Myst

[trickster721]

Uru (now called "Myst Online") subscription is part of Gametap now, which means you get huge ridiculous piles of stuff (Silent Hill!) for $10 a month or $60 a year.

I'm prepared to admit that it may not actually be the best game ever made, but they've been having continuous financing problems since day one. Basically they had a ton of great stuff ready to go online for 2003, then their publishing situation fell apart, and they've been keeping afloat by slowly selling off that original content as different games while trying to regain their footing. This year's new content on Gametap will be the first time they've actually been able to plan something for the current situation and then release it, without any reworkings or cancellations or last minute publisher demands.

So it's a mess, but the fact that they're even still around after that kind of extended catastrophe is a small miracle. And there is finally a good amount of content stacked up in there, for anybody who hasn't checked it out.

Hi, Gadren. I'm going to tell everybody that you've been going around to unrelated forums and bragging about your Myst post count.

[Nyarlathotep]

It's still not something I can really afford. *shrugs* Still, I may poke around the fora for a while, I've been starved for Myst-related things.

[Akula]

So... unless I've missed the mark, they've managed to bastardize another sacred pillar of gaming with these re-releases and ports?

The re-releases / ports are less heinous than their sad, sad attempt at an MMORPG.

Yes, you read that right. Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, which is less an MMORPG and more an MMO... puzzle... game... thingy... still. it initially died hardcore becuase people were more interested in WoW grinding, but now it's got a small and very fanatical fan following. No clue when they last updated though, they don't seem to make much money on it becuase frankly, who wants to pay $15 a month for a game that completely fucks with Myst canon (even more than End of Ages did).

I wouldn't pay $15 for it period. I was really never a big fan, but understand why other some speak of it with such zealotry.

I personally love the mythology and the atmosphere of the games, but I'm too poor to pay that money for more and even if I could, it seems a waste.

At least it's a series that will likely continue to have content. I hate falling in love with worlds, or characters, and then having the story just end. Recent example: Mass Effect. A fantastic story, and I don't think I've ever been quite as attached to characters in a video game. And if Bioware follows their usual routine, there will be a sequel, but with completely different characters, and quite possibly a completely new, unrelated story.

On a related, somewhat off topic note, I'm pretty pissed about that author on Fox News calling Mass Effect pornographic. It's not some self-appointed expert calling video game bad that upsets me (that's just business as usual), but the fact that it's such an exquisite game. It's every bit as ridiculous and ignorant as people who want to ban The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it contains the word "nigger." It's for adults... maybe that's why she hasn't played it.

[Triss Hawkeye]

Gadren? Haha, I knew I recognised that avatar! xD

Has anyone heard the rumours of a movie? Here's the site in question: http://www.mystmovie.com. It's either a hint at something upcoming or a dedicated fan who is either going to piss a lot of people off or be thanked by the fans who are disappointed but none-the-less appreciated the puzzle...go over to Uru Obsession or Mystcommunity, they have discussions on it.

[Nyarlathotep]

Gadren? Haha, I knew I recognised that avatar! xD

Has anyone heard the rumours of a movie? Here's the site in question: http://www.mystmovie.com. It's either a hint at something upcoming or a dedicated fan who is either going to piss a lot of people off or be thanked by the fans who are disappointed but none-the-less appreciated the puzzle...go over to Uru Obsession or Mystcommunity, they have discussions on it.

Can we have a link?

And hmmm, maybe I should. I'm getting hardcore back into the series again... grr. XD

Oh, progress on the Myst DS game -

Lack of the hand cursor makes some puzzles harder. Again, tiny screen size is my bane, and the Mechanical Age seems glitchy as fuck (The controls for moving the age are WAY too sensitive, and then the elevator itself is... errghh, just glitchy. Actually, most of the sliding controls are way too sensitive.) Also, the updated graphics? LIES. Utter bullshit and lies. They're the same as the original version.

[Narsil]

How exactly does a game developer sleep at night with the knowledge he's done what he has to a classic like that?

[Nyarlathotep]

How exactly does a game developer sleep at night with the knowledge he's done what he has to a classic like that?

The same way he sleeps at night with all the horrible ret-cons done to the Myst series, and the fifth game in general...?

I dunno. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he's constantly haunted by the shadows of his sins.

[DragonRidr]

I got into the Myst series a couple of years ago when I purchased (and fell in love with) Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. I think I bought the game two months after Uru Live got cancelled. The soundtrack to URU was *expletive*ing amazing. Tim Larkin is an *anotherexpletive*ing genius.

