The NDA has lifted so I can talk about the game now. If there are any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Well, dang, man! WHAT WAS IT LIKE??!!!! Do we have to pull your teeth?! ;-)

Seriously...what was the gameplay like? Please tell us it's not a glorified chat room.

Yeah. How does it work?
How does the interaction with other characters work?

And do you explore D'Ni or worlds that you get to from D'Ni?

Do you get to meet Atrus and Catherine?

No Atrus and Catherine. This is well after their time. I'm a little unclear about how the retail game will be. I got to explore lots of D'ni because I've been part of the online version. You get to meet a lot of people there. You can chat or even talk over a mic. Graphics are great. Very smooth with my system. You will have 4 ages to explore and solve puzzles with. You will be looking for Journeys. They are like handprints you touch. You will also have your own Relto (personal age) where you can dress up your character. Choose from clothes, shoes, beard, mustache, hats. You may also be male or female (probably no beard or mustache option though What else?

The whole dressing up thing sounds stupid. Doesn't this have really high end requirements?
I have a Celeron 533; I don't think I can play it.
C

Jenny100, you're a big Riven fan like me. When you play URU you are actually playing in today's time. We don't hear from or see Atrus or Catherine at all. The only one we really hear from is their daughter Yeesha. It's gonna be interesting to see how people react to URU. I really like it. It still has the Myst feel even though it's 3rd person and realtime 3d. I've read all three myst books a few times so it's been great to go to the cleft and to D'NI. I have a feeling though that some will feel it doesn't have the Myst feel. Luckily it did for me. By the way, my sys specs are:
Athlon 2100 XP
512 Ram
Win98
80 Gig HD
Abit MB
64 meg Ti 4200 Video card
Comcast cable internet
It's run very smoothly on my system. I'll like having the CD because then I won't have to log onto their servers to play anymore. Should be a quicker load time. I also couldn't save. It only saved after the last journey I touched and only on their server. There may be certain places I can't go though since I won't be online.

Hey Crispeto - doesn't it feel great to have the NDA FINALLY lifted.

Yep - that's right - I be another secret beta tester. Gad - you don't know how hard it has been to not say a word, with all the questions that have popped up over the last month.

Take it away Crispeto - you are doing a grand job of fielding questions.

Yea, I've run out of duct tape trying not to spill the beans. When did you become a tester? I'd love to hear your input on the game and how you'd compare it to Broken Sword. Any other questions from anyone else? Please ask, I'm dying to talk (now that I can

I looked for you on the beta forums, I had thought you might be a tester. But I didn't know your URU name

I was LauraMac and joined the test in September.

I loved URU!! I loved going there every night. The Cleft area was one of my favorites, next to the city and the neighborhoods. I do hope that Eddie is still present in the online version!!

URU and Broken Sword are two very different concepts. Broken Sword is an awesome game. URU is like being part of a whole other world. You get that immersed or at least I did. I felt like I was traveling to such a real place when I loaded up URU each time. I think of myself as part of URU and the DRC and the journey.

BTW: Eddie is the name given to a beach ball that was in a public area called the neighborhood. He was a stress reliver of sorts and developed a mythic reputation over the course of the test.

I am working on some writing right now - but will check back in later.

My user name was the same as here. Yea, I kicked Eddie around a bit. I miss having URU. I'll be excited when it comes this week. Glad you enjoyed it too. I hope others do as well. Will we have a Nexus or was that just the beta? Seems the Nexus was just to go to D'NI and talk to others so I'll probably have to sign up again. Are there any other GB URU beta testers here?

Well a few have agreed to take part in the GB Q & A I have put together (hope you will too but I need your e-mail address - Just mail me at gatorlaw@gameboomers.com )

But I am sure they will pop in at this thread to answer member questions too.

I am not sure about the nexus - but I see what you mean. That is probably an online feature.

