forums Myst Aventure

update #3
Oct 18, 2013

30% on Day Two - We're Amazed!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

And in case you didn't understand...

THANK YOU!!

Your support for Obduction has just blown us away! We've been excitedly refreshening and watching our Kickstarter page - in the spare moments between answering questions, and planning updates, and discussing stretch goals, and eating donuts.

Just FYI, we'll be adding more updates soon. We've got some fun stuff coming next week, so stay tuned. And please be sure to spread the word about Kickstarter - every little bit helps to make Obduction a virtual reality!

- Rand

The "Over $450,000, reddit AMA, Bonus Q&A" Update!

Rand here with a nice long update. Thanks to so many gracious supporters - over $450,000 in a few days! We're slowly and steadily getting there. Please help us keep spreading the word - still have quite a hill to climb!

And… I'll be doing an AMA on reddit on Tuesday (October 22) at 4:30 pm EDT (that's 1:30 pm PDT, and 20:30 GMT) Get your questions ready - but go easy on me.

And speaking of questions I've been spending the weekend answering billions of (or a couple hundred) questions from Kickstarter individuals. The FAQ has been updated with some of the answers, but many of them were just one-offs that might be valuable to share. So I've collected and attached them below. (Answers in bold)

See you at the reddit AMA, and stay tuned for more updates that we have planned later this week.

-------

Quick question - Is Obduction going to be a FPS genre or the same point and click style as Myst & Riven?

I played Myst when I was a kid but I found the constant clicking an unpleasant experience. Though recently I played realMyst on Steam and I found my experience in the game multiplied by 10x.

We're hoping to make Obduction both ways. Of course it will include a mode for free roam where you're free to explore where you want to. But we're also planing on a "nodal" point & click mode that allows the player to simply click to move or turn - similar to the original Myst but in the realtime 3D environment.

BTW - we're releasing an updated version of realMyst very soon that has both modes as well. (And the nodes are placed n the same places they were in the original Myst! Hope that make sense.)

---

What is the ESRB rating?

Myst was either E or T depending on the platform. Will be aiming for the same thing with Obduction.

---

I'd like to make a "become the artist" pledge as a gift for my <girl/dad/spouse/dog>. Any problems with doing that? (I.e. art and name in game to be his/hers not mine)

We can work with that. It's just a matter of logistics. At some point we'll be getting the information from you with the specifics of how you want the reward fulfilled.

---

Greetings. I look forward to this game. My question, silly as it sounds is, does the Digital Collector pledge also include a copy of the game?

Yes, all rewards from the $25 and up include the digital copy of Obduction.

---

Can you promise no action sequences, fighting, etc? I'm dying for another Myst-like challenge and experience, still the best game I have ever played (along with the sequels of course!).

The Obduction experience has been inspired by the Myst experience. There will certainly be many differences - with some skews into some sequences that have action. But the essential experience will be same as Myst & Riven - where you explore, you don't die (easily), and you don't kill things (much).

(FYI - those parenthetical exceptions could have been there for answering this question about Myst & Riven - so don't be alarmed.)

---

When it comes to the listing of backers' names in the credits of Obduction, how is that name determined? Kickstarter has the ability to change your profile name anytime. For example, I may not want someone to see my real name when making comments in the KS comments section, but I may want my real name listed in the credits.

So how is the desired name made know to Cyan?

We'll be collecting a list of names for the credits based on information we receive from you. So "yes" you can give us whatever name you prefer for the credits (although we reserve the right to edit for "taste" reasons if necessary.)

---

Are you guys at Cyan aiming for the visual storytelling method in Obduction that was refined in Riven? A good example of this is the Wahrk game which serves as 1) a piece of art 2) a storytelling device 3) a character portrait of Gehn and 4) a gameplay device all in one frame.

This was the best part of Riven; having the gameplay, story and environment all be one entity, that is the world. The feeling of everything coming together (i.e. the culture, characters, plot, religion, number system, world) to connect into an overarching statement was what made Riven my favorite game ever made.

