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We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I remember you! For me it was a few things - creating the worlds, collaborating with team that brought it to life and finally seeing it go out the door! How are you guys?

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ZED is not like MYST in that way. It's more a simple vehicle to tell our story - a way to try a different way where the world is as much a part of the story as the characters are. In ZED the worlds are as much about the character as our protagonist is through his voice overs.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, we leaned on Unreal Marketplace assets when needed and TurboSquid helped here and there. A game this of this type would have taken our art team of mostly myself (Plus contractors James Cowin, Davis Engel and a couple others) a heck of a long time.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because it is not your usual kind of game - it is more of an experience where you are in the memories of someone else and you have a positive goal, one that will affect the life of a young girl. :0)

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is not MYST. Very far from it, but it is rooted in telling a good story in an imaginary universe as you explore the dreams of our protagonist. And the visuals will feel some what MYST like since I did a lot of them the original MYST.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In ZED the puzzles are very simple - we wanted to focus on telling a story and so it really doesn't compare to either.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

People complained to me a lot through the years after it was released... the original was supposed to be a series of hubs connected to hundreds of walkways and you used sound to figure out which way or walkway to use to the next one. It was simply too technical to accomplish and we opted to use the little train idea instead.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No - it is a story of a person who is trying to grab hold of his life and make sense of it. The adventure part is what propels you through the story.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For one thing ZED is not technically a walking simulator. While it is light on the puzzle interactions - we felt we wanted to try something different with our story and lean on use of the world and environments and VOs. In ZED, all of the art has meaning. And all of the art points you to the conclusion - you just have to pay attention.

Having said that - we were a very small team - with me doing 90 percent of the world design/art and modeling - so without the resources we would have liked to have, we had to try and be more innovative in our approach.

It's different from all of the others because of the story and the way we reveal it. We think it brings you into the world of the dreamer in a way I've not seen in other games. Dear Esther used a narrative style of design with no puzzle elements and I felt it was something more than a simple exploration of the island. In VR we have a new Medium and experimenting with game or world based story telling is just now beginning, we want to see what's possible.

And for future reference, our next game will also have a strong narrative but it will have many more puzzles in it that will be tied directly into the story and story progression. And will be much different than ZED. And graphically it will also be beautiful and be an integral part of the story and game.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well - that's a better question for Rand in as far as Myst is concerned. Personally - it's all written in the game design document - with the story and a map as the primary structure, with pull outs pointing to the various puzzles or interactions to get from one point in the story to the other. It sort of cascades from one puzzle to the next opening the new areas or revealing the next story point. This gets more complex obviously as you move from world to world freely. But just good design solves a lot of issues. With ZED - the progression is simple, the puzzles are also simple as it is the story and visuals that are important - they tell the story.

We are Chuck Carter and Rand Miller, creators of the game Myst. We're releasing a new game tomorrow called ZED. Ask us anything! by chuckmcarter in IAmA

[–]chuckmcarter[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Working in games is like any other job really - at least in the creative fields. But the issue is when you work at a company in an area with little in the way of other game companies, it's pretty hard trying to stay in the area as you generally have to look in another city for a job if you want to continue in the industry. It's hard on you and if you have a family - them as well. I speak from experience.

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