Hi all,
I was also a beta tester. I had been in the beta since January! I'll be participating in Laura's (Gaterlaw) excellent Q & A. I'll also answer any questions (that I can) and post observations. I'll try not to give any spoilers.

On the ages - Crispeto, you didn't count all the ages you get in Uru, the solo player game. There are more than four ages. If you buy the solo player game (the game in the stores, via the internet), you'll see that it's a big game. And yes, it's full 3D (there was some question about that in previous posts) and it's incredibly beautiful, the best looking game I have ever seen.

More later.

Hey mszv!

I didn't want to "release anyone's name - thought they should do that themselves. I can say there are a lot of folks here at GB who were in the test.

As for the length - it will be a long long game. I resorted to some hints help for a few of the puzzles and such. Even then I put in a good 60 hours to get through my first play through the game. It is a very big place and there is just so much to see and do. ALso - there was mention of materials that involve the greater story and history that was held back even from the beta testers. We had many areas with seemingly nothing to do there - yet! SO I am sure that people will be thrilled with the level of involvement and game play with the stand alone game of URU. The online will just take it to such a higher level.

OK, that's right you b******** I've already got a problem about what to play next and you add this temptation!!!

asazen

I thought the automatic language censor would deal with that word, noticed it didn't so i edited my self!!!

I have been a member of Gameboomers for a long time, and although I am more of a lurker, I check it out everyday and live vicariously through my fellow members.
I probably have almost every Adventure game ever made and play them as a stress reliever from a very demanding job.
I too was a Beta tester and like the solitude my games give me give me when I play them.
Uru blew me away. I am an absolute addict. The graphics, the sounds, the character movement, the challenges and even the jumps.
I am a klutz and fell many times but I had more fun and walked away with such a sense of accomplishment when I mastered that difficult jump to take me further into the Journey.
The area of the game I was most unsure of was the on-line portion and much to my surprise, I had a ball. Who would believe this lurker would partake in chats, work out puzzles with others, crack up constantly and just plain enjoy what Cyan has produced for us so much.
For me, Uru rates a A+. I will definitely be one of the first in line to enter the on-line portion and continue this wonderful journey.
Katie

Another Beta tester here!

I wanted to add that Uru has the option to TOGGLE back and forth between 3rd person and 1st person. I know many prefer that 1st person. It's as simple as pushing the F1 key to switch back and forth.

When in 1st person, it feels a lot like the RealMyst movement and I liked it.

Uru is a beautiful, mysterious place. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Laura, I would add the word Uru in that pinned note. I almost missed it.

Dadguy

Hey Katie and Dadguy

Changed the title line - yep I left off the URU.

See all you guys on the other side.

Another beta tester checking in. I just started in August and had a blast. Loved running across the desert and jumping over the tumbleweeds. Great atmosphere created in all the ages. This is a game to immerse yourself in. And the best part is more will be added to the online version as the story unfolds.

Hi all,
I'm going to wait for a few more people to say what they liked about it, before I say what I did not like. There was a lot that I liked, even loved. I did buy the game and I plan to participate in the next "play test" for the online part (whatever they are calling it). I'll also probably pay the fee for the online subscription after the new online test is over.

Incidentally, anyone can apply to be in the next online part - it's free (for the beta), and they are going to admit thousands of people, in groups. Odds are extremely good that if you want to play the online part (for free during the test) you'll get in. I believe they are still listing broadband as a requirement for the online part.

As for machine specs - the specs listed on the retail box (assume so, haven't seen it) or online - they appear to be correct. Uru does require a machine with some power, but it doesn't have to be the super high machine of an intense gamer. CPU processor speed is not the most important thing needed, though you need to be in the range. What's really important is to have enough memory and a decent video card. Remember, this is a 3D game, and your video card and machine must be able to create the images you see on the screen (that's how full 3D games work - the graphics are not pre-rendered). You don't have to have the highest end video card (there are settings you can adjust, greater or more detail, that sort of thing), but your video card will make a difference. I'll list the specs I played with -
- 1.2GH CPU
- 640MB memory
- GeForce4 TI 4200 128MB video card
- Santa Cruz Surround Sound audio card
- broadband - DSL, 1200kbps down/100 kbps up, going in on a wired port, Linksys router
- WinXP

Wow, I can't believe how many of GBers got to be testers!

