Tweek wrote:Gehn, lord of ages wrote:How about my plan?
http://wiki.openuru.org/index.php?title ... _Gloa_Plan
Minimally invasive, and I think it balances speed and mystery well. You can complete the journey just as in ABM, with all the mystery and training that gives. However, you can also get quickly to Relto/populated areas in case you got confused or frustrated. However, you couldn't start Yeesha's Journey without going through the cleft (although you could have help and advice). A public cleft could also be available later (maybe a nightime cleft) just to hang out in or maybe to get more Relto pages if more arise.
your idea doesn't really seem to fix anything, it just seems to strip out the initial cleft puzzle and give players the book right away. Cleft is a starting point, a place to dip ones toe in the water and get the hang of how the cloths and stuff work, not to mention an introduction to Yeesha and Zandi which is knowledge players should probably have before Linking not something to come back to.
Going through the Cleft puzzles would still be encouraged (the note or whatever would be phrased more as 'if you need to meet people, you can use this book now' - I think most Myst/Uru style people would stay in just because they are already at the Cleft and all as well [and already at least seen Zandi, and probably gotten the first message], and there is a logical reward for finishing the Cleft). I personally love the Cleft, but some people have reasons to want to skip through it quicker (already having gone through it, wanting to avoid Yeesha-ness, not knowing what to do, wanting to quickly get to friends, etc.) . A public cleft would solve many of these reasons, but has its own problems (the problems with the puzzles already being solved or being crowded, ways to accidentally sabotage people's work through the puzzles [or one way where the player can get trapped], etc.).
Perhaps this other idea of mine would work better? You start in a simple dirt parking lot near the Cleft as a multiplayer area (so people can meet or help new people there, and so that new people can meet each other). There are signs or brochures around that give a little background (a little bit of where you are [in general] and what you are going to) in an IC way, and instruct you to walk in the direction of the Cleft. People can walk towards the Cleft alone or in groups. If they are in groups, then they arrive in groups (it calculates if people stay within certain radii of each other). If they go alone, then they arrive at the Cleft alone. This is not explained IC (for all they know, the other people just stayed behind, or walked slower, or whatever). They arrive through a short scene of them walking into the distance, and then the Cleft loading. They can always turn back from the Cleft, and return to the multiplayer area (to get a group, to leave a group, to simply go back to look at it, whatever). They could get their Relto by one of these means:
- The traditional way. Each person or group has to solve all the puzzles and enter into the tree.
- The traditional way except for one exception. Experienced players can give new players their Relto books (and then have to go get another one from the Cleft). I'm not sure if the book would retain its Relto pages and all (I just thought of this idea, so I'm still figuring it out). Maybe the experienced player could leave behind a journal that the newer one could read (which could provide information on what to do). This sharing would be mainly for people's friends.
- There's a couple books there in the multiplayer area, with a sign/note that strongly encourages people to go to the Cleft first (probably from Zandi - the note, I mean). The helpful experienced players would also explain and could encourage people to go to the Cleft. People can pick up books here if they really want to (for people who just want to get in fast for some reason [and some people have good reasons for this]), but they don't have a page for the pillars with the four Journey Ages (they'd have to return to the Cleft to get those).
- Zandi hands a Relto book to people (or there's a stack on a nearby table). Again, the note (or speech) encourages people to go through the journey (which gets them the journey pillar things).