avevale_intelligencer

When Uru Live was resurrected by Turner/Gametap, I was as happy as a particularly cheerful clam on E. It promised to be everything I have loved in the Myst games, but ongoing. More new Ages to explore, more history to discover, and the company of like-minded friends. What wasn't to love?

Then they brought in their main storyline, in the first of the new-format episodes, and my first thought was that they had to be kidding. With all the unlimited potential of the setting of Uru, all the possible stories they could come up with, guess what we've been given.

It's a war.

Now, war stories are fine in their place. Killing things can be very therapeutic. I play EVE Online, which is one great big long war or going-to-be-war-real-soon-now story, and that's fine. But dear gods, not Cyan. Cyan does stories about understanding, about finding the non-violent solution, about exploring and co-operation and no-one having to die. I didn't believe it. I started looking for reasons why the war story was a front, a blind, a scam of some sort. I started arguments in the game forums because there had to be something more, some reason behind it, some way to resolve it. I wanted to be part of the story, shape it, change it, somehow make it right. That's where I ran up against my own blind spot.

Individual players in an MMOG *can't* affect the main story. It's logistically impossible, because of the MM part. What other games like EVE do is provide missions; linear, repetitive things for players to do while the main story rumbles on offstage. Cyan have provided things to do...they're just not very interesting things, and they don't have any relation to the main story, or distract in any way from its utter WRONGNESS.

jahura called it when she said it's basically television: we get to be in the picture, but we don't get to write the script. Which would be fine if the script was worth a damn. This one isn't.

In this last episode it was made very clear that there is nothing more. This stupid, pointless war is going on, somewhere offstage, and we can't affect it. All we are supposed to do is carry on with our everyday activities just as if nothing was happening, learn to work together and communicate and blah and blah, and one day years down the line maybe something will happen to change things. I get enough of this in the real world, thanks.

I'm not leaving Uru, or closing my account, at least not for the moment. Cyan needs all the support it can get, if only so it can hire some decent writers (I'm cheap, but I'd have to telecommute). Besides, my leaving wouldn't affect anything. But my main characters are too hopelessly embroiled in all this to play now, so I'm going to have to use alternates who aren't involved with the storyline at all, and just wait and hope that something of the spirit of Myst and Riven and Exile and Revelation will one day return, and this stupid war story will softly and suddenly vanish away and leave us with something better.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why is it that when people run out of ideas they stick in a war? ST:TNG did it, Sliders did it, and I lost interest in both when it happened. NuWho had several, including the big one as backstory. I've never got into a lot of the other SF series because they've been about war from the beginning (B5 was an exception).

I don't know, but I seriously expected better of Rand and the guys.

Oh no.
I haven't been able to play Uru yet due to several reasons, but if what you say is true, I'm losing interest right here and now. Is it possible?
There were already certain elements in Myst V that I didn't like (except for the game being too simple), the whole atmosphere was more aggressive than the previous games had been, even fascistic, but I thought that Uru wasn't affected. I thought it was about infinitely exploring and solving some puzzles and for the rest meeting kindred spirits.

Sigh. Just when I experienced that playing Riven for the 86th time isn't that satisfactory any more...

Why don't you send this entry to Rand himself (on Wohba). I thought there was a time when they listened closely to their fans?

Because I'm in a very small minority as far as I can tell. Whatever beefs other players may have with Cyan, this isn't necessarily one of them. And it's still possible to do the exploring and puzzle solving and meeting people without necessarily paying any attention to the main storyline. Hundreds do. I just happen to be wired this peculiar way.

For goodness' sake don't let my venting put you off trying it for yourself.

Part of the reason for being wired that way is because most of the players who started URU started right off with the suggestion that "sides will be chosen." no one counted on the fact that the sides would turn out to be Prologue versus Until URU versus GameTap versus the confused masses in the middle who don't have a clue what to do and are afraid of everyone else. Absolutely do not let this deter you from trying once you can find your way in.

I retain the faith that this will eventually work out, but there are a lot of growing pains in this. For me, it's not so much the war but for the disgustingly predictable outcome that is causing me a headache.

Don't you worry. When the day comes that the conditions to play Uru complied, I will of course check it out myself, no matter what. Nosy as I am, I played all the Myst games when they were still fresh, and Uru is on my mind ever since I first heard about it. I even thought about buying a PC back then.....just to play Uru!

I just wanted to express my disappointment that Cyan has chosen to create a story line which can be found in a zillion other games. Myst was always something else, and so should Uru be.

I hear you, Zander.

Until maybe the past few weeks, I had been maintaining some form of regularity on Live. But, I'm afraid to say, it seems not that many of the other regulars I know have been. It makes it harder for me to go in, when there isnt even the people I know and love in there with me. Then in between episodes (or new content) there is nothing if there isnt the people.

Which is a self-fulfilling thing, of course. I've been poking my head in at odd intervals, finding no-one around and going away again. Unless someone takes it upon themselves to go in and hang around waiting for others to turn up, it's unlikely we'll ever coincide again.

That said, Jahura and I are planning an attempt on Ahnonay at some point...

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