A couple of questions. I will never have broadband being out in the sticks, will I feel left out if I just play the non on-line game?

And if I did buy the on-line version, would it be possible for me to go to the near by community college and play on their machines, or is there tons that have to be loaded onto the computer? If you can play off of the DVD and can save onto a CD, would it be possible to play on a different computer?

One last request:
When you folks post about pros and cons of the game, please try and mention whether the feature you are refering to is on only the on-line version, or is it something that us non on-line folks will be able to do. Thanks.

Sequoia

Some of you may want to try the demo available from www.avault.com. Just came out today!

Sequoia,

You'll find the non on-line game (referred to as Uru Prime in the beta, vs "Uru Live" for the no-line) you'll find it very much like the other Myst experiences. You'll have fun posting here about the different puzzles and sharing the game experience. You'll be able to explore at least 6 different worlds and follow a very nice story.

What you'll miss is the ability to have a friend along in the same world solving problems together. You'll miss meeting with a group to chat or share ideas or inquire about puzzles, which is really quite fun! The avatars (your character's body) are customizable to make it look quite similar to yourself, so I found I could recognize friends quickly. Also, when you put your cursor over another's avatar, their name will appear. You'll even be able to press a button and speak audibly to other users close by using your PC microphone - very cool! They have even created a "Greeter's Guild" of experienced users that will be available on-line to advise and help you along the way. Kind of like D'Ni helpers.

We are not sure, yet, how much of this will be available in the beginnings of the game, since Uru Prime is what has been released and Uru Live will be gradually released in the coming months.

I say, give it a try without the broadband and see what you think. There were actually a number of Beta testers whom used dialup, but I don't know how successful they were.

I suspect you'll have trouble loading it on some Internet Cafe PCs since there are issues with firewalls and the like that may block your access. We shall see.

Hope you give it a try.

Dadguy (beta tester and Greeter On-Line)

One of thew other great things about the online experience is that you can chat with people over a device known as your Ki - even when they are in another age. It is something to have someone talking you through a puzzle or challange or vice versa.

There are also side games you can play with other people in public places such as the neighborhood and the city.

You have private ages where you are the only one there - but at any time you can "invite" someone to join you at any of those private ages or at your own house or home age - called Relto. You will find pages that are added to your personal linking book that will enhance your presonal living space. Books to varied ages and places are stored in your home library at your Relto. YOur personal linking book - links you out of a dangerous spot or just when you wish to link out and returns you to your Relto.

Obviously the invitations and such only exist in URU online. But the set up for your Relto, your personal link library and your book that you carry at all times on your waist band will be in URU Prime and URU Live.

The Greeters Guild is another great concept that arose and evolved during the beta. People have hours assigned. They will have a Greeters Guild shirt - so they can be readily identified. Those in the guild will be at the City entry point to help with questions and such. We will also trade Ki numbers with folks so that if they want a greeter to travel to an age with them for hints/help or just chat through something we can do that. It will be like a personal hints line - while online. Its like a solo/cultural gathering. It can be as personal or group oriented as you wish.

Someone asked earlier about the computer spec that you will need for "Uru, Ages Beyond Myst".

