to start the puzzle moving. When it is done, make a note of the hexagons and make your way back to the point where you first entered Amateria. E. The Final Puzzle --------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you have all three hexagon solutions, (and you can't just skip here, you must solve the puzzles) you can get into the central hub. Enter the solutions, in any order, and then click on the door to get in. A set of steps will swing over, and you must climb them and the click on the chair to get in it. Then click on the button below the TV screen. Saavedro will insult you and tell you about Sirrus and Achenar. After he's done talking to you, look above the TV and you'll see a handle. Pull it, and the chair will go up. A wooden box will open up, and you must change the track around so that it starts at blue, and ends at red. To do so follow these directions. Top Row ------------------------- Left: Click until the curve is vertical. Middle: It should look like an upside-down letter Y, leaning to the right Right: One of the curves (doesn't matter which) should be facing the red mark Middle Row ------------------------- Left: Don't change, or change it however you want, it doesn't matter Middle: Leave for last, and adjust so that it fits all of the other ones Right: The small curve should face the top right Bottom Row ------------------------- Left: The longest line should connect with the blue along the outside Middle: The straight line should be horizontal Right: The straight line should connect with the yellow along the outside When solved correctly, it will form a path that starts at the blue, and ends at the red. When you think you have it solved correctly, look up and click on the blue button. If you have everything right, you'll know. WATCH THIS CUTSCENE. It is the best I have seen in a long time. I could watch it over and over. Enjoy the ride, and when you come to a complete stop, you'll automatically copy down the image. Go down the steps, and click on the J'Nanin linking book, and you'll end up back in the tower. Take the image and put it on the imager. Saavedro will have something to say to that. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 7. J'Nanin | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ G. A Bridged Age --------------------------------------------------------------- Call the elevator and take it down into Saavedro's room. Go to the garden and this time, go out to the right and use the second exit. It may not seem like there is anything important here, but the next Age is right above you. Follow the little bridge to its end, and then go left until you reach a very little hut, which is a sort of dog house. Look to the right of that, and click on the bulb-like flower. Click on that and it will form a bridge for the inhabitant of the doghouse. There is a little button on top of the house, if you click on it, the creature within will come out and cross the bridge. It will start eating the flowers on the other side, which puff when it squeaks. Head back toward the house, but when you get to the bridge, keep going, until you reach a ladder. Go up the ladder one click, and step off, and magnify the large flower. Move it around until you can hear the animal squeaking. Go back to the normal view, and continue climbing the ladder. You will have a bridge to the next Age: Edanna. Go inside and enter in the code for the Spread Winged Bird, and you're there. Again, done with J'Nanin for now. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 8. Edanna | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ DUE TO REQUESTS, EDANNA WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THIS UPDATE. I WILL WRITE EDANNA LATER. INSTEAD, VOLTAIC HAS BEEN WRITTEN. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVIENANCES THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED. If you are already in Edanna, there is a linking book which you can take back. From your starting point, turn around and follow the path. When you get to the top, you will see some palms, and you will have to click on a button by them. Look at the place where the palms were, and there is the J'Nanin linking book for this Age. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 9. J'Nanin | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ H. At The Poles --------------------------------------------------------------- You're home once again. Unfortunately, you have this place to call home. But not for much longer. Just this Age, and you're free. Voltaic is one of the most interesting Ages of the game. I wish you luck. From the main tusk, descend out and back to the place where you first came here. Then hang a right for a few clicks, until you come to the water's edge. You will see a strange looking pole on the left, and a crank in front of you. Pull the crank 4 times. A light will come from the weird pole. Turn around, and you'll see a post with a yellow jewel on the top. Go up to it and turn it once. Then go toward the main tusk two clicks. Take a left for one click, and you'll be in front of a blue post. Click on it once. Go back to the main tusk, and you will find a red post before you head up. Go to it and click on it once. Go under the bridge you're standing on (one click back and then one click left, and then left again - I hope you can find your way from that). Continue on and you will get to a purple pole. Turn it once. To the left again is another yellow pole. Turn it twice and go back until there is a fork (two clicks I think) and take the right fork. Go across the bridge and up. To the left is a green pole. Turn it once, and then turn around and go the the red pole right in front of you. Turn it twice. Go back the way you came, but when you come off the first bridge, look left and you will find a ladder. Take the ladder down twice. Go through Saavedro's House and out toward the way you first came to Saavedro's House. When you get to the top, there should be a fork, and you should take the right fork going upward. You will be at the final tusk of the Age. Go up to the door. It's locked. Click on the colors in this order: Y, B, G, R, Y, P, R. The door will swing open. Enter the solution to the Bird Puzzle, and click on the linking book. You're now in Voltaic. