Hollow Earth

Moving

2008-08-28T18:08:00.002-04:00

Just like my IC Blog took the leap into wordpressosity, so does this blog. Please update any bookmarks or links here.

Returning

2008-06-30T17:27:00.003-04:00

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/txt/archive/?postID=6114#more

Welcome to the rebirth of the greatest game! Remember how you feel now and carry this on to make Uru the best it can be. I have faith we can do this. We have the power, technology, time, and energy and the final hurdle has been crossed. The floodgates are open. Let the waters come!

Spore Set One: Creature Creator Trial

2008-06-19T20:50:00.002-04:00

First off, I saw concepts of Spore back around 2004 or so and kept an eye on it because I loved the concept. That concept, at its core, being a "massively single-player game" as the game's creator Will Wright puts it. A game where the game is single player, but the content is all fan-made.

I downloaded the free trial version of the creature creator (one tool in the Spore toolbox that literally spans galaxies) this morning. Ten minutes after installing it, I can't wait for the game. The trial has a quarter of the creature parts used in construction, but you find yourself straining to find limits even so. You can see my exploits (and pull them into your own Creature Creator) by going here. Simply open the Creator and go to the Load Creature area. The click and drag the creature from the website into the Spore program. The creature's there. It's that easy.

Now, here comes the kicker, and the reason why (if the issue is ever put up to global vote) I will elect Will Wright to be named to replace God: Every creature takes up 25 kilobytes of space. Let me repeat that. 25kb of space to describe nearly any species you can imagine. You could fit three species on an old floppy disk. You can fit several thousand on a modern USB flash stick. The data is held in a 25kb thumbnail image of your creature stored locally in your My Documents folder.

I'll be having more posts on the game later.

Cyan's Future

2008-06-03T09:54:00.003-04:00

Debates have raged throughout the community about Cyan and Gametap and the rights to Uru. Questions of the cost of buying the rights back, the time it might take to do so, and the rumors that Gametap is Satan, have swirled around the forums since Uru’s third death was announced and the prospect of a Cyan-owned server was first brought up by Greydragon (then Community Manager). The core of the matter is this: Gametap owns the rights to distribute Uru content for at most two more years and Cyan owns the rights to make said content. So Cyan has three options: 1. Buy the rights back for an unknown amount of money, 2. Wait two years for the rights to expire, or 3. Work out a deal where Gametap keeps the rights, but allows Cyan to operate a server of its own and allow user generated content.

I suggest to Cyan that they take option two. For the simple reason that it will lead to a stronger Cyan when the rights are released back to them. Why should they pay money they likely don’t have to buy back the rights when they can move for two years to new ideas and new games to make money? I think Cyan would be helped by making new games, a new Myst-like, mold-breaking, genre-making game. Even a kids game. Appeal to the parents who would like a more stimulating learning experience for their children than the Cartoon Network and the few children’s shows remaining on television. It won’t get most Uru fans (aside from those with kids), but it might just revitalize Cyan and put it in a powerful position when the rights default back to them in 2010.

The Dream Factor

2008-05-04T11:25:00.000-04:00

I fully realized something recently that makes the Myst series different for its rivals and made Uru in many ways different as well. Simply put, it's Cyan's talent of making dream worlds. Both believable and un-believable. Those worlds that actually felt like they must exist somewhere. It's not just weirdness, as most Myst copy-cats were/are (for example the games currently on Gametap from Dreamcatcher). It's the weirdness that looks and feels as though it's possible through the story.

We all have weird dreams. Dreams where we either see impossible things (talking mattresses, flying fish, winning an election), or dreams where things don't operate as they should (a loved one reacts differently than we expect, nothing works properly, etc.). Not that these dreams have to be bad (as the examples all have). Even in a dream where you sit with someone you love on a hill, there's a state of mind where you stop asking "why?". You don't ask "why is this mattress talking to me?" or "why won't Lassie come when I call her?" or "how did we get on this hill?".

That feeling-- not quite suspension of disbelief but willful belief-- is what, I think, Cyan captured in its old games and the old Uru and what it wasn't able to in the new Uru. When you linked into Myst in the original game, you didn't ask how this place was made, or why such an odd collection of items would be placed on a small island. You were drawn in from the start by something I at least can't identify. Perhaps by the pure mystery itself. The mystery brought up in Atrus' introduction. Or when in Riven, you didn't have a problem with the fact that something unknown kept the ocean from flooding the mine cart (though you found out later), or that there was a telescope looking at a portal in the ground, or that the trees and grass were as they were on Jungle island, or about the submarine car. They were all just odd, but you never cared. You didn't say "why did they put that in there?" and, instead of leading you to feel the game was just strange without a basis in anything, it felt as though the world was strange, yes, but it felt like that time in a dream where it doesn't matter.

It's what missed in Myst III and, to an extent, Myst IV. Why are there tusks in J'nanin? There just are. They were written in by Atrus to store the books to the lesson ages, but it's not as powerful a concept as the reasons behind the construction of the domes in Riven or the "places of protection" in Myst. Neither were Saveedro's drawings. Neither do you see a compelling explanation for the construction in Spire. But it's not even that, it's the fact that those questions arise that shows a lack of forethought in design. The ages were constructed to fulfill a game purpose instead of being the byproduct of a solid story and history.

Similar feelings arise in me with regards to the original Uru. Teledahn is a fantastic place, a weird place, but you feel it all fits. Kadish is bizarre, but works based on the back-story and the design. The problem that I see a bit more now is that the new ages (Delin, the Pods, Minkata, etc.) lacked that feeling. Minkata got very close, though.

I think the design, the genesis of this dream factor was through the concept and design of Robyn Miller and later Richard Vander Wende along with Josh Staub. With the essential concept being developed by Miller/Vander Wende and given a discernible style by Staub. If Cyan can get its ducks in a row and make another good game, rebuild the team, etc. that might be possible again. Until then, however, I think that power could rest with the fans now. No, not everyone will be able to do that, but we can learn and grow. By ourselves or via collaboration we can move to a point where we can create Cyan-quality work. Look at D'eux and Eh'ko or his remote age viewer. Those are small-scale visualizations of what's possible. It'll take a lot of time and effort and talent, but it's possible.

Scuffles

2008-04-26T10:44:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know I haven't said anything about Uru's closure yet. Been rather busy.

I saw this thread this morning and have to agree with Marten. The situation was overblown by both sides and now another person is driven away for no good reason. SwiftHawk should have told Nanouk about whatever rule there was (I see none anywhere on the site) back when he posted this thread asking how to do so on the site. Nanouk should not have thrown out the word racist. From there, SwiftHawk has been very disrespectful to Nanouk over a single private comment in the heat of the moment. It is wrong to mock Nanouk as a girl and brand him as "riff-raff" that needed to be kept "on the run". Wrong to disregard that Nanouk could be feeling hurt, wrong to make up new rules on the spot a week after having no problems with Nanouk and being friendly and helpful. Nanouk is the liaison (or was) for the Guild of Messengers and, from the little time I've talked to him in Uru, a good person. I understand SwiftHawk works hard, maybe it's time for a break. Obviously he's not a bad person either. He was helpful and kind to Nanouk only a week before. The only reason for the change I can think of is that one or both are stressed out. There's nothing wrong with that. There IS something wrong with this kind of mean-spirited demonization. To be clear, there is also something clearly wrong with calling someone a rascist and posting non-Myst related copyrighted material on a gallery on a Myst site. However the second problem there could and should have been dealt with a week ago if it really was a problem.

