OBSIDIAN     
Hints and Tips

   * The Bureau
   * Spider Realm
        o Fire Balcony
        o Air Balcony
        o Metal Balcony
        o Oil Balcony
   * Bismuth
        o The Plane
        o The Statue
        o The Piazza
        o The Church of the Machine
        o The Frame in the Sky
   * Conductor Realm
        o Max's Prison
        o Control Room

I've broken this section into two separate areas: one for gentle and
semi-gentle hints; the second is spoilers and walkthroughs. I've placed the
spoilers in a separate page to prevent any accidental glimpsing of the
solutions. Consider it instant-gratification prevention.

The Bureau

The majority of The Bureau can be figured out with the help of the
upside-down section of the manual. If, for some reason, you're one of those
types that derives some perverse pleasure from torturing yourself by not
reading the instructions, do so.

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Spider Realm

A general hint for this realm is to make sure you find all the places you
can travel to. Specifically, several of the large scaffolds in the center
of the factory can be climbed. This is not always immediately obvious and
bears mentioning to save your sanity and keep frustrations levels low.

Once you have harnessed each of the elements, returning through the portal
will take you to a sort of control room. You will be shown a large star
field through a window, and a small snapshot of whatever balcony you just
returned from. Note that you can look down from the view of the stars,
where you'll find the photo, a strange central symbol, and four slots with
matching icons.

Hints:

   * One photograph, four slots. That's a 25% chance.
   * Ancient civilizations created constellations in the stars, usually of
     symbols that held some import or power to them. The symbol on the
     center of the console seems pretty important to someone...

Fire Balcony

The Fire Balcony is only one scene: a starkly evocative image of a strange
tree waving its limbs up and down against a fiery sky.

Gentle hints:

   * Beneath each limb, a rod is set into the rock. Click them and watch
     what happens.
   * Did you notice the sun peeking through the clouds?

Less gentle:

   * Clicking and holding on the rods causes the appropriate limb to stop
     waving. By doing so, you can change the order in which the limbs touch
     the rods.
   * Lightning never strikes the same place twice - it strikes different
     places all in sequence.
   * What would happen if lightning were to strike a rod when a limb was
     touching it?

                          
Air Balcony

The Air Balcony is a landscape of gray-purple spheres, a strange cannon,
and a tornado. Note than you can look down from the screen with the cannon.

Gentle hints:

   * Ready, aim, fire: the cannon fires a sphere, which strikes the ground
     and causes a column to raise up. Tornadoes don't like cylinders.
   * Maybe that break in the pipe has something to do with something...

Less gentle:

   * Hmm, some sponge balls and some air squeezers. Try arranging the balls
     in various ways on the grid.

                           

Metal Balcony

A parade of nanobots, leaping off a rock formation and depositing green
somethings into a funnel. Then, they stop.

Gentle hints:

   * There's a conveyor belt with a strange symbol. Press the button.
   * Look inside the access panel at the other end of the conveyor belt.
     We've got an empty space that seems to hold a container - maybe some
     kind of catalyst?
   * Make a note of the "formula" on the back wall of the access panel.
   * How did you fare in chemistry class? Not so good? To the right of the
     chemistry set are some instructional videos. Watch them, and take good
     notes, student!
   * Also, students are advised to study the Periodic Table overhead.

Less gentle:

   * You need to prepare a formula that changes "green" into "orange".
   * You've got a vial of "green" to test your theories.
   * Compare the diagram overhead with the arrangement of test tubes on the
     left. Pouring a test tube into a beaker will show you the "number" of
     that element.
   * Watch the videos again, paying close attention to what happens when
     two "double" elements are combined. There's a rule that obeys when
     they mix and when they don't. Count your "pips".

                           

Oil Balcony

The Oil Balcony is a sandy dune-covered place with an elaborate sand
castle. Those sound like seagulls in the distance...

Gentle hints:

   * There's a number written in the sand at your feet. Find something else
     that will use these numbers.
   * Something's wrong with the ocean - it's out of sync.

Less gentle:

   * Can't find any more oil? The ocean is a great source of oil, but the
     choppy waves make any kind of drilling impossible. Smoother seas would
     probably make a big difference.
   * Did you cross the suspension bridge that leads into the and castle?
     Not the way to the oil collector, but around the front. Up the long,
     long spiral staircase is a survey map that might help you look for
     oil. Scroll the map to a spot that produced oil, but is now dry. The
     map still looks the same, however. Pay attention to those topographic
     lines and see if you can find a similar arrangement somewhere else.

                           

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Bismuth

Junkyard

Not much to do here, except to scale the mountains of junk.

The Plane

Fly, fly away. At least that's the general plan. Might take some pre-flight
work, however.

Gentle hints:

   * Have a seat, pilot. Make sure you look to the right to check out your
     copilot.
   * Turn her on and let's fly. Hmmm. No power. Maybe you should go aft and
     check on the engine.

Less gentle:

   * Watch the nanobots go round and round. Did you look at what they're
     turning? It's called a zoetrope.
   * First waves, now wings. Perhaps something is out of order.