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 10. Voltaic | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. A Powerful Age --------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, fine, you've made it. Voltaic, easily the most puzzling Age so far. Well, if that sentnece wasn't confusing... Anyhow, you start in a very Grand Canyonish place. Go forward and take the right fork when you get to it. There are some pages from Saavedro's Journal on the ground a few clicks after the fork. Keep going, and the next time you come to a fork, go right again. Eventually, you will get to a place where the path turns into what looks like metal, and the path goes down, and then up. On the left is a ladder, on the right, a panel that has several symbols on it. The symbols represent the power supply for the Age. Currently, all the power is off, and it is your task to make it come back on, but how? Hmm, this is a stragegic game, and a game of logic, so I have to say that through a series of puzzles would be the most likely way. B. The Sounds Of Nature --------------------------------------------------------------- First puzzle, easiest puzzle, not even really a puzzle, but a way to get to a puzzle. Anywho, turn around from where you're standing, and go up the ladder. Open the red valve, and go back down the ladder when the cutscene is over. Go down the path that you were heading down when I told you to stop. At the end turn right, and go down the well you see. Click on the red button (has anyone beside me noticed a LOT of red in this Age?) and then click on the little handle. Go back out and toward the ladder, but when you get into the hall with windows, stop at the last one you encounter on the right. Turn and magnify the window, and then click on the wheel on the outside. Then go back toward the well, but don't turn this time. Keep going straight, and when you get onto a rotating platform, click forward quickly. Click on the door in front of you and it will open. Go down the ladder, and look to the left. There is a TV with yet another of Saavedro's rantings. After he's done blowing off some steam, turn right and go down the path. Eventually, you will come to the biggest electromagnet you have probably ever seen. C. The Magnet Puzzle --------------------------------------------------------------- There are two ways to solve this puzzle: Trial and Error, or My Way. The point is to get every little metal rod aligned in every place along the magnet. All you have to do is walk in and magnify the thing right in front of you. If you haven't messed with the controls at all, click the top right button 12 times. Then click on the bottom right button 11 times. Then click on the middle right button until a cutscene plays. This solves the puzzle, and turns on a lot more power. If, however, you have messed with the puzzle, you have one option left. Trial and error. Your best bet is to mess with the top until it's aligned on one part, and then go around and check to see if it's aligned everywhere else. If it's not aligned, then go back to the original one and click until it is. When you get that row all aligned, go to the bottom row and do the same thing. Then the center row you can just click until it's solved. VOLTAIC TO BE COMPLETED LATER. WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE SAME VERSION NUMBER BY FEBRUARY 29, 2004. /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 14. Atrus' Journal | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ 93.5.25 ------------------------- I always feared this day would come. For years, Catherine and I have dreamed of restoring D'ni. We have dedicated our lives to the task, taking it upon ourselves to locate the citizens of D'ni and convince them to return to their ruined city and rebuild. Our dream has become the dream of so many now, and the progress we have made toward achieving it is something of which we all can stand proud. But I know now that it has been a mistake. The city of D'ni should not be restored. It should stand forever in ruins, as both a symbol of our past mistakes and a memorial to all who lost their lives when D'ni fell. The devastating events of recent months-the war in Terahnee, and the death of Uta, in particular-have driven this truth home to me quite forcefully. If we rebuild the city walls today, are we not giving approval to the very illness that destroyed our civilization in the first place? Are we not setting ourselves up to repeat that pattern again in future generations? I have put much thought into this tonight and have found only one solution. If we, the men and women of D'ni, are to thrive, then we must break the pattern of hatred which destroyed so many lives. We must begin or civilization anew. And we can only do that if I write us a new Age. I have spoken with Catherine about this and she agrees. I only hope the others will see it, as well. 93.5.26 ------------------------- Will these people never cease to amaze me? I thought they would object to my decision. After all, most of them linked back to D'ni specifically to see the city rebuilt. But when I told them why we should not restore it, their response was immediate and unanimous. Whereas yesterday they thought only of rebuilding, today they concentrate solely on salvage. They intend to take from their ruined city only that which is best and move on. Everywhere I look, the