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The Witness |OT|

so there's a very early puzzle (adjacent to the starting area) that I'm wondering about because I'm not sure how to answer it based on the previous panels in the series and I'm wondering about how information in this game is conveyed.

It's a puzzle involving a tree.

Specifically the puzzle I'm asking about is
the trees with Apples showing you the answer. And then suddenly there's one with no Apple.

Now I don't want the solution but i've thought about how I should be able to answer this and there are a few strategies I could see being legitimate but I'm not sure what kind of solutions are considered fair in this game.

so...

1. is it simply a
perspective puzzle, where I have to walk around the tree until I see something red in the distance that aligns with the branches? I haven't been able to get this to align with anything obvious yet and my hunches at being right have all be wrong so far.

2. is it an observation puzzle where
there is something else to notice about the branches that have the apples on the previous trees, and I can look and see that same thing on the branches here on the apple-less tree?

3. is it a
mathematical progression puzzle
where I have to
figure it out from a pattern in which branches were the correct branch before in each panel?

Third answer seems like the least likely to be considered fair to me, so far everything else has be solved
by information directly in front of me at that one panel or very much near by, by rules developed in the previous panels.

so, am I on the correct track with any of these, or is there something else I should be contemplating? Have I just not seen the tutorial for this set yet?

Vague answers appreciated!

None of the above. Think about why you noticed the
apple
to begin with.
 

Demption

Member
Sure.

image.jpg

No fucking clue why the picture is upside down though.

Okay so with that
you've got to imagine where the light on the panel leaves off is where the light on the rusty beam starts. Rather than trying to line them up directly visually, assume that the rusty beam also has a grid on it (so the first move would be down 1 from where the light ends on the panel etc. If you need it I've made a mock up of what should be the solution, but I don't want to just post that outright.

Im stuck on the next one after this, any hints?
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
so there's a very early puzzle (adjacent to the starting area) that I'm wondering about because I'm not sure how to answer it based on the previous panels in the series and I'm wondering about how information in this game is conveyed.

It's a puzzle involving a tree.

Specifically the puzzle I'm asking about is
the trees with Apples showing you the answer. And then suddenly there's one with no Apple.

Now I don't want the solution but i've thought about how I should be able to answer this and there are a few strategies I could see being legitimate but I'm not sure what kind of solutions are considered fair in this game.

so...

1. is it simply a
perspective puzzle, where I have to walk around the tree until I see something red in the distance that aligns with the branches? I haven't been able to get this to align with anything obvious yet and my hunches at being right have all be wrong so far.

2. is it an observation puzzle where
there is something else to notice about the branches that have the apples on the previous trees, and I can look and see that same thing on the branches here on the apple-less tree?

3. is it a
mathematical progression puzzle
where I have to
figure it out from a pattern in which branches were the correct branch before in each panel?

Third answer seems like the least likely to be considered fair to me, so far everything else has be solved
by information directly in front of me at that one panel or very much near by, by rules developed in the previous panels.

so, am I on the correct track with any of these, or is there something else I should be contemplating? Have I just not seen the tutorial for this set yet?

Vague answers appreciated!

2 is the closest but not quite.
 

eznark

Banned
I'm like halfway through the swamp and still have don't have a great grasp of the tetris puzzles. It doesn't seem consistent. I can do like the first two in every sequence than trial and error my way through it.
 

Theodoricos

Member
How much time do you guys spend at a puzzle you have trouble solving until you go to a different area of the island and try your luck elsewhere?

I'm at 120 puzzles and I feel like I've been everywhere already. I may be giving up too early on these, lol.
 
Anyone already reached the Mountain? I tried sleeping on this one but to no avail, still stuck
Mountain Puzzle
Any hint, cryptic as it may be, on where to start would be great.
I know I need to go to the upper floor to activate the maze, but all the shapes get red squares on them cause I'm wrong; I tried creating something symmetrical but the panels and grid differ in size :/
 
I'm like halfway through the swamp and still have don't have a great grasp of the tetris puzzles. It doesn't seem consistent. I can do like the first two in every sequence than trial and error my way through it.
Yeah, the Tetris puzzles are the ones I have the biggest problem with. I don't understand what the consistent rules are supposed to be.
 