I'm currently in the middle of Myst IV: Revelation, but I keep putting it down because life keeps me busy and the fact that I'm not really assertive in real life somehow carries over into first-person games. Pity, that.

I've been dying to subscribe to Uru Live on Gametap, but I'd have to deal with money issues, time issues, and the fact that my parents weren't too pleased with my brother getting addicted to WoW.

I think I registered an URU Obsession (or was it Myst Worlds?) forum account at one point, but I'm bad about getting plugged in to communities. I have a bad feeling I'm going to get suckered in now...

[cyberdeftly]

Played Myst as a kid when it first came out after my older brother beat it (and put all the answers into a notebook he drew out and illustrated and everything...which added even more to the game having a handwritten guide like that).

Played it again 2 months ago and beat it in a night. Ridiculously easy. realMyst btw, which doesn't have any problems. Unlike the anniversary editions.

Own all 3 books. Read the first one (Book of Atrus) today and brought back some nostalgia.

Found out they're planning on releasing a 4th book called Myst:The Book of Marrim and got excited. Than found out that's been 2 years since they announced that. I guess it's something they've shoved away for a while. I wonder what Cyan is working on than? Maybe their mmorpg lol

Bought Myst V about a year ago. Big mistake. Just, nothing is really that exciting or interesting about it. Story is kinda...eh, and there's a man with d'ni glasses/goggles that talks to you throughout the entire game and he really, seriously annoys me.

All-in-all, I love Myst. Have yet to play Riven. Seeing how it's a favorite among so many people, maybe I should check it out.

[Nyarlathotep]

All-in-all, I love Myst. Have yet to play Riven. Seeing how it's a favorite among so many people, maybe I should check it out.

Well, first a warning: Riven is a bitch to get to run on newer machines, even if you get the Aniversierry Edition (Which is Myst, Riven, and Exile in one box, for only around $18). If you've got something which still runs Windows 95 (yeah right!) or another older system go ahead and try it.

If not, -apparently- the best way to get it to run is by -completely nuking- any and all copies of Quicktime that ever could possibly exist on your machine (BEFORE installing Riven, btw), wiping them from the registry and disavowing all knowledge of it. Then run Riven in Windows 95 computability mode and be prepared for the graphics looking somewhat blurry.

Interestingly, the game doesn't exactly look out-dated (like Myst does), though sometimes the trees look a bit plastic-y. The problem is more that it really doesn't like running on high-resolution screens as it was designed in something like 640x400 size, so everything gets uber-stretched when run on a large screen.

Again, I tried to run it at home, and while I got it to work -without- nuking quicktime, I did have to change one line of code in the source (you can google for this trick, just google for ways to run Riven on new PCs and you'll eventually find it)... but I could only walk around Temple Island. The moment I tried to get to Jungle Island and it asked me to Insert Disk 2, it kind of exploded

That said... Riven is HARD. For a first time player it can be mind-bogglingly difficult and is known for being the hardest game in the entire series. I know that if I played it again it'd probably be a cinch since I've played it multiple times and remember the puzzles, but even with that the game is difficult, primarily becuase there's a few puzzles which are just hair-tearingly obtuse. It is well-worth it though, becuase the design is one of the most beautiful in the series - place feels far more lived-in than any of the other Ages you go to. The plot also makes slightly more sense than Myst's and there are fewer loose-ends... well it would if it wasn't for the goddamn trap-book retcon. But whatever, it's a very well-done game and my favourite. So I'll shut up now with my hideous bias XD

I'm currently in the middle of Myst IV: Revelation, but I keep putting it down because life keeps me busy and the fact that I'm not really assertive in real life somehow carries over into first-person games. Pity, that.

I... I'm really not getting how this is a problem in the Myst series, of all things. Like, I can see this being an issue in dialogue-heavy games like Planescape: Torment or Knights of the Old Republic, where a lot of the game focuses on interacting with NPCs and sometimes requires you to put your foot down but... in a Myst game?! There aren't any people to talk to and even when people DO talk to you, you don't have to talk back. It's next to impossible to back yourself into a corner so you can't continue, or heck, even kill yourself, until the end-game. So...
I dunno. I mean, sorry for you and all, but that's an awfully odd series of games to run into that problem with.

