Today, April 9 -- Last Day of Myst Online: Uru Live

Myst Online: Uru Live will be shutting down on GameTap shortly after midnight tonight.


Those of us who've experienced MOUL have had the pleasure of meeting some of our GameBoomers' friends in "virtual" real life, and it's been a fascinating time. Thanks to Kateva who founded the GameBoomers' neighborhood where we could meet, talk, and ask for game help from those who (cough, cough Old Man) are really good at figuring out the puzzles.

We marched in parades, hosted a fantastic Christmas concert, met and befriended huge numbers of strangers from all over the globe, participated in group cooperative puzzling, and created our own treasure hunts and marker games (thanks Mikeplay!). We said hello to Rand and Ryan Miller. We got to see the Bahro flying around the Great Arch and threatened to feed Lightkeeper to them to calm them down. (Okay, that last was just my idea. Sorry about that, LK.)

GreyDragon posted a few days ago that there's a chance that a version of Uru might be resumed at some point, though (the implication is, anyway) probably without new content. If so, I'll be there with bells on (looking about age 22 with a platinum blonde pony tail).


Thanks Cyan!

Thanks GameTap (so sweet while it lasted).


Maybe I'll see some of you in MOUL later today. If cattskeg (Lor) isn't sitting on the fountain in the 'hood, I dibs it.

Becky I was fortunate enough to participate in the Beta for MOUL, but never had a Gametap membership.

I miss Myst and Uru though and hope Cyan will put out some more related adventure games in the future.

I always enjoyed Uru as a place of solitude though.

Sorry! Don't mean to be anti social.

joe

It truly was fun. Soot and I had a blast. Thanks to all who played

Hi Becky, It was a great experience while it lasted. I was still on the learning curve and appreciated all the help from you and LightKeeper. I just tried logging in and it looks like the servers are overwhelmed by members giving their last hurrahs. I'll try again later.

Thank you Becky for starting this thread. I had planned on going into GB Hood this am and writing from the GameBoomer avatar to say how wonderful the hood members have been. Never too busy to help the newbies, unselfish to the end (with the St Pat's Parade, choir ushering, etc). I am still getting the authentication error (started at 5:30 am EDT) so unless Chogun kicks the servers this may be my farewell to MOUL speech.

Moments to remember-so many! I wish Jenny had been able to join us to see Becky once again running around that fountain. Old friends from UU and now new good friends. I look forward to Return to Uru in whatever form it takes, knowing that somehow we will all meet again. You hear that, Yeesha??? Tell Lor to take off her Yeesha shirt now, it must need cleaning. I am wearing my Cautious Optimism shirt.

And I hope to see you all in the Cavern today!

Katva (with her finger on the connect button)

I was in around 4:00 AM and everything was fine. There was a group in the Cavern trading bad puns while I ran through on my way to the Minkata book.

I've tried to get in for an hour or so, and I can't get in either. I think we are overwhelming them with numbers!

Sending positive thoughts Chogun's way (or should I be sending them at the servers?).

More memories -- remember the GameBoomers' salute at the first St. Patrick's parade? And Dudemom (who ran the whole GB part of the parade) suddenly crashing and not being able to tell us when to start?

I got in!! Dudemom was there..and GD somewhere..and before I could leave my Relto I net6'ed...waaaah

Kate

I just got in too! And I'm still in!

Temptation is going to be to leave the avvie in there now until the end. Will that make it harder for others to get in, do you think? If I'm AFK, should I be responsible and actually leave the game?

EDIT: I'm still in, but Kate and Dudemom have disappeared.

Okay, well that first post brought tears to my eyes, Becky!

I have a RL rehearsal tonight and won't be able to go IC until about 11:00 p.m. Cavern time. My plan is to go in and stay until the end but I'm worried that by then, the servers will be overloaded and I won't be able to get in. If I do get in, will you all be in the GB Bevin or are people meeting in the City?

The Choir is fervently praying that Cyan will be able to keep the game open with no new content. At least we'll still have a place to do our concerts and hang out with friends.

I have to add my thanks to all of the Boomers who helped me out when I first started playing. My memories: Getting thoroughly lost in Minkata with UruKat and Big John and not being able to see each other through all the dust, Becky and I (and someone else was there, too) sitting in the GB Bevin discussing what makes art art, standing on the library ledge watching the arch for HOURS with many of you waiting to see if the Bahro were going to attack, and KateVa and the rest of the Boomers spending so much of their time helping out with the Cavern Choir Holiday Concert.

Thank you all for being such wonderful IC friends and fellow explorers!!

I've been coned! I have a very good idea of the culprits. This will not go unanswered!!!

Crashed out once, when trying to link to Phil's Relto, but was able to get back in. Rumors of Bahro sightings in the private Reltos and Phil's Relto.

I'm staring at a screen with a disconnect notice. I can still see LauraMac and Boron, but AirNavy and Darof have disappeared.

I can still hear the fountain, but can't move or post.

Message:

Hi Becky A little token of our own GB end times



It was sad to see it shut down again but somehow I think MOUL will survive in some form or another.

