Rise Of The Phoenix

So where do we go? What do we do? What is it I want?

Those are 3 questions that I seem to ask myself over and over, for a very long time now.

Computers and software for them seem to be related to dogs and cats. They say that for every one year that goes by, a cat or dog it is more like seven years for them. That seems to be the same thing for computers and software. It seems that hardly any time goes buy, but huge changes happen, seemingly almost over night.

I remember quite well back in 2003 playing Uru for the first time. I was playing other games too. One game, Return To Castle Wolfenstien I remember quite well, because I had played the Castle Wofenstien 3D when it first came out about 13 years earlier. I played DOOM 3D too just a couple of years later. But in 2003, was the first time I played 3D free moving games. I remember thinking how good they looked. Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault and the first Call Of Duty had just come out too.

Uru was different in that, yah, not any violence or having to shoot for your life. That was okay with me as I like adventure games too. But I do remember thinking to myself: Hrrrmmmm. It just doesn't look as good as Riven or Myst III did. At the time, I didn't understand why, but then realized that nothing could look as good as Riven or Myst III, unless they were "Pre-Rendered" like those games were.

Still, Uru had a lot of charm to it, as far as how it looked, it was very advanced for it's time. It was very rich in story, and there were many new puzzles to try out.

Now, jump forward to 2011. Only 8 years have gone by since Uru was first released. That's actually a short amount of time on the human scale of things. But in the computer world, that is a very long time indeed. Computers made back then are no where near as advanced as they are now. Software Real Time rendering has made quantum leaps too. It's now possible, so have that pre-rendered quality from games like Riven, in real time now.

Over the years I have watched as the gaming industry put out game after game, each one's rendering abilities get better and better. Shader 2.0, then Shader 3.0 and then on to Shader 4.0. Volumetric Lighting. All of it amazing.

Most of these games were "Shooter" games, or games with violence in them. That's because violence sells. Adventures do not. Industry finds that 80 percent of their base wants "Shooters" and only 20 percent want "Adventure". So that is what they make, and then pat themselves on the back, because they are thinking: "We got 80 percent of 'em!"

That's stupid thinking. Why not make it 100 percent? Make a game that can satisfy both. Have it set up to where at the beginning a player can decide their game play: "Shooter" or "Adventure". Make the game good looking enough, with enough puzzles and stories, you'll get that Adventure crowd. Make it "Shooter" version good enough and you'll get that crowd. The point being, you've succeeded in getting 100 percent of the crowd.

Unfortunately this isn't the case, and while adventure games have lapsed, the FPS's out there have made great strides. But the problem is, that beauty is all wasted. Who has time to admire the scenery when you need to move FAST or your gonna get FRAGGED!

I've always wanted to see a game like Uru ported over to a more modern engine. Not just Uru. Can you imagine replaying Riven in a modern game engine?

CryEngine from CryTek was released last month. The video for it floored me. The demo that comes with it looks like something out of a adventure game, but truth is, CryEngine has been for Shooters (FarCry, Crysis and Crysis 2). The difference is that this latest SDK allows you to make your own kind of game, with our own HUD and UI. The way it renders is a adventure game player's dream come true......

Out of curiosity, I decided to see what an Age from Uru would look like in CryEngine. I think the results speak for themselves:

Unfortunately, the problem with porting Uru over to another game engine, is it would be an infringement on Cyan's rights. They just can't give an "Okay" either, because it would be the same as signing away those rights.

Still I'd push for it if I could. Never mind the naysayers.

Oh, yah, the Naysayers. You have them. They come in different groups.

First you have your "Plasma Addicts". These are the people that are so stuck on Plasma, it's all they can think of. If you were to somehow magically make the Ages in Uru actually REAL, I mean a REAL place that exists and took them to it, they'd still say that Plasma did it better. So unfortunately, until they get over their addiction, these people are a lost cause. Then you have your "Plasma Power" people. These are the people that want Uru to be in Plasma, because they know everything there is to know about Plasma, and it's networking software. As a matter of fact, they even know how to make code for it. These are the only people that are doing anything with the OS engine, and because they are the few that know what they are doing, they can control that. Control of that, means control of everything else. Put Uru in a new game engine that has it's own networking software, and they loose control. They don't want that.

Then you have your political side of it. People who think of how Uru should be, and it's their way or the highway (only unfortunately, it's never THEM that takes the highway.....). Of course I guess I can be counted in this group, because I believe that Uru should use the most advanced graphics rendering software out there. That it should have many of the things that it does not, and that it should be added to it. Couple that with it should also be a place that people can go and have fun with no abuse, flaming or trolling. So I guess in one sense I do fall into that catagory.

I've emailed Tony. Talked to Mark. Showed him all my pics, and videos. He's sent them off to Rand so he can see. But the main thing Mark has said to me several time now is:

"Take it in a different direction. Make something that is loosely based on MOUL, but has it's own content. Considering how it looks, I'm sure you'd have fans that will flock to it."

Encouraging words.......and to tell you the truth........it makes sense. Start something new. Something that looks beautiful and real at the same time. Something that has all the stuff that MOUL is missing. Something that has new content added to it. Something where people can go to have fun and enjoy themselves. Something that does not use Cannon like a ball and chain around your ankle.

Something like Phoenix.

I have content, that is exclusively mine. LOTS of it. CryEngine can make even the worst of it look good. There are other builders out there, many of whom have left the community and have not been seen at places like the GoW forum in almost a year. However, I've kept touch........and I'm getting ahold of them, showing them what CryEngine can do. They have content too, just sitting there waiting.........and they are very, very , excited.

I have other friends that are getting wind of the idea. They write stories, or have ideas. Hell, my sister and her husband write music, she's pledged to making all the music that I need.

I think it's going to be interesting, especially if we get it Cyan Endorsed.

Sky is the limit, and now, it seems, I have people that have been long quite that I thought were gone, are showing back up again, excited, and glad that there is something new, something that's not Plasma, and something that will kick-ass: