  
The Information Trickle Cyan's Website layout has major change. They haven't put up any content yet though. It you want to see the old content got to http://www.riven.com/. Also, RAWA posted the two following messages on the Riven Lyst: Message 1: ---- on 1/17/00 3:09 PM, Karen Bahnsen pointed out: > Information about this project is beginning to leak out, but we have to > be careful when we read media articles, because they may not get all > their facts straight. Good point. The phrase "Don't believe everything you read" leaps to mind. Just because it's in the paper or on the news doesn't make it true. In the 7+ years I've been at Cyan, we've been in numerous articles. I don't remember very many that were entirely correct, although some had more blatant or important errors than others. Let's use the article in this weekend's Spokesman Review as an example. http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=011500&ID=s732340&cat It's one of the most accurate I've seen in a while, and ordinarily I wouldn't bother pointing these out, but they prove the point. "Evey is the first person given that position in Cyan's 15-year history." Cyan was founded in 1987, so we're 13 years old at most. "Myst, released in 1993, and Riven, produced in 1998, sold more than 7 million copies." Riven was "produced" from 1994 - 1997 and "published" in 1997. Neither of these are a big deal, nor do they affect the point of the article; but it seems that these are facts that would be pretty easy to verify. If the easy parts to check are wrong, how reliable are the harder parts? Maybe the phrase should be "Don't believe anything you read". :) Sorry for babbling, RAWA ---- Message 2: ---- on 1/17/00 5:44 PM, [email protected] at [email protected] wrote: > Funny you should mention "lack of enthusiasm", as that's > something I've been thinking about over the past few days. > > Recently we've being getting confirmation about various > details of Mud Pie (it will use the Plasma engine, it will > have an internet component, etc.), and I've wondered if > Cyan might have been expecting the news to create a bigger > splash than it did in the fan community. > > Frankly I wasn't particularly surprised by the revelations, > but I was curious to see how the Lyst would react. The news > did generate some discussion (as it should since it's important > news), but it didn't exactly create a tidal wave of excitement > and discussion. > > Why the lack of enthusiasm? I think the answer is pretty > simple. We would have seen a different reaction if Cyan had > revealed these details a year or two ago, but they simply don't > come as much of a surprise anymore after all the hints we've > seen over the past year. I completely agree with your analysis, Jim. Those who have been on the lysts a while have already had hints about most of what's been released. The press releases really weren't meant to give the "avids" new information (that's one of the reasons y'all stay tuned here, right, in hopes of getting information before the general public?) The press releases were mostly meant to get the attention of the non-avids. And by the number of gaming sites, etc. calling for interviews, I'd say it worked. Things the fans can be excited about: official confirmation of what, to this point, has been vague and left to speculation, and knowing that the "official information" trickle has begun. The fans also hold some bits of knowledge that the interviewers don't necessarily have, so you may be able to read between the lines a bit better than they can. > I think the *real* excitement won't begin until we start seeing > some screen shots. :) I agree with this too. I can't promise how soon that'll happen, but most of you will live to see it. :) RAWA PS - here are a couple more I haven't seen cross the lyst yet. http://pc.ign.com/news/13999.html http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/025/127/cyan.html http://avault.com/news/displaynews.asp?story=1182000-12617 ---- Cyan-Headspin Annoucement, Mudpie, and Book News Gamecenter has an interview with Rand Miller about Mudpie. Also, Karen Bahnsen of The D'ni Desk Reference posted on the Riven Lyst the following: --- > Six months to more info, Eh? Talk about a stringer for the Lysters! I had a little trouble trying to understand that quote of Rand's in the article. My anonymous source at Cyan told me, and I quote with permission: "People on the Lyst already seem to be confused and misinterpreting that quote.... There's no special press event or release currently planned for June/July (i.e. 6 months away from now) ... What Rand means (IMO) is that it will be a more progressive revealing to the fans and the media what MudPie really is over the next few months. I think the fans can look forward to more information coming to light now, instead of a "big bang" this summer." --- Cyan released an annoucement about their working with Headspin. RAWA posted the following about the new books on the Riven Lyst: --- I hold in my hands (OK, not literally, since I set them down to type this)... new pages from the Book of Marrim. They were on my desk this morning when I came in. So progress is still being made, but at a slower pace than the previous books. --- Book and Cyan-Headspin News RAWA posted the following about the new books on the Riven Lyst: --- > Jahare wrote: >> if the BoM is out,does anyone know >> when or has it not been mentioned? > > No news yet on either of the two