Uru: Ages Beyond Myst

Last updated

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
Uru box art.png
The box art to the initial release of Uru shows the player's personal Age, Relto.
Developer(s) Cyan Worlds
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Composer(s) Tim Larkin
Series Myst
Engine Plasma 2.0 [1] [2]
Havok
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: November 11, 2003 [3]
  • EU: November 14, 2003 [3]
Genre(s) Adventure, puzzle, massively multiplayer online game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer [4]

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen avatars. Players use their avatars to explore the abandoned city of an ancient race known as the D'ni, uncover story clues and solve puzzles.

Contents

Cyan began developing Uru shortly after completing Riven in 1997, leaving future Myst sequels to be produced by third-party developers. Uru required five years and $12 million to complete. Uru was initially conceived as a multiplayer game; the single-player portion was released, but the multiplayer component, Uru Live, was delayed, released, and then eventually canceled. The online video game service GameTap re-released the multiplayer portion of Uru as Myst Online: Uru Live in February 2007, but the service was canceled again the following year due to a lack of subscribers. GameTap passed the rights to Uru Live back to Cyan, who re-launched the game for free in 2010.

Uru was not as well received as previous Myst titles. Critics admired the visuals and new features of the game but criticized the lack of multiplayer in the retail version and clunky controls. Compared to previous games in the series, which had sold millions of units, Uru's sales were considered disappointing. The game was a critical and commercial disappointment for Cyan, causing the company financial troubles; nevertheless, it has attracted a cult following.

Gameplay

Uru is a departure from previous Myst games in that it takes place from a third-person view and uses real-time rendering in contrast to pre-rendered environments. Uru screenshot.png
Uru is a departure from previous Myst games in that it takes place from a third-person view and uses real-time rendering in contrast to pre-rendered environments.

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is a puzzle-adventure game that takes place in worlds known as Ages. Gameplay can be viewed from first- and third-person perspectives, a departure from other Myst titles. Players navigate Ages from the third-person perspective, but can switch to the first-person view for closer inspection of clues and objects. [5] Players in Uru can neither pick up objects nor carry an inventory of items; puzzle items must be pushed or kicked into place. [6] The onscreen interface is minimal, having no health meters, maps, or compasses to distract from exploration. [7]

Players create their own avatars when beginning the game. [5] Different skin tones, facial features, clothing, and hairstyles are available for customizing these player representations. Players also receive a special linking book, a volume that serves as a portal to a personal world or Age, known as Relto. The main objective of the game is to explore and restore power to other Ages; players must also find seven "journey cloths". [8] These cloths serve as save points in lieu of a game-saving option; characters are transported to the last cloth they touched when they restart. As in previous Myst games, player characters cannot die. For example, falling off a cliff sends characters back to Relto. [6] The personal Age serves as a hub in Uru, containing a bookshelf with linking books to Ages players have explored, as well as avatar customization options and game information. [8]

During the course of the game, players uncover clues about the D'ni, an ancient civilization, and the archeological group dedicated to learning more about them, the D'ni Restoration Council. Aspects of the D'ni civilization such as social structure, marriage, and how Ages came about are also imparted as players progress through the Ages. Players may collect Relto pages, which offer cosmetic customization to the player's personal Age—for example, making it rain or adding a waterfall. [9]

Uru was originally to ship with a massively multiplayer online component, which was delayed and never integrated into the retail release. Initially branded Uru Live, the multiplayer portion was designed to allow two or more players to work together to overcome obstacles or complete puzzles. Players would be able to chat in real time and cooperate in specially-designed puzzles. [10] In previews of the multiplayer component, there were three distinct types of Ages. The personal Age provided links to other Ages, which were unlocked by solving puzzles in prerequisite worlds. Neighborhood Ages were analogous to an invite-only party, and City Ages provided places for players to congregate; IGN called the Age "a giant lounge". [11]

