realRiven: Special Edition?
One of the most common questions that we get asked is βDo you plan to put anything in the game that wasn’t in the original?”
As such, we have a large collection of your suggestions. Candidates range from minimal impact additions like easter eggs (similar to those which already exist), significant alterations like weather variation, to whole new areas like Gehn’s 234th age (an area referenced but never actually seen).
The ability to explore the Moiety village on Tay is one of the most popular recommendations.
The number of these requests that we receive is not surprising, as the Myst series has set a precedent for bonus content. When realMyst was released, fans were surprised to discover Rime, a whole new age to explore which expanded the story and helped it dovetail into the sequel.
We’ve always maintained that we will not consider any additions to Riven until the original game has been re-created in its entirety, and we still stand by that. However, there are always grey areas. Here are two examples:
The book press, an object that was removed at the last minute due to playtesting issues, and a hidden corridor to nowhere that seems to have been cut late in development. These things are not in the original game, but were clearly intended to be at one stage. Could these objects be reworked back into the game? Perhaps they could!
We are interested to hear what you think. Would you add these objects into realRiven, and if so – why or why not? Are there better examples of content that could be added first?
Add your thoughts in the comments — we do take your opinions seriously.
May 1st, 2017 at 8:58 am
As long as the original game is there in it’s entirety, which you’re already making, I wouldn’t mind to see more of your creativity (re: adding a new age). Exploring Tay would be amazing – and scrapped objects from the game? Why not? It’s a new little detail to explore without detracting from the game itself. Would love that.
April 8th, 2018 at 1:45 am
Following the original narrative, I don’t think the player can be allowed to wander Tay on the first visit there. It surely isn’t an option to leave out the beautiful capture, imprisonment and release sequence when Keta comes to your cell and leaves you a linking book and Catherine’s notes.
However, as a bit of bonus content, supposing the player were to return to Tay a second time before releasing Catherine (after doing this, of course, IIRC, she rips up most of Gehn’s office’s linking books and sabotages most of the other transport, so returning to Tay would, I think, become impossible) and find a boat moored at the cave-mouth pier this time around… The big difficulty is that, when visiting other populated areas of Riven, the lookout towers always lock the place down and so it’s plausibly deserted. If you’re going to sneak into Tay and poke about, you’d need a similar excuse not to encounter its many inhabitants. This might also cause problems with one of Riven’s actual almost-easter eggs, where you release Gehn whilst in Tay – in the video of your view through the linking panel before he closes the book on you forever, he’s clearly still on the dock where you linked in, and so has the element of surprise (although, strictly speaking, all he can realistically do then is link back to Riven for reinforcements if he wants to stay alive, and then he still wouldn’t actually know how to get back to Tay himself since you were already there when you released him…). That definitely can’t happen, though, if you release him inside a tree fort completely outnumbered by people who want him dead – against that, a single-shot dart gun isn’t going to cut it.
December 1st, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Also, isn’t the trap book supposed to imprison you inside a prison age ? In Revelation we learnt that Cirrus and Achenar were being held into actual ages (although in Myst they appeared to be nowhere). So, the Prison age could be added as a bonus.
December 1st, 2018 at 7:46 pm
There’s some debate about the different games’ interpretations of trap/prison books. I, personally, regard the portrayal in Myst and Riven as canon, despite Cyan themselves later accepting the retcon, both because they’re my favourites and because the second and third games were licensed out to another studio that, in my personal opinion, didn’t quite “get” it, for all that they had Cyan’s blessing.
It’s possible to reconcile the two anyway. There’s a void between the worlds; when you link, you first pass from the age you’re currently in to the void, then from the void to the destination age; hence why there are two linking sounds, separated by a moment of darkness, per complete journey. The modified trap books basically just break the second half of the link, so you get stuck between worlds. All that’s necessary to make this entirely compatible with the later games is to assume that either converting the book back to normal, or destroying it, allows the second half of the incomplete link to take place, dumping you in the prison age, and to further assume that Atrus found a way of controlling whether the prison books’ linking panel would show the destination age as normal, or the void and the person floating in it.
December 1st, 2018 at 7:49 pm
Sorry, I meant to write “second and third sequels,” not “second and third games.”
December 2nd, 2018 at 4:23 am
Yes I completely agree with you. Atrus makes it very specific in his journal, that a trap book is basically a regular linking book whose linking has been alterated in some way. So the “prison age” theory is obvisouly from people who either didn’t know Riven that well, or didn’t give a shit about respecting original rules as implied by Cyan’s clues. What I always found strange, though, is the blatant contradiction between, on the one hand, Sirrus & Achenar appearing in the image from inside the book , and, on the other hand, Gehn never showing up. Somehow the guys at Starry Expanse should take side on this.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:05 am
Having more things to explore and play with sounds like a wonderful idea!