new novels. > > Karen, waiting patiently... mostly :) I hesitate to respond bacuse I don't have all the facts, but the person holding "the facts" in this case is still on vacation 'til next week, and I'll have forgotten about it by then... As far as I know, the books are joining all the rest of those items on the back burner. (It's a BIG stove with a huge back burner, and only one small front burner, I guess). I think David Wingrove was abducted by another project for awhile, since I haven't seen anything new in a couple of months. But don't quote me on that, 'cause it's just a guess on my part. I'll try to give an update when I know more for sure what the plan is for the books. --- Also, at the end of entry 31.12.99 on Headspin's Nightly Events, a link to an e-mail address was posted: [email protected], so now we have an answer. It is unofficial, of course, and it won't be official till either Cyan or Headspin makes an announcement or Headspin's people show up on Cyan's Team Page. Riven Lysters Map Simon Riedl of The D'ni Guild of Linguists has put up a Riven Lysters Map. Also, Headspin Nitevents once again refers to Cyan related things: from entry 29.12.99: "In the hills of Washington, I and like minded deer..." and from 30.12.99: "So the house we found and now live in could alternately be thought of as the world's most comfortable deer blind. I'm not sure how many deer grace our humble homestead with their company." A remember that they said they were moving. Robyn Miller Moves To Portland Oregon Jim Stephenson of The Riven Unofficial Home Page posted on the Riven Lyst the following about Robyn Miller: --- I've learned that Robyn Miller has moved his family and business (Land of Point) to Portland, Oregon. Robyn's site doesn't mention that he's moved, so I touched base with him to make sure it was OK to mention it. Robyn relied, "Yeah, go ahead and inform the public. The people have a right to know! :-)" When I asked him why he moved, he said, "Lot's of reasons... Has to do with livability for future employees. Has to do with being able to hire future employees." Portland is located in the north-west corner of Oregon and its metro area has a population of 1.7 million. Portland is roughly 350 miles south-west of Robyn's former home in the Spokane, Washington area. --- More On The Cyan Cam and A New Cyan Employee RAWA posted the following on the Riven Lyst: --- A Merry little poem for you: The New Cyan Cam is well on it's way I think that its debut will happen today So now it is time the address to tell http://cho.cyan.com/cam.html Enjoy :) --- Jim Stephenson of The Riven Unofficial Home Page posted on the Riven Lyst that Cyan will be hiring former ESPN Chairman - Stuart Evey. Go here for the full report. Also Gordon Currie of the Riven Guild had this to say about it: --- On 18 Dec 99 at 10:46, [email protected] wrote: > I hate press releases... they never tell you what you REALLY want to know! > What's this guy gonna do?! > hmmmm....I see his strength in a few areas: 1) HUGE background in business management 2) HUGE track record for running LARGE companies and most important 3) Well connected. This man could make a phone call and have a check for $10 - $20 million sitting on his desk in about an hour. Seriously. Rand's vision is going to require money and solid backing. I am willing to bet my soul that he gets exactly what is needed to make his vision become a reality. --- The New Cyan Cam RAWA mentioned the following on the Riven Lyst: -- The cyancam subsitute won't be anything fancy, and it's still at least a week away. I'm sure you'll know when it's ready. -- Employment Ops and the Cyan Cam Cyan's Employment Ops page has been updated! "Needed: Programmers & 3D Engineers" and "...projects underway so incredible they'll make your head spin." Interesting, another use of the words Head Spin. Hmmmmm..... RAWA mentioned on the Riven Lyst the following about the possiblity of a new Cyan Cam: --- A frequently updated CyanCam like we had before probably won't happen again. Yes, the main issue is bandwidth. There are several alternatives. Rand and I have discussed it, and have decided on something to impliment "soon". I'll send word to the lyst with more information when it's relevant. --- Spyder Updated and more on Head Spin Spyder updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html with some pictures of the construction going on at Cyan. From Head Spin's Nightly Events Page entry 03.11.99 (not entry 03.11.99b): "...Did I mention we're moving? Did I mention that soon I'll be home-less, losing both the house I call home and the only slightly more esoteric page I call home..." and "...So if the Nitely is banished to some unlinked and unloved cold inhospitable frontier backwater town, like the web equivalent of Spokane WA for instance..." Hmmmmm..... Interview with Robyn Miller Doug McBride reported on the Riven Lyst about an interview with Robyn Miller. David Green posted a some more pictures from his trip to Cyan at: http://members.xoom.com/XeresRazor/cyanpics/New Interview with Bill Slease Jim Stephenson had a small interview with Cyan's newest employee - Bill Slease. The most interesting part of it being: "...I share Doug McBride's title here as a "Digital Environmental Activist" and work downstairs in the Art Department. That [title] meant nothing to me when I was on the outside looking in, but I'm afraid I can't divulge much about the nature of the job yet without