Obsidian - Part 3

          by SegaSoft and Rocket Science Software

   Solution copyright by Mike Marcelais, February 23, 1997

Concluded from Issue 89

Now head to the captain's chair, look down and turn the key, then
follow the directions. You select a destination by clicking on the
location on the screen.  Since the most interesting place is
obviously the frame in the sky, select that. Hmm, not a valid
destination?  Probably because there is nothing in the frame.
We'll see about that. Head for the Statue; that is the right blip.

(In truth, the next three sections can be done in any order.)

The Statue
You enter the statue and climb up (and up, and up.  Reminds me of
the Statue of Liberty in New York) to find a large gallery. Browse
all of the paintings and eventually head down to the far end of
the gallery.  Then enter the door on the left and examine the
printing press.

Puzzle: The Printing Press
The Objective
Prepare an empty canvas.
The Rules
There are eight pieces that can be slid around on the canvas.  The
yellow button will arrange the pieces into one of three
configurations.

The green button will "print" what you have and submit it to the
robot artist.

If two pieces are on top of each other, they cancel each other
out.

The Solution
You are trying to obliterate all of the pieces.
To do this, start by taking the unusual piece and placing it in
the center of the canvas. Get all of the other pieces out of the
way.

Next, take the short, horizontal rectangle and place it so that it
overlaps the thin section of the previous piece. You should end up
with two squares, slightly offset from each other.

Next, take the other horizontal piece and place one end of it on
the upper square. This should obliterate the existing square and
leave you with a new square.

Next, take the vertical rectangle and place it over the lower
square so that it obliterates that square and leaves another one
below it.

Now take a pair of triangles and join them into a square and place
it over one of the squares. Use the other pair of triangles to
obliterate the other square.

Hit the green "print" button.

The robot will paint a scene and mount it. If you flip the switch
next to the painting, it will transmit that picture to the frame
in the sky.

Since there is now something in the frame, return to the plane and
try to fly towards it. The plane complains that it is a
non-regulation destination and the plane is configured for
regulation flight. Looks like you need to figure out how to make a
non- regulation flight. Head for the Piazza instead (the left
blip).

The Piazza
As you get off the plane, you see a building floating in the sky.
As you enter, you see a four-by-four playing area with a robot
that wants you to catch your inspiration.

Puzzle: Catching Your Inspiration
The Objective
Trap the robot who gave you your original message about
inspiration.
The Rules
You both are on a grid. You start at the lower-right and the robot
starts at the upper-left.  You take turns moving. You can only
move up, down, left, or right. (In the game interface, only moving
forward counts as a move; turning to the side does not.)

Before you move, you can make one of the sixteen objects vanish.
This prevents the robot from moving into that square.

You cannot make the object that the robot is currently hiding
behind vanish, but this is a good way to find the robot.

The Solution
Below is a series of "best moves" that will allow you to win. In
general, ignore the robot until you are in one of the four center
squares on the board. If the robot is on the same side of the grid
as you, then use the solutions; otherwise step onto that side of
the grid.

Key:
. = free space
* = space with object removed
y = You
r = Robot's current location
n = next move.

To read the key, you remove the object from the space marked with
a * and then move in the direction towards the n.

If you are on the same side of the grid as the robot, then the
robot can only be on one of the squares marked. The first pattern
is a "win", the second and third both lead to the first pattern.

    rn.. (Win!)  .*r.    ....

    *y..         .yn.    .ynr

    ....         ....    ...*

    ....         ....    ....


After you have won, go up the stairs at the back of the game
board. You'll see a miniature version of the game.  There isn't
really a game to play here, but notice the chimes that get made
after each move you make. It is one for every space away the robot
is.  Now return to the plane. Start up the flight sequence again.
Notice how the switchboard looks a lot like the game board. And
notice that after you flip switch D1, the light next to D1 is lit
green (representing "you") and the light next to A4 is lit red
(representing the robot), but won't stay open. If you open any
cover, that is like removing the object. Try playing the game;
when you win, you'll be in non-regulation flight mode.  Select the
Frame in the Sky. The plane will complain that weather forces you
to use a computer pilot. Try flipping the large red lever. The
plane says that it is missing a crossover chip that allows you to
change control over to the computer. Need to go get that chip.

Fly to the Church of the Machine (the center blip).