Plot

Uru takes place many years after the events of Myst IV: Revelation . Unlike previous games in the series, Uru's story mixes fictional plot elements with real-world events. According to the game's fictional history, archeologists found an entrance to a vast cave system in the 1980s near a volcano in New Mexico. The caves led to an ancient abandoned city built by the enigmatic D'ni civilization. [12] The D'ni practiced an ancient ability known as the Art. By writing a description of another world, the D'ni created "linking books" that served as portals to the worlds described, known as Ages. Soon after making contact with a single human, the entire civilization suddenly disappeared two hundred years ago. [13] In Uru's story, the video game Myst was created when the archeological leaders approached a development studio, Cyan, and asked them to create a game to educate the public about the D'ni. Myst sold millions of copies, and Cyan continued to produce games based on D'ni findings. [12] In the present day, a group known as the D'ni Restoration Council or DRC reopens the passages to the D'ni caverns and begins to rebuild the abandoned cities. [7]

Players begin Uru's story in New Mexico near the Cleft, a deep fissure in the ground near the entrance to the D'ni caverns. A man who introduces himself as Zandi sits in front of his trailer by the Cleft, encouraging the player to discover the environment and join the exploration. The player stumbles across a hologram of a woman, Yeesha, who tells the story of the D'ni and requests help to rebuild the civilization. [14]

Development

Cyan Worlds began development on its next project after the company finished 1997's Riven , the sequel to the bestselling Myst . The game that became Uru would take more than five years and $12 million to complete. [15] While under development, Uru was codenamed DIRT ("D'ni in real time"), then MUDPIE (for "Multi-User DIRT, Persistent / Personal Interactive Entertainment / Experience / Exploration / Environment"). Uru was officially announced as Myst Online, before being renamed Uru in early 2003. [16] Myst co-creator Rand Miller released a statement along with an outline of the game:

Uru is a revolutionary adventure game that takes the best qualities of the Myst franchise and makes them even better. The single-player experience will eclipse the beauty, grandeur, and mind-challenging elements of previous titles. Plus, with the option to join a constantly updated online universe, the adventure never has to end. From new machines and puzzles to special events and entirely new Ages, players will find more to do, more to see, and more to explore each time they return—and this time, they can discover everything with old and new friends. [16]

Miller considered Uru a major departure from Myst and Riven in that Cyan wanted to create a persistent world, where actions occurred while the player was not online. [17] Miller did not consider the game a true massively multiplayer online game, saying "there is not leveling and skills and monsters and experience in any artificial sense. The 'leveling' is finding and exploring and owning new Ages that are released regularly; the experience is what you really learn while exploring that will help you later—not points on a scale." [18] Miller considered there to be two benefits to such a system: firstly that players would care more about being part of the story, and secondly that even new players could make discoveries and be part of the community. [19] The game was designed as more of a spin-off than a sequel to previous Myst games, due to the merging of items from the contemporary (traffic cones and T-shirts) to the fantastic (books that transport the user to new worlds). [18]

The game was originally conceived as a multiplayer-only game, where players could meet and solve new puzzles that would be added monthly. At the request of publisher Ubisoft, Cyan eventually developed a single-player portion as well. [20] Cyan announced players would be invited to participate in a multiplayer beta test, [21] which drew 10,000 to 40,000 participants. [22] Uru was released in November 2003, while the multiplayer portion was delayed. Small groups of players were allowed to come online to test the multiplayer part of the game, and journalists were told they would be invited to play soon after, but Uru Live was canceled before being released. Cyan stated that there were not enough projected subscribers to support the service. [23]

Expansion packs and Uru: Complete Chronicles

After Uru's release and Uru Live's demise, Cyan announced that new content would be added via expansion packs. The first, Uru: To D'ni, added the never-released Uru Live online content, [24] thus focusing on the past of the D'ni. [25] Uru: The Path of the Shell, extended the story of Uru in the present and added multiple never-before-seen Ages. [25] Unlike the first expansion pack, Uru: The Path of the Shell was not free, but was boxed and sold in stores. [24] Uru, To D'ni, and The Path of the Shell were also packaged together and sold as Uru: Complete Chronicles. [26]

