@s0lid_bUg: Right there with you. I've always been fascinated by the Myst universe.

Kanyamagufa

@s0lid_bUg: Thanks for the insult, friend. If the game is your cup of tea, that's wonderful. But judging by the game's relative failure in the marketplace and what I'd call a fairly consensus opinion that Myst is a really less than ideal property to use for an MMO, I'd say that maybe most people feel like this game isn't turning the Myst gameplay into something compelling.

Now, if the game works for you, and you like it? I'm genuinely happy for you. I hope they can find a way to keep it going-- and draw in people to play so they can resurrect their sagging fortunes. We all like different things, and I never said this game couldn't work for some people. It just doesn't do anything for me.

Cheers!

wild homes is non-canonical

I wish them all the best, and I'll sign up just to support them. If they can take the storyline and mythos behind the Myst books and translate that into an MMO medium, I think they'll have a game with a true dedicated player base.

elocanth

D'ni is a city that simply won't die.

Aitrus233

@wild homes is non-canonical:
They did you jackass. Seriously, I can understand if it's not your cup of tea, but you can leave your petulance at the door.

Maybe I'm just old, but I was brought into the world of gaming by the MYST series and have had a long standing love for the project. The idea of it's resurrection and the possibility of it's ultimate self realization (user generated content) has me completely stoked.

I'm a hardcore gamer with varied tastes, weary with 80% (yes 80... not 90, not 99) of what I see on the market these days, and the sense of community and wonderment that has always been present in this series is a breath of fresh air.

Think playstation home, but rather than being one giant advertisement, it's actually a game with hordes of backstory, interesting lore, developed characters and intricate, un-coverable mysteries.

s0lid_bUg

@wild homes is non-canonical: I've only played the first and third, but it's hard to imagine games less suited to traditional MMOdom.

I guess some of the environments and puzzles would be cool in a proper 3D game as the atmosphere and architecture was very good in Myst I thought.

Krondonian

@thejakeman: visit my site!: 25 dollars of 0% gameplay is still...0.

PsycheE

that's pretty cheap for 6 months of any online gameplay.

thejakeman: visit my site!

@ggodo: I know, right? Talk about a thankless job. Who ever gave these guys the go-ahead on this project in the first place?

wild homes is non-canonical

@wild homes is non-canonical: right there with you, brother.

ggodo

Hurdle number one: Myst does not lend itself to MMO gameplay.

Once you guys fix that one, give me a call.

wild homes is non-canonical

@PsycheE: that isn't very nice. obviously at least someone derives entertainment from this game. otherwise it wouldn't exist.

thejakeman: visit my site!

If you like this game, nice, but try and keep the insults to yourself. Rude...

Cennus

@s0lid_bUg: add some PvP and I'm in...

Billkwando

@s0lid_bUg: I too began with Myst, part of the key to the game in my opinion was the feeling of isolation. being in an MMO would destroy that feeling, almost like a Metroid MMO. I never did play any of the myst sequels, would they have been more mmo friendly?

ggodo

@vid:
@s0lid_bUg:

I guess I'll also jump onto the support bandwagon, as it seems it has tons of room.

See, vid hit it right. It is not a Myst game, it's an MMO that exists in the Myst universe. A lot of you are claiming that you always associated Myst with isolation, while, URU is a game that I will always associate with teamwork, more than any other game I have ever played.

What Cyan did with the Myst formula was cater it so each puzzle in URU can be done alone or with friends (typically to make it easier) and the joy of going through each puzzle, all of you putting your heads together to solve it, was nothing short of fun.

But it's true, people came into it thinking it was going to be something else, and shunned it for that.

@DukeOfPwn:
For example, this. Sadly, this happens in every MMO. But, that is just the random jerk who can't stand to help someone new. I do wish you could've found people in good circles, particularly the Guild Of Greeters, who did a wonderful job of integrating people into URU. But alas.... I hope we change those problems with this new form.

Until then.

Mookie

@ggodo: I tried solving a puzzle. Here's the gist of it;
20 people "party up", like WoW. Except instead of slaying some beast, we all stood at these runes spread across the level. Our captain gave us numbers. When he said start, everyone had to click right after the other person clicked, in order. Only there was no other indication that someone had clicked than the person typing his number in lighting speed, so you had to read, click, and type. After an hour of this hellish event, the door finally opened. I accidentally fell into a fissure when trying to jump over it. I was sent to my home world, no reward in hand.

Other than that nonsense, there's a three-way Rock Paper Scissors clone and running around, talking to people and visiting exhibits. AGGGH.

DukeOfPwn

@vid:

Expanding on this post, MORE, is an endeavor to expand the universe with user generated content hopefully growing it to the point where there is a profoundly large number of ages and experiences to be had.

This would add significant value to the product in the market as people would be intrigued by the ability to explore worlds which adhere to the cannon mythos.

Some people forget that the original MYST game was the best selling game of all time for several years, and still exists in the conscious of many. It simply never got the publicity it needed among the lapsed gamers.

s0lid_bUg

@Billkwando: Myst PvP would be epic...

