The Great Tree

CuzinJohn · Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject:

Happy birthdays to Blade and LC!

Superb art from both MJ and Daed.

Right now we're getting ready to move again... CuzinKim just took a new job that makes our current home very inconvenient to both our workplaces, so we're apartment hunting in the Lansdale / Quakertown area of PA... any suggestions for a quaint and affordable neighborhood?
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Magic is how you talk to the universe with words that it cannot ignore.

Durin Mephit · Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 11:09 pm Post subject:

Happy birthday, Lord Chaos!

And, Happy Cinco de Mayo! (did I spell that right?)
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Lord Chaos · Great Tree Member Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 208

Right now... (well, a bit late)

Thanks. I sorta forgot about it. Been thinking about other things. Smile

Cinco de Mayo, yes. Pickles, too, please, and mustard.

Durin Mephit · Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 9:04 pm Post subject:

Right now,

I am wondering... if previous versions of Myst fit on one CD, why is Myst for iPhone larger than a CD?
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Kyven · Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 11:54 pm Post subject:

Right now, happy birthday Lord Chaos!

Right now, I just saw via Tweek that Cyan has their own Twitter account now: http://twitter.com/cyanworlds/

Durin Mephit · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 12:30 am Post subject:

Hold that thought for a moment while I provide some data.

The resolution of the iPhone (held in landscape mode) is 480x320. That is half of 640x480, rotated 90 degrees.

The images used in Myst Masterpiece Edition (24-bit color) have a resolution of 640x480.

So... I can accept that the images are "higher quality" even though they are rendered at half the resolution (since they're saying that on their twitter feed). But you're implying by answering my question with that tidbit of information that the images are SO much higher in quality that the game is larger than MME? I can't believe that's the reason.

I'm going to take a wild guess that the more significant quality improvement must be in the video clips used.
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Durin Mephit * Member of Guild of Messengers - Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.
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Kyven · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 12:37 am Post subject:

That's what I heard at least.
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Erik · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 4:37 am Post subject:

Well, the iPhone only allows fullscreen videos currently. So every video overlay had to be rerendered. So when you listen to one of the brothers, not just the linking panel is a video (like it was on the PC/Mac) but the entire frame. So videos got a lot bigger in screen size and in some cases videos had to be rendered multiple times for different angles.
Also, some soundtracks on the Masterpiece edition were cut so that the game fit on a cd-rom. I recall that the music in the dock forechamber is much shorter in ME than it was in the original.

Cyan made some suggestions to Apple to improve the movie player, otherwise Riven wouldn't even be possible because there are a lot of video overlays there.

By the way, interesting that Cyan uses Twitter. They really want Myst to be a success and seem to grab every opportunity to reach the masses. I'm glad that Cyan is in the news so positively once again. Smile

Lord Chaos · Great Tree Member Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 208

Right now... I wish Cyan were in the news for something new, rather than a fourth iteration of a game that, while great, still is just the beginning.

homerjay · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 8:55 am Post subject:

Durin Mephit · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 9:42 am Post subject:

Right now,

I'll also agree that it would be nice if Cyan had something new, but I don't believe it is for lack of trying. I can take some solace in knowing that Apple's licensing for iPhone applications is very clear on how profits are distributed, and if Cyan was able to produce "iMyst" without requiring funding from another company, then Myst could provide some income for them, for a while. Maybe they'll be able to do something with that.

Also right now, you never know who is hiding in a closet, apparently. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Movies/story?id=7518323&page=1
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Durin Mephit * Member of Guild of Messengers - Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.
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Erik · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject:

Lord Chaos · Great Tree Member Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 208

Right now... that whole "Let's stay with the tried and true" thing really bugs me. Books, movies, music... so much is just rehashed. Amid all that noise how does one even get a glimpse of anything truly creative? How can a creative voice be heard?

One thing I like about machinema is that anyone with an idea can work on expressing it. Often the results are just about as tired as anything else, but some folks--those willing to work hard and dig deep--can express something real without forming a committee to find funding.

Some friends of mine have been working for years to get a movie made. Nate's original idea was great, but it is gradually being forced to fit the preconceptions of the ones putting up the money. This is why I do one-day-beach sand sculpture: it's just the sand and me, with the only limits being my skills and ideas.

We know Cyan people are creative. I wish I could give them a steady income so they could freely develop one of their ideas.

Durin Mephit · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 10:03 pm Post subject:

Re: David Ogden Stiers

Moiety Jean · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 10:05 pm Post subject:

Good for David, I say! Smile

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"There is a certain beautiful danger when a group of geeks get together to entertain themselves." ~Orin Drake