We're integrating the environment into the gameplay. That's been something that I've been championing since the early Myst days. As one of the designer of Riven (and beyond that - Myst Online) it's always been very important to me that the gameplay, the story, and environment support each other in natural uncontrived ways. So "yes" - I couldn't agree more!

---

Out of all the game engines out there what made you guys choose unreal engine 4?

It's always hard to decide on an engine - but the Unreal Engine has a great track record for building amazing places, pushing the technology limits, and offering decent support. Our choice mean we're really interested in using the latest and greatest technology - even though at the moment we're out on the bleeding edge.

---

Will Richard Watson be involved in this project?

Yes, Richard Watson will be involved on multiple levels, including design.

---

Is the "Art of Cyan Book" different than the "Art of Obduction" book?

The "Art of Cyan" book is a digital book that includes things from Cyan's previous projects. The "Art of Obduction" book is a physical book that will be Obduction art.

---

Considering the success of Myst and Riven, and what I perceive to be a successful company, why do you feel that you need to raise funds on Kickstarter? Why are there not residual profits to invest in this project?

There aren't really any residuals on the older games. We've been staying alive as an independent studio by converting some of the older game to mobile platforms like iPhone and iPad. Profits that we made back in the day on Myst and Riven were used for Myst Online development, and other business related stuff (not sports cars, mansions, yachts, etc.)

So, with all that said. The money that we're making from the mobile market is helping us do the initial design of Obduction. But beyond that we don't have the funds to produce a large game like Obduction without the Kickstarter funding.

---

Just backed this. I'd like to ask 2 questions regarding the game:

1.) Is the physical boxed version a big box old-school type box similar to those of the 90s era or is it a small DVD-like case of nowadays?

2.) How long is the game estimated to be in terms of hours?

1.) The physical box will be a medium sized old-school box - exclusive to Kickstarter.

2.) Our estimate for gameplay is similar to, but slightly less than Myst - Myst took some people a few hours (cough-cheaters) and others up to 40 hours. (With stretch goals we're hoping the experience can last a bit longer.)

---

Is this game an MMORPG game, or single player RPG?

Neither really. It is single player, but you don't play a role - you play yourself. It's you who is transported to this new world. You decide what to do and where to go - as if you were really there.

---

Will this game be single player game? I like my friends in Myst Online:Uru Live and would like to play the game with them?

Obduction will be a single player experience, but there is a stretch goal potential for a simple shared experience. (Can't give more details at this point, sorry.)

---

Two quick questions:

First, would all of the (up to 10) top-tier sponsors be meeting at Cyan all at once for the creative sessions and dinner, or would the meetings be individually scheduled?

Second, with regard to creating an Obduction object, would there be any particular minimum requirements for a design such as size or functional context, and what would be the preferred medium to deliver said design in, if any?

We'll have 4 unique days set apart for design sessions for the tier sponsors to choose from. Depending on how many sponsors, and which days are selected, it could end up being fairly private.

As for the object - no minimum requirement. It can be anything - but we reserve the right to size them to fit our needs (and reject them for blatant attempts at inappropriateness.) We've got a rather interesting storyline that these will fit into. As for preferred medium - back of napkin sketch, carved gourd, clay, 3D file, etc. We'll work with what you produce.

---

I saw in the FAQ that DRM for the digital version will depend on the distributors, which makes perfect sense. Can you offer any guarantee that there will be at least one DRM-free distributor? e.g. GOG, Humble Store, GamersGate, Desura - Steam doesn't count. My only reservation is that there's the possibility that the game might only release on platforms with inherent DRM (many developers seem to be going the route of Steam only these days).

The physical boxed version of Obduction will be DRM-free, but I can't guarantee a DRM-free digital version right now, but stay tuned. Talks are ongoing.

Update #5 -Wohba! $500,000!
Oct 22, 2013

Well, now... that's half a million in about 4.5 days! You guys amaze me! Sooo...

- Don't forget the AMA tomorrow on reddit. 4:30pm EDT (that's 1:30pm PDT and 20:30 GMT) Ask me anything!

