I know this isn't an actual bug, but I'm wondering if there's a design issue with one part of Riven.

All the Myst games are set up on the idea of exploring. There are very few things one can do that leave one stuck and unable to figure out the rest of the game - and most of those "fatal" choices are clear, so it's obvious we need to save the game first. Often they involved interactions with other characters.

But there's one point in Riven where it's easy to make a move that makes it impossible to solve other puzzles. I'm wondering if it's just me, and that there's a way around it.

When you're in the lake near the village and using the submarine railway, if you go to the gallows and go up, after that, there's no way to get back down to the submarine train.

That means if you wanted to get to the schoolhouse after that, to figure out the puzzle there (which is important information for several other puzzles and combinations later), there is no way to get there after exploring the gallows.

Is it just me? Am I missing a way to call the submarine car/train to other places after this, or is access to it completely lost after exploring the gallows?

Yes, it is possible to miss that section and yes, I would consider that a flaw in the game. However, the only thing you learn in the schoolhouse is the D'ni number system, and that number system is always the same in every game. Unless it's your first time playing and you aren't using a walkthrough, it shouldn't cause you to get permanently stuck. I noticed that on my first time through as well, and had to reload an earlier save (though I didn't lose much progress).

Thanks for the info - as carefully planned out as Myst and Riven are, it just seemed surprising to me that such a thing would be overlooked or left as it is. All it'd take to fix it is a control at the top of the gallows that would let you grab the shackles and ride them down, which makes it even more surprising that they left this as is.

I know it's just the numbers that you could miss, but for a new player, that is critical to figure out. I'm wondering if the designers realized they had overlooked this. It's the one thing in Riven or Myst that goes agains the whole idea that you can't mess things up by just exploring.

But it's also good to know it's not just me and that I'm overlooking something.

I had this same problem the last time I played the game, and I eventually found out that leaving that particular island causes the sub to return to its original spot. I don't know if it's supposed to be Gehn's servants or the villagers returning it there, or what, but apparently the game designers did think about this... it's just that their way of dealing with it wasn't the best. It's a Myst game... if you're trying to get a vehicle to return to you, you're gonna look for a button or lever.

So yeah, they kinda dropped the ball on this one because this would be game breaking for many people unless they just happened to leave the island and came back or (quite improbably) came to the conclusion that leaving the island would make the sub come back.

I seem to remember that you could also pull the lever for lowering the sub, to return it to the original spot, but I may remember wrong.

Whoa, I stopped reading because I haven't finished the game, but I sense spoilers in your post. Label that shiz!

Help! I am brand new to just and riven, and seem to be stuck at this spot. People keep saying if I leave the island and come back it resets, but how do I get out? All I can do is climb a big ladder to a tower room with a bunch of levers, but I just started and have no idea how to solve the levers. When I climb back down the ladder, it won't let me go back in the sub. Am I to assume. Need to look up the cheat for the levers to get out? There doesn't seem to be any other exit. Like I said, I'm a newb, haven't been to the schoolhouse yet nor do I know about this number system everyone is talking about. Is this a flaw? Do I need to cheat?

I know this post is super old but hoping someone can help. This describes my dilemma perfectly.

Doesn't sound to me like you need to cheat. It does sound like you might have gotten lost. Carefully trace you paths and I think you'll find a way out and off that island. Might help to save and take a break and then explore again with a fresh mind. That helps me sometimes, unless I wait too long to get back to something, then I just start over. :-)