Another Choice in Addition to Relto

[Gehn, lord of ages]

So wait, the bahro can link through Death? Or are you saying the player is whisked away right before death (and so avoiding a few religio-scientific debates)?

2 problems I see
1. Haven't the bahro been freed anyway (due to End of Ages) no matter what Uru does?
2. If the bahro did that for the D'ni, how did they all die?

I don't think we can use the bahro to save us from death, because the D'ni obviously faced such problems (the empire itself died, and I think there were accidents and all that would be basically like what we'd panic link from that brought death tolls) and did not survive. And there's a bahro civil war going around, if I heard right. That might preoccupy them.

But the D'ni were not paranoid enough to carry around a linking book attached at their hip wherever they went (whether it went to the Nexus, or Relto, or Ader Jamat, or anywhere). That's why we survive, and they wouldn't. Of course, in their time everything was in better repair...

[rarified]

So wait, the bahro can link through Death? Or are you saying the player is whisked away right before death (and so avoiding a few religio-scientific debates)?

The former I wish But in liu of that, the latter.

2 problems I see
1. Haven't the bahro been freed anyway (due to End of Ages) no matter what Uru does?
2. If the bahro did that for the D'ni, how did they all die?

If I recall, EoA gave the explorer a choice. The Bahro may or may not have been freed.

And I guess I could see a situation where the bahro were not inclined to be magnanimous to their captors, at least while the D'ni were actively exploiting them. There also may have been a much smaller number of bahro compared to D'ni to save or watch over. But after a period of time where they were merely compelled to obey, but without someone giving orders, the bahro may have mellowed.

[Ok, so now I'm defending a position ]

[T_S_Kimball]

Gehn has an important point on the IC front - The D'ni has been at this for thousands of years, while we've only had (at most) a couple dozen years or so to decipher what they did. However, I can't fully discount the ability of a modern person's ability to reverse-engineer something.

The discussion is really centering around a central question - What, exactly, did Yeesha do with Relto that makes it 'outside the rules' of a normal Age? One component of this is the trick that gives us the Panic-Link: Her linking book stays with the person its 'bonded' with. This may have been a later addition in both the Linking and Descriptive Books, after her meeting with the Bahro and initial interaction with the Tablets (which also 'bonded' with the player to a degree in Myst V).

So, if the needed 'code' is readable and usable as-is on the Linking book, then there's a good chance it could be re-used on 'little pages' which can be handed out.

Also, I think the 'rules' of an Age aren't 'complete' (on the IC side), unless we've run across some serious texts from the Guilds that I don't know about.

[Be aware that I don't normally like to venture into IC-related discussions much anymore, since I would just tend to invoke Clarke's Law every time I see D'ni tech in general. So I'm sure there are holes in the logic, and am happy to be corrected on some of these points.]

--TSK

[realXCV]

If the Relto book as a panic link is replaced by a normal linking book, what would happen if I don't pick a new book after using the previous one and go jump off a cliff ?

[Marten]

That's a very good point. Replacing the book before (re)entering dangerous areas would have to be enforced somehow, just as one cannot visit Ae'gura without a KI.

The easiest method is, upon arrival in the rescue location (whatever it is), to have a stack of books handy and the avatar can automatically replace the lost book. I'll admit I'm not thrilled with an enforced behavior, though. The first time I played Uru, ever, I couldn't understand why my character had picked up and attached the book he'd found to his belt. As a general rule, I prefer to have some knowledge of what to expect when I click on an item... when I do anything, really. I couldn't understand why my avatar knew to pick up the book as he did. However, I lived with it.

An alternate method would be to concoct a puzzle in the rescue location where the player cannot continue without having replaced the book. Such a puzzle would need a very good rationale (aside from "The DRC insists all visitors take a book! Safety First!" - because, being realistic, once a person is past the puzzle nothing would prevent him or her from throwing the book away, so that justification fails). It would need to be somehow the inverse of Gahreesen... where there were once beetles to sniff out any ink or linking books that someone might try to smuggle into the Age. A good puzzle is something I can't think of right now, though.

[The stranger]

Well... maybe the most simple yet IC (kinda') solution would be that once you use a book, it would drop to the ground. It would stay there for about a day or 2 (and you will be able to use it), until it will disappear. Maybe the disappearing can be explained as you going out to gather the books (without seeing it in-game, that is). You won't be able to use these books at public places, unless it's panic link.

That's what I would choose, anyway. The book stay there so it's IC enough, and it will disappear sometime later in order to avoid books sea.

[Tweek]

At this point I kind of feel that regardless of who you side with, all people get a Relto book. Just cause one has a book doesn't mean one has to follow Yeesha.

[The stranger]

So wait, even tweek, the master of those who want another option than relto books, think everyone need a relto book?

I'm really confused .

Relto or not, relto or not...

You noticed how many times I'm changing my opinion? now I tend to lean over relto for everyone...

[realXCV]

Well... maybe the most simple yet IC (kinda') solution would be that once you use a book, it would drop to the ground. It would stay there for about a day or 2 (and you will be able to use it), until it will disappear. Maybe the disappearing can be explained as you going out to gather the books (without seeing it in-game, that is). You won't be able to use these books at public places, unless it's panic link.

That's what I would choose, anyway. The book stay there so it's IC enough, and it will disappear sometime later in order to avoid books sea.

You will have to add collisions to every grounds where the book can drop or it will fall through them just like the avatar would do.

Relto or not, relto or not...

Relto!

[Hetnikik]

I think we should stick with everyone having relto. I think Yeesha would give everyone a book as a sign of good faith, and if I'm falling to my death then i would probably use it even if i didn't agree with her. Just my oppinion.