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Myst The Witness - first-person puzzler in the vein of Myst

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
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Found a monolith rune in a difficult place. Spoiler alert

gA9Gt9O.jpg

"Here? In the basement at work? Awesome, never expected to find this one - better left click and drag ... wait ... something's not right ... I feel funny ..."
 

agentorange

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Codex 2012
Spoilers because I talk about at least two of the endings.
Finally got the elevator ending, which it seems is the prime ending, after 60 or so hours. It wouldn't have taken that long except that after activating all the lasers (about 40 or so hours in), but before completing all the puzzles in the mountain core, I stumbled onto the environmental puzzles and their relation to the monoliths; so that sent me on a long detour scouring for as many of those as possible, and while looking for those I stumbled into an alternate ending purely by accident, the "credits" ending I suppose. Getting that ending killed my momentum somewhat, so I then took about a year long break from the game, and only started playing again recently. I still have 3 of the monoliths left with a couple of symbols each, but what is causing me a real headache is the single door puzzle in the sunken cargo ship. I agree with the sentiment that the sound based puzzles are the worst part of the game, really the only flaw in what is otherwise a near perfectly constructed game. They don't have the same elegance as the rest of the puzzles. So far I have avoided looking at a single guide or solution for anything in the game.

31DED876CFE7B8547900A51F34108EE7C2932B24
 
Last edited:

AN4RCHID

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Jan 24, 2013
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Spoilers because I talk about at least two of the endings.
Finally got the elevator ending, which it seems is the prime ending, after 60 or so hours. It wouldn't have taken that long except that after activating all the lasers (about 40 or so hours in), but before completing all the puzzles in the mountain core, I stumbled onto the environmental puzzles and their relation to the monoliths; so that sent me on a long detour scouring for as many of those as possible, and while looking for those I stumbled into an alternate ending purely by accident, the "credits" ending I suppose. Getting that ending killed my momentum somewhat, so I then took about a year long break from the game, and only started playing again recently. I still have 3 of the monoliths left with a couple of symbols each, but what is causing me a real headache is the single door puzzle in the sunken cargo ship. I agree with the sentiment that the sound based puzzles are the worst part of the game, really the only flaw in what is otherwise a near perfectly constructed game. They don't have the same elegance as the rest of the puzzles. So far I have avoided looking at a single guide or solution for anything in the game.

31DED876CFE7B8547900A51F34108EE7C2932B24
That puzzle you're stuck on is probably the hardest one in the game. I solved it and there were some things I didn't totally understand.

I think they should have made it a little more difficult to stumble onto the alternate ending. I've heard of a lot of people who found that by accident. It's cool that you can sequence break, but it shouldn't happen often by dumb luck. It takes away one of the main payoffs for completing The Challenge and like you said, kills motivation to continue the main game
 

agentorange

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Codex 2012
That puzzle you're stuck on is probably the hardest one in the game. I solved it and there were some things I didn't totally understand.
Yeah I have, without exaggeration, probably spent 5 hours or more staring at and trying out various unsuccessful solutions on this puzzle. There were a lot of other puzzles in the game that took me a long time, sometimes a few days (like other people in the thread there were plenty of puzzles where I went to bed while stuck on a puzzle and woke up with the solution), but at least in those cases I always had some idea of what the puzzle expected from me, I knew the parameters just not the specific path, but with this puzzle I have no inkling as to what I'm meant to be doing. I have some ideas but because the puzzle doesn't broadcast any errors like other puzzles I have no idea if I am even on the right track.

It was fine at first because I kept coming back to the puzzle while doing other things on the island, but now that I've nearly completed the game it's beginning to get frustrating. I'm even considering trying to bruteforce it by screenshotting every single failed solution I try out so I don't repeat them, and simply try every single possible solution.

ok im done venting my frustration
 

AN4RCHID

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Random Jon Blow video



Blow is currently designing a completely new programming language with which he is developing his next game, a Sokoban style block puzzle game.
 

agentorange

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That puzzle you're stuck on is probably the hardest one in the game. I solved it and there were some things I didn't totally understand.
Yeah I have, without exaggeration, probably spent 5 hours or more staring at and trying out various unsuccessful solutions on this puzzle. There were a lot of other puzzles in the game that took me a long time, sometimes a few days (like other people in the thread there were plenty of puzzles where I went to bed while stuck on a puzzle and woke up with the solution), but at least in those cases I always had some idea of what the puzzle expected from me, I knew the parameters just not the specific path, but with this puzzle I have no inkling as to what I'm meant to be doing. I have some ideas but because the puzzle doesn't broadcast any errors like other puzzles I have no idea if I am even on the right track.

