March 31, 2004
Lazy Guildmaster Contest Prizes Announced
Alahmnat posted the following prizes:
1st Place: Uru: Complete Chronicles, Uru Soundtrack
2nd Place: Uru: The Path of the Shell, Uru Soundtrack
3rd Place: Uru Soundtrack
And a major teaser: "In addition, if I can swing it, the winner of the contest will receive an extra prize to accompany everything else. Stay tuned."
Stan's Image Count Up to Ten
I've updated my Myst IV page to include the latest add. The link contains a major Myst IV spoiler.
Expansion Pack 2 News!
A scheduled date, June 23rd, and a name, "Uru: The Path of the Shell," have been announced. It was also announced that a complete set, "Myst Uru: Complete Chronicles" will be released, containing "Uru: Ages Beyond Myst," "To D'ni" and "The Path of the Shell." No price or feature set were released.
MystRivenExileUru Site Featured at the Uru Site
This site was featured on the main Uru site and I can tell you it is quite an honor. Thanks, Kha'tie and randomos! For those visiting the site for the first time, welcome! If you have any feedback please e-mail me. Thanks.
Flying Mode Discovered?
There's a thread over at Clockwork Orange BBS that says that a "flying mode" has been uncovered in Uru, by manipulating the Python files. Apparently, it's still pretty rough, but it's an interesting development.
Shockwave Releases Uru Jigsaw Puzzle
Dusante posted to the UO News page about a new Jigsaw Puzzle, released by Shockwave.com and composed of Uru screenshots. Dusante notes that it's a 60-minute trial; the full version is $19.95.
More Pieces to the Puzzle
Another image was released by Stan: and. If you want to see the image, with all of the pieces in place (so far), click here. I'll be updating that page as new pieces are added. Also, a clarification: Stan is releasing images in two groups: The first group is comprised of book covers that, when decoded, help find images in the second group, which are part of a sixteen piece puzzle; the resulting image seems to be a concept sketch for Myst IV. We have received nine images, so far.
New Version of UruTrainer for X1
LiquorCooChee posted to the UruHack Forum a link to a new build of UruTrainer that should run on Uru Prime and To D'ni.

March 30, 2004
Photoplay Contest
Don't forget to vote for your favorite in the Photoplay Gallery. Here are the ten finalists: Davey's BASE (Gallery One), Myst IV Reloaded (Gallery One), D'ni Money (Gallery One), Teledahn Salad (Gallery Two), Screaming in Aegura (Gallery Three), How D'ni Really Fell (Gallery Four), Crime Scene (Gallery Seven), D'ni Disaster (Gallery Eight), Gehn is Watching You (Gallery Eight) and Hitchhiking (Gallery Nine).
More Myst IV Images
Stan has released two more images ('myst' and 'for'), bringing the total to eight, of an apparent sixteen. For those who want to see the construction of those images, click here. The image, as it shapes up, however, must be considered a spoiler.
Updated Images from Stan
Here are the images we've received, so far:
This is the first, named zero. This is the second, also named zero. And a new one, named first.

Uru Gets a Bad Review from Tom's Networking
Tom's Networking posted a very bad review of Uru, based purely on the hardware requirements. He refers to an UbiSoft page that lists "Unsupported Video Cards" and "Supported Video Cards." One comment: "...since when did casual gamers—which I think are among the folks who purchase adventure-type games—need to have graphics capability beyond that found in your typical mass-market higher-end PC?" The UbiSoft page links to Microsoft's Windows XP Game Advisor, to verify system compatibility.
Uru Concept Art by Stephan Martiniere
Dusante posted to UO a link to Stephan's Uru concept art. He's visual design director and his images are beautiful and easily recognizable, especially the images of The Great King, Kerath and Lalen. There are 3 images that have not yet been seen in Uru, so be aware of spoilers.
Second Life Creators to Sell Private Virtual Islands
Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, the acclaimed 3D online world, announced today the sale of private virtual islands to Second Life Residents. Along with many ideas for island communities, some Residents are banding together to create specially themed environments. One group hopes to recreate the visual style and community of Uru Live(TM), a recently cancelled massively multiplayer online game. "In Second Life you can create any effect you want," said Oboe Blanc, one of the group's leaders. "Using visual effects reminiscent of those we experienced in Uru, we plan to develop a central location in Second Life for a community of people who enjoy Uru and the whole Myst(TM) world." Blanc expects dozens of people to work with him on the project.

