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Old 30-07-18, 12:38   #1
Pigfaced
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Default What's the point of the Scrap of Paper?

My brother is replaying all the TR games and now we're Underneath the Sphinx. There, I remembered that the Scrap of Paper was treated like it was something important, but I remember completing the level without using it at all. What's the point of it being there? I know that it's there to decipher the symbols, but why should you do that?
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Old 30-07-18, 13:30   #2
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If you first go to the gate you needed to go through to end the level (the gate with four statues or keys I can't remember). There where four holes that you need to look up with your revolver, up each hole where a set a letters you needed in order to unlock the route for said "key". The scrap of paper was to help you, each symbol had a letter next to it. You had to push them in order where the big blocks to push are.

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Old 30-07-18, 23:05   #3
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It always annoys me in Under The Sphinx that the scrap of paper clue isn't better thought out. Yes, the push panel codes to open the gates are hidden in the dark alcoves through one of the gates but of course you can only get to that area by using the highly unlikely code given by the scrap of paper clue.

Apparently it is simply an alphabetic order thing ie. you translate the hieroglyphics into their modern letter equivalents using the clue and then press them in alphabetical order.

As various walkthroughs point out this is a stupidly unlikely coincidence that the switch combination of a three thousand year old 'puzzle' happens to match modern alphabetical order.

But what annoys me more is that in one of the gate rooms (East?) with alcove switches, some with pickups or a switch but others scarabs, those too are marked with hieroglyphic symbol. But were they given any obvious meaning via the scrap of paper clue? Not as far as I know - again it is just a random chance thing.

How easy would have been to make it into a proper puzzle? Very.

Even is they'd used the same modern alphabetic translation nonsense they could have made it so the order you searched the alcoves gave you a reward ie. no scarabs. There are plenty of other intelligent puzzle ideas they could have used but didn't.

Its is like the TR3 switch puzzle to get into the second area of Tinnos, despite the switches being marked with symbols it is just a random puzzle despite some unconvincing claims that they do have a meaning.

In TR1's Palace Midas the switch puzzle with Greek letters shows how to do this sort of thing far better.
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Old 08-08-18, 13:39   #4
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I think that it is to make remembering the combinations easier.

I'm reading the Prima guide now and it says that the three letters are I, Q and A. So rather than trying to remember the pictures in order, it might be easier to remember the letters.
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Old 08-08-18, 15:51   #5
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The code is in modern alphabetical order so unless the actual hieroglyphics have those direct translations (and I'd bet they do not) why not just use A, B, C and be done with it?

Its a weak puzzle although adequate; my point was that it could have been made better very easily and encouraged the player to exercise their brain a bit.
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Old 15-08-18, 15:06   #6
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Laralicious;
hi. this kemet alphabet and not english what you wrote I. Q. and A!
you yourself can unravel the kemet combinations?
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Old 16-08-18, 07:54   #7
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It was supposed to help decipher the symbols, but it often didn't make sense. Especially the room with the niches and scarabs are still a mystery to me. So in the end I would conclude that it wasn't very useful.
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Old 19-08-18, 10:03   #8
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Maverin;
what do you mean. that it was not very useful?
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Old 19-08-18, 12:14   #9
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It is not just for the niche/scarab room that it is apparently entirely useless, there is also the underwater maze puzzle there, which I've just redone. That uses the symbols as markers for the passageways to the hatches you need to unlock.

If there is any significance in the symbols used it is lost on me but that may be because I still can not visualise that maze in terms of which room lever opens which other room. So maybe it is modern alphabetical too but even the best walkthroughs don't help in their description of the symbols themselves: bird, hand, flat snake, reeds, curved snake. I'll have to take their word for it that one of the symbols is a hand.

I've always thought of the "reed" symbol as '4' or '44' for the double "reed" and the "sandy slope" as a badly drawn triangle. The bird symbol I've always called an eagle to distinguish it from the other bird hieroglyphics too.

EDIT

I think the water maze may well be modern alphabetical too. I've just re-explored it and if the order shown in the guides is correct then the symbol order is A, D, F, Y, Z. Don't quote me on that though. As indicated at the time I just randomly swum around pulling levers until I found a new open hatchway because I couldn't picture the maze in my mind.

Of course on first play-through you have no idea how many symbols/levers/rooms there were and whether you've found them all. So the chances are that even if you realised the symbols were meant to be used in modern alphabetical order you wouldn't know what that was or how to get to the next one in sequence from where you were anyway.

Last edited by fallenangle; 19-08-18 at 13:01.
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Old 20-08-18, 07:26   #10
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fallenangle.
yes it is true said. the most difficult task this the underwater labyrinth. also other tasks!
for me it is easy to unravel the labyrinth with the help of the kemet alphabet. and also a combination at the beginning where two huge bulls!

and you have completed all the tasks underwater labyrinths. and so on?
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