The Great Tree

[Lord Chaos]

I am working at not drowning in the pessimism, but it's hard to swim in something that seems more like vapor with each week that passes without word of continued support of the game. We Explorers do what we can--last Saturday being an excellent example of what we can do--but Cyan and Gametap are in control. We could see all of our efforts to support the game simply turned off.

We will keep trying. This Saturday the Skydivers are doing their monthly accuracy contest, and the Photo Quest people are having their gallery opening. I'll support any activity I can but it still has a strong feeling of whistling past the graveyard.

[Professor Askew]

I'm not going to add to GS's pessimistic tone............except to say that I understand where he's coming from and sometimes you just have to vent. It's ridiculous, but I still remember the sting of the Cavern closing like it was yesterday. Why should that be? Like any premature death where greatness or the potential for greatness is cut short, the memories of that potential plague ones thoughts. Visiting the Cavern is a huge reminder of what Uru could have been (or maybe will be someday).

GS's biggest mistake is his constant comparison to that imagined potential. He doesn't make clear that today's Uru isn't a very good game in and of itself. There's no need to compare it to anything. It's a great place to visit, it's still beautiful, it's still interesting, it's still fun to meet new and old friends.....but as a game, as an ongoing business, well, it's certainly not a place that needs constant visitation. It doesn't have any of the addictive ingredients that make an online game successful.

So, GS has vented, apparently counterpointing Whilyam's posts which I didn't bother to read, and hopefully he can quietly move on like many of us have. My subscription runs out in February. I will definitely be back for Season 2 though I will have to decide if I will do so at the beginning of the season or closer to the end. I say the end because I would like to bunch up the new content so I have more to do for a longer stretch of time. I think it's more cost effective and less tortuous than waiting between episodes. All this depends upon how they decide to roll out Live content this go-round. If it's the same old-same old where I missed literally 98% of the Live story then I see no reason to be there "as it happens". I'll continue following the story through the forums and play all the content at the end of the season and just pay for one month.

I am glad that Uru is meeting with some success on GameTap. It is one of the most imaginative environments out there. I'm glad new people are coming on board and keeping D'ni alive. Perhaps with the Myst movie rumor circulating again, and GameTap's success with episodic content, they'll decide to throw Cyan some more cash and we'll see some improvements in gameplay. We shall see. But, I certainly find no fault with new players or veterans who have been able to stick it out this long and really have fun playing Uru. I wish I could be one of them. I just don't seem to have the patience for Uru's growing pains. Apparently I need more structure in my game-playing (which is weird for me) and Uru is just too much randomness and waiting for me. I, too, need a distraction from real life and Uru is too real for me (which is also weird). I feel I did my part during the era of Until Uru to keep the spirit and the game alive and now you are all doing your part to see it through this newest incarnation and for that I thank you.

The community continues to bark at each other. It's been like that since the day Prologue ended. I have always blamed most of this in-fighting on Uru's lack of.........everything. An MMO must keep the players occupied. It's one thing to break the mold of the conventional online game but you have to replace it with something. I know Cyan understands this but it seems the money people never do. We all thank GameTap for giving Uru new life but they seem to understand it only slightly better than Ubisoft did. Unfortunately, Cyan has created a game beyond the scope of the bean counters ability to grasp. Hopefully they'll catch on and Uru can be the work of genious that it is.

Gee..........I guess I still had some venting to do, too.
_________________
Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[janaba1]

After your statements, Marten, I've decided to read the whole
Blog post of GS and I'm glad I did that, cause I've got a better
understanding, of what they're all talking about, the "old guard"
and the "new guard" in the forums and about their different
positions and such, and I can really understand now, why he
really don't want to hear anything anymore, cause it seems, that
he had enough of statements and opinions of misunderstanding,
intolerance and attacks etc... (reasonable arguments, of course,
from the other point of view)...

As I said above... poor guy... really, he's so desperate and
hopeless, I'm so sorry for him and all who feel the same, and
I believe it's a good decision to move on and to take one step
back if possible, to free his mind and his heart, to distract himself
with other things, God bless him and help him in this challenge he's
taking up... That's not easy and will take time...

And you're absolutely right, Marten, with what you're saying and
your comment on Whil's blog is excellent... Hope he'll see this...

Now I also understand better, what you're talking about, Erik, now that
you're telling that in this context...

We explorers do what we can, you're right, LC, and most of the time
we're successful with those efforts... Hey, that's great!!! Let's just enjoy
the time, that is given to us, so that we won't have to regret anything in
the future... Why wasting those precious moments with wonderful people
and friends with pessimistic thoughts or doubts... What do we actually
have to loose, except of the monthly fee... that's not really a loss...
Many people in the world would give everything to experience the
fun and the love we're experiencing here most of the time...
But I know, that you know and appreciate that too, LC...

I believe, that we'll get news very soon... we're customers actually...
And if we don't and everything will go down the tubes, I'll look back
to the wonderful times we've had, with a tear in the eye of course,
but thankful nonetheless...

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