Hi all. I was wondering, besides better pre-rendered graphics, what is the difference between Myst (the one we played originally), Real Myst and Myst Masterpiece edition? I've read there is an additional area to explore in Real Myst. Is that extra location in 'Masterpiece' and if not, why should anyone play Masterpiece rather Real Myst? I hope that all made sense and thanks a lot for all responses.

Bubba, HERE is a reference that can help you.

Chief

Thanks Chief! I guess I wouldn't get the extra location from Real Myst if I got Myst Masterpiece.

Bubba Myst Anniversary Edition does not include the extra location that is in Real Myst. However the Anniversary has the 3 original games on a DVD so there is no CD swapping!
The extra location in Real Myst is at the end of the game and is a very limited location with very little to see and do.

Good information. I was actually thinking about trying RealMyst or Myst Masterpiece...sounds like my original version will do just fine. LOL

Myst Masterpiece was the first one I played when I had Win98 on my computer. Real Myst came out later - I rushed out to buy it and was really disappointed when I couldn't play it. (I had a really wimpy video card on that computer).Later when I got a computer with XP I repurchased the game and it ran fine.

For a classic Myst fan, stepping into Real Myst is a mind-blowing affair (well ok, at least for me). It allows you to experience the world in full 360-degree movement. On the main island, for example - you can walk to the mountain behind the library, explore below the rocketship, hide behind every tree, and jump from the grass straight to the dock. When you're on the gears platform you can look left and see the spaceship; when you're at the fountain, you can look up and see the tower. As time passes, the sun sets, and as you walk around, the island turns orange. Eventually, night falls and it turns dark, lit only by moonlight. Sometimes it even rains.

Even after solving the puzzles on the island, I remained there just to relish the environment. Everything can be explored in incremental angles, so you can peek into the smallest nook and cranny. Oh, and my son discovered a switch that equips the tower with guns. You find yourself carrying a machine gun as well, in first-person shooter Doom-style (an Easter egg, I presume, since there's nobody around you can shoot).

With today's fast computers and video cards, running the game is no longer a problem. It's such a smooth jaw-dropping experience (again, I'm just speaking for myself because of the added nostalgia) and I can just say: To see is to believe. If you're a Myst fan, you owe it to yourself to just TRY Real Myst, even for 5 minutes. If you get dizzy (as some people do in 360-degree environments), well, that's the reason why there's Myst Masterpiece.

I agree with DanceWarrior: I spent a lot of time just hanging around listening to and watching the thunderstorm at one point in RealMyst. It is quite different in atmosphere from the original Myst.

Hey, I played the original Myst and still really like the sound FX and music, which I rarely hear anybody else getting into. You said
"As time passes, the sun sets, and as you walk around, the island turns orange. Eventually, night falls and it turns dark, lit only by moonlight. Sometimes it even rains." That would really get to me too, DanceWarrior. I'm sure real Myst is the version for me. Speaking of time passage in games, I don't think I've experienced anything more than daylight for a while, then abrupt nightime in any game. The only game I've played that had rainfall was Black Mirror 1.

The music in Myst was beautiful; I have some of the snippets saved on my computer. One particularly nice one plays when the computer closes down.

Ok you've sold me on Real Myst the only trouble is I can't find it on Amazon (UK)or Play.com, I did find it in the US but not at that price plus P&P, I did check E bay but no luck, anybody any ideas, I have XP?

Monbron, if do not mind a Download, Gog has it.

Chief

I was going to tell you GOG.com, which is where I plan on getting it, has it for $5.99. I don' t know if that's for a limited time or not. I really like the music and sounds from the game and cannot wait to see time changes in it. Thank you all for giving me information on it!

One problem I only have 1mg of Broadband will it take me all night to download?? oh and sorry a second one if I do can I copy it to disc??

monbron,

I wish I could tell you how long it would take to download the game but I'm not familiar with Broadband. I'll say this, with my DSL I dl at about 345 kbps and it may take an hour or two, depending on the size of the game, but it sure isn't all night. If the game is large, it's often broken into two parts, too, after a first, small setup file. You could conceivably download it in parts if you want to.

Yes, you can copy to disk. And be sure you do it. The games on GOG are DRM-free but while they'll let you re-download those you buy from your very own games shelf as often as you want, you'd be wise to make a disk copy instead of relying on them to always be there if you've uninstalled the game and want it again someday.

Gil.

Thanks traveler, I wish I had more dl speed but that is all that is available where I live, so I am cautious about downloading large files, I may well try it as an experiment.

I was considering playing Real Myst again for the first time since I had it in 2001(purchasing it online, as I don't have my copy anymore), or perhaps getting Myst Masterpiece for the "updated" Riven and Myst.
I have Win Xp (still) and my Dell is still a good machine. But I have heard so many problems about running the Masterpiece or Real Myst on XP that,despite the online workarounds, it just doesn't seem worth the effort. I would SO love to play these again,though. Heck,I still have Myst 4 on my PC and replay it once in a while.
I mean,one of the workarounds for playing RM on XP was several reboots,uninstalls and pages of instructions long!
i WISH they woudlremake Riven for XP. Loved that game.

There really must be a lot of variables in play here. I have an older (Seven years or so) Gateway which runs XP. I just finished replaying Riven and URU (Each for the umpteenth time!) and both ran without any special setup and without problem. However, I still can't get RealMyst to run at all. Every time I try it installs easily, but when I try to start it I get kicked back to the startup screen. I fear there is a curse in my computer.

Have you tried changing the compatibility mode? I had to do that with my original Myst (long since worn out and in the trash). It won't hurt anything (you can always change it back).

You might want to do it for the installer and the game executable (although this may be overkill). Right click on the installer, choose Properties, click on the Compatibility tab and click the box for "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then choose Windows98 from the drop down menu. Then, find the install folder and do the same for the game executable.

I only suggest this as I'm not sure how old your RealMyst game is (new or used purchased). At any rate, it won't hurt anything and you can simply change it back.

My current version is Myst Masterpiece which I got from eBay.uk in a collector's edition package which included all 6 Myst games. I've had no problems with any of them...except the DVD ones (just got a DVD burner but haven't gotten around to installing it yet...same with my new internal HD, LOL).

Wait...I thought the whole of "Myst masterpiece" was the ability to replay the 3 games (Myst,Riven,and Exile) on DVD form instead of having to swap CD disks?
So the DVDs dont work?
I have XP,but again, man...it seems NONE of these work on XP from what i've read...unless you have to do a computer runaround,disable this,reboot that, uninstall this,change that.Ugh.

I bought RealMyst, Riven, and URU from GOG and am running them on XP with no problems at all. Downloading them was a breeze too, as their downloader lets you resume broken D/Ls.

I have the Myst 10th Anniversary DVD Edition and played all three games on XP without any real problems. I only had to uncheck some box regarding DLA (right click to Properties? can't remember exactly). I've since heard that is more specific though to my particular DVD drive.

In Myst I think I had problems if I started moving around in the game too fast so I had to slow down and wait sometimes. That was about it.

Egads you guys. Now I'm gonna have to load up RealMyst.

Bets

I am playing in XP with SP3 and so far have had no problems at all.