enthusiasm for this new task is obvious. It heartens me, even as I face my own monumental contribution. I have written many Ages in my lifetime-from my first timid attempts under the tyrannical tutelage of my father, to my most recent accomplishment, Averone. Never before has so much been riding on my skill. The Age I'm about to write must be all I ever imagined and more. How am I going to achieve it? 93.6.1 ------------------------- Catherine laughed at this morning when she saw me dragging out my old notebooks. I must have made quite the picture: sitting near the embers of a fire, surrounded by countless commentaries and journals. Some of them seemed more dust than paper. But the hours I spent sifting through them were worth it. Ideas for what this new Age might be are tumbling around in my head. There are almost too many to catch hold of. Obviously I must choose some starting point as my anchor. Writing Ages is a science-a precisely structured equation of words. Ever equation needs as its foundation an underlying concept around which the Age can develop. In the past, I have written my Books around whatever idea intrigued me the most at the time. I wanted to discover how the Age to which the Book linked would manifest the results of that idea. Sometimes civilizations had arisen. Sometimes they had not. But whether a society had come to exist on the Age or not, it was often in response to whatever concept the Book I had written embedded. This time, my search for a concept must be weighed very carefully. I already have the civilization I wish to see develop. I know our history as a people, and the paths we have followed to arrive here. Today I must write a Book which will link to an Age that will allow us to continue on out way, growing ever stronger as one people. What underlying concept must this Age reflect that will best allow our civilization to thrive? I fear that I must think on this some more. 93.6.5 ------------------------- It has taken me some time, but I may have found my answer. It came to me as I was considering what I know about the survivors of D'ni. We have seen so much tragedy in out lives, from the destruction of the city, to the suffering and loss of loved ones due to plague and deprivation. Yet even in the midst of these adversities, my kinsman and I have found the strength to keep going. We have tapped into our individual strengths and transformed ourselves into something much stronger. It is a characteristic I have seen in several of my Ages, whenever I focused my Writing on the inherent energy sources in a world. Long ago, Grandmother taught me that no life-no possibility for life in an Age-exists without the presence of energy. By tapping into its latent energy sources, an Age moves out of stasis. It grows, transforms, and develops. Energy is the underlying fuel that powers all activity. To put is more simply: ENERGY POWERS FUTURE MOTION. Yet, as Grandmother also like to remind me, energy in an Age takes on diverse forms. Each one has strengths and weaknesses of its own. How many forms will this new Age contain? Which type will be its dominant theme? Tomorrow I will link back to Myst, and from there revisit several of my Ages. Perhaps in my old worlds, I will discover new ideas. 93.6.6 ------------------------- I had almost forgotten how painful it is to revisit Myst. In the ten years since my sons, Sirrus and Achenar, left me trapped on K'veer Island and burned so many of my Books, Catherine and I have rarely linked back. I told myself we were always too busy. First with writing Ages like Averone, then with searching the Ages of D'ni for survivors. I always said we would spend more time on Myst eventually. The truth is, I have been avoiding the Age. Seeing the island in its current condition ignites such anger and grief. I am immediately reminded of the betrayal of my sons, as well as the cruelty and greed with which they plundered my Ages. I know I am partly to blame for these acts. I constantly wonder if there were something I could have done to reach out to the boys before- Enough! Nothing can change the tragedies of the past. Like my D'ni kinsman, I must salvage what is best and move on. Perhaps in the process, I will find forgiveness and hope. 93.10.17 ------------------------- Once again I am back on Myst Island, having completed a lengthy sojourn through several of my Age. The trip itself was not as inspiring as I had hoped. The Selenitic Age was especially disturbing, but has it not always been so? The very first time I linked to the Age, its uninhabited landscape was shaking with tremors. At the time, I felt it was because the energy in the Age was unfocused, as if it were at war with itself. Stability finally came but even after it did, I never truly felt comfortable there. I missed the more natural balance of Ages like Channelwood. Perhaps that is the lesson I take home with me. The D'ni, too, have faced much turmoil in their history. Their lives have been unsettled enough. Perhaps I should be striving to offset the energy that already exists within our civilization by providing it with a more stabilized environment in which to grow. An environment in which the natural equilibrium of the world serves as a counterpoint to the upheavals of civilization. The more I consider it, the more I wonder if I should make Nature the foundation of this new Age. Worlds like Channelwood attain equilibrium quite easily, primarily because of one reason: NATURE ENCOURAGES MUTUAL DEPENDENCE. As one life withers and dies, it provides nourishment so another might live. Plants become food for other animals, and the waste products animals cannot absorb become nutrients to sustain the other plants. So long as nothing intrudes to upset this balance, nature can maintain itself indefinitely. An interesting metaphor to set as an example