I've played classic Myst and RealMyst before, so I know how to get through the Mechanical Age with my eyes closed. My wife started playing Myst: Masterpiece Edition (her first time in the worlds of Myst), got to the Mechanical Age, and couldn't rotate the structure to north to get the second half of the code! I gave it a shot, rolled it slowly over the detent past east, and got the cowbell(south)! Another funny thing is I started a new game myself, and I got it to work (with some difficulty)--every other time I got it to land on north. I load my wife's game again AND I CAN'T GET IT TO GO TO NORTH!!! What's up with that??? Any ideas? I posted on tech support and all they said was, "uh, it's not a tech support problem. Try hints, tips or walkthroughs." Ugh.

I have also encountered this problem. I paired the Myst Masterpice Edition from the 10th anniversary DVD set to my originaly copy of Myst I got back in 1994 (or was it 1995?). I even had each one on a seperate computer running side by side (old Myst running on my mac laptop in classics mode, new Myst running on my parent's PC desktop).

On the old version, I timmed the minimum and maximum ammount of time it takes to swing the tower rotation once (one compas direction from where it was). I used the minimal swing on the new version, expecting either to hit North (I was East at the time) or to hit East again because it was not enough. I sat scratching my head as I tried to figure out how such a minimal ammount of swing could have put me to SOUTH despite the fact that it works just fine on the old version.

I also questioned the Tech Support. My first quesion, I admit, was not very detailed. It was, in fact, so concise that I could understand someone thinking it was a tips and hints.

I was angry, yes, that I got a generic 'tips and hints' responce but I gave them the benifit of the doubt and made a new question (this because I've made a renued intrest in the game since the first question as it has been some time since.)


The new question I described my comparison to them of their version to the original. I told them I knew the 'answers' already and that I was not looking for a solution to the game (i got it memorized for cripes sake! I wrote my own guide!), but a way in which the game can run correctly (I NEED BETA TESTERS FOR GUIDE! I cant beta test if the game wont run properly!!)

Here's the kicker: I got the exact, word for word responce that I got to my old question; despite all the hard work, effort, civility, and, well, PROVEN that it's a technical issue.

I'm figuring either people dont actually WORK there (bots) or that they have absolutely no Quality Control there and think it's funny to disrespect customers. I hope for the company's sake it's bots because the mood I"m in right now (and this is after I've slept on the situation), I feel like storming someones castle and getting as anoying as I possibly can until they either 1. Take responcibility and resolve this issue; or 2. Realize that their customer relations is past being in the toilet and DO something about it.

They may think I need to get a life, it's only a game, but that isnt it for me. I want them to see their GROSS missjudgement of quality in responding to customers. I also want to perfect my guide, why? BECAUSE IT"S IN MY COLLEGE PORTFOLIO!

*grrr... sigh... grr......... oy*

Ok, I'll stop with the ranting, but I will not stop with this bug situation until it is resolved (and 'go to hints and tips' is NOT a resolution!).

Heck, read the post they gave me three times. I saw that they said to go to their forums, ok fine. But although people have posted here I have yet to find a resolution! If they so think there is one than by all means LINK said solution to this thread! Hey, if ANYONE has the solution, link it. I'll shut up after a solution is found.

(and why couldn't tech support give link to said solution should it exist? Especially with the multitude of requests about the glitch?)

Weird. My copy of Myst Masterpiece works exactly like my copy of the original Myst. (Both are Mac versions.) No difference in operation of the rotating tower controls at all.

Suggestions (for Win XP only):

1. Do not boot up with the MME DVD in the drive.

2. Always log into Windows with full Administrator privileges before starting MME.

3. Update your video driver as detailed in Myst Masterpiece Edition and realMyst: Installing Video Drivers With Win XP.

4. Appy the (unofficial) MME patch, available here from MYSTerium. Reboot and play MME.

5. Reinstall MME from a clean boot. First:

Clear your Internet Explorer caches.
-- a. Close all open applications.
-- b. Open a single Internet Explorer session.
-- c. Click on Tools > Internet Options.
-- d. Click on Delete Cookies > OK.
-- e. Click on Delete Files (check the 'Delete all offline content' box) > OK.
-- f. Click on Clear History > Yes.
-- g. Click on OK to exit.

