Myst-Uru Search

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Uru-Search
Myst-Uru GoC Search Tool

Got Myst-Uru search problems? May be things like finding information about topics regarding Myst-Uru history, the status of Myst-Uru open source, how to install and run the older games on new computers and on and on… It can be a challenge in the Myst-Uru world with most information on the Cyan (Myst creator) and fan forums. There are a ton of them. If you don’t know which forum is about which aspect of Myst-Uru, you are in for a long search.

Fans have realized this and stepped up and put in the labor to build lists of the Myst-Uru Important Links in the community. Others made lists of Myst Uru fan sites. Others lists of Uru fan blogs. The idea was to make it easier to find information in the forums. Lists of important links in a forum is an atypical solution so many fans do not realize it is there. If you have a specific need there is still a lot to read to find what you want.

There is Google, Yea! Google, I love you! If you run a search via Google you may just find too much information. Even worse you may find loads of hits from a forum and having already looked at it know what you want is not there. So, you are digging through pages of results or trying to narrow the search.

Or you may know that a piece of information is on a specific site. Then one tries to use the forum search and finds out how weak it is. Need to find information on the Uru Library Manager? Most fans refer to it as ULM, three letters. Most forum searches will not search on three letters.

There are some search tools out there. There is Uru Search by Kestr’l. If you search on ULM using it then one gets three pages of Myst Online posts. You would never suspect that the Uru – Guild of Writers (GoW) and the Uru – Guild of Maintainers – ULM (GoMa) have far more information on ULM. One would also likely not notice from the forum writing that GoW is depreciating ULM in favor of Drizzle/UAM. All the three letter acronyms make using forum search frustrating. The predominance of the MOUL forums in Google results make it less than ideal.

The alternative is the Uru Guild of Cartographers Search Tool. It was built to allow one to search the large community sites. There are several buttons for searching specific forums. Try it out and see how you like it. It does those 3 letter acronyms really well.

http://cates-associates.net/uru/search-uru.asp

Dress Making and Color Matching

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Showing Prim and Clothes Color Mismatch

There are lots of tutorials on dress making. Yet, one of the things most have left out is color matching between prim clothes and … I guess AV clothes, the clothes one sees in the appearance menu. The image from Meara D shows the problem. Getting the two to match and blend together since Windlight has been a problem. While this may be old news to some of you, I just found it. What The Fug has a tutorial on just this problem. Also known as ‘WeHateWhatYourWearing’ blog. Snarky but fun.

I have loads of tight miniskirts (you know the ones) with a prim panel that does not match. Other prim skirts have the same problem. There is a fix. Even better there is a tutorial See Tinting Prims for Windlight.

There are lots of broken images on the page, at least for me. They are there, they just may not display. You can click most to see the larger image.

Chrome 2 – Beta

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A trade publication just ran a story on Chrome 2 – Beta being released. If you don’t know, Chrome is a web browser like Firefox or Internet Explorer (IE). Chrome 2 requires Windows XP SP2 or better. (Download)

New Chrome 2 - Beta Version Browser

For months I have been using Chrome and IE 7 & 8 side by side. I had hoped IE8 would be faster. It is not. I have not put a stopwatch on it, but 8 seems even slower. Both are WAY slower than Chrome. After using Chrome for a time IE will drive one nuts.

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Myst Fans Fight Conspiracy Theories

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In the Myst/Uru MMO world there has long been a debate, usually devolving into a flame war, about the fan run guilds fighting for power and dominance over the game and fans. Having been involved in the founding of the GoC and participant down to now, I have some inside knowledge. So the recent round of accusations appearing on the GoMa forum ticks me off, as I think it should others. As the fan base works hard to stay together these silly fights split us farther apart. It is my belief that the sick parts of the fan base need to be helped. I think innuendo needs to be replaced by facts and evidence, if we are to hold the family together. I think everyone needs to take an active part. Can you help?

Relating personal feelings and beliefs is not a help. Quoting posts of others feelings and beliefs is not evidence. We need facts and evidence that people can honestly evaluate. When one must deny something the only thing of value is your personal experience. Saying you have yet to see it, not experienced it, heard of it, that it is not true for you; are about the only things one can say. There just is no such thing as proving the ‘non-existence’ of anything.

A Great Example of Statesmanship

 

However, when a mistake is seen one can point to the facts and correct it. When one makes an accusation one can provide the evidence, facts and reasons for the accusation. Without evidence, one is just engaging in liable and slander.

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The PushButton Game Engine™

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Tech, tech, tech and more tech… its freaking everywhere. Today I just came across another game engine, open source (MIT License) that makes it easy for anyone to make their own games. Seems New World Notes is on top of everything.

This engine rides on Adobe Labs’ Flash engine, which you likely already have installed on your computer. Since it is Flash the graphics are probably going to be cartoonish. The Pushbutton engine™ is being developed by seasoned game developers. They are unleashing some amazing tools. Their business model is unique for a game engine development company. Give away the engine and sell the professional plugins. Plus one step more. Anyone can write plugins. They will be sold through the Pushbutton company with Pushbutton taking a 30% cut. This is another way for people to make money with games.

This is another engine that runs inside a web browser. It is currently in Beta testing. It made its showing at the Game Developers’ Conference.

Visit their site: Pushbutton Engine

Promoting Myst/Uru MOOS

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There are only a small number of Second Life members that know what Myst Online or Uru Live, as some call it, is. Even fewer know what MOOS is (Myst Online: Open Source), the coming open source reincarnation of the game. And even fewer Second Life residents know that parts of Uru (the general name of the game land) are being built in Second Life. That is a problem Myst Online has always had. A big challenge for the community is how to get the word out now that the game is set to make a comeback. So how do we let prior fans know the game is in the hands of the fans?

 

The Great Zero Machine in Second Life
The Great Zero Machine in Second Life

One step is to put the information every place we can. So, there are posts like this one that give some help. Plus we tell people about the game. In some cases like the builds in Second Life, we show them. Yet, is that enough?

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