Longshot: RIVEN fans/players:- please help (spoilers?)

[RJ]

I just "finished" RIVEN recently...well, I got as far as trying to open the Star Fissure porthole hatch under the telescope (after prepping it correctly) but when I use the 5-digit code (from Cath's journal) nothing happens...I played though TWICE (2nd time only took 3 hrs) & the same thing happened- cant open the porthole!

I referred to/studied both gamefaqs guides to a 'T', but I cant figure out what I'm missing/doing wrong. Catherine mentions "signalling Atrus", & the temple in her final instructions but there doesnt seem to be anything to do there & I cant leave the island. Are there certain requirements that must be completed earlier in the game?

Thanks in advance for any/all help!

[AB Positive]

Oh man... it's been a year or so since I last beat riven... if you can describe what you did to get to that point it might jog my memory.

-AG

[RJ]

Well, I THINK I did everything I need to- after releasing Catherine on the prison island, she tells me to return to the temple & open the Star Fissure. When I return to Ghen's office, I can ONLY warp back to the island w/ the telescope/temple/Fissure porthole (where you start the game in a cell). I guess that's where I should be, & after I release the stopper on the telescope's left leg, I enter the (correct?) 5-digit code from Catherine's journal on the 5 square buttons on the hatch, but I cant click on the hatch handle to open it- nothing happens!

Is there something required before that about signalling Atrus? He mentions that in his intro...

Sorry about being so lengthy but I needed to be specific here!

[RJ]

All right- I'm gonna resurrect this once more...

I just bought the Prima "Secrets of the Games" Official Strategy Guide to Riven, played all the way through AGAIN (3rd time now), followed the book step by step TO THE LETTER, & I still can't open the f-cking portal under the telescope. SO, to make this easy, I'd like to know any of the following:

1. Do I HAVE to use/look at/operate certain things w/in the game, such as optional items that seem to be included "just for show"? As I said, I followed the guide EXACTLY.

2. Has there been any instance(s) of the Playstation/Acclaim version of Riven being faulty? I'm starting to suspect this is the case...

3. Is there any way I can find/view the ending movie from the game disc on my computer? What file/name should I look for & what should I use to view it?

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[Sylentwulf]

Only possible thought I can throw in here is theft protection? Is it an original copy?

I've never played the game, so can't help more than that though, sry.

[RJ]

It's original, bought used form GameStop this past year. The whole pkg is in pretty nice condition, the discs have no scratches/dropouts where there may be data loss. I think I'm missing something in the game itself, a certain action I'm not doing/completing that prevents me from the final step of finishing the game.

It'd be pretty cheap on Cyan's part if that's how they made the game- one thing missed & you cant solve it...plus as I wrote I followed the guide perfectly.

OK, if I cant get any game help, how 'bout a site that has the ending sequence online I can watch?

[njiska]

Only possible thought I can throw in here is theft protection? Is it an original copy?

I've never played the game, so can't help more than that though, sry.

It's not theft protection i'm sure of that. Sorry i can't help solve the problem though i haven't played it in years. Can't wait for Myst V though.

[CocoVG]

Can't wait for Myst V though.

It showed up warezed today, so it's either on the way to stores or in them already. Fantastic, the Myst series is one of the best series of games on the planet.

As to Riven, I've never encountered a problem with the code at the end. Very strange.

[Gapporin]

This is a PC game, right? There's a patch here that updates Riven to 1.02 and it might fix the problem that you've been having. It's worth a shot, anyways.

EDIT: D'oh, sorry; missed the fact that you were playing the PSX version. Move along, nothing to see...

[njiska]

I don't recall patching my copy to make it work, but it is quite possible that some people did have problems with the stock one. Plus patches never hurt.

Can't wait for Myst V though.

It showed up warezed today, so it's either on the way to stores or in them already. Fantastic, the Myst series is one of the best series of games on the planet.

As to Riven, I've never encountered a problem with the code at the end. Very strange.

Yeah it's coming out very soon but unfortunately i won't get my LE Copy for a while. It's ordered from amazon with Trace Memory so it'll be a little while yet.

[Queen Of The Felines]

3. Is there any way I can find/view the ending movie from the game disc on my computer? What file/name should I look for & what should I use to view it?

This page has some PSX movie viewers you can check out.

http://www.zophar.net/utilities/psxutil.html

Kristine

[lendelin]

... & after I release the stopper on the telescope's left leg, I enter the (correct?) 5-digit code from Catherine's journal on the 5 square buttons on the hatch, but I cant click on the hatch handle to open it- nothing happens!

Is there something required before that about signalling Atrus? He mentions that in his intro...

Sorry about being so lengthy but I needed to be specific here!

Did you try to click on the floor hatch first and enter the code before doing anything else? (like retracting the locking pin on the left leg?) Retrcting the pin first might obstruct the hatch! After the hatch is opened, you should be able to watch the star fissure in the viewfinder.

Just give in the code before fooling around with anything else of the infamous telescope! It is a long time since I played Riven on the PC, but I looked up my guide, and the above sequence of steps was described.

[RJ]

Here's what the guide says (the following sentences (R) 1997 Prima Publishing):

"Approach the telescope.

Click on the floor hatch for a close-up.

Think of the buttons numbered 1-5 from left to right.

Use the code from Catherine's journal to click the buttons in the correct order based on the numbering you did in the previous step.

Click the handle to open the hatch.

Move back from the hatch & click the viewfinder to see the starfield in the fissure. Cool! (Remember the opening sequence of Myst?)"

It goes on to say to remove the locking pin AFTER entering the 5-digit code. So yeah, I've done it both ways, using different guides each time I guess, & nothing happens to the hatch- there's no audio/visual indication at all that anything happens.

[RJ]

Well everyone, here's how DUMB I am...

I was lying there, contemplating my conundrum, when suddenly it hit me.

What I'd done was press each of the 5 buttons AS MANY TIMES each corresponding to the 5 digit code. For example, the code (this time) was 13241. I clicked the first (leftmost) button once, then the next 3 times, then the next twice, & so on.

Uh-uh. Nope. Wrong.

I was to mentally number the buttons 1-5, & then press each ONCE according to the code. I didnt even end up pressing the last button, which would be "5". Sure enough, the hatch swung open & I finished the game. The ending was well worth it. I explained what happened to my wife- she had a great laugh over it!

SO, I'm stupid, embarrassed, & thankful to all who helped me w/ this. It's good to know there's always help here if you need it from fellow gamers who know what you're talking about.

Strangely, none of the guides/walkthroughs were very specific about that part- I guess since it was my own brain that twisted/complicated it.

Now, onto Myst III: Exile...hope I don't screw that one up too.

[OLDERGAMESDOTCOM]

I just "finished" RIVEN recently...well, I got as far as trying to open the Star Fissure porthole hatch under the telescope (after prepping it correctly) but when I use the 5-digit code (from Cath's journal) nothing happens!

You need to first open the porthole using the code,
then go into the rotating beetle room on the first island
and rotate around until you reach a steam pipe with a
handle - switch the knob over which powers the telescope.

Go back out to the telescope and look for controlls on
the side. This will allow you to move the scope up and
down. Lower the scope down until it breaches and
breaks the porthole and the game will be won.

[RJ]

Er...yeah, thanks, but I figured out what I did wrong & finished it.

(see my previous post)