Use Windows (not Internet) Explorer to search all hard disks for \temp, \tmp, and \temporary folders, and delete any files in these folders that aren't currently in use. If you can delete a file in a temp folder, it's not in use - if it's in use, Windows won't let you delete it.
-- a. Close all open applications, and open a Windows Explorer session. (Click on Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer.)
-- b. Click on Search > All files and folders.
-- c. Type temp in the All or part of the file name: box.
-- d. Click on Search to start the search.
-- e. Click on the temp folders found to open them.
-- f. Delete any files in these folders that aren't currently in use.
-- g. Repeat for tmp and temporary folders.
-- h. Close Windows Explorer back to the Desktop.

Empty the Recycle Bin.
-- a. From the Desktop, right-click on the Recycle Bin.
-- b. Click on Open to view the Bin's contents.
-- c. Click on any file that was deleted by mistake.
-- d. Click on File > Restore.
-- e. Repeat as necessary.
-- f. Click on File > Close.
-- g. Right-click on the Recycle Bin.
-- h. Click on Empty Recycle Bin.
-- i. Click on Yes to confirm file deletion.

Then:
-- a. Log into Windows with full Administrator privileges.
-- b. Click Start > Run.
-- c. Type msconfig in the Open box, then click on OK.
-- d. Click on Selective Startup on the General tab.
-- e. Under Selective Startup, clear the check boxes for:
----- Process SYSTEM.INI File
----- Process WIN.INI File
----- Load Startup Items
-- f. On the Services tab, click the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, then click Disable All.
-- g. Click on OK, and then click on Restart.
-- h. Install MME, accepting the default install locations.
-- i. Restore to normal the settings you changed with steps d through f.
-- j. Reboot, and play MME.

Heimdall G, my deepest thank yous.

I will attempt all that you have listed and not say a word more till I've done all your steps. Thank you. Hopefully, it works! (not saying you dont know what you're saying, but that I never did like working with the computers I've had. the laptops especially go fast... I think I'm averaging one a year for the past five years @.@)

I thank you as well, Heimdall. I will, however, wait until Serrinatta tries it first! After all, we're playing MME on my WIFE'S notebook. I'd have some explaining to do if something happened to it.

What will all these steps do to my computer? How do you know they will work? It's a Dell notebook running Windows XP.

FYI, here's my conversation with the tech from UbiSoft:

Customer (Jim Knohl) 06/24/2007 05:12 PM
In the "Mechanical Age," we cannot get the structure to rotate to north or west--it only goes to south and east (the cowbell and boing noises). Therefore, we cannot get the clue on the north island. I've played classic Myst and RealMyst before and have never had this problem. We tried numerous times--just crawling it over the detent past east, and it STILL lands on south! We're at a loss--what do we do?

Response (Jason) 06/25/2007 07:51 PM
Thank you for contacting Ubisoft Technical Support. Unfortunately, the issue you are having is related to general gameplay hints and tips that is either covered in the manual, or is available via another source such as the Ubisoft forums (http://www.ubi.com/US/Community/ForumBrowser.aspx).

You may be able to find hints, tips, and walkthroughs for this game for free by visiting fan led websites such as http://www.gamefaqs.com and http://www.ign.com.

Customer (Jim Knohl) 06/26/2007 07:40 AM
Jason did not solve my problem. THIS IS NOT RELATED TO GENERAL GAMEPLAY HINTS AND TIPS!!! As I stated, I'VE PLAYED CLASSIC MYST AND REALMYST BEFORE AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. The puzzles are the same. I know how to solve this puzzle, so hints, tips and walkthroughs WILL NOT HELP US!!! I actually tried again with a new game, still had a bit of a problem, but I got it to go to north. When I loaded my wife's game again, I could not get it to rotate to north or west! How can it rotate counterclockwise one step from east and land on south EVERY TIME!?!?!? I need a better answer, please.

Customer (Jim Knohl) 06/27/2007 08:30 AM
You say "solved" yet have not said anything new??? I'll repeat my previous unanswered post. You guys are ridiculous. Do you even read these things??? Also, I checked in one of your gameplay message boards and another woman posted this same problem. So I'm not the only one out there. Nobody was able to help her either.

