[SirDave]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say before that they didn't consider Riven hard or at the very least, moderately hard. Makes me wonder whether we were playing the same Riven. In the survey we did some time back Riven ranked 9 out of 10 on a difficulty scale.

http://www.justadventure.com/cgi-bin...num=1121475122

[Dara100]

I'm not the one who said Riven was easy, but I didn't find it as hard as everyone seems to think it was either. The marble puzzle had me stumped for one session, but when I went back to it I got it riight away.

I knew at the outset the game would require me to actually learn the D'Ni numbering system so I did. After that I had no trouble. Maybe because I played it back in the days before I had internet access I knew I had no recourse but to try hard to solve the puzzles on my own or not progress in a rather expensive game and it made me work harder at it. It was very satisfying to solve it all on my own. Same with Myst and Exile. While I have nothing against a hint here and there it's much too easy these days to give up quickly on a puzzle, especially with real life encroaching on time for playing games. Sometimes I long for the days when I had nothing to do but work on a game all day if I chose to.

[SirDave]

Originally Posted by Dara100

I'm not the one who said Riven was easy, but I didn't find it as hard as everyone seems to think it was either. The marble puzzle had me stumped for one session, but when I went back to it I got it riight away.

I knew at the outset the game would require me to actually learn the D'Ni numbering system so I did. After that I had no trouble. Maybe because I played it back in the days before I had internet access I knew I had no recourse but to try hard to solve the puzzles on my own or not progress in a rather expensive game and it made me work harder at it. It was very satisfying to solve it all on my own. Same with Myst and Exile. While I have nothing against a hint here and there it's much too easy these days to give up quickly on a puzzle, especially with real life encroaching on time for playing games. Sometimes I long for the days when I had nothing to do but work on a game all day if I chose to.

Some of what you say above tends to (IMO of course) support the fact that Riven was not by any means an easy game. What I hear you saying is that you were willing to put in the required effort and it paid off (read that as a compliment in this day & age when almost everyone resorts to hints & walkthrus)! When people say that they are 'very satisfied to solve it on their own', it usually means they overcame a major challenge.

BTW: You didn't mention the animal puzzle which I found to be more difficult than the marble puzzle.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by MoriartyL

It was torture. I put myself through the terrible world design, the typical inventory puzzles with awkwardness added on top, the clumsy controls, the endless unskippable vague pretentious narration, the silliness of the whole Bahro concept, and the unforgivable loading times so that I could see how it ended. As it turned out, the ending was as ridiculously artificial as the rest of the game, and I was left wishing I hadn't wasted hours of my life on it. Which is why I would strongly advise Terramax not to play.

For others: Try the demo. It is very representative of the quality of the game. If you can tolerate the demo, my warnings might not apply.

I've just finished the first age and gotten started on the second. So far I don't understand the whole Bahro-thing, but maybe that'll change. I've yet to experience any loading times past two seconds so that haven't been a problem so far. I'm just starting to get disapointed. This game feels just like the original Myst. Nice in one way, boring in another. Still I have more than 3/4 left of this so it might pick up...

Damn! I wish I still had Riven and Revelation unplayed...

[AprilLives]

Originally Posted by SirDave

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say before that they didn't consider Riven hard or at the very least, moderately hard. Makes me wonder whether we were playing the same Riven. In the survey we did some time back Riven ranked 9 out of 10 on a difficulty scale.

http://www.justadventure.com/cgi-bin...num=1121475122

I think part of what makes it seem so difficult is the fact that one is plunked into this detailed, original and larger-than-life world without any notion whatsoever as to what to do there. I loved that ... it made it seem all the more real.

[Gonzosports]

I just finished Riven, which honestly I consider the greatest computer game ever made. It's the only game I've ever played I consider a work of art.

That being said, I used the hint book too often because I'd heard of how difficult it was. Some areas where I probably didn't need it, if I'd had the patience, I could have solved it. I nailed the animal puzzle and thought it was brilliant, but went to the hint book too early

Even though Myst III is very easy, I used hints a couple times, and every time it was just because I'd missed a dial or a door, which drives me buggy because I end reading the whole solution completely confused.