for my people! I think I will confer with Catherine on this subject. Her Ages always exhibit symbiosis more dramatically than mine. Perhaps she should help me write this new Age. 93.10.24 ------------------------- I am so tired, I can barely think right now. But I will force myself to stay focused, for I have not written anything in days. The moment I linked back to D'ni, I was besieged with requests for my assistance. Master Tamon wanted to consult over which stone cutters were worth salvaging-and did I think rock in this new Age would be difficult to sound? Oma and Esel needed my opinion about a new history they had uncovered-should they hold off on starting its translation, or would paper supplies be scarce in the new Age? There were so many questions needing answers, I barely had time to see Catherine! She of course, laughed at me dilemma, saying that I had no one to blame but myself. After all, I was the one who encouraged the D'ni t start over. Naturally, they would look to me to keep them moving in the right direction, unless some other force stepped in to change that view. Her words made me realize a fundamental principle I had thus far been ignoring. All this time, I have been debating whether to make energy or nature the underlying framework for this Age. But there is another equation to consider! An Age based solely on the future motion of energy will face constant upheavals, most likely at the cost of tranquility. And an Age based solely on the mutual dependence on nature can become so balanced over time, it may cease to tolerate change. Yet to continue to grow as a people, D'ni civilization needs both: occasional upheavals followed by periods of balanced stability. I have seen such situation occur naturally on several of my Ages. Each time, it was because I centered the Writing around some dynamic force that I had decided to make prevalent in the Age. Such forced allow the balance between forward motion and mutual dependence to fluctuate. As one concept takes precedence, the other recedes until another force surfaces to change things. As Catherine's insightful comment reminded me, DYNAMIC FORCES SPUR CHANGE. I am too tired to think more on this tonight. Hopefully in the morning my thoughts will coalesce. 93.10.25 ------------------------- Catherine surprised me today. Apparently while I was off visiting my Ages, she linked back to Myst by herself. She did not say so, but I could see her visit had been painful. More than ever now, I am convinced we must find a place to begin again ourselves. Perhaps when I have written thus new Age for the D'ni, I will put some thought into where Catherine and I might live. 93.10.28 ------------------------- I can't believe I did not see it before! All this time I have been struggling to describe the perfect Age for the D'ni. I have considered and then rejected several underlying concepts which I felt might best set the course for their future-as if I alone should determine how D'ni civilization will grow! In my own way, I have become at egotistical as my father! In truth I owe this realization to Catherine. Sensing my indecision about the new Age, she led me on a walk around D'ni. Salvaging efforts are well underway, with teams of people scourging the harbor district. As I watched my D'ni kinsmen deciding which parts of their culture to retain, I realized they did not need me to determine their future. They are quite capable of setting its course by themselves, regardless of what Age I write! This realization has opened my eyes to the best way of approaching my task. I no longer need to worry about which underlying concept-energy, nature or dynamic forces-I should make prevalent in the Age. Rather, I must strive to include them all. I must write a balance of systems into the description Book, enough so that the D'ni people will constantly be challenged to attain their ultimate potential. As Grandmother often pointed out to me when we spoke about Ages back on Myst, BALANCED SYSTEMS STIMULATE CIVILIZATIONS. At last I am ready to begin writing this Age. Indeed, I am eager to begin, and have already come up with the perfect name. I know Grandmother would have been proud! Of course, Catherine could tell the moment I turned to her that I had finally found my starting point. I babbled on excitedly for some time before I noticed the smile she was hiding. When I saw it enough to grow suspicious, she handed me one of my oldest Books. She must have picked it up when she linked back to Myst. Seeing the name "J'Nanin" emblazoned on the Book cover, I could only shake my head. The one Age I never got around to revisiting was the one that might have helped me the most! How foolish was I to have completely forgotten it. I think, after I have finished this work, I should take one final trip-if only to help restore an old fool's memories! /-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\ | 15. Appendices | \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------/ A. Contact Me --------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any questions about the game, or about the guide, I can be reached at this email address: crb_72588@yahoo.com If you find a grammatical error, let me know, and I will fix it. If you have any suggestions, let me know, and if anything is incorrect, please let me know and I will fix that immediately. When sending email, please put the name of the game in the subject line. I cannot guarentee a response to any email without a subject. B. Sites With Permission --------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.earth.prohosting.com/crb72588/ http://www.gamefaqs.com http://dlh.net http://www.neoseeker.com http://www.ign.com If you see this guide on any other site, please tell me, so that I may have the pleasure of making them take it off, or beg for my permission first...