Visual Guide to Minkata Navigation

Teedyo · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:36 pm

Check out boblishman's post here: http://www.mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10326

and his very visual interpretation under the spoiler tag. How you obtain relative distances between waypoints is left to your creativity. Most commonly used are time and steps.

Wahlter · **Posted:** Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:33 pm

Wow, that was impressive!

I'm amazed how anyone figures out these puzzles 100% by themselves, without any hints, nudges, or otherwise from anyone.
Does Cyan really think the average Gametap Myst Online player is going to figure out these brain twisters? :shock:

This concerns me in a few ways, one of which is I fear the game may not be popular enough to survive for very long - although it's been hanging around for a while now.

Okay, enough of my ramblings on the forum and back to my wanderings in the desert.

Aeris · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 8:42 pm **Posts:** 35

Quote:

Does Cyan really think the average Gametap Myst Online player is going to figure out these brain twisters?
This concerns me in a few ways, one of which is I fear the game may not be popular enough to survive for very long - although it's been hanging around for a while now.

I think it's good if all the puzzles are not aimed at the "average player." That would leave a lot of people very bored. With the forums and the hint guides, even walkthroughs, and people in Guild Of Greeters and Beginners Bevin, there is always help available, even someone to play with you if desired. No one has to figure things out "the long way" or by themselves unless they want to, but that option is available, and I like that. For some people, part of the frustration is that they want solutions to be immediately recognizable and not take a day or a week to think about it or look around and make connections. But what's the rush? There are plenty of fast-action games out there. The Mystworlds have always been something different, and I would be disappointed to lose that.

ghaelen · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2007 2:02 pm

I agree with you, Aeris. I like the solution not to be immediately available not only because it works our higher brain functions, but also because it slows down those people who seem always in a hurry just to see who can solve it first. Then what to do?

That's not a criticism of the uber-solvers, tho, because in truth, I take full advantage of their discoveries. I rarely solve the puzzles myself. Not that I'm incapable of doing so, it's just that I don't want to spend my time on that. I want to enjoy the age, the beauty and the music. I put my time into other Uru-related activities. So BrettM (boblishman, et al...) these helpful posts have my gratitude!

Rusty_Russell · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:27 pm

Quote:

I'm amazed how anyone figures out these puzzles 100% by themselves, without any hints, nudges, or otherwise from anyone.

For me personally with Minkata, RL experience. I was a Royal Air Force cadet when I was at school, so I was familiar with orienteering.

darkstar · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:02 pm

This is one of the great things about this game the variety of puzzles which require different skill sets to solve and the community which posesses them in abundance. Sure we cant solve all the puzzles on our own but there is sufficient variety that there will be at least one everyone can figure out pretty much on their own for the rest the community is always willing to offer a helping hand. The other thing about the puzzles whilst some are obscure they are always logical, none of the pick everything up and combine it with everything else then try each combination which some adventure games tended to make you do very often with the correct combination having no logical conection with the puzzle.

Wahlter · **Posted:** Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:19 pm

I was not able to solve either the pod puzzle or the Minkata puzzle - even though in Minkata's case I am well familiar with trigonometry and the algebraic addition of vectors. So much for the difficult puzzles, now I'm ready for Cyan to throw us non-über puzzlers a bone.

I have much enjoyed the multiple-player puzzles the game has provided so far, but I like to solve an occasion puzzle all by myself sometimes.

In a competition for bragging rights between Cyan and the über puzzlers, where the object is to make the puzzles as difficult as possible, the average players will eventually lose interest, IMO. The game needs to provide entertainment for explorers of all levels of puzzle solving ability to remain successful, again, IMO. The super-duper-über's will no doubt be bored at times.

raistlin75 · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2007 5:51 am **Posts:** 134

Wahlter wrote:

I was not able to solve either the pod puzzle or the Minkata puzzle - even though in Minkata's case I am well familiar with trigonometry and the algebraic addition of vectors. So much for the difficult puzzles, now I'm ready for Cyan to throw us non-über puzzlers a bone.