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Maybe not but how do you explain the
tree tracing puzzle
I mentioned earlier where there are multiple valid answers?

There's another just around the corner from that where you
trace outlines of yellow trees in the water
and it leads to a blank panel. Right next to it is a
vine growing, obviously you're supposed to trace the pattern of the vine and nothing works.

I haven't solved that one so maybe I'm still wrong, but I'm definitely not wrong about the first one I mentioned because i did solve it and I know i was doing it right, you just had to guess which answer was correct with no rhyme or reason to why

There is a specific perspective/angle in which you can view these puzzles and there's only one valid input. If there are multiple valid inputs, you probably aren't "viewing" the puzzle quite right. This is similar to the symmetry puzzles with the rocks in the background - the solution is to view that from a different angle, too. The vine one is very similar.

Go to load save. When you do that it doesn't automatically load and the save shows how many puzzles you've completed.

The rules absolutely change in some places.

Shady Grove spoiler:

The beginning of that area teaches you to avoid shadows and trace around them. Then midway through the section the answer to the puzzles is to trace along the shadows of the branches. I was stuck on that first puzzle when the rules change for a while because I was following the rules I was taught previously when in fact a new rule was being thrown at me and I needed to do something completely different.

The thing is, those two puzzle sets are literally split up, physically. You solve a few, and then the electric wire splits into TWO wires, with one snaking off in one direction, and the other snaking off in the other direction. Both sets of puzzles still deal with shadow, but one
specifically deals with the negative space, and the other the positive space. In addition, the very first puzzle where you trace along the shadow instead of avoiding it is very unambiguous - it is just a single shadow line, going straight from entrance to exit
 

Nitty_Grimes

Made a crappy phPBB forum once ... once.
Gamesmaster review, whether it goes in the OT I dont know...

'Sometimes rewarding, but highly repetitive, this puzzle game drives its core idea into the ground'

And a score of 69%
 
I'm like halfway through the swamp and still have don't have a great grasp of the tetris puzzles. It doesn't seem consistent. I can do like the first two in every sequence than trial and error my way through it.
It's not just copying the individual pieces. The pieces can be combined into single shapes
 
There is a specific perspective/angle in which you can view these puzzles and there's only one valid input. If there are multiple valid inputs, you probably aren't "viewing" the puzzle quite right. This is similar to the symmetry puzzles with the rocks in the background - the solution is to view that from a different angle, too. The vine one is very similar.

I'll pm you a screenshot tonight because I honestly think this is just a bad puzzle
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
Does anyone know where I can re-listen to my audio tapes?

I only found one
(on the intro area, about Buddha)
and I really want to listen to that recording again. IS it available online someplace? In-game?
 

KraytarJ

Member
I have a couple Q's about the castle area

First, about the hedge mazes. I'm on the one after the footstep one and the actual puzzle doesn't look at all like the maze in front of it. Could I get a hint as to what that puzzle actually refers to.

Second, out behind the castle is a wrecked ship and in the water by the ship if you look from the right angle there's what looks to be a line puzzle made of debris but when I try to interact with the start point the only thing that happens is sparks appear with some little sound effect but I can't do anything else about it. Am I missing something or can I not do anything with that yet?
 

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
I'll pm you a screenshot tonight because I honestly think this is just a bad puzzle

I solved that puzzle - no screenshot needed. Part of the "puzzle" with those is to stand in the exact right spot, not just in "almost" the right spot.
 

kadotsu

Banned
If this game doesn't get into my top 10 GotY list this year 2016 will be the objectively best year in gaming by a country mile.
 

jtar86

Member
Glad I'm not the only one that doesn't understand the tetris puzzles. They make zero fucking sense. If someone can explain I would appreciate it.
 

hort

Neo Member
so there's a very early puzzle (adjacent to the starting area) that I'm wondering about because I'm not sure how to answer it based on the previous panels in the series and I'm wondering about how information in this game is conveyed.

It's a puzzle involving a tree.

Specifically the puzzle I'm asking about is
the trees with Apples showing you the answer. And then suddenly there's one with no Apple.

Now I don't want the solution but i've thought about how I should be able to answer this and there are a few strategies I could see being legitimate but I'm not sure what kind of solutions are considered fair in this game.

so...

