Slashdot Mirror
Grand Theft Auto: Myst
j0hnyb1423 writes "Salon is running a "preview" for the next GTA title: Grand Theft Auto: Myst. You have to watch a short ad to see the whole article but it's well worth it. From the article: "Obviously, compromises had to be made. For example, if you've played "Myst" before, you know that go-go clubs are scarce and that there's no Little Havana, per se. Similarly, in "Grand Theft Auto," the only reason you might find yourself in a library is because you're hiding from the SWAT helicopter. Balance was key: Just the right amount of urban development -- followed by just the right amount of urban decay -- was needed to create a picturesque dreamscape that could also credibly be swimming in guns.""
Ah. This explains the camera crews and digitizing teams combing downtown Detroit a few months ago.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
That's a lot more impressive than the last one that was in ASCII: Need For Speed: Zork Unleashed.
This sounds like it could have been the first video game review by the Onion AV Club....
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
"Grand Theft Auto: Myst" In the most gorgeously conceived AND ultraviolent video game in history, you can open fire on passing cars with a bazooka while exploring universal archetypes!
By Jason Roeder
Feb. 2, 2005 | Objective:
Climb the ranks as a gangland sociopath by ruthlessly solving a series of intricate puzzles dispersed throughout the fantasy worlds of "Myst." But that's just the game's narrative dimension. Half the fun, of course, is exploration for its own sake, so if for some reason you're losing interest in, say, valves and knobs, just take a break from the storyline and wander. The realms of "Myst" aren't mere pixilated backdrops, but vivid and highly interactive landscapes. If you simply dash from screen to screen, you'll miss out on many of the game's treasures, not to mention some nicely situated sniping perches.
Start:
The game begins simply enough: You find yourself on an island. You don't know how you arrived in this magical place -- you've only been out of the joint three hours, and you hope to fuck you're not in Jamaica because you know way too many Rasta men with scores to settle. But unraveling the astonishing truth will take all your wits. Then, it will take the wits of smarter friends, and then it will take the wits of a shut-in who wrote a walk-through.
How did this game come about?
With the release of "Revelation," the fourth installment of "Myst," not to mention several derivative novels, the creative team at Cyan worried that the title had played itself out. For a jump-start, the company turned to collaborations with long-standing video game icons. Those early partnerships, however, failed to produce the desired synergy. In other words, there's a good reason you haven't played "Ms. Pac-Myst."
But the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Myst" series seem so aesthetically opposed. How did the programmers manage to integrate them?
Obviously, compromises had to be made. For example, if you've played "Myst" before, you know that go-go clubs are scarce and that there's no Little Havana, per se. Similarly, in "Grand Theft Auto," the only reason you might find yourself in a library is because you're hiding from the SWAT helicopter. Balance was key: Just the right amount of urban development -- followed by just the right amount of urban decay -- was needed to create a picturesque dreamscape that could also credibly be swimming in guns.
"Myst" is pretty much uninhabited, while "GTA" is all about the characters. How did they get around that?
To be honest, there wasn't any coherent, plausible way to populate "Myst" within the existing mythos. Instead, the game's creators took a bold meta approach. All the inhabitants of "Grand Theft Auto: Myst" are the virtual presences of players who attempted a previous version of "Myst" but gave up forever after 45 enchanting minutes. Without a directing intelligence to guide them, these "afterimages" eventually coalesced into a crude, benighted society -- prostitutes, drug lords, tourists.
What about Atrus?
For those of you unfamiliar with the name, Atrus is the architect of all the "Myst" realms. He's wise, avuncular, and needs your help -- a lot, and for free. The folks at Cyan wanted to keep him that way. Rockstar Games, which puts out the "GTA" series, wanted to go in a different direction with "Myst's" most important character. In the end, an agreement was reached: Atrus -- still wise, still avuncular -- would be recast as a harmless rare-book dealer who occasionally troubled players with small errands: picking up 700 kilos of rare books at an abandoned quarry, connecting a rare book to the ignition of a Russian mafia lieutenant's car, and so on. In addition, Atrus' ether addiction could be toggled on and off.