May 1st, 2017 at 9:10 am
Very cool. An optional day/night cycle along with weather option would be a great way to experience the same places in a new way. Additionally volumetric clouds/ fog, God Ray’s, hbao, would be awesome. Yes it would be cool to see the original unfinished content get finished. Perhaps elements from the book that weren’t in the game
May 1st, 2017 at 9:10 am
There was probably a reason why these things didn’t make it into the final game, so that might be a reason to not add them now. Although perhaps in a special game mode as discussed previously.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:22 am
Add & day/night cycles, & ask Cyan for their take on new content π
May 2nd, 2017 at 12:50 am
Yes, that is what I’m thinking
May 2nd, 2017 at 4:48 pm
Pretty much the same thing, expansions could bring back lost aspects of gameplay, like exploring the village and the puzzles that went along with that, maybe more Moety tunnels on that same island as we can see holes down into some kind of mine in the cave halls of that island, VIllage Island I guess it’s called.
Also, as a gag, it would be cool if you could add the baby in the Jungle Village area to your inventory down there at the bottom a baby gif where the catherine’s journal and the trap cook sit.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:30 am
If you know what the original intention was, and can make it work.. Then why not?
May 1st, 2017 at 9:30 am
I would be careful not to add any story elements unless RAWA or Rand think they fit into the existing universe, but small additions for realism (like weather or day/night cycles) sound like a good idea to me!
May 11th, 2017 at 7:41 am
It’s already real, riven is a separate age so it may not have day and night cycles.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:37 am
I’d strongly advise against the inclusion of elements such as the bookpress – the boiler island is already quite confusing to new players, and I imagine adding yet another mechanism that doesn’t have an immediately visible purpose would contribute to that. In fact, according to a programamer on the original game ( http://riven.interiority.com/secret_two.php ), that was exactly the reason why it was removed. *
More generally, the issue would be easily avoided by simply deciding to not add any extra content – but I do believe that it could improve certain areas of the game. For one, the Moiety village is generally only seen quite late into the game, so adding it wouldn’t adversely affect the gameplay, and I’m sure many players wished that they could explore it. In the same way the Rime age in realMyst does not negatively affect the main content of its respective original game, as it’s “only” accessible after the ending(of course something similar would not quite be possible in Riven).
So, I believe the most important guideline to follow would be that new content should not interfere with a first-time playthrough; anything extraneous that could potentially distract the player from relevant information or appear to be connected to an existing puzzle shouldn’t be added. At the same time, fleshing certain areas out by gracefully adding extra detail might be a very good idea, and, obviously, should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
* I don’t know anything about the hidden corridor, but to be honest it doesn’t sound very good either
May 1st, 2017 at 9:40 am
I’m not too keen on adding a “hidden corridor to nowhere”. It would just make it seem like you’d discovered something cool, only to be pretty disappointed. Now, if you created something cool at the end of that hidden corridor, well … that’s another matter entirely. π As for the book press … I think since you can already “see” it in the original, it would be nice to have it there. Maybe make it non-functional, though, so as not to recreate the confusion that Cyan thought warranted its removal?
Also, +1 to a lot of the mentioned stuff that could go into a “special edition” … namely, the extra age (even if it’s just a small playable area that adds more to the story than it does the gameplay), the ability to explore the Moiety village, and the dynamic weather (which I imagine might be a rather huge undertaking, so it’s understandable if you decide not to pursue it).
May 1st, 2017 at 9:41 am
I’m casting my vote for leaving out story elements–they were probably cut for good reason and we’ve hardly missed them–and adding clouds/weather or day/night cycles. But at the end of the day I vote for whatever gets RealRiven to us faster, even if that means no bonus content at all! π
May 1st, 2017 at 9:42 am
I think that as long as the new content does not interfere or cause confusion with any of the original puzzles and story line then it would be a lot of fun to explore an extension of the game! π
May 1st, 2017 at 9:43 am
What about being able to open all of gehn’s drawers?
May 1st, 2017 at 9:43 am
This always bothered me https://youtu.be/vRruQ89YMLo?t=10s As far as I know, it is not possible to see the elevator like this in game.
I tried different routes as I thought it may have been some easter egg. Make it possible so I can sleep at peace π
May 1st, 2017 at 1:47 pm
“If you raise the elevator and then try to take the MagLevs around the islands, the elevator will greet you already open at the bottom. Instead of taking the MagLevs you have to go up to the Fire Marble Dome, link to Gehn’s 233rd age, then link back to Jungle Island and take the MagLev found at the ‘back door’. When you get to the elevator simply press the blue button.”
This was described as a “mistake,” but I like to think that someone took the elevator back down while you were out exploring π although I wouldn’t mind seeing it fixed in RealRiven… or should it be left as what IS basically currently an Easter egg?
January 3rd, 2019 at 3:25 pm
I agree! I’ve never been able to see that view either despite trying and going all the way around the islands.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:52 am
I would be up for it so long as it won’t be much of a distraction for people who maybe actually never played the game. But NO FLASHLIGHTS! π
Weather and/or day/night cycles would be interesting. Not sure if you guys would be planning something that huge, but if you do add something like weather then make sure it’s not too much that the weather effects in the end actually seem like something drastic.
