A Slight Storyline, and puzzles

[Justintime9]

ARGH! why don't my pictures work???? they worked fine a few weeks ago I thought it was just my comp that couldn't see them... but if it's everyone's...
and... I still don't really get your puzzle, we could put it somewhere else, if it'd fit, but I'm not sure where that would be.

[Gorobay]

I still don't really get your puzzle, we could put it somewhere else, if it'd fit, but I'm not sure where that would be.

What don't you get, so I can explain it?

I'll try again. On the wall of the link-in hut is the word "YINFARA"; except they aren't letters, they are color symbols that happen to look like letters. The order of the colors is red yellow purple blue orange green orange. The player goes to the top of the mountain and powers the lightning rods one by one, except the swamp one which must be hand-cranked (that is all from your idea).

Near the waterfall is the "light receiver". The player goes all around the island to the light posts, which take the predominant color of that area and reflect it in the direction the post points. The player has to point the posts at the light receiver in the YINFARA order (so he would point the red post at the receiver, then point it away, then point the yellow at it, then point that one away, etc.). When the posts have been pointed at the receiver in the correct order, and the lightning rods have all been charged, the secret waterfall door will be openable.

This is just like your first idea, except instead of pushing buttons on the secret door to open it, you point light posts at a light receiver to open it. And then the player would go into the room with the beds and the telescope.

[Justintime9]

Ok, I understand now... but I think we should just keep it the way I had it (light shines through the glass, and generates a symbol on the ground. BUT we'll use your Idea about the symbols being "YINFARA". the player will notice that the symbols spell out yinfara when they enter it in the door. does that sound like a good compromize?

[Gorobay]

Well, I'm not happy about it, but it's your age. Just to clarify this for me, are you agreeing with my idea that Yinfara is not the native name, but instead a coincidence?

I've noticed that exactly two people have responded in this thread since I posted my idea (me and you). I think it is too early to decide anything.

You said "we should just keep it the way I had it". Why? Is it that my puzzle is too confusing/complicated, it doesn't work with the feel you are trying to bring the age, you want to make the puzzles yourself, you don't think it's realistic for the natives to do any of that, or what? Because I really think my idea is good and I will try really hard to make it work in Yinfara (if it's not the third reason).

[Justintime9]

Well, first of all, I love the Idea of the name yinfara comming from the fact that the symbols look like the letters YINFARA but, about the telescopes... you see... I may have misunderstood, but I like the Idea that the symbols appear because the glass in the hut, is hit with the cirtain color sunlight, and thus, it creates a symbol. It seems more natural that to have telescopes that project the symbols. I love the concept, but I just think we should keeps things as simple as was originally meant to be... with the exception to adding to the current Ideas... I thing I should get annother opinion on this though, and I will PM all the people who used to help with yinfara, and try to get the team back together, so that I can have other opinions.

[Gorobay]

Well, first of all, I love the Idea of the name yinfara comming from the fact that the symbols look like the letters YINFARA but, about the telescopes... you see... I may have misunderstood, but I like the Idea that the symbols appear because the glass in the hut (Did you mean temple?), is hit with the cirtain color sunlight, and thus, it creates a symbol. It seems more natural that to have telescopes that project the symbols.

This is where you misunderstand me. In my suggestion, the explorer would learn the symbols from the glass temple in the exact way that you described. Then, instead of pushing colored buttons on a door in a certain order, they would point light posts at a light receiver next to the door in a certain order. It just ties the environment into the puzzle and explains how the natives chose the color symbols.

I love the concept, but I just think we should keeps things as simple as was originally meant to be...

I think my puzzle would take less than 15 minutes to solve.

[Justintime9]

Ah, I see... sort of like a cross between the kadish telescopes, and the color puzzle in MYST III... ya, I'm still not sure though... I'll PM all of the people who've previously worked on Yinfara, and perhaps we can get some seperate Opinions.

[Gorobay]

I also think that there should be more puzzles in the age. As it is right now there are either two or three puzzles, none of which are very hard. They're good, but not enough I think.

In case anyone wondered, my map was never meant to replace JFT's. I just made mine without the map in front of me.

[ChaosSong]

Hey guys!

Thanks, Justin, for alerting me to an interesting discussion.

I really like the symbol coincidence, that's gotta stay in. I think Gorobay's door key is alot more interesting than boring buttons (of course, building-wise buttons are a great deal easier), it should reset if they get the sequence wrong so that they don't break it with experimentation. Also, I will not miss the glass bird's nests.

Justin's story is sounding to me alot like Kadish Toelsa with Justin playing the part of Kadish. He's building protections around a vault. Of course, the treasure is alot more anthropological than worldly in this case... If Justin leaves a journal in this age I think it would help credibility if he were to portay some degree of obsession with the artifacts, perhaps even with the natives themselves. Maybe Justin was adopted by the tribe; perhaps instead of being a Ghen-like god to them he approached them more as equals and came to love them. Maybe they died out or maybe he helped them escape... I think killing them explans better why Justin gaurds their remains. Maybe the locked chamber is a tomb. Maybe this idea is too dark, heh.

I also think that there should be more puzzles in the age. As it is right now there are either two or three puzzles, none of which are very hard. They're good, but not enough I think...

Maybe instead of puzzles at the lightning rods there could be gadgets (not so much solved as played with) activated when the rod is struck, at the high point a telescope to observe the island, somewhere a barometer to indicate when the next storm is coming. Perhaps we could have a gadget contest and pick the best ones.

[Justintime9]

Hmm, interesting Idea... a barometer would cirtanly be a good addition, but what exactly do you mean by gadgets? are you saying that we only need those two puzzles, and a few gadgets to compliment them?
and, about the journals. at this point there are two different ideas. 1st, is that I built the vault to protect artifacts. 2nd, is that teh natives built the vault as a home, and safety agenst their enemies. and if it is mine, yes, there should be some level of obsession about the artifacts, but more of a "staying up late trying to uncover the age's mysteries" sort of obsession. what do you think? O, and It just dawned on me that having the colored telescopes to open the door would be too much like the myst III puzzle to get to Voltake. perhaps we could change it a bit