Myst I no walk-through, and I think the bad rap it gets and III is undeserved. Myst was ahead of its time by leaps and bounds but as technology has caught up, our expectations are significantly higher. I still like it better than Myst III, because following the histories of Sirrus and Achenar (what I love is how your mind will fill in the blanks about their motives/intentions, and how it really allows you to imagine the histories of the two)...I also love Myst III as a wonderful, less epic story that shows some of the effects of Sirrus and Achenar...it's a Wrath of Khan story, smaller, and absolutely brilliant.

I'm on Myst IV right now, and determined to not use a hint until I'm totally stuck. Let me end by saying Riven is a masterpiece of technology and story.

[Terramax]

I still can't get over static pictures. Really off putting.

[Christian IV]

I agree re RIVEN being a masterpiece and a work of art, Robyn Miller and Richard Vanderwende put over a year into building the backstory alone, developing the iconography, numerology culture and history, or discovered them all, take you pick, and the visuals are just incredible for their impact and depth and beauty. The whole things is marvelous and I know that both Robyn and Richard loved working on it along with everyone else at Cyan at the time. I think it was one of the chances of fate, the technology being present and the people being assembled and the energy and the atmosphere of support from the game world all clicked, and RIVEN was born. Robyn left Cyan after that, and moved in his own directions as did Richard, but they both are remarkable people and very very talented in many ways, Robyn did the music, he loves music and Richard haas a very great background in devel, and it all worked out wonderfully.

FYI Myst III and IV were made "out of house" by other companies under close supervision and license from Cyan, so they are a bit different from Myst, RIVEN, and URU and Myst V which was made with quite a bit of material that was created for the first version of URU live on line. I am glad to see people enjoying it.

Re the static pictures, they have in their own time and place a beauty and a meaning, it is differnt, I dont mind them as I am a 2D artist and live with such images all my life, but with todays moving pictures of all kinds, it is a bit different, maybe consider it like an adventure combined with a visit to an art museum or somespecial world where you see things that way, there are a couple of cut scense that move, some really fun ones.......actually quite a few.

I played RIVEN just a year or so ago for the first time and I am very glad I waited until I had studied and played many hundreds of other games first in my work, because it showed me how unique and wonderful RIVEN is.

I kept a journal which is fun, ended up being some 84 pages, and this is a poem that came to me early in my journey in RIVEN:

Far Horizons

What distance unseen
Lies beyond the Far Horizon
I see surrounding
These lost Isles?

Rising Phoenix like,
Isolate, Solitude lies
Upon these sea-girt peaks
Yet we are not alone.

Chambers of mystery,
Gold bedecked, deep silences
Passages of shadow
Leading into Light.

What mysteries unlocked
May lead to other keys,
Forgotten, Hidden,
Poised on the Edge of the Infinite.

RIVEN is beyond the map,
and lies unguessed beneath
A strange,
Yet brilliant Sun,
Falling on this Sundered Sea.

enjoy.

For me, RIVEN and Myst will always be the games I will keep coming back to when I think of really great games in this style. Of course, this way of making games was very common back then - using picture and movies to do what was impossible to do in real time rendering. But only a few games stands out... and RIVEN and Myst are the games that stick out a mile for me, along with The Journeyman Project 2 and 3 . Even though the other Myst games are great, I would have played Riven and Myst again before replaying any of the other games. I don't know why, but those are the two games I feel are the most revolutionary of the series.

I thought URU was cool, and I was happy to hear that URU online will come back up. But playing URU alone became a little boring for me. Not sure why. The puzzles are great and graphics look amazing. The game is a piece of art and I'm glad I've bought it, but I don't think I will play it again before I can play it online. Maybe just because I didn't really like the beginning, with the trailer and the desert... just got tired of re-playing it for the 5th time after accidently loosing my savegames again and again... and silly me I keep accidently deleting the savegames before finishing this game Also, RIVEN felt more alive than URU... so I felt a little lonely there.