I liked little additions in RealMyst like the grave, so things like that could be interesting. Just so long as it’s not a bunch of red herrings.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:53 am
I’m in favor of adding these features if you think it is worth the effort. I hadn’t heard of that corridor before. Where was that? I would definitely like to see the east path put back in.
May 1st, 2017 at 1:57 pm
I believe the corridor was in a little area below a little elevator that takes you to the little spinning fire marble dome on Temple Island. Right now all that’s below the elevator is a drain, but I can see how it could be kind of a puzzle to try looking below it.
May 1st, 2017 at 9:56 am
I would rather not see anything new that Cyan never put in Riven to begin with. However, I think that adding small Easter eggs, or even the aforementioned weather effects would be rather cool.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:01 am
Yes, I would love the printing press and the corridor to nowhere! It could be like a sort of “director’s cut” of Riven with everything that was meant to go in it. And I was very disappointed all we got to see of Tay was that one room. I would love to explore the village and see where the Rivenese people actually ended up living. You even have a point of reference for it from the photo attached to this post.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:04 am
It would be nice to be able to explore the age 233 outside of Gehn’s office, even though it is mainly a landscape of rock and water. When I was a kid, I was so excited to see that age in the trailer but I was a bit dissapointed to know that It was only about Ghen’s office when playing. Same thing goes for the Moeity’s age.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:07 am
Not getting to explore either The 234th Age or Tay beyond single rooms was one biggest let-downs I remember from when I first played Riven. The opportunity to explore them now, if possible, would be fantastic. More wildlife in general might be neat to see throughout the game as well as maybe interacting with them (I remember spending way too much time playing with crabs on Haven in Myst IV). Opening up the village on Jungle Island for exploration could be fun.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:09 am
If there were any cosmetic differences (weather patterns, day/night cycles) I think it makes the most sense for them to be optional. I really like the idea and would like to see it done, but I’d also like to see the game exactly as it was originally.
I don’t know what your solution is for the in-game characters, whether you’ll be hiring new actors or doing CGI, but in either case I think it would be fun to have the option to use the original videos if possible. Even though the quality of those originals is insanely low and it’ll look really out of place, I’d love to have the option.
I would love to see little easter eggs scattered throughout, but it would have to be done in such a way that a new player couldn’t accidentally stumble onto it and mistake it for a puzzle or hint in the actual game.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:29 am
I wouldn’t mind a few expansions so we can have more room to explore. Some places look great, but the path through it offer too many borders (such as map island, Gehn’s age of Tay), but nothing too “bonus”. It would have to merge into the intrigue, without feeling like some fan service or artificial extensions.
But I think that if you guys manage to bring us a Real Riven, then you’re entitled to add whatever you want, or at least a few easter eggs.
May 1st, 2017 at 10:37 am
It would be nice to see Gehn’s 234th Age. However, Gehn explicitly says he hasn’t finished it. So I’m not sure how we could see it in the game since I assume you won’t be altering Gehn’s dialogue.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:17 am
How about a sandbox mode that could be a reward for completing the game. This will force seasoned players and new players to correctly finish the game (remember most seasoned players will be able to race through the puzzle from memory thus making a very short game). In Sand box mode we could walk through every location as well as leaving the path to find areas we know from new angles etc. There is a lot of satisfaction and relaxation to be had just wandering around Myst games. Perhaps adding a few creative games and puzzles that are for entertainment only.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:22 am
I would add the book press to print pages which you could add to the book of Riven.
I would use the corridor to eventually get to a linking book which let you link to where the book of Riven is displayed like in 233rd age.
There you can add the page or pages which alter Riven.
I would make it so that you can only do this when Catherine is free and Ghen captured. This way when the original is almost over you discover this and it is not interfering with the original game. Except for the fact that you find the book press without having the proper items to use it yet…
May 1st, 2017 at 11:25 am
I think you have to be careful. In many ways that they were cut means that we have a final say on if they should be in the game, and the answer is “No”. It is one thing to think up new things, maybe they would improve the game, but things consciously cut from the game will probably be bad additions. But these cuts would also be very interesting Easter eggs for fans.
It is a complicated issue. On the one hand, returning fans want to see something new, but adding large new bonus content is almost certain to make the game worse from a first time perspective. The easiest solution is probably going the realMyst route, add new bonus content for the user after the end of the game. don’t bloat the original experience, just add a little epilogue onto the game. But as a fan of the game, I really am hoping you do sometime more bold.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:29 am
I love the idea of new elements. I’m good with the two minor things you mentioned, I’d love to be able to explore the Moiety village (I still remember my disappointment at being trapped in that room) and if you can, why not add 234? I think it would be a hoot.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:38 am
My two cents are as follows:
I would avoid including the book press and corridor since they were taken out for gameplay reasons rather than time reasons. The bookpress is even in Rive only moved to Gehn’s lab (albeit smaller.)
