Uru: Ages Before Myst
"Uru: Ages beyond Myst" box shot
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is a computer game developed by Cyan Worlds available on a single CD-ROM, featuring several diverse ages designed in the style of the Myst game series. Although Uru and the Myst series share the theme of the D'ni civilization and culture, Uru takes place in the present time. Unlike previous games, where you play the role of a stranger who lived 200 years ago, in Uru you actually play yourself. The gameplay is more sophisticated than in previous Myst games, and the graphics are now in real-time 3D (like realMYST) rather than being pre-rendered stills.
Codenamed "DIRT" ("D'ni in real time"), then "MUDPIE" (meaning "Multi-User DIRT, Persistent / Personal Interactive Entertainment / Experience / Exploration") or "Parable," and later "Myst Online", Uru takes its players to "The Cleft," Atrus's childhood home in New Mexico, and invites them to "take the journey" to D'ni, and help the D'ni Restoration Council (DRC) rediscover the ancient civilization and its remains. As suggested by the codenames, Uru features not only a complete offline game ("Uru Prime"), but also an online component ("Uru Live") that is constantly expanding. Uru Live extends the worlds available in Uru Prime, and adds more ages. It allows for text- and voice-based communication between the players, lets people represent themselves using a comprehensive Avatar customization interface, and lets them gather up, play little games in "neighborhoods" (smaller groups of people), and solve puzzles together.
Puzzles remain a main theme in Uru. Uru Prime's puzzles are solvable by a single person, but Uru Live subscribers can solve the Uru Prime puzzles with others. Also, some Uru Live-only puzzles require multiple persons to solve.
As of early February 2004, Uru Live is scheduled to soon go offline indefinitely.
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