                           
The Statue

A gigantic Bismuth, towering over everything in sight. Upstairs, don't miss
the fabulous museum exhibits. Take a painting class from Bismuth.

Gentle hints:

   * Try the yellow button. Watch the shapes change. Submit with the green
     button. Watch him paint.
   * Did you try moving any of those pieces? Weird...
   * Did you notice what happens when you try to combine two of the shapes
     on the tray? Nothing happens. Exactly.

Less gentle:

   * Didn't that empty frame say something about the artist combining what
     came before into a work of his own?
   * Bismuth doesn't like any of your designs? Maybe he's a minimalist.
     Remember the old art adage: Less is more.

                           
The Piazza

Don't worry, it's not a chess problem.

Gentle hints:

   * Quite a collection of strange objects, isn't it? Have you noticed you
     can click on any of them that you can see, even if they're not
     directly adjacent to you? Keep moving and selecting objects until
     something unusual happens - it always does. Interesting "music", isn't
     it?
   * On the "north" side of the piazza is a place from which you can ascend
     to the balcony overlooking the piazza. Stand either on the square with
     the chess queen or the large urn and face the wall.

Less gentle:

   * "To find success, you must first trap inspiration." A trap is a device
     or plan that prevents someone or something from moving. Where was the
     last place you saw Bismuth in the video clip?
   * Listen to the music when you step off a square. Count the notes. There
     seems to be a correlation between the number of notes played and where
     you find Bismuth hiding behind the playing pieces.
   * Practice playing on the miniature game in the balcony. It's much
     easier when you can see everything at once. Also, one piece has been
     taken away kind of like you can do by clicking on one of the full-size
     objects.

                          
The Church of the Machine

Worshipping machines is not a devotion limited to the citizens of the
Internet; Re-visit your old friend The Spider and see what he can do for
you, not to you.

Gentle hints:

   * Don't overlook Bismuth, who's sitting quietly reading a book. Maybe
     it's a book of spiritual rituals.
   * In the catherdral below sits Abraxas, quietly waiting for you to give
     him some orders.
   * What about the blank circuit chip? Three spaces, three designs. Hmmm
   * Welcome to the world of robot programming. Program a sequence of steps
     and enjoy the ride.

Less gentle:

   * Your goal is to have the spider hold the chip up to each of the three
     stained-glass windows. Each one will imprint one of the three mystical
     symbols on the chip.
   * Note that the sequence of maneuvers will loop back to the beginning
     once the sequence is complete.
   * Also, it's helpful to note that any of the three "turn" moves include
     making the turn and also moving one space forward simultaneously.
   * You have to do it all in one process or the chip's memory gets erased
     and you have to start over. Don't overlook the advantages of the
     square loop in the "south" part of the cathedral. Those mystic symbols
     sure look similar to the programming buttons on the Spiders's control
     console
   * Remember Bismuth and his book? Check back with him periodically - he
     occasionally reads further, shedding more light onto the mysterious
     rituals. (Thanks to Pete Hill for this.)

                          
The Frame in the Sky

It's not really a place, but a passageway. If you haven't been to the
Statue and the Church of the Machine, you'll have to complete those areas
first. Also, while probably not strictly necessary, playing the game in the
Piazza will come in quite helpful.

Gentle hints:

   * Let Bismuth fly the Plane. He knows where to go.
   * Listen carefully when Bismuth gives you directions during the
     pre-flight check. One of his commands is a bit hard to understand, and
     confusion is natural, sometimes even beneficial.

Less gentle:

   * Was that B2 or D2 as the second command? Hmmm
   * "Kill sequence and begin again." You don't always have to do what
     you're told.
   * Interesting, isn't it, that the pre-flight switch panel has the same
     number of switches as the Piazza has squares?
   * Did you just flip those switches blindly, neglecting to check the
     indicator lights underneath? Interesting.

                         
Conductor Realm

I take no responsibility for any nightmares this relatively small realm may
lead to. I know it freaked me out.

Max's Prison

Hints:

   * I don't know how to hint toward the obvious goal, all I can say is pay
     attention to the fact that the sections move until they run into
     another section. If anyone has a specific moves list for this puzzle,
     please e-mail it and I'll add it in.
   * Once you reach Max, you'll need to disrupt the flow of energy that's
     keeping him prisoner. Look down and yank out that vial of icky orange
     stuff and he'll be freed. I'd really hate to learn that this is the
     orange stuff we worked so hard to make in the Steel Balcony chemistry
     lab

The Chip

All I know is that it's the crossover chip from the Plane.

Control Room

Ah, the Conductor. Isn't she a sweetheart? Max wants you to flip the
switches on the panel to crash the entire system. Easier than it sounds.

Hints:

   * Again, I don't have a specific moves list, but I do know how it works.
     Max told you to flip "the 8 switches" to defeat the protection. When
     the switches "move", half of them do not get covered again. By
     "covered", I mean they don't have the camouflage moving onto them.
     It's the other 8 you need to flip. Sit far back from your monitor and
     try-not to go blind by crossing your eyes and trying to watch a large
     area.