Jason did not solve my problem. THIS IS NOT RELATED TO GENERAL GAMEPLAY HINTS AND TIPS!!! As I stated, I'VE PLAYED CLASSIC MYST AND REALMYST BEFORE AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. The puzzles are the same. I know how to solve this puzzle, so hints, tips and walkthroughs WILL NOT HELP US!!! I actually tried again with a new game, still had a bit of a problem, but I got it to go to north. When I loaded my wife's game again, I could not get it to rotate to north or west! How can it rotate counterclockwise one step from east and land on south EVERY TIME!?!?!? I need a better answer, please.

Response (Jason) 06/27/2007 08:23 PM
Jim,

As stated previously, this is not a bug, glitch, or any other kind of problem with the game. You have simply missed something earlier in the age. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.


Can you believe the gall???

JKnohl,

Just curious... If you just "tap" the control lever at the top of the tower so that the gears (that you can just barely see) begin to rotate, but cannot reach the first "tipping point," what happens? Does the tower settle back to its original position after swinging back & forth, or does it do something different, like wind up looking south even though the gears never made it to anywhere?

Q. What will all these steps do to my computer?
A. If you’re concerned that “all these steps” will somehow break your wife’s notebook, don’t be. I won’t suggest something that I haven’t tried on my own PC and proven to be safe. Now, of course, if you don’t follow the instructions properly, e.g., press the MESS IT UP key when I tell you to press the ANY key, well, that’s another story!

Q. How do you know they will work?
A. I can’t guarantee that anything I suggest will work for a particular PC, but these suggestions have a good past track record of helping, and they make sense to me for a given situation. (Making sense being basis over 40 years of tech support experience, much of that PC-related.) As with any free advice, this is a “try it at your own risk” situation!

Also, please answer wstrohm’s questions. You may in fact have a gameplay problem that’s a function of how you play on your wife’s notebook or of the notebook itself, and not a bug or glitch.

For example, you said above that you “…actually tried again with a new game, still had a bit of a problem, but I got it to go to north. When I loaded my wife's game again, I could not get it to rotate to north or west!” What do you mean by “a new game”? Did you start over with the game installed on a different PC, or with the same install on your wife’s notebook? If you played only on your wife’s notebook, what did you do differently between the two games? If it was on a different PC, there’s apparently something about your wife’s notebook….

BTW, I’m certainly not trying to defend Jason, but if one of the folks for whom I do computer consulting told me what you told him, I’d drop that person like a hot potato – for cause. Yeah, of course you’re frustrated, unhappy, and all that, but being offensive is definitely NOT a good way to win friends and influence people, or convince someone to help you!

Heimdall, I have exactly the same problem as Serrinatta . The tower moves from South to East and back. The mechanism acts correctly in every move, just skips the North and West position. If you (very rarely) happens to reach the North position, lifts the left handle and lower it back again, the mechanism does NOT move (just loosens a bit as normal), but then the position is back South !! I am completely unable to reach the West position.

The 2 times (out of maybe 100) I have succeded reaching the North position, it was from the same game as a lot of misses. I have been trying in about 10 different games, all from the start.

I have tried the installation on 3 computers. The installation files (in C:\Program files ...) are exactly identical after installation on these 3 XP SP 2 computers. and they all have the same problem.

I have installed the "Original" Myst W95 version and the Masterpiece W95 version from Ultimate Collection in two Microsoft Virtual PCs running Windows 98 - the original Myst behaves correctly in the tower, the Masterpiece has the same problem.

Kim

Just to be certain we’re all on the same page, here’s what various walkthroughs say:

1. GameFAQs Walkthrough by Numhitzu (1/18/07)

“Pull the left lever to unlock the rotation, and hold the right lever while it rotates. When you think it's facing a certain direction, pull the left lever back down to lock the station and hear the direction sound. They go something like this:
South - Cow Bell
North - Beep
East - Mechanical Tink
West – Chirping”

2. GameFAQs Walkthrough by The Admiral (12/22/03)

“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.”

