Myst III: Exile Hints

When does the ball go through each ring?

• 1 of 12: It just so happens that the ball will pass through each of the 5 gears just as it crosses one of the 5 force fields.
• 2 of 12: Of course, the key is to figure out which light/gear shape goes with which force field.
• 3 of 12: You could figure this out one field at a time, by starting the puzzle to see where the ball goes, setting the dials next to the first force field that shatters the ball, and repeating as necessary.  But that's not the only thing you can do.
• 4 of 12: Basically, trace out the path that the ball has to take before you start the puzzle.  It may even help to walk the path out yourself.
• 5 of 12: First, realize that the ball first crosses the center of the tracks on the upper level, then goes down to the lower level of that central structure, goes back to the upper level, etc.
• 6 of 12: The tracks are all perfectly straight on the upper level, so the ball won't turn when it's on the upper level.  It only turns when it gets to the lower level.
• 7 of 12: Labeling the rings as follows:
  
          C
      B       D
      A       E
          *
  
  the ball will start at *  and proceed to C.  You also know that the ball has to exit the tracks at the end.
• 8 of 12: This means it goes to through the E last.
• 9 of 12: And since the ball has to go across the upper tracks to get there, it comes straight from the ring at B.
• 10 of 12: Those are the three positions you can know for sure.  If you look at how the bottom tracks intersect, you might be able figure out the order of the remaining two rings.  At least, I looked at the tracks and made an educated guess, although that might have been pure luck.
• 11 of 12: The ball goes from C to A when it reaches the bottom tracks the first time.
• 12 of 12: This means the full path of the ball is C -- A -- D -- B -- E.

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