March 29, 2004
Interview With the DLF's Jerle and Domahreh
Kha'tie and randomos chatted with the co-founders of the DLF (D'ni Liguistic Fellowship). Great read!
First Part of Stan's Puzzle Solved!
Foo and I posted the solution (spoiler) at about the same time. It gives you about 25% of the page. More to come!
Another Clue...and More Images
Stan writes: "Fifth and sixth
One given to the explorers
Another to the archivists."
(Links added by patchallel)
The fifth pic is oo and the sixth is abd.
The Mystery Deepens
Stan justed posted this image:

A Mystery Unfolds...
Stanley Murray, aka "Gas Station Stan," had several forums working furiously to solve a very interesting puzzle:
"See the unseen
Be to see the pattern
Second one will show the way
Find it..."
Followed closely by a .swf file. Several folks have cracked the puzzle, including Ran in the UO Forum. Once you do what is necessary, another message appears, first posted by grilox on the UO Forum. Then, Stan began posting images on the forums: firstpiece, ack, stana and rev. There are also two audio files to listen to: Sound 1 and Sound 2. Thanks to all on the UruObsession Forum for solving this puzzle. The question is: What has this to do with Myst IV?

March 27, 2004
Announcing "The Lazy Guildmaster Contest"
Alahmnat writes to The Lyst: "Hello everyone. I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new contest at DPWR. Prizes are still being finalized, but I didn't want to hold off making the announcement just for that (and yes, there will be prizes).
The Guildmasters running the Archive are currently being overwhelmed by the amount of material now available in Uru and Uru: To D'ni, as well as the large backlog of information in the existing Myst games and novels.
We need your help to get the Archive up-to-date! Starting today, and running through the end of April, any person who contributes new material to the Information Archive will be entered to win the contest. Depending on the prizes, we may also have one or more runners-up, but as I said, prizes aren't finalized yet. Let's get Archiving!"
Check http://www.dpwr.net/index.php for details.
"To D'ni" Journals Translated
Gadren, with the help of gbeall, Measi, L'lee, Durane, Trisha, and AJ3389 and compiled by Gadren, presents: JOURNALS IN TO D'NI. The translation is in RichText form and will soon be available at the D'ni Desk Reference and UruObsession's Library.
Happy Feast Day!
From DRCSite.org: "First Feast of the Maker - Lenovoo 10, March 27 (Pre-earth celebration)."

March 26, 2004
Photoplay Contest is Ready for Our Votes!
Here are the Photoplay Contest Finalists:
Davey's BASE, Myst IV Reloaded, D'ni Money, Teledahn Salad, Screaming in Aegura, How D'ni Really Fell, Crime Scene, D'ni Disaster, Gehn is Watching You, Hitchhiking. Be sure to vote!
Follow-up to SafeDisc and X1 Issue
CONQUERERMTM, who has been the most active in tracking this issue down, has posted the following to the UO Forums: "I think I know the reason : the Brazilian mastering of Uru DOESN'T contain any version of SafeDisc. To put an end to this, this fact explains why :
. I am able to run the game without the CD
. UruToDni tells me that my CD is not valid, because it really is invalid, since it is not protected."
Photoplay Contest Goes to the Judges
Cyan announced that all of the entries for the contest have been received and they are being reviewed by their judges. Once the finalists have been selected, the community will be asked to select a winner! Be sure to check out all of the entries in the gallery.
Comparison of Two Online Game Formats: Console vs. PC
Matt Slagle, Associated Press, has written an interesting article, comparing the successes of online console games to the apparent failures of online PC games. Interesting read.
Changes to X1 Hindering Hacking Efforts
Vernsh writes in the Hack Game post thread (on the main Uru page): "...to d'n" checks for changes to both uruexplorer, changes to prp files and for files that have been removed. Removing files was the first method used to hack into the city and changing prps was used to remove the barricades. If you do that now, you get an error message and the game crashes." In the same thread, however, Safrin2 writes: "So far I have found two possible ways to tweak URU - To D'ni" and he documents the process on his site.
Easter Egg Found in X1
Several people have contributed to a thread on the UO Forums (as well as other places) that describe how to get the egg to work. Do not follow this link if you do not want to see spoilers.