Myst V looks really great, and I thought it was fun to play. Last time I played it I got bored of it and put it away before I could finish it, though. The thing with the slate and having to write on it, got really frustrating after a while. I'm not good at drawing, and it was hell to get the animal to accept my drawings. Anyway, I hope to play it again soon, but I lost my save games for that game too. So I'll have to go out there and start from square one again though

The other games were a lot of fun, but like previous poster so beautifully put it, they "were made "out of house"" and then some of the edge to a game always disappears. I don't mean in a bad way, the others are all really great, but not revolutionary like I felt Riven and Myst were, because if the risk changing too much, the customers may dislike it and they may end up ruining a series they are just making one game for. Maybe Myst V is revolutionary too? not sure... I thought the beginning was kind of sad, so I'm scared I will dislike to see the series come to an end

[Christian IV]

i had the same trouble with getting the Bahro to like my sribles on the tablet, I almost chocked the little jerk a couple of times or would have if it had been kickable......parts of Myst V were really lovely. URU live will be really nice, with the group playing ability, already some people are talking about organizing explorers clubs to explore the new cavern and game together, which would be a lot of fun.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by Christian IV

i had the same trouble with getting the Bahro to like my sribles on the tablet, I almost chocked the little jerk a couple of times or would have if it had been kickable......parts of Myst V were really lovely. URU live will be really nice, with the group playing ability, already some people are talking about organizing explorers clubs to explore the new cavern and game together, which would be a lot of fun.

Exacly how will URU work, I bought it with all the expansions a year ago for €10, but never got around to playing them? Is it a MMORPG l ike World of Warcraft?

[SirDave]

Originally Posted by Gonzosports

Even though Myst III is very easy, I used hints a couple times.....

Then what do you call a game where you didn't need any hints?

(Just ribbing ya'- anyone who loves Riven is okay in my book! )

[jacog]

just picked this up in a store... contains all 5 in the series, but in trying to find you a link to post, could not locate any in north america. very weird.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by jacog

just picked this up in a store... contains all 5 in the series, but in trying to find you a link to post, could not locate any in north america. very weird.

What media does the games come on? Are all on DVDs?

[smulan]

As you´re from Sverige obviously all the info on that could be found here:

http://www.delteradventures.com

[MdaG]

So no DVD-version of Riven then. No point in getting it then.

Originally Posted by MdaG

So no DVD-version of Riven then. No point in getting it then.

Seems rather idiotic. It says PC DVD on the box, but when you open it both myst masterpiece edition and Riven are on CD's. The rest are on DVD. They could have made a Myst DVD containing all the four myst versions(myst original, with tiny screen. Myst Masterpiece, with better resolution. Myst ten year aniversary edition, with hints and better resolution if I remember correctly. Last, Real Myst, re-made in quite beautiful graphics.

Spoiler:

Reminds me of the Myst you see when you come back to MYST in Myst V : End of age

Of Riven, I think there was a Riven DVD released some years back. At least I got a Riven DVD, but not sure if it's homemade or not.

Anyway... now I got two versions of Riven on CD and one version of Myst Masterpiece, not really in the mood to buy those games all over again to get the few versions I don't got of them... It probably would have been cheaper to make a version with the DVD versions inside instead of the CD versions. Making 5 CDs vs making one DVD must be more expensive...

[MdaG]

I don't this they pressed any media at all for this release. I think these are left overs they wanted to get rid of.

[Christian IV]

MdaG, sorry for the delay in replying to your question re URU, and BTW, if anyone wants to try Riven without switching discs, there is an easy way to do it.

Re URU, the new incarnation of URU Live will be online via a subscription to GameTap if you are in the USA, and Canada, if not, there will be a download that they will arrange, but as soon as GameTap arranges coverage in countries overseas it will be via GT.

It is the initial parts of URU, what was Called URU Prime or original, with some parts of the add ons, it is not clear yet as this is all in development and the game release will be in December. It will be open for either individual or group play, and will have new content added weekly, and large updates such as new Ages on a monthly basis, and in game live characters. You play as an avatar of yourself and you can customize your avatar to be identical or close to your own appearance or anything that you want. It is a remarkable game and a pioneer project in the way that many of Cyan World's games have been. Beautiful graphics, settings, story line is deep and wide and it is very different from most other multiplayer games, peaceful but challenging and intriguing in many ways, lovely score and the new version will have some nice new features from what the developers have said in public forums leading up to this stage of final pre release development. I will copy some of a post I made on my blog about URU and add a link to the complete article fyi.

enjoy..on my blog for the article, scroll down past the top article and you will see the one on URU.