- We've got some stuff to share. Obduction gameplay is not simply wandering, exploring, and clicking in amazing environments. There are some key gameplay elements that haven't been done before - anywhere. Stick with us - we'll be giving some hints (without spoiling.)

- Please help us keep the momentum going! We've come so far, but we've got more go.

Thanks!

Rand

Update #6
Oct 23, 2013
Caught us by surprise! HALF WAY!!!

A quick update! Have to say we were expecting this to happen much later today or even tomorrow morning! This is wonderful news - and your support continues to amaze us!!

I did a reddit AMA yesterday that was a blast. Thanks for showing up, asking questions, and upvoting. I'm going back into the thread this afternoon to answer more questions. Feel free to head over and help us keep it moving with new questions, pithy comments, and generous upvotes! Here is the link.

http://redd.it/1ozzcx

Also did a surprise interview (they surprised us) with a local television station here in Spokane. Here's a link to yesterday evening's broadcast...

http://www.khq.com/category/195686/video-l...;autostart=true

There are a couple more interviews coming up that we'll be sure to let you know about. And like we said earlier, we've got more update information this week.

Thanks again for helping us pick up the pace after almost a week of amazing support!

-Rand

Update #7
Oct 25, 2013
Add-ons!

Thanks so much for the generous support, and amazing Kickstarter pledges. We’ve been listening to your comments, concerns, and questions. We’ve got a whole lot to cover with upcoming updates, so we’ll get started now...

We’ve got add-ons. Three to be precise - add on a digital game, a boxed game, or a t-shirt. Here’s how it works: Increase your pledge by the cost of the desired add-on(s) without changing your selected reward tier. After the end of the Kickstarter campaign, you’ll receive a survey where you can confirm which add-on(s) you wanted.

U.S. Add-ons (add-on shipping included)

$25 - Add-on Digital Download of Obduction (adds only a digital download game & manual)

$37 - Add-on Obduction T-shirt (adds only a limited edition t-shirt - ships early)

$50 - Add-on Boxed Version of Obduction (adds only a limited edition boxed game)

International Add-ons (add-on shipping included)

$25 - Add-on Digital Download of Obduction (adds only a digital download game & manual)

$47 - Add-on Obduction T-shirt (adds only a limited edition t-shirt - ships early)

$60 - Add-on Boxed Version of Obduction (adds only a limited edition boxed game)

We’ll be updating the main page with this add-on info today. We'll also be updating the FAQ to address a few more of your questions like…

Q: When will my items ship?

A: All t-shirts will ship within six months, everything else ships together with the game.

Q: How can I get an extra copy of Obduction as a gift for someone?

A: With add-ons you can add one or more extra copies of the games - digital or boxed.

Q: What if I change my address before the end?

A: You’ll receive a final survey when we’re ready to ship - you’ll have a chance to change it then.

And finally, here are links to a few high-res images you can use as wallpaper…

http://obductiongame.com/Desktop/Desktop-Seed.png

http://obductiongame.com/Desktop/Desktop-Treeline.png

http://obductiongame.com/Desktop/Desktop-Logo.png

We've got more lined up to cover in updates this week… Stretch Goals, Team Members, Eric A. Trailer Discussion, and more!

Update #8 - Content Update #1
oct 27 2013

Thanks for your patience. Revealing content is very tricky business for us. It could affect your game experience, and we take it very seriously.

---

Obduction has already begun! We’re not talking about the Kickstarter campaign, or even the game production - the actual gameplay has started.

The game has begun, and you're already playing it. There are pieces of information that you are gleaning and gathering, you’re reaching some conclusions on certain things and you’re completely in the dark about a whole lot. That’s exactly how our games work when you play them. You land on the dock, or on the ledge, or in the desert - and you begin to learn about the new world you have been tossed into.