Audio

Uru's music was composed by Tim Larkin, who had started his career at game publisher Brøderbund, and lobbied hard to be included on Riven's development team. [27] Larkin worked on creating different sound effects for Riven and was chosen to score Uru after composer and Myst co-creator Robyn Miller left Cyan in early 1998. [28] The music for the game was collected as a soundtrack, Uru Music, that was released in 2003. The game also feature the song Burn You Up, Burn You Down performed by Peter Gabriel used as the official theme song for the game.

Larkin chose the instrumentation for each track based on the various digital environments in the game. When the player is in the game's representation of New Mexico, for example, Larkin used a resonator guitar and flutes, creating what he called something "indigenous to a southwest type of feel that's very contemporary". In other areas Larkin described the game's music as being "less typical than you would find in most games" because of the exotic landscape the developers had created. [29] To create contemporary and exotic types of music in the game, Larkin employed a combination of real and synthesized instruments. Sometimes Larkin replaced synthesized performances with those of real musicians, as in the track "Gallery Theme", where a synthesized vocal part was eventually discarded in favor of soprano Tasha Koontz. [29] To create an exotic feel, Larkin used a group of Maasai tribesmen's chanting, who were recorded during their visit to Spokane, Washington, where Cyan Worlds was located at that time. [27]

The Uru soundtrack received two Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) nominations in 2004—one for "Best Original Vocal Song (Choral)" for the "Gallery Theme" (which won), and another for "Best Original Soundtrack." [30] Beyond its use in Uru, "Gallery Theme" was later used in the theatrical trailer for Steven Spielberg's film, Munich . [31] The Uru soundtrack comes on an enhanced CD, containing a (nearly) four-minute music video called "Uru: The Makers" and an audio-only interview with Rand Miller and Tim Larkin.

Uru Music track list
No.TitleLength
1."Atrus Open"1:07
2."Beyond Gira"5:51
3."Out of the Hive"3:05
4."Badlands"2:31
5."Gallery Theme"2:54
6."Air Stream"4:11
7."Yeesha's Theme"3:48
8."Convergence"2:58
9."The Well"3:27
10."Spore Me"2:41
11."Baron's Theme"2:16
12."The Library"1:35
13."The Vault"6:15
14."Trailer Music"2:26
15."Fall of D'ni"3:06
16."The Bahro"1:52
17."Dirt"2:07
Total length:50:50

Uru Live

To compensate for the cancellation of Uru Live, Cyan published all the developed online content as single-player expansion packs. Meanwhile, a small group of dedicated fans, many of them the Uru Live beta testers, [32] were allowed to maintain their unofficial servers, called "shards". [33] Cyan released binaries of the original Uru Live servers under the banner Until Uru and coordinated with the fan shards so that players could verify their authentication keys, necessary to play the game. The shards were often unstable and no new content was released; rather, they provided a place for fans to socialize. [32] In February 2006, Cyan opened their own official shard, called D'mala, open at no charge to Uru owners, though an invitation from the community was required. Miller revealed in a letter to fans that Cyan had received "limited funding from a third party that allows us to breathe some refreshing new life and optimism into all things Uru." As with the fan-operated servers, D'mala would feature no new content, instead allowing Cyan staff called "surveyors" to interact with fans and gather information. [34]