[cyberdeftly]

Thanks for the fore-warning on Riven. I'll have to do some research first. I have faith though that the Myst following has a set way of getting Riven to work on newer machines. If not, I've lost all faith in them.

Random Myst fact: Riven is Age #5, created and named by Gehn - father of Atrus. And for a little more detail...

Spoiler:

I know that the game talks about Catherine, I can't remember how though since I've never played it. According to the book though, Riven is where Cathering first lived and where Atrus was sent after pissing off his pop. That's where they met and decided ultimately to trap Gehn there forever.

Ah, the book series...

[MotorToad]

If not, -apparently- the best way to get it to run is by -completely nuking- any and all copies of Quicktime that ever could possibly exist on your machine (BEFORE installing Riven, btw), wiping them from the registry and disavowing all knowledge of it. Then run Riven in Windows 95 computability mode and be prepared for the graphics looking somewhat blurry.

What about Quicktime Alternative? I haven't used QT for several years as I despise the way it tries to take over.

Also, I'm pretty sure I've played all the early Myst games, but I'm not sure. My brother was really into them but I'd play them when he was done, if I was living in the area at the time.

Some of the things I remember about the one(s) I liked, but I'm not sure if they were even the same games.

The ratcheting tree puzzle. I killed myself getting to that tree in time to ride it to the top. Like 12 times. Before I did something different. The view was nice but I couldn't see where it advanced the game any. I remember being scared that I'd be trapped by it if I didn't jump out soon enough.

Didn't that go to the world with the treehouses and the plumbing puzzle? I liked that one, too.

The world with the chair lift thing that buzzed at you when you stopped. I rode that thing around at random for quite a while.

I barely remember one world that was a house where the rooms were on spokes. There were a lot of really odd items in the two sons' rooms that helped make a really eerie mood.

I didn't like any puzzles that required direct transcription of certain notes. I'm tone deaf and there's no way I could repeat the sounds on my own, I'd just get my brother to do it.

[Nyarlathotep]

Thanks for the fore-warning on Riven. I'll have to do some research first. I have faith though that the Myst following has a set way of getting Riven to work on newer machines. If not, I've lost all faith in them.

Random Myst fact: Riven is Age #5, created and named by Gehn - father of Atrus. And for a little more detail...

Spoiler:

I know that the game talks about Catherine, I can't remember how though since I've never played it. According to the book though, Riven is where Cathering first lived and where Atrus was sent after pissing off his pop. That's where they met and decided ultimately to trap Gehn there forever.

Ah, the book series...

Hm. This is all stuff you find out fairly early on, but if you don't want to be spoiled then don't click.

Spoiler:

Catherine is, afik, Rivenese. That is, she's not D'ni, she's a human from Riven. Which is odd considering she actually learns the Art.

There's two "main tasks" in Riven (kind of like how in Myst the main task was to find pages). The first is to rescue Catherine, because Ghen has captured her and imprisoned her as a hostage. The second is to stick Ghen in a trap book.

Man, I seriously have to get my hands on them books.

[Narsil]

Damn. This thread has made me want to go dig up my anniversary discs again. I cleared Myst I without any outside assistance, but I just couldn't get a foothold in Riven. I'll have to try again, maybe with some outside assistance.

[Nyarlathotep]

Damn. This thread has made me want to go dig up my anniversary discs again. I cleared Myst I without any outside assistance, but I just couldn't get a foothold in Riven. I'll have to try again, maybe with some outside assistance.

Yeah, with Riven there's a few puzzles that you really should get help with. the Marble Puzzle strikes me as one. Heck, if there's only one puzzle in the whole game you get help with it's probably that one.

Maybe that and the Animal Stones puzzle, that's a doozy too.

Also, MotorToad: That probably won't work. The issue is that Quicktime 7 isn't really backwards compatible with older versions of quicktime, so that it gets glitchy and angry when it tries to play the very ancient movies in Myst and Riven. Some people have no problems, others can't get it to work at all.

In my case, I'm not even sure if it's Quicktime, since I got the movies to work... the thing crashes only when I try to change disks, so it MIGHT be something to do with my laptop and the way it changes disks. or something.

[cyberdeftly]

In my case, I'm not even sure if it's Quicktime, since I got the movies to work... the thing crashes only when I try to change disks, so it MIGHT be something to do with my laptop and the way it changes disks. or something.