Day time and weather should be optional/toggleable between classic Riven and enhanced so as to still provide players with the original experience.
As for Tay and 233 for Yahvo’s sake YES! A lot of us have waited 20 years for realRiven with the possibility of a Rime-like expansion of these Ages. I my mind they should be more of an “addon” rather than focal to gameplay.
For example, if you return to Tay AFTER retrieving the prison book there would be a boat by the dock that can be rowed to the island. From there you could enter the hive trunk and climb up to the village. The village would be an area where you could explore a populated environment of homes and gain cultural knowledge of Rivenese culture and the battle against Gehn. I don’t think dialog with any Moiety would make sense, rather it would be more of an environment to showcase a living civilization in action. This would be a great place for visual storytelling – imagine finding Moiety tribal objects or clothing, weapons, religious items, things that would convey their culture and the underlying narrative of Riven more strongly.
As for 233 I think finding a key to his door in his drawer would suffice, allowing the player to walk down the steep cliff to a stone structure where Gehn would write his 234th in solitude, meditating in his Age’s natural beauty. There you could find his notes and objects of Age creation giving us a view of what he had planed for the Rivenese exodus.
Both these scenarios wouldn’t interfere with the gameplay and like Rime, are moreso explorable/story based content intended to expand the story and gift the fandom with long-awaited areas to explore.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:36 pm
And I agree with Yali’s suggestions above, as long as they are toggle-able, and off by default.
May 1st, 2017 at 11:59 am
I would say… if you did add the door to nowhere in, just have it lead to a wall with a funny message on it. “This Easter egg brought to you by…SPAM!” or something silly like that. Nothing too fancy, just some silly humor like the old Riven Easter eggs.
I’d say it’s safe to leave out the book press, though.
As for expansion beyond the existing Base Riven… personally, I’d just like to be able to walk around outside Gehn’s office in 233. There’s clearly *some* walkable area out there that Gehn is exploring when he’s not coming to talk with you, so maybe we could see it after capturing him?
But besides that? An optional day/night cycle would be lovely. I don’t think there’s a real need to expand Tay too much, though.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:24 pm
I think you should only add that kind of gray area content if you think they’re interesting and add something to the game, and you’re not just adding them for the sake of adding them.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:28 pm
Please just finish the game, soon!
May 1st, 2017 at 12:34 pm
To me the answer is clear – make all these options available, but by default TURNED OFF. That way the player can turn on weather systems, or book presses or age 233rd etc when starting a new game. Unless the player actively turns on these things, the game should be as released originally.
May 1st, 2017 at 12:55 pm
I thought the day/night cycle in realMyst was really cool, it would be fun to see it in realRiven. And varying weather would be awesome if it doesn’t interfere with gameplay.
TBH at this point, I just want to see an initial release of the completed game ASAP, so any additions are fine so long as they don’t delay it too much!
May 1st, 2017 at 1:27 pm
I wouldnΓ’β¬β’t add anything for which there isnΓ’β¬β’t a reference. There is a rendering of the East Path, so that would be fine, but there is none for 234th, so that would definitely not be in a Γ’β¬Λgrey areaΓ’β¬β’; the whole point of 234th is that you donΓ’β¬β’t get to see it.
For Tay, it wouldnΓ’β¬β’t make much sense in-game to be able to stroll around outside the cell, except for a bonus bad ending.
May 1st, 2017 at 1:57 pm
I would say, the released game is canon, and items like the book press should not be included. Constant re-working of something, like the Star Wars films, is not something I like to see as a fan.
That said, I could see an “easter egg mode” that includes any number of things, from the original eggs (which I think should be re-created as part of the game) to other extra items. Maybe the Rebel Hive could be explored a bit too. But it should be based in established work by the Riven team; let’s not just invent a 234th age from our imaginations, in my opinion.
I would like to see day/night cycles and maybe weather too, but in a later release, as an option setting and not the default.
May 1st, 2017 at 5:32 pm
I agree 100% with what Ages said. Keep to the original game, but add some sort of “easter egg mode” that will allow extra content, day/night, etc. With this mode off, I would like it best if if were just like the original game.
May 1st, 2017 at 2:21 pm
Nice idea, but I think you should stick to the original configuration. Remaking this well will be an amazing feat in itself.
May 1st, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Personally I think more content the better, but I also feel like the additions should be optional. If possible, perhaps have an option to play Riven just like it originally was intended to be. (except of course in the new engine.)
May 1st, 2017 at 4:23 pm
This is a great question. First, I agree with other comments above that play with the expanded material should be optional. You definitely want a mode that is fully consistent with the original game.
Regarding possible expansion content itself, I would draw on Riven’s in-game journals and the Book of Atrus. To me, both of these suggest that Riven (both pre- and post-island breakup into five parts) was much bigger than the game itself could support. Take this quote from Catherine’s journal: the Moiety “now live in a complex network of caves that he still has not discovered.” Or this from the Book of Atrus (p. 238): “He linked back to the grassy plateau beside the pool.[…] Catherine was waiting for him. Taking his hand, she hurried him through the trees and along the edge of the cliff top opposite the tree. Water lapped softly at the rocks a hundred feet below.” I recommend having the expanded content come from those written sources. That way, you can stay with the original vision but provide the scale that the original game designers did not have the technical ability to attain.