In April 2006, GameTap announced it was relaunching Uru Live as Myst Online: Uru Live . A major reason for the resurrection of the game was the fan support. According to GameTap's vice president of content Ricardo Sanchez, "One of the reasons [GameTap was] so attracted to Uru Live is that it had this persistent group that kept it alive during the dark days of its absence." [35] While Cyan devoted its time to Myst Online, it promised not to shut down Until Uru in the meantime, although it would offer no new authentication keys. [32] GameTap released Myst Online in February 2007. A Macintosh version, using the Cider translation layer engine so that Intel-processor Macs did not need a Windows installation to run the game, was released in March. At the time, Myst Online was the only Mac-compatible game on GameTap. [36] New content for the game was released in the form of online "episodes", [37] adding new Ages, puzzles, and plot continuation with each episode. For business reasons GameTap announced in February 2008 that the game would go offline in April; Cyan reacquired the rights to the game and announced that it would give the Myst Online source code and tools to the fans, making the game an open-source project. [38] [39] In 2010, Cyan Worlds released the game free of charge, under the name Myst Online: Uru Live again (MO:ULagain). It is currently hosted on Cyan-maintained servers. [40]

In 2011, Cyan Worlds and OpenUru.org announced the release of Myst Online's client and 3ds Max plugin under the GNU GPL v3 license. [4]

Reception

Initial reception to Uru was generally positive, but less so than previous games in the series. The game has average critic scores of 79/100 and 76.19% from aggregate web sites Metacritic and GameRankings, respectively. [41] [42] Though Uru was a departure from previous Myst titles, the differences were usually praised. Game Informer 's Lisa Mason said Uru "successfully updated" the adventure game genre. [43] The visuals and music were highly praised, [44] [45] and GameZone called the world of the D'ni beautifully rendered and brilliantly designed. [46] Newspapers appreciated the contrast Uru offered from violence-filled contemporary games. [24] [47] [48]

The game's third-person controls and the addition of instant failures by falling were not well received. Denise Cook of Computer Gaming World called the third person option "choked" and "quirky". [14] While Cook appreciated the added depth and immersion provided by the real-time rendering, she found incidents such as slipping off rocks, falling into lava, and plummeting into canyons irksome additions to the previously stress-free Myst formula. [14] GameSpy's Carla Harker found several puzzles highly difficult solely due to the poorly implemented control scheme which "never becomes intuitive". [6] Computer Gaming World's Robert Coffey and Cook considered the plot of the single-player release minimal and forgettable. [14] [49]

A major critic complaint about Uru was that the game did not ship with the multiplayer component. GameSpot's Andrew Park questioned why the game shipped with the multiplayer element open only for select players when the component had previously been beta-tested. [44] GameSpy was disappointed that the feature advertised on the box and in the game manual was not available in the product. [6] Reviewer Bob Mandel found that the most disappointing part of the dropped multiplayer game was that "as you progress through the game, a number of tantalizing clues emerge of places you can go and activities you can undertake only through the promised online mode." [50]

Uru's sales were considered disappointing, [51] whereas the first three Myst games had sold more than 12 million units collectively before Uru's release. [52] Among computer games, The NPD Group ranked Uru ninth for the weeks ending November 22 and December 6, [53] [54] and 13th for the month of December 2003 overall. [55] In North America, the game sold 78,329 units during 2003, [56] and another 18,860 during the first two months of 2004. [57] Although it sold between 100,000 and 400,000 copies in the United States by August 2006, it was beaten by Myst III: Exile's sales in the region. [58] Time magazine pointed to Uru's relative failure as evidence the franchise had lost its touch, a notion the developers of Myst IV: Revelation sought to dispel. [51] Uru's poor sales were also considered a factor in financially burdening Cyan, contributing to the company's near-closure in 2005. [59] The title's original graphics and story nevertheless attracted a cult following. [60]

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst won PC Gamer US 's 2003 "Best Adventure Game" and "Best Sound" awards. The magazine's Chuck Osborn called it "the future of the genre" and "an exhilarating innovation". [61] Computer Games Magazine presented Uru with its "Best Art Direction" award, for which it tied with Tron 2.0 . [62] The game was nominated in The Electric Playground 's "Best Adventure Game for PC" category, but lost this prize to Beyond Good & Evil . [63] It also received a nomination for "Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year" at the AIAS' 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, but was ultimately given to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time . [64]

Related Research Articles

<i>Myst</i> 1993 video game

Myst is an adventure video game designed by the Miller brothers, Robyn and Rand. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Broderbund, and initially released in 1993 for the Macintosh. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and travels the environment by clicking on pre-rendered imagery. Solving puzzles allows the player to travel to other worlds ("Ages"), which reveal the backstory of the game's characters and help the player make the choice of whom to aid.

