Wednesday: Ages

I'm at day three in the week-long-blogging-challenge, and while I'm not sure what to write about (especially in the coming days), I'm sure I'll figure something out.
A couple of years ago, when I was still really into the Myst Series games, I used to make "Ages" (other worlds) using two very different programs: Photoshop and Terragen.
With Photoshop, I'd combine elements from different photos to create surreal-looking images. Here are some of my favorite ones:





There's also Terragen, which...um, generates terrain. The Ages I made with Terragen look more alike, but they have a more uniform realistic look, since the lighting is all the same. Although I started out making more Photoshop Ages, once I got the hang of Terragen I liked it better. Here are some Terragen Ages:





As you can see, I like to work with lots of water, but you can also make terrain without water.
Well, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for commenting!

Ages beyond Myst...not in the Uru way either.

Today we've gotten the first snow of the year! Yes, it is a bit early. But I don't think we'll get "official" snow until...I dunno, mid-November.
Anyway,I have something more to say than just "blah" or "I should post more often". I've been thinking of the Myst games and I've decided that it doesn't really matter that it's finished (although in ten years...we'll see!), since there are lots of other fantasy adventure point-and-click games out there. I've decided to make a list of the ones I played, and what I think of them:

1. The Journeyman Project
I didn't like the first much (I gave up at the beginning...I couldn't really go anywhere), and the second was annoying with all the ways you can die (how was I supposed to know there was a guard right behind that door??), but I loved the third. Too bad there are only three in the series.

2. Schizm: Mysterious Journey
Well, the places are cool...but...well, let me explain what I mean with this little play I wrote:

Player 1: Wow...nice graphics!
Player 2: Let's explore!
(Players 1 and 2 run around, exploring.)
Player 2: Hmmm...we can't really go to a lot of places, can we?
Player 1: Not until we solve this puzzle, anyway!
(Players 1 and 2 fiddle with the puzzle, then go and look at the walkthrough and solve it.)
Player 1: Gosh...that was hard!!
Player 2: Well, now we can actually do something!
(Players run around some more.)
Player 2: Oh...it's...another puzzle.

Um...yeah. In conclusion: Schizm is great for puzzle-fans, and not so great for explorers.

3. The Neverhood
Totally awesome!! It's fun to explore, and the puzzles are about ten times easier than in Myst! Plus, it's hilarious! You actually have the same wandering, not-sure-what-you-have-to-do feel as you do in Myst (the first one). The only bad part is the sequal is a platform video game.

4. Crystal Key
I got this one a long time ago. It didn't work on my computer, actually. I was disappointed, obviously...but when I found out you can die if you solve a puzzle wrong...yeah, no thank you. (Still...maybe it'll work on my current computer...)

Well, that's all I can remember for now. The games I have my eyes on right now are Aura: Fate of the Ages, and Syberia. Especially the latter. (Or however you spell it.)

Final Age

D'oh! It turns out I posted an Age twice! Humph...
Anyway, time to post my last Ages.

Wow...I only had one left to post! Well, here it is:

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3493/journal.html?200523

This actually isn't an Age...it's a journal. Well, a story in the form of a journal. It's about a man who lived in D'ni. I don't think it's finished, though. What I read is very interesting so far!

And those are all my Ages. I guess I'll have to search on for more Fan-Ages.
Bye!

Another Age post

Ok, since I haven't posted in a while, I figure I should do something to make it up to...anyone who reads this blog.
So, I have a bunch more Fan-Ages left in my collection. Let's see...

http://www.mystrees.com/

Mystrees is an Age east of Niagara Falls, as the introduction mentions. It consists of a complex of treehouses, with bridges connecting them. The website has a great collection of pictures, so go take a look!

http://dni.kasha.net/index2.html

Here we have a collection of stories and images from various Ages. I recommend checking out "Ages" first. There are some very beautiful Ages...

Ok, now I have to check what Ages I already put here, so I won't repost one. If there are any Ages I haven't shown yet, I'll post them today.

Website update

Ok, the website is up (!!!), but I just have the introduction for now. I have to go do other things now, but I will add some adoptees to the site later. Once I get some stuff in I will post the link here.
Bye!

