ANY THREE THE HARD WAY WALKTHOUGH?

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Hi, everyone.

Currently playing Three the Hard Way and have reached the colored tile puzzle in Burlington at the place where the Zebulon cult resides.

Let's just say I'm having a very difficult time trying to solve it and I need the solution to the puzzle itself, if possible.

Thank you in advance.
IIRC, if you keep looping around the room without solving the puzzle, the monks will eventually show up and offer to let you fight them to pass through without having to solve the puzzle. I think 99% of players opted to fight the monks. If you do manage to solve the puzzle, though, you get Vance's best weapon in the game.
That was really his best weapon? I seem to recalled changing it after a while. Oh well, best not to argue with the game designer ^_^
Ryethe: IIRC you beta-tested the game. I think I made it his best weapon when I released it.
I am stuck at the advandced crystal puzzle in kure and I can't figure out how to solve it.
does anyone have clue how to solve this puzzle ?

btw. I really enjoyed the game so far. great work iishenron
I can't remember exactly how to complete that puzzle; but I do remember it requires reversing the crystals row by row (like you did on the previous puzzle, just on a much, much more massive scale) and then by column.
I've solved the puzzle 20 minutes ago... but thanks anyway...
I'm excited about what will happen next :D
Since iishenron himself is watching this thread, I thought I'd ask about two things that have been bugging me for a while.

1) I started writing a walkthrough for TTHW a long time ago, but I haven't finished it yet since, well... TTHW has so many alternative paths and optional quests. I recently finished my Rune Tablet Fragment and Alchemy Reagents list, and I've got a pretty long list of techniques and items, but there's one thing I just can't find : the Crane Fist technique for Anderson. It's in the database, and I believe it was implemented into every fight, but I'm not sure it made it into the final version. So, if it exists, would you please enlighten me before I go crazy? ;)

2) WARNING : Spoilers below.

Just wondering, will we ever know more about who the Kaibutsu Lords really were? At first I thought they were just magically spawned incarnations of evil, but after seeing Catawba I'm not so sure anymore. Sure, she has an insane ideology and does a lot more harm than good, but she seemed to genuinely care about making the world a better place, and if you don't kill her she even comes back to Burlington to chat with her daughter (who's none other than Duchess Fayette herself - heh, it took me a long time to gather enough evidence to prove that Catawba is in fact Kitrell) to see how she's doing, and it seems she still has some feelings for North as well. So I was really curious about whether they would be coming back in one of your next stories (that is, if they weren't utterly destroyed by the False Vicar's defeat).
Oh, and while I'm at it... Both "pawns" of the Govan (Carolus and Fayette) had a Kaibutsu Lord as one of their parents (well, it's never explicitly stated, but Ramseur is probably Carolus' father). Did Ramseur actually order Catawba to have a child with Salem, or is it just a coincidence?


And I should congratulate you for making one of the best RM games ever. TTHW was the second RM2k game I played, and I had no idea it would be this good. I literally couldn't stop playing until I finished it. :D

EDIT : Added spoiler tag.
Just stopping by to say ShadowBlade, a TTHW walkthrough would be amazing. One of the things I liked so much about the game was the massive volume of optional content, but it seemed fairly unlikely that I'd ever actually discover it all by myself!
Seconded - TTHW is very, very long if you try to complete every quest and every path. As soon as I can read my old notes again (I'll be at my father's house for a few days), I'll post the Rune Tablet/Alchemy/Item/Skill list here, as well as the puzzle solutions (I was one of the few who managed to solve the Zebulon Cult puzzle and the Kure Crystal puzzle). Originally I wanted to wait until I finished the whole walkthrough, but since it will likely take a while, I might as well share the most important stuff right now.

Here's some useful combat stuff I remember, as a preview :

Pacolet 2 reagents : Acorns can be gotten by defeating Greenwoods on Kiawah Island (in Duke Winston's duchy). Coconuts can be bought from the coconut seller, also on Kiawah Island. Eyes of Newt can be gotten by defeating Gingriches (which can be found in Fairmont Tower, among other places). Wax can be gotten by defeating Megapedes (you can find some in the underground passage that links Pittsboro to Durham Valley). Some of the monsters in Fairfax Forest will sometimes drop Mystic Resins. The Sporulus monsters in North's trial can also drop Mystic Resins. Some of the monsters you can summon with the Grimorum Gladia can drop Mystic Resins as well. As for Hardened Slime, well, there are plenty of places where you can get some. The easiest way to get it is to kill slimes near in the Somerset forest.