Death

2008-04-10T00:59:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I will have more. For now, it is late and Uru has fallen a second time. We must now work to help it up once more.

Cyan's New Game: The Manhole Online: Spelunx Live

2008-04-01T09:50:00.001-04:00

Hello, everyone. Uru Live's second closure is a sad time for the community, to be sure. However, I'm pleased to finally be able to give some good news about a project in the works for quite a while.

For the past five months, I've been working on a back-channel deal with Cyan Worlds itself to develop a brand new game for the hardcore Uru fan. With a final release date of February 2009, The Manhole Online: Spelunx Live will be a brand new kind of game for a new generation of gamers. MOSL is a vast environment with hours of re-playable content. From the first person shooter haunted house arena, the swimming pool, and the 60-foot high definition sculpture of myself, MOSL offers something to all kinds of gamers.

Rand Miller, who, along with his brother Robyn, made the first version of the Spelunx game as well as The Manhole, and Cosmic Osmo, was thrilled to finally be able to push these games into the new frontier of the MMO. I chatted with him this morning via three-way video conference to his office in Spokane. Rand expressed his enthusiasm for the project and Cyan's dreams for the future. "Spelunx was a dream for us at Cyan. I mean, we tried getting Myst to do something more for us, but really, Uru Live didn't work out how we planned. So we made sure we had a backup plan and I think this is a game which will revolutionize the gaming world."

Robyn Miller, wearing a Bugfish mask, expressed similar sentiments. "The colors, man. It's all about the colors. We need the colors."

Rand chuckled. "We had some event in Uru that referenced the importance of colors. It was really fun to see the fans look at such a blatant hint at what the next game from Cyan Worlds would be and they completely missed it."

Robyn: "They're a bunch of fools. Their souls will not be spared unless they choose a color."

Rand: "They're, uh... kind of like little weasels."

Players start out the game as circles of color in Zandibar and must fight the Zandibarbarians to escape into the rest of the game. There they can meet other avatars and choose which color is most like them. Cyan Worlds has spent many months coming up with a "color picker" which makes sure no two colors are chosen by the same people. Says Rand. "The game says I'm a periwinkle blue and Robyn here is summer squash and GreyDragon is warm cupcake. We've sort of gotten to calling each other by the colors the game chose for us."

Richard "rusted hardwood" Watson was unavailable for comment. Rand said that telling the man the truth about Uru was the hardest part of the job. "I have to tell you it was really hard to tell rusted hardwood that the lore he put his heart and soul into for years was just a front for this glorious new game. That was a month or two after Uru was launched. We were going to update the Cautious Optimism chart for him while he was curled into a ball weeping, but, you know, that chart only has so many colors and, really, MOSL just had so much more to offer. We pretty much said 'Will we really feel good about leaving MOSL's colors alone to go work on a game like Uru with so ... honestly so few colors?' I mean it was a no-brainer."

For my own part, I've had a great deal of input in the design of the infinite worlds you can explore in MOSL. The island of Zandibar is shaped like my head. As is the lake of chocolate pudding. While the flying rainbow birds were Robyn's idea, I came up with the idea of giving it my face, which I think will increase the game's popularity.

However, it's not all about me. Res Eng Aaron "lazor red" Biegalski was an integral part in making this game come together. From his job as the ethereal being which powered all the computers (or, as summer squash calls them, "dream pods") used in the making of the game, to his input in making the planets resemble his head (it was later decided that my head was more suitable). Lazor red expressed his thoughts on the game, but they were, unfortunately, spoken in the language of pure awesome, and thus cannot be replicated in the written language.

All in all, Manhole Online: Spelunx Live is a splendid new game which will take gaming to a whole new level. With innovative new creative designs and 21st century cutting edge graphics, the game draws players in like nothing before. Said periwinkle blue "To be honest with you, for the last month or so we haven't actually been making the game, we've just been playing it, getting a feel for it. I know a lot on the design team feel this was the most important thing they've done with their lives. I've even encouraged the staff to paint their bodies in the color the game chooses for them. We've had some tough times, though, deciding who will go outside the play-space to Home Depot and get the colors the game tells us to paint ourselves with. ResEng T Appling, or rather, turnip purple is going through a hard time. He just needs to find his inner color."

Manhole Online: Spelunx Live will be release to the PC February 2009 with releases for the Xbox, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS, Atari, and Commodore 64 coming in March. The Mac release is unknown. "Who really cares about those weirdos?" periwinkle blue said near the end of our interview.

The Graveyard

2008-03-25T15:22:00.003-04:00

And now for the melancholy. I recently checked out the short game the Graveyard by the same Tale of Tales mentioned in the previous post. While it is short (it takes around 10 minutes) it, like Tale of Tales' other games, is quite beautiful.

Similar to The Endless Forest, the Graveyard has a very simple concept. You are an old lady. In The Endless Forest, you are a deer. In the Graveyard (The Endless Graveyard?) you are an old lady. You're walking in, wait for it... a graveyard. As with The Endless Forest, calling it like watching paint dry would leave you feeling guilty for belittling the engaging sport of watching paint dry... right?

Not quite. Right off the bat, the graphics are amazing (I played first in fullscreen at normal quality and then shrunk it as small as I could to run "fantastic" without lag). Birds fly around, tree seeds fall to the ground, and thick clouds cast shadows on the ground. The game is in grayscale and has the feeling of walking through an Edward Gorey drawing. You start at the graveyard gate (you pass through the gates to exit the game, which first perplexed me as I tried to find the cursor or the [X] button) and can move the character forwards along the path to the bench. You may also move her along the side paths, but they only go a short distance. If she walks too long (roughly 8 steps) she limps and goes slightly slower (though resting takes longer). Once you get to the bench, you can slowly turn her around and back her up to it where, after a few moments rest, she sits. What follows is a sad song (in Flemish) about the many friends and family the woman has seen pass away and about the woman's own coming death. The scene plays out with the old woman's deep-wrinkled profile overlayed on the right and tombstones intermittently-overlayed on the bottom. You can get up at any point during the song and leave.

Now for the more controversial, depending on your opinion. The version most people first see is the "trial" version. The "full" version, Tale of Tales says, only contains the single added feature of the possibility of the woman's death. The full version costs $5, which comes out to $0.50 a minute if you spend the whole ten minutes. The game, they say, was an experiment in making an engaging game in a short time-frame and on a small budget. So, for me, that money is more a way to support the company than some morbid "gimme five bucks to watch her die" idea.