So, our philosophy is that we’re going to treat everything we reveal to you during this Kickstarter as if the game is already being played. We don’t want to ruin your experience - we want to make the experience even better. Sure we could simply dump large spoilers, but it would be like playing with a hint book - you get through it quickly, but it leaves you unsatisfied and wanting more. We want to feed you bits and pieces of information that make you contemplate, consider, and form theories that you can explore and test. We might even throw a few puzzles out there to create a little friction as you explore. But let’s face it - this is also a business proposition, so we also want to reward you with more information so that you don’t get too frustrated. So let’s get to it…

Interface:

Those of you who have played our games before know that the goal is to get the interface out of the way. We want the experience to speak to you - we want the world to be as unobscured as possible. So there should be very little visual clutter on the screen, and the interface should be as intuitive as possible. That was actually easier with Myst’s slideshow technology (point & click), but Obduction will be realtime 3D. How will it work?

We want to please everybody. Gamers will get the full free-roam controls (customizable) that they are used to. But the tricky part is making 3D easier for people who may not even know what “free-roam” means. For those folks we’re harkening back to the simple Myst interface, but we’re welcoming it to the new millennium. For this legacy mode we will predetermine locations throughout the game that the player will stand. Clicking on the landscape ahead will seamlessly move the player in realtime 3D to the next location. Clicking on the left side of the screen will rotate the view to the left to a predetermined new view angle. This mode plays exactly like the old point & click games did, but has the advantage of full 3D movement. You can decide if you want to explore the world in this easy mode where you simply point and click or if you want to loose the chains and switch over to free-roam to see everything. We already know this legacy interface works really well because we’ll be releasing an updated version of realMyst very soon that has it.

(SPOILER ALERT: We’re going to reveal some things. If you don’t want to know anything - STOP HERE!)

Gameplay:

Obduction’s gameplay is best described by playing Myst or Riven. If you haven’t played those games then you’ll need to know a few things. You end up in this new world without a huge cinematic or cut scene that gives you lots of information. We’re not trying to motivate you artificially by making you into someone else. This is you in this place - you have to act and react like you are really here. That will mean you have to scope out your surroundings - move around, look around, turn over a few stones, push a few buttons. Yes, there’ll be buttons… and levers, and cranks, and valves, and pumps, and more. As you explore there will be some places that are locked, or blocked, or walled, or crusted over, or more.

So your play will involve finding out how to get past those “challenges” by learning what they are, and how they work. Sometimes the puzzles can be really simple - like just turning on a light. And other times the puzzles are insidiously tough - like learning how a huge boiler works so you can open it up, climb inside, and crawl through the drain (like in Riven.) But it’s important to us that the puzzles are part of the landscape and culture, so that it doesn’t seem like there’s just a random vault with a random match in it. (Yeah, some of Myst had a bit of arbitrary-ness, but try Riven or Myst Online/Uru and you’ll see how our design evolved and just what we’re talking about.)

---

That’s all for now. Thanks for being patient as we try to reveal, without revealing too much. Tomorrow we’ll get a little more into it with a content update by Eric - including some design philosophy and early character concept sketches. After that we’ll go into a little more of the content scope and overview.

Update #9
Oct 27, 2013
Content Update 2

Hi all! Eric here. For you Cyan aficionados, you might know me from my work on Uru or Myst V, and I’m currently chugging along on the upcoming game The Witness, which you can check out here.

Like Rand has been saying, we really appreciate the outpouring of support... you guys have been absolutely killing it. But right now, it’s time for an update. Apologies for the delay... it’s been a busy week!
I want to talk a little bit about the world(s) of Obduction, and the design philosophy that is going into creating them. I’ll try my best to not get too spoiler-y, but it’s impossible to discuss this stuff without revealing some of what you might discover in the game... So: If you’d rather not know anything until you arrive there yourself, then read no further. And probably don’t look at any of the images, either. And maybe just close your browser and go outside. You have been warned.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(SPOILER ALERT: We’re going to reveal some things. If you don’t want to know anything - STOP HERE!)