Red Crescent spell : Gotten after winning enough battles with Vance's Scimitar. You can buy a Scimitar in Durham after Vance is back from the Seal of Candor, and there's also a Scimitar somewhere in the Cumberland. Watch out, some bosses are immune to this spell, and Benson and the Ice Stujin will both do something very nasty if you try to use this spell against them.

Suicide Blast : Vance and Holly can use this skill when they have a Wakizashi equipped. You can buy one in Edisto once you've gotten the quest to defeat the Kaibutsu Lords.

Rune Ankh : Grants a powerful spell to the character who equips it. Vance and Holly get Rune Slash (moderately useful attack spell), Fayette gets Rune Heal (heal/mass resurrect spell; if used with Suicide Blast it can allow you to bypass every single random encounter in the game), Kanna gets Nullification (mass silence spell), Clifton, North and Roper get Rune Plague (if successful, it will lower the target's HP to one in two rounds - only Ramsur and the False Vicar are immune to this spell), and Tatum gets Rune Arrow (instant death spell that you can't use unless you fix a database bug). The Rune Ankh is one of the four possible rewards for bringing Robeson enough Rune Tablets.

Crystal Necklace : Before investigating the Cult of Zebulon, talk to Biggs in the Burlington inn. After you get the Kaibutsu Lord quest, go the Casino in Pittsboro desert. Talk to Biggs again. Now go to Ehrhardt forest and explore, eventually you'll meet Biggs again. Talk to him. Go to Orangeburg and search the town, and you'll find Biggs yet again. Talk to him. Go to the battlefield south of Somerset (you get there from the world map) and, guess what, talk to Biggs. Finally, go to the Fairmont Tower and speak with everyone on the bottom floor. One of the people will tell you about a weird guy. Go to the Fairmont Inn. Biggs is there. Talk to him to get your well-deserved reward.

Crystal Tiara : I'm not going to tell you much about this item (this quest is one of the most interesting quests in the whole game - you get to learn about some of Anderson's past), but it has something to do with the casino in the Pittsboro Desert. It's also funnier if you do it before defeating Manteo.

There, now no one should have any trouble with the late-game battles anymore. Even Manteo falls quickly to Pacolet 2 spells.

Some hints for Kanna's books (I'll give more detailed hints once I have my notes again):

Grimorum Folklora : Kanna starts with it.
Grimorum Minima : On a bookshelf in Bragg.
Grimorum Gladia : In the Zebulon Cult.
Grimorum Aurum : In Kure.
Grimorum Chronos : In a chest in Manteo's Wheel (that's Manteo's dungeon - after you visit him in Newton Grove, go to the Seal of Candor in the thought realm and Manteo will send you to the Wheel).
Grimorum Avia : In Upper Arcadia. The only way to get to Upper Arcadia is to choose the Arcadian path when you're trying to reach Dillon for the first time.
Grimorum Calculus: In the cave in Ehrhardt Forest (past the clock puzzle).
Grimorum Universalis piece #1 : Find a place with two graves near West Hildebrand (you get there from the outdoor map). Look at both graves and open the chest that appears.
Grimorum Universalis piece #2 : In the Halifax lighthouse. You need the Grimorum Calculus to break into the room with the bookshelf.
Grimorum Universalis piece #3 : In an area past Estill forest. If you haven't defeated Orrum yet, you may have to fight a Perotian and two Dillon soldiers to get it.
Grimorum Universalis piece #4 : After getting the Kaibutsu Lord quest, go to the Fairmont Tower and got to the top floor. Speak with Lucama and she'll give you her piece.
Grimorum Universalis piece #5 : Gotten from Saluda. She lives in Beaufort duchy and you'll need to give her three Rune Tablet Fragments.
Grimorum Anathema : If you didn't kill Benson and Mauldin in Arcadia, you'll get this Grimorum near the end of the game.