P.S. I noticed that when I play Myst IV Revelation I miss the Myst series, but when I play Myst V End of Ages I feel a sense of accomplishment. Kind of weird.

P.P.S. I actually have an excuse this time for not posting much this last month or so: I was practicing for a play! I'm finished now, so hopefuly I will post more often now. (Yeah right...)

Yet another group of Ages

Well, after my short and kind of random posts I'm glad to get back to the Ages.
Since I haven't been on in a while I hope I can remember what Ages I already added.

http://www.looriva.com/index.asp

Looriva is a pretty well-known fan-Age but I thought I should post it here anyway. There are a bunch of islands you can explore with mini-games and (of course) journals. I think Looriva is translated from German because some of the journal entries don't really make sense (and because you have an option to switch to German). It's not really my thing but it's still cool.

http://www33.brinkster.com/kehnithra/LoK_BookRoom.htm

The book room has linking books to three Ages. This was one of the early Ages in my Age hunt and I really enjoyed exploring all three Ages. I'm hope there'll be more but I doubt there will. *sigh*

http://members.tripod.com/~guildboy78/age.html

GuildBoy has some sort of Age contest going on. The site hasn't been updated in a while so I'm guessing there was an absense of compitition. Oh well. I liked reading about The Magnetic Age though.

I am nearing the end of my collection of fan-Ages...just a bunch more to go!

Another Age (Note: Possibly my shortest post ever!)

Sorry about the long wait! I suppose you're used to it by now...
Since I still don't have any inspiration, I'll just post a link to a fan Age.

http://www.fantastdesigns.com/wp_index.php

This is a neat site. It has a small Age to explore and by the looks of it it will expand. Not much there right now, but still...

And that's about it. My inspiration didn't run too long, did it?

And again...

I'm back and I'm ready to post more links to fan-Ages!
Ok, let's get right to the point:

http://expage.com/mtar1

If you've been to the Oceanic Age (you can access it on a previous Age post) and found a journal, you probably now about M'tar, the Age of Awe. Well, here you can check it out. Again, you have to use your imagination to see the Age, but the description is very nice.


http://www.aveara.com/console.htm

Aveara is supposed to be an awesome Age...but for some reason I can't do anything on it besides read a neat story. I do that by clicking on "chapters" and then "launch chapter". I'm not sure if Aveara's supposed to be a game or an Age or what, but I would really appreciate any enlightenment.


http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/9071/

This is L'halaa V'road, the land of purple nights. It's another PYOPA-style adventure (like the Oceanic Age), but here there are dead-ends and a plot. It was one of the first fan-Ages I found, and I really enjoy playing it. To play it, scroll down to the picture of the rose. From there you can get to L'halaa V'road.


http://dni.kasha.net/ages.html

This website has beautiful Age pictures. A must-see if you like Age pictures! The only sad thing is that you can't walk around in it.


http://www.geocities.com/randylazenby/?200519

This is the Age of Serenity. Here you can read about yourself exploring it. It sounds very nice, but I can't help imagining Serenia, from Myst IV Revelation. But I think the Age of Serenity was made first. Anyway, the person who made this obviously had a clear image of what the Age looks like.

Ok, that's all for now. But still more to come!

Even more Ages

Wow, that was quick, huh?
Here are some more fan-Ages:

http://www.dnilegacy.com/

This is the first game I found in my Age Hunt, and maybe even the first Age. You can play online or download to play offline...I know, kind of obvious. D'ni Legacy has really neat Ages, nice graphics, great storyline, and it even continues the Myst tradition of tons of journal-reading!

http://www.tsahno.com/

This game looks awesome, but unfortunately it's not out yet. Still, you can look at the screenshots and trailers on the website, and there's even a (rarely-updated) newspage.

http://www.agesofilathid.com/

The Ages Of Ilathid is another awesome-looking, not-out-yet game. I am totally amazed by the screenshots, by the way. There are going to be NINE Ages, too. At least that's what the introduction says. I hope it comes out soon!

