January 28, 2004
D'LA Announces KI-Photo Scavenger Hunt
Here's an overview: "Two-person teams will each be given a list of 10 clues. Each clue refers to a specific item or location that must be photographed using your KI. Items can be located in any of the available Ages. The first team to return with all 10 correct photos will be the winner. 2nd and 3rd places will receive honorable mention." Date/Time: Saturday, January 31st at 2:00pm PST. Click here for details.
An Important Memo from the International Society of D’ni Dramatists and Thespians
Posted by Alahmnat, at DPWR.net: "Ladies and Gentlemen: Without further ado it is my pleasure to announce the International Society of D’ni Dramatists and Thespians! It is also to my immense gratification to also make known our first Script Submission Contest!The D’LA: ISDDT has issued a proclamation seeking new and original works to tell tales of D’ni new and old. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your quills! To pen and paper! We are seeking fresh short works for performance at the D’LA: ISDDT Memorial Theatre, live in DRC approved ages and simulcast publishing at www.dniactivities.org. As these works are to be performed please consider the range of the actors involved and the sets available for performance; it is recommended that you write to these parameters."

January 26, 2004
D'ni Linguistic Fellowship opens its doors
The D'ni Linguistic Fellowship, an open community of scholars, explorers, and enthusiasts of the languages of the D'ni and their Ages, opened its doors today to the general public. "Really, our aim is twofold," said Domahreh, one of the DLF's founders. "We want to encourage real learning, and we also want to create a warm, welcoming community. And have some fun while we're at it, too!"
Mysterium 2004 to be in Toronto
Mysterium 2004 Toronto Campaign has announced: "We've got it! Mysterium is in Toronto for Summer 2004. Exact dates are yet to be determined. Many thanks to all who gave their support during the vote, and we hope to see you here this summer."
Adrenaline Vault Gives Uru 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars
Bob Mandel has reviewed Uru, giving it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Here's a sample: "Uru is without doubt an impressive offering, but not the breakthrough release for which I had hoped."
Check Out an Excellent Reference Site
Srikandi, an Uru Forum Moderator, has added a Wall Board Template to assist in your Gahreesen Wall Climbing efforts. Her site is loaded with other great info, including a KI Quick Reference, an Uru Live Link Map and the locations of the Maintainers' Marks. Outstanding site, thanks, Srikandi!
Another Gahreesen Wall Helper
Dan'ni has added quite a bit of info to the Uru Obsession forum on The Wall, including great screenshots. Thanks, Dan'ni!

January 22, 2004
The D'ni League of Activities' First Event is a Success!
According to maztec, the Dance Lesson went over well: "WOW! What can I say? For our first event this was definitely a success. Sorry to hear so many of you were unable to get in, hopefully we'll see you next time."

January 21, 2004
New Build Announced by CyanBill
In an Uru posting, CyanBill announces a new build.
Kalamee Age Suspended
According to the DRC Ages page, work on the Kalamee Age has been suspended ("Kalamee - 8/2001 - Resources volatile, recommend suspension.- Watson").
Uru Named Best Adventure Game by IGN.com
In it's Best of 2003, IGN.com lists Uru as Best Adventure Game. Here's part of what they had to say: "Combining a gorgeous, fully three-dimensional presentation with some thoughtful and logical puzzle design, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst brings the series up to date in terms of technology and design."

January 20, 2004
New D'ni Sites Announced
A new organization has been announced:The D'ni League of Activities. Here's their philosophy: "The D'LA is an explorer-organized project dedicated to furthering an environment of fun and harmonious co-operation in D'ni. Competition and co-operation collide in player-run events from sports to games to theatre." Their links page includes another cool site: Traffic Cone Preservation Society. Check them both out.
Another Age "Suspended"
At the DRC site, another age, Sunken Vessel (Ae'gura) Phase One, shows as Suspended.
New Shard and New Content Upcoming
CyanBill announced that a new shard is coming online this week, with new content.

January 16, 2004
Rebek and Great Tree Pub Ages Suspended
According to the DRC, Rebek ("7/02 - Environmental abnormalities - too dangerous - Watson") and Great Tree Pub ("12/2003 - Sharper removed. Recommend Suspension of project.") have been suspended. This brings the total of suspended ages to ten. Note that some ages (Dahtamnay, Gahreesen, Great Zero, Kahlo, Pirahnay and Pento) have hyperlinks on the Ages page that take you to pages that contain more information.

January 15, 2004
URU: Ages Beyond Myst Sound Development Report by Tim Larkin
Tim has written an incredible article on the development of sounds and music for Uru. Be sure to take the time to read it here.