March 25, 2004
Myst Mini-Series On Hold
Jim Stephenson reports on his Riven Unofficial Home Page that a fellow Myst fan, Scott Gruber, was able to get a response from the company that was developing the mini-series, Mandalay Entertainment: "Per your email, if you would still like to see Myst get made for the Sci-Fi Channel, I suggest you have your user groups make your opinion known to the Sci Fi Channel. Otherwise, it is on hold." Thanks for the news, Jim and Scott!
Photos From Meeting of the Urulien in Paris
Silvertorm of the Guild of Greeters sent out a link: UrU Live Souvenons nous ("Uru Live Let us remember") with some wonderful images from Uru Live, including a group taken during a recent get together of French Uru players, the Urulien, Photos réelles. Thanks, Silvertorm!
Learn to be a Cartographer!
Dohati Endetan, of the Cartography Guild, has produced a great set of Tutorials for those who wish to learn to be a cartographer. His work has led futographer (Grand Master Pa’trick, founder of the Guild) to promote him from Apprentice to Guildsman. "Although he is new to the Guild, his proactive creation of the training page web site is just the kind of effort (we need)." Great site and congrats, Dohati!
D'ni Linguistic Fellowship Translates Kehnehn Gor Text
D'ni Linguistic Fellowship has a thread that details their work in translating the Kehnehn Gor Text in the classroom in X1. Because most Uru fans cannot read D'ni, I don't see the thread as a spoiler. Check it out.
New Guild of Artisans Contest: "The Journey of Healing"
The Guild of Artisans has announced a new contest: The Journey of Healing. The contest is divided into three categories: Image, Sound and Short Story. Here's more from the site: "Contest open to everyone including GoA members who are not judges, there are no prizes, just the honor of entering and having your entry chosen. Contest runs from March 20, 2004 through April 30, 2004. Contestants may only enter one submission per category, but may enter one submission in each category (for a total of three entries). Entries should be submitted to goacontests@ev1.net." Follow the link above for more specific details.

March 24, 2004
Newer Version of SafeDisc in X1 Causing Problems
Several users have posted on the UO Forum and the Uru Forum that they are getting this error: "SETUP HAS DETECTED THAT YOUR CD IS NOT VALID" during the install of X1. The cause seems to be a newer build of SafeDisc in X1 than was in the original Uru installer.
"Catastrophic Error" When Installing X1
Several people are having problems installing X1, including getting a "Catastrophic Error" message. Kha'tie wrote to The Lyst: "Mild SPOILERS: Please note that you do not have to play Ages Beyond Myst all over again to finish To D'ni. What you need to do is the cleft, some of Garrison (get your KI and a link to the Cleft) and then one other Age... if anyone wants to know which age, email me privately and I'll tell you. But you do not have to replay ALL of Garrison or two of the other ages. Hope this helps a little... I'm sorry about the trouble people are having, but when X1 was being made it was evident that there would be so many "variations" on what games people had saved:
Ages Beyond Myst only; Ages Beyond Myst and Live; Some ABM and some Live; Some ABM. etc.
So there had to be a way to make an expansion that would "fit". That was my understanding, anyway. I personally had about 4 instances of Uru on my own machine. I removed all of them and did a clean install, and didn't know that's what was required.
Now I feel very thankful I did it this way. Please email me off Lyst if I can be of any assistance to anyone. Thanks.
~ Kha'tie : )"
Personally, Uru - To D'ni crashed on me several times, as I was using an old Live install. I uninstalled everything, reinstalled, put in my old post-Live saved game, upgraded and I was fine.
Anyone Finished "To D'ni"?
Deg posted to the Uru Forum: "I just thought I'd leave a note saying that I greatly enjoyed the Xpack. I don't want to post any spoilers here, so I direct those who have finished the Xpack to my post here. Cheers, - Deg -."

March 23, 2004
Updated Site
You've probably noticed the changes to this site (left justified, red dates and archived news pages); they are in response to some excellent suggestions made by a fellow Vivarium member (thanks, Myri!). Hope you like the changes. To learn more about Vivarium, check out our site.
Calming Uru Screensaver
gazola42, famous for his PhotoBucket shots of Uru (which contain spoilers), announced on the UruObsession Forum a new screensaver; it's a 6 minute plus movie of the fish in Eder Kemo and it's cool! He suggests using the BS Player, which is free. Thanks, gazola!