<i>Riven</i> 1997 video game

Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a puzzle adventure video game, the second in the Myst series of games. Developed by Cyan Worlds, it was initially published by Red Orb Entertainment, a division of Broderbund. Riven was distributed on five compact discs and released for Mac and Windows personal computers on October 31, 1997, in North America; it was later released on a single DVD-ROM in 1998. Riven was also ported to several other platforms. The story of Riven is set after the events of Myst. Having been rescued from the efforts of his sons, Atrus enlists the help of the player character to free his wife from his power-hungry father, Gehn. Riven takes place almost entirely on the Age of Riven, a world slowly falling apart due to Gehn's destructive rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyan Worlds</span> American video game developer

Cyan, Inc., also known as Cyan Worlds, Inc., is an American video game developer and publisher based in Mead, Washington. Founded as Cyan Productions by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller in 1987, the company created the Myst series.

<i>Myst III: Exile</i> Third title in the Myst series of graphic adventure puzzle video games

Myst III: Exile is the third title in the Myst series of graphic adventure puzzle video games. While the preceding games in the series, Myst and Riven, were produced by Cyan Worlds and published by Brøderbund, Exile was developed by Presto Studios and published by Ubi Soft. The game was released on four compact discs for both Mac OS and Microsoft Windows on May 8, 2001; versions for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 were released in late 2002. A single-disc DVD version was later released for Windows and Mac OS.

<i>Myst IV: Revelation</i> Adventure video game in the Myst series by Ubisoft

Myst IV: Revelation is a 2004 adventure video game, the fourth installment in the Myst series, developed and published by Ubisoft. Like Myst III: Exile, Revelation combines pre-rendered graphics with digital video, but also features real-time 3D effects for added realism. The plot of Revelation follows up on plot details from the original Myst. The player is summoned by Atrus, a man who creates links to other worlds known as Ages by writing special linking books. Almost twenty years earlier, Atrus' two sons nearly destroyed all of his books and were imprisoned; Atrus now wishes to see if his sons' imprisonment has reformed them. The player travels to each brother's prison, in an attempt to recover Atrus' daughter Yeesha from the brothers' plot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rand Miller</span> American businessman

Rand Miller is a C.E.O. and co-founder of Cyan Worlds. He and his brother Robyn Miller became famous due to the success of their computer game Myst, which remained the all-time best-selling computer game from its release in 1993 until that record was surpassed by The Sims nearly a decade later. Rand also worked on the game's sequel, Riven, and later reprised his role as protagonist Atrus in Myst III: Exile; realMyst; Uru; Myst IV: Revelation; and Myst V: End of Ages. He also co-authored Myst novels The Book of Atrus, The Book of Ti'ana, and The Book of D'ni.

<i>Pyst</i> 1997 video game

Pyst is an adventure computer game released in October 1996. It was created as a parody of the highly successful adventure game Myst. Pyst was written by Peter Bergman, a co-founder of the Firesign Theatre, and was published by Parroty Interactive, with Bergman, Stallone, Inc. as co-publisher. Mindscape began distributing the game on August 20, 1997. The parody features full motion video of actor John Goodman as "King Mattruss", the ruler of "Pyst Island". Versions of the game were produced for both the Windows PC and Apple Macintosh operating systems.

Myst is a franchise centered on a series of adventure video games. The first game in the series, Myst, was released in 1993 by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller and their video game company Cyan, Inc. The first sequel to Myst, Riven, was released in 1997 and was followed by three more direct sequels: Myst III: Exile in 2001, Myst IV: Revelation in 2004, and Myst V: End of Ages in 2005. A spinoff featuring a multiplayer component, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, was released in 2003 and followed by two expansion packs.

