# Uru: Online game based on Myst



## elvet (Mar 7, 2007)

Uru is an offshoot of the Myst world. It has been developed to be a multiplayed online experience. It is so different from anything else available that is has its own definition. Though not participating now, I imagine I will eventually get in to try it. 
Here is the best description that I've come across; I thought it might pique the interest of some of our members.

_A lot of people (even that oft-referred-to 'fanatics') seem to be disappointed with Uru because it's not what they expected. And elsewhere it's been talked about that expectations for Uru are skewed. _

_Uru is not an MMORPG in the sense of WoW, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, etc. Nor is it an adventure game, like Sam & Max or even Myst. And it's not a puzzle game. _

_Uru is a MMARG. MMARG? Massively-Multiplayer Alternate Reality Game. Check out Wikipedia's definition of an ARG for a starting point. _

_Now, while I think everythng in that article applies to Uru in some way, let me quote the "Basic Design Principles" section ._

_Wikipedia wrote: _
_Basic Design Principles _
_ARGs are sometimes described as the first narrative art form native to the internet, because their storytelling relies on the two main activities conducted there: searching for information, and sharing information. The Beast utilized these two activities through a group of design principles that are now treated as givens by many ARGs and similar forms of internet narratives, but at the time the combination was revolutionary. _

_Storytelling as archaeology. Instead of presenting a chronologically unified, coherent narrative, the designers scattered pieces of the story across the Internet and other media, allowing players to reassemble it, supply connective tissue and determine what it meant. _
_Platformless narrative. The story was not bound to a single medium, but existed independently and used whatever media were available to make itself heard. _

_Designing for a hive mind. While it might be possible to follow the game individually, the design was directed at a collective of players that shared information and solutions almost instantly, and incorporated individuals possessing almost every conceivable area of expertise. While the game might initially attract a small group of participants, as they came across new challenges, they would reach out and draw in others with the knowledge they needed to overcome the obstacles. _

_A whisper is sometimes louder than a shout. Rather than openly promoting the game and trying to attract participation by "pushing" it toward potential players, the designers attempted to "pull" players to the story by engaging in over-the-top secrecy (e.g. Microsoft did not acknowledge any connection between the company or the movie and the game, the game did not acknowledge any connection to Microsoft or A.I., the identities of the designers were a closely-guarded secret even from other Microsoft employees, etc.), having elements of the game "warn" players away from them, and eschewing traditional marketing channels. Designers did not communicate about the game with players or press while it was in play. _

_The "this is not a game" (TINAG) aesthetic. The game itself did not acknowledge that it was a game. It did not have an acknowledged ruleset for players; as in real-life, they determined the "rules" either through trial and error or by setting their own boundaries. The narrative presented a fully-realized world: any phone number or email address that was mentioned actually worked, and any website acknowledged actually existed. The game took place in real-time and was not replayable. Characters functioned like real people, not game pieces, responded authentically, and were controlled by real people, not by computer AI. Some events involved meetings or live phone calls between players and actors. _

_Real life as a medium. The game used players' lives as a platform. Players were not required to build a character or role-play being someone other than themselves. They might unexpectedly overcome a challenge for the community simply because of the real-life knowledge and background they possessed. Participants were constantly on the lookout for clues embedded in everyday life. _

_Collaborative storytelling. While the puppetmasters controlled most of the story, they incorporated player content and responded to players' actions, analysis and speculation by adapting the narrative and intentionally left "white space" for the players to fill in. _

_Not a hoax. While the TINAG aesthetic might seem on the surface to be an attempt to make something indistinguishable from real life, there were both subtle and overt metacommunications in place to reveal the game's framework and most of its boundaries. The most obvious was that the story itself took place in the year 2142, and the websites ostensibly existed in the future (visitors to some of the sites would trigger a pop up warning that their browser was obsolete and unrecognized). The designers also limned the borders of the game more subtly, e.g. through the names on the site registrations. _

_This set of design assumptions was to exert enough influence on subsequent entries in the genre that games that deviated from one or more of these principles were often acknowledged by their designers to be a conscious attempt to do something different, rather than a result of a lack of awareness on the part of the designers. _



_This is Uru at it's core. We find information. And we share it among the community. I think the 'alone or together' concept is over-hyped. 'Alone', Uru begins to fall apart. _

_Storytelling as archaeology. Myst games have NEVER told us the whole story. We, the fanatics, figured it out. For example, there is a connection between D'ni numbers and letters. Cyan didn't tell is this. The fans in the Riven days figured this out. _

_There seems to be no story behind the 'mini-journies' (Eder Delin/Tsogal, Negilahn). Is there no story? Or have we just not noticed it yet? Maybe we just haven't discussed it enough. Maybe we haven't asked the right questions. _

_And isn't the Restoration about archaeology anyway? It's not about solving, it's about discovering. _

_Platformless narrative. There has been a lot of talk about too much of the information about the game not being in the game itself. I don't think that's an oversight. _

_Yes, the game on GameTap is the core element in Uru Live. And you aren't required to check the forums, webpages, etc. But if you don't, you are missing half of the game. The story is being told in many different forms - in Cavern, on the DRC site, on these forums, in websites, etc. That is precisely the point - Uru is an expansive experience. _

_Designing for a hive mind. This is what is happening with Negilahn. It isn't aimed at the individual or the small group. It's aimed at Uru as a whole. We are, in many ways, that hive mind. I mean, we we all bang away at it together, how many puzzles do you really think will survive? _

_Real life as a medium. Half of what I talk about when I tell my friends about Uru are the little things. The goofy 'Sharper' summoning. The fact that some player named Heaven was ignoring Nick White one of the times he was in Cavern, and he keeps mentioning her. The running joke that the ResEngs steal each other's coffee. Etc etc etc. These are the little things that make life interesting. I'm sure there are dozens of other running jokes and little experiences that I will never hear about, yet mean a lot to the people who were there. _

_Uru has texture and depth because it is about real people, even if some of those real people are acting like people that they aren't. _

_Collaborative storytelling. We aren't just involved in 'storyline'. We are also involved in an ongoing history full of actions and reactions. The Yeesha sighting was obviously a reaction to the effort on here to draw her attention. Was it a 'plot point'? It doesn't have to be. People did something, Cyan responded. It's a part of our history now, and it tells us somethign (if only something vague) about the universe in which we are playing. _

_And you know, that history does include In Character and Out of Character. It should. This is about the game and about the people involved. The history of Until Uru is just as important as the history of the Kings. Rand Miller is as much a personality in this universe as is Atrus. We the players are part of this experience just as much as we the explorers. _

_*whew* I'm ranting a bit. Let me try to sum up. _

_In the immortal words of Buckaroo Banzai: "Wherever you go, there you are." _

_I think there are tweaks to be made in the concept and the execution (in some ways we are defining the MMARG genre here). But I think that we (both we as explorers and Cyan themselves) need to set the ARG experience as the expectation of what you are going to get from Uru. Because, honestly, this is where we actually find ourselves_.


----------



## Lucien21 (Mar 7, 2007)

Colpet/Elvet,

I never been the biggest Myst fan, but I still can't understand this game from the Myst fan point of view.

Myst is loved for the solitary atmosphere.

Kinda loses the point when there are hundreds of avatars running around.

I can't get Gametap or I would try it out.


----------



## elvet (Mar 7, 2007)

> Myst is loved for the solitary atmosphere.


This is what's holding me back from joining in, though I'm pretty sure you can choose to play by yourself. I hear that there are challenges that do require co-operation from others. I played the standalone game Uru Chronicles by myself, but I must admit that many of the puzzles would have been easier to do with others.


----------

