DIRT: Uru Live - New Uru Project

Ty · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 2:10 am **Posts:** 196

Quote:

I didn't put Todelmer on the list yet because its remake hasn't started yet. Going to try and make it closer to those early Uru screenshots of it, which means it needs a lot more work than Lakiahn or Direbo did to get it to match up to the original concepts.

This makes me curious. Have you re-worked other MYST 5 area's? Like Noloben or Tagirah?

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

Baron City Office has now been merged into the city, so its possible to visit both the spyroom/conference area and Baron City Office in the public and hood cities. Baron City Office

Ty wrote:

This makes me curious. Have you re-worked other MYST 5 area's? Like Noloben or Tagirah?

Tagirah, no. Supposedly, Cyan repurposed Gira II concept stuff for Tagirah. And Noloben stuff was expanded. Noloben expanded so much that they renamed it a different age,, but then changed it back to Noloben so that it would connect back to Uru. I'd rather, if anything make Noloben like it's original concept (which is cool in its own right) and leave Tagirah as soley a Myst V age.

J'ffrey · **Joined:** Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:40 am **Posts:** 559

That is really awesome. It will be nice looking up and seeing those places where they should be. Any planning to physically place the watchers sanctuary to where is should be on a'guera even though it is not supposedly accessible from the outside? I know on the blog it was mentioned about the great zero being moved. I also do hope to see some of the Tahgira stuff reworked for add on to eder gira as eder gira II sometime way way down the road. It was a cool place. Thanks for all the hard work.

Carl U Palmner · **Joined:** Sun Jul 20, 2014 2:55 am **Posts:** 85

This is really fantastic that you're doing this. At the same time, I'd also love to see the Myst V Ages, exactly as they are, in MOUL sometime--I'm talking about the main game or a heavily populated legal shard here. Is anyone working to make that happen? It would be fun to visit the Myst V versions of Direbo, Tagira, Todelmer, etc. with friends.

Marten · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 8:38 pm

I'm very happy to see this project underway.

A few words to think on, for others I've seen in this thread who've said things similar to J'ffrey's comment, "It will be awesome to see this as it was supposed to be."

And that is, keep in mind that what it was "supposed" to be, was in flux throughout Cyan's own development.

For example, you could say "DIRT was supposed to be a single player game, before Cyan decided to make it multiplayer and started calling it MYST Online." And you can say "It was supposed to be a multiplayer game called URU Live, before Ubi forced Cyan to make a single player version called URU: Ages Beyond MYST." And both statements are true.

As another example, if you look through the archive of production concepts that Greydragon posted on Dropbox, at the "Desert Canyon" category (On Chiso open up D'ni, then Descent, then Desert Canyon), you'll see right away that many of these concepts ended up being used in Eder Gira and are not part of the world above. Perhaps this was miscategorized in the archive. But perhaps Cyan's plans for the content changed. Only Cyan can say, but it is interesting to note the disparity.

I think it will be fascinating to see what Chloe and the other age builders will do with the content. I'm very excited.

Just remember that in the announcement, these talented people said that while they may stay true to what they think Cyan's vision for content was meant to be, they are not obligated and are not making promises, and some things may be changed. And I think that's alright, and I hope everyone else is alright with that, because even Cyan's ideas of how they would use this content changed over time.

If Cyan wasn't flexible in the creative process, Riven would have had a lovely boxwood English garden, after all.

Jmp12 · **Joined:** Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:16 pm **Posts:** 101

So, based on the CanyonLayout.jpg picture, (which you can find if you follow the link Marten gives above,) apparently the design of Eder Gira was originally meant for the cleft? Is that the correct implication to take away from that picture?

I'd never known that. :shock:

But it does kind of make sense... looking at the labels on the concept art.

Weird.

J'ffrey · **Joined:** Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:40 am **Posts:** 559

Just to clarify myself, I meant more by saying "supposed to be" was related to locations being merged into A'guera. Places that we knew were located on the actual island, where they were located, weather it was the original intention, but appeared in the same place in all released versions as "separate places" not merged into A'guera. For example Baron's office, spy room/conference room, great zero and the watcher's pub. Right all the rest is pretty much speculation. I'll be happy with anything.

