Remember how the MYST linking pictures were LIVE 360 degree video linking pictures?

I really liked that. It added to the sense of anticipation.

URU linking pictures are static, and while adequate for description, they're not nearly as interesting.

I can only imagine how much more work they are to create, but would anyone else like to see them back?

Maybe just on new links...

Just a thought.

Probably, the reason that was not used is that those are, in fact, videos. Video files take up a lot of room, and they were planning URU Live back then. I assume that the updates would take longer if that was required or something.

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They could use a Render-to-texture function to update the image in realtime, but I don't think that a small 192*256 movie file, if encoded well, would take up too much space.

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the original reason they couldn't use moving pictures for the linking images actually had to do with the 3D engine they were using. Since then, they've gotten rid of that engine, and were able to do moving linking images (Myst V). Supposedly, there are rumors going around that the new Uru Live, since it's a completely new download and setup, will be using the newer graphics engine, so they just might have moving linking images again!
-J-

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MO:ULa Status:

I remember I posted a long time ago (On UO, I think) accidently coming up with the idea that Cyan should show Fly-bys of the age while it's loading instead of just a progress bar. I think it was about Myst V...

eh, My memeory is going. Must be all that linking radiation.

I hope so... the blurry still pictures were sort of a downer to me. Even if they weren't a true representation of the Age (as in, lacking people, etc) I'd like it. All the Myst game images were like that... Uru just isn't Myst-like without them (I know, Uru isn't supposed to be MYST-like, but still..)

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-Whilyam

www2 wrote:

I remember I posted a long time ago (On UO, I think) accidently coming up with the idea that Cyan should show Fly-bys of the age while it's loading instead of just a progress bar. I think it was about Myst V...

eh, My memeory is going. Must be all that linking radiation.

as long as there is an option to turn them off.

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Beneath - Journey of an explorer in D'ni
UruBlogs - Blogs from Uru Explorers
Tweek@Guild of Writers - Age development Blog.

Whilyam wrote:

...of the Age (as in, lacking people, etc) I'd like it...

yes, but look at the hood image! there actually is someone there, which annoys me more! who is that?! I've never seen her there!

as already mentioned, myst V used the plasma 2.5 engine (i think) a small upgrade to the uru engine. Cyan could have used flybys in their linking books if they wanted to (i think some of the user made ages used actual video flybyus instead of still pictures)
i just looked at the flybys in Myst 5. They are each about 20 mb in size, soevery time the game has a new age you would have to download an extra 20mb for the video, and then, every age has more than 1 linking spot, so it would have to have several flyby videos, D'ni cavern could end up having more than 300 mb flyby videos.

actually i think they should have elaborate loading screens like those in Morrowind. A Pic from the age in the middle with Uru art surrounding it and some text explaining some D'ni/age lore

The thing about linking panels is that they're supposed to show us, in real time, what's going on in the Age it links to. So just by taking a peek at the Gira book, we'd be able to see what time of day it is.

Every time you pick up a linking book, it would have to query the server and update the linking panel based on the information in whatever Age it linked to. The position of the leaves in Kadish, whether or not the water is drained in Teledahn, etc. Not to mention any players that might happen to be in the Age at the time. This would all need to be transfered before the linking page could appear.

You could get away with a low-poly restricted model of the Age (with only the polygons visible through the linking panel rendered) using low-quality textures on the models. All of these miniature Ages could be pre-loaded into any Age that links to their respective Ages, in theory. However, you would still be having to collect the information from two different Ages at once, the one you're in (where you can see things happening around your linking book) and the Age you're looking into.

It's a tough job. It'd be sweet though.

As has been posted in this thread, the linking book images don't actually move, according to Cyan. The Myst books were portrayed that way, but the "official" line is that they're not supposed to anymore.

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tomahnokh k'hunah
house of k'huunah
d'mala 00723949

Last edited by K'huunah on Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

Really? I heard quite the opposite

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Beneath - Journey of an explorer in D'ni
UruBlogs - Blogs from Uru Explorers
Tweek@Guild of Writers - Age development Blog.

Quote:

actually i think they should have elaborate loading screens like those in Morrowind. A Pic from the age in the middle with Uru art surrounding it and some text explaining some D'ni/age lore

Kinda like These? http://www.mystjourney.com/ages-countdown.php
heh heh...
I'm sorry, about the wrongness on the engines... meant the physics engine, they only Upgraded the 3D Engine.

See what bad health does to me?

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MO:ULa Status:

If any of the CYAN designers are reading this, Can you weigh in on this topic? (please identify yourself if that's OK)

As I said in my original post, I haven't a clue as to how much work this would entail. Or even if it's possible...