Lastly about the game. I think they succeeded in making an engaging game as I've played it several times. It's such a simple game and yet there is a depth there hard to convey and that this very simple game can invoke emotions and empathy is a grand achievement. It would have been fine and thought-provoking enough had it been in other forms of media. A picture, the music, a short film on YouTube-- but the medium of the game seems to tie it all together better than even the most cohesive of the above media (the film) could do. It is that direct source of empathy, that you can connect to the character, that makes this an amazing game.

The Endless Forest

2008-03-21T18:09:00.000-04:00

The last in my series of would-be homes-- as we come up on the deadline and the possibility of news regarding Uru-- deals with a rather odd and unique MMO with some big issues, but one that, interestingly, is also the most fun. It's called Tale of Tale's The Endless Forest.

So, as was often asked when I talked about the game to a few fellow Uru fans, what's the "point" of the game? What do you do? In the simplest sense, explore and have fun with friends. In a more complicated sense, you look into an artistic experiment into the core of social interaction in today's games.

A little description of the game. You are a deer. With a humanoid face, but a deer none-the-less. You have all the benefits and limitations of being a deer. You have no chat interface. You have no switches to hit, etc. Your day consists of rubbing trees, drinking at the lakes, and prancing around as a happy, somewhat-creepy-faced deer. Boring as whittling a toothpick from a sequoia, you'd say if you didn't want to disrespect those who go about whittling toothpicks from sequoias, right?

So would I have said if you had given me the premise. And yet, while a bunch of us are on Skype, the game leaves everyone laughing and having a great time and having a hard time going to sleep, eating, bathing, etc. There are only seven distinct areas in the game (two types of forest, a church ruin, a large oak tree, a large pond, a pile of rocks known as the playground, and a pair of strange rocks that represent/are the "gods" in the game) so it's unclear to me just WHY it's entertaining. Maybe it's the adorable way the fawns (how you start out in the game if you name your deer) call out. Maybe it's the ease and simplicity of the interface. Maybe it's the mysterious and intriguing-if-somewhat-low-detail areas. Maybe it's because it's free.

I think, though, that it's the concept that makes it interesting. You cannot talk in game. My Skype sessions with some friends are rare compared to me just wandering around and finding other deer. Without chat or violence there is no such thing as griefing. The most I could suppose a creative griefer could do is stand inside your avatar (which makes a nice yellow glow) or change a part of you against your will (however you can take off masks etc you've gotten one at a time).

This last bit is what may also add to the game's intrigue. Your deer are "magic". By performing certain tasks (rubbing a pine tree and eating the cone, kneeling before the statue of the world's "gods", etc.) you gain the ability to change other deer's face masks, fur, antlers, or entire shape (you already turn into a frog if you go into a deep patch of water). As a fawn, however, you don't keep these changes more than a few minutes and no one can change their own appearance. You have to get someone else to help you if you want a certain appearance.

If you're interested, the first thing to do is download it and see if you like what you get. Then name your deer and begin your fawn period. You're a fawn for a month and then you become an adult deer. Fawns don't keep their magical changes for long, but adults do. And that's essentially it. Explore, bay, have fun. It's easier with Skype or another voip client so you can hear other's reactions. Though, if you want the real experience, have no chat at all and communicate via gestures.

All in all, while weird, the game is very bold and often funny with what you can do.

Lord of the Rings Online

2008-03-09T19:44:00.000-04:00

I began the week by setting up the appropriate accounts for my week-long trial of Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO). I chose this week because I wasn't going to be as busy as I normally am and figured I had plenty of time to try it out.

And halfway through I'm writing my review. This is telling of the game.

Alright, the first thing that obviously has to be said is that the game keeps you busy. Compared to the relative lack of "quests" in Uru, this is a good thing for LOTRO. Unfortunately, it seems like the only good thing.

Next, my experience. Well I started off by getting the client and installing it a few weeks ago. Then I set up a turbine account (a somewhat confusing process, but I did it anyhow). I then went into the long process of downloading updates. I put in my info and selected the area (aka Server) I wanted to go to. Logged in, and set up my character. Race, profession, eye color, hair style, beard style for my dwarf (hey, Uru's in a cavern, of course I'm a dwarf). And I then set upon meeting people and seeing what the game had to offer.

Only I didn't. What I did was begin my questing with a mess of cut-scenes and scripted events where random nobodies were killed off while I was conveniently "dizzy."(I seem to get these random dizzy spells every time a notable member of the Fellowship of the Ring pops up by me. I'm either fainting from their awesomeness or bored into a coma from their verbose monologues and I'm wagering on the second option). Either that or I'm killing other dwarves/goblins/ugly horned things/kittens (okay, they're called "highland cubs," but they're still kittens). The important point here is that it never stops. While that's good in terms of keeping me busy, so far I haven't seen many people. Two or three who never spoke. The rest are NPCs. I have no way of getting in touch with a group of people like I do in Uru or EVE. I want to chat with people or at least see other's chat. Instead I'm running back and forth doing people's errands.

Another thing to be said about LOTRO is the graphics. They're terrible. Only Warcraft does them worse. The models are fairly low on polygons, the environments are rather simple and the textures are small and blurry.

Okay, I thought, maybe I'm just being hard on it because I liked EVE so much. So I tried a new "area" (server) and a new race (elf). And I was slightly right, but only slightly. I fought a battle with the elves, got dizzy when Elrond came into view, and then ended up in the dwarf's land. So I can replay these quests from the perspectives of each race, which is neat. But, really, the game didn't seem to ever open up. I was stuck in un-ending quests.

The last thought on LOTRO is about expectations and how they pertain to Uru's past and future. I came into LOTRO with the expectation that I could relax with some old Uru friends and enjoy a world that, while not as beautiful as Uru's, was still an interesting world; as well as enjoying the fantasy world of Tolkien. What I found was a typical leveling MMO only slightly veiled in the world of Tolkien. And this ties into Uru's expectations. I'm sure people in the game (or at least I'd hope there are people in the game) who would tell me that there's this going on and this and this, etc. But the strong usage of quests without the open-ness I expected (of being able to talk to friends, etc.) turned me off. As anyone will tell you, this was part of Uru's downfall. People came into this game with varying expectations (expecting a game with more puzzles like Myst or large ages like the previous Uru). And while, from a fans perspective, those expectations are unfair and easily explained: the problem, sadly, was that those expectations were not tempered from the start or otherwise met. Hopefully any further incarnations of Uru will deal with this problem more effectively.

Whilyam: Negotiator for Hire

2008-02-29T13:47:00.003-05:00

I've spent the last few days talking to people on both "sides" of the pseudo "Slackers vs. Other People" battle and took a break as things were falling apart as I felt I wasn't helping. So I'm coming back now to say I'm leaving the "negotiator" post for good now; and for two reasons. One being that more got resolved on the two days I had no hand in things than the week in which I did. And the second which takes longer to talk about.

