oreomunsta
Banned
Have you found the Challenge? The Challenge area opens up the underground pathways like that one
The Witness - Spoiler Thread (plot related/large secrets/no-puzzle solutions)
- Thread starter Archurro
- Start date
Have you found the Challenge? The Challenge area opens up the underground pathways like that one
bodyofanamerican
Member
SmiteOfHand
Member
^^^ That is what I saw as well. I don't know if we have good reason to read into the perspective shifts as any more than 'huh, neat'?
As far as the flowers near the windmill the hardest part is we know that the windmill was part of a puzzle type that was scrapped from the game. You would hope that if the flowers were a hint for that puzzle they would have been removed as well but there is no guarantee so it could be a complete waste of time.
As far as the flowers near the windmill the hardest part is we know that the windmill was part of a puzzle type that was scrapped from the game. You would hope that if the flowers were a hint for that puzzle they would have been removed as well but there is no guarantee so it could be a complete waste of time.
Remembrance
Member
The layout of the flowers only really resembles the panel on the windmill door, and it's not like you need any help to solve that one. I tried solving it "wrong" in various ways so as to match the flowers in light/shade in some way, but I got nothing out of that.
Also, you could theoretically get into the windmill without opening the door, but, again, you'd have to replay the whole game to test that out. I can't imagine what you would get out of that either.
SmiteOfHand
Member
Yeah, I noticed that about the door as well. Not only have to replay the game, but you have to do all 11 lasers. That is more effort than I am willing to invest with nothing to go on.
The weird thing about the tunnels is that behind the theater, where you do the insane + puzzle, it is all busted up like there was a cave in, and if you follow it up you end up out by the dock and the entry way is a busted out brick wall. I've gone back to this spot several times and it is why I wrote up my post about Island Permanence.
If Thekla just wanted a convenient way to get to that side of the island from down in the tunnels, why not just make it a door and some stairs? It is stuff like this that makes me conflicted about the island having history or not. This area seems to point clearly on the side of "some shit happened here", but I could just as well believe the artists wanted variety.
In the Giant Bomb interview Blow mentions something about difficulty curves, and from what I understood he argues that they aren't necessary?
As far as I know, the scrolling, blocked-vision, and color flash puzzles are required to even get the normal ending. The time limit challenge is optional, yes, unless you're going for the second ending / getting all the panels.
SmiteOfHand
Member
Here is the area I was talking about. If you have read any of The Art of 'The Witness' updates (and you should) then you will know how much time, effort, and thought was put into everything on the island.
This quote from the latest update demonstrates what I am talking about, and just so happens to be about this area. I have a hard time shrugging things like this off as "eh, they just thought it looked cool." At the same time I realize there probably is not an answer to what happened here in the game.
In this last image, consider if the cave in had not happened, what is this purpose of these doors and hallway? The answer is probably that they wanted a non obvious way to add a + puzzle and busted up light fixtures lead naturally to cave in and so on, but who can tell.
This quote from the latest update demonstrates what I am talking about, and just so happens to be about this area. I have a hard time shrugging things like this off as "eh, they just thought it looked cool." At the same time I realize there probably is not an answer to what happened here in the game.
In this last image, consider if the cave in had not happened, what is this purpose of these doors and hallway? The answer is probably that they wanted a non obvious way to add a + puzzle and busted up light fixtures lead naturally to cave in and so on, but who can tell.
Remembrance
Member
Part of the answer is clear to me - it wasn't all built at the same time. The movie theater was retrofitted out of this excavated underground space.
The destruction clearly took place before the most recent construction on the island. If we take this Gamasutra article as a guide, http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Dean...cture_in_Video_Games_Designing_for_Impact.php stone buildings were constructed by Civilization II, and then overlaid with metal structures by Civilization III.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the bunker. The entrance is absolutely ridiculous - a perfectly functioning mechanical door over a hole smashed through the wall. The door had to have been installed after the hole was made.
For the most part, Civilization II's buildings are significantly ruined (the stone ramparts of the keep, the stone houses in the town), and Civilization III's buildings are intact and functional (the glass factory, the sawmill). Things that Civilization III built over Civilization II's foundations are also essentially intact (the scaffolding everywhere, which should not survive forces that can tear down stone walls).
(The article suggest that there are tombs somewhere on the island. I guess that's the final room in the challenge?)
SmiteOfHand
Member
I had not seen this before, thanks! This is a treasure trove of context. It was hard to get a feel for how directly involved the architects were from Luis' updates alone, this feels like having the other half of the story.
I'm going to let it float around in my brain for a while, maybe go back and read it a second time.
Now that Iv'e 100% the game (although I am SURE someone will eventually discover some more secrets in the months to come) there are a few small loose ends that I feel still have some significance.
Firstly is the large desert tree with the three leaves that most people seem to be aware of and are speculating its purpose (anything been discovered yet?).
Secondly is that strange tree/plant/structure in the centre of the bamboo grove. It emits an unsettling wailing noise that suggests that it could have something to do with a secret audio puzzle in the game? Every time I pass this thing I have to scrutinize over it to see if there is anything I'm missing. Haven't found any discussions about it online either which I find extremely odd. Perhaps it has some weird cryptic link to the desert tree?...