1. is it simply a
perspective puzzle, where I have to walk around the tree until I see something red in the distance that aligns with the branches? I haven't been able to get this to align with anything obvious yet and my hunches at being right have all be wrong so far.

2. is it an observation puzzle where
there is something else to notice about the branches that have the apples on the previous trees, and I can look and see that same thing on the branches here on the apple-less tree?

3. is it a
mathematical progression puzzle
where I have to
figure it out from a pattern in which branches were the correct branch before in each panel?

Third answer seems like the least likely to be considered fair to me, so far everything else has be solved
by information directly in front of me at that one panel or very much near by, by rules developed in the previous panels.

so, am I on the correct track with any of these, or is there something else I should be contemplating? Have I just not seen the tutorial for this set yet?

Vague answers appreciated!


There is something different about the panel and the tree
 

JackEtc

Member
Would anyone be able to give me some heavy-handed hints about this puzzle in the shady trees area?

Stared at it for 2 hours last night, slept on it, and coming back to it now I still can't get it. I've brought pictures into Photoshop and modified them to try and figure out a pattern....NOTHING.

http://imgur.com/a/Dbxpj
 

FlyinJ

Douchebag. Yes, me.
I can't figure out the ninth panel in the tutorial for
the tetris pieces. It's the one with an 3 block corner and a single square on a 2x3 grid. I must have tried every line combination as there aren't that many... what is the trick here?
 
Would anyone be able to give me some heavy-handed hints about this puzzle in the shady trees area?

Stared at it for 2 hours last night, slept on it, and coming back to it now I still can't get it. I've brought pictures into Photoshop and modified them to try and figure out a pattern....NOTHING.

http://imgur.com/a/Dbxpj

The
negative space on the wooden board is directly connected to the panel: once you reach the end of the negative space on the panel, go down and you're already following the board now
 

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
Glad I'm not the only one that doesn't understand the tetris puzzles. They make zero fucking sense. If someone can explain I would appreciate it.

yeah I'm still not sure what the rules are. I've managed to open a few gates but I honestly can't tell you why it works sometimes but not others. that just makes it more frustrating because it only gets harder.
 

TheRed

Member
Here's a big thing for the swamp stuff for anyone who's really struggling with those

If you haven't noticed yet, the requirement is just that the enclosed shape contains the corrosponding tetris piece. That piece does not have to overlap with the tile that contains the piece mark. I cannot state this enough because the vast majority of the time when I was stumped on a puzzle its because I was forgetting this. If you have an L block required that just means the shape overall has to have that L, none of the tiles that form the L have to actually be on the tile with the "L" marking

These early tetronimino puzzles have been throwing me for a loop every time I think I understand the rules. Went back to an earlier one after doing most of the swamp and I cant even get this one which probably has an easy solution. Going by what you said just now I gave this a try. Why doesn't this work?
https://flic.kr/p/DqYZ8X
or this https://flic.kr/p/DvVXps
I really just want to understand the rules of these better because I keep taking the longest on ones that have tetris pieces and when I solve it I feel kinda lucky instead of proud of myself.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I can't figure out the ninth panel in the tutorial for
the tetris pieces. It's the one with an 3 block corner and a single square on a 2x3 grid. I must have tried every line combination as there aren't that many... what is the trick here?

2x2
 

Demption

Member
Would anyone be able to give me some heavy-handed hints about this puzzle in the shady trees area?

Stared at it for 2 hours last night, slept on it, and coming back to it now I still can't get it. I've brought pictures into Photoshop and modified them to try and figure out a pattern....NOTHING.

http://imgur.com/a/Dbxpj

And the one after that? I tried same logic to that but dead end every time, am i missing something else?
 
I am done with this fucking shadow puzzle crap.

None of the puzzles were this frustrating thus far.

See, to me, the shadow puzzles were the easiest in the game. I loved that entire section. And yet some other simple stuff is absolutely devastating me.

Different minds.
 

Saiyan-Rox

Member
Um there was no
apple on the last tree?? So I just gussed it and now there's nothing in this room? Did that lead to nowhere?
 

PolishQ

Member
Does anyone know where I can re-listen to my audio tapes?

