The Witness: Lab 01

Part A: The Glass Factory

Just West of our starting point, an abandoned glass factory may hold the key to accessing Symmetry Island.

You Are Here

Consider these aspects of the factory environment:

Key Insights

Balance	Material	Intuition	Bonus Puzzle

Balance

Upon completing the factory door puzzle you enter into a room containing vase-like objects on pedestals.

Group Discussion: What do you notice about the relationships between these objects? As you complete the puzzles in the glass factory, consider the similarities between the symmetry of the control lines, and the symmetry in the forms of these objects.

Material

Observe how the tint of the glass plate affects the color of the sky in this shot.

Group Discussion: Are there other elements in the environment that seem to affect their surroundings?

Intuition

As you complete this section of the factory, consider how the melted glass affects your ability to solve the puzzle.

Group Discussion: Did you change your problem-solving technique as the glass grew progressively distorted? If so, what did you do differently to solve it?

Bonus Puzzle

This secret puzzle can be found tucked away on the roof of the factory.

Group Discussion: I wonder what simple lesson this puzzle is trying to convey…

Once you’ve completed the glass factory, follow the powered cord to Symmetry Island.

Part B: Symmetry Island

Key Insights

Perspective	Reflection

Audio Logs

• Nicholas of Cusa:

  

• Yung-chia Ta-shih:

  

Perspective

Many of the puzzles on Symmetry Island require you to re-orient your view of the environment in order to decipher the solution.

Group Discussion: What strategies do you use to solve the puzzles when the solution is hidden from view?

Reflection

Reflection and symmetry play very important roles in many of the puzzles on this island.

Group Discussion: When solving puzzles with symmetric control-lines, do you try to solve for one line at a time, or both simultaneously? Do you consider one control-line the original, and the other its reflection?

Nicholas of Cusa

The first puzzle section you encounter after taking a left through the first gate has an audiotape sitting on the ground next to it.

View Excerpt

Yung-chia Ta-shih

Just after passing through the second gate on the island hang left to find a side-path to a shaded area, and an audiotape resting on the ground.

View Excerpt

Completing The Island

This part of the island is complete when the final puzzle is solved and the laser fires into the sky. Nice work!

The Witness Journal Entry #1

Write a journal entry on what you learned from this lab. Pretend that you are a scientist exploring this island for the very first time. Choose one of the prompts below (either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) to respond to in your journal entry.

1. A Puzzling Puzzle

   • After reflecting on a puzzle in this area, what was most confusing about it and why? Are there still aspects of the puzzle you don’t understand? Explain.

   • What approaches or techniques did you use to improve your understanding of the puzzle?

   • Describe the feelings you experienced as you worked through your confusion to ultimately solve the puzzle.

2. Discovering The Nature of The Island

   • What other signs of life or existence did you discover in this area that give clues to the nature of the island? Explain.

   • Reflect on a part of the environment you found beautiful or strange. Why did it capture your attention? If it helps, you may include a screenshot here in addition (not substitution) to your written work.

3. Experiencing An “Aha!” Moment

   • Did you have an “Aha!” moment while you were attempting to solve any particular puzzle? Describe the moment when you finally figured it out.

   • How do you think other puzzles in the area informed your approach to solving this one?

   • How has your perception and understanding of the puzzle changed once you found the solution?

4. The Purpose of The Game

   • Do you have a theory on what the purpose of this game is? Explain it.

   • Why are you here?

   • What lessons have you taken away from playing this game so far?

5. Environmental Entwinement

   • Describe an aspect of the environment that improved your understanding of the puzzles.

   • In what way did the environment assist you in understanding the nature of a given puzzle?

   • How might the environment reflect properties of a puzzle or puzzles?

   • How might this area’s puzzles reflect aspects of the environment?

   • Does the environment play a part in solving these puzzles? Explain the environment’s role in this area, and how you discovered it.

6. Audio Log Reflections

   • Respond to the content of an audio log in this area. In your own words, explain the message behind the content of the log. What is the speaker trying to say? Do you agree with him or her?

   • Why do you think these audio log(s) were chosen for this location of the game?

   • In what way do the audio log(s) relate to the puzzles in this area?

Final Journal Requirement:

After responding to one of the items above, discuss the solution to a particular puzzle that challenged you. Explain the mechanics of this puzzle in detail and how you came to understand them. If it helps, feel free to include screenshots or sketches of the puzzle.