It might be some trouble, but you could rip the cd's onto your computer as an image and than use daemon tools or alcohol 52% (as it has just recently become available to the public for free) and you would be able to "mount" the images all at once and never have to physically change out cds. "Mounting" is similar to an emulation, but instead of an emulation of a port, it's an emulation of the mind (kidding, that just came out of nowhere). Mounting is an emulation of a cd-drive, or a dvd-drive. With both programs (daemon and alcohol) you would be able to "mount" up to 6 cds at one time. Maybe that would solve your problem...maybe it would be a lot of work just for the ancient game to crash again. Than again, it all kind of parallels the D'ni civilization doesn't it?

On Catherine again

Spoiler:

That's right. She learned the art of D'ni writing, but since you have to be of D'ni blood she was never able to use the art to create any worlds. On the other hand, she was brilliant and extremely clever with her writing and in the Book of Atrus she had (Major Spoiler Alert) Ti'Ana or Grandma Anna write the books for her even though she dictated (presumably). Afterwards, I believe her and Atrus spent a lot of time writing books together on the island of Myst. Really interesting stuff! I had forgotten that I remember hearing Gehn was in the game Riven. In the book, he becomes trapped in Riven at the end. I guess that makes sense than.

Being tone deaf would suck while playing Myst. You have my sympathies.

I remember being afraid of that damn tree.

[DragonRidr]

I'm currently in the middle of Myst IV: Revelation, but I keep putting it down because life keeps me busy and the fact that I'm not really assertive in real life somehow carries over into first-person games. Pity, that.

I... I'm really not getting how this is a problem in the Myst series, of all things. Like, I can see this being an issue in dialogue-heavy games like Planescape: Torment or Knights of the Old Republic, where a lot of the game focuses on interacting with NPCs and sometimes requires you to put your foot down but... in a Myst game?! There aren't any people to talk to and even when people DO talk to you, you don't have to talk back. It's next to impossible to back yourself into a corner so you can't continue, or heck, even kill yourself, until the end-game. So...
I dunno. I mean, sorry for you and all, but that's an awfully odd series of games to run into that problem with.

It's not that Myst in particular is a problem. Something like Myst is bearable for me, but it has kept me from playing it when I was busy with other things anyway. (That being said, I don't think I've ever gotten through a first-person shooter on single player mode playing by myself.)

Stupid school week. Why can't you end already so I can find the time to boot up Myst or something without my stress over schoolwork resulting in idle procrastination?

[Nyarlathotep]

BOO. Argh.

I managed to get all the way through all but ONE age (not counting rime) in Myst DS... only to find that the game freezes when you try to access the Selentic age.

What. The. Fuck.

*e* and even after cheating my way into D'ni by looking up my old notes on the combination, I can't get in.

Right. Midway? EPIC FAIL.

[Gadren]

On Catherine again

Spoiler:

That's right. She learned the art of D'ni writing, but since you have to be of D'ni blood she was never able to use the art to create any worlds.

Nope.

Spoiler:

1: You don't create worlds, you link to preexisting ones -- it was the great hubris of Gehn that he thought himself a god.
2: Catherine could and did write Ages. She wrote the Torus Age mentioned in the Book of Atrus. Anna was human (not D'ni), and she and Catherine wrote Myst. Once again, it was the hubris of Gehn that only the D'ni could Write.

[Nyarlathotep]

On Catherine again

Spoiler:

That's right. She learned the art of D'ni writing, but since you have to be of D'ni blood she was never able to use the art to create any worlds.

Nope.

Spoiler:

1: You don't create worlds, you link to preexisting ones -- it was the great hubris of Gehn that he thought himself a god.
2: Catherine could and did write Ages. She wrote the Torus Age mentioned in the Book of Atrus. Anna was human (not D'ni), and she and Catherine wrote Myst. Once again, it was the hubris of Gehn that only the D'ni could Write.

Spoiler:

She also wrote Tay, the Moiety Age from Riven, using little more than an old beat-up burned book that Ghen had thrown out. Furthermore, she wrote INTO the age the necessary materials for stabilizing the books, as they didn't work on their own.

Man, that Ghen. He's such a joker.

[cyberdeftly]

Nope.

Spoiler:

1: You don't create worlds, you link to preexisting ones -- it was the great hubris of Gehn that he thought himself a god.
2: Catherine could and did write Ages. She wrote the Torus Age mentioned in the Book of Atrus. Anna was human (not D'ni), and she and Catherine wrote Myst. Once again, it was the hubris of Gehn that only the D'ni could Write.

