Hello 'my name is supyreor catte' & DDDespair!

I am playing "Myst" and its sequels, since I encountered the original's port on the Playstation (One)! For me this port was the definitive edition of the first "Myst" (and "Riven") although it had a lower resolution and some aliasing problems.
Regarding the bug of the original "Myst Masterpiece Edition" on PC (Win) in the mechanical age (fortress rotation & fortress rotation simulator) that 'my name is supyreor catte' mentioned, I experienced it, as well, while playing the hybrid (Win/Mac) CD-ROM version contained in the "Myst Trilogy" package from Ubisoft!
I can not remember anymore, if the version within the "Ages of Myst" double pack (of "Myst" and "Riven") had the same issue or not.)
After buying "Myst MPE" again here on GOG, I backed-up three different installer packages: the earlier disc version (old 1.x.x.x installer) which is also troubled by the quicktime requirement, the former new installer format (2.x.x.x) and the more recent ScummVM-integrated release.

The aforementioned error in the reproduction of the island / fortress rotation and audio clues in the simulator were present in the earlier installer, too.
I did not experienced it in the former (non-ScummVM) 2.x.x.x installer nor in the current ScummVM-bundled release.

Furthermore, I had a similarily progress interfering bug in the "RealMyst Masterpiece Edition", where neither the simulator nor the fortress rotation could be controlled correctly. For once, the two levers did not operate anymore with the incremental velocity steps on one of them, but only with either zero or full rotation speed! And secondly, the simulator got stuck or frozen so that it was impossible to gather the audio clues for the cardinal directions (later userful in the selenetic age)!

Considering the troubles of dealing with old quicktime versions, compatibility issues, the discussed lever puzzle error on PC, I always felt the Playstation One port was superior with a seemingly better color definition (more so in "Riven"), more comfortable game controls (especially the pointer / navigation short cuts on the controller's shoulder buttons), the ease of use ('plug & play'), and the additional feature of (language and) subtitle (!) selection for all videos and audios in the European (PAL) release. Unfortunately, "Riven" featured only one language which depended on the region.

Kind regards,
foxgog

Thanks for the interesting insights!

I always wondered how the old console versions felt because it's a game that is inseparable from mouse control for me.

Hello Nicole28!

Of course, everyone has their own opinion on which is "the best" version of "Myst".
I myself actually prefer either the port of the original "Myst" on the Playstation (One)--se my reasoning on it in the above post--or the earlier "realMyst" from (2000).

For me none of the realtime 3D remakes get close to the original's vision, feel and aesthetics. Then why do I prefer the version from 2000 and not from 2014 (and subsequent patches)?

Because it was more astonishing in 2000 to see the first implementation of a realtime 3D Myst game, and what they were able to do with DirectX7 alone--in comparison to the less than stellar representation of the 2014 version.

Just as some examples, the lighting in the newer "RealMyst MPE" feels off and cheap--compare light bulbs in both version, not the projected shadows but the light bulbs themselves! They changed surface textures (what about the "wooden" texture on the metallic ladders and on the switch stands around the small pool on myst island?), reduced polygon counts of objects and landscape features and did not match well the textures on corresponding surfaces and their edges.
In addition to the nostalgia surrounding the former, the later version has significantly higher system requirements for subpar overall results in image quality and introduced new programme errors (bugs).
The two redeeming qualities of the 2014 version in its current patch status are the traditional node based movement (first introduced in "Myst V: End of Ages") with the optional overlay of a lot but unfortunately not all still images from the original game for on-the-fly comparison, and the increased animation (movement) speed on the rail tracks in the selenetic age!

Kind regards,
foxgog

Hello again 'my name is supyreor catte'!

You are welcome!

Regarding mouse control, the Playstation (One) did had its own mouse input device, which came in handy for the various point & click adventure game ports (such as Myst, Riven, Broken Sword 1 & 2, Discworld, etc.).