January 13, 2004
GameZone Online Interviews Tim Larkin
Music That Goes Above and Beyond in URU: Ages Beyond MYST. Excellent interview. Tim is definitely getting his fair share of publicity. It's well-deserved.
Text of Tim Larkin Chat is Available
Amon-re has captured a log of the chat. Thanks, amon-re!
Another Strong Review
Matt Slagle of the Associated Press gives Uru 3 stars out of 4. Read his entire review here. A sample comment: "Cyan Worlds took a risk releasing a game which rewards perception and patience. We all should be thankful." We are, Matt.

January 8, 2004
UruLive Announces Opening of the Great Zero
Just a few days after the DRC announced the opening of the Great Zero, UruLive has updated their site with further details, noting that when fully operational, new functionality will be added to explorer's KIs. The GZ must be calibrated and it looks like explorers will be helping. Explorers are instructed to go to the Observatory, via the Nexus, to get a KI upgrade.
Short - but Sweet - Review of Uru by the Houston Chronicle
Dwight N. Odelius, Special to the Chronicle, has many kind things to say about Uru; here's one: "...while Uru is undeniably related to Myst in theme and style, it is vastly superior to its predecessors in game play."
Becky of GameBoomers.com gives Uru 4.5 out of 5 BAAGS (Buy All Adventure Games Syndrome)
Becky writes a glowing review of Uru. Here's a few of her comments: "Jaw-dropping, haunting 3D environments. The game is fascinating, visually and auditorially entrancing, occasionally bewildering, absorbing, mysterious and deep. Where Uru truly shines and delights is in the immersive quality of these worlds. The Ages in Uru are gorgeous. From every angle the place is breathtaking." Wow. Thanks, Becky!
"Happy New Year" Screenshot on the French Uru Site
I'm not sure why this doesn't appear on the US site, but I think this is a great screenshot.

January 7, 2004
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Sound and Light Contest Announced
UruLive has announced the first Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Sound and Light Contest, with prizes that include: Grand Prize: Kenwood HTB-306 complete Sound System, plus 5 Nvidia GeForce FX Graphics cards, 5 Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS cards and 5 Peter Gabriel cds. They are accepting submissions of Uru-related Visual and Sound art throughout the month of January. Winners will also be displayed on a special page created for this contest. Click here for info.
Tim Larkin Online Chat Announced
UruLive has also announced an upcoming online chat with Tim Larkin, Tuesday, January 13th at 11am PST. Here's the link.
UruObsession Lists Great Zero Markers (GZMs).
UruObsession has added an excellent list of GZMs into it's library. It's a great reference document. Check it out.

January 6, 2004
The Great Zero Opens!
The DRC has announced the opening of the Great Zero! Included is some history, synopsis and a few notes.
URU Diaries, Part 2
Jim Saighman at Adventure Gamers.com has released his URU Diaries, Part 2 in which he covers his experiences with UruLive. He had several issues and is very blunt in his criticism. Here is a snippet: "So, Constant Reader, have I been enjoying my time spent in the Prologue of URU Live? I wish I could say I have, but it has mostly been a source of continual frustration and boredom. But I have no intention of giving up on it yet. Because underneath the technical troubles I can see the promise of what URU Live could be when it is fully operational. And that promise is glorious. A new dimension awaits the serious adventure gamer: puzzles that require several people at once to solve, coordinated effort to physically rebuild ruins, team-based competition where one player doesn’t control the entire team. The question now is whether technology can catch up to the Miller Brothers’ imagination."

January 3, 2004
UruObsession Looking for Volunteers!
The following unpaid positions are available: In Game Staff, Reporter and Website staff. Check out their site to see if you qualify.
Substantial New Influx of Explorers
From Bill Slease, Live Content Director: Happy New Year! We'd intended to invite a fairly substantial group yesterday, and we did. Due to a clerical error, this group is much more substantial than was intended. In fact, everyone who's registered has been sent an invitation. This is a lot more people than we were ready for, but what's done is done, and we're not going to revoke any invitations. The good news is that you're all in. The bad news is there will be "issues." I'm aware of two significant problems right now: (1) It's hard if not impossible to get into the game. (2) Once in, some people are winding up in someone else's Relto and therefore unable to explore much further. We have a plan to improve support for the loads we're now seeing, but we're short-staffed due to holiday vacations and it will take some time to get it underway. I'll be posting updates throughout the day as more information becomes available, in the forum here. Thanks for your patience.(Note: Keep up-to-date on the Uru Live Server Status page).