Monkey Puzzle spoils game! | Forums

[Caribet]

We are long term fans of Myst/Riven, and believe that the Mys family shows the benefit and wonder of games based on thought and discovery, as opposed to the awful "platform games" which require reflexes and coordination, and frequent use of save/restore.

To my horrified shame, Revelation is revealed as a "platform game" by the ghastly dynamics of the terrible monkey puzzle.
Both my wife and myself have found it almost impossible to get the program to accept our time sound combinations - even the slightest unevenness throws it off. We have been forced to try each stage over and over;
to add final insult the last stage (pit) is timed, lest the beast escape, so that if the next instruction is rejected you must start over.
We have taken the whole of this evening, working through a series of saves to finally kill the beast, and have given up for today, exhausted mentally.

Please, why, oh why is this puzzle for reflex shooters, with no way out for those with ordinary coordination but determined logic?

[Caribet]

We are long term fans of Myst/Riven, and believe that the Mys family shows the benefit and wonder of games based on thought and discovery, as opposed to the awful "platform games" which require reflexes and coordination, and frequent use of save/restore.

To my horrified shame, Revelation is revealed as a "platform game" by the ghastly dynamics of the terrible monkey puzzle.
Both my wife and myself have found it almost impossible to get the program to accept our time sound combinations - even the slightest unevenness throws it off. We have been forced to try each stage over and over;
to add final insult the last stage (pit) is timed, lest the beast escape, so that if the next instruction is rejected you must start over.
We have taken the whole of this evening, working through a series of saves to finally kill the beast, and have given up for today, exhausted mentally.

Please, why, oh why is this puzzle for reflex shooters, with no way out for those with ordinary coordination but determined logic?

[JayyElle]

Yeah, it's really hard. I had to practice and practice before I finally got it. I tend to agree that a test of crucial timing while manipulating a pointer is not exactly my idea of great gameplay for this kind of game. But I did learn grace under pressure.

P.S. You might want to label this thread as a spoiler for those who haven't gotten to this puzzle yet.

[Saedorn]

You're kidding.

The puzzle is good in that you must discover how to manipulate the monkeys, you must reason that the male monkey will throw harder, and you must discover how to rid the threat of the beast. I found it very intriguing and quite a challenge to sort out.

There is no coordination issue unless you are terribly clumsy or you're computer is low grade.

[bbraught34]

Well they monkey game like many musical disciplines require a bit of practice and learning. It also evolved strategy of baseball and chess. Not to mention the , musical notation. Who are your good players, where do they need to be, what is the play? The actuall mechanics and speed required to win was not that hard if you can anticipate them. And also many chances are given. IE no need to save and restart.

Being a tenacious guitar player and former high school band member I found it to be on par with the discipline required to learn musical performance. I don't think that the monkey game was the let down, as much as Serinia's hokey religion. And the serpent lock offending my Christian principles.

[maztec]

hmmm, think of it as a chinese dragon -- not a serpent.

Oh and Rand Miller (actor as Atrus) is, last I heard, strongly Christian. I'm sure if Serenia's religion or Achenar's lock had been morally offensive to him or his principles, they probably wouldn't have made it into the game.

[Caribet]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Saedorn:
You're kidding.

The puzzle is good in that you must discover how to manipulate the monkeys, you must reason that the male monkey will throw harder, and you must discover how to rid the threat of the beast. I found it very intriguing and quite a challenge to sort out.

There is no coordination issue unless you are terribly clumsy or you're computer is low grade. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

lowish but above min. spec, and the game plays just fine.
Clumsy, probably yes (especially as I've been forced to use the mouse left-handed by RSI in the right.)

But it spoils the flavour of Myst-style logic-puzzles to have something you can only complete by mastering a difficult (for some) physical skill. We had solved the logic part, just couldn't make it happen!