Two combatants. Each one is in their own personal world. Each one has the book to the other world. On the count of three, everyone writes traps and demons into the books, until one is dead.

DukeOfPwn

@DukeOfPwn: yea, I was afraid of that, what is Uru live like? I'm reluctant to gametap anything, so I would never have played it under those conditions. Aside from the players, apparently, is the game any good?

ggodo

@Billkwando: Myst PvP makes me laugh, that was not a game about combat.

ggodo

Cyan needs to drop this and get busy with the DS.

hagridore

@ggodo: I totally agree with the isolation bit. Every Myst has creeped the hell out of me. Whenever I play, I always think that Sirrus, Achenar, or whatever bad guy is in the game, is going to sneak up on me and shoot me. Having little to none human contact in the game was probably what did it.

I am a Myst fan. Not a Myst Online fan. People who play it use weird Myst Online lingo that they never explain to you, even if you ask. Every time I asked an honest question about what something was in the game, they called me a noob and started quoting scripture from the D'ni or some shit like that. It's like the nerds of the nerds of the nerds. It needs to die.

DukeOfPwn

To everyone who keeps saying that MYST isn't suited to an MMO.... you're absolutely right.

The thing is, Uru isn't really a Myst type game... it has similarities, and takes place in the same universe, but by and large the title "Myst" is only applied for the sake of branding.

Uru Live is NOT a Myst game, and therein lies one of it's marketing failings. A lot of people bought it when it came out expecting the fourth Myst game, rather than the entirely new project that it was. In the end... it's a continuation of the world, but not of Myst gameplay.

vid

@ggodo:

And thats what URU has.

There are only two ages that require what Duke described, and are mostly passable. The fun part was figuring that one out as a group. Now, 90% of the others involve people standing participating all over, solving puzzles simultaneously. That is the fun of URU.

Mookie

@Mookie: Team work puzzle solving would be fun I think. The puzzle Duke gave as an example isn't a puzzle so much as a shitty way to lock a door. That is not what I want. I want crazy things like the first Myst weird mind screws like the dudes in the books. if it delivers that I'll look up.

ggodo

And on a side note, I remember one time I looked up the solution to one of the puzzles near the end of Riven and I'm pretty sure my dad was one short fuse away from disowning me forever.

Schmatz

I played the Myst games with my dad as I was growing up and it is one of the few times we actually interacted together for fun. I have also read the novels and enjoyed them thoroughly. I am, by no means, and expert, but I do know some of the lore.

I played Uru a little bit when it came out on Gametap, and the few levels that were there had very difficult puzzles, perfect for the Myst world.

I think what Cyan wants to do, and sort of wanted to do from the beginning, was to resurrect D'ni in an MMO setting. As a start, they created a few worlds that required the cooperation of multiple people to achieve the goals of the puzzle. But I feel there true goal with an MMO setting was what they are talking about now, which is user-created content. As citizens of D'ni and members of the Guilds, we are supposed to be the ones who write the books that create the worlds.

If they could actually get guilds working together, where they each had their own parts in creating worlds for others to explore, and then released them and allowed people to explore them, THAT would be the ultimate achievement in my eyes.

Bonus points if you can accidentally create unstable worlds, such as the newborn star in one of the novels.

Schmatz

@Mookie:
EDIT:
Gah, not standing participating. Just participating.

Mookie

@Mookie: then this looks more interesting.

ggodo

Just do me a favor and try it this time, guys. It's frustrating as hell to control (hint, use first person view), the interface is awkward like a first date, and the community aspect might seem counter-intuitive to the feeling of Myst.

But it's a different game than Myst, and you'll be willing to look past all its shortcomings for the depth and beauty of its puzzles. I promise.

skatterfelt

You know, you're all right. Myst isn't MMO material.

But Uru is.

The puzzles are huge environments for people to explore, and there are lots of things for people to do.

Honestly, how many of you bashing the game have actually played it? No lying, now.

Elli

@ggodo: ;)

I hope this thing takes off. My wife loves Myst and would be interested in this. Sounds like they care about the project.

Billkwando

Man, I was so psyched for Uru way back when they announced it in the first place. I was a big fan of the series at the time, and it just sounded like the coolest thing ever.

Pantsman

The biggest point I can make about this game is that it's a game where the actions of the people matter. It's not another WoW where Van Cleef gets killed by you, everyone rejoices, and then as soon as you decide to explore the area again, he's mysteriously back up and working on evil stuff again.

It's a game where experience is gathered through the true definition of the word... what you learn and live through yourself, and how you choose to use that knowledge to help yourself and others, instead of just a climbing number.

Of course, for these same reasons, I can say that it's NOT a game for everyone. It's impossible to put into words, heck, even having followed the game since it's earliest of inceptions, I can accept that it's a HARD sell. But, when you try it, almost everyone who gives it a real chance finds something that makes it worth it for them.

vid