There's something so pristine and nonthreatening about "Myst." I'm worried that it will resensitize me to violence.
I know what you mean. There's that one-of-a-kind "Grand Theft Auto" moment when you've beaten
Saying Android is a family of phones is akin to saying Linux is a family of PCs.
"Grand Theft Auto: Myst"
In the most gorgeously conceived AND ultraviolent video game in history, you can open fire on passing cars with a bazooka while exploring universal archetypes!
By Jason Roeder
Feb. 2, 2005 | Objective: Climb the ranks as a gangland sociopath by ruthlessly solving a series of intricate puzzles dispersed throughout the fantasy worlds of "Myst." But that's just the game's narrative dimension. Half the fun, of course, is exploration for its own sake, so if for some reason you're losing interest in, say, valves and knobs, just take a break from the storyline and wander. The realms of "Myst" aren't mere pixilated backdrops, but vivid and highly interactive landscapes. If you simply dash from screen to screen, you'll miss out on many of the game's treasures, not to mention some nicely situated sniping perches.
Start: The game begins simply enough: You find yourself on an island. You don't know how you arrived in this magical place -- you've only been out of the joint three hours, and you hope to fuck you're not in Jamaica because you know way too many Rasta men with scores to settle. But unraveling the astonishing truth will take all your wits. Then, it will take the wits of smarter friends, and then it will take the wits of a shut-in who wrote a walk-through.
How did this game come about?
With the release of "Revelation," the fourth installment of "Myst," not to mention several derivative novels, the creative team at Cyan worried that the title had played itself out. For a jump-start, the company turned to collaborations with long-standing video game icons. Those early partnerships, however, failed to produce the desired synergy. In other words, there's a good reason you haven't played "Ms. Pac-Myst."
But the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Myst" series seem so aesthetically opposed. How did the programmers manage to integrate them?
Obviously, compromises had to be made. For example, if you've played "Myst" before, you know that go-go clubs are scarce and that there's no Little Havana, per se. Similarly, in "Grand Theft Auto," the only reason you might find yourself in a library is because you're hiding from the SWAT helicopter. Balance was key: Just the right amount of urban development -- followed by just the right amount of urban decay -- was needed to create a picturesque dreamscape that could also credibly be swimming in guns.
"Myst" is pretty much uninhabited, while "GTA" is all about the characters. How did they get around that?
To be honest, there wasn't any coherent, plausible way to populate "Myst" within the existing mythos. Instead, the game's creators took a bold meta approach. All the inhabitants of "Grand Theft Auto: Myst" are the virtual presences of players who attempted a previous version of "Myst" but gave up forever after 45 enchanting minutes. Without a directing intelligence to guide them, these "afterimages" eventually coalesced into a crude, benighted society -- prostitutes, drug lords, tourists.
What about Atrus?
For those of you unfamiliar with the name, Atrus is the architect of all the "Myst" realms. He's wise, avuncular, and needs your help -- a lot, and for free. The folks at Cyan wanted to keep him that way. Rockstar Games, which puts out the "GTA" series, wanted to go in a different direction with "Myst's" most important character. In the end, an agreement was reached: Atrus -- still wise, still avuncular -- would be recast as a harmless rare-book dealer who occasionally troubled players with small errands: picking up 700 kilos of rare books at an abandoned quarry, connecting a rare book to the ignition of a Russian mafia lieutenant's car, and so on. In addition, Atrus' ether addiction could be toggled on and off.
There's something so pristine and nonthreatening about "Myst." I'm worried that it will resensitize me to violence.