I have much enjoyed the multiple-player puzzles the game has provided so far, but I like to solve an occasion puzzle all by myself sometimes.

In a competition for bragging rights between Cyan and the über puzzlers, where the object is to make the puzzles as difficult as possible, the average players will eventually lose interest, IMO. The game needs to provide entertainment for explorers of all levels of puzzle solving ability to remain successful, again, IMO. The super-duper-über's will no doubt be bored at times.

Yes Wahlter, I completely agree with you. Some of the puzzles in the Myst series are so crazy and convoluted that it's become an expectation for them to keep trying to top themselves. It is very much an elitist gamers game and I think that their is probably less than a .01% of population that would be able to get through the whole series by themselves. Now, I'm sure if you locked those people in a room and said they're not leaving until they solve them all, the percentage would go up quite a bit. I try hard and take hints to get through and when I find out the solution it's more often "darn, I'd of never thought of that" rather than "oh, I was so close, if only I took a little more time with it". I think of standing still for 15 minutes as the craziest solution and the sound wheels to control the monkeys (from Myst V) with all the 'clues' in the cutscene as the cruelest puzzle.

They always have to walk a think line between hard and "what are they smoking" hard, neither of which pleases everybody, except the said smokers, of course.

BrettM · **Posted:** Sun Jun 17, 2007 2:21 pm

raistlin75 wrote:

It is very much an elitist gamers game

I don't think I can agree with this. The puzzles in the Schizm/Mysterious Journey series are much harder (and often have less point to them). I would rank any of the Myst games somewhere between Syberia and Schizm for difficulty. I think Cyan has found a perfect compromise between too hard and too easy. Presto (Exile) and Ubi (Revelation) didn't do too badly, either.

BrettM · **Posted:** Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:53 pm

The Fuzzy Physics Institute is proud to announce a supplement to the Visual Guide to Minkata Navigation: a collection of VGM marker missions. Quest missions are available for the direct paths to each of the 5 kivas, the soccer ball (starting from kiva 4), and the 3125 flag. The quests can be run in either direction, so they can be used to return from an objective by simply resetting the mission. Markers are set every 20 running paces in areas of high visibility, and closer together as the visibility drops in the outer reaches of Minkata, so the trail is always easy to follow. The quests can be run in nighttime Minkata as well as in daytime Minkata.

If you wish to have any or all of these missions, please send a KImail to Ttreb, FPI Director of Outreach Activities, KI 1132330. PLEASE include your KI number in the body of the message! The requested missions will be sent to your KI.

LuigiHann · **Joined:** Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:07 pm **Posts:** 837

I have to say, thanks a lot for this resource! I had figured out more or less how to solve the puzzle, but you saved me the trouble of actually doing the math out :wink:

Also, looking at the Wikipedia article for Kiva, it's really cool how close it looks. I wouldn't be surprised if this were exactly the sort of look Cyan was going for.

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

BrettM · **Posted:** Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:50 am

The Fuzzy Physics Institute is now, by popular request, offering VGM Night missions for the five kivas, pointing the way toward the correct constellation and the associated "floaty".

As usual, if you wish copies of any of these missions, send KImail to Ttreb, FPI Director of Outreach Services, at KI 1132330. Please remember to include your KI number in the body of the message.

sante · **Posted:** Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:22 am

THANKS. With your photo showing the exact starting point, I was finally able to find Kiva 4. I found the other four caves with The Noble Robot's map but that last one eluded me.

Minkata's night sky and the accompanying music are so beautiful that I'm considering resetting the age but will I lose the glowing stone thingee on my island? My relto is looking so good now, especially since I eliminated the scraggly grass and let the lush foliage take over....

BrettM · **Posted:** Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:37 am

sante wrote:

Minkata's night sky and the accompanying music are so beautiful that I'm considering resetting the age but will I lose the glowing stone thingee on my island?

Resetting the Age will not take away your donut ring.

Yvesia · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:42 am

Many, many thanks, BrettM for this wonderful help. I have been working on Minkata since it was released and was still lost! Thanks so much for the help.

Yve

Visual Guide to Minkata Navigation

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