Keep up the great work!
May 1st, 2017 at 6:31 pm
I personally like the idea of having it be very close to the original, but with unlockable stuff after you beat the game. After beating the game, weather and especially a day night cycle would be super cool.
You’re supposed to be trapped in that room on Tay I feel, but I go with everyone else liking some way of visiting, but like I said after you beat the game it could be an unlocked bonus mode, also with Gehn’s 233 age. I remember you guys saying that some of the scenes were designed by Cyan to look best with the sun in a certain position, so that convinces time that if in any way there is a day night cycle it should at LEAST be able to be turned OFF, for sure. On would be lots of fun though.
So I thought it was kind of funny that the 234th age just had a blank page, I thought of it as Gehn exaggerating his progress in helping the villagers. Maybe he wasn’t very far along at all, since the page was just blank, and he was just trying to bluff and convince you he was close to a solution. Maybe he was actually having writer’s block. But I may be in the minority when I say I am actually curious what you guys might come up with with all the Riven expertise you have their, and I actually might enjoy a whole new age you guys come up with, but as long as it’s clearly an Easter egg kind of thing, and like a “what if” scenario instead of “Gehn actually wrote this age and it’s cannon now.”
Finally, I would really like to explore more of the jungle on Jungle Island. Making especially it and other areas more explorable after you beat the game would also be great. I want to see some new angles π
Just to throw this out there: what do people think about unlocking a “free camera” mode where you can fly around and see literally any angle?
May 1st, 2017 at 11:44 pm
That “free camera mode” would indeed be nice, but only once you finished the game so you don’t get spoiled or use it as a shortcut to avoid or solve a puzzle. It would give nice screenshots!
May 2nd, 2017 at 3:28 am
I think it’s a good idea to include some of those elements to expand on the story of Riven. Another area wich I think should be included as a bonus is what is known as the East Path. It was an area on Survey island that could be accessed when the island still was connected with bridges, but was closed off when Gehn built the Maglevs.
https://www.guildofarchivists.org/archive/_/east-path-the-r362
May 2nd, 2017 at 3:36 am
My biggest request is to add controls so that the game can be played in a VR headset at some point. Doesn’t have to be at release, but this series screams to have a VR experience to go with it.
Thank tou, and love what you are doing here.
May 3rd, 2017 at 12:39 am
VR would definitely be awesome, and the best way to enjoy the beauty of Riven. I think commuters probably need to get more powerful since most VR-games don’t have complicated graphics like Riven has. It might rake a while to accomplish this, perhaps when RealRiven is done?
May 2nd, 2017 at 11:54 am
The game is near 10 years in the making. Please come to an end !!!
May 3rd, 2017 at 6:14 pm
I see the Starry Expanse Project as an effort to recreate Γ’β¬ΕRivenΓ’β¬Β as a 3-D real-time game. In all other respects, it should match CyanΓ’β¬β’s original vision. Do fix mistakes like the DΓ’β¬β’ninglish on the elevator, which was clearly unintentional, but do not include the book press or more of Tay, because Cyan intentionally left them out.
May 3rd, 2017 at 11:00 pm
I agree with this, it’d make perfect sense to fix the broken D’ni text on the elevator or the duplicated letter in the school.
May 4th, 2017 at 10:42 am
One thing that is a real disappointment in the original game is not being able to go outside in 233 after you capture Gehn. Even if there’s nothing out there except a view of the terrain, that’ll bring some closure.
As for Tay, maybe you can do what the Black Mesa team did: release the game when it’s finished and then release an explorable Tay as a DLC at later date. That’s something Riven fans will definitely want to see, whether it’s incorporated into the final game or not.
May 4th, 2017 at 1:01 pm
I’d say be really careful with it. An addition can unintentionally spoil the feeling of the game if not done to the same level of detail – not just visual – and creativity of the original. Or if it contradicts something previously seen.
Expanding cut content is probably the best thing to do, and I’d say if you’re really looking for something more to do once you’re done with the shipping content that’s a good place to start. But also consider that these things may have been cut for a good reason.
This is George Lucas territory.
May 4th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
I think you should focus on recreating the original game, and only change things you *have* to (like deciding what to put in angles that aren’t ever visible in the original), and things that are obvious consequences of going 3d (like wind in trees). Yes, boring perhaps, but I feel like that’s the mission of Starry Expanse.
Anything else risks interfering with the more subtle aspects of the gameplay. As an example, if you add rainy weather, the beetle pool puzzle wouldn’t work. If you add night cycles, the fish and frog silhouettes would probably be hard to see. If you add other “stuff” just because, it would move player’s focus from the things that fill a purpose in the game. Similarly, adding back things that were cut from the original game also seems like a poor idea. I’m sure they were cut for good reasons.