3. GameFAQs E. Conty Walkthrough Ammended by Phil Gross and Noj Beskin

“Use the simulator in Achenar's room to practice how to rotate the tower. The method we used was: Put the left lever up one notch. Hold the right lever all the way up for about 7 seconds. Let go of the right lever, then quickly put the left lever back down. Practice on the simulator until you get the timing right, because you won't be able to see the orientation of the tower, just some motion in the gears. Once the tower stops, it'll make a sound for each of the four compass directions, the same sounds as for the selenetic age, above.“

4. Gamespot MYST gameguide

“Press the up arrow, ride up one floor, press the middle button, and exit. The fortress rotation device appears. Align it until you hear the sound for east, then leave the fortress.

Note: Keep in mind that the device rotates counter-clockwise. If you have a problem getting it to the correct spot, a fail-safe method is to rotate it 90 degrees at a time and step outside to see if it’s in the right position.”

It sure sounds like a program bug to me; if the folks having this trouble are able to operate the simulator in Achenar's room correctly, they should also be operating the tower controls correctly.

I would just like to repeat that the Mac version of MME (and also the original Myst) does not have this problem... it would be interesting to know which of the Windows-compatible program files is at fault.

Heimdall, I'm a fully aware of the way to rotate the tower. But carefully watching the mechanism and performing the rotation with great care doesn't help. It moves directly to South from East. Trying (a lot of times) just to let the mechanism rotate wildly and stopping it randomly gives "hits" on South on East only (as opposed to the original W95 Myst that gives a more evenly distribution)

Kim

Did you try suggestions 1, 2, and 5 in my post of Wed June 27 2007 15:10, above?

quote:

BTW, I’m certainly not trying to defend Jason, but if one of the folks for whom I do computer consulting told me what you told him, I’d drop that person like a hot potato – for cause. Yeah, of course you’re frustrated, unhappy, and all that, but being offensive is definitely NOT a good way to win friends and influence people, or convince someone to help you!

Heimdall, I got offensive only after I'd told them that they hadn't solved the problem with the first post, and THEN they closed the issue as "solved" without offering any other comments. That's what fried me and when I said they were ridiculous. He was also ignoring the fact that I've played Myst before. It's incredibly frustrating when you take the time to be concise with your issues and they ignore most of what you say!

I haven't had time to try your suggestions yet. I've been out of town. But, thank you again for your time. Has anybody tried Heimdall's suggestions?

BTW, I also agree with everyone else's comments. We're having the exact same issue.

quote:

Just curious... If you just "tap" the control lever at the top of the tower so that the gears (that you can just barely see) begin to rotate, but cannot reach the first "tipping point," what happens? Does the tower settle back to its original position after swinging back & forth, or does it do something different, like wind up looking south even though the gears never made it to anywhere?

It will keep pointing the same direction you left. I've never gotten hers to get to north yet. It sounds like people are having problems with the building pointing north, then moving the gears just a little (not over the hump or detent), and then it winds up on south. We've not experienced that yet.

quote:

For example, you said above that you “…actually tried again with a new game, still had a bit of a problem, but I got it to go to north. When I loaded my wife's game again, I could not get it to rotate to north or west!” What do you mean by “a new game”? Did you start over with the game installed on a different PC, or with the same install on your wife’s notebook? If you played only on your wife’s notebook, what did you do differently between the two games? If it was on a different PC, there’s apparently something about your wife’s notebook….

I used my wife's notebook with the same game install. I just started a new game (my own save game, if you will). I got it to work sometimes. Then I quit my game and opened her save game, and couldn't do it for the life of me.

Do the tower control gears go all the way around to the south position even when the lever is let go at the proper time, or do they stop at north, even though the tower winds up facing south? In other words, do the tower gears always agree with the tower, or not?

Heimdall, I've tried suggestion 1, 2 and 5 without any luck. Exactly the same symptoms ... suggestion 4 I have skipped, as I understand it does not apply to the 10th Anniversary version

wstrohm, the tower and sound from the mechanism always agree with each other

Kim

Wstrohm, the gears don't show a direction, but when they move from east to "north" (the next position from east), I always get the cowbell saying we're south. I look outside and we are indeed facing south. Is this what you mean?

Yes, that's what I meant. And the tower simulator in Achenar's room downstairs works normally, i.e. does not have the same glitch as the actual tower rotation?

Yup, the simulator works without a glitch

Kim