So... Obduction is a sci-fi game, right? Yes... sort of. The game does take place on far off, distant planets. And technically, there’s a whole lot of interstellar travel going on. But maybe not in the way you might be thinking. (For now, we’ll save the mechanics of that “travel” part!!)
As much as we all love the sci-fi genre, we want Obduction to be something out of the ordinary. So we have made a very deliberate choice to steer clear of standard sci-fi tropes... No gleaming spaceships. No rayguns. No mob of power-armored space marines fighting against crab-faced aliens.

Instead of sci-fi equipment taking center stage, the worlds themselves are the featured elements - each one formed by their own ancient and varied histories. The remains of civilizations extinct and long ago forgotten, now inhabited by survivors, scattered from their own worlds... refugees set adrift in the stars. And the best way to describe this aesthetic is: an “amalgam”. Let’s take a look at some (early) character concepts:



So this fellow looks like he’s taken the long way around. He seems fairly at home in some vaguely familiar clothing, but also appears to have picked up a few trinkets along the way. Many of which were probably not standard-Earth-issue. (Like those boots… source unknown!)

Or this courageous explorer:



Amelia Earhart, eat your heart out. We won’t be discussing where she came from, but she seems to able to find her way just fine.

You’ll notice with both of these character studies that they have one thing in common - they are built not from one specific aesthetic, but many. And that blending of styles isn’t just a random mishmash, but is informed by their own unique journeys to this far off place. They may have arrived here with only the clothes on their backs, but over time, they’ve adapted, and traded, and scavenged as needed to survive. While many of their fellow refugees might be strange, they are at least friendly. Others, not so much.
Don’t be scared off by this post’s focus on character art - we’re using it to exemplify the design aesthetic. This is a Cyan game after all... The worlds of Obduction will be there for your discovery, at your pace. But you will run across people occasionally, who might help you come to understand what has happened to you and where you are. And possibly why you are there, if you look hard enough.

More soon,

-eaa

“I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done my share of eating too. I am not washed and beautiful, in control of a shining world in which everything fits, but instead am wondering awed about on a splintered wreck I've come to care for, whose gnawed trees breathe a delicate air, whose bloodied and scarred creatures are my dearest companions, and whose beauty bats and shines not in its imperfections but overwhelmingly in spite of them...”

-Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Update #10 Oct 28, 2013
Stretch Goal Update!

Hello, Backers!

We recently teased you a bit with our Stretch goal image. Okay… maybe a fairly obvious tease.

We’re trying very hard to listen to your comments. As we began focusing on this first stretch goal, we wanted something that was exciting for us, doable by our team, and also provided some very important features that many of you have been asking for.

Oculus Rift support was a great first choice, and it becomes part of our first stretch goal. At the 1.3 million dollar level, we will support the Oculus Rift. What does that mean? We believe that playing Obduction through the lenses of an Oculus Rift will be a rich, immersive experience for those players fortunate enough to have the equipment to support it. However, adding support for the Oculus Rift will in no way affect or diminish the experience for "traditional" gamers. The game will be immersive regardless of your view. Oculus Rift use will be entirely optional.

The second item we will be adding if we reach the 1.3 million goal is localization support. We will support the EFIGS languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish), adding French, Italian, German, and Spanish language support once this goal is met. However, we don't want to end the localization support that simply. We will be creating the localization for this game (via subtitles) as open sourced localization files. So localizations for other languages can be created by fans from around the multiverse. Players will be able to download a localization file, drop it into a folder, and play Obduction with subtitles in the language of their choice. This will mean that Obduction could potentially be translated into any language: Japanese, Portuguese, Cherokee, D'ni, Elvish, Klingon...

Thank you for your suggestions & support. Hopefully this adds a couple more reasons to help fund Obduction!