March 22, 2004
UruObsession's Library Updated for "To D'ni"
UruObsession announced a substantial update to The Library with a huge amount of new info, including MAINPAGE/ TO D'NI: Hint Guide & Walkthrough, D'NI - AE'GURA: Updates Opened Areas, D'NI - BEVIN: Updated mainpage, D'NI - KIREL: Page added with all content, D'NI - REZEERO: Page updated, Marker list updated, NEXUS: Page updated, nexus list updated, PHIL'S RELTO: Page added with all content and RELTO: New Relto Pages and Linking Stones added.
"To D'ni" is Available!
UruObsession is reporting two locations: UbiSoft ftp and Gigex. They're also reporting that 3D Gamers has 7 mirrors.
Aitrus' Map Translated
futographer (Pa'trick, Grand Master, Guild of Cartographers) has translated Aitrus' Map from D'ni to English. Note: Both maps are very large: 4567x3320 pixels, approx. 5MBs. Here's the thread at UruObsession where he discusses his work.
New D'ni League of Activities Writing Contest
Pepsi sent the following to The Lyst: "The D'ni League of Activities would like to announce a short story writintg contest to begin with the release of the Xpack (Xp1) on Monday, March 22, 2004. We would like you to think Explorer's Journal here. How it felt to return to the caverns and Ages alone. What you experienced in the old areas you returned to and how you set about exploring the new areas. OC: Give us your experiences with the new content in character. All stories are due by the 14th of April and should be sent to Pepsi1953@hotmail.com. A panel of three (3) D'LA members will select 10 stories which will be posted on the D'LA website. Voting will take place the next weekend and finish in one week after that. The public will vote on the top three (3) stories. The authors of these stories will be listed in the D'LA Hall of Fame.
If you have any questions please contact Pepsi1953@hotmail.com or maztec@dniactivities.org." Thanks. Pepsi!
Marack Cracks Uru's ELF Format
Marack, who recently announced that he had been hacking Uru succeessfully since January (and posted his UruTweak to help others) has just cracked Uru's ELF (Encrypted Log Format). Download his ELF Viewer. I am trying to find out exactly what the Viewer does and keep this site updated as I get more info. Check out his Marack's URU Utilities site.

March 21, 2004
UruObsession Gives X1 Release Time Estimates
Dusante says: "Many people have been speculating as to when X1 will be released tomorrow. I have spoken to the community managers and they say the file will be put on at Ubisoft in the Pacific coast. So I would expect it to be released LIKELY 9 AM PST or Noon EST if nothing goes wrong."
New Build of UruTrainer Available
D'Lanor has posted a new build of his Uru Trainer 1.01. One fix, four additions and one "re-add." I tested it and it works great. Thanks, D'Lanor.
Lots of Changes at DPWR.net
Alahmnat writes: "With the most recent upgrade, there have been a small number of changes and additional features. This list is here to help you to identify what is new, what's changed, and what's coming soon."
Check it out here.

March 20, 2004
New Video From Halvor
Halvor has produced a wonderful video, called "Wandering the Ages Alone". Thanks, Halvor!
Reason #1, at Last!
"And the Top Ten Number 1 reason to go "To D'ni": OK, it's finally time to pack your bags! The "To D'ni" expansion will really be available Monday morning. Thanks for your patience, and hope you had fun with our list. And thanks to those who helped make it happen:
Chris B at Cyan Worlds
Deg
Dusante
lonelyto25 (Happy Birthday lon!)
Marcel Paans
TheRealMarlboro"
The link goes to a really cool MasterCard-like short. We're almost there!

March 19, 2004
Uru Concept Art
Blue Max sent a link to The Lyst by an artist that did some concept art for Uru, including The Great Zero. From the main page, click the tiny (and I mean tiny) thumbnails along the left side. Thanks, BM! Here's the sketch for The Great Zero:

Myst Gets Another Chance!
RAWA wrote to The Lyst: "Myst has another chance in the Game Spy Title Fight: Title Fight! eXtra Life 6."
Let's vote!
March 18, Reason 1.3: To Do List
"1) Research for the Guild of Greeters new Trivia Quiz. 2) Search for Atrus' donuts. 3) Investigate Penguin conspiracy. 4) Let Dave Letterman do the Top 10 lists from now on."
Take the Guild of Greeters' Trivia Challenge
Try your hand at one of the three quizzes, one "easy" and two "challenging." Each quiz contains 10 questions. Here's your chance to test your Uru/D'ni knowledge!
Latest News on X1
A news item on the German Uru site confirms March 22nd as the release date and a line in the FAQs at the French Uru site confirm the size as 180MB. Thanks to Jodni for posting this info on the Uru Forum.
Photoplay Gallery Grows
Be sure to check out the Photoplay Gallery, which has grown to four galleries. There are quite a few terrific entries.
More Great Videos from RR_Caz
The latest is called "Times Past, a Future Beholden." It can be found on his index page, along with links to the previous videos and slideshows.
Raewin's Website
I'm not sure how long Raewin's site has been around, but it's great! I was especially intrigued by two bugs I never saw: "The Teledahn Scope" bug and the "Get Feathers" bug. Thanks, Raewin!

March 18, 2004
MarcusOrmond posted to the "Virtual Tour of Uru Live" forum a link to DivX videos from around URU Live: Ages Beyond Myst (DivX codec required to view).
Reason 1.5 Mystery Solved!
Hogarth posted to the Uru Forum with his solution:

Here is the shot from "reason" 1.5:

And the same area of the Missions control panel of the GZ in Live:

Great Uru Maps
The Cartography Guild has a great index of some super Uru maps by devon.
Neighborhood Imager
The Guild of Greeters has a new Neighborhood Imager to which anyone can upload a 305 pixels wide by 270 pixels high image, but it must be Uru related.
Opening the Museum Doors
Safrin posted a link in the Uru Forum (subject Hack Game post 1) on how to get through the Museum doors in Ae'Gura, including some pictures in case you don't want to do the hack but still want to see inside the Museum.
Reason 1.4
Somewhat enigmatic: "Reason 1.4: To help find the many missing members of the community." That link sends you to a Forum in Deg's D'ni Explorer Guild, following the apparent disappearance of several people, possibly "To D'ni"?

March 17, 2004
Upcoming "Guild of Artisans" Contest
riggsdar1 (In Game: L'yssa) posted to the Uru Forum: "The Guild of Artisans will be holding a contest starting 3/20/04 and running through 4/30/04. It will be open to everybody (no prizes though).
You will be given a short description of an age with the beginning of a storyline. You'll be able to submit images of the age and/or story, music reflecting the age, and/or a short story continuing the story. One entry per category allowed.
We'll announce the contest sometime on the 19th of March.
So get your paints, your pen, and your instruments ready to go!"
New Survey, with Screenshots
From the Uru Forum: A random survey was sent to some Forum users, with images promised at the end. Because it was random, it's been suggested not to post the link. But here are the pictures: Image1, Image2 and Image3. Image1 looks like the Hood, not sure about 2 and 3 looks like GZ.
Reason 1.5
There's a trick to getting reason 1.5; here's the clue they give:

And, once you've got the answer, here's the reward:

anyone recognize this?
More Fun with Zardoz
Zardoz has been doing some very interesting experiments with Uru: When Good Ages go Bad, Help me, Spock. and he includes instructions! Be sure to backup your dat folder. Even if you don't do the hacks he describes, you must look at the pictures in the post. They're priceless.
DPWR.net User Gallery Images Must be Backed Up
From Alahmnat: "This is an official notice that images uploaded to the Members' Gallery will be lost following the completion of the upgrades to the board. Please ensure that you have backups of all of your images stored on your personal computer by the end of Thursday. You will be able to re-upload them following the completion of the upgrades later this week and early next week. Also, the Gallery may be offline for an extended period of time this coming week as Anne and I transfer everything to the new system. Thank you in advance for your patience."
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Defeats Myst
The final vote count is in: Zelda: Ocarina of Time=6331, Myst=2138.

March 16, 2004
Zardoz Having Fun
Zardoz has created some absolutely fabulous pix, posted in the Uru Forum Topic "Hack Game post 1," apparently changing the names of the Ages. Fantastic work, Zardoz. Thanks..
Reason 1.75
Reason 1.75: Uru "To D'ni" will be the pinnacle of civilization, with amaz..." and the ellipse takes you to this page, called "rongone." And, from UruObsession: "What could it be!? First Khatie Postma has suddenly disappeared, then members of MysteriumHouse were missing, and now Ron is gone! *gasp*" What's going on?
New Tweaking Uru Site
Safrin posted to the Uru Forum: "I've made a little place for all the tweaking apps so that it would be easier to find a new releases." Great site, Safrin, thanks!
More "Zandoni" Pics
Gazola posted a link in the Uru Forums for a new batch of 1280x960 shots of his wild ride with the Zandoni! To find out how to do this yourself, look for "Drive the Zandoni" below.
First Entries in the Myst Photoplay Contest
From randomos: "We're getting in the first entries into the Photoplay contest- doctored or staged images, and they are pretty funny stuff. You can find them here."
It's Myst vs Zelda!
The next round of GameSpy's Title Fight! The Ultimate Gaming Grudge is open and it's Myst vs Zelda. Already this morning the vote count is Zelda=4721 to Myst=1673. We need your vote!
Upgrades to DPWR.net Are on the Way
Alahmnat posted this message: "This weekend, schedules permitting, I will be upgrading the forum and website to a newer version of Invision Power Board. The Gallery will also be getting a serious upgrade (we're actually switching softwares). There's a few other things I have planned as well, but some of them are less immediate. I just wanted to announce ahead of time that the site may be experiencing periods of downtime, during which the forums will be offline, and the Gallery will be down for as much as a week while Donahoo and I re-tool it. Downtime and intermittent explosions (hah, I'm kidding... seriously...) should die down by Monday at the latest, and the Gallery should be back up by next Friday."