I know what you mean. There's that one-of-a-kind "Grand Theft Auto" moment when you've beaten a hooker senseless with a golf club, dragged a tourist fr
"Grand Theft Auto: Myst"
In the most gorgeously conceived AND ultraviolent video game in history, you can open fire on passing cars with a bazooka while exploring universal archetypes!
Objective: Climb the ranks as a gangland sociopath by ruthlessly solving a series of intricate puzzles dispersed throughout the fantasy worlds of "Myst." But that's just the game's narrative dimension. Half the fun, of course, is exploration for its own sake, so if for some reason you're losing interest in, say, valves and knobs, just take a break from the storyline and wander. The realms of "Myst" aren't mere pixilated backdrops, but vivid and highly interactive landscapes. If you simply dash from screen to screen, you'll miss out on many of the game's treasures, not to mention some nicely situated sniping perches.
Start: The game begins simply enough: You find yourself on an island. You don't know how you arrived in this magical place -- you've only been out of the joint three hours, and you hope to fuck you're not in Jamaica because you know way too many Rasta men with scores to settle. But unraveling the astonishing truth will take all your wits. Then, it will take the wits of smarter friends, and then it will take the wits of a shut-in who wrote a walk-through.
How did this game come about?
With the release of "Revelation," the fourth installment of "Myst," not to mention several derivative novels, the creative team at Cyan worried that the title had played itself out. For a jump-start, the company turned to collaborations with long-standing video game icons. Those early partnerships, however, failed to produce the desired synergy. In other words, there's a good reason you haven't played "Ms. Pac-Myst."
But the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Myst" series seem so aesthetically opposed. How did the programmers manage to integrate them?
Obviously, compromises had to be made. For example, if you've played "Myst" before, you know that go-go clubs are scarce and that there's no Little Havana, per se. Similarly, in "Grand Theft Auto," the only reason you might find yourself in a library is because you're hiding from the SWAT helicopter. Balance was key: Just the right amount of urban development -- followed by just the right amount of urban decay -- was needed to create a picturesque dreamscape that could also credibly be swimming in guns.
"Myst" is pretty much uninhabited, while "GTA" is all about the characters. How did they get around that?
To be honest, there wasn't any coherent, plausible way to populate "Myst" within the existing mythos. Instead, the game's creators took a bold meta approach. All the inhabitants of "Grand Theft Auto: Myst" are the virtual presences of players who attempted a previous version of "Myst" but gave up forever after 45 enchanting minutes. Without a directing intelligence to guide them, these "afterimages" eventually coalesced into a crude, benighted society -- prostitutes, drug lords, tourists.
What about Atrus?
For those of you unfamiliar with the name, Atrus is the architect of all the "Myst" realms. He's wise, avuncular, and needs your help -- a lot, and for free. The folks at Cyan wanted to keep him that way. Rockstar Games, which puts out the "GTA" series, wanted to go in a different direction with "Myst's" most important character. In the end, an agreement was reached: Atrus -- still wise, still avuncular -- would be recast as a harmless rare-book dealer who occasionally troubled players with small errands: picking up 700 kilos of rare books at an abandoned quarry, connecting a rare book to the ignition of a Russian mafia lieutenant's car, and so on. In addition, Atrus' ether addiction could be toggled on and off.
There's something so pristine and nonthreatening about "Myst." I'm worried that it will resensitize me to violence.
I know what you mean. There's that one-of-a-kind "Grand Theft Auto" moment when you've beaten a hooker senseless with a golf club, dragged a to
Best Game you will Never play.
From the fine article:
There's something so pristine and nonthreatening about "Myst." I'm worried that it will resensitize me to violence.
I know what you mean. There's that one-of-a-kind "Grand Theft Auto" moment when you've beaten a hooker senseless with a golf club, dragged a tourist from his station wagon, and sped off down a crowded sidewalk, only to realize your sole regret is that you jacked a car with such crummy acceleration. Meanwhile, one of "Myst's" strengths is the way it attunes you to your environment -- not the state of mind for a proper rampage. If you don't have preexisting grudges you can channel into mayhem, just let all the synthesizer music seep into the more reptilian parts of your brain for a few hours. Trust me, you'll be ready for a drive-by.