Lastly is the small peninsula south of the ruined town with the statue and the goblet on the glass table. It just feels like there has to be more to this small area than just this. Some of the audio logs in the game even speak about the "universe in a glass of wine" which makes me keep coming back to this spot to have another look...
There are many other interesting sights on the island that could potentially allude to a grander sequence of secrets even more obscure than any environmental puzzle but I think it will take a while for any big revelations to occur.
Firstly is the large desert tree with the three leaves that most people seem to be aware of and are speculating its purpose (anything been discovered yet?).
Secondly is that strange tree/plant/structure in the centre of the bamboo grove. It emits an unsettling wailing noise that suggests that it could have something to do with a secret audio puzzle in the game? Every time I pass this thing I have to scrutinize over it to see if there is anything I'm missing. Haven't found any discussions about it online either which I find extremely odd. Perhaps it has some weird cryptic link to the desert tree?...
Lastly is the small peninsula south of the ruined town with the statue and the goblet on the glass table. It just feels like there has to be more to this small area than just this. Some of the audio logs in the game even speak about the "universe in a glass of wine" which makes me keep coming back to this spot to have another look...
There are many other interesting sights on the island that could potentially allude to a grander sequence of secrets even more obscure than any environmental puzzle but I think it will take a while for any big revelations to occur.
SmiteOfHand
Member
It is the source of several perspective shifts. Standing and looking in the right positions reveals a whole bunch of faces. A few examples: one, two (there are a bunch more). I haven't seen it discussed really, but worth mentioning that the perspective shifts are straight out of Riven. There are a bunch of these and if I recall correctly were necessary to solve a puzzle. It has been a very long time since I played Riven.
I don't believe anything has been found here. My hunch is that it is similar to the perspective shifts, there is probably something subtle to notice about it.
This is also a perspective shift. The man is reaching trying to grab the goblet. If you look at the shadow it is in his grasp.
Wok
Member
I cannot see the faces. Can you explain how to see them on the two examples?
Plus we see the man in the secret ending again: he fails to reach the trinket because one cannot reach a goal by focusing on the goal.
I meant he disregards the need for difficulty curves. He likes the chaotic distribution of difficulty.
Ah, I beg your pardon.
SmiteOfHand
Member
Wok
Member
WOW!
Wok
Member
Remembrance
Member
I have all but one audio log in the mountain and three secret ones. After some vey frustrating searching, even the logic of hiding places started to make sense.
It turns out I missed all of the quotes in the game that pertain to darker themes. I thought the shipwreck quote wasn't really meant to be "about" a shipwreck at all but rather about knowledge and intellectual honesty. Then I found the other ones facing the shipwreck, talking about death and disaster. Then there's the Wordsworth quote about a dark and disturbing mountain, meant to be played as you approach the mountain in your boat.
Why all these forboding and evocative quotes in an otherwise tranquil and rational game? Why are they all in the treehouse area?
Also, did anyone find the edited Niffari recording before the full-length one in the secret cave? That was definitely meant to throw you off-guard.
It turns out I missed all of the quotes in the game that pertain to darker themes. I thought the shipwreck quote wasn't really meant to be "about" a shipwreck at all but rather about knowledge and intellectual honesty. Then I found the other ones facing the shipwreck, talking about death and disaster. Then there's the Wordsworth quote about a dark and disturbing mountain, meant to be played as you approach the mountain in your boat.
Why all these forboding and evocative quotes in an otherwise tranquil and rational game? Why are they all in the treehouse area?
Also, did anyone find the edited Niffari recording before the full-length one in the secret cave? That was definitely meant to throw you off-guard.
I decided to scan my graph paper pad that I used to take notes while playing the game. I know I am always interested to see notes that people take while playing games such as Myst series, Fez, etc. Thought that at least a few people would get a kick out of seeing these, so enjoy! (image links to imgur album where you can view the pages full size)
As soon as I discovered the lake mysteries, I stopped being so detailed in my notes, since I could refer to it in-game to figure out audio logs and things I still needed to find. It was really fun to keep notes while playing, even though I didn't need them for the most part. Sometimes I sketched out solutions that I could have done in my head such as the desert reflection puzzles, just for fun.
I have played The Witness for 77 hours according to Steam, and I'm at 506+95. Still haven't beaten the challenge but I will keep at it. There are a few difficult puzzles I have to come back to, such as the crazy purple underwater marsh one. Also I am trying to find as many + puzzles and audio logs as I possibly can before looking them up.
The game is something else, I just can't get enough of it!
As soon as I discovered the lake mysteries, I stopped being so detailed in my notes, since I could refer to it in-game to figure out audio logs and things I still needed to find. It was really fun to keep notes while playing, even though I didn't need them for the most part. Sometimes I sketched out solutions that I could have done in my head such as the desert reflection puzzles, just for fun.
I have played The Witness for 77 hours according to Steam, and I'm at 506+95. Still haven't beaten the challenge but I will keep at it. There are a few difficult puzzles I have to come back to, such as the crazy purple underwater marsh one. Also I am trying to find as many + puzzles and audio logs as I possibly can before looking them up.