Update #11 Oct 31, 2013
Meet More of the Team

We’ve introduced you to Rand, Eric, and Stephan, but we thought we would give you the names of and info for a few more members of our team - an amazingly talented group that’s a great mix of old names & new names. There are others that we currently contract with, and others who will be joining us for Obduction. But let’s get started with these fine folks…

Name: Richard "RAWA" Watson
Year Started at Cyan: 1992
Current Department: Design & Construction
Industry Experience: Myst, Cosmic Osmo, Manhole Masterpiece Edition, Spelunx, Riven, Myst Masterpiece Edition, realMYST, Myst III*, Myst IV*, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (and expansion packs), Myst V, Myst Online: Uru Live (in all its iterations), Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle, Myst (iOS), Riven (iOS), Bug Chucker**, realMYST (iPad), realMYST Masterpiece
Favorite food: a nice M.L.T. - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich - where the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomato is ripe. They're so perky. I love that!
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Minecraft
* helped with story arc, continuity, D'ni translations, design support consulations, etc.
** sort of. Created some levels that might get used someday if there's ever enough demand for the next galaxy.

Name: Tony Fryman
Year Started at Cyan: 1995
Current Department: Management (& Everything Else)
Industry Experience: Project Manager on Riven / involved to some degree with everything since then.
Favorite Food: Smoked Brisket
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Jewel Mania

Name: Victoria (Vicki) Almond
Year Started at Cyan: 2003
Current Department: QA & PR
Industry Experience: Uru (with Path of the Shell and To Dni), Myst V, Myst Online: Uru Live (several flavors of it!), Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle, Myst Masterpiece Edition, Riven, realMyst, realMYST Masterpiece, Manhole (iOS), Stoneship, Bug Chucker, Myst (iOS), Riven (iOS), realMyst (iOS), (and game-testing for clients).
Favorite Food: Anong's Spicy Chicken is currently at the top of the long list of foods I love!
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Fallout 3

Name: Jason Calvert
Year Started at Cyan: 2003
Current Department: Programming
Industry Experience: Uru, Myst V, Hex Isle, Magiquest Online, Manhole(iOS), Bug Chucker, realMyst(iPad), realMyst Masterpiece, Avatar for Nickelodeon, Petpet Park for MTV
Favorite Food: Shawarma
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): The Walking Dead by Telltale

Name: Karl Johnson
Year Started at Cyan: 2003 (pretty much right out of High-School)
Current Department: Programming
Industry Experience: At Cyan, Uru (with Path of the Shell and To Dni), Myst V, Myst Online, Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle, Myst (iOS), Magiquest Online, Stoneship, Bug Chucker, realMyst (iOS), realMYST Masterpiece, and some unreleased concepts/projects. Other: Legendary, Hail to the Chimp, Mushroom Men, Bloglines, IAC Mobile
Favorite Food: Eggs Benedict
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): The Stanley Parable.

Name: Ryan Warzecha
Year Started at Cyan: 2003
Current Department: Fund Raising
Industry Experience: Uru (with Path of the Shell and To Dni), Myst online, Myst V, Cosmic Osmo’s Hex Isle, and... you know... those unnamed Cyan projects
Favorite Food: Brazilian Barbecue
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Gone Home, SimCity, Minecraft

Name: Michael Dogherra
Year Started at Cyan: 2006
Current Department: QA
Industry Experience: Uru live/Gametap, Hex Isle, MagiQuest. Steam Versions of: Myst, Riven, Spelunx, Cosmic Osmo, realMyst, Myst5, Riven (iOS), realMyst (iOS) Other: Hail to the Chimp, Legendary, Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball, Mushroom Men, Velvet Assassin, Insecticide, Classic Baccarat, Classic Blackjack
Favorite food: Coffee. Coffee is a food, right? I’ll take Ice Cream if not.
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Last game finished - The Stanley Parable. Last game played, WRC 4

Name: Jeremiah Castro
Year Started at Cyan: 2007
Current Department: Art
Industry Experience: Cyan Projects: realMyst (iOS), realMyst Masterpiece, Riven (iPad). Other: Insecticide, Legendary, Hail to the Chimp, Mushroom Men, Gods and Heroes Rome Rising, For the People, Garden Quest, Pixel Buddy, Neopoets PetPet Park, Deadliest Warrior Defend and Conquer, Decades, Hercules Curse of the Hydra, numerous games/apps for MTV, numerous games/apps for Nickelodeon, numerous games/apps for Comedy Central
Favorite Food: Chinese
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Borderlands 2.