And that's it for now! But I'll keep posting, just you wait!

Ages

Today I decided that I'm definitely not a journal person ("journal" including blogs). However, I think you already figured that out.
I made a new notebook escape the room game today. There are two rooms in it, making it the largest notebook escape game I've made so far...except for maybe the Arcade Escape one.
Maybe I should start making escape the room games on the computer based on these notebook ones. That would be cool.
I'm really starting to miss Myst. That's rather strange, because I have gone for a long time without Myst games. I guess now that I know there won't be any more I miss them. Well, at least Cyan is still making games. And there are lots of fan-Ages.
Speaking of which, I have been meaning to post some links to various fan-Ages at some point. I have some free time and desire now, so I might as well post some now!
Here are four:

http://members.aol.com/kirb9701/library.html

This one links to two Ages: Nightglow and Greenstone. There isn't a whole lot to do but there are is a great description and cool drawings of the islands. Definitely worth a look!

http://web.interware.hu/frenzy/myages/

When I first came to this Age there was just a desert, but now you can go to several Ages. When My Ages gets some sound, puzzles, and more Ages then I will officially call it a game. For now it's a fan-Age with really good graphics!

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/7077/reefage.html?200519

The Reef Age is another Age you can wander around in. Lots of stuff to explore here! The graphics are ok, but the Age itself is pretty cool.

http://expage.com/0ceanic

The Oceanic Age is what I call a PYOPA, a Pick Your Own Path Adventure. In other words, a choose your own adventure game. There isn't a lot of exploring, but it's nice all the same. There is a journal that seems to hint at something bigger intended for this Age.

That's all for now, but tune in next time, when Nicole will post links to some of the better-known Ages that all Age Explorers will need to visit!

Games

Hmm...there hasn't been much to write these past few weeks/days/whatever.
Today I finished this really cool game called The Neverhood. I've been stuck on the second-last puzzle for quite a while.
The next Adoptees of Whenever I Want To should be coming soon. Maybe next weekend, and possibly earlier.
I really hope Ball Revamped V will come out at some point. It's such a cool series.
And I wonder what Cyan will make next, now that they finished the Myst Series. Hopefully it's good! Well, if there's a lot of exploring then it'll be good for sure! Even without...without...Ages! There, I said it.
Oh well, that's about it. Bye!

Various thoughts on various matters

Ever had one of those times when you want to write or type something but just can't think of what to write/type? Yup, that's what's happening to me now.
Ok, ideas...well, I was just playing Ball Revamped III, part one and two, and I finished it. This is about the 5th time I finished it. It's cool, but I don't like the big levels. They feel confusing.
I hope Cyan's new game will be just as good as the Myst series. And I hope it envolves exploring...and other worlds...and books that transport you to those worlds...ok, ok, I want another Myst game. Well, at least there are some fan games (and Ages) out there. One day I might make my own Myst game, but I need to start with something more simple. Maybe an Escape-the-roomer. Or I could make a fan Age that you can walk around in. I have enough knowledge to make a small, simple one. That would be cool.
Now, one more thing...uh...um...just let me think of one...OH! I thought of something: expect my Adoptees of Whenever I Want To sometime this weekend (hopefully).

Hunting down the Ages

Well, now I'm on an Age hunt! What's that? Well, it's a game where you look around the internet for Ages made by Myst fans. It can be just a description of an Age, a few pictures, or a whole game, it doesn't matter. Where did I hear of this game? I made it up! So far I have, um... *checks*...20 links in my "Fan Ages" folder. Hopefully I can find more (*hint hint*).

Now I really am getting the hang of this blog!

The end of Myst series sadness is starting to get to me. *sigh*
Oh well, onto happier matters:
First of all, Ball Revamped IV, the last (not again!!) part in a cool series is coming out really soon. Here's the link to the site: http://www.jmtb02.com/
Actually I should probably add it to my links section.
Another thing is, a couple of days ago (I think it was on Friday. Yes, that's when it was), I managed to convert the classic escape-the-room games into notebook-form with page numbers and stuff. Instead of items, though, there are clues to a code. I have made two so far. Maybe later I will learn how to make a real notebook escape-the-room, with items.
Wow, that's a long "onto happier matters" compared with the sad matters. Yes, you could say I'm optimistic.
I really have mastered the blog! Wahoo!