Spoiler:

1: Well, I don't believe it was ever proved that they were linking to preexisting worlds. Atrus mentioned on several occasions that he thought conclusively that they were not "creating" worlds, merely linking to them. However, this is never proved or unproved in any of the Myst books or games. I think it would be fair to reference it the same way, created or linked to without having any opposition.
2: I do not deny that she could not write ages. I'm trying to remember how exactly it went down in the book, but it appeared that you absolutely needed to be of D'ni blood to be able to link to a world that you've written. Otherwise you would need a person of D'ni blood to write your world for you. This was Atrus's perspective throughout the entire novel. There is one point though that mentions linking phrases that Gehn taught Catherine. Again, it never officially says that she was able to use these linking phrases to link to the worlds she's created, or if she's always just needed somebody to write her worlds for her. It's never stated! I think it's entirely up to interpretation. My view would be that you need to be of D'ni blood to be able to link to any world, or "create" any world. Any human would be able to learn D'ni craft and writing, but they would never be able to apply it as the D'ni did. That's what makes the D'ni, D'NI!

By the way, this is a totally lame disagreement.


...or hey, maybe I just know crap about Myst.

Man, that Ghen. He's such a joker.

Man, I did not picture Gehn (after reading the novel) looking like a fascist dictator of some sort. I think I imagined a Willam Dafoe type character that looked more like...Chris Cooper

[Nyarlathotep]

Robin and Rand Miller, along with a guy on the development team, have all said that 1. They're linking to extant ages and 2. Catherine can write.

http://www.dnidesk.com/refindex.html <- has it all.

Indeed, quite a lot of what Riven is about is proving that Ghen is a racist bastard who's just TOLD Atrus all his life that only D'ni can link to extant worlds.

Btw. Ghen doesn't sing in the game, that's a blooper where the actor randomly started singing on set for no reason and they thought it was so cool that they left it in as an Easter Egg.

[cyberdeftly]

I seriously need to play Riven. It just goes to show I don't know crap about one of my most favorite franchises. lol lame

i just noticed your sig. i'm in over my head here

[Narsil]

BOO. Argh.

I managed to get all the way through all but ONE age (not counting rime) in Myst DS... only to find that the game freezes when you try to access the Selentic age.

What. The. Fuck.

*e* and even after cheating my way into D'ni by looking up my old notes on the combination, I can't get in.

Right. Midway? EPIC FAIL.

How exactly do you pack that much Phail and Lose into one game? That's annoying. The one chance for a good Myst DS. Gone.

[Nyarlathotep]

I seriously need to play Riven. It just goes to show I don't know crap about one of my most favorite franchises. lol lame

i just noticed your sig. i'm in over my head here

Hey, it's fine. Just trust me (and some of the other folks on here) when we say stuff like that ^_^; it's a silly thing to argue anyway.

Oh god, I just found gameplay trailers for Revelation on Youtube. Christ it's gorgeous. o_O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUs3537ZmRM

[cyberdeftly]

I seriously need to play Riven. It just goes to show I don't know crap about one of my most favorite franchises. lol lame

i just noticed your sig. i'm in over my head here

Hey, it's fine. Just trust me (and some of the other folks on here) when we say stuff like that ^_^; it's a silly thing to argue anyway.

Oh god, I just found gameplay trailers for Revelation on Youtube. Christ it's gorgeous. o_O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUs3537ZmRM

Not offended. Glad to find peeps (Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 anybody?) that know what they're talking about.

Fun fact trivia from above video: Who plays the character Atrus? (c'mon, this is easy)

[trickster721]

The same way he sleeps at night with all the horrible ret-cons done to the Myst series, and the fifth game in general...?

What horrible retcons did you have in mind? The fifth one was by the original developers, so it contains more original ideas. Just because a developing story jumps back and forth over hundreds of years doesn't mean it's "retconning".

The orignal editions of the book are all collectors items, but there's a newer printing of all three novels in one huge paperback which is still available. They're really good, especially the first two, not at all the sort of trash you see in these Star Wars books or whatever.

[cyberdeftly]

The orignal editions of the book are all collectors items, but there's a newer printing of all three novels in one huge paperback which is still available. They're really good, especially the first two, not at all the sort of trash you see in these Star Wars books or whatever.