Name: Marc Ferrell
Year Started at Cyan: 2008
Current Department: QA
Industry Experience: Insecticide, Hail to the Chimp, Mushroom Men, Legendary, Magiquest, Garden Quest, Classic Blackjack, Classic Baccarat, Texas Hold'Em Xtreme, Digital 21, Classic Pai Gow Poker, Four the Money, Texas Hold'Em Bonus, Pik-it Poker
Favorite Food: Spinach
Last Game Played (excluding Cyan games): Forza Motorsport 4

Update #12 - Nov 1, 2013
More Milestones! $700,000 & Midway Mark!

Wow! Two more big milestones! We’ve passed the midway time mark milestone AND we’ve passed $700,000! It feels like we’re on the edge of the homestretch, and it’s going to be exciting! We’ve got more info, updates, and... well... other stuff coming up.

Now we’ve been saying this over and over, but please don’t think we've lost any sincerity - THANK YOU!! Your support with your funding has been phenomenal! And beyond that you have been amazing at spreading the word! And beyond that you’ve been so creative with adding your own value to our efforts! The outpouring of support has been almost overwhelming. So again - THANK YOU!!

.

.

.

.

/words/<AMA>

Update #13 Nov 1, 2013
Content Update 3

Hi all - Eric again. Last time, we chatted a little bit about some of the inhabitants of these worlds. Now let’s talk about how those inhabitants arrived there. As usual, spoiler-alert fully engaged. Seriously... just stop reading right now. Maybe play some sudoku instead? You have been warned.

(SPOILER ALERT: We’re going to reveal some things. If you don’t want to know anything - STOP HERE!)

So we’ve already mentioned that at the beginning of Obduction you (the player) find yourself whisked away from your cozy Earth, far off into the starry night sky. It’s time to dive into that a little deeper. First off, what’s up with that thing in the teaser trailer? Some kinda space-pinecone with a basketball inside? That space-pinecone, my friends, is the exterior shell of one variety of Seed. And Seeds, as you will come to discover, are an important part of Obduction. There’s a reason that the Seed is the emblem for the entire project.

These particular Seeds have a very special purpose. One might say it is their only purpose. They are designed to scatter. They emerge, they travel, they blossom, and then they scatter. Now you’re bound to have questions: Where are they from? How do they travel? If these are the Seeds, then are there gardeners? How do they do what they do? Those are all good questions, but the important part is that the seeds sole purpose is to… say it with me… scatter.


At the beginning of Obduction you just happen to be the victim (or beneficiary?) of one such scattering. Unlike the “Cyberdyne Systems' Model 101” in The Terminator, you at least seem to arrive with the clothes on your back... but beyond that, we’d prefer to hold back the details of what else comes with you (your dental fillings? your glasses? the bag lunch you had in your backpack?) But we will mention that this unique mode of transportation will have some rather interesting effects on the world around you. Let’s just say Linking Books ain’t got nothing on this.

Now, rather revealing too much about this transportation technology, it seems like a good idea to pull back and examine Obduction from a macro level instead. What can you expect regarding the scope of the game?

Whenever we describe Myst, we use the idea of “Ages” to describe the scope - it was four Ages plus the Myst Island “Hub Age”. (We could add in the’ D’ni prison as an Age, but it’s small enough that we’ll just leave it out for this exercise.) We can use this description of Myst as a loose frame of reference for Obduction. Of course, we don’t call them Ages in Obduction - they’re “Worlds”, and the size of Worlds can certainly vary dramatically (Compare, for instance, the size of Myst Ages to the size of Uru Ages). But as a general reference Obduction, at its base level of funding, will consist of three (3) Worlds and a Hub. Precisely how those Worlds and Hub are connected, we’ll leave for you to discover when you arrive.

