(Riven) chair on temple island???
Zamboni
Just finished Riven this morning (about 3:00 AM). I was wondering what
exactly does the chair on the temple island do?
!!!Warning!!!
*minor spoiler!?*
(although I'm probably the last person here who's still playing
Riven...)
The chair (actually it's more of a throne) is located in a room in the
tunnel that leads to the temple. Even though I've finished the whole
game, I still can't figure out what that chair does. Does anyone know?
oh and on a side note, does anyone know where I can get "the making of
Riven"?
> > r i v e n _ u k < <
the like i.e. when you go to the car to get to Forest Island you go through
that chamber and see that projection on the stained glass window. Plus when
you are on Forest Island exploring the school house (i think) or somewhere
you see sphere like objects very similar to the the "cage" that comes over
the chair.
It's be easier to show with pictures.
If anyone else knows if I'm wrong just say so :-)
* r i v e n _ u k*
=============
"Zamboni" <chow_m...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3C05FD95...@hotmail.com...
Brad Fermanich
When the chair is activated, it projects the image of the user into the
large cage in the temple. This was Gehn's way of convincing the natives
that he was a god. If you leave the island by the tram and come back the
same way, Gehn will open the temple door for you remotely from that room
and his image will show in the temple for a short time.
--
Brad.
EagerBevar Hunter of Sarcastica,
First to Answer, Last to be Heard!
Prime Minister of Kingdomality
Emy S.:How come I've never said anything quotable?
Kristin: I have this terrible urge to get a sig as pointless as are my
posts. hmmm.
Lis Morris: argh! it's my head in a box! you beast
ICQ: 5690051
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.1
GCS/M d-(++) s-:+ a C++$ !UC-(--) P? L--?>--- E--? W++>$ N++ o--? K--?
w+$ !O--->---- !M-- V+++$ PS+() !PE Y? PGP-? t+>+++ !5- !X(+) R+>+++$*
tv+ b++ DI++++>$ !D----> G?>+ e++ h---- r+++ y++++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------
Hi! I'm a .signature virus! Copy me into yours and join the fun!
MystSequel
>When the chair is activated, it projects the
>in the temple.
A bit of Riven trivia -- When Cyan was creating the
game, they had intended for the projected image to
show both Gehn and the chair he was sitting on, making
it clear that we were seeing an image coming from
the room with the chair.
But when they sized the image to fit the cage, the
image became too small. So instead they just projected
Gehn's head, not his whole body and the chair.
Unfortunately this makes it harder for players to
make the connection.
Jim
Riven Unofficial Home Page
http://members.aol.com/mystsequel/
Aquila
"MystSequel" <mysts...@aol.comno-spam> wrote in message
news:20011129133034...@mb-cs.aol.com...
Jim is correct as usual :) If anyone would like to see a picture from the
Live Action Video shoot, RAWA put up a picture last year at the Cyan Cam
addressing the subject:
http://cho.cyan.com/camarchives/2000/000525/cam.html
Cheers,
Aquila
Zamboni
Brad Fermanich
>
> So the chair does indeed do *nothing*...
As far as solving the game is concerned....yes the chair itself does
nothing. It is just atmosphere. There is a control in the room that must
be switched though to continue.
Zamboni
spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
players...
Allan
> creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> players...
>
Commonly known as "Red Herrings"
Brad Fermanich
>
> So what about the beetles with diagrams inside that are located in the
> spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
> creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> players...
>
Yes...those pictures in the rotating room are just background too, along
with movies you will see in the classroom and Gehn's bedroom, and most
of the stuff in the lab. Some of the things explain the how and why of
the story though, rather than just being an empty puzzle.
Kha'tie
"Brad Fermanich" <brf123@nospam_sltic.com> wrote in message
news:3C0B7291.2A1D@nospam_sltic.com...
> Zamboni wrote:
> >
> > So what about the beetles with diagrams inside that are located in the
> > spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
> > creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> > players...
> >
>
> Yes...those pictures in the rotating room are just background too, along
> with movies you will see in the classroom and Gehn's bedroom, and most
> of the stuff in the lab. Some of the things explain the how and why of
> the story though, rather than just being an empty puzzle.
The worlds that Cyan created in Myst and Riven are only a small part of the
entire D'ni 'story'. For avid fans, these details are what was important,
as much as, if not more than, the gameplay.
If you are the kind of person who rushes through a game to 'win', Myst and
Riven likely aren't as enjoyable for you as they are for fans who want to go
slowly, painstakingly over the terrain, learning the culture and history of
each world they visit. Cyan's inclusion of these details was not a
deterrent, in my opinion, but a bonus. Riven, like life, gives back what
you put into it.
~ Kha'tie
: )
Jean D
> > >
> > > So what about the beetles with diagrams inside that are located in the
> > > spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
> > > creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> > > players...
Holy zamboni! Those are the sort of things that make this game a real
_work of art_! This is not just any cheap game you have there. You can
say that the D'ni alphabet and the D'ni sentences written on the
buildings "do nothing". But IMO playing with a whole artificial
language to add atmosphere in a game is only one example of the
attention to detail which demonstrates the level of dedication of the
creators to their work and their respect for their
players-customers-fans. A fortiori, the click spots and Easter eggs "do
nothing". Many graphics "do nothing", the music "does nothing".
However all those details add to the pleasure of the experience.
--
Jean
Otaku
>
> So what about the beetles with diagrams inside that are located in the
> spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
> creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> players...
There is a lot of stuff in Riven (and all the Myst games) that does
not help you solve puzzles directly, however, I for one enjoy those
details being present. It makes the world (or Age if you prefer) more
complete, more real. Makes it seem like it's not just a bunch of
islands concocted for the purpose of stumping whoever happens across
them with endless puzzles, but is rather a world whose technology is
simply baffling to those who don't know how it works.