I really want to see someone make this game.
Arrogance is Confidence which lacks integrity. -- me
Instead, I get treated to a crummy article mixing two games that are so different this could never even happen. I think the next GTA is a few years off anyway, hardly past the storyboard sketching phase yet I'm sure.
RTFA dude.
This article is posted in the Satire section of Salon, so isn't really meant to be an example of something that will actually be released. So you don't have to worry about random explosions, and feeding the creator of the world for a horrible book addiction. I just wonder what you would do with 200 kilos of books... arn't they better if you use small print?
Don't click on the free pass 'button'. Click on the image for the sponsor itself. (Earlier today, it was Visa.)
The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
Uhh, GTA:Myst isn't a real game that's coming out. The article is clearly labeled "Satire."
i think the word "preview" was in quotes for a reason - the /. editors clearly knew this was a joke :P
Enjoy an e-piphany
satire bleh
What would be interesting is if Rockstar decided, for their next GTA title, to give everyone a little surprise...
If, under the base-layer of GTA-style missions, there was something else lurking, like an evil cult bent on summoning Dagon or Cthulhu, except that Rockstar would have to not tell anyone about it.
It could even be a series of ultra-secret missions that aren't even covered by the commercially released completist guides.
Was this really worth the effort? It's not funny at all. Really, you could achieve the same level of 'humour' by combining GTA with any older game. GTA:NBA Jam! GTA: Mortal Kombat! I'm LOL'ing my socks off. Truly.
/. went to all that trouble to link it and throw hundreds of idiots who don't RTFA into a desperate state of assumption.
Good thing
shame on us / for all we have done / and all we ever were / just zeroes and ones
Mash-ups seem to be the new big thing in music (The Beatles vs. Jay-Z, Linkin Park vs. Jay-Z, Conway Twitty vs. The Sex Pistols (j/k)), why not take it to video games?
GTA vs. SimCity - city building determines the locations and type of missions, successfully becoming a bigger crime lord brings down property values and drives out sims.
Halo vs. Master of Orion - fight out those inter-empire battles in the first person
Quake vs. Home Architect 3D - design a nice home... and have a huge fragfest in it and destroy the place.
Why not? Could be interesting.
"You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
I'm really looking forward to the tricked out sequel, NFS:Ultima Underground.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Btw you should seriously atleast rent san andreas, its has a LOT of content. Simply amazing.
Since the early days of anticipating GTA Vice City, I have discussed with friends and online gamers various ideas for mixing the Grand Theft Auto visual and gameplay structure with other types of games:
:)
* The similarities of GTA with 007-style shooters that require more stealth are already obvious, so let's move on.
* Applying the physics engine of driving games like Gran Turismo (or insert your favorite here) could make the driving elements a bit more enjoyable.
* At some point I want to drive a vehicle into a stadium or some other live sporting event and start a riot involving hundreds or even thousands of people.
* Take the basketball games in GTA San Andreas to the next level: NBA Jam!
* Take some classic American Gladiator events and throw an obstacle course at your GTA character.
* And if you wanted to take the GTA part of the game less seriously, throw in some supernatural elements from RPGs or horror-style games, or Super Mario-style power-ups!
Circa 2000
What sponsor image? Oh wait, I've got adblock on...
Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
They are great because they offer you real escapism, a sandbox environment that allows you to be as criminal and anti-social as you want in a (reasonably) realistic representation of a fully functioning city. What's not to like?
But does Salon?
I glanced at that "article" yesterday... it's annoying garbage, but more important it's pretty clearly fictional. No source for the "interview" is noted. The author's credit at the bottom, IIRC, notes he's some fiction freelancer.
In related news, subscribe to Salon, a leftist/aggravating but at least independent voice on politics and corporatization!