Adding areas like outdoor 233rd or more of Tay makes me think of Rime, a pointless addition that ultimately doesn’t add anything meaningful to the game. To integrate it properly you would need to make larger changes to the game, which probably only Robyn Miller and Richard Vander Wende could do right.
(I can imagine a “rebooted” Myst series, similar to the way franchises like Batman have been rebooted – the same basic story elements, worlds, characters and themes, but deconstructed and put back together with new puzzles and gameplay ideas – different enough to be a new game, but similar enough to draw on the rich story, themes, and settings. But that’s not Starry Expanse, IMO.)
I think reconstructing the original easter eggs would be kind of neat though, and it wouldn’t really interfere with gameplay. But obviously if you do it, you shouldn’t tell anyone… π
May 4th, 2017 at 8:21 pm
The garden from Survey Island that you can see in the maglev ride over. Its part of the plot, as it’s mentioned that it used to be Garden Island before Ghen changed the terrain. AND Cyan included a picture of it in one of their calendars.
May 5th, 2017 at 12:45 pm
Shorah I’ve been following your work for months, Riven is my favorite game, a masterpiece and one of the best games in history … It would be nice to remake Riven apart from adding a system of climate and cycle day and night. .. You could make the game can go on a computer like this … A GTX 550 Ti graphics card with 8 Gb of RAM, Windows 7 32 bit. From the images it looks like you need a lot of work to go forward so you encourage the whole development team (sorry for my English hehe)
May 8th, 2017 at 10:54 pm
If you guys can propose all best additions, extra puzzles or even age (suggested by fans or your team) to Cyan (or maybe Rand himself) and get approved, making it an “official” special edition, I’ll pay $100 for a copy!
May 10th, 2017 at 7:37 am
I personally wouldnt add anything that wasn’t there before.
May 10th, 2017 at 7:57 am
Bookpress etc seems unnecessary, but exploring Tay would be a wonder!
May 11th, 2017 at 7:51 am
Tay, and outside Ghens door should be left to the imagination, but maybe you could get a Tay linking book from nala along with Catherine’s journal and link back to Tay after the credits.
May 11th, 2017 at 7:38 am
The burnt linking book in Ghens lab could be powered up by the crystal imager from the Tay book in jungle island.
May 11th, 2017 at 10:07 am
A couple of points regarding weather and/or nighttime:
1. As several people pointed out, make it toggleable, rather than default.
2. Having per-age environmental effects like stormy cloud movement in Tay, could enhance the age atmosphere wonderfully without taking things too far.
May 11th, 2017 at 6:05 pm
Welcome to LUSH Riven
I’d like to repeat my (RIVEN Design Bible – expanded enviroment)
*Various/changing Layers of Cloud
*Seasons (!)
*Rain
*Schools of Fish in the water
*Big creatures in the water (barely visible, you know what “fishes”
*Pebbles/Rocks rolling down a cliff (visual/audio)
*Rain-Showers. Of course! Getting it down, to mind building yourself an temporary survival Raft
*Snow, or any kind of “snow” – frozen glass shards or gases
*changing seasons for night-sky/ day
*Bugs and Insects buzzing around visualy/accousticaly
*leaves from dyeing trees (autumn)
*bugs/spiders etc
*weirdly coloured weather occurences
*fog, from mildly to covering
*weird planets/ multiple suns
*butterflies! As in Myst 1
*the degradation and constant abuse, of your commonly “hard” materials detering in a natural way, name it…. i love a living environment and as far MYST, its the best game to have them. Did yoz see the distant weather-occurences in Real-Myst on Stoneship! Exactly that!
May 11th, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Oh i forgot, East Path, EAST path, EAST PATH! It was almost in the game! So, dont pull it out because of a few weeks!
May 14th, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Seconded providing that it doesn’t significantly add to the challenge of the game. Maybe it just leads to a Ghen’s private garden?
May 12th, 2017 at 3:36 am
I’m a huge Riven fan, but honestly either way is fine with me. New content is usually not a bad thing, just as long as it doesn’t hinder the rest of the experience. Love your work and keep it up!
May 12th, 2017 at 2:17 pm
I think having variant control schemes, in the style of RealMyst: Masterpiece Edition or Myst V. RM:ME had 2 styles, classic point and click, and free-roam, while V had a third mode, with the 360-degree node mode from Myst III and IV. Having these different schemes(along with the ease of swtiching between them in V) would be really nice, and complement everyone’s different playing styles.
In classic point and click mode, having the ability to hold shift to show the original Riven nodes, as in RM:ME would be nice as well, to compare the new to the old.
As for weather, day-night cycles, or any other bonus content, they should only be unlocked after beating the game once, so as not to confuse new players.
May 14th, 2017 at 6:43 pm
I think the weather would be good, as long as rain and so on are only occasional 1-2% at most. Day night would be good, but a problem would be that one of the triumphs of Riven was the lighting of outdoor areas, and a day/night cycle would undermine this, on the other hand, if the engine is not up to the same standard with lighting, then maybe this would be a good idea to hide it somewhat.
