The Great Tree

[Professor Askew]

The Cavern will be re-opened officially by the end of the year. At that time we will have a unique opportunity to explore together and solve puzzles together.

There are a lot of people out there who prefer to explore, solve puzzles, and learn about the D'ni on their own and I certainly respect that. In fact, I was one of those people while taking Yeesha's initial Journey. But, over time, I've come to regret not taking advantage of the other Explorer's presence and working together and learning together as a team. I wish I had waited to take Yeesha's Journey with others.

I am interested in gathering a list of names of fellow GTers who would like to work together in exploring new Ages and solving puzzles together. This may involve creating a schedule. This may involve breaking into smaller groups to accomodate said schedules. We may want to break into smaller groups to accomodate Exploring styles. For myself, I don't like to rush through my explorations. Particularly if I'm in a group. Being in a group and uncovering the story of the D'ni is fun in itself, so the new places and puzzles are just an (incredibly exciting) added bonus.

In addition, we can share our progress with our fellow GTers here on the forum or maybe the web site. Can we get SPOILER tags to work here? Maybe we can each contribute (take turns) to an overall UL travel journal (walkthrough) here or on a Great Tree blog. The possibilities are great (pun intended).

So, if you're interested in forming a club within the club, leave your name here. Tell us about your exploring habits (slow or fast) and anything else you think we need to know. We are no longer alone in the Cavern. Let's take advantage of it.

So, who's with me? Who'd like to take advantage of this group dynamic?
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Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[Rils]

I too was one of those "do it yerself" Explorers back in the day. I like to take my time and experience the wonder of seeing a new place for the first time, rather than just run ahead looking for the next puzzle. But like you, I've come to realize the fun and importance of exploring with others! I'd be up for participating in small excursions in Live.

Not to advertise for other groups here on the GT forum, but I'm sure yer familiar with Deg and the D'ni Explorer's Guild. This is something that they (we, including myself as a member) have always advocated. I'm looking forward to doing more group participating and exploration with those guys when Live gets up and running. This may be something we could collaborate on...

~Rils
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[Jon]

I'm definitely in favor of exploring in a group. The ages we visit are impressive, to be sure, but some of the most poignant realizations come from small details that one person may or may not put together. The more people there are, the better a chance we have of understanding something more completely.
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The laws contrived by the Proud are their security, and their undoing. Such laws make disobedience a virtue and obedience a sin.

[Daedalus]

Luckily I was able to explore the ages before knowledge of them had become public, and was given the chance to explore with others. Rather than solving all of the ages alone, I explored much of them with fellow explorers. The reward in this was not only further exploration, but I also made a few really good friends along the way.

I can imagine in the future that this would be an even more rewarding experience when obstacles come into the path that would require more than one explorer to continue. The ages of Uru were meant to be shared with others, so I'm all for it.

There is a very personal side to Uru though. Finding Sharper's Office comes to mind...

[Professor Askew]

Rils: I've bookmarked the D'ni Explorers Guild and registered at the forum. I think it's a good idea to maybe look into some joint exploration. I see some very interesting possibilities in my mind.

Jon: You bring up an outstanding point....There are a lot of subtle things that can be missed by a single Explorer. For example, I'm embarassed to say this, but the glyphs in Eder Kemo were just about wasted on me. So focused was I on the task at hand that I never really gave them much more than a cursory glance. It wasn't until later when people started talking about them and giving tours that I started to appreciate the stories behind them. If I were travelling in a group I would like to think I would take time to smell the roses. In fact, I hope a group dynamic slows exploration down considerably...instead of racing through. I think it would be interesting, too, if the various groups had representatives of differing interests. Anything to make Exploration more immersive. More on that later.

Daedalus: Yes, you can't underestimate the social aspect. I know more people through visiting D'ni than I do on the surface. At least as far as steady social interaction. The re-opening of the Cavern will only re-emphasize those relationships as we go on to new discoveries. And I'm sure you're right, a lot of our continued exploration may hinge on these social groups.
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Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[Anna Catherine]

I would certainly be interested in doing some exploring as a group. I think my preference would be to also do some of it on my own and some of it in groups that will form in a more impromptu way from whoever is around, but I do think something more organized and planned would be a fun way to spend some of my exploring time. So... yeah, sounds good, just so long as it doesn't mean I'm making a commitment to do all my exploring that way.