March 15, 2004
Another Chance to Vote for Uru
Tim Larkin wrote to The Lyst: "As long as you're in the voting mood... Game Industry News has the nominations for their annual awards up for voting and URU is up for Best Puzzle Game, Best Environment, and Best Soundtrack:Game Industry News. You do need to register to vote unless you've registered before. Thanks for your support. Tim Larkin." Thanks, Tim!

March 14, 2004
Uru Tweak Now Available
Mark Curtis announced to The Lysts that he had created Uru Tweak, a program that allows you to modify Uru. As with the other hacks mentioned here, be cautious and always back up your saved files.
Drive the Zandoni!
RR_Kaz has produced the greatest video, after hacking Uru. Here's the thread from the Uru forum explaining what to do to drive your own Zandoni! It's got to be seen to be believed.

March 13, 2004
UruTrainer V7 Now Available
Through the outstanding efforts of cjkelly1 (initial concept, coding and design) and LiquorCooChee (debugging and additional coding) UruTrainer V7 is now available. You may also need to download OCX FIX for the Trainer to work. The Trainer allows you to change certain conditions (such as removing barricades, maiking Relto pages work) by editing Uru files while they are running in RAM, so if you feel uncomfortable doing this, don't use the Trainer. Keep in mind that this hack has not been shut down by UbiSoft or Cyan (all of the development process was done in an Uru Forum), they have said they will not offer technical support if your install of Uru breaks, so make backups. Have fun!
New Contest at D'ni Jazz Club
From DJC: "To celebrate the continuation of Uru through the Expansion pack thats due out soon DJC is giving away a copy of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. We are looking for the best art piece that shows the scene of Yeesha being in D'ni for the first time and learning about the D'ni past whilst struggling with her own problems. Entry closes on the 31st of March and will be reviewed by DJC staff and a winner announced. All entries to be sent to webmaster@dnijazzclub.com

March 12, 2004
Reason #2 Debuts
Reason 2 is a reminder to check out the images in the Sound and Light Gallery, plus an invite to submit an entry to the Photoplay Contest.
Latest News About X1
Aquila sent this to The Lyst, from a posting by Randomos in the Uru Forum: "Wherein we step from behind the curtain... As you may have noticed, the date implied by the Top Ten List has sort of grown- during the QA process we've had to push the release date back from our original target. We've tried to have fun with the process- and the changes in the schedule- and hope you have had fun too. Today we learned- again, due to the need to make sure that the quality and level of support were absolutely ready- that the expected date for the release of the expansion pack is now Monday March 22nd. We are very confident that this date is solid, but, with the previous delays, thought it best to clarify the situation and pass along what we know. Please note: this date too might have to be delayed. We really really hope not- but that's the nature of the beast: you can predict your testing results, but the actual process may turn up bugs, and that means fixes and a need to delay the release. And yes, we'll continue to try to come up with humorous additions to our Top Ten list (and if you have any good suggestions, please drop a private topic invite to Khatie or myself!). Thanks all!" Thanks to Aquila, as well.
Update to "Top 10 Reasons"
This has been added to the Top 10 page: "Note:  we'd hoped to have some fun with the release date of the expansion pack- no date was specified for the release to ensure a thorough QA process- which can be hard to predict.  We hope you take our countdown in the spirit of fun, and please be assured that we will be releasing the "To D'ni" expansion pack as soon as it is thoroughly tested and ready to go.  In the meantime..."
Huevo and Vika Cracked
Zardoz writes: "A thread on hacking over in the Uru forums introduced me to the use of a RAM editor. I've used a hex editor -- indeed, diving into realMyst savegames required one -- but I had never thought to sift through memory while realMyst was running. So I got one, loaded up realMyst, entered the Rime Age (pretty sure I didn't have to do that, but I thought it couldn't hurt), and switched into the RAM editor." Check it out: Huevo and Vika Cracked. Great work, Zardoz!
Myst IV "Screenshot"
Gas Station Stan posted an image to Myst Obsession that he says is an actual shot of one of the Myst IV developer's screens. Thanks, Stan! Here's the screenshot (cleaned up in Photoshop):

