Guidelines for Official Story/Age Creation

Dalken Starbyne · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:06 pm **Posts:** 152

Jamey wrote:

Just curious, would we be able to make our own cloths for our ages, or would that be a no-no?

Nope. That would fall under the "Yeesha/Bahro magic" category, which we aren't allowed to touch. :wink:

momamia · **Posted:** Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:19 am

Awwwww------------------bummer----if you created it, shouldnt you be able to create the cloth that would accompany it? :idea:

belford · **Joined:** Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1890

If you want the *gameplay* effect of journey cloths, then come up with some visual design that doesn't look like a Bahro artifact. Say it's a mysterious artifact of whatever civilization inhabited -- or discovered -- the Age you linked to.

Dalken Starbyne · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:06 pm **Posts:** 152

Or you could go with my linking book idea (posted a bit back), even modify it if you want to. Seriously...it's out there for anyone who wants to use it. Consider it a "public use" idea. :lol:

zander_nyrond · **Posted:** Tue Aug 05, 2008 7:47 am

Journey cloths function as a counter, and when you've reached a given number they make it possible to open a door. It should be easy to come up with other, non-textile-based ways to express that. It should also be possible without infringing Cyan's copyright to include in one's Ages the idea that someone has planned out a "journey" for the visitor which culminates in each Age in the opening of a door, as long as it's made clear that the someone is not Yeesha or any other Cyan-originated character or organisation.

Logian · **Posted:** Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:04 am

Every game in the myst series has featured a counter of some kind. Myst had book pages, Riven had several codes and the animal eyes, Exile had the sketches....haven't played Revelation or EoA yet. But counters are a key to age progression, just find something that works for you.

D'Lanor · **Posted:** Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:30 am

While most age variables are stored into the age state itself, the counter for the journey cloths is stored into an avatar specific part of the vault database called the "ChronicleFolder". This is why one does not lose journey cloth progress when deleting the Relto book of the age they were found in.

I could be wrong but AFAIK no user age has used the chronicle folder yet.

About a year ago (!) I proposed a model to Cyan which stores variables for a user age into its own subfolder within the main chronicle folder so that it is always clear to the vault administrator which variable belongs to which user age. Full details of this proposal can be found at the GoW forum.

I don't know if my proposal has been archived along with the old MOUL support database.

The last I heard was that it would be brought to the attention of the (then) MOUL developers. So I hope that it is at least gathering dust in a corner of Chogon's desk. :wink:

dtierce · **Posted:** Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:50 pm

zander_nyrond wrote:

Journey cloths function as a counter, and when you've reached a given number they make it possible to open a door. It should be easy to come up with other, non-textile-based ways to express that. It should also be possible without infringing Cyan's copyright to include in one's Ages the idea that someone has planned out a "journey" for the visitor which culminates in each Age in the opening of a door, as long as it's made clear that the someone is not Yeesha or any other Cyan-originated character or organisation.

The easiest and most realistic substitute for a journey cloth is a simple switch. When all switches have been located and turned on, something else is enabled such as the "journey door". It lacks the cinematic effect of a glowing hand, but it serves the purpose.

David Tierce

misterzen · **Posted:** Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:36 pm

I HAVE A QUESTION:

In the case of creating a new self contained Hood. For the soul sake of graphical appeal continuity, would it be permitted to use Cyan''s rock and cavern wall textures?

Jamey · **Posted:** Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:40 pm

misterzen wrote:

I HAVE A QUESTION:

In the case of creating a new self contained Hood. For the soul sake of graphical appeal continuity, would it be permitted to use Cyan''s rock and cavern wall textures?

That would be a no-no

This would violate the fifth rule: Writers must not use the intellectual property of others.

Cyan owns the textures and has rights to them, so just using it without asking them would be copyright infringement.

However, if you ASK Cyan before you put it in your age and they say yes, then it would be ok

Gondar · **Posted:** Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:16 am

Erm. I'm gonna say there's a good chance Cyan will declare certain things "fair use". Rock textures included.

If you use their textures and it's not.. tsk tsk! However, stuff like the rock of the cavern and the vista of the wall will probably become open fair use, because let's face it, if you're in the cavern, it looks a certain way.

So to answer your question, probably when the time comes but right now not yet.

raistlin75 · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2007 5:51 am **Posts:** 134

I finally read through this whole thread. I understand the reasoning behind the very strict rules. It's all to keep the continuity of the canon story intact, except for rule #5 with is just legal protection. I can't imagine Cyan wouldn't give us objects and textures to use. We are working for them, in a way. So besides trampling on copywrite laws, why should they put all these restrictions based off of the minute details of the series mythology. It was created over 15 years on 2 different mediums with a lot of collaberators. Things are done out of design necessity that become part of the story.

We are making these little projects for the enjoyment of this community and whom in this group is going to get confused by some fan fiction? If an age is good enough and if the Myst series is continued or republished, then there's a sliver of possibility that some fan ages could be included. I know some people who are dying to make an URU Myst Island, but that can't be done. More people would love to open up some doors in the city and expand it. Not in some remote part that needs to be linked to, but the full walkable city. Fix the spiral staircases in the museum and in Great Shaft. Like I said, I respect the logic behind the rules, but allowing some otherwise denied ideas into another catagory might not be such a bad idea.

Joey Zoonishii · **Joined:** Wed May 10, 2006 11:27 pm **Posts:** 963

I'm not sure if anyone has asked this yet... (Sorry, this thread is... like, really long)... ...but, so far has there been anything that forbids us from linking to other locations on Earth itself?

This is just an odd thought to toss into the discussion.

...actually, someday, if Cyan can find resources to create its own content, a link to Cyan headquarters, like, to their secret bunker, would be a total gas. Whatever that means.

~Joey Oddbrain "The Locust" Honeyman

Dalken Starbyne · **Joined:** Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:06 pm **Posts:** 152

I can understand not wanting to search through sixteen pages of posts, Joey.

But yes, it has been brought up already, in the example form of a gas station I believe it was. As long as the rules are all followed (don't use Yeesha/Bahro magic, don't take peoples' ideas, don't use copyrighted material, etc., etc.) then you may, in fact, be allowed to make a link to someplace on Earth.

Joey Zoonishii · **Joined:** Wed May 10, 2006 11:27 pm **Posts:** 963

Dalken Starbyne wrote:

I can understand not wanting to search through sixteen pages of posts, Joey.

But yes, it has been brought up already, in the example form of a gas station I believe it was. As long as the rules are all followed (don't use Yeesha/Bahro magic, don't take peoples' ideas, don't use copyrighted material, etc., etc.) then you may, in fact, be allowed to make a link to someplace on Earth.

Gas Station? No copyrighted material? ...aww, then I can't make the "Corner Gas" age...

...oh, that Wanda. What a character.

~Joey Quixote

Guidelines for Official Story/Age Creation

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