I tend to be a slower explorer too. I like to take my time. I'm also embarassingly bad at puzzles; my mind doesn't work that way. I'm pretty good at solving problems, though, or finding an alternative method for doing something, so I'm better when the task is a little more practical. I'm also not a particularly cautious explorer when it comes to personal safety. The fact I've managed to stay alive this long suggests I don't do anything completely life-threateningly idiotic, but I tend not to let the possibility something might be dangerous cramp my exploring style as long as I've taken reasonable precautions.

In terms of professional skills I could bring to the project, my field is folklore and I've had experience in both research and archival settings. I'm pretty much a generalist within that field, although if I had to pick I'd say I'm most comfortable in the areas of belief and narrative and least confident in foodways (which I'm assuming won't come up that much in D'ni anyway.) Before the explorations start up again I hope to get some reading done on vernacular architecture so I'm a bit more current on it. I still hold out hope that one day we'll be able to talk to the inhabitants of some other Age, which would please me a great deal, but in the meantime I think I often look at the remains of D'ni with a folklorist's eye.

So... yeah, all that to say I'm interested in this idea.

Annacat

[Moiety Jean]

This sounds awesome. I'm a very pokey, take-my-time explorer, and I look around at everything, try to determine what did what and how this connects to that. I'd love exploring new Ages with similar minded peeps.
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~Moiety Jean

KI#44727
"There is a certain beautiful danger when a group of geeks get together to entertain themselves." ~Orin Drake

[Saxy]

Me, too! This is a great idea. :) I'd like to test the waters out when I go exploring with others to solve puzzles, though, so don't make me a "full-fledged group explorer" right away.

Jean can attest to this: I'm veeerrrryyyy slow and methodical when I explore. I love looking and analyzing every nook and cranny, whether or not it actually relates to the puzzle. I'll look at D'ni wall art for a while before I move on to another area. I'm also a pretty slow reader so it takes me a while before I get through journals. I'd fit in perfectly among the slowest, most methodical explorers. :)
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Not all who wander are lost... (MJ fixed my sig!)
KI: 38931

[CuzinJohn]

Group exploration is definitely the way to go.

...and exploring with THIS group just sounds way too fun.

Count me in, Professor.
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KI 182798

Science is how you talk about the universe with words that bind it to a common reality.
Magic is how you talk to the universe with words that it cannot ignore.

[Professor Askew]

I'm not the slowest Explorer, Saxy, but I want to be! That's the point of this idea for me, to allow the group dynamic of exploration slow me down so I can truly appreciate my surroundings and the story being told.

Welcome aboard, CJ!
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Professor Daniel Askew - Securing our reality from the machinations of the Station Masters.

[Cycreim]

Did I say count me in yet? Because count me in!
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KI: 34353

[Rils]

I've never completed an Age for the first time with somebody else. That'd be a great experience. Back when we first got started I was very shy, and didn't socialize much (what happened, eh?). After that, well, it was just retracing steps I'd already done a hundred times. Can't wait to experience Live again, even if it's the same places, just to be able to tread the paths with new eyes and new friends!

~Rils
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[Saxy]

[Lord Chaos]

I like the idea of exploring with others. By the time I got into UU I'd played UruCC standalone twice, so the Ages were hardly fresh. Still, we had fun running through various things, and I couldn't help but think about how much more fun Er'cana would have been with other explorers on hand to while away the slow minutes.

I realize I'm very late to this party, but I thought the Great Tree Shard forum was it. Had no idea this one existed until recently. My connection with the Great Tree organization is mainly through Ashtar; my friend Ktahdn was the D'niJ for the Great Tree anniversary-cum-Halloween party last year, and Ashtar volunteered the GT shard to host the new Up On the Roof! party in December. But I've never known much about the Great Tree beyond the shard.

[CuzinJohn]