Relto, not Relto?

dnidaz · **Joined:** Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:51 pm **Posts:** 228

I have a confession to make - much as I love Uru, I have never much liked Relto. From the first time I saw it in ABM years ago, I felt it was a cold, lonely and uninvolving place. When I realised it was my "home world" I was disappointed. In spite of the fact that I have spent lots of time there and collected all the Yeesha pages to give the place a bit of character, I still don't like it much. It just isn't the type of place I would choose as my home.

That being the case, I wonder whether in OS MOUL I may be able to choose another home world. I don't think I can create my own age yet, but if I could, could I move all the Relto-ness (eg bookcase, wardrobe, belt linking book) to another world?

I don't know whether it's a canon question (what makes Relto Relto?), a technical question or an age creation question - a bit of each perhaps. What do you think?

Dhelayan · **Posted:** Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:42 pm

i cant add anything to the Ages created by Cyan (Copyrights...). But you might be able to add things to your own ages or other fan created ages if they give out the Blender files (or 3DSMax). im not sure if you can change your homeworld from Relto to another Age though.

ThedStranger · **Posted:** Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:49 pm

In my opinion, every explorer should have a relto book. HOWEVER, relto won't be anyone's home, but somewhat of a "journey home" age. Players' home will be the 'hood, they will begin in the 'hood and be able to customize it and everything else. Relto won't have a closet, linking books won't be collected there. Instead, you will see the journey books (not linking book, normal ones) there, and things which connects directly to a journey will happen there (fissure and such).

So, 'hood should be home, relto should be journey-sub-age.

aloys · **Posted:** Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:50 pm

It's been discussed a lot, and the problem with this idea is the Relto book. In an IC sense we can't write books that works like this one -- books that link with you. Only Yeesha knows how to do that. Of course one could say that some explorers studied the book and managed to replicate the system. But personally, I would find that hard to believe.
Of course, OOC it would be easy to do once we get the source.

Ed Oscuro · **Posted:** Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:50 pm

I'd like to see Relto always loaded into RAM so you don't have to load when you want to go there, or at least an option to allow this.

Imagine the gameplay benefit: You fall off into a lava pit, safety-link to Relto, and then you can link back to the Age you were working on - all without an unnecessary load.

Maybe the improved KI and UI will obviate much of the need for a "home Age," but it makes more sense to me to at least have a quiet Age you return to instead of a busier Age with people in it, but it'd be nice if people could set this to something else.

If you set this to a community hood or other massively multi area, having the data files loaded into RAM won't stress the server or lag other players with "ghost participants;" you'd not be connected to it, you'd just have the files ready. Sort of like having the Myst Online Forums page open for weeks and not making a post or refreshing the view

zander_nyrond · **Posted:** Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:34 am

I understand what dnidaz means. That hut is about as welcoming (and as weatherproof) as a bus shelter. While I have no particular urge to play my avvie settling down with a nice cup of tea in front of the telly, it would add to the believability if it were implied that there was somewhere off-stage that was actually livable. I suggested some time ago that maybe when you start the game the avvie could emerge from a door into the hut space, or maybe from a trapdoor under the rug, and go back into it when you quit. Nobody paid any attention, as I recall, but I'm used to that.

Being able to move to another home Age is another option, of course. Maybe the GoW could run a competition to Write such an Age--none of the ones we have seem very homelike to me, even the hood (where *did* people actually *live*?) And for those who prefer to have people around them, there could be a niche for bijou flatlets in Ahra Pahts...

Oh and yes, by the way, I'm back.

ChloeRhodes · **Joined:** Wed Apr 11, 2007 3:29 am **Posts:** 520

Some time ago, before Uru went OS, a few friends of mine and I discussed this possibility in great detail. We talked about the cleft, starting alone or together, Relto, the hoods, lots of stuff. One of the ideas we came upon was the idea of a domicile age. (In fact I actually did some minor designs of one in blender, just to see how it would look in game) the concept that we originally came up with was this:

You start out in the cleft, here, in a public version of the cleft, you made the choice to reach D'ni via the DRC's way (through the volcano, into the shaft, and arriving in the city) where along the way you'd get access to your hood and your hood domicile.

OR you go the alone route, and choose Yeesha's way of arriving in D'ni, via relto etc.

The Domicile was to be a D'ni apartment, in one of the hoods. Like relto it would be somewhat bare when you first arrived. Three rooms, in the middle of the apartment was an atrium like foyer where you first arrived. To one side was a room with a bookshelf to hold your linking books like relto, and a desk with a d'ni computer on it. The computer would allow customization options to your domicile to replace the relto pages. Like relto pages, scattered about the ages, were "d'ni disks" that when picked up were added to your computer in the domicile. When you used the computer, and turned off/on one of the disks a message was sent to you via the KI that the DRC had been noted of your request, and that your customization request would be implemented by a ResEng shortly. These customization options were to be of D'ni in origin, rugs, a fountain, lamps, curtains for the windows, paintings, etc.

The other room was a living space, with a closet to replace the relto wardrobe (that acted the same way) as well as a bed, dresser, etc.

Finally off to one side of the rhe foyer was a gate, with a stairway leading up that was inaccessible, but could later be expanded if the need arrived to offer more rooms for your apartment.

ThedStranger · **Posted:** Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:23 pm

I was thinking the same, chloe, but I changed my mind into something which I think would be better: one will HAVE to follow yeesha AND the DRC when the game begins, and he will choose what side to develop.

