Will additional Art Assets be released with OS Uru?

Bellerophon · **Joined:** Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:46 am **Posts:** 34

I was wondering; when Uru development opens up, will any of the assets used behind the scenes in development be released along with the game for use? Things like... for example, if there are any originally higher-resolution texture maps in use behind the scenes that were then compressed for use in the game. (Springs to mind especially, since the fuzzy pixelated textures are one of the most noticeably dated things about Uru and modern computers could handle much better). Or partially completed models and items. Things like that.

jadawin12 · **Joined:** Fri Jul 24, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 270

Well from what I have heard the texures in the PRP files are exported directly from Max, and they are not reduced in any way.

So I hope that helped.

Nalates · **Posted:** Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:02 am

They have said avatars and some models will be released. Textures to allow matching of the look and feel. There is something mentioned about releasing an age or part of an age. Speculation is possibly the Nexus. Logic says that something has to be fan changeable so we can add ages... books in the Relto or Nexus.

In all it is pretty fuzzy and undecided. There are some textures one can get from Cyan now. With a FCAL one can use them in age creation and web sites and ... whatever else a FCAL permits.

I know some people have submitted requests in the last 6 months. AFAIK they have yet to hear back.

How much Cyan may release is more speculation than fact. Whether any original Photoshop files or 3DMax files will be released is unknown.

Nye_Sigismund · **Posted:** Thu Jul 01, 2010 12:21 pm

I'd expect the basic common stuff - Nexus terminals, viewers, books, cones, barricades etc - will be released. This is a very long time away, however.

Ian Atrus · **Posted:** Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:13 pm

As far as I gathered, some assets will be released for content building but under a different (probably non OS) license.

Rusty_Russell · **Posted:** Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:23 pm

Quote:

The 3D models and textures that were used to create Myst Online: Uru Live will not be part of the open source license. We will probably release some of these models and textures, but under a different license than the code source.

This is as much as we know at present.

poutrew · **Posted:** Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:38 am

...So when they finally do release Uru, we wont even have a pre-made place. Not even the Cavern in solid white. Every place in OS Uru will have to be made by you. Most versions of open source will be just a single room using Cyan code as a framework upon which to build. Actually, it isn't even right to be calling the place Uru , 'cause it wont be. Most people are expecting a cut down version of the Cavern we have all grown to know and love... maybe a cavern where you will paste your own textures on the walls, and add your own objects to the environment... sorry to dissappoint... :cry:

(Unless Cyan gets incredibly, insanely, generous).

Stucuk · **Joined:** Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:41 am **Posts:** 216

They arn't going to OS URU and not give out the actual game files. But they are not likely to give out each art asset in its original form. For example, ages from what iv read were made in 3ds Max and then converted into Ages. They may not give out every max model that they made, but they will (And have as the client has them) give out the files needed to run a URU server with the current contents.

Your not going to loose anything. Cyan wants people to be able to expand URU, not to start from scratch with nothing.

mszv · **Joined:** Wed May 10, 2006 5:28 am **Posts:** 2266

I thought the art assets would be available via a data server -- so, if you run your own version of Uru, your own server, you can bring in the current Uru ages.

vidroth · **Joined:** Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:25 am **Posts:** 869

mszv wrote:

I thought the art assets would be available via a data server -- so, if you run your own version of Uru, your own server, you can bring in the current Uru ages.

Available as usable, finished levels that plug into your server, yes. Available as uncompiled textures and models to be changed and used in a modelling program... probably not.

Whilyam · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 1:04 am **Posts:** 4134

Currently the only hints we might have are from the license Cyan gives/gave out to people making Ages for the offline version. Namely, that textures are okay to use in an Age unless the Age is for a game engine other than Plasma (Second Life, There, etc.)

Nalates · **Posted:** Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:03 pm

Even the game engine limit is confusing as Jandia has a FCAL for Crux Isle in SL. She says the license limits what she can say about it, other than she has it. So, unless you get one, you can't find out. However that she has a license suggests that their is more than one license in use.

I see most of Cyan prohibitions as more about protecting their rights to Myst games than an effort to limit fans. I suspect Cyan has yet to completely figure out how they will support fans and protect their rights. Much of what they do may be case by case.

aloys · **Posted:** Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:16 am

Nalates wrote:

I see most of Cyan prohibitions as more about protecting their rights to Myst games than an effort to limit fans. I suspect Cyan has yet to completely figure out how they will support fans and protect their rights. Much of what they do may be case by case.

Unfortunately; at this point it seems quite clear to me that they have no idea how they will handle this whole open source project.
It's obviously not malicious; but it's just another example of a company honnestly trying to please its fans, while not being able to follow through. They have opened a can of worms and have no idea what to do with it now.
The open source project was announced two years ago; you'd think they would have it figured out by now.. And if they have, why haven't they announced anything or even given hints?
:/

Stucuk · **Joined:** Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:41 am **Posts:** 216

They are working on the OS in there "Spare time" (Well spare slots that open up when there programmers/etc don't currently have anything to do on current projects). So until they reach the point where they have removed whatever they need to remove from the source code (Id suspect 3rd party libraries like Bink which are only licensed for one project) and got everything ready, then they can decide what licensing they want to use. There is no point for them to decide on licensing now when they don't have it all ready to be released.

SCGreyWolf · **Posted:** Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:05 pm

Stucuk wrote:

They are working on the OS in there "Spare time" (Well spare slots that open up when there programmers/etc don't currently have anything to do on current projects). So until they reach the point where they have removed whatever they need to remove from the source code (Id suspect 3rd party libraries like Bink which are only licensed for one project) and got everything ready, then they can decide what licensing they want to use. There is no point for them to decide on licensing now when they don't have it all ready to be released.

I don't really see that as a delay reason after two years. The licensed modules could have been removed a long time ago and the source released as-is. Bink videos could be released in their uncompressed format to allow them to be played back in another manner.

Will additional Art Assets be released with OS Uru?

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