I downloaded the demo today. It is really very good. Along with it comes a readme file with the minimum and recommended specs for your PC. Here they are:

Minimum Requirements:
-------------------------------

- Windows XP/Me/2000/98SE
- 800Mhz Pentium III or AMD Athlon
- 256 Mb RAM
- 4x CD ROM Drive
- Video Card: 32 MB NVIDIA(r) GeForce(tm) 1, 2, 3, 4, or FX; ATI(r) Radeon(tm)
7000-9800 or better
- DirectX 8.1b or higher compatible Audio Card
- DirectX version: 8.1b or higher
- 2 GB Hard Disk space Free
- 800x600 16 bit display
- Mouse and keyboard


Recommended System:
----------------------------

- Windows XP
- 1.4Ghz Pentium IV or AMD Athlon
- 512 Mb RAM
- 4x CD ROM Drive or faster
- Nvidia GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 or higher Video Card
- DirectX 8.1b or higher compatible Audio Card, Sound Blaster Audigy 2
series, EAX Advanced HD
- 2 GB Hard Disk space free
- 1024 x 768 32 bit displays
- Mouse and keyboard

I believe the game itself recommends DirectX 9.0 which I am sure they will include on the CD.

Regards,

Dadguy

YIPPEE!!.....YAHOO!!!......WHOOPEE!!....WE'RE FREE!.....WE'RE FREE!

{{{{HUGS }}}} to all my other beta buddies!

Whew! So glad to get that off my chest. I have been beta testing Uru since mid January and it has been both the longest and the shortest period of my life! Long because it was so-o-o hard not to say anything while reading all the misconceptions- that NDA seemed to go on forever. Short because I have a whole new 'family' now from the beta and when the beta closed down Monday, I felt an emptiness that I never would have believed possible. It felt like there was so much left undone - so much more to be said.

My life has revolved around Uru for the past 11 months..(I honestly don't think I missed a single day, even if I was only there for 10 minutes). Now, I wait, oh so very IMPATIENTLY (Ya hear that, Ubisoft? ) for my disk to arrive, for the adventure to continue and to get back together with my new family.....AND to welcome all the soon-to-be newest members of that family!

The game itself is absolutely gorgeous. I spent as much time 'ooohing' and 'ahhhhing' as I did playing. Yes, it had it's moments - but those moments were always quickly forgiven as I rounded the next corner, or linked to the next Age.

What the Miller brothers, along with Cyan and Ubisoft, have managed to create is nothing short of extraordinary!

(........ Oh, and yeah. I loved the game! )

I was a beta tester, too. I LOVE this game! I don't know what I can add to what has already been said, except to say that whatever kind of adventure games you normally like, I urge you to give Uru a try, at least the demo. It's beautiful, it's large, and it's a lot of fun!

I just downloaded the demo and I have a couple of questions.

Can the controls be remapped?

How do you exit the game and get to the save screen.

I thought this game was supposed to be full 3d movement. I am unable to steer with the mouse. When I move the mouse left or right nothing happens.

Hi Zanthia!

1. Controls can be remapped: If you place your cursur near the bottom right of the screen, a ? and an X appear. Select the ? and a settings page appears. Choose KEY MAP and go from there. (It would be a good idea to familiarize your self with this Settings Menu.)

2. Uru autosaves. (See my comment to Jenny's post under the HINTS section.) The EXIT key is that X in the lower right corner.

3.) You should be able to steer with the mouse. While you are holding down the WALK key (left mouse button), drag it left or right and your avatar will move that way. When standing still in the 1st person view, you can hold the RIGHT-CLICK mouse button and drag to "look" around 360 degrees.

I should add that there are other features under GAME SETTINGS (ADVANCED) that allow you to move toward where your mouse is click (that is, click laft and she starts left). I didn't like this so I turned it off. You should experiment to find what you like!

Have fun,

Dadguy

I don't see any switch or whatever for subtitles (texts) in the demo.
**** Are there any subtitles in the demo?
******** Are there any subtitles in the actual game itself?

Nope, I don't think so. At least I never saw or used them in Beta.

However, there are websites that have full text of extended conversations (like Yeesha's speech in the demo).

Dadguy

Okay, these are some 'novice' non-myst player questions. I've never played any of the Myst games (started the 1st one and got bored quickly). Having said that, should i just avoid this one too, or is it quite different? Can it be played solo, or just online with other players? Would someone who nevre played any of the other Myst games be totaly lost? What kind of things can you do when interacting with online players? (besides chat and share strategy, etc).