First some backstory. I had a number of (relatively) minor issues with Slacker members which were brought up anew by the honest yet flame-inducing post by Alahmnat. Without going into too much detail, some of the more vocal members of the Slackers made me feel uncomfortable (to whittle the issues down to a concept a three year-old can understand). I decided, after still more vocal members talked about being willing to talk things over after the arguments on Alahmnat's blog comments section escalated. So I registered and, after initial hostilities, started working on my problems. I provided my view and the people involved provided theirs. I saw how I had assumed things and others had as well and my issues were solved. I also had fun there as I have in any of the mini-communities.

I then moved on to trying to resolve at least the issues that had come up through the argument on Alahmnat's blog and, while only one person solved their issues (and not even when I was doing anything), I'm hopeful that more will take the initiative without someone like me actively trying to be a middleman.

I'm no longer going to be doing that for the reason that there's nothing special that I'm bringing to it and that it can easily be handled by itself. The one type of person I met most often on both sides was the person who stated their opinion and followed it with "and the sooner you realize that, the better". Because the sooner that you realize that carrying on a "war" for three years isn't helping the community, that not talking to each other is going to fix things about as fast as it will take Cyan to get a 200 person staff, that belittling each other and making assumptions on each other's characters only alienates more people and helps grow a new crop of people who will fight against you, that both sides have different views on what happened and had different triggers, that screaming at each other doesn't help, that neither side is nor believes they are 100% correct, that neither side thinks they're God, that neither side wants to destroy Uru, that neither side "winning" would bring about Armageddon, and that neither side is really all that different; the better.

Because, ultimately, what we all should be doing now is making the Uru community stronger in the month we have. This community is different from any other, it shows in our competence and our reasoning and our enjoyment of the game. Others may claim that they are better, but I say to them "not from where I sit." All around me in other communities I see idiots bickering for power, pride ruling the day. In Uru, I see disagreements and people who feel too reserved to resolve, but feel they must say something and so say something in anger.

Only Pictures

2008-02-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

So the EVE trial ended with me having generated 2,417,420.10 ISK with 2 million graciously donated by Kal. I got as much as I could moved around so, should I decide not to come back based on Uru's future and where my friends head off to should there be no future.

So I was sitting in the dock on Todaki VI Moon 12 School of Applied Knowledge space station listening to "Surplus of Rare Artifacts" and felt not quite sad but strange. Similar to how you feel when you're pulling away from your house to go on a trip. "Did I pack everything?" or "Did I leave the stove on?" and the knowledge that it'll all be over soon. It'll likely be the same way many people feel when Gametap pulls off Uru.

It's a feeling of fear that you will lose something. In EVE it is the materials, money, items, etc. In Uru it is the memories and people and places. You don't want to lose any of this but we can only do so much. We can only take pictures or movies of the ages we will lose on April 4th or nearby then. We can only copy sounds or music from the Uru directory to try to preserve the environment. We can only save pictures of our friends and keep in contact with them through other places or email. But none of those are quite what we have now, and that hurts. In a very real way it is as if a world we enjoy will die, taking all our friends with it, very soon. We can save pictures, but in the end they are only pictures.

EVE Online

2008-02-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

I've been trying out (by accident) the MMO EVE Online. As Uru was my only experience in MMO gaming, I must admit this is an odd feeling. It's almost like looking for a new car before you've paid off the old one. Or, in this case, a starship.

First, the basics. EVE Online is a space community simulator. Similar to Uru, the game spans many fields and even my definition hardly encompasses them all. It has many features common to all MMOs and hides them in various ways. Typical MMO leveling is thinly disguised in the "skills" area of the game. Gold is replaced with "Kredits", a name which makes me shudder. Combat is combat, and you can mine for resources as in other games. Not much new, you think.

True, the game sticks very much to traditional cliches. However, there are some unique portions of the game that got me interested in this game, though not to the point that it replaces what I have in Uru, but I'll get to that later. First the interesting parts. The game is in one persistent instance. Everyone is there. Okay, it is somewhat of a stretch. The world is really divided into "solar systems" which one must jump to via portal-like "stargates". So, while everyone is on the same server and in the same instance, it's not quite what they claim it to be.

"Unlike most MMOGs that split a large player base up among small clones of the same game world (called "shards") containing no more than 3,000 people, EVE is unique in that all of its players inhabit the same game world."

Second, the game has a large market where items are bought, sold, etc. Unlike any other game I've heard of, the market has pretty much everything, for a price. Lastly, there is no one set "quest" as in Uru or the other games I've looked into. There are quests (Agent Missions, they're called) but you can profit and enjoy yourself in-game without doing any of them.

So, my experience so far with about 7 days remaining on my 14 day trial. I set my race, bloodline, backstory, education, and specialty (you essentially build your life, which effects what bonuses you get, etc., which is another interesting feature of the game. All players begin with a basic rookie ship named the Ibis. After a lengthy tutorial explaining the rather complex game controls (this is NOT Uru where most controls are intuitive) I moved on to the part of the game I had the most interest in, mining. It's the same kind of mining any other game has. You use a tool (which is always slow) to extract the resources from the rock (which never really shows any signs that you DID anything, when the asteroid is depleted, it just vanishes). It's the typical boring busy work needed to maintain subscriptions. You can either sell the ore or refine it into essential minerals and sell those (or you can keep the minerals and build ships or weapons with them, which I still haven't figured out how a crystal gets turned into metal for a ship).

Combat's not my thing, so my ship is purely for mining. Space for the ore, good mining lasers, and bookmarks for the best ore areas. So when my ship was destroyed a few days ago, naturally I had a non-combative response. Warping away from the debris in my "pod" (the little craft that jettisons from your ship if it's destroyed so you don't die initially [though you can still get killed in that]), I calmly collected a few things and warped back to one of the stations I had items stored in and picked a new mining ship out of the group I had just constructed. The loss, literally, cost me nothing as I then sold the rest of the batch of ships at a price to make up for the cost of producing the one I took.

I bring this up because it shows you don't have to be combative or violent to still enjoy this game. You just have to be smart. Were I forced to play this game, I would likely do more long term things, but as my time here is coming to a close (for now) I'm focusing on short term things. You can have an interesting time there no matter what your style and, in that way, it is very much like Uru.

Why this isn't my choice over Uru. For all the (somewhat) unique thing EVE does, it doesn't do as many nor nearly as good as Cyan. While some areas are beautiful, they are difficult to get to (whether by way of distance or combative players). While the game's community is helpful (and even has a volunteer help system like the Greeters) it is also horrible in more ways than Uru's can be. You want to talk about pride and corruption in Uru, there are gangs in EVE that think they control certain sectors and seem to enjoy exercising their will. You also can spend an hour in-game and see more swearing than I've seen in the history of Uru. The economic focus is riddled with poorly-hidden or blatant MMO cliches. The modeling, while at Uru levels in terms of texturing, is too blocky. In short, the game is far too "typical" to surpass a game like Uru as long as there's still hope. It is close, though, and a serious contender. While it is only the first other MMO I've tried out, it seems as close as I've seen an MMO get to breaking new ground, which leads to the last point.