<i>Myst V: End of Ages</i> 2005 video game

Myst V: End of Ages is a 2005 adventure video game, the fifth installment in the Myst series. The game was developed by Cyan Worlds, published by Ubisoft, and released for Macintosh and Windows PC platforms in September 2005. As in previous games in the series, End of Ages's gameplay consists of navigating worlds known as "Ages" via the use of special books and items which act as portals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robyn Miller</span> American artist

Robyn Charles Miller is the co-founder of Cyan Worlds with brother Rand Miller. He served as co-designer of the popular computer game Myst, which held the title of best-selling computer game from its release in 1993 until the release of The Sims seven years later. He also co-directed and co-lead designed the sequel to Myst, Riven, which was the best-selling computer game of its year of release, 1997. Miller composed and performed the soundtracks to both games. He also acted in Myst, portraying one of the antagonists, Sirrus. He co-wrote the first Myst novel, The Book of Atrus.

<i>Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel</i> 1990 video game

Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel is a graphic adventure computer game for the Macintosh computer line created by Cyan, Inc. It was published in 1989 and won the 1990 Mac User's Editors' Choice Award for the "Best Recreational Program" category.

<i>The Manhole</i> 1988 video game

The Manhole is an adventure video game in which the player opens a manhole and reveals a gigantic beanstalk, leading to fantastic worlds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameTap</span> Online video game service

GameTap was an online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) in 2006. It provided users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content. The service was acquired by French online video game service Metaboli in 2008 as a wholly owned subsidiary; Metaboli aiming to create a global games service. The service remained active until October 2015, when it was shut down by Metaboli.

Tim Larkin is a composer and sound designer for Valve. Previously the audio director for Cyan Worlds, who produced the Myst series of computer games. Before working at Valve, he worked at Cyan, working as a sound designer for Riven, and as a composer for realMyst, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst and Myst V: End of Ages.

<i>Myst Online: Uru Live</i> 2007 video game

Myst Online: Uru Live is an open source massively multiplayer online adventure game developed by Cyan Worlds. The game is the multiplayer component to the 2003 video game Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. Like Uru, Myst Online takes place in 2000s New Mexico, where an ancient civilization known as the D'ni once thrived. The D'ni had the ability to create portals to other worlds or Ages by writing descriptive books of the Age. Players uncover clues and solve puzzles together; plot developments were added via episodic content updates.

Characters of <i>Myst</i> Fictional characters of video game

The Myst series of adventure computer games deals with the events following the player's discovery of a mysterious book describing an island known as Myst. The book is no ordinary volume; it is a linking book, which serves as a portal to the world it describes. The player is transported to Myst Island and must unravel the world's puzzles in order to return home. Myst was a commercial and critical success upon release and spawned four sequels—Riven, Exile, Revelation and End of Ages— as well as several spinoffs and adaptations.

<i>The Myst Reader</i> Collection of novels based on video game

The Myst Reader is a collection of three novels based on the Myst series of adventure games. The collection was published in September 2004 and combines three works previously published separately: The Book of Atrus (1995), The Book of Ti'ana (1996), and The Book of D'ni (1997). The novels were each written by British science-fiction writer David Wingrove with assistance from Myst's creators, Rand and Robyn Miller.

An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, such as literature and film, encompassing a wide variety of genres. Most adventure games are designed for a single player, since the emphasis on story and character makes multiplayer design difficult. Colossal Cave Adventure is identified by Rick Adams as the first such adventure game, first released in 1976, while other notable adventure game series include Zork, King's Quest, Monkey Island, Syberia, and Myst.

Obduction is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds. Obduction is considered a spiritual successor to Cyan's previous adventure games, Myst and Riven. In the game, the player finds their character transported to strange alien worlds but with human elements within the settings. The player must explore and solve puzzles to figure out how to return home.

