Near the end of Haven Age.

[ANGH3LL1C]

So there’s a puzzle near the end of Haven, where you need a monkey or something (I’ll call him White Beard) to throw a fruit at a lizard in a pit so he gets put to sleep. Problem is, I can’t get White Beard into the throwing station in time before the lizard escapes the pit, and it’s frustrating as hell. Can I skip this puzzle and complete the Age still?

[Ghidrah1]

I hate to be explicit but this puzzle is a bit convoluted so here goes, it's been a while since I played but, from my notes, this is the setup and the route I use.

Number the 5 huts A to E from right to left. There're 4 Mangrees involved in the puzzle, White Beard, (the thrower) designated "WB", 2 Ears Down, "2ED", 1 Ear Down, (1ED) and 2 Ears Up, "2EU". WB begins in nest "B", 1ED sits in nest "E", 2EU sits in nest "D" and 2ED sits in nest "C".

Move the Mangs in this order.
E-A, D-E, A-D, B-A, C-B, D=C, E-D, A-E, D-A, C-D, Throw.

[ANGH3LL1C]

I've been using a guide for this final puzzle, I just so happen to not be fast enough once the lizard is in the pit. I can move them around just fine before getting the thing into the pit, but as soon as it does I can't get White Beard into the throwing station fast enough, which is why I need a way to skip the puzzle. I've had to reset it 5 times now and I'm still not fast enough, plus walking back and forth between the hut and the puzzle just to reset it is annoying and tiresome. The other puzzles I can beat with ease, it's just this one puzzle that is preventing me from completing the Age.

[ANGH3LL1C]

And I already knew the order, that's not the problem. The problem is the game is such a stickler for precision that if I mess up after the lizard is in the pit I need to start over again because it takes far too long for me to nail the call, hence why I'm not even close to fast enough to finish the puzzle.

[Ghidrah1]

Just in case you aren’t aware, when using the throw call any Mang in the throwing hut will pop out and throw a berry toward the center of the area as long as Shecky isn’t below his hut, however only one Mangree, (white beard) throws well.

If your problem is with recreating the sounds I sympathize with you it took me a while too. Consider the number of rotations of each sound device e.g. 1-1 1/2 rotations for a short and 3 for a long. Also the speed at which you rotate the lever.

[ANGH3LL1C]

So there is no way to skip this puzzle?

[Ghidrah1]

None that I'm aware, I muscled through it till I had the rhythm and length down then it didn't seem so bad.
If you even come close to my demeanor when playing through overly frustrating moments, maybe take a day or 2 off, it helped save many items around my PC from being crushed.

I'm also not aloud to play with open windows.

[HoboG]

You can do it! This is the worst puzzle in the game, it all goes up from here

[ANGH3LL1C]

Okay I typically hate necroing, but I stopped trying to play Myst IV because I got really really frustrated. Is there any way for me to do this puzzle? It’s the only reason why I haven’t progressed on one of my favourite game series.

[hepzighyll]

I wrote down on a note pad the moves I had to make to get white beard to throw once he was in the right nest. So I could simply follow my instructions on which wheel to turn and by how much i.e. long or short turn. So saving my game once the mangrees are all in the right nests, I followed my instructions and turned the wheels quickly not waiting at all between each call. That did it. See: https://www.fisicx.com/revelation/walkthrough.htm You CAN do it with a little help from a game walkthrough which I only used here as I too was frustrated by such an exacting puzzle and trying to keep the hand pointer doing as I want it to. Keep going, its worth it.

[Ghidrah1]

Pixplay, your 2nd post this thread, I missed it my previous posts.

I can move them around just fine before getting the thing into the pit, but as soon as it does I can't get White Beard into the throwing station fast enough

WB should be in the throwing hut prior to Shecky falling into the pit. If you save before moving any of the Mangs then follow my instructions you'll take Shecky out.

WB moves into the throwing hut at the 8th move A-E, the next move positions Shecky at hut A. Move 10 C-D repositions 1 ear down from hut C to D forcing Shecky into the pit

[ANGH3LL1C]

I forgot about this, I haven't played the game in ages. Just checked my save and I'm STILL stuck. I don't remember the last time I've been so frustrated. So should I reset the puzzle, move White Beard into position, bait the lizard in, and then have White Beard throw the fruit?

[Ghidrah1]

Again if you follow the instructions from my 1st post the only thing preventing you from completing the puzzle will be your inability to reproduce the correct sounds.

SAVE before you mess with the puzzle.
Draw an image of the puzzle on paper and order it A-E from right to left including the pit
Accurately reproduce a mangs call sound to be able to ID it and the hut it occupies on the paper.
Remember you need all 4 Mangree call sounds, they must be accurately reproduced and in the order from my 1st post.

I've had the guide at gamefaqs for years and no one has mentioned that their game has a different Mang set up.

[ANGH3LL1C]

I think I'm going to have to restart the game from a new save. I'll keep my old save but I definitely need to get my bearings which probably means I'm going to need to play the game from the beginning again. Is Spire any easier?

[Ghidrah1]

If you aren't thorough, (methodical, looking into and reading everything, keeping accurate and thorough notes on all things you find) Spire is as cruel if not worse.

If you messed with the initial hut positions of the Mangs and or can't remember if you did then yes start a new game and ensure you make a save point before touching the call device in the tree house.

Map the puzzle out on paper it helped me big time. Discern the starting positions and call sounds of the 4 Mangrees and mark them down on said huts in the map.

Brain out and write down the shortest number of moves to get white beard from his starting position to the throwing hut then ensure that the next move had Shecky, (Camo) heading away from White beard toward "A" hut.

If you haven't already figured it out Hut "E" is the throwing hut, (has berry bush beside it)
WB starts in "B" hut and is moved to "E" 2 moves before the throw

If you follow the moves I offered in 1st post know that I triple checked it with 3 new game starts to ensure the solution worked every time.

If all the above still fails then find a decent Haven vid, watch it and take notes, be aware it may likely be different than my version, (probably longer if it is)

[Kohmei]

The mangree puzzle is without a doubt the worst moment of the entire Myst series, full stop.

From a strictly logical standpoint, I like the idea, but that is the end of it. The implementation of it is an abomination.

Mechanically, the controls for manipulating the sounds are atrocious: they demand timing and dexterous precision, rotating the lever for the correct amount of time, and grabbing the next lever as quickly as possible (which itself is finicky as hell because of the hit boxes on the levers are not clear and it's easy to "miss" grabbing a lever).

From a problem solving and discovery standpoint, the notes you create on the levers sound ABSOLUTELY NOTHING like the mangrees. There is a total disconnect between these instruments and the fact that I was supposed to use them to mimic the animals, and I never, ever would have guessed that in a million years because they sound nothing alike. In the first tree house just to see the totem, I spent hours watching the monkeys and listening to the background noises, because, surprise, there are similar sounds in the background music track as you create on the levers. It made more sense to assume those were in-game noises the monkeys were responding to, rather than that these crude instruments would ever be confused as originating from a living being. Sound-based puzzles should be accompanied by much less ambient noise so that you can focus only on the details that are vital.