The Church of the Machine
Right inside the front door, there is a view of the central area.
There is also a small conductor. He will show you a map of the
area that has curious designs labeled at the end of the halls.
After you have looked at it, head down the stairs and look at the
large bot in the center of the room.  It is located directly in
front of a chip. When you climb inside the mouth of the machine, a
programming board appears.

Puzzle: Creating the Crossover Chip
The Objective
Program the chip by burning the three symbols into it.
The Rules
The eleven symbols at the bottom of the screen represents a
program that the machine will follow.  The first symbol is
unchangeable -- the gets the chip and holds it up to the light.
This only works if the machine is in the center of the temple,
facing north.

The arrows instruct the machine to turn in that direction (or not
to turn at all, for the straight arrow) and then move one space
forward.

If the machine reaches the end of the north, west, or east
corridor it will burn a symbol onto the chip.  Order does not
matter; burning a symbol twice will not hurt.

If the robot stands next to one of the statues in the southern
area, it will adjust its program exactly as if the human pilot had
entered the key that is next to each symbol. The direction the
machine faces is not important.

If the robot ever runs into a wall, or executes the "chip" program
without being at "home", the program will end and the chip will be
erased.

The program always starts with both the green "cursor" and the
instruction "pointer" at the beginning. Every time the program
reaches the end, both the cursor and the pointer are reset to the
start and the program resumes.

Pulling the lever in the corner will start the program.  Pulling
it again will abort the program and reset everything.

The Solution
There are not enough slots to simply walk to all three sides of
the temple and return back.  And if you don't change the program,
there won't be any way of getting all three symbols.

What you have to do is get one symbol, then edit the program so
that you are ready to get the next symbol.

You can get the first symbol by using the instructions, Right,
Forward, U-Turn, Forward, Left. This will leave you facing south.

Getting another symbol would start with the instructions, Left,
Forward, U-Turn, Forward, Right.

Notice that these patterns are exactly the same except for the
first and last instruction?

If after you executed these instructions, you went into the south
area and visited the "Next", "Down", "Next 4", and "Up"
re-programming statues, that would change the first instructions
to go from one direction to another. [The first next moves the
cursor from the "Chip" code to the first direction. "Down" changes
Right to Straight (and then to Left). "Next 4" skips to the "last"
code. And "Up" changes the Left to Straight (and then to Right).

Then head back north so that you are in the right position.

This sequence of instructions is: Chip, Right, Straight, U-Turn,
Straight, Left, Left, Right, Right, Right, Straight.

After you run the program, get the chip and place it in your ship.
There is a place labeled "insert" to the right of the door to the
engine where it can be placed.

Now you should be able to give the computer pilot control, enter
non-regulation flight, and select the Frame as the destination.

Paradise
You enter this world on this wild pathway. Head down the pathway
(though the green door) and continue straight at the junction.
You'll hear Max call out to you at this point, but the path to him
seems blocked.

Puzzle: The Path to Max
The Objective
Reach Max by positioning the pieces to form a continuous path.
The Rules
There are three horizontal pieces and three vertical pieces.  When
you move pieces up and down, only the vertical pieces move. When
you move left or right, only the horizontal pieces move.

If a piece is blocked by another piece, or at the end of the play
area, the piece will not move.

The Solution
Make the following moves:
Up three times.
Left seven times.
Right four times.
Up once.
Right twice.
Down twice.
Right once.

Now head down the path. Max seems in pain. Look down and remove
the cylinder of chemical and pour it into one of the tubes to the
left or right. He'll tell you to head back to the keypad at the
location where you came in. Run back there and work on the last
puzzle.

Puzzle: The Keypad
The Objective
Make the manual override switch visible by pushing the eight
keypad buttons.
The Rules
There are eight real buttons and eight phantom buttons.  If you
push a real button, it lights up.

If you push a phantom button, it resets the keypad and all of the
phantom buttons move one square.

The Solution
Hit buttons at random until you hit a phantom button.  When it
does, try to watch to see which eight buttons are the phantom
buttons. Then hit the other eight.  You now go through the
endgame. You can either flip the switch back or do nothing during
the five second countdown. The two ending are both short and
disappointing. I wish the ending was as thorough as the rest of
the game, but given the choice between endgame animation and
gameplay, I prefer gameplay.

Enjoy, and wait for the next Myst like game.

                              - o -