Tiger's Claw Stance : Gotten from a bookshelf in Bragg.
Bear's Paw Stance : If you didn't kill Benson and Mauldin in Arcadia, you'll eventually get dumped to the lowest floor when exploring the tower in Ravenel. The Bear's Paw skill scroll is in a semi-secret room somewhere...
Crane Fist Stance : Like I said before, I'm not even sure if it's possible to get it.

And since there are still people wondering when the Kaibutsu Lord quest ends, it ends after you defeat 4 Kaibutsu Lords *or* after you defeat Teachey the Discordian.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
TTHW fucking RULES.
Does anyone know how to translate Anderson's parchment which you receive while trying to prove his innocence at Erhardt? I've been really curious about Anderson's past...
I don't think there's anything you can do with the parchment. The only one who can tell you about Anderson's past is Lockhart during the Crystal Tiara quest.
Just wondering... who the hell is Red Arrow? :-\ At first I thought it was an indication of a sequel and some unanswered questions and mysteries would unfold in it. But unfortunately, that's not to be :'( iishenron, if you are reading this, please consider making TTHW 2 as there many fans dying to get back to their favourite characters. This game is so loved even after all these years is proof enough. It's really popular even among newer RPG players who would actually prefer XP & VX but love TTHW for its really intriguing plot, characters, great dialogues, etc.

TTHW is one of the best RPG's I've ever played. It rivals many of the commercial games too in terms of storyline and characterisation. I enjoyed it so much that I didn't stop until I had checked out all 3 paths and defeated all 7 Kaibutsu Lords ;D And Shadowblade, a walkthrough would be great! Many would be grateful to you for it :)
Some people think the Red Arrow may or may not be Anderson. We don't know. Anyway -

"I started playing a little bit of it again not too long ago, after not touching it for well over a year. I realized how much I missed working with Vance and the other characters. This isn't to say that I dislike the current cast I'm working with in The Queen's Court, or even that I'm forever done with writing about the TTHW group." - iishenron on his website (that was, admittedly, a while ago).

iishenron probably plans to make a direct sequel to TTHW. Just not anytime soon, it seems. The Queen's Court is a sequel to TTHW, but I really doubt the TTHW cast will play a big part in it.
EDIT : Whoops, the puzzle maps aren't displayed properly on the forum, it seems. Oh well, they work in my text document, so at least the walkthrough will look all right when I release it. :P

Kure Final Puzzle

G = Golden Crystal; P = Purple Crystal.

The room will look like this when you first enter :

GGPPP
GGPPP
GG PP
GGGPP
GGGPP

You must switch the crystals that way :

PPGGG
PPGGG
PP GG
PPPGG
PPPGG

Here's a crude reference map for the squares :



First Row ABCDE
Second Row FGHIJ
Third Row KLMNO
Fourth Row PQRST
Fifth Row UVWXY

"Use" the squares in the following order :

1. : N,L,K,M,O,N,L,M.
2. : H.
3. : I,G,F,H,J,I,G,H.
4. : R.
5. : S,Q,P,R,T,S,Q,R.
6. : W.
7. : X,V,U,W,Y,X,V,W.
8. : M,C.
9. : D,B,A,C,E,D,B,C.
10. : H,R,M.



Zebulon Cult Puzzle

The Control Panel Trick : As you've probably noticed, the control panel (eastern sign) in the room only allows you to flip one row at any given time. The row it allows you to flip is chosen randomly whenever you go through one of the doors. As an example, if you want to flip the right row, and the control panel has chosen to only left you flip the left row, go though the northern door (it's closer to the panel than any of the other doors), then immediately go back through the southern door. The squares will be unchanged, but the control panel will reset. Look at it again, and this time it'll hopefully allow you to flip the row you want. If not, repeat the process until you get the row you wanted to flip.