What Uru could learn from EVE. EVE has a number of things that could, conceivably, be put into Uru. Some more practical than others.

Multiple chat channels with easy creation and destruction of said channels. This is something sorely needed.
Easy-to-use chat display. Going hand-in-hand with #1, I was shocked at how seemless the chat was, how easily it notified me, how people didn't randomly poof from the list, and how I never lost chat in a "link".
Simple info cards. Each person or place or item has an info card you can pull up at any time to read about it. This kind of thing could make contact in Uru so much easier.
Info-filled site. I knew this would be an area where any other game would have an advantage not because of Tweek and amonre's work, but because of the time constraints on Cyan and their general air of "here's a hint, but we'll let you figure it out" which I think should stay. If you look at the EVE site, particularly the FAQ, you notice it's filled with info even new gamers are going to know, it's simply written, and puts out all the info to be simply accessed. Information about what the game is, what you can do, pricing, computer requirements, etc. While most if not all of that is on the MOUL site, it is sometimes difficult to find and a crucial thing is missing, a guide to the KI. The EVE FAQ also talks about some of the failings of the game, or at least its constraints.

There are likely more Cyan could learn from. Having your avatar remain in the age you leave it in (perhaps sleeping when you're offline) except for public places. A full-fledged tutorial at the game's start. Mining busywork with a Cyan touch (clearing a tunnel to a new area), etc. It all depends on what Cyan does. I still have some hope we'll get a UU2, and hope that Cyan can, one day, put in place these changes.

Or is it?

2008-02-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

As could be expected of a project like this, there are possibilities for re-birth. If being hosted on Cyan's own server meant my $10 went directly to them, I'm all for it. However it seems there's some legal issues. I'm anxious to know how all this went down and if the new AOL/Time Warner CEO had an effect.

More news soon, I hope.

The End of Uru Live

2008-02-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

As has been said many , many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many times... Uru Live is dead.

Obviously, as most fans are, I'm sad. However, I am still hopeful. I won't go into sappy lines about how "it wasn't about the game, it was about us" not only because it's a cliche, but because everyone knows that. However, I'm still hopeful (perhaps more than before) that Cyan's vision can be achieved somewhat). I, like others, do not particularly want to see a UU to rebuild Uru. At the core, I want something to keep in touch in a fun game with my Uru friends. However, there is far more potential than me simply bringing myself and friends to EVE or to LotRo. I will try, in this post, to deal with all the potential scenarios and the ways we can benefit Uru from them.

No UU: Say that Cyan decides the game is dead. They will not allow shards to do anything. Illegal shards get taken down as soon as they come up. Uru is dead and Cyan doesn't want to return to it for whatever reason (varying examples here. Gametap refuses to let Cyan release the code, etc.). All hope is lost, right? As this is the only MMO most of us play, we'll never "see" each other again. Thankfully, no. Should this be the case (and while there's a possibility, I think all parties involved do not want this) there is still a way to enjoy other places. Make them more like Uru. Bring that spirit of creativity to other MMOs, bring the style of play, the type of RP, etc. Mold the games to your liking and, potentially, we could influence the industry not through dollars (which has failed so far) but through ideas.

Return to UU: Now say that pretty much the opposite happens. Cyan allows the shards to continue as they did in hopes of attracting someone to pick the game up again. The new UU has all of last year's content on it, etc. Not something I'd like (purely because I'd like the third option) but it would give us something of what we enjoy: our friends and the new world we enjoy and still have yet to see all of.

Return to Uru: Now say something even better happened. Cyan not only allows the shards along with the new content, but goes one step further. What if they let us, told us, to build? Imagine the shards, same as ever (some for varying groups where they have fun however they like without imposing on others) but with another shard, owned by the Writers or the Maintainers or perhaps by all the varying guilds. No Cyan content, but it would be a way for the universe to continue after the DRC left with fan storylines like SR or JDBarnes and others, and with fan ages as the content. Constantly growing not as fast as Cyan's content made it, but still growing. Attracting new people to the idea of a high-quality, refined fan-content game. This is what I think the future of Uru should be. Not another incarnation of UU waiting for a new incarnation of MOUL, but a place that, while familiar, was also new and would lead to something newer and better than what we had.

The Community: Part Two

2008-02-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

I initially conceived this post shortly after "The Community: Part One" however, with the closing of MOUL, it was somewhat out-dated.

The community as it is now is badly fractured. From what I've seen this stems from old battles stemming in UU and before. Opposite personalities and the same issues of elitism we're dealing with now. Neither side was brave enough to come together and discuss it with respect. And so we're left now with a poorer community.

"Fractured" isn't really the correct term, though. "Isolated" or "branching" or "frayed" would work better. We aren't a large slab of rock with lines running through it. We're more of a large group of groups, isolated largely from the other groups, connections frayed between some, branching from the one thing that holds us all together. Uru. We come for different reasons; some for the beautiful landscapes, others for friends, others for story, others for games, others for trophies, but we're all here for something in this game.

What this community fails at is doing something for the common good on a massive scale. Banding together to do something really big. Like a large-scale documentary/recap of previous events. Marten's doing this with a small team, but so is the Bridgette Reed group, and there are any number of smaller film-makers and people who could be film makers. Why aren't these people grouping? Why aren't they pooling their resources and getting these projects out faster?

Another issue is that this community is bad at recognizing potential. Potential for large-scale Jalak tournaments, potential of parties and fan storylines. It's not just a lack of people to lead these projects but also a lack of interested people. In a way that feeds the apathy. No one's interested so no one starts something so no one gets interested so no one-- etc. It will take someone starting something to break that cycle. Someone who can dedicate time and energy to keep a project open and waiting for people. Slowly people would filter in and it would be that person's job to instill in them the same loyalty and dedication. And from there it would grow from a few people's favorite thing to do on a night to something that would be copied and imitated and enjoyed by the branching groups.

Old vs. New

2008-02-01T18:03:00.000-05:00

Ask anyone who was in Prologue and they’ll tell you that things are quite different from back then. Cyan had more money, bigger ages were put out, the story seemed more engaging (though that is likely only the perception of an audience that has, also, changed), and (most importantly) Cyan had fewer staff and less money.

The other day, however, I noticed something else that had changed since Prologue. Something that, as I have said many times before, people have not taken advantage of. The possibility of activities beyond the Cyan content using that content adding to it or making your own. Compare the ages and areas in Prologue with repeatable content vs. the ages and areas in the new Myst Online.

In Prologue: Great Zero missions/user-made missions

In Myst Online: Er’cana pellets, Jalak games, Minkata soccer games, Great Zero missions/user-made missions

Certainly, I’m counting the Great Zero twice (as there is no reason to disqualify it for new people). Certainly Er’cana and the Wall were planned, but neither was put in place (the Wall still hasn’t). Certainly I’m not counting the possibilities for social gatherings in the ages. But simply look at the old journey ages for repeatable play. Only Gahreesen really has anything (though it isn’t working). Compare that to the Ages we got just this year where pretty much EVERY age we got has something fun to do in it.