URU Reborn (article on my blog at: http://chris-today.blogspot.com/

CYAN Worlds, one of the most remarkable and unique CGI design firms in the industry ever has been given a second chance at the trend setting and remarkable world that they launched with URU several years ago. It was intended as a multi player universe that could be visited in the course of a single player game or as part of a community effort that had a tremendous potential for being both beautiful graphically to visit and experience and also revolutionary in the way that the environment and the depth and range of the immersive experience could widen and be dynamic on many levels. They worked for many years to craft and fashion this work of art, truly unique among digital creations to date, and while it was essentially still in beta testing, the publisher at the time decided that there was insufficent support in the wider community and the effort was shelved. Now, with backing from Turner and GameTap, URU will have a second life, and the remarkable subterranean city, built on an immense scale and lying on an island in a lake 3 miles deep in the earth, with a 10,000 year history, and only depopulated by a deadly event some 300 years ago, the city and the world that it implies will once again live and be dynamic as its makers intended. It will be unveiled this Holiday Season and many who have never played computer games before are expected to join in. From all over the world, past and current supporters of URU and the Myst series that Cyan created are signing up. It is a dawn of a remarkable new age in computer and graphics design and game creation.

There has been a loyal and creative community among players and appreciatiors of the Myst series, itself as a series perhaps the highest achievement to date by any game designer for both art, and craft....and now a growing audience world wide is coming to sign up for the currently available precursor, Until URU, which can be played with an invitation and a password from Cyan (www.urulive.com) and the many web sites devoted to URU and the Myst worlds are humming with interest and anticipation.

The potential for immersive and dynamic experience is virtually unlimited as the designers, writers, coders and artists at Cyan, under the inspired leadership of Rand Miller, of the original brother team that founded Myst and Cyan work to release URU in December. They all seem among the best and brightest of what the digital revolution has come to offer in the way of vision and acumen to utilize the revolution that the comptuer has been in our lives over the past 30 years. As the technology has improved for both displays, controls and actual CPU's, the art and depth of games and other digital creations has at times faded and failed to rise to the abilities of the technology itself. Among the pioneers, Cyan had quietly continued to develop some of the finest talent and design potential and now they will have a chance to lead once again.

I cannot fully describe to you the beauties of the world that you can visit in URU, the vast and silent ruins of a huge urban culture equal to Rome at its glory, and buried both in the earth, and in obscurity to protect the culture of the D'ni and the high levels of technolgy and energy mastery that rivals our own of modern times. These people, called the D'ni, had their own language, culture and vast vision of life, and their history, as revealed in tantalizing glimpses, offers many lessons and portents for our own seemingly vastly powerful world civilization. History is filled with great cultures that have risen and indeed at the peak of their powers fallen often from hubris and weakness within, rather than to enemies from without.
The D'ni were challenged by cultural questions of the role of individuals within their culture and their relation to the Ages and worlds that they were able to access through a remarkable "linking" technology that allowed them to both visit and alter other accesible universes or Ages. In the end, apparently from the evidence revealed so far, they fell from division within. This story offers much for a modern person to consider, as well as to enjoy, for the story is about to come back to life and new exploration will be possible, both for individuals and for groups playing simutaneously and in concert with one another.

The realms of the D'ni include worlds or Ages that they access through a high art of "book writing" that creates links from this world to these other ages, that may already exist, but they find them by the art of writing about them. Here we see the genius of the Millers' and Cyan staff imagination, for we never know if this is a potential that lies within the words themselves, and the power of code or if this is all a description of something that truly exists and we must continue our journey to find the truth, or many truths, and there are complications and different views of this history as well among the explorers and scientists that are art of the story and in the game, working to excavate and explore this vast lost realm.

[Terramax]

so how many discs in all? Is Riven now one disc or still more??? Same goes for Exile?