CyanWorlds.com Engine is a real-time 3D game engine originally called Headspin and developed by Headspin Technologies in 1997 and later by Cyan Worlds to power the next generation of real time 3D Myst series games such as URU: Complete Chronicles and Myst V: End of Ages.

References

  1. ↑ "Myst Studies". mystjourney.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Plasma engine". giantbomb.com.
  3. 1 2 "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (Related Games)". GameSpot . Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "CyanWorlds.com Engine". OpenUru.org. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Cyan Worlds (2003). Uru: Ages Beyond Myst- User's Manual (Windows PC version ed.). Ubisoft.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Harker, Carla (December 22, 2003). "URU: Ages Beyond Myst (PC) Review (page 2); Dude, Where's my MMORPG?". GameSpy. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  7. 1 2 Colayco, Bob (September 3, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Impressions". GameSpot . Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 Krause, Staci (December 4, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Review (page 1)". IGN. Archived from the original on December 17, 2003. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  9. 1 2 Harker, Carla (December 22, 2003). "URU: Ages Beyond Myst (PC) Review (page 1); Knowledge Is Power". GameSpy. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  10. ↑ Slagle, Matt (May 25, 2003). "Myst moves to the interconnected masses; The puzzle-solving game will require a lot of teamwork". Telegraph-Herald . p. E8.
  11. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (May 14, 2003). "E3 2003: Uru Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on August 4, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Berens, Nathaniel (November 6, 2007). "The Ending Has Not Yet Been Written (page 1)". The Escapist . Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  13. ↑ Miller, Rand (2003). Making of the Story. Spokane, Washington: Cyan Worlds. Archived from the original (.MOV) on March 18, 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Cook, Denise (August 2004). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst; Look before you leap into this puzzler". Computer Gaming World . Vol. 1, no. 235. p. 62.
  15. ↑ Gerianos, Nicholas (November 23, 2003). "Creator of 'Myst' launches new game". USA Today . Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  16. 1 2 Calvert, Justin (January 9, 2003). "Uru: Online Ages Beyond Myst announced". GameSpot . Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  17. ↑ Ashe, Suzanne (2003). "Exploring Myst's Brave New World". Wired . Vol. 11, no. 6.
  18. 1 2 Aihoshi, Richard (February 26, 2007). "Myst Online: Uru Live Interview (page 1)". IGN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  19. ↑ Aihoshi, Richard (February 27, 2007). "Myst Online: Uru Live Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  20. ↑ Herold, Charles (March 4, 2004). "Tackling the Mystery of the Missing Game". The New York Times . p. G5.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Ian (January 10, 2003). "On-line 'Myst' sequel seeks beta testers". The Globe and Mail . p. C [Technology].
  22. ↑ Boyer, Brandon (September 18, 2008). "Myst creator warns of over ambition in MMO space". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  23. ↑ Staff (February 4, 2004). "Uru Live canceled". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
  24. 1 2 3 Odelius, Dwight (August 3, 2004). "Myst series takes play to puzzling level; Game features dazzling graphics, but high frustration". Houston Chronicle . p. 4.
  25. 1 2 Thorson, Thor (May 26, 2004). "Ubi announces final Uru expansion pack". IGN . Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  26. ↑ Ring, Bennett (August 7, 2004). "Thriller in the Myst". The Age . Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  27. 1 2 Miller, Jennifer. "Interview with Tim Larkin". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  28. ↑ Lillington, Karen (March 2, 1998). "'Myst' Partnership is Riven". Salon . Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2008.
  29. 1 2 Uru Music materials (Media notes). Tim Larkin. Ubisoft. 2003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ↑ Milano, Dominic (March 4, 2004). "Postcard from the GDC 2004: The G.A.N.G. Awards". Gamasutra . Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  31. ↑ Larkin, Tim (December 5, 2005). "News: Spielberg's Munich trailer gets Tim's underscore". Tim Larkin.net. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  32. 1 2 3 Washbourne, Robert (2007). "Until Uru; the semi-living remains of Uru Live". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  33. ↑ Berens, Nathaniel (November 6, 2007). "The Ending Has Not Yet Been Written (page 2)". The Escapist . Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  34. ↑ Allin, Jack (February 16, 2006). "Cyan Worlds returns to Uru; Developer provides official server for Until Uru". Adventure Gamers . Retrieved January 21, 2009.
