just finished

[alienvoord]

darn, I was hoping for a balloon ride!

One of the best games I've ever played.

My only complaint is the water diversion puzzle. I was trying to divert the water according to the map near the temple but I couldn't figure it out. The actual solution seemed random.

[alienvoord]

darn, I was hoping for a balloon ride!

One of the best games I've ever played.

My only complaint is the water diversion puzzle. I was trying to divert the water according to the map near the temple but I couldn't figure it out. The actual solution seemed random.

[alienvoord]

Oh, and one other disappointing thing...

after diverting the water, you have to get more water out of the well. You have to do this by lowering the harvester with the door closed, then lifting it out again. How does that lower the water?? I shouldn't work.

[Alahmnat]

Lowering the harvester with the door closed and full of air will cause it to displace water, pushing it out the drainage holes http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif.

[alienvoord]

But you have to lower the harvester twice, right? Lowering it once would raise the water so it flowed out of the hole, but once you've done that, how is lowering it again going to help?

[alienvoord]

Here's my problem: the harvester is down, and the water level is just below the drainage hole. So raising and lowering the harvester should not have an effect.

[bonogirl79]

but it does http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Alahmnat]

Okay, here's how it works if I'm recalling the sequence correctly:

Sluice out a harvester full of water to gain access to the control wheel for the drainage gate. Open the gate, drain the water to just below it. Empty the harvester into the pool again. The excess water will drain through the open gate as the pool fills up. Lower the harvester again with the door *closed* to push even *more* water up through the drainage gate (displacement is fun!). Open the door and fill the harvester, then raise it again after closing the door. This will pull up still more water from the pool, lowering the water level even further, allowing you to gain access to the color combination lock.

[jblamarck]

Yep, that's correct I think.

For this reason, I found the harvester puzzle the most beautiful one! I really enjoyed it very much. First you sneaked around and got into it, going down, looking around, but nothing worked. Gosh, I got down with it a zillion times...

Then I thought: hey, last time I was here, the water wasn't running ... I'm sure I remember it correctly. Going back, trying to stop the water. Had to figure out how. After quite a lot of work, the water was gone, but still there wasn't any difference. Still couldn't get something out of that darn harvester.

Then the option of draining somehow popped in my mind. The first big reward was came when I thought of _filling_ it with water. Absolutely brilliant!!!! You'd never thought of that use of the harvester, you really had to step back and look at the problem from a completely different point of view. Such a puzzle is really brilliant, I think, and so beautifully integrated in the quest.

But most beautiful of all is that this is not enough. Still you have to find the gate, open it, let the water out of the harvester and then lower it again with the door closed. You really have to think through and through of what ways there are to lower the water level even further.

And then again, when you're busy working this out, you have to spends lots of time near the harvester. But it's such a beautiful device, I just couldn't stop watching how it lowered into the water and got out again. No problem at all to spend and evening or two in this neighborhood.

For me, I think this is the best puzzle is the whole Myst series. The feeling I got here only compares with the feeling I had when I solved the number system in Riven. This was brilliant as well, thinking of actually having a five-based number system, but combining the first and second 'digits' in one symbol, where the second digit is rotated. Very, very slowly it dawns, and then suddenly you see the solution. This was a most amazing moment (I was actually at lunch when the solution popped in my mind, my computer was off. I ran to the computer and started Riven, but I was already sure I had to be right).

Can't wait for Myst V.... !!

JB

[Coronagold]

Yeah, the Harvester puzzle is very similar to a Myst/Riven puzzle. I liked it a lot. It's a real head banger till you figure out its lateral-thinking puzzle.

[alienvoord]

Here's how I did it, and I just redid it to make sure.

After I've diverted the water, there's still too much water so I can't get down the stairs. The harvester is submerged.

I lift out the harvester, but the door is open so the water pours out. The water level has not changed. That makes sense.

I close the door and lower the harvester. Then I raise the harvester.

The water is now lower. How is this possible? I haven't removed any water. All I've done is lower and raise something. It doesn't make sense.

[DebbieDec2003]

Pushing down the harvester again displaces water out of the drains. That's how.

[Fissure_Walker]

It's sort of like when a fat guy jumps into a pool, and the water level rises.

[Eat_My_Shortz]

Haha http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif

[alienvoord]

"Pushing down the harvester again displaces water out of the drains. That's how."

omg you're right!