So why is no one doing anything with these grand opportunities? The answer I hear is that all these people “don’t pay $10 a month to” fill in the blank. They don’t pay it to play in a Jalak sandbox, to “waste time” with pellets, to “wander around a desert”, to “listen to drama”, to “have a 3d chatroom”, to do all these things. So the simple question is: why do all these people have no interest in this game? Why are they subscribing if they don’t want to take advantage of the possibilities in the game? Why all this angst and cynicism about in-game activities?

I think this is the attitude that needs to be dealt with. People who don’t want to do things in the game and then complain about the lack of content. Cyan can only do so much (really, what could they do?) besides producing more content and more potential. The community is going to have to do something. Some will have to organize these groups and others will have to follow those organizers and others will have to spread these events and popularize them. And the community should marginalize those who scoff and belittle these events and those who enjoy them. This is not to say that we should marginalize those who dislike these events as people have different tastes. However, we should not be kind or feel sympathy to those who enjoy being destructive with other’s hard work. Let that distinction be clear. Simply not liking it is fine, but don't be rude.

This is another distinction between the old and the new. The old community (see Old Guard/Middle Guard) enjoyed and engaged themselves. They did not require Cyan to engage them. They did not shy away from extra-storyline events. They did not share this bias against non-DRC, non-Cyan, fan work. In the new community, unlike any other part of Web 2.0, there are a number who feel (and express their feelings loudly and often) that fan work is equal to bad work, unprofessional work, shoddy work. They regard fan ages as things to be shut away somewhere they don’t have to see them. A private library somewhere they don’t have to be. I have heard these opinions quite often and it’s quite startling and revolting. They have decreased recently, whether because popular opinion is beginning to sway or because those who demonize it have left the game, I don’t know. But it does seem that the negativity seems to have lessened, which makes me hopeful.

I’m hopeful because now, with the hiatus in full swing, I’m still seeing a great number of people online. In UO, I may not see the hood list scroll offscreen, but it gets close. Not only the numbers, but the enjoyment and “busy-time” is there perhaps even more than before the finale. I was just at an Ahnonay party the other night where I had lots of fun enjoying the world inside the game. I was kept busy by Dr.Watson/RAWA’s post on the DLF opening up the D’ni language. By the Lara documents which are still derided as possibly a fan thing (because fan is now a dirty word here). The first thing asked of Barnes is not "Cool idea, where do I get more info?" but instead "Is he official?" or "Is he a fan?"

And I see more and higher quality pushes for community activity. J.D.Barnes' ideas, the many parties, Subterranean Restorations, and the D'ni Age Tour Club. The last two being ideas started by myself. We can no longer afford to be elitist and snobbish about where we get our content or we will forever be disappointed. The fans producing content now are more mature and talented than those in Second Life or elsewhere yet they are lumped together with them. You insult and deride them when you compare the great work they have and are doing as "just" fan work. Because from what I've seen recently, their stuff is just as good... if not better.

Give What You Want.

Myst Online: How the game is not a traditional MMO

2008-01-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

The Myst Online community is different from others in many ways. Violence, as you would expect from a game that lacks player-initiated violence, is virtually (pun not intended) non-existent. That said, it is not a utopia. Violence is almost never an issue (one or two threats with people over the years), however there is still intimidation and damage done within the community. As the power within the world deals with books, it is ironic (if not perhaps expected) that words are the weapon of choice within the community.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me—but a snide remark or a post of disrespectful criticism can and does harm this community more. Even a hypothetical threat of harm or death against a community member would likely be treated wholly different. Most who witnessed or were threatened would quickly report it to be dealt with. Among the stupidest in other MMOs, insults and threats are thrown care-free. In those communities, with the prevalence of virtual violence, any real threats are either disguised or not taken as seriously. In the Myst Online community, real insults are met and responded to and perceived ones are also reacted to.

So it’s through a different window we need to look at the Myst Online community, as it really is a different MMO. This is not to say criticism is bad, nor that a radically different type of criticism is required. However, given the special circumstances Cyan is facing along with the uniqueness of the community, we cannot simply say “this MMO does not stack up with others in the market”. I do not expect to be entertained whenever I play Myst Online. I expect to be interested, of course, and I always am. However, I am not always entertained. To do that, Cyan actors would be needed all the time.

So how do you get enjoyment from this game? My opinion is that, to properly assess the game, you should explore every facet of the game. This game has more facets (that I see) than any other, more potential for entertainment. In World of Warcraft, I count myself 4 separate facets. RP, strategy, community, and graphics of the world. In Uru, I count RP (to a deeper level than what I see in WoW or other games. As a recent review of Myst Online said, most RP stops at "hail!"), community (again to a deeper and more complex level), puzzles, world graphics (again, I think better than most other games), leveling/grinding (a unique kind to Myst Online with the leveling from the GZ, Er’cana, and the new rewards for showing off the journeys taken [the donuts, sparks]), and user-created content (the stained glasses and poetry along with the newly-added KI pictures).

Now, yes, some MMOs have some of these and a few have all of these to some extent but I don't think any really have all of them to the level that Cyan has been able to. I talked to some people about the pellets and got the response that similar things had been done better in other games. I think that (pardon the cliche) they're not bad, just different. Leveling and grinding is pretty much all the same everywhere. Leveling is summed up by "kill something/someone and gain 'experience'." I've always hated the "experience" part of that. As if your experience is a little number. Not exactly realistic. Grinding is summed up by "do something repeatedly and/or for a long time and get a resource or reward. Most of the time the resource is something like firewood or swords or... side of pig. The reward might be something as beautifully useless as "credits".

Myst Online, unlike any other game, has unique versions of both of these. Think of leveling. You 'level' in Myst Online by completing the various journeys. Not only in that way, but by collecting the sparks (seniority leveling) and the relto pages (customization leveling). Not only that, but if you want to look at it this way, you get real experience. Experience gathering people for Delin, learning to gather (most of the time perfect strangers) people and co-ordinate them. As well as the lessons learned of pride, etc. Grinding being, obviously, the pellets (and to some extent the marker missions, though those are no longer something a lot of people do). While the pellets fit the traditional version of grinding I summed up, it does something not seen very much in other MMOs (though it is not unique). This is not something you do on your own. You do not drop a pellet and see the lake get brighter for you and you alone. You also can't trade pellets for Kadish gold or some nonsense like that. You drop a pellet and see... nothing much. The glow that slowly fades in the silo. It is when you combine the efforts of everyone else that you (one day) see the results.