There's also the issue of backplot, as others have mentioned. Imaging
devices like the "spider chair" (as I dubbed it when I wandered the
caverns of Riven) have appeared in all three games to date in one form
or another, and although the designs change from Age to Age, the
underlying technology is similar. I get a rush whenever I come upon a
device in a new game and say "hey, is this an imager?" before I even
press the button to see what it does. Even when I'm wrong, it's still
fun, and having that sort of knowledge can sometimes help me to make
educated guesses about what a particular device in the next game might
do.
Zamboni
One last question tho; I found an outtake (or easter egg?) movie of Gahn
singing part of an opera (don't know the name) while the player gets
traped in the cage... how do I get to see that in the game? (don't tell
me I have to play through the WHOLE game again to get it?)
Otaku
WARNING: Potential spoilers below, for those who are picky about such
things (like me), watch out.
> It seems that I've angered a lot of Myst fans... I'll be quiet now...
I don't think they're angry so much as trying to show you why those
things aren't entirely useless. I know I wasn't angry in my reply, I
hope it didn't come off that way.
> One last question tho; I found an outtake (or easter egg?) movie of Gahn
> singing part of an opera (don't know the name) while the player gets
> traped in the cage... how do I get to see that in the game? (don't tell
> me I have to play through the WHOLE game again to get it?)
Yes that is an easter egg. You'll have to start a new game only if
you've passed the rescuing Catherine part, since she disables all means
of getting off Temple Island on her way out. There are a series of
"secret points" you need to click scattered around the islands in order
to unlock the eggs, and then you need to click another point in the
223rd Age to activate this particular egg. Do a search for riven on
Lycos and you should find the page that tells you the whole process, I
can't remember it myself.
Jean D
>
> Zamboni wrote:
> WARNING: Potential spoilers below, for those who are picky about such
> things (like me), watch out.
>
> > It seems that I've angered a lot of Myst fans... I'll be quiet now...
>
> I don't think they're angry so much as trying to show you why those
> things aren't entirely useless. I know I wasn't angry in my reply, I
> hope it didn't come off that way.
Yes, there's nothing to be angry about, it's more that we're sharing
views.
> > One last question tho; I found an outtake (or easter egg?) movie of Gahn
> > singing part of an opera (don't know the name) while the player gets
> > traped in the cage... how do I get to see that in the game? (don't tell
> > me I have to play through the WHOLE game again to get it?)
>
> Yes that is an easter egg. You'll have to start a new game only if
> you've passed the rescuing Catherine part, since she disables all means
> of getting off Temple Island on her way out.
The best is probably to use a game saved not long before this point,
i.e. almost completed but not quite, since it is necessary to travel to
the rebel age for one of he click spots and to the 233rd age to view one
of the Easter eggs, the "opera" one, precisely.
> There are a series of
> "secret points" you need to click scattered around the islands in order
> to unlock the eggs, and then you need to click another point in the
> 223rd Age to activate this particular egg. Do a search for riven on
> Lycos and you should find the page that tells you the whole process, I
> can't remember it myself.
This page describes the series of five click spots, and where to find
the Easter eggs that are unlocked after all the click spots have been
correctly activated:
http://users.owt.com/leelan/web/Riven/eastereggs.htm
Well, actually this page describes six click spots but IIRC the "Cho"
one isn't part of the series of five click spots which activate the five
Easter eggs mentioned. I think the "Cho" click spot works independently
and only activates another, independant, Easter egg, which is not
mentioned in the page (the "faces in the cavern" one, I believe).
Anyway, following the procedure mentioned, at least from the "egg in the
drawer" to the "Rawa inscription", should work.
--
Jean
Philipp
> i.e. almost completed but not quite, since it is necessary to travel to
> the rebel age for one of he click spots and to the 233rd age to view one
> of the Easter eggs, the "opera" one, precisely.
If you have already been in the moiety age (which is probably the case) then
it is impossible to see the easter eggs as you have to get in the prison in
Tay (name of the moiety age) to click the bowl (part of the eatser egg
clicking serie :-). If you have already been in Tay, you can't return to the
prison.
You will have to start again or revert to a saved game before you went to
Tay.
Phil
Jean D
Oops, I forgot that. Hmmm... I guess it's been too long since I played
Riven. Perhaps I shouldn't have given my copy to my niece. :)
--
Jean
Sandman
Zamboni <chow_m...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > As far as solving the game is concerned....yes the chair itself does
> > nothing. It is just atmosphere. There is a control in the room that must
> > be switched though to continue.
>
> So what about the beetles with diagrams inside that are located in the
> spinning room? Do they do *nothing* as well? It would seem that the
> creaters put alot of useless junk in the game world just to confuse the
> players...
Both the chair and the beetles play a large role in the telling of Riven.
When you read a book, you will find that 99% of the story was "useless" to
tell the story, but the book would have been very empty had it not been
there. Thos extra words, paragraphes, flashbacks, insights and stories tell
us more about the world the book is trying to describe, giving us a more
meaningfull saga to engulf.
The chair gives the Rivenplayer insight in Gehns mind, how he is trying to
portray himself to the natives, making them worship him. The beetles are
like historybooks, telling you the story of Gehn, the natives and their
relationsship. It also tells you about the Art, and how Gehn is trying to
pursue it.
Now, Riven could be a game without any unneccessary scenes which are only
there to deepen the story, with just the puzzles popping up one after the
other. Somehow, I am glad that was not the path the Millers choose, but
rather choose to make the worlds they are trying to describe as complete as
possible.
:)
--
Sandman[.net]