Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Special tutorials, usually for the exporter plugin, but also general modeling tutorials.

Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby teedyo » Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:17 am

I have a concept which builds on D'ni backstory which would probably be rejected. It uses D'ni history/society issues to explain why this age location was utilized and also to explain why it is no longer in use. Well, 85% of the reasons anyway. The other 15% is not D'ni related. I've used this model mostly to avoid having to create multiple languages; one is going to be plenty! The way I've conceived it only requires that the path of the non-D'ni be expanded. The D'ni related portions can be left to rot or not. The linking book to this age would be an explorer discovery.

That being said; I intend to implement it as conceived. I'll find a way to re-purpose the age after it is rejected. I consider this a long term project anyway and much could change by the time it's ready for submission. The mechanics of the age can't be built with our current tools anyway. I've got other short(er) term, 'written' concepts to fill in with.

Coincidentally; this age contains an atoll as does Katreeny's odyssey age; just not as a primary feature. Funny how we tend to limit ourselves to variations of earthly phenomena.
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby katreeny » Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:51 pm

teedyo wrote:(snippage)

Coincidentally; this age contains an atoll as does Katreeny's odyssey age; just not as a primary feature. Funny how we tend to limit ourselves to variations of earthly phenomena.


Heh. I think it's a case of form and function. If you have ocean, you'll have everything that goes with it, including assorted types of islands. To be quite honest, I started with an atoll because it's so COLD here and a tropical getaway sounded really nice ;) Hopefully the references to Uru, D'ni and such in the diaries will pass muster. If not, it shouldn't be too hard to remove them - none of the Uru references are core to the ages and the storyline.

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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Zander » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:26 am

An island of some sort is the basic form for an Age. it has as much land that can be used as you want to give it, and a boundary of ocean to keep everything together. Mountains That Cannot Be Climbed are all right till some clown decides to climb them anyway, but five days of rowing/sailing in a straight line and not getting anywhere will be enough for most people.
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Zander » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:10 pm

I've put the story behind Stormcastle in the Storytellers section. There's only one element that might be said to impinge slightly on one of Cyan's characters, and that might well turn out to be removable (I put it in to explain a characteristic of the Age that may get altered anyway). Apart from that, the only thing it touches on is the existence of the D'ni and the Ages of Uru.
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby electroglyph » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:35 am

The reason for no D'ni content is simple. Somewhere in the real world there is an artist with a contract who gets paid whenever their creations are used. Rather than deal with non ending copyright renegotiations Cyan asks that you stay away from it entirely. They don't have millions of dollars to support your free hobby. If you want to pay them and their lawyers to track down the interested parties and work out a contract and fee schedule I'm sure you could work out the use of D'ni materials for a few hundred thousand.

Why have to refer to the D'ni by name? There are several ages that refer to them as gods or the creators. A reference like this is probably generic enough to pass. Don't call them "D'ni", call them the "old ones, those from Above...Below...Inside...The Deep Places, etc.

Finally, why have to explain anything at all? In the original Myst there was just a linking book and a picture. There wasn't a long journal and an explanation of why it was there. Atrius explained he wrote the books to teach his sons and we barely found out about the D'ni. Atrius was a writer and there were many people in D'ni society who weren't. They probably used the relto books like we use wallets and credit cards. No writing, no long explanation, just pictures of the grocery store, clothing shop, places they'd like to go. Only the great artists’ masterworks seem to contain text. There are already plenty of travel cloths, Bahro stones, and Relto pages that don't say anything at all. Wasn't half the fun of the original game finding out things without being told?
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Lontahv » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:51 am

Yeah...

That being said,

I'd never want any part of D'ni not modeled by Cyan (or at least, not conceived by Cyan and the fans work together with Cyan).

Note: Sorry if this is off topic, I just felt like making my view clear. :)

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Currently getting some ink on my hands over at the Guild Of Ink-Makers (PyPRP2).
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Aloys » Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:13 am

I agree. Even more, even if they wanted to collaborate with us to create some part of the Cavern, that'd just feel weird. D'ni is their stuff, not ours. I would really feel like an intruder. Especially as far as the Cavern is concerned. Working on other D'ni Ages, Relto pages, stuff that isn't 'mainstream' D'ni I wouldn't feel uneasy with. It would be quite cool even. But working on stuff that's inside the Cavern? Or any associated part (Shaft, Tunnels etc). I'd really feel like an outsider..
That may not make a lot of sense, I guess it's mostly for historical reasons, but D'ni's mainland is Cyan's stuff.
To me it would feel just as weird if another studio was hired to work on it. Presto and Ubi working on other Ages, even Tomahna I'm ok with. But D'ni itself? Wow, that's just sacred stuff. No one gets to touch that beside Cyan.
(I know 'Cyan' is a vague term, the team has changed so much over the years.. Today there are exactly 2 people remaining from the original Myst team (Rand and RAWA), and barely more from the Riven days.. Still that remains Cyan.)
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Moiety Jean » Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:18 pm

I have a quick question about the sequence prefix. I understand that the number is chosen from the available ones on the Alcugs wiki list, but how is the hex number decided? I am not nearly ready to try exporting my age, but I would like to reserve a slot for it and a name for it. I'm sending my FCAL request to Cyan today and I'd like to also add my age info to the Age Approval Status list. Do I have to have exported my age once before I am able to add it to the lists?
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby D'Lanor » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:30 am

The easy way to find the hex number for your age:

1. If you are on Windows, open up the standard calculator
2. Put it in scientific mode
3. Make sure it is set to decimal (Dec)
4. Type in your sequence prefix
5. Set it to Hex
"It is in self-limitation that a master first shows himself." - Goethe
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Re: Guide to obtaining a FCAL from Cyan

Postby Aloys » Fri Apr 25, 2008 6:06 pm

Why is that hexadecimal number is for anyway again?
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