  35. ↑ Terdiman, Daniel (May 18, 2006). "Online game rising from the dead". CNET . Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  36. ↑ Cohen, Peter (March 20, 2007). "GameTap releases Myst Online for Mac". Macworld . Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  37. ↑ Ryan 'Greydragon' Warzecha, Cyan Worlds Community Manager (May 4, 2007). "The Future of Myst Online: Uru Live". Myst Online.com. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
  38. ↑ Sowa, Tom (July 3, 2008). "GameTap gives Myst Online back to Cyan". Spokesman Review . Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  39. ↑ Sowa, Tom (December 12, 2008). "Cyan makes it official: 'Myst' now in the hands of its fans". The Spokesman-Review . Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  40. ↑ Brennan, Seraphina (February 8, 2010). "Myst Online is alive ... again ... for the, um, we lost count how many times it died". Joystiq . Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  41. 1 2 "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Reviews". GameRankings . Retrieved October 15, 2008.
  42. 1 2 "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (pc: 2003): Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  43. 1 2 Mason, Lisa (October 12, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst". Game Informer . Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  44. 1 2 3 Park, Andrew (November 21, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Review". GameSpot . Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  45. ↑ Krause, Staci (December 4, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Review (page 2)". IGN. Archived from the original on December 7, 2003. Retrieved October 29, 2008.
  46. ↑ Hopper, Steven (December 23, 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond MYST". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  47. ↑ Slagle, Matt (February 8, 2004). "Latest Myst improves popular game". Oakland Tribune . p. 1.
  48. ↑ "Thomas, David (February 17, 2004). "'Uru' updates video game classic 'Myst' with full-featured 3-D version". The Denver Post . p. F1.
  49. ↑ Coffey, Robert (December 2003). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst; If Cyan builds it, will gamers come?". Computer Gaming World . Vol. 1, no. 233. p. 50.
  50. ↑ Mandel, Bob (January 20, 2004). "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Review". The Adrenaline Vault. Archived from the original on November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  51. 1 2 Hamilton, Anita (August 9, 2004). "Secrets of The New Myst". Time . Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
  52. ↑ "New and Expanded Features Revealed for Highly-Anticipated Uru: Ages Beyond 'Myst'" (Press release). Business Wire. May 7, 2003. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  53. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (December 3, 2003). "Weekly NPD PC game sales chart: November 16–22". GameSpot . Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  54. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (December 16, 2003). "Weekly NPD PC game sales chart: November 30-December 6". GameSpot . Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  55. ↑ Thorsen, Tor (January 29, 2004). "ChartSpot: December 2003". GameSpot . Archived from the original on February 15, 2004. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  56. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (March 2004). "Sales December 2003 - The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure . Archived from the original on April 11, 2004.
  57. ↑ Staff. "Total Sales for Jan/Feb 2004". Just Adventure . Archived from the original on April 11, 2004.
  58. ↑ Edge Staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge . Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
  59. ↑ Allin, Jack (September 4, 2005). "Sayonara to Cyan Worlds". Adventure Gamers . Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  60. ↑ Jenkins, David (September 5, 2005). "Report: Cyan Worlds Slims To 'Skeleton Crew'". Gamasutra . Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  61. ↑ Osborn, Chuck (March 2004). "The 10th Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer US . 11 (3): 38–40, 42, 44, 45.
  62. ↑ Staff (March 2004). "Best of 2003; The 13th Annual Awards". Computer Games Magazine (160): 58–62.
  63. ↑ Staff. "Blister Awards 2003". The Electric Playground . Archived from the original on March 13, 2004.
  64. ↑ "2004 Awards Category Details Computer Action/Adventure Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved August 4, 2023.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.