Really? I have all the original editions. Except when I looked them up on amazon today they were typical amazon price...no more than 10 bucks. I might be misinterpreting the idea of "collectible". I've always thought of collectible meaning they're worth a good chunk of change. Than again, collectible could also mean that the company no longer prints or makes them. I'm sure that's what you meant by it. Knowing that, can be expect the value of the books to go up in price any time soon? I doubt it.

The Myst Reader I bought my brother for christmas. Nerd gift 101.

[headprogrammingczar]

It runs just fine on my XP laptop. Install it as normal, then create a shortcut that runs it in compatability mode for win95. The program will run perfectly, except for sound. This can be solved by going into one of the .cfg files (the (something)_32.cfg file), and disabling audio proxy.

[Nyarlathotep]

The same way he sleeps at night with all the horrible ret-cons done to the Myst series, and the fifth game in general...?

What horrible retcons did you have in mind? The fifth one was by the original developers, so it contains more original ideas. Just because a developing story jumps back and forth over hundreds of years doesn't mean it's "retconning".

The biggest one is in IV, the declaration that Trap Books don't exist and instead are Prison Ages. It makes certain things of the first and second games just not work. And don't give me the whole "Well, Myst represents a videogame adaptation of a different story" tripe. I'm sorry, but the Stranger would not have survived Myst without the Trap Books working EXACTLY as they do in the game, not to mention that one of the more intruiging puzzles of Riven just plain wouldn't have happened. I can see how Atrus might have made a prison age work there, if he'd written a Descriptive Book exactly describing D'ni, it would have linked to a place very like D'ni but different becuase no two Desc. books can link to the same place. Then all he had to do was make a linking book for it, give it to you, and voila, trap for Ghen. Sadly, if you'd gone in first like you do in Riven you'd be stuck forever WITH Ghen, unless Atrus had given you a Riven book to link OUT, and... etc, etc, etc.

there's just a lot of plot holes in those games, that's all.

[cyberdeftly]

It'd be tough to write a book on the idea as theoretical as writing ages and linking to parallels. That's not an easy topic to tackle and to get a story, an interesting story, you might have to sacrifice a few tiny details.

It's hard to write and create a story without plot holes. If you look hard enough, I'm sure you will always be able to find one. That's where your imagination has to come in

[Rook]

I recently bought the collection box set (all 5 main line games), and so far I've only really played Exile. I loved the music, but the length, or lack thereof, left something to be desired. Revelations is a bit laggy, since I'm running on a laptop.

I haven't managed to get Riven to work, but I'll try that trick you suggested. This is even more annoying for me, since Riven was my favourite (I having beaten it with no guides and a relative minimum of help, and it took me ages to finish ), but the first time I played it was across two computers; on one, sound effects were non-existent. On the other, the voices didn't work. Guess which system I finished it on? The one with no voices. Then I had to give it back, 'cause it was borrowed. So for ages, I was left with the impression that Atrus had pushed me into the Star Fissure, and I didn't know why. Most vexing. And since I run Vista as well, it's unlikely I'll get it working anytime soon.

I loved the number system, and the language too. It's really nice to look at, and reminds me of middle eastern scripts somewhat. Eventually I'll get around to getting Uru, but I'll need a better system first I think.

[cyberdeftly]

You almost need to go build a quick P3 setup with windows 98 just to play riven. it'd probably only set you back 50 bucks if you could manage without a case. than you could play magic carpet too!

[trickster721]

I have all the original editions. Except when I looked them up on amazon today they were typical amazon price...no more than 10 bucks.

Oh, weird. When I went to look for a replacment for my damaged one years ago, they were pretty expensive. That's good news, I guess. Definatly go for the original hardcovers then, they're pretty.

The biggest one is in IV, the declaration that Trap Books don't exist and instead are Prison Ages.

That's true, I wasn't thinking of that. They did originally intend for the red and blue books to be prison ages, but they just didn't have the resources at the time to add two more ages to the game. Later, in realMyst, they compromised by adding some sound effects in the trap books to suggest some kind of enviroment. But you're right, it's not literally consistent. An even better example would be the way Atrus somehow talks to you through the green linking book, to keep you from using it. (An early linking crystal experiment, perhaps? ) The point is, the original Myst was a compelling but vauge story tacked on to an arbitrary abstract puzzle game, which later happened to grow and evolve into this complex mythology. I don't see that process as some sort of failing. Aside from those two deliberate compromises, I think it actually holds up pretty well.

And you were going to tell me what was wrong with End of Ages.