B = Blue Square, Y = Yellow Square, G = Green Square, R = Red

The room will *always* look like this when you first enter or when you reset the puzzle :

BGGR
YBRR
BYGB
GRYY

Here's a walkthough (meant to be used *with* the Control Panel Trick, of course) :

1. Flip the left row.
2. Go down, flip the left row.
3. Go left, then go down, then flip the left row.
4. Go left, flip the top row.
5. Go down, go right, flip the bottom row.
6. Go down, flip the left row.
7. Go up, flip the left row. The room should now look like this :

GRRG
BBBB
YYYY
GRGR

8. Go right, flip the right row.
10. Go right, flip the top row, then flip the bottom row.
11. Go left, flip the bottom row. Then flip the right row to complete the puzzle.


Cumberland Mountains Puzzle

Apparently, it's nearly impossible to understand how this puzzle works if you don't open the game with RM2k, and even then it's not all that easy to solve. Maybe iishenron expected most people to solve it by walking randomly through the caves.

When you want to go back to the entrance after reaching one of the four places worth noting, just go back the way you came.

To the first treasure room :

1. Go though the middle door.
2. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
3. Go through the middle door.
4. Follow the path and you will reach the first treasure room.


To the second treasure room :

1. Go through the right door.
2. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
3. Go through the middle door.
4. Follow the path until you reach the treasure room.


To the third treasure room :

1. Go through the right door.
2. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
3. Go through the right door.
4. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
5. Go through the middle door.
6. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
7. Go through the left door.
8. Follow the path until you reach the treasure room.


To Teachey "Strife Dragon" the Discordian :

1. Go through the left door.
2. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
3. Go through the left door.
4. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
5. Go through the left door.
6. Leave through the northern exit.
7. Go through the left door.
8. Follow the path until you reach the next intersection.
9. Go though the left door.
10. Follow the path until you reach the next screen.
11. Save if you wish, then enter the house.
12. Look at the bed in front of you. The screen will flash, and the surroundings will change. Look at the clock near the northeastern corner of the room. The surroundings will change yet again. Now look at the potted plant in the southwestern corner of the room. You will now see the "true" room. Open the chest to find a revive, then leave through the northern door.


Should you ever get lost in the Cumberland Mountains (because you wandered randomly or something), you may eventually end up on the right side of a chasm. Should this happen, you can use the Grimorum Avia to fly to the other side. Go though the left door. You'll be at the Vertical Node. Go through the left door and you'll be at the Inner Bridge. Go north and you'll be outside Teachey's shrine.


Rune Tablets and some other stuff coming soon.

In the meantime, if you ever wondered about the Kai Lords' ranks, here they are :

Ramseur the Stratifier is ranked #1 (duh).
Teachey the Discordian is ranked #2 (Both Kanna and Manteo say that Teachey is stronger than Orrum, who's the third lord. Since Ramseur is the leader, that means Teachey the Discordian is the second Kaibutsu Lord).
Orrum the Ravager is ranked #3 (Marion says so when she's using her Hazel disguise).
Catawba the Perverse Ideologue is ranked #4 (she says so).
Manteo the Trickster is ranked #5 (He tells Holly about it in the Tharsele Shrine provided they did not meet before).
Clio the Maledictor (Iva) is ranked #6 (she says so).
Elko the Perjurer is ranked #7 (well, he's the only one left).
Whoa! :o That's really impressive, good job!
@ShadowBlade: That is simply incredible!! Mind if I post these solutions in another forum? I'll definitely credit you. Thanks! Oh, and looking forward to the walkthrough!
Thanks! And sure, you can post this wherever you want. :)
This will be a rambling post -

RE Gameplay.

After reading Shadowblade's post, I realize just how much I've actually forgotten about the game ... but I do think the Crane Fist was in there. Somewhere ...

If I did it over again, I'd make Kanna more accessible. I'd also put in a system like Mana Khemia* where you can have the party members who are sitting on the bench hunt ingredients for alchemy. As it stands, though, she's murder on bosses; with the right alchemy spell, she can solo the final boss in two rounds. That's at the top of the list of things I'd do differently.

There WAS a gimmick to the Cumberland Mountains. I'll PM it to you.

RE Plot questions -

TTHW (and QC) are both sidestories of a main story I'm supposedly working on. QC's taking me a long time (due to IRL, also due to it just being a lot tougher to make) but I hope it's worth it. I will say you'll see some TTHW characters in QC, though some have larger roles than others. A good deal of questions will be answered ... eventually.


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