Thanks
Louis

I liked this game much better than the first Myst. I loved Riven and Exile. But URU is here and now - while those were stories about one little area of the D'ni past. SOmeone explained if you had a big graph - the Myst stories would be a dot in the bottom right area - where as URU is a dot way up at the top left. This is about the "Restoration" of D'ni by us. Those who take the "journey" - who are called to the Cleft - We are the new D'ni.

Online activities are as varied as you want them to be.....

There are a few games involving marker tags (your Ki has a geo-positional mapping feature) there is also a game at the "neighborhood" that is the D'ni equivalent of "Rock , paper, scizzors" that is played at a table with a holo-imager".

We came up with some of our own, hide the cone, hide and seek, we gathered at a place and someone would use their mike to pipe in music and dance, hang out, socialize etc. I am sure there will be further surprises as the online portion gets further developed. It's hard to explain in many ways. You get into it - when you get there kind of thing. You can really push the limits of what your avatar can do.

Hi all,
Now that I did my part on the beta tester roundtable (sorry I was late Laura, but I sent it this morning!) I can reply to this.

What you buy in the store is the solo player game. You play it by yourself, just like any other game. The solo player came is not an online game. It's a huge game, so even though it's pricey (for an adventure game, not for a new first person shooter or a new RPG) you won't feel cheated. I like it. I don't like everything about it (more on that in other posts), but I like it. I would buy it. What I can say, unequivocally, is that it's insanely beautiful, and quite immersive.

On multiplayer play - see the above posts. When I first joined the beta there were multiplayer puzzles, but there are no multiplayer puzzles in the released game. I'd guess (no inside info, just a guess) that in the future, multiplayer puzzles might come back, for the online part only. We were told that there will be more to do in the multiplayer space, in the future. As I mentioned before, the Prologue (new online beta) is free and they are going to admit lots and lots of people. Broadband is still listed as required (for multiplayer play) but we had some people in the beta who played on dial-up. If you buy the game, and think you might want to try the online part - it would not hurt to apply and check it out. You can look for me in the game. After I get in (I don't have the game yet, we beta folks have to buy the game too, darn!), I'll post the character name I use, assuming I get it!

On the mapping of the controls, everyone else talked about it better than me. You can play with the keyboard, with the mouse or with a combo. The controls are mappable - you can change them around, quite a lot. This is particularly good for people who play FPS (first person shooter) games - they tend to like a certain keyboard format. For the rest of us, the standard keyboard mapping is the arrow keys. This was good for me because there was nothing to remember - after you glance at the arrows on your keyboard a couple of times, you know which way your avatar is going to move! Incidentally, we had some FPS gamers in the beta, and they provided excellent feedback to Cyan - they were very picky about the controls! On playing with the mouse only - that's very doable, but it's not a "point and click" game. You (1st person) or your avatar (3rd) don't move unless you are pressing something.

As for gameplay, like most adventure games, in the solo player game the story progresses through puzzle solving. There is a mix of puzzles, but some of the puzzles have action elements, though they aren't too hard. I'm not a fan of action elements, but I ended up making my peace with them. Uru is a game in the Myst game series, but it's not like any Myst series game that I've played.

Finally, if you have never played the Myst series games, it doesn't matter. You don't need to know anything about the game universe to play it. The best way to know if you are going to like it is to download and play the demo.

Hope this helps.

Are there special criteria for being chosen for the beta or the online game? I applied earlier this year for the Beta, but was not chosen.

On getting into the beta - we were told it was a random selection of everyone who applied - chance.

You sly beings! I felt quite lonely talking about Uru in August!

I downloaded the demo today, which looked as great (as the full version did in August) but now has much better direct connections with its prequels (in D'ni time and real time).

I'm still enjoying the ornithology aspect, which is great. (I am always distracted by ambient noises in the best FPS's. Which normally results in death, but I die happy.) Feel free to laugh.

