Myst Online:Uru Live is closing - again. I am mystified. Yes, a little pun. But not funny. Cyan Worlds has created, imho, the most intriguing, interesting, and enjoyable experiences a person can have in the computer world.
The MYST series and URU are different. They are not shoot'em up. They are not macabre. They are not gore. They are special. You care about the outcome. You are there NOT TO SCREW IT UP! Your choices mean something.
When URU Live came out, I felt Cyan solved the one thing I thought was missing from their previous titles - multiplayer interaction. Once Cyan allowed people from all over the world to join YOU in URU and explore together, I figured they had something extra special.
What I do not understand is how someone can not see the potential URU has. A story about a lost civilization that had the ability to travel to and from other world's through books. From a gaming point of view, the possibilities are ENDLESS! But I guess I can see the logistical problems. Cyan Worlds can't create the worlds fast enough and the creative side is expensive and time consuming. Fans "eat" up the Ages faster than Cyan can create them.
But the enjoyment is not just from the Ages you can visit. You meet and talk and help real people that you would never have met had it not been for Uru. You become friends. You help answer each other's questions, just as if you rolled your car window down and ask for directions. You find yourself sitting down on the cold stone or the lush grass to work out your next move. You find yourself being thoroughly pleased when someone gets excited about something they have discovered and you remember how you felt at that exact moment. No, it's not ICQ. No, it's not Instant Messenger. It's something more.
You find yourself hoping that someday you will meet someone from D'ni. You get goosebumps when you place your hand on a book, wondering if you might stumble upon their new home, someplace amongst the books.
I am truly sad.
I waited a year while my dial-up internet subscription ended before getting DSL. I was excited to get back in the cavern and not be forced to play just the stand alone version of URU. Then I learned that Gametap was shutting off the servers. Now I am trying to cram a years worth of experiences into 2 weeks. I have 3 days left. But I am trying to enjoy my journey as much as I can. I don't want to go back to the cavern by myself. I want to explore it with my friends. So much new material has been added since the 2004 release of Uru. It would be like taking a book and ripping it in half and chucking the last half in the trash. I don't want that.
So, that's pretty much what has been on my mind. Not much else to say, except...
Thank You Rand Miller. Thank You for URU.
I have never found myself yearning to sit down at my computer like I do with URU. You have created something VERY special and I pray it does not go away.
I pray someone steps forward and offers a leg-up to you.