[Triss Hawkeye]

Although I think it is official that the trap books don't really fit in with the rest of the story, fan have still found ways to reconcile the two. For example:

Like a certain vital phrase missing from the book that prevents you from completely linking in and traps you in a sort of limbo until someone comes along, fills it in and sends you into the prison Age, which is what Atrus may have done at the end of Myst. It's not canon, but sort of fits and makes people feel happier about the plot-holes. ^^ Myself, I don't mind them.

[TheAmazingRando]

I've played all except the most recent, I felt ripped off after discovering that I wouldn't be able to play Uru online after all, and I found the gameplay rather lacking.

Riven was amazing in terms of art development, but it was insanely difficult for me when I was playing it. Exile, on the other hand, was too easy, I breezed through it up until the Giant Rolling Sphere age was all I had left (I think) but I got motion sickness every time I played it, so I never managed to complete it.

I've never completed Myst IV, just because on my computer the loading times between scenes get so annoying that I can't bring myself to be patient enough to finish it.

I do love the style of game, though. Zork: The Grand Inquisitor is incredibly easy but still a very fun game in the same variety, as is Obsidian (at least up until a very difficult puzzle towards the very end that relies too much on trial and error for my tastes). Obsidian also has fantastic art direction and very interesting areas, and was a vastly underrated game.

[cyberdeftly]

Oh, weird. When I went to look for a replacment for my damaged one years ago, they were pretty expensive. That's good news, I guess. Definatly go for the original hardcovers then, they're pretty.

You know. I went back to Amazon and I noticed that 1st edition hardcovers were pretty expensive...close to 60 or 70 bucks. I guess I was referring to 1st edition paperbacks, which are relatively cheap for a paperback. I've never seen a hardcover version actually. They're pretty eh? *runs off to google


EDIT: Yeah, hey those are pretty cool. Big too. I like paperback though because they get all torn and worn looking. The book already appears to be a relic and when it gets beat up like that it's even better. Like reading ancient scripts lol.

[Triss Hawkeye]

I bought the Myst Reader the other day and finished the Book of Atrus. I love how the end fits in so neatly with the beginning of the game Myst, down to the monologue Atrus gives at the beginning. I was 'squeeing' mightily! xD

[Nyarlathotep]

... ok, I have a question, ARE there any Uru players here...?

I'm considering getting the free trial, but I'm DEATHLY afraid that this game will pwn my life. Furthermore, the community seems even more insular, entrenched, and established than even games like WoW... it just seems like it'd be VERY hard to integrate, especially since I have no interest in studying the D'ni language and it seems there's a LOT of focus on that in the general fan community :\ I can barely learn real languages, let alone that one...

Still, the concept intruiges me and i'm very interested in an MMO that has no grinding or other such idiocy and which seems to have a VERY strong roleplay emphasis.

[trickster721]

I bought the Myst Reader the other day and finished the Book of Atrus. I love how the end fits in so neatly with the beginning of the game Myst, down to the monologue Atrus gives at the beginning. I was 'squeeing' mightily! xD

Isn't it just awesome? You should check out Uru and Myst 5, if you haven't. You get to see a lot of the places from the books.

ok, I have a question, ARE there any Uru players here ... I'm considering getting the free trial

I'm rather hardcore in Uru, if I do say so myself, although I'm taking a little break before the next "season" of new content. (I've been playing since the beginning, so I'm still caught up, but I estimate that there's about enough content now to keep a casual newcomer busy indefinatly.) There's a ridiculous amount of mythology and trivia to soak up, but people aren't insular at all. Quite the opposite. A lot of the serious Myst fans aren't really the gamer type, so there's a ton of effort put into smoothing the learning curve for retired grandmothers.

For example, the largest guild is solely dedicated to answering questions, giving hints, or even sharing access to ages if you want to take shortcuts. And they keep up an organized twenty-four hour watch. A lot of people took it very personally when the game was cancelled the first time, so if you identify yourself as someone new, the serious players aren't going to abuse you so much as treat you like you're made of candy and invite you to parties.

Very few people are actually fluent in the language, and it's not at all necessary to complete anything. Every so often a document will show up that has some story information on it, and we'll all go to the forums to find a translation. That's about it. Knowing the D'ni numbers is important, the way it was in Riven, but that's easy. It's base five so there are only four digits.

The demo is a good way to get a quick feel for the game, but it's a content-limited demo instead of a timed one, so you can't go anywhere interesting. If you really want to try it out, spring for the 99 cent one month Gametap trial.