However.

The one thing that I still find, and it does get me everytime, is that I feel like I should have a gun in my hand. Ridiculous as that sounds, in a Myst world, I can say that it has nothing to do with the games content itself, but the way it is presented. I'm playing Hidden&Dangerous2 ( HD2 ) at the moment, which also switches between 3rd and 1st person perspective with a single key press (as did HD1 and ALL the Jedi Knight games). Naturally, adventure fans with no experience of "shooters" won't feel that, but I feel potential "new" adventure fans may wonder where their arsenal has gone. Dumb I know, but it does happen on a subliminal level. Oh, it was also obvious on ledges. Small, tiny weeny, little ledges! But my little (avatar) legs just couldn't manage them. Maybe falling off ledges broke my "avatars" legs.

Dressing "myself" for my single player experience was easy and fun. It would be great to think that you could effectively re-create yourself for an online appearance. Future GB parties and developer interviews could be carried out in virtual beauty, somewhere in a Myst world. Now that is wonderful. Especially given that Myst is the granddaddy of graphic adventure games. Yes, the game is new and expensive, but given that the world is ever expanding (given interest) it may well be almost default as the alternative IM.

However, it isn't overly likely that a global online community would all dress in GAP casuals. Please no! Bizarrely, you can choose several different kinds of beard, but the "eye" settings are default. Huh? As for the shoe options! Trainers are great.... but sandals! Sandals + canyons + jumping + hiking.. argh! The adventure chiropodist is going to profit from this.

Lastly, there are a few ambient sounds from Riven being recycled. Which is never a bad thing. It almost makes up for the sandals...

Jonathan
xx

Good observations, Jonathan.

The avatar customization allows us to do a Style makeover, complete with liposuction! Some of the betas were cross dressing.

Eye settings aren't default... make them whatever fits. Put in some light blue contacts if the mood hits you. They even had a barefoot option in the beta. That will probably return...

Looking forward to Dark Fall 2!!!!

Dadguy

"cross dressing"

Wow, the potential GB parties (and also global implications) are looking even more interesting!

Jonathan

In some ways I'm jealous of those of you who haven't played it yet. It's been great being a beta tester but I'd love to relive all the firsts again

Yep we had some folks try out alternate identities. We had great fun for a few days with "evil avatars". Heh-heh

There is a strong wish for clothes that are androgenous - sort of a monks robe type outfit that many thought would be fun. WHo knows all the surprises that await in the real URU Live

"androgenous - sort of a monks robe"

What, like a burka?

We had quite a few betas who were asking for something 'genderless' for their wardrobes. They were even willing to settle for just a cape...I guess they figured they could expand from there. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" />

Just makes me wonder.......Why?

Hmmm, the wardrobe.

So, it's "weekend casuals" or medieval robes. Hmm.

Such depth.

Jonathan

Hi,
On the clothing options, we didn't get the "genderless" option that I asked for, either in the beta or the retail game. I wanted a choice where it wasn't immediately obvious if you were a man or a woman. A long coat would have worked, perhaps with a hood. I don't know if we'll ever get it. The clothing choices were a bit expanded at the end of the beta, but still basically the same as what you see in the retail game (I just fired it up). I think of the clothing choices as the look of a prep/outdoor clothing catalogue company, like Eddie Bauer perhaps. or (per Jonathan) clothes from the Gap (clothing company). The clothing choices are pretty boring and don't reflect a worldwide player base, in my opinion. Maybe we'll get more clothing choices later. We did try.

Some thought was given as to what you have on your hands (glove options), without what you actually look like.

J

thanks for the help. One thing I noticed on the key map page is that it looks like you can't remap the mouse. that is a bummer.

I also do not like the fact that you have to hold down the mouse button to steer. In 3d games in other genres this is not needed. ALl you need to do is move the mouse and this is what i am used to. Holding down one of the mouse buttons to steer makes it so awkward.

I am getting rather fond of my sandals.