It was fine at first because I kept coming back to the puzzle while doing other things on the island, but now that I've nearly completed the game it's beginning to get frustrating. I'm even considering trying to bruteforce it by screenshotting every single failed solution I try out so I don't repeat them, and simply try every single possible solution.

ok im done venting my frustration
update: i have not solved the puzzle yet
 

AN4RCHID

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Technical talk on the design of the walking system in The Witness and why it doesn't have the bugs most walking sims have

 

Spukrian

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So, I played The Witness and finished it once, immeadiately after I started replaying it in order to get 100%. That went well untill I reached "The Challenge", it broke me. I didn't touch the game for about a year. But went back to it and started from scratch, this time my stubborness would carry me through.

Well, this game is difficult, but to its credit there isn't any difficulty spikes. The game does a good job of slowly increasing the difficulty.

There are a lot of audio logs and a few video logs in this game. Some are interesting (in a philosophical way) and some are boring.
I found the audio logs in the secret area the most intrigueing, because they hint at a story.

The Island istelf is very beautiful and I appreciate the environmental storytelling.

The Challenge. Hmm. I did finish it. When I did, I didn't feel like I actually succeeded by myself, it just felt like I got lucky. I didn't feel like I accomplished anything... maybe I just wasted my time? But I guess this could be a new genre of games, Rogue-Like Puzzle Games.
I had this idea that doing it would give me a different, better ending, but I was wrong.

Overall though, The Witness is a great game and I really like it.
 

Neuromancer

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The Challenge. Hmm. I did finish it. When I did, I didn't feel like I actually succeeded by myself, it just felt like I got lucky. I didn't feel like I accomplished anything... maybe I just wasted my time? But I guess this could be a new genre of games, Rogue-Like Puzzle Games.
First: A big salute to you for finishing The Challenge!
:salute:

I never managed to do this. After some tries I also got burned out.
Maybe next time, although I doubt it...

But like you, I also had the impression, that much of this is luck-based (especially the labyrinth). At some tries I was pretty close, but in the end - just didn't finish in time.
And I know the feeling from some other games, where after I finally finished some especially obnoxious part, that afterwards I was missing the satisfaction of having finished it. I just was happy, that it was over it and I never had to do it again.


The Challenge in The Witness is one of the big downsides of this game, in my opinion.
The hectic gameplay and the randomly generated puzzles don't fit at all with the rest of the game, where you have to be carefully reflect about the puzzles and the environment with (almost) no timed triggers.


I already know, what is waiting at the end because of this very interesting lecture of adventure legend Brian Moriarty - recommended watch:
 
Self-Ejected

Alphard

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I enjoyed the game a lot , though admittedly i looked up some tips for some puzzles like the
audio ones
.
i started the challenge and my brain was smoking but i think i would have finished it if i hadnt other businesses to do. i will surely replay it one day and finish it. another puzzle game i can gladly recommend is Antichamber. not too long but a hidden gem .
 

AN4RCHID

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Those are the worst puzzles in the game for sure. The only ones I didn't really enjoy at all.
 

3 others

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Aug 11, 2015
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Why yes, I also enjoy listening to Nokia 3210 ringtones over Pere Ubu Sentimental Journey. Why do you ask?

530xrv.jpg
 

Neuromancer

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Agent orange asked me to post this image and the following

"from agentorange: 4 years later i finally solved it"
Big salute from me!
:salute:

Although, I haven't seen this screenshot before, I am pretty certain about the preceding puzzle.
That is one puzzle - beside The Challenge, that I hadn't solved (yet).
 

3 others

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Aug 11, 2015
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Fun parody.


Damn I thought this was just a throwoff shitpost of a game but it's a wonderfully cheeky and clever homage, crafted with care and obvious affection for the original. Well worth anyone's time.

Even funnier that Jonathan Blow is apparently absolutely FUMING about this being made and how it DEMEANS his pristine vision.
 

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