Sophia · **Joined:** Wed May 17, 2006 11:30 pm **Posts:** 1116

dnidaz wrote:

What do you think?

I couldn't agree more dnidaz! Where are my curtains, flower vases, comfy chairs and picture frames??? If I could choose a home world, it would be something like Rowan Green (yes I know it is not very Uru like, but all the same I love it).

Relto is terrible, unwelcoming, and every single addition was utterly useless. Who wants rain when, as already mentioned, the roof leaks? Who wants a dirty old rug in the middle of the hut if you can't even sweep the dirt under it? Who wants STONES and STICKS? And worst of all, a fireplace on the OUTSIDE??!?

No, I fully agree, I vote Relto OUT. Off with its head, and let's find a new home in Open Source! :lol:

Janai · **Joined:** Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:55 pm **Posts:** 197

Memo to Yeesha: RELTO NEEDS BATHROOMS.

(At the very least, a sleeping bag wouldn't hurt. ...er, not for the same purpose.)

Preachr46 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:01 pm

I also agree that Relto can be a dreary and unwelcoming place. But it doesn't have to be that way. There's not much that can be done for the structures etc. But the textures can be changed to make it look much better.

Here are a couple of pictures of what I've done to my offline Relto to appear at least a little more home like.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Pr ... hot010.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i4/Pr ... hot004.jpg

dnidaz · **Joined:** Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:51 pm **Posts:** 228

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't much like Relto, and it's interesting seeing the range of opinions

I guess it all comes down to what Relto is for you. For me, it is functional hub, but it's a lot more than that too. It has my library, which in D'ni terms must be one of my most valuable possessions, it has my clothes, and it has the memorabilia I collect on my journeys (Yeesha pages, torus segments etc). It's a private place because noone else can get there unless I invite them, and it's personalised because I can choose what options (eg Yeesha pages) are turned on or off. Finally, it is the place that my avie always seems to reside, because everytime I start up again that's where he is, standing patiently on that cold, lonely isle.

And I guess it's that last bit that rankles. I'm quite attached to my avie - I've used pretty much the same one in Uru, offline and online, for years. And when I log off and go to bed in the evening, I feel like I've left a bit of me in there as him. So I go to bed in my comfy home, and he's stuck on that rock! I guess I feel sorry for him

So I think what was behind my original post is that I'm looking for is somewhere nice for my avie to kip down whilst he's on his own. (Do you think I need to talk to a shrink about this? :shock:

)

Anyway, if I had to pick a home from the Myst universe, I'd pick Tomahna from Myst IV. Some beautiful living spaces there. But I don't suppose that'll turn up in Uru anytime soon

aloys · **Posted:** Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:10 pm

dnidaz wrote:

I guess it all comes down to what Relto is for you.

Definitely. As far as I am concerned, I always had a very conflictual relation with Relto. I love the place as an Age; its look, its atmosphere; the fact that you can customize it. I often spend hours there. It's one of my favorites Ages in the whole dniverse. And I've just spend so much time there since '02 or so that saying I'm attached to it would be a big understatement.
But on the other hand I've always felt unconfortable with its IC aspects, because it's an Age Yeesha wrote, and there's the whole Bharo PotS story & gameplay that's tied to it that I'm a bit unconfortable with.
So I can't really think of Uru without Relto under some form or another (and Relto has seen a number of versions over the years); but at the same time I guess I could do with some modifications too. (mostly I'd get rid of the bahro hydrants -- probably by setting them on fire, but any other way would do.)

Joey Zoonishii · **Joined:** Wed May 10, 2006 11:27 pm **Posts:** 963

I dunno if I'd choose to live somewhere where I could plummet to my death easily if I weren't paying attention.

Relto is interesting though in that it's a parallel to Myst Island. As Myst was the centerpoint to all of the Ages of Myst, Relto is the centerpoint to all the Ages one experiences in D'ni.

It's interesting that Relto slowly grows to take on more and more of the characteristics of Myst Island.

I understand that Relto is a little dull in a way. A cool thing that I've always wanted in Uru is some kind of randomly generated, customizable Age of one's very own. That all goes along with that procedurally generated stuff that smart people talk about.

Janai wrote:

Memo to Yeesha: RELTO NEEDS BATHROOMS.

On that note, I always hope that there's no one living at the foot of the plateau that is Relto.

~Joey Commode

Sensei · **Posted:** Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:40 pm

aloys wrote:

It's been discussed a lot, and the problem with this idea is the Relto book. In an IC sense we can't write books that works like this one -- books that link with you. Only Yeesha knows how to do that. Of course one could say that some explorers studied the book and managed to replicate the system. But personally, I would find that hard to believe.
Of course, OOC it would be easy to do once we get the source.

Look, if we're really going to be technical here... couldn't you just scratch out the ink (that's what people did before erasers, there's a special knife for it) and replace all the details that make relto what is it geologically, therefore giving you a 'hijacked' linking book that acts with unique yeesha properties?

Similarly, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from copying a book word for word.

Edit: Oops! I forgot to add...

What that means OOC is that if you can copy the relto file, you should be able to redo all the geometry and move about the objects like the closet and bookcase, while keeping all the networking that makes it relto. Above is the role-playing explanation for this. I will now return my newfound linking book to my armoire in the Batcave...

Relto, not Relto?

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