On the subject of totally new content, while I am in favour of some small areas (being able to step off the path and explore what you can see etc) I STRONGLY advise against adding Tay as a playable area. It cannot possibly live up to what people have built it up as, and will only lead to disappointment, Ghen’s 234 though might be more likely if you want to show off some creativeness. The book press and the passage way seem fine to me as long as they don’t make things to complicated. Maybe the secret passage could lead to a steam shutoff valve or something. It’s on by default, and makes no difference to the game play if you don’t discover it, but adds a added bit of realism?
May 15th, 2017 at 1:50 am
Why not make the weather and time of day cycle real time. As an option of course.
What i mean is. You play the game, when there is rain in your region it rains on Riven.
Same goes for snow, sun and time of day. When you connect to aan weather app and your system clock this should be possible.
Touch of realism maybe.
May 19th, 2017 at 5:56 pm
Weather and day/night cycles sound like a horrible idea. As had already been pointed out, it messes with the animal puzzles (the Sunners are presumably only out sunning when it’s a dry day; beetle basin doesn’t work in the rain) and a big part of Riven is it’s atmosphere, which will be drastically different with day/night cycles and weather.
Random animals may also make the animal puzzle harder than it already is, although more than one golden beetle would make sense.
I think a small thingamajig with the primary colours of light in the lab on Boiler Island may be a good idea, seeing as how many players (including myself) completely missed the hint in the journal about the last colour you need for that one puzzle. It doesn’t have to be in your face I think, just make people think about primary colours.
May 21st, 2017 at 7:53 am
There are four areas that I’d like to be able to explore more:
1) Outside 233 – You’re already building the geometry for this space, so it wouldn’t be a huge lift to let people open the door and wander outside; even if you can’t do more than walk around the building.
2) Tay – Id like to be able to do the same here. Wander outside of the prison. Also maybe wade into the water and go around the tree a bit.
3) The east path; it doesn’t really have to go anywhere. But I was bummed this didn’t make the final game.
4) The village – Once again, you’re already building the geometry, so it’d be cool to be able to explore the village more than the initial small area we were afforded.
May 26th, 2017 at 6:47 am
Hello, my take on all of this is that you guys should make the decisions you think best benefit the game from a design perspective. In one of the interviews with Robyn he mentioned he was concerned about the free camera because the game was designed around the fixed camera with every shot compositionally supporting the design of the game. He felt there would need to be a lot of designers on board to ensure the experience still works mechanically.
Since you guys are making a free camera Riven it IS going to be a slightly different game which is amazing! I think you guys should take ownership of that and make the decisions that best support the new elements in the game while retaining the essence of the original. This seems more important to me than making an exact literal match with a free camera if that will result in a mediocre experience.
For things like the press and the hallway, if they don’t support making it the best game possible leave them out. For the weather if that affects the design negatively leave it out. And most importantly if something works well in the original but isn’t clear with a free camera adjust it so that it works. Also look at Cyan’s other games and how they tackle design challenges in 3D, Uru and Obduction are good references. Of course make your own decisions too, this is your challenge to solve and overcome. Enjoy and embrace that.
And finally, believe in yourselves! You are doing this, it’s incredible, it’s the most awesome thing ever, and you guys shouldn’t live in fear of messing it up. Just sincerely try to make the best game that is true to the essence of the original. When you have to add or remove things in the original changing them is up to what you guys believe makes the best experience. You can do it!
May 28th, 2017 at 4:57 am
My Opinion is: donΓΒ΄t mess to much with the game design or content!
Riven was for me always a bit like holyday on Sreen. Now building a weather-, day and night-system that will change much, sounds for me, as no good idea. What will you change too? Snow, Storm, Winter, Tsunami? Will there be a Darth Vader, Spiderman, or SuperMario?
Riven is a Masterpiece, each render is a peace of good art, even common stones are nice to look at.
A Real-Riven should be as near as possible to the original content! This point only is maybe the greatest challenge at all.
Independently, i will always get back to the original, that is for me, unbeaten for ever!
A good peace of Art, has to be untouched!
At a certain degree i can understand your reasons to make a version where players can move freely.
For me in person, Riven is a great motivation to make a own game in the farest future. Maybe it will as good as Myst and Riven. (For now i work on a screenplay.)
Good luck and i will buy it, hope you can suprise me.
Thank you!
And sorry fo my bad english, i come from germany.
May 28th, 2017 at 6:29 am
I would like a way to close spinning domes. I recall the first time I played, I didn’t take note of the symbol in the visor and I had no way to close the dome and reopen it.
June 6th, 2017 at 11:54 am
The spinning domes can be closed again by pressing the same button you opened them with.