For now, here’s some very early environment development studies (by Derrick Robinson):



Until next time,

-eaa

“‘The Silver Shoes,’ said the Good Witch, ‘have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go.’”

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Project Update #14: Google Hangout Announcement!
Nov 1, 2013

Hey, Backers! Thanks once again for all the generous and creative support! We've got something fun planned!

A Google Hangout!

On Wednesday, November 6th, at 6 PM PST, some of the Obduction crew will be available via a Google Hangout. Come join us, feel free to ask questions, and enjoy getting to know the team. More details to come.

Here is the Hangout link: Google Hangouts

Can't make it? You can find it later on our YouTube channel after the Hangout: YouTube

Latest press

In case you missed them, here's a sampling of some of the latest press we've been getting.

Rand recently talked with Andrew Webster at The Verge. That article can be found here: The Verge
And Dean Takahashi at VentureBeat chatted with Rand and posted this article: VentureBeat
And a mention from TechSpot by Shawn Knight can be found here: TechSpot
And a fun blog post from Max Maxfield at EE Times: EE Times

We have several other interesting developments in progress and will update again as soon as the details are finalized. Thanks!!!

Update #15 - New Reward Tier!
Nov 5, 2013

Hey, everyone. We've got some exciting news! We’re adding a new reward tier.

$1100 - "Become the Strata 3D Artist“

As you might know, the images in the original Myst were created using Strata 3D Software. As a special offer, our friends at Strata have generously offered to support the Obduction Kickstarter campaign by providing a special Myst version of their Strata Design 3D CX software ($600 value) to backers at this new, special reward level or above. You’ll use Design 3D CX to design, model, and texture an (appropriate) item for Obduction! Just like in the “Become the Artist” level, your object will have a chance to be seen by anyone playing Obduction, and your name will also be in the "Additional Design" section of the credits.

This special Myst version of Design 3D also includes some of the surface textures and digital 3D objects from the original Myst models. The textures can be used in your own models, and you can open the 3D objects to see how they were created, change them, and even re-render them with different lighting or from different angles.

And that’s not all! You’ll also receive 5 exclusive hi-res digital images (one image from each main Age in Myst) rendered from the original Myst models. These are scenes you'll recognize, but at the highest resolution possible and never before released.

And you’ll also receive all of the rewards from the $250 level and down.

Special thanks to Strata for graciously helping to make this new reward tier a reality.

Update #16 - Distribution Update and More!
Nov 5, 2013

Hey, Backers! The new Strata reward tier is going great! Make sure you check it out if you haven't seen it yet. We also want to officially give you an update on some exciting new developments.

Steam Greenlight

We want Obduction to be distributed through Steam. As the first step in that direction, we have officially submitted the Obduction concept to Steam Greenlight. Greenlight is not just about getting Obduction approved on Steam, but it also helps more people find out about Obduction. But we need your help with this. To get the word out and show your support, head over to Greenlight and rate or favorite Obduction. Link to Steam Greenlight

GOG & Humble Bundle

We’re working with our friends at GOG for digital distribution of Obduction, and we’re pleased to announce that we’ve got a relationship with Humble Bundle as well. Check them out if you haven't used them before.

DRM-free

Some of you have asked if there will be a DRM-free digital download option for Obduction. We are happy to confirm officially that we will have a DRM-free digital download option you'll be able to select.

Google Hangout!

Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday, November 6th, at 6 PM PST. Feel free to ask questions and get to know the team better. You can RSVP here :Obduction Hangout

The Twister hashtag for the hangout is #CyanHangout if you prefer to live Proot.

Can't make it? We will upload the video to YouTube directly after the session. You can find our YouTube channel here: YouTube

More Press

On Sunday (Nov 2) Rand had a great live radio interview with Scott at In-Game Chat. The interview starts at about the one hour mark. Thanks Scott! In-Game Chat

Nice article on Mashable today. Here’s the link: Mashable

And thanks again, everyone! We are approaching $800,000 and the home stretch - and we’re so close! You all are doing an amazing job of spreading the word everywhere. And we’ve still got some fun stuff left to share!