The game is something else, I just can't get enough of it!
OnionPowder
Member
^ Your notes are so interesting to read. Very detailed and well organized
Remembrance
Member
Finally found all the audio logs, going off the lake as a map exclusively (and then, realizing that I missed the last dead-easy one anyway when I went online to look at a list).
Going back through the quotes, I noticed one thing: the very long Eddington quote on the beach includes Eddington quoting part of the Brooke poem from another audio log. And this Eddington quote was on an orange, not white, voice recorder.
So we finally have the start of a theory as to why the orange voice recorders are special.
Going back through the quotes, I noticed one thing: the very long Eddington quote on the beach includes Eddington quoting part of the Brooke poem from another audio log. And this Eddington quote was on an orange, not white, voice recorder.
So we finally have the start of a theory as to why the orange voice recorders are special.
Wok
Member
You mean coloured voice recorders are meta?
I've been trying to beat the Challenge for over a week now and just can't do it. 
At this point it's the final two puzzles that get me. They are hard to practice because of all the other puzzles you need to do before. I've done the others so much that I'm usually pretty good but still often every now and then they trip me up bad.
I'm on ps4 and wouldn't even be opposed to using suspend to help but I don't think it will. I know about the map table puzzle and even that's not enough.
I love the game but I'm not the fastest thinker. My friend beat it in like a couple hours on Pc.
At this point it's the final two puzzles that get me. They are hard to practice because of all the other puzzles you need to do before. I've done the others so much that I'm usually pretty good but still often every now and then they trip me up bad. I'm on ps4 and wouldn't even be opposed to using suspend to help but I don't think it will. I know about the map table puzzle and even that's not enough.
I love the game but I'm not the fastest thinker. My friend beat it in like a couple hours on Pc.
I've been trying to beat the Challenge for over a week now and just can't do it.
I'm on ps4 and wouldn't even be opposed to using suspend to help but I don't think it will. I know about the map table puzzle and even that's not enough.
I love the game but I'm not the fastest thinker. My friend beat it in like a couple hours on Pc.
You've figured out the maze hint to make the maze easier, ya?
One I figured out they subtly tell you where the random monitors spawn, it gave me a lot more time with the last two puzzles.
Solved it shortly after.
Damn it, I stared at that tree for so long without seeing anything :F
I done the challenge by the skin of my teeth ther other evening. I'd gotten to the final posts loads, even with the first track still playing a couple of times, but the left post done me everytime.
But just as I was about to give in, a very messy run saw me JUST do it. Usually I'd of paused to reset as honestly thought my time was up when I was charging about the maze.
http://youtu.be/NY9ZET6wExM
Loved the game though, and still enjoying exploring and discovering more since I got the Platinum. Possibly the best designed game world both in layout and art style (personal preference) I've played in. Sound design is also superb.
But just as I was about to give in, a very messy run saw me JUST do it. Usually I'd of paused to reset as honestly thought my time was up when I was charging about the maze.
http://youtu.be/NY9ZET6wExM
Loved the game though, and still enjoying exploring and discovering more since I got the Platinum. Possibly the best designed game world both in layout and art style (personal preference) I've played in. Sound design is also superb.
Remembrance
Member
I'm still not sure what's special about the other orange ones. Above ground, I think the only other orange ones are the Ryonen quote and the Feynman quote by the mountain. But those aren't quoting anything else.
Right now I'm going to assume they each point to something else in a different way.
Edit: More in-progress screenshots from the architects who worked on the game: http://www.fourmdesignstudio.com/The-Witness?start_image_id=282468&view=list We see interesting past versions of many recognizable buildings and places.
Edit: There are a few recurring themes in these orange audio logs:
The Ryonen quote talks about moonlight, and also says "only listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs." The Eddington quote also uses the Brooke poem to talk about the imagery of water blown by wind and the moon on a frozen lake.
I don't know if this is intended to be another connection between the orange audio logs. And it doesn't help in understanding the Feynman quote about freedom to doubt.
Remembrance
Member
There are a few things left that strongly stand out to me as loose ends and not just random details. I can't figure them out. Thought that I would just leave some notes here for reference and maybe future flashes of inspiration.
- The orange audio logs.
- The white flowers in the logging area and marsh.
- The white flowers on the mountain.
- In the theater, there's a rectangular area on the floor that's completely clear of fallen leaves.
I don't know what any of this means, except that these are the only things left in the game that feel like they are not coincidences. I have my theories, but they don't really lead to anything conclusive enough yet.
- The orange audio logs.
- The white flowers in the logging area and marsh.
- The white flowers on the mountain.
- In the theater, there's a rectangular area on the floor that's completely clear of fallen leaves.
I don't know what any of this means, except that these are the only things left in the game that feel like they are not coincidences. I have my theories, but they don't really lead to anything conclusive enough yet.
Kapten Stoffe
Member
Hah! Like my successful run of the challenge, finally beat it just after the last note:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj2bmMa1VV4
Similar threads
- Featured
- Locked