Relto Bookshelf

Maurus · **Joined:** Tue Oct 24, 2006 1:55 am **Posts:** 153

Okay guys. It's been six years. Let's discuss the elephant in the room.

What the heck were those two blank spots in the first section of the Relto bookshelf supposed to be for?

My pet theory was always that they were intended to be spots for Delin and Tsogal, but then the folks at Cyan decided it would be best if they were instead only available to link to from the 'hood. Maybe that was something they had to put in place once they realized with that amount of traffic, having public instances of Delin and Tsogal that anyone could go to would create problems for everyone? Although, I feel like with today's traffic, that's no longer an issue - not that I'm suggesting anything be changed, I'm just thinking out loud.

But back to the actual point - Yeah, does anyone know the actual reason?

Also, does it slightly bug anyone else that if the pod ages had been combined into one book on the shelf, everything would have fit neatly on the top shelf? Just bothers me ever so slightly.

dgelessus · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:51 pm

For the blank spots, I would also say that the garden ages would/could have gone there.
Regarding the pod age, you are actually right about that as well. They are one age after all, but I think that was not entirely clear and part of the puzzle when they were first released, so they were put into separate books.

OkamiKurai · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:08 pm

Most of the empty spots too were supposed to be linking books to Watchers Pub and some other cities as well. Which is in the Path of the Shell expansion pack. So you can solve the maze and get to the Tree. However, sadly enough. This was completely removed from Live but remains in the offline version of Uru. A lot of books are missing and are only accessed in the Nexus.

Charura · **Joined:** Wed Oct 14, 2009 4:14 pm **Posts:** 1773

dgelessus wrote:

For the blank spots, I would also say that the garden ages would/could have gone there.
Regarding the pod age, you are actually right about that as well. They are one age after all

Are not the garden ages also one age as well? They could all go in one book titled Eder

Eder Delin, Eder Gira, Eder Kemo, Eder Tsogahl

Vector Cramp · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 10:50 pm

Charura wrote:

dgelessus wrote:

For the blank spots, I would also say that the garden ages would/could have gone there.
Regarding the pod age, you are actually right about that as well. They are one age after all

Are not the garden ages also one age as well? They could all go in one book titled Eder

Eder Delin, Eder Gira, Eder Kemo, Eder Tsogahl

No, they are separate Ages and it wouldn't make sense to put them all in one. While the Pod Ages all share the same puzzle, the four eders do not. Eder Tsogal and Eder Delin share the same quest and Eder Gira and Eder Kemo are part of Yeesha's journey. Plus, there is linking book to Eder Kemo in Eder Gira which does not bare Yeesha's symbol meaning its a regular linking book, thus it cannot link to the same age.

dgelessus · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:25 pm

And there is the garden binge during which many eders (gardens), including all the ones we can see, were written, so the name similarities are not that strange.

Vector Cramp · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:45 pm

Vector Cramp wrote:

Charura wrote:

dgelessus wrote:

For the blank spots, I would also say that the garden ages would/could have gone there.
Regarding the pod age, you are actually right about that as well. They are one age after all

Are not the garden ages also one age as well? They could all go in one book titled Eder

Eder Delin, Eder Gira, Eder Kemo, Eder Tsogahl

No, they are separate Ages and it wouldn't make sense to put them all in one. While the Pod Ages all share the same puzzle, the four Eders (gardens) do not. Eder Tsogal and Eder Delin share the same quest and Eder Gira and Eder Kemo are part of Yeesha's journey. Plus, there is linking book to Eder Kemo in Eder Gira which does not bare Yeesha's symbol meaning its a regular linking book, thus it cannot link to the same age.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:57 pm

You can get some idea of what was going on by comparing Phil's bookshelf to a normal bookshelf:

[Reveal] Spoiler: Normal bookshelf

[Reveal] Spoiler: Phil's bookshelf

For whatever reason, Cyan shifted the sections around but didn't change the structure of the first (normal)/second (Phil's) section.

Ainia · **Posted:** Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:42 am

Shorah everyone,

I've also wondered if the empties on the first shelf were for some of the big Ages that the DRC were restoring (IC)/Cyan was working (OOC) but were never able to complete (e.g. Venalem, Kahlo, Rebek*).

I remember RAWA once writing about the plans Cyan had for rolling out new content regularly, which boiled down to about one new Age each month, so I do wonder what would have happened once the Relto bookshelf was filled.

A pleasant problem to have, I think...

Regarding Delin and Tsogahl, I rather doubt they were ever intended for the Relto bookshelf since they were expressly designed to be solved in group. Because of that, it makes a great deal of sense to place them in the hoods instead, making it much easier to get a group of folks to the same "instance" (a hood instance instead of a personal instance).

[[*Since Rebek was shaping up to be an important part of the storyline, I've wondered if we might have gained access to it later in the context of the Cavern drama between Yeesha, the DRC and the Bahro]]

Charura · **Joined:** Wed Oct 14, 2009 4:14 pm **Posts:** 1773

Ainia wrote:

I remember RAWA once writing about the plans Cyan had for rolling out new content regularly, which boiled down to about one new Age each month, so I do wonder what would have happened once the Relto bookshelf was filled

I'm not sure that was the only bookshelf that Cyan had in mind. I have another one that is empty to the right of the one we are discussing?

Vector Cramp · **Posted:** Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:00 pm

Charura wrote:

Ainia wrote:

I remember RAWA once writing about the plans Cyan had for rolling out new content regularly, which boiled down to about one new Age each month, so I do wonder what would have happened once the Relto bookshelf was filled

I'm not sure that was the only bookshelf that Cyan had in mind. I have another one that is empty to the right of the one we are discussing?

Yes, but that was used for journals and such, not linking books.

As for it being full, perhaps then Cyan would then focus their attention on more multiplayer ages like Eder Delin and Tsogal where you don't get a book when linking to it.

TOOO · **Posted:** Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:05 am

Taking another look at Phil's bookshelf, some of the books look like they were put there randomly. For example, you'll notice that the third and eleventh books on the top shelf are identical, and the seventeenth is identical, except for the shading.

In other words, these books look more decorative than meaningful.

dgelessus · **Posted:** Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:57 pm

Late response to Zardoz - Phil's shelf somewhat matches a PotS shelf, except for the PotS books being elsewhere.

Relto Bookshelf

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