Ty · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 2:10 am **Posts:** 196

Quote:

I'd rather, if anything make Noloben like it's original concept (which is cool in its own right) and leave Tagirah as soley a Myst V age

I was thinking the same. That's actually why I wondered about it.

Szark · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 12:51 pm

personally (not that is matters) but I would prefer all Myst V ages stay in Myst V. But I would also prefer that these newish ages have puzzles and not just eye candy.

KathAveara · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 6:05 pm

You mean Direbo, Noloben, Tahgira, Laki'ahn, and Todelmer? Even though they were originally meant for Uru?

Szark · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:18 pm

yeah those...I suppose I don't mind if they have the intended puzzles and look of Uru but just porting them into Uru as they are is not my bag. I am not moaning (And I didn't think you thought that) but it is just my opinion of what I would love to see.

larryf58 · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:31 pm

I like what they are already doing. I would love to have all of the Myst V Ages that were originally intended for Uru back where they belong. I'm very excited by the Descent video Chloe posted on YouTube. There's an entire section there that was not in Myst V, and I love the transition DIRT has made between the Cleft and Descent. It was very smooth and seamless in the video.

And that they are bringing the Ages like Kahlo and Dahtahmnay to life? Glorious.

Szark · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:36 pm

Yeah I am happy to...I like the Uru version of the Descent in the vid so it they all look like that I will be a happy camper but at this stage I am happy for any new content...but not just for eye candy.

Emor D'ni Lap · **Joined:** Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:15 am **Posts:** 587

Marten, thanks for your post, you are exactly right about the issues you raised.

I would please ask everyone to bear in mind that the DIRT project is largely Chloe Rhodes', with assistance from several other volunteer agebuilders. How this DIRT project is structured, which of Cyan's recently-released unfinished Ages are included, and how these Ages are completed in terms of appearance and content...these are almost entirely Chloe's decisions. And the end results will likely be hosted on one or several third-party shards.

The further development of Cyan's unfinished Ages is a largely separate matter. This is in the hands of the group currently named "Intangibles". As stated in the group's announcement, the underlying hope for this team is twofold: to develop a means whereby volunteer-created content can be accessed through Cyan's main shard/server, and to continue development of Cyan's unfinished projects - on our own terms. Comments to the Volunteer Agebuilders regarding how these projects are handled might best be addressed in that thread linked above.

Some of what is developed by the Intangibles group may be utilized in the DIRT project. Whether any of the DIRT project will be integrated into URU will be entirely Cyan's decision, as with any content.

That said, for continuity's sake I will add to what you've said here in this thread, for the moment.

The question of "what Cyan intended" for each of these projects is so open-ended in almost every instance. In a few cases where a project's development had progressed to a Phase 3 stage or better, we have received substantial background. But by the time development halted on these projects, it's quite apparent that some or much or of those initial concepts had already been changed, or had become outmoded. So determining "what Cyan intended" remains a very real guessing game.

In other cases, we may have initial concepts for a proposed Age, but little else. So there are many many blanks to fill in, regarding appearance, content, gameplay and more.

And we have received occasional - and very helpful - snippets of insight from Chogon and Greydragon about their recollections in these matters. But we cannot pester them for more than they can currently offer, and it has been made apparent that we are on our own where further development is concerned.

We're up to our ears - in both real ongoing new development and in determining where we can collaborate on these Ages - some of which are truly massive in the scope of their content, or their technical and artistic challenges, or both.

Edit: fixed two small spelling errors!

Szark · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:46 pm

we are only having a conversation and I don't feel anyone is forcing Chloe to do anything. Are we not entitled to our opinions, surely that is what a forum if for. Anyway I wish Chloe and the team all the best of luck with this venture and I will say no more on the subject.

DIRT: Uru Live - New Uru Project

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