That's, I think, something that makes Myst Online very different from other MMOs. I also think it's something Cyan is intending to do. What makes Myst Online different from other games is that there is little to no player vs. player. While I certainly can enjoy PvP games, and would likely do well in them, I would not get as much enjoyment as I do from exploring Cyan's worlds, figuring out puzzles, and making friends. Friends, not allies. As Allies imply assistance in battle, or a friendship for less than each other's company. I feel more enjoyment from completing the Delin/Tsogahl journey as it is rather than as a single-player puzzle. I get more enjoyment from and understand better the puzzle in Ahnonay because it is multi-player. And I will get more enjoyment when the lake gets brighter because lots of people helped to brighten it.

Dreams and the Forums

2008-01-27T23:45:00.000-05:00

From a forums post:

When we doubt our dreams they will surely die. Nothing is too ambitious. No design team who is as passionate about their dream as Cyan is sits around wondering if it's too ambitious, if it's not appealing enough, if it's no dumbed down enough to be enjoyed. The point of having a dream is of being ambitious, more ambitious than others "too ambitious" they would say. Was Henry Ford too ambitious when he offered his workers above minimum wage? Was Nicholas Negropante too ambitious when he dreamed of a laptop for every child? The world is full of people who have dreams, and those who call them too ambitious.

Uru is going nowhere. It will be here as long as we are interested in it. It will not die, kill the economics lectures and look at what is really here. Gametap management has many Uru players who love the game, Blake has popped in many times just to play. They have seen the dream of Uru and enjoy it and they are not about to abandon it. They, perhaps, know now that the dream is crippled by a small staff which does its best to keep that dream going, still managing to make an impressive year. The new guard still has fun, still finds new things in the old and enjoys it day after day. Sees the potential and is thrilled and ignores the dull mumblings of the forumers. People are enjoying themselves all the time, laughing (at what they call) the worthless forum arguments like circus sideshows, things to be viewed and to move away from. The arguments which are not. Which are simply places to air frustrations and be depressed together while the rest of the game has fun.Fun in the "chatroom", the chatroom which is not, which is more, which has more potential than it is given credit for. The games they play with no one from the forums, the fun they have. In a sense, people have finally woken up to Uru's oldest problem, that things are reported on the forums, and have corrected it themselves by ignoring the forums and what they see as the dull, depressing, hopelessly un-realistic topics which go by in it. They're enjoying the game now, not simply the game + forums. And the people who do grow every day. I see more people now in the city than I did a week ago, at which time I saw more than the week before that. And they do so without using it only as a chatroom or an RP party, bu as a world to be explored and enjoyed and they love it for they are having fun without you. Uru is going nowhere.

In Response

2008-01-26T10:05:00.000-05:00

Responding to German Shepherd's post and hoping he sees it.

I agree that Uru is not what it could have been with episodes and the new story. It's not what the old Uru was, but I guess I'm comfortable with that. I hope that you don't think this post was attacking people who simply didn't like the way the game was going. While I disagree that that should cause you to leave the idea of the game, that's your choice. I, at least, don't think that people are out to "prove" Uru is bad. However, I don't think it is supportive of this game for them to not log on because, regardless of the numerous speculative excuses, coming into the game shows Gametap you like Uru and with that comes the possibility of not only renewed funding, but more funding for a better game. I also don't like people who find no joy in the game and instead make others feel bad by posting how stupid this portion is or how dumb that one is, or one I remember clearly, how "easily entertained" you had to be to enjoy a portion of the game. Those were insults, not only to the game but to the people who enjoy it as Blade talks about here.

I'm still not sure exactly what it is people were intolerant to you about. I'm guessing from the post that you mean the episodes, the Bahro war, etc. I agree I'd love to see them return to the old storyline about whispers of the DRC hiding things, being secretive, etc. But I still enjoy the game because of what could be. I see it as a goal, not as history. If we endure and show that we still enjoy the game, despite its shortcomings, perhaps we can achieve that goal. I hope you will return and not let the griefers get you down.

"Don't let the bozos bring you down."

The New Guard

2008-01-25T08:08:00.000-05:00

There are many names I and the other "older members" --people who have been here since at least UU, if not further back-- are called. From the endearing "old guard," "veterans," and "die-hards". To the not-so-much "delusional". They reference fans who have been here varying lengths of time. From my own coming-up-on four years to some eight for those involved with the old Beta and DIRT. It is, inherently, seen as a small, old, and elite group. Seen by those who enjoy this game as "veterans" as the "supporters" of Uru when no one else was. Seen by those who do not as delusional, old people stuck in the past, unwilling to accept the "fact" that their game is a failure.

However, as I am actually in the game--something this game's detractors are infrequently doing-- I see that there are more groups of people than the monolithic/monotheistic "old guard" term implies. The City is not filled with helmeted fans, brandishing spears and chorusing "Hail, Cyan!". Neither, truly, is it filled with fans who ignore or do not see the games flaws or shortcomings. What it is filled with --and to be clear, by filled, I do not mean that literally nor by a number that, by itself, competes with other MMOs-- is what I call the "new guard".

Now, the "new guard" are by no means as unified as this term suggests, just as the "old guard" is not. What these people, generally, consist of are of new people, relatively. Joining for the first time when the game began or even more recently such as August, or even last December. The crucial point in this, however, is that they have just as much interest in this game as the "old guard" did.

I say "did" on purpose as much of the "old guard" has fallen apart. A good deal of my old friends have left the game either from frustrations from the mandate of broadband or from dissolution from the story's path or disappointment based on content or simply lack of time. Give me the space and I can rattle off a list of people and familiars and others who are gone or never speak to me and I would tell you truthfully that the list is longer than the list of people I see coming in and I can drift into melancholy and depression but I will not. Melancholy is for those who have left. Very few of the "old guard" or even the "middle guard" --which I consider myself a member of, those people who came in during late UU and D'mala and had fun, (even though I came in much earlier)-- still come into the game regularly. From my position, I am the only one remaining. I have no idea why we have lost ourselves as we have. No idea why the old community, the ones who would come in and have fun with nothing, with less than what we have now, cannot or do not now. Why we have pushed the proverbial infant bluebird out of the nest simply because we see it appears to have developed some form of wings. I'm sure, if pressed, they would default to a lecture on economics.

But there are others now, the "new guard." They have always been there, they have looked up to those who've been here; the ones who kept this game alive and showed this game's power to Gametap, the power of a world which sustains itself however meekly. They looked up to them and, whether deliberately or not, matched them and exceeded them as this game matched and exceeded the old Uru in terms of content. This "new guard," which I see every night having fun, even consists of the newly-interested portions of the old. And still some of the previous groups of fans return, some periodically, rarely consistently, but the "new guard" is there consistently, every time, because they've been touched by the fire that set the old community ablaze with passion for this game eight years ago and it is still fresh in their minds regardless of whether we have forgotten it.

The Fallacy of a Bad Uru Story and Other Topics

2008-01-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

Let us begin by defining a fallacy. A fallacy is a misleading, deceptive, unsound, and/or false argument, notion, or belief. The word here refers to the false notion that Uru has a poor story or a bad story, or that it is a story with less content than stories in books or movies or other games.

