Difference between revisions of "Playing Fan Ages"

(haha take that dustin)
(Merged theclam's version in, and corrected a few things.)
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=Introduction=
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There are two different methods of downloading/installing/playing Fan Ages: UAM and ULM.  Historically, UAM(=UruAgeManager) was written initially and used for Fan Ages.  During the "Great Cyan Clampdown of 2006" things were driven underground for a while, and ULM(=UruLibraryManager) was written to take its place.  Later on, UruAgeManager was rewritten from scratch as a part of the Drizzle tool.
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UAM Strengths:
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*Doesn't require .Net framework
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*Has every Age ever released, some 24+ more than ULM
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*No problems with corrupted Ages
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*Much faster downloads
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*Caches downloads, and lets you easily switch versions of an Age without redownloading
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ULM Strengths:
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*Doesn't require Java
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*Allows you to customise which books are on your Relto shelf
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For info on UAM(Drizzle): [[Drizzle]]
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For info on ULM: [[Installing_ULM]]
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Disclaimer: I may be a bit biased :P
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=More Details=
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==What are Fan Ages?==
 
==What are Fan Ages?==
 
As you know, in [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/D%27ni D'ni] culture an [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Age Age] is a separate universe, described by and accessible through special books. And as you know, as D'ni culture is represented in the [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Myst_Universe Myst] and [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Uru Uru] series of computer games, an Age is essentially a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_(video_games) level] in one of these games.
 
As you know, in [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/D%27ni D'ni] culture an [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Age Age] is a separate universe, described by and accessible through special books. And as you know, as D'ni culture is represented in the [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Myst_Universe Myst] and [http://en.mystlore.com/wiki/Uru Uru] series of computer games, an Age is essentially a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_(video_games) level] in one of these games.
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What makes up these Ages is data made in special tools ([[Blender Intro|Blender]], [[Free and useful tools to help in Age writing#Python tools|Python]], [[AlcScript]], [[PyPRP Intro|PyPRP]]). However, the game engine needs a push to recognize these Ages. Manager programs, most notably [[Installing ULM|Uru Library Manager]] (ULM) and [http://alcugs.almlys.org/Drizzle Uru Age Manager] (UAM) were written to make this push (installation), and also to manage downloading Ages from a [http://ulm.hbyte.net/ common database].
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What makes up these Ages is data made in special tools ([[Blender Intro|Blender]], [[Free and useful tools to help in Age writing#Python tools|Python]], [[AlcScript]], [[PyPRP Intro|PyPRP]]). However, the game engine needs a push to recognize these Ages. Manager programs, most notably [[Installing ULM|Uru Library Manager]] (ULM) and [http://alcugs.almlys.org/Drizzle Uru Age Manager] (UAM) were written to make this push (installation).
  
  
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==What do I need to play Fan Ages?==
 
==What do I need to play Fan Ages?==
  
*Windows XP or Vista
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*Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows7 (Also known to work in Linux using WINE)
 
*The Uru game engine, necessarily as part of one of these games:
 
*The Uru game engine, necessarily as part of one of these games:
 
**[http://www.amazon.com/Myst-Uru-Path-Shell-Expansion-Pc/dp/B00023XXLI Uru: The Path of the Shell] (which requires [http://www.amazon.com/UBI-Soft-008888681090-Uru-Beyond/dp/B00008Z0IA/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_3 Uru:ABM])
 
**[http://www.amazon.com/Myst-Uru-Path-Shell-Expansion-Pc/dp/B00023XXLI Uru: The Path of the Shell] (which requires [http://www.amazon.com/UBI-Soft-008888681090-Uru-Beyond/dp/B00008Z0IA/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_3 Uru:ABM])
 
**[http://www.amazon.com/UBI-Soft-Myst-Uru-Chronicles/dp/B00023XXMC/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_1 Uru: Complete Chronicles]
 
**[http://www.amazon.com/UBI-Soft-Myst-Uru-Chronicles/dp/B00023XXMC/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_1 Uru: Complete Chronicles]
 
*An Age manager program:
 
*An Age manager program:
**[[Drizzle|Uru Age Manager]], currently included with the [[Drizzle]] toolkit. Requires [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language) Java]. Created by Old Wolle, H'astin, and ddb174.
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**[[Drizzle|Uru Age Manager]], currently included with the [[Drizzle]] toolkit. Requires [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language) Java]. Maintained and created by Old Wolle and ddb174.
**[[Installing ULM|Uru Library Manager]]. Requires [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework .NET]. Created by Tyion.
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**[[Installing ULM|Uru Library Manager]]. Requires [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework .NET]. Created by Trylon.
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(as of January 2009 there is not an available multiplayer version)
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For online play, you'll need to find someone running an Alcugs shard, or set one up.  Details are at [http://alcugs.almlys.org]

Revision as of 20:59, 21 January 2009

Introduction

There are two different methods of downloading/installing/playing Fan Ages: UAM and ULM. Historically, UAM(=UruAgeManager) was written initially and used for Fan Ages. During the "Great Cyan Clampdown of 2006" things were driven underground for a while, and ULM(=UruLibraryManager) was written to take its place. Later on, UruAgeManager was rewritten from scratch as a part of the Drizzle tool.


UAM Strengths:

  • Doesn't require .Net framework
  • Has every Age ever released, some 24+ more than ULM
  • No problems with corrupted Ages
  • Much faster downloads
  • Caches downloads, and lets you easily switch versions of an Age without redownloading


ULM Strengths:

  • Doesn't require Java
  • Allows you to customise which books are on your Relto shelf


For info on UAM(Drizzle): Drizzle

For info on ULM: Installing_ULM


Disclaimer: I may be a bit biased :P


More Details

What are Fan Ages?

As you know, in D'ni culture an Age is a separate universe, described by and accessible through special books. And as you know, as D'ni culture is represented in the Myst and Uru series of computer games, an Age is essentially a level in one of these games.


This article deals with a certain kind of Age - those created by fans of Myst and Uru, that are playable using Uru's game engine, Plasma.


What makes up these Ages is data made in special tools (Blender, Python, AlcScript, PyPRP). However, the game engine needs a push to recognize these Ages. Manager programs, most notably Uru Library Manager (ULM) and Uru Age Manager (UAM) were written to make this push (installation).


While Fan Ages are not created by Cyan Worlds (and thus not commercial, not always cohesive, and in some cases not finished), it is important to note that these are the cornucopias of imagination of the person next to you on the bus, and you would be remiss to not enjoy them.

What do I need to play Fan Ages?


For online play, you'll need to find someone running an Alcugs shard, or set one up. Details are at [1]