What am I missing?

[Starcatcher Xero]

Hi, folks. I've been wandering around the island for about 36 hours or so. My current puzzle count is 444 +130 +4 (out of ... who knows how much, 800 at this point?). I've gotten the normal, Willy-Wonka-elevator-everything-resets-and-you're-flown-back-to-start ending. I want to try to 100% the game, but I'm completely stumped. I know that there's supposed to be some sort of cave/tunnel system beneath the island (which I bet has most of the other puzzles I'm missing), but I cannot for the life of me seem to find an entrance!

Well, I did find the theater in the tunnel underneath the windmill (and have only been able to find 5 out of 6 lines that unlock the videos), but that's it. I've found 2 or 3 other doors that link to the caves, but every single one of them has a lock panel on the opposite side of the door! I can't figure out how to get to the walkway above the theater, I can't figure out how to get to the tunnel beyond the desert elevator, I can't figure out how to get to the cave beyond the hidden path on the mountain-side of the colored pools section, &c. I keep getting blocked by one-way exit doors.

I swear I've explored everywhere, but clearly not. There's got to be something I'm overlooking. What am I missing here? Can anyone give me a hint or something? How do I explore underground?

[MASTAN]

Hint - lasers, mountain.

[Starcatcher Xero]

Hi, MASTAN. Thanks for the reply. I suppose I should also mention that I have all 11 lasers activated and aimed at the mountain's summit (including bouncing the desert laser off the panel in the town). Are there more than 11? Is there something I should be seeing up there? Maybe something hidden in that column of office chairs and monitors? Or something specifically about the lasers themselves?

Sorry, it's just that I read your hint and my first though was, "I already did that." So, your hint leaves me no less confused than before.

[Starcatcher Xero]

Man ... there are still so many other questions, too ...

Like, in the mountain challenge, just before the double doors that open to the final puzzles that wrap around several pillars, there's this statue of a guy sitting on the floor with puzzle pieces and a panel. That panel has to turn on. I'm sure of it. There are power cables running into it. But, I haven't seen any way to turn it on.

Also, why is there suddenly a woman statue in the lake? And why is the lantern she's holding suddenly flickering? I don't think it was flickering before. Is it even significant?

Oh, this game. I swear. It's nice and all, I want to keep going, but my brain is melting, and I'm apparently nowhere near as observant as I need to be.

[MASTAN]

Yes, 11 lasers.

Here's more hints:
What lasers actually unlock?
You need only 7 lasers to get into the mountain, but you need all of them for something else.

[Starcatcher Xero]

Hmm ... 7 unlocks the mountain, and 11 unlocks something else, I see ...

Based on your previous hint, the 11 unlock something that is also located either on or in the mountain, right?

[MASTAN]

Pay attention to what first 7 lasers actually unlock.

[Starcatcher Xero]

Oh no ... I never really went to the top of the mountain until I unlocked all 11 lasers. Would I have noticed a difference if I had gone up there immediately after unlocking 7 lasers? I had just assumed that unlocking 7 lasers opened the panel on the box that statue was carrying, but I decided I would just wait and not go up there until all 11 lasers were activated.

In doing things this way, did I end up screwing myself out of finding out on my own what was really happening up there?

[Starcatcher Xero]

Taking a look at the box again. Sure enough, there are 7 hinges that flip open, presumably one hinge for each laser. You're saying the first 7 lasers do something else? What the hell ...? I wish I'd have snooped around up here earlier. Maybe I wouldn't be so confused right now.

[MASTAN]

Yes, 7 lasers open 7 hinges. You're almost there.

[MASTAN]

Originally posted by Starcatcher Xero:

In doing things this way, did I end up screwing myself out of finding out on my own what was really happening up there?

No, it's fine.

[Pesky]

Whole answer is SPOILERS.

You have not blocked or locked yourself out of any way to continue. Assuming you've reloaded a game from before the Great Glass Elevator ride, you can continue. You did very well to get 444, by the way.

The first 7 lasers do something to an object. Had you stopped there you would have been able to do what you've done to that object, and continue as you already have. But you have activated an additional 4 lasers, which does even more to that object. Take a very good close-up look at that object from all angles. Do you see anything about it that looks unused or not activated ?

[Pesky]

By the way, very soon after the Great Glass Elevator ride you should have been looking at an opportunity to go somewhere new and see new and very cool things. Did you get that ? You can now trigger the ride at any time and then restore a save from before it.

[Starcatcher Xero]

While looking around just now, I noticed that the boxes that the lasers are housed in are pretty much exactly the same as the lock box on top of the mountain. Same patterns on the surface and everything. So, 7 lasers in 7 yellow boxes unlock 7 hinges on an identical yellow box. That sparked a thought ... is there an 11-hinged yellow lock box somewhere else? Where the hell could that be? I don't think I've ever seen one.

[Starcatcher Xero]

Oh, someone new. Hello, Pesky. Thank you for your comments. Aaah, give me some time to process everything!

[Starcatcher Xero]

Oh, I don't ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ believe it! I just found it! How did I not see that before?! The lock box with 7 hinges has 4 more on the bottom! MASTAN's hints got me on the right logical path, and then Pesky's hint prompted me to go take another look, and I IMMEDIATELY found it. Thanks, guys!

Hopefully, this is exactly the answer I need to find my way into the underground caves.