Uru’s story is comparable and shows just as much depth and intrigue as A Christmas Carol, Snow White, and Grendel, to name three random stories. In fact I would say a story about a powerful and deadly creature with deep thoughts and internal conflict over perceived intruders into his land and injustices to his family and himself bears a striking resemblance to the story of the nehkihsahl bahro. While we certainly don’t get to hear the internal thoughts of the Bahro and we don’t have a third-person story-teller narration dropping symbolism, the core story in nonetheless good.

An important distinction should be made between the story now and the story “then.” I’m comparing the story given over the episodes, not the story from after Myst Online launched to the beginning of the episode system. The periods of “Nick’s Lady-chasing”, while a base for fan interaction (which we did), was not a good core story. That story was low, true. However, the Bahro War, while never able to hurt an explorer is not a bad story and is engaging perfectly well. It is when we use the fallacy “I can’t be hurt by the Bahro, therefore I’m not interested” that we feel it is bad. You do not feel you can be hurt by Captain Hook, nor by the Ghost of Christmas Future, nor the Wicked Witch, nor Darth Vader, nor Grendel, nor the humans who kill him. In fact I would argue I did feel the possibility of being hurt by the Bahro when they were swooping down at me over the Great Stairs. Certainly I could pull myself from that idea by saying it is just a game just as any idiot can walk up to you when you feel an emotion at a character in a book or a movie and use all their mental capacity to explain to you that what you are experiencing is only a book/movie.

The trend now is a trend of “Persistent Pessimism”. That because a person feels a segment of the game is bad or could have been done better that the entire game is no longer fun. RAWA said at one point on the DRC Forums that if you didn’t like a spot in the game for whatever reason, Uru was designed so you could ignore that region or not participate in that area and still have other areas to go to. The problem now is that the trend of Persistent Pessimism convinces many that because one thing is bad, the game is bad, flawed, doomed. This is not the case, but it creates an impression.

A recurring theme in Uru is to return. “D’mala”, though returning here refers to more than coming again. To return what has been given. I would modify that to “Give what you want.” Many point out that Cyan is unresponsive or has no infrastructure set up. That they feel they cannot do because they do not have “tools”. Perhaps then they understand Cyan’s position. Currently we have to work with what we have, as Cyan is. We can either work with what we have or do nothing with what we don’t. Others say that we are laboring to make a Guild structure while Cyan deceives us and works on its own with its power to end all the work we have. That is true. All the Guild structures may be for nothing when the Guilds come up, but we knew that from the beginning. We should be proud that we did so selflessly create when we could have done nothing. Even if they are for nothing, we should feel proud of our accomplishments.

Give what you want. That is what I think will make this community great. Provide a service you feel is missing not because you “have to” or because you will be “less of an explorer” if you do not, but because it will improve your outlook of the game and make your time in-game more enjoyable. Because it will improve the game for others and add that much more value to everyone’s game. Make a story, create content on KI images. Think of it not as a requirement but as a reward, not as a duty but as a source of potential. Move from the forums to the game and tell your friends to as well. If you are feeling down, try thinking of the future. Dream of races in Kahlo or what might be in Teledahn. When you see possibilities all around you, it is harder to feel discouraged.

PR and Community

2007-12-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

I was listening to this conference of different game's PR departments (Myst Online's included) and I came across this passage that sounded very much like what we're dealing with now. Troy Hewitt, Community Director for Pirates of the Burning Sea said:

"The most crucial milestone is that point between closed beta and open beta when you've got that die hard group of community members who have been there with you for-- since the day that you announced you were building a game around their favorite title or IP or whatever. There is that really crucial moment when those folks that don't necessarily care about your title that are just looking for a new game to play and people who are passionate about it clash and meet and if you don't spend the time to manage those relations your forum becomes a war zone and your staff hunker down and it's a really unmanageable situation. And it's ultimately damaging to this end result, this community."

Link

This is, pretty much, what we're dealing with now. The people who are just looking for another game to play, the (as Eleri coined the term) parasites who ask and give nothing in return (perfectly normal behavior in other games). And then there are the loyal fans who, as is talked about later in the video, have built fences in the community saying "this is what the community is" (though not as blatantly as that). Some of that is needed to keep Uru's core spirit and ideas (little to no violence, clear moral choices, parts of the story and content put into the player's hands) from dissolving.

Another point made near the end of the video is that the game company needs to enlist the help of those passionate fans to help create norms for the game. To redirect, as Mr. Hewitt said, the passion and love for the game away from making it a "community of contention". This I haven't seen much, and I'd like to see Cyan do that more. I think that's what the Liaisons could have been and what Reteltee is partially serving as. The problem is that we think we require a lot of hand-holding, feedback. No one would be comfortable making a rule or norm without talking to Cyan and Cyan isn't around a lot, etc. Not to mention this community's rabid disgust with any form of leadership or anyone who has something others don't. This community breeds a lot of paranoia. I saw over hood chat during an episode people complaining about Reteltee holding back information. Certainly he may be, but that is life. We can either choose the mindset that he is greedily or otherwise sinfully holding back information by his choosing, or we can choose the mindset that he is hiding only what the DRC (Cyan) has told him to. I find the second leads to lower blood pressure.

Describing Myst Online: Our Mushroom Kingdom

2007-11-23T19:51:00.000-05:00

Reading an article in the New York Times about the new Mario game, I came across a passage that, to me, seemed to be an example of what I see when disillusioned people view Myst Online. Seth Schiesel wrote:

Like dancing or physical intimacy, a great game can truly be understood only through experience, not words. When reduced to a mere description — “Pass around small bits of laminated card stock in place of money” (poker), or “Roll imprinted cubes and buy fictional properties” (Monopoly) — even the most captivating games can seem impossibly boring.

This is what I see when people say that, when Myst Online isn't in an episode, that it's nothing but a "3d chatroom". Or the people who say that, even when the episode is going, that it's nothing but "drama". As if drama were this horrid and undesirable thing, like polio. What they do is take something that could very well be fun and cut it off at its knees before trying to experience it. And this is a very real danger as this cynicism spreads to those who read it. You inevitably see the game less as an experience but as words. And that does harm to the community.

Certainly, everyone knows that there's not much new content outside of the episodes. Maybe a spark or two, but nothing big. Yes, in words the game is a 3d chatroom. It is that, though, only for those without imagination. You can do that with anything. Why would I want to watch TV? It's just watching a bunch of lights change colors while listening to someone else speak. Why read? Why would I want to read specially-shaped blobs of stain on dead tree parts?

On the side of the experience, certainly many get bad experiences due to un-informed or un-intelligent people. However, you should still be able to keep your mind open to those possibilities.

In a nutshell, it should be quite simple, if you can find things to be interested in, you should enjoy the game (not wholeheartedly, necessarily). If you can find nothing that interests you, you should not hang around to emerge and make a snippy, sarcastic critique of how horrible the game is. If you want the game to be a success, be constructive.