But you'll also find the unexpected - books that transport you to entirely new worlds, the frequent screams of mysterious dark creatures, holographic beckoning, and a request to take a journey. And if you find yourself down in the cavern, you'll find things you would expect - generators, orange safety cones, other explorers in jeans and t-shirts, messages from the small group that is handling the restoration of this huge place. In fact, it centers around the discovery of the ruins of a vast underground city found deep below the New Mexico desert in 1987. It's not meant to be in some unstated time period and some undetermined place. Jonric: When and where goes the game takes place, and to what extent is the overall setting tied into the previous Myst releases? Rand Miller: Myst Online is more a spin-off than a sequel. But GameTap has the model that allows for trying things that traditional publishers might give up on. Myst Online is unique enough that there never were. With all that said, there are no guarantees. It's a pretty exiting model if you're the big guy - which GameTap is. The wonderful part of that model is that expenses don't substantially increase as the subscriber base goes up, so there is more potential budget to add content. Part of their budget goes to procuring content to enhance and expand GameTap every month. Jonric: Regarding the revenue model, is including the game in a GameTap subscription viable in terms of supporting its ongoing development? Rand Miller: Myst Online is supported the same way that any additional content for GameTap is supported. We've brought content that is unlike any other MMOG out there, and GameTap provides the premier online digital distribution home. The fit of Myst Online and GameTap was perfect in the sense that they are making the move from classic game offerings to original content. We've spent seven years building the content and technology, so just having it finally launch is great for us. Jonric: How did Myst Online come to be distributed by GameTap rather than a conventional publisher? How do the two fit with each other? Rand Miller: The primary benefit to being with GameTap for us is, pretty simply, that Myst Online didn't die. And, amongst all that, is a world that is entirely yours - your own small island in the clouds that begins to reflect what you've done and what you've seen - even keeping safe your links to your private instances of all the worlds you've been to so far. Imagine a vast underground city that was long ago deserted and has been rediscovered, and from it branch other worlds to explore. The leveling is finding and exploring and owning new Ages that are released regularly the experience is what you really learn while exploring that will help you later - not points on a scale. There is not leveling and skills and monsters and experience in any artificial sense. Jonric: What mix and balance of gameplay does Myst Online provide? How does the overall experience differ from what our readers are used to seeing in other massively multiplayer titles? Rand Miller: You have to step out of the standard idea of balance. But this time it's launched, alive, and full of more than a few surprises. Myst Online is the online incarnation of Uru that was cancelled before ever launching three years ago. you'll also find the unexpected - books that transport you to entirely new worlds, the frequent screams of mysterious dark creatures, holographic beckoning, and a request to take a journey. Repeat after me - content, content, content. And rather than limit their ability to get around that corner with combat and dying, we will just keep adding new corners to explore. But bear with me - the idea behind Myst Online is that we think people are curious about what's around the next corner. There is no leveling, no killing, no dying, no inventory, no health meter. Jonric: Given it's not a "normal" online world, how would you introduce Myst Online: Uru Live? What is the basic concept? How is it related to Uru Online: Ages Beyond Myst? Rand Miller: Myst Online doesn't necessarily fit into any orthodox MMOG category, if there is such a thing.
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