winding up in a prison book..." So what is so important about that title and what exactlly does it mean? Digital: adj 1: displaying numbers rather than scale positions; "digital clock"; "digital readout" 2: relating to or performed with the fingers; "digital examination" 3: (electronics) of a circuit or device that represents magnitudes in digits; "digital computer" Environmental: adj 1: of or relating to the external conditions or surroundings; "environmental factors" 2: concerned with the ecological effects of altering the environment; "environmental pollution" Activist: n : a militant reformer Hmmmmm..... Bill Slease - Cyan's new employee Well, I guessed wrong about who the new employee was, but really I should have know since I have been to his web site on several occasions. Anyway, Congratulations Bill! Cyan now has a transcript of the chat at http://cho.cyan.com/chat/transcript.html. Wired Article and New Cyan Employee The Wired Land Of Point article is now up. Doug McBride reported on the Riven Lyst about a new Cyan employee: --- Hi Lysters, I've got an exciting announcement that will be of interest to many of you. As just one of the many expansions going on here at Cyan, we've added a new employee to the Art Department. The newest member of our team started just this week, and has already shown great enthusiasm and is clawing his way up the learning curve. But what makes this event particularly exciting is that this new employee has been active on "The Riven Lyst" almost since the beginning. (I just asked him, and he said he subscribed shortly before Riven came out, so it was sometime in Summer/Fall 1997. The Riven Lyst came online in July 1997, and Riven came out in October 1997) He has been very active in the past, and if I were to name him here, many of you would certainly recognize him. As far as revealing exactly who he is, he'd like to invite everyone to be in CyanChat at 12:30 PST this Friday. And I'm not making any promises, but I'll try to also get some of the other artists, MarkD, RAWA, and several more Cyantists to join us. I know this time isn't going to be convenient for everybody, but making it during our lunch time ensures that more Cyan employees will be able to participate. Hope you can join us! ---
Still more about the Ring of Inspiration Karen Bahnsen of The D'ni Desk Reference passed along to the Riven Lyst a message she got from Mark DeForest about the Ring of Inspiration: -- Mark DeForest wrote: > I'm afraid it is "Oh, the humanity..." > Byron told me after he took the ring apart that > there was no way it would go back together > again. Plus some of the parts went home with > some of the people (I won't mention any names, > but their offices are in the executive wing ;-) > (BTW, RAWA and I are in the Wing of Wizards > (WoW)). And actually, "The Ring of Influence" > wasn't used very much anyhow. Because of the > starfield overhead there is a terrible echo in the > middle of it. I really feel sorry for the poor souls > that will have to work under it. They'll hear there > co-worker sitting clear on the otherside of the > starfield breathing. So, perhaps in the future when the extra workers are gone Cyan will build something else rather cool there. Mark also said this in his reply telling me I could post to the Lyst. > BTW, the builders are also upstairs and the > trophy case had to be moved along with > Catherine's costume case. Changes, changes. > By the end of the year there might be as many > as 29 people, but there is still only 28 parking > spots. Hmmm, I might have to come in earlier.... nah! -- More from Spyder about the Ring of Inspriation Spyder has updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html with some information about why the ring was removed. Interesting that Spyder would use the words "head spin". Some sad news from Spyder Spyder once again has updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html, but with some sad news. The Ring of Inspiration has been dismantled. You can see some pictures of it here and here on E.D.G.E Hole 3. You can also see some pictures of it here and here on Channelwood II. A Spyder Update And More Again Spyder once again has updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html with three reports. Acording to David Green on the Riven Lyst, "...Mee/su/to is Myst and Su/ree/dee is 3d..." Also The Next Thing has some information about the Myst Theme Park here. Is Myst Theme Park rumor or fact? Hmmmmm..... A Spyder Update And More Spyder once again has updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html with some news of new staff members. Andrew Roberts posted on the Riven Lyst that magazine Wired, issue 7.10 has a six page article about Land Of Point and some information about Cyan's next project. Here is some of the Cyan info that Andrew posted: "...Inside Cyan these days, there's a hive of top-secret industry called Project Mud Pie. Mud Pie is a set of shared environments for a delivery system that doesn't exist yet: broadband, high-speed internet for the masses. Not a sequel to Myst or Riven, Mud Pie is years away from its online debut. Rand will oversee its production while Robyn works on Green Tea." David Green posted a some pictures from his trip to Cyan at: http://members.xoom.com/XeresRazor/cyanpics Yet Another Spyder Update Spyder once again has updated http://cho.cyan.com/arachnid/web.html. Hmmmmm.....
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