But I did like the controller much more, because I could move much faster and 'more precisely' through "Myst" and "Riven" for the developers included six short cut positions for the 'mouse' pointer (hand) on the screen easily accessible through the four shoulder buttons:
- R1 = partway right in order to look/turn right or typically for marker switches,
- L1 = partway left in order to look/turn left or typically for marker switches,
- R2 = right screen border in order to turn around to the right (usually 180°, e.g. in "Riven") or next book page,
- L2 = left screen border in order to turn around to the left (usually 180°, e.g. in "Riven") or former book page,
- R1+L1 = centered on screen for moving forward or interacting with main object,
- R2+L2 = (I forgot, but I think it was also centered horizontally but on a vertical offset. I do not know anymore).

Those short cut pointer positions on screen were matched with slightly changed interaction hitboxes in the game, so that you rarely needed to manually move outside of these preset position, mainly for e.g. certain individual button presses of discrete puzzle solutions.

However, "Riven" had its share of extra load times due to the use of five discs and the necessity to swap them in and out for each island. The newer DVD and digital relases on PC removed these entirely!
They also changed the books' and notes' paragraphs for increased readability without aliasing issues on Playstation.
Oh, and Sony advertised the 32Bit color depth of the "Riven" port!

Kind regards,
foxgog

Me saying "I didn't experience it" is not the same as "It doesn't exist!" and you're stupid if you equate the two. There's no reason for the bug to be selective about who it effects. If it was selective, then you wouldn't be acting like it's game destroying. A simple restart would re-roll the odds of not getting it. Annoying, sure, but not game breaking. Therefore, I surely was subject to it. Exactly the same as you. Yet I got around it without problem. Thus, I gave you a solution to your problem. I described a way to do it that worked for me. I was legitimately trying to help you. But since you want to be a prick about it, I'll quit wasting my time here.
lmao whatever. Clearly, my way works, bug or no. All I can tell you is to quit whining and git good.

Priceless. This just tells me that you never really bothered to comprehend the bug I described because what you've written is complete nonsense. The bug is corroborated by numerous sources (including foxgog in this very thread) but that doesn't mean it would occur on every system. If that was you "legitimately trying to help" then I suggest you avoid trying to help anyone in the future for their own safety/sanity. You might end up pushing someone into a burning building or choking them while trying to give CPR.

Nice of you to give a final demonstration of your special brand of arrogance.

They should go the extra mile. It would be a crime for Cyan to go through the whole series and replace the FMV with those awful 3D models but I see that happening.

THIS!

played it out , not bad but Quern is just way better
and the engine is like a 10 year old thing , not as fluent as current indie games

I´ve been checking the storepages of the 2 versions here on GOG, and it seems the 2014 version has a "classic mode" option to be able to see everything like it was in the original version. Any thoughts about this?



Also, it seems there are three novellas. When should those novellas be read? Before playing the first game?

Whenever you please; they're more supplementary to the experience; worldbuilding rather than anything required. Read them when you wish.

One is a kind of immediate prequel to Myst (Book of Atrus), one is a distant prequel about his grandmother and his father (Book of Tiana) and one is set after Riven (The Book of D'ni). Better to read them all after playing Myst and Riven IMO, but they're not necessary at all.
I wouldn't read any of them first because a prequel is by definition set earlier but written later and therefore meant to be read later.

Thank you. :)

Thank you you too, Darvond. ;)

Book of Atrus details Atrus' childhood with Gehn, which isn't really relevant till/after Riven, Book of T'iana is a prequel to everything, and the Book of D'ni is a sequel that takes place after Riven but before Exile. The guide that came with End of Ages' limited edition is also written sort of like a book. I have no idea if it was in the regular or not, or if it's included here in digtal goodies.

I have it in for Wikias, so I'd suggest in the future, you use the Guild of Archivists; seeing as that has actual materials provisioned by the brothers Miller.

(And it doesn't have that Fandom stank.)