June 9th, 2017 at 10:48 am
I wonder how I missed that back in the days! Thanks
May 30th, 2017 at 3:04 am
There is a Kor’nea in Ghen’s office… The possibility’s are only limited by our own imagination…
June 8th, 2017 at 2:52 pm
YES to the bookpress. It should be there, as being part of the “coherence” of Boiler Island, and I will speak against those who say it will get things more confused than they already are : in the countrary, the Book Press will HELP new players to understand the whole logic behind this island, and what its purpose actually is. Understanding that purpose was not obvious at all for the 14yo boy I was, but I’m sure that this item would have allowed me to decrypt this area better than I did ; something is definitely missing !
June 10th, 2017 at 10:56 am
… and keep in mind they removed it at the last minute for technical issues, which means they did it reluctantly, not for gameplay concern : it was intended to be here, so we would just be fulfilling Cyan’s original wish. How about asking them about this specific item ? I’m pretty sure they would want you to restore it.
June 11th, 2017 at 11:07 pm
The bookpress NEEDS to be put back into the game. It was only deleted because some people thought it was a switch. The amount of work that went into it deserves more then being tossed aside. It is a glorious parrt of the game, and you can even see it in some Riven renders they forgot to remove it from.
Not sure how the passage would work without adding a new path, but I thought the idea was cool of there being something below the lift.
June 20th, 2017 at 8:14 pm
Hope it’s not too late for me to give feedback…
I personally actually am not so fond of the possibility of exploring the Moeity Age. I kind of understand others’ enthusiasm, but also remember that there is a very good reason in the lore for you to be restricted there. I’m not sure I’d like having the story aspect of the Moeity not letting you free in their village removed…
As far as what I WOULD like seeing: a day/night cycle like is seen in RealMyst would be great, for Riven itself at any rate. Exploring the island at night would be a cool experience. The idea of exploring one or more of Gehn’s failed ages is also intriguing, and would of course lend itself well to creativity.
Good luck!
June 24th, 2017 at 6:02 pm
I’m very late to this discussion, but better late than never I suppose.
That will be a resounding ‘nope’ from me. π
As a developper I can see the attraction, but as a Riven and Cyan fan I guess I’m too much of a purist. Riven was designed by the Cyan guys back then, and seeing someone else add their own creativity to it rubs me the wrong way.. ie: not cannon. I have no doubt you could make really nice content (what you are doing so far is really great), but it’s just not cannon.
Now.. if you could get your hands on Richard Vander Wende and convince him to design the rest of Tay, now that would be something. π Hell, I’d pitch in on a Kickstarter just to fund that. :p (pretty sure I wouldn’t be the only one either..)
A day/night cycle I could live with (as long as I can disable it). But if you haven’t looked into it yet be warned: it’s a ton of work to pull off properly. Even if you are already running most of your lighting in real time (which you shouldn’t)
June 30th, 2017 at 3:27 am
Here’s an interesting article/video about remastering StarCraft, which talks about some of the same problems that you are facing and their solutions. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hands-on-with-starcraft-remastered-ahead-of-its-august-14-launch-for-15/
June 30th, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Thinking about it, a bonus no-clip mode to fly around the islands after beating the game would be really fun, and could be good for looking at some new angles and points of view.
June 30th, 2017 at 1:29 pm
The possibilities for bonus extra features or an extended version as opposed to classic puritan mode, are infinite… And so exciting… I mean you guys really don’t have to choose, you can keep both approaches like in monkey island hd or sf2 hd remix… unleash the power of your fantasies ! This is after all what it’s all about… Riven fans making Riven fans’ dreams come true…
July 27th, 2017 at 7:28 pm
As a long time Riven fan, my vote is not to alter anything in the game. Things like weather are fine, provided they are optional and non-interfering, but any actual content should be left out. While things like the book press seem cool, part of the beauty of riven is that everything serves a purpose, and adding items may have unforeseen consequences, distracting players from the main game and making the puzzles harder by adding red herrings. Riven itself is pretty much a perfect game, and I think you should try to exactly recreate it.
December 1st, 2018 at 7:52 am
If any really major additions are made to the game content, I’d strongly suggest having a menu option to turn them on and off, so that the “classic” game is always available.
April 8th, 2018 at 1:53 am
If we’re talking bonus content, my only major addition to Riven would be some kind of metalworking forge, probably somewhere on Factory island. I’d just like there to be some plausible way for Gehn to have built all his metal-based technology after he was imprisoned on Riven. Maybe a small smelting furnace & brick kiln and a trip hammer or perhaps even a steam hammer, that’d be just about enough to justify the existence of all the wrought and cast iron and bronze about the place.
December 1st, 2018 at 10:38 am
There is one thing I’d like you to “correct”/”add” :
this is about the combination to open the domes. Although rank 25 can be used theoretically, in Atrus’s journal you never get a combination which involves this number. I’m aware the special alarm clock symbol is supposed to mean both 0 and 25, and that the dot symbol is never seen. But “10” could be easy to figure out, by elimination. It’s really a flaw that there is a 25th rank on the domes, but it is never used. The game should be perfect.