Eowyn brought up a very good point:
if we want a strict controlled environment, then, that can be done, If we want some OOC than can be done too.
Initially, I had concerns about not leaving the original uru world behind us as we grow our uru journey through OS, and I still have some minor concerns about OS uru in general(because I want to see it work and in the best way possible), however what Eowyn has said here is the very definition of what an open source project is. You can have the original and you can have the altered; it's your own individual choice. There can be nearly any possible alteration or there can be no alteration, and because the code is being released as open source, we should be able to extend it if we choose.
Also, I think it should be an available option to us as a community to have the chance to perhaps continue the uru journey ourselves, without waiting for Cyan to do so, and that some of these new Ages can POSSIBLY(if they meet certain requirements) be inducted as extended yet official works of "true" uru. I am sure that would be quite interesting if it were to ever happen:)
The processes we might take to conclude that the new content become official still remains unclear. We know who will be in charge - all of us, the entire community, but, should we form a central hub to maintain officiality? I think we should, and perhaps the Guilds could serve that very purpose, for they would in effect be the most proper council in regards to decision making next to Cyan, and I think most everyone, the D'ni included(if they were still here), would agree.
So perhaps the 5 Grandmasters of each of the 5 major Guilds(a set number of individuals instead of one benevolent dictator;)could be appointed to "officialize" or christen new contributions as part of the main flow of uru. Each of the Guilds serves a purpose; writing, testing, mapping, etc., and then they come together and decide. If any decisions regarding permanently adding to cannon are made, I personally would love to see a fan made Age become a part of the big story; that would be very interesting. Perhaps the 5 Grandmasters and Cyan could simply have a poll of the community, and majority would decide what becomes "official" and what remains OS, and I would assume that there would be very few contributions that would even be considered as candidates for induction(eg. they would have to be designed and conceived well, blend in, and contribute).
We cannot forget that we've already been told that we won't be allowed to create content that directly involves expanding the cannon story, so where else do we have to go but into our own new worlds? The original uru story doesn't make everything clear(there are unexplained gaps in the story that could be utilized for the addition of new, cannonistic content), so there could definately be other things or places or even events that could have taken place that we don't have knowledge of. This is one of the strategies we can use to literally write new Ages and have them possibly blend with cannon. We envision those possibilities, and then we create them. Can we envision a continuation of the real story that happens in every instance or shard? I think we could, and we will.
My only concern is just how off course someone might possibly go with the uru world in general. I don't want uru to become an SL type game where ANYTHING(anything) is possible. I'm sorry to all my SL friends but I just don't. I personally would like to have at least one unmodified area(shard) available that contains only the original uru world where i could go and perhaps share what I have and experienced so far with a friend who has not taken the original journey(and I am almost positive, like Veralun, that this will happen, probably through the culmination of the Guilds and Cyan). That same shard could also contain a graphical interface that would allow you to shard out and make the mods available for perusal. I think that this is the experience that most everyone is working towards, and I support it. I unfortunately did not play UU, but i imagine a system for OS uru would be similar to how shards were then. Makes sense, as many are already familiar with that and are able to teach others as well.
Lontahv said:
I don't think we need to continue a life of someone saying: NO, your dreams must stay locked up.
I fully agree with this; if you think about it, the so called decentralization and diversefication of the uruverse into various untold shards WILL actually be a form of continuation here, and a good one for the further development of our community,the Guilds, and our journey. Like the majority, I also crave new Ages and areas, and those don't have to be downright specific to uru, just believable by it's base workings in general. We want to be able to dream here, and see those dreams become real. Pink stairs or green hair wouldn't necessarily affect how you use the game. Using the same gameplay features as the original source serves as an example of the base connection with the feel of "real" uru. Because I know a lot of people are working on various tools and interfaces that could work with OS uru, i feel as if the proposed unmodded/inter-guild shard is a sure fire way to please one and all.
Veralun, in regards to Calam's post about a possible single unmodded, cannonistic shard, said it all too clear and I hope it is true for the sake of those who missed out on moul:
Calam, I am quite sure this will happen:)
I say as long as it sticks to the fundamentals of uru gameplay(eg. same base user actions like linking, using books, solving puzzles and exploring), and at least have some virtue that will allow it to blend in nicely with what we have already experienced, it should work. A single server dedicated to the core original uru live would serve to satiate those(like myself) who want to memorialize that experience(and to note, there has been discussion of a possible inter-guild shard - I support that idea), and the other shards would fill the want of others(like myself), who thirst for new, fresh content. We should be able to play base uru as always on at least one single dedicated shard, and have these new Ages/shards as option presented by graphical UI. The only new Ages that would be exceptions to that would be the ones "officially" inducted, by whatever means, into cannon either by Cyan or the community. It's all theory at this time as to what may occur.
No matter what happens, I will definately be returning to this project. Uru has become more than just a mere single player world; it's grown and branched, like the Great Tree, into our present community, and now it's time for us to begin the long awaited work of fulfilling our uru dreams. Now is the time for uru again; now, it's our time.
Shorah To All,
Stranger
_________________ Isyeerehmah Rehbahrehltahn ~ Shetehnehmah Rebahrehltahv
Rever the Maker ~ Cherish the Made
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