Possibly my longest post

Ok, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this blog. It's like a journal, just online, right? Maybe I will be able to find interesting things (besides various holidays) to post after all...
Now, here's some news:
1. I finally finished End of Ages!! I gathered up my courage and finished it! The final descision wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be, and that gave me the...strength I guess, to make the right choice. For one moment I thought I had messed up, but it all turned out good. All in all, I would say that was an awesome finish. Maybe I'll do a review of End of Ages at some point.
2. I got this really cool how to make drinks book. It has tons of recipes for smoothies and other drinks
3. Today I found out that a rolling pin can make a good back-massager. Who knew!
4. I think I finally figured out the whole adoptables thing. My Adoptees of Whenever I Want To should be coming soon. (Aha, you noticed the name change! Good job! :-) No, really...)

I made it past Todelmer! Hooray!

It's getting pretty dreary here. It really feels like winter is coming. At least it's nice in End of Ages. I have officially made it past Todelmer and I've made it to Noloben, a beachy Age with dramatic-looking weather. Like in Amateria, from Myst 3 Exile, but less dramatic. I've gotten past a hard puzzle and I'm looking around a secret place. I'm starting to get nervous about the "final descision". I hope I make the right choice!
Bye for now! I'll post any End of Ages updates! (Yes, I'm feeling kind of excited. YEY!!! *runs around room for no apparent reason* ^_^)
Bye!!

(Almost) Random talk

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been doing...stuff.
Anyway, I'm almost done with Todelmer in End of Ages. I like the look of this Age, but I find the puzzles a bit too...well, puzzling! But other than that, it's an awesome Age. Very spacy. I can't wait to get to Noloben, it looks so cool in the screenshots!
I have a few more ideas for games, but not much. I'll get back to you on that.
Another thing: I have always liked the internet adoptables idea, especially with magical creatures like dragons and fairies, but before, I've never had the chance to adopt any since I didn't have a website to put them on. But now that I have a website (well, a blog, but that's pretty much the same), I can! I'm not sure how I'm going to do it on a blog, but I'm thinking. Bye!

Nicole

P.S. Hopefully I won't get anymore blog-writer's block!
P.P.S. Halloween soon! Hooray! Another thing on my autumn want-list!

Yey!!!

YES! I have Myst V End of Ages and it is fantastic!!!! I have made it to the Age Todelmer, a very beautiful spacy Age with a HUGE moon (or planet) next to it, and a nebula nearby. Ok, not exactly nearby, but it looks close from Todelmer.

Important news...sort of

Today is officially the last day of summer. Think about that for a moment. *thinks*
No more official hot-ness, no more vacations, no more...um...stuff...sort of...
Anyway, in general it is important to think about this last day of August. Tomorrow it will be Autumn/Fall. *sigh*...

Now, on a happier note: tomorrow is Autumn/Fall!! That means that the five or whatever things I've been waiting for this year are getting closer and closer!!! And there will be official colorful leaves, and official Myst V (one of the five or whatever things I was waiting for), and official...stuff!!! Yes, I'm very two-sided. (As in, and I quote: "No more official hot-ness, no more vacations...anyway in general it is...last day of August. Tomorrow it will be Autumn/Fall..." on one side, and "Tomorrow is Autumn/Fall!! That means the...things I've been waiting for are getting closer and closer!!! And there will be official colorful leaves...and...stuff!!!"on the other. Talk about two-sided!!)

Anyway, think about this last day of summer, and feel both sad and excited. See you in September!!

Thoughts, news, and olds

News: It's almost September! That means that I can officially start to wait for the next Myst series game, Myst V End of Ages! Hooray!!
"Olds": I started this blog! Not new? Well, I said it was"olds"!
Thoughts: This year I seem to be waiting for a lot of things that will happen in the fall, like the new Myst V.
More thoughts: As my friend would say: MOO! No, my friend is NOT a cow...