And nicest thing about this shutdown was spending the last bit of time with GBers

gosh i was sorry not to be able to see you guys one last time! miss MOUL...hope it comes back (but with new ages!!)

So it has really happened..<sniffle> being in the UK I couldn't stay until the end and I got up this morning hoping for a miracle, not to be, at least not yet, but I KNOW it will be back in some form soon.

Gameboomers are a wonderful bunch of people, but then you know that don't you:)

Looks around warily...Psst Becky, it was Kate! I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen, I didn't play any part in it whatsoever....looks around again...lol.

And no I will NOT take my Yeesha shirt off, NEVER never ever, a bit of hard earned grime don't hurt:)

Take care everyone and keep in touch wherever you are.

Hugs....lor

Thanks for this thread, Becky.

Yes, I was there, it was Kate all the way. She even wanted to put a cone on your head. Imagine.

I have a slightly different perspective on this whole Uru thing. I was there but not in cavern when Prologue shut down. I missed the "clerical error." I'd been awaiting this for years already. Not just Uru but being with people online from around the world. I'd had a taste way back in the 80's with conferencing (forums) and the players I met playing FPS games. We still keep in touch via mailing lists to this day. That's where "Old Man" came from. They were all kids. I've watched them finish school, start careers, get married, and have kids of their own. Same thing with Uru. A terrific bunch of people.

So for me this is a bigger thing. The integration of virtual reality into our real lives. Myst was a fantastic setting. I'll keep an eye and will play all the games that Cyan puts out. My first memories of playing the original Myst guarantee that. What better than wonderful scenes and good friends?

So, a bump on the road. We'll get there. And we'll be together when we do too.

Yes, as the world was about to end, we were discussing doughnuts. I'm sure there's some deeper meaning to that, but it escapes me at the moment.

It was a great way to be together.

Lor - I thought there WAS a cone on my head when I woke up -- that's why my hairdo was more improvised than usual. I'm told than when "Kate" was coning me they were laughing maniacally.

My informant did not reveal names per se (despite threats), but I'm a pretty good guesser which (as you now know, having gotten me through Minkata) is often how I make it through adventure games.

Old Man -- well said.

Hi Becky, That was a very poignant moment when the end came. I was able to hear the fountain but could not send messages. I made the mistake of x'ing out the disconnect box to clear up the monitor and "Poof" I crashed to the desktop. I was happy to be in good company when the end came. I hope our voice at GameBoomers will have some influence on Cyan to bring MOUL back in some form. I cherished all those friends I made while playing and will never forget the good times we had. MOUL forever!

well when a world ends - I think donuts are a sensible topic and definitely one of the high achievements of mankind and having fresh donuts is one of the best rights as adults, well that

and ... being able to drink out of the milk jug rather than getting a glass

Oops letting my inner secrets out .....

ahem

I missed the coning of Becky! Darn! I mean, uh, I would have defended you had I been there, Becky. *cough cough*

I was in a RL rehearsal when the end came but I was at least able to spend an hour IC before rehearsal and say my goodbyes to the Cavern. I won't say that I said goodbye to the people because as Old Man said, we'll keep in touch in various ways - forums, mailing lists, emails, etc.

I was surprised at how difficult it was to press my Relto book one last time to leave the City when it was time for me to go. I went back to my Relto and took one last walk around it - visited my calendar, sat on my bench, admired how big my pine tree had grown, looked at my pillars and doughnuts and remembered all the time I spent earning those, sat in my "hot tub" and then dried off in front of my fire, listened to my bird with the hacking smoker's cough, and then my music box one last time.

It touched me more than I thought it would. I think it would have been easier to have been kicked off.

Funnily, I'm listening to a Barenaked Ladies CD right now and the song that is playing as I write just happens to be "Thanks, That Was Fun". Appropriate.

It is sad to see the end of an era, and it is unlikely uru or myst will ever come back up, at least commercially. rand has done a wonderful thing to the adventure genre with myst, but it is sad to see that cyan ends on such a sour note. very sad.

Here's a link to an interview with Rand Miller that I stumbled across at Quandary.

I'm curious to know what people think.

Thanks for the link, Becky. Though I was not a part of MOUL, it was always something I figured I would try out one day.
I like the idea of having ever expanding worlds, or environments to explore. I'm happy to hear the there may be hope yet for something similar to evolve out of Myst universe.

My last memories of MOUL...after finally getting in to the hood and visiting with some of our neighbors, is of Becky surrounded by cones. A fitting exit to MOUL...

Waiting for the next chapter.

Farewell for now. Hugs to you all

Kate *(aka Katva)

Becky, I can only see the intro to the interview. What am I missing?

Under the pic of the guy with the tomato soup can, there's a link that says: "Right click here and 'Save as' to Download."


EDIT: Someone has posted a transcription of the interview with Rand here. (Second post on the thread.)

There's also an updated FAQ at Andrew Plotkin's site here that comments on MOUL's cancellation.

Also, you can watch a video interview with the MOUL ResEngs here. (Scroll down the page to the link -- I watched it on the My Space link.)