I only found one
(on the intro area, about Buddha)
and I really want to listen to that recording again. IS it available online someplace? In-game?

You can go back to the ones you've found and click on them again.
 

JackEtc

Member
The
negative space on the wooden board is directly connected to the panel: once you reach the end of the negative space on the panel, go down and you're already following the board now

Staring-Confused-Ron-Swanson.gif


Still totally clueless.

Sitting in Ethics in photoshop still messing around, can't wait to go slam my head against it after class.

EDIT: OH WAIIIIIIIIIT HOLY SHIT
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
The shapes will form an 'L' together: take care of the extra dots on the bottom, and remember that to win you need to land on the first square of the second row (so you can take care of the dots on the top)

.



Can you spoon feed me please?




See, to me, the shadow puzzles were the easiest in the game. I loved that entire section. And yet some other simple stuff is absolutely devastating me.

Different minds.

Agree. I really enjoyed those ones
 

-griffy-

Banned
Um there was no
apple on the last tree?? So I just gussed it and now there's nothing in this room? Did that lead to nowhere?

If you compare the tree to the puzzle screen, you'll notice there's a branch on the tree that is broken but still appears on the screen. Logically, that must be where the apple was. Once you input the solution and go through the gate, you can see a broken branch on the ledge next to a sliced apple.
 

Navy Bean

Member
The last puzzle I tried before bed was the blue-ish building in the town with the blue dividers and the grass/leaves growing in between and a puzzle on the door. I was sure I figured it out but no dice. Now I'm at work and it's driving me crazy. Any advice?
 
This is done for two reasons:

1) To prevent brute forcing the answer.

2) The rules of a puzzle, by the time you reach that point, should be 100% known to you. You should KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, if your solution is about to work or not. The puzzle shutting down is the game's way of tell you "You should not be guessing on this."

What I do is draw the full line, then look over my answer before hitting submit. I know if I've got it.
Then he's expecting far too much of the player imho. The rules of this game are taught by trial and error so you can't expect the player to experiment one minute and then be restrained the next.

I solved a puzzle by cheating. There was a perspective puzzle hidden behind a locked door but you can solve it without unlocking the door by using tracing paper over the monitor. I guess there is an element on predictability after several hours.
 

Saiyan-Rox

Member
If you compare the tree to the puzzle screen, you'll notice there's a branch on the tree that is broken but still appears on the screen. Logically, that must be where the apple was. Once you input the solution and go through the gate, you can see a broken branch on the ledge next to a sliced apple.

Man I have no idea why I had so much trouble lining up those tree branches with the screen, so I'm done here? Nothing in this room?

So far this game is just showing me how stupid I am xD
 

-griffy-

Banned
Man I have no idea why I had so much trouble lining up those tree branches with the screen, so I'm done here? Nothing in this room?

So far this game is just showing me how stupid I am xD

Yeah I'm not sure if there's something there to do with manipulating the windmill or not. Haven't found anything. I took a screenshot of that sketch with the heart in case that is relevant to something.
 
Then he's expecting far too much of the player imho. The rules of this game are taught by trial and error so you can't expect the player to experiment one minute and then be restrained the next.

I dunno if that's strictly true. The puzzles where the player is learning/experimenting are generally different to the puzzles where the player should know what they're doing, and the "tutorial" puzzles don't turn off when they've been solved incorrectly.
 

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
These early tetronimino puzzles have been throwing me for a loop every time I think I understand the rules. Went back to an earlier one after doing most of the swamp and I cant even get this one which probably has an easy solution. Going by what you said just now I gave this a try. Why doesn't this work?
https://flic.kr/p/DqYZ8X
or this https://flic.kr/p/DvVXps
I really just want to understand the rules of these better because I keep taking the longest on ones that have tetris pieces and when I solve it I feel kinda lucky instead of proud of myself.

Sorry. So the
squares with the tetronimos do have to be inside the amalgam, but they don't have to be on their part of the amalgam, if that makes sense.
 

Saiyan-Rox

Member
Yeah I'm not sure if there's something there to do with manipulating the windmill or not. Haven't found anything. I took a screenshot of that sketch with the heart in case that is relevant to something.

Yep did the same thing

Oh and what was up with that hexagon thing in the metal box or does that come into play later?
 
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