Watercolor Field Journal
Save URU Live has put up a lovely Field Journal created by inki. They are watercolors that can be viewed up to 1280x1024, making beautiful wallpapers. Thanks, inki!
DPWR.net is Back!
DPWR.net has returned! We missed you, Alahmnat!
Yesterday's Reason 2.25
The countdown continues with Reason 2.25: a very topical strip from lonelyto25's Mysterium House. Still to come: Reason 2, Reason 1.75, Reason 1.5 and Reason Number 1. So, X1 sometime next week?
New Video by Ricka
Ricka has released a great new video, based on Gadren's "yet it remains" poem. In addition, Ricka created a video for the newly created Save URU Live website. Great work!
Updated Sri's Relto
Srikandi has improved her Sri's Relto to include a Journey Album that "contains screenshots of everything you need to solve the puzzles that have in-game clues: just pictures, no spoiler info or directions on how to use the clues. Useful if you know you saw something relevant but didn't make a note of it."

March 11, 2004
News from the French Uru Site
Over at the French Uru site, they've announced that X1 is available, when it's not. Plus, they are offering a webkit, which includes lots of great graphics and logos.
Myst Defeats Zork!
At GameSpy.com's "Title Fight! The Ultimate Gaming Grudge," Myst beat Zork in Match 18, 3277 to 1906. The next match is March 15th, against Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Don't forget to vote!
DPWR.net is Down
Starting yesterday, attempts to reach DPWR.net returned "500 Unknown Host" or "Cannot Find Server." CAGrayWolf told The Lyst this morning: "I've been in contact with Alahmnat and he is very aware of the situation now and is working on getting it fixed ... DPWR should be back up within a couple of days if not sooner." Thanks, Wolfie!
Tech TV Review of Uru
Read/watch the review here. The next broadcast will be Saturday 3/13 at 12 p.m. Eastern. The review is generally favorable:
"Uru is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing pieces of art ever assembled on a CD-ROM."
"Uru's sound is magnificently haunting."
"While you can't help but regret that this is merely the start of an epic, it's a great start nonetheless."
Top 10 Reasons Recap
Here's a brief recap of the preceeding reasons:
10: An image from Ae'gura, inside the Museum.
9: An apparently flipped image of the Hood.
8: Two new clothing additions, the tie-dyed shirt and a backpack.
7: A sound file that seems to be from The Great The Great Zero.
6: Another sound file, apparently from Heek.
5: An image from the Ferry, in Ae'gura.
4: Another shot of Ae'gura.
3: A very mystifying quote.
2.5: A shot of an avatar in The Great Zero, as well as a link to the forum "Uru - The Journey Continues."

March 9, 2004
New "Journey to Uru" Book to be Released April 27
This was noticed on Amazon.com: Journey to URU: The Definitive History of the Ages Beyond Myst : Prima's Official Linking Book
by Bryan Stratton. From the inside flap: Your Link to New Ages
·Comprehensive personal account of the author's journey through Uru's Ages
·Hand-drawn maps and actual photographs of the Ages seen by the author
·Official D'ni Restoration Council (DRC) Explorer's Reference, with solutions to all of Uru's puzzles
·Complete DRC Research text, including all journals and notebooks
·Detailed historical information about Uru's place in the epic that began with Myst and Riven
·Exclusive glimpses of new Ages recently discovered by the DRC
·Critical details on how to use recently discovered D'ni technology: Linking Books, Linking Stones, KIs, and Yeesha Pages
Check Out New Myst Fan Site
Dugchugger launched a new site, still in progress: Trehahno Pahrah. From News 2/29/04: "There has been news of people who refuse to leave the cavern. I (Dillenger) am among the people that continue to hide and keep the resoration alive. Be looking for maps and tools that some have used to get back into the cavern and maintain a presence in spite of the DRC leaving."

March 8, 2004
My Hacked Uru Images at PhotoBucket
For those of you who've been following the thread about hacking Uru, you'll understand where these images come from. For those who don't, read the thread. Very long and very enlightening.
Watch Your Tree Grow...and Ungrow!
Ricka posted to the UruObsession Forum a cool animated gif of her Relto tree growing...and ungrowing! Thanks, ricka!
Cyan Worlds Official Journey Gear
Aquila sent this link to The Lyst. Very nice Lexan Bottle and Stainless Mug. Get yours while they're still available!
Great New Walkthrough
Posted to The Lyst was a great walkthrough, which can be viewed as Flash or downloaded as a .pdf.
Check Out the Honorable Mentions
Click here to see/hear the Honorable Mentions from the Sound and Light Contest. Included are seven images and six sound files.

March 5, 2004
Uru Live...The Untold Story
Shangra has completed an amazing work called Uru Live...The Untold Story. I like to think of it as "Adventures in the Museum."
Return of The Lyst Neighborhood
Aquila told The Lyst that he has completed an update to The Lyst Neighborhood. He notes: "This new site will try to compliment The Lysts, by providing a few more tools for the Lysters to use. Keep in mind, it's not required that you be a Lyster to join in :)"
Uru Sound and Light Honorable Mentions Announced
Today, Randomos announced the Honorable Mentions in the Sound and Light Contest, with this note: "We're still in the process of uploading all of the Sound and Light entries- it's a long (and very impressive) set of creative works."
"Save Uru Live" Image Gallery Debut
A wonderful new site has debuted, with some fantastic shots of Uru, documenting the brief time that Live was available: "Here we have gathered a display of images from the game. Perhaps viewing these images can give you a sence of what URU Live was all about if you have never played, or if you have played it could bring back pleasent memories. If you have more images to contribute make sure to contact our staff." (I've made the link live to send email directly to the Save Uru Live staff.)
Updated D'ni Raiders Group Website
Blue Max has sent out a call for submissions of community pages for links. "Reply to me privately to bluemax@dniraiders.com and put the header "Raider Link" in the subject line it would be greatly appreciated." Also, the site has many updates; check it out here.
Reason 7 You'll Want to go "To D'ni" Released
This is a sound file that reminds some of the startup of The Great Zero. Listen here.

March 4, 2004
Top Ten Update
Yesterday's Top Ten page shows a tie-dyed shirt (available in Live via Teledahn) and a backpack. Chatter on the forums say that the backpack was only available in Live to female avatars. The image looks like a male avatar. We'll have to wait and see.
Another Analysis of Uru's Closing
CHARLES HEROLD, NYTimes.com, writes Tackling the Mystery of the Missing Game. Near the end of the article, he says "...the Uru debacle seems less a mystery than a tragedy, a grand vision gone awry through a series of misjudgments." Interesting article.
Update on Josh Staub's Mantis Parable
Josh Staub, Art Director at Cyan Worlds, sent out an email announcing the addition of a Intro Sequence to his Mantis Parable project. Looks great. Thanks, Josh!

March 3, 2004
Project Myst
Joel Hoombeek is building Myst Island using "Virtual LEGOs." If you haven't seen the site, check it out. It's cool.
RR_Caz's "Uru Crazy" Video
Here's a link to a really cool video, including shots of the "GreatZero-in-Relto" hack.
Maintainer Suit/Wall Climbing Video
Inki posted to the UruObsession Forum a link to a cool video of an avatar in a Maintainer's Suit climbing the Gahreesen wall.
Possible Myst IV Artist?
Meinert Hansen, whose website is called Fiction Science, lives in Montreal and made these comments on his site: "Coming sometime in 2004 - Lots of designs for a computer game which I worked on for a year at UbiSoft Entertainment. Everything is top secret for now, but when I get permission to show these designs, it will have a category of it’s own. Just got word that the UbiSoft game which I worked on last year won’t be out till September. That means I still can’t show any of my work from it for at least 8 months. " Who knows...?

March 2, 2004
A Hint from Kha'tie on the UruObsession Forum
Kha'tie responds to speculation about Myst IV: 'Well, I'm in regular touch with the Myst 4 team... and they are just as excited to let you know things as you guys are to find them out. I'm going to reply in RAWAesque fashion: "Soon." and "We'll see." That should cover it.'
A Look Inside the Myst IV Studio
Gas Station Stan posted to MystObsession News an image purported to be "A glimpse of the Myst 4 studio." Thanks, Stan.
Reason #9 Debuts
Check it out here.
Top Ten Reasons You'll Want to Go "To D'ni"
Today begins a 10-day countdown to the release of "To D'ni," the first Uru Expansion Pack, known as X1. Included is a daily image of what can be expected in X1. The first image is from the Museum or the Gallery. Check the page each day to see the new images.
Aloys is Leaving Position of Uru Community Manager for France
Kha'tie and randomos announced that Gregory Champoux, aka Aloys, has decided to move on. We wish him well in his future endeavors. Thanks, Aloys!

March 1, 2004
Ubisoft Acquires Wolfpack
Ign.com talks with Ubi.com's general manager, Jason Rubinstein. Interesting article.