Courtesy of the GDC Vault, Myst co-creator and sound composer Robyn Miller shared at GDC 2013 the design and production details behind one of gaming's most iconic first-person adventures.
Miller's 60-minute session was packed with such nuggets as describing a 30-second phone call that decided the name of the game and his approach to creating puzzles essentially for non-gamers. He also discussed the challenge of designing for some of the first CD-ROM based consoles, which he said had no hard drive buffer and very little memory buffer.
To hear more, including how Myst was designed around these restrictions, check out the free lecture above.
Session Name: Classic Game Postmortem: Myst
Speaker(s): Robyn Miller
Company Name(s): Zoo Break Gun Club
Track / Format: Design
Overview:The best-selling PC game of the 1990s, Myst is also often attributed as the game that sold CD-ROM drives. Its majestic 3D world was too large for floppy disks, filled with puzzles and mysteries that unraveled in front of players' eyes in an engrossing first-person adventure. Myst's immersive atmosphere and play even gave rise to the debate of games two decades ago.
Since its release in 1993, it has been remade and ported to over 10 platforms, including most recently the Nintendo 3DS and iOS. Robyn Miller, the original co-creator and sound composer, will discuss how he and his brother Rand created a game that remains relevant and commercially desirable over 20 years later.
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent GDC events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC China already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscriptions via a GDC Vault inquiry form.
Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via an online demonstration, and interested parties can find out more here. In addition, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault admins.
Be sure to keep an eye on GDC Vault for even more new content, as GDC organizers will also archive videos, audio, and slides from other events like GDC China and GDC 2013. To stay abreast of all the latest updates to GDC Vault, be sure to check out the news feed on the official GDC website, or subscribe to updates via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.
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It is sort of funny that someone asked about Lucas Arts/Sierra games and he responded that they weren't even on the radar consider that there is a probably considerable overlap between the fans of these games.
Fascinating talk and a good indicator of the need for people with perspectives from outside of the games industry to rejuvenate our inbred thinking.
Myst was one of the few games my father could really sit down and enjoy as a semi-casual gamer. I personally know, and have heard of many, non-gamers who have played Myst. I would say Robyn and Rand were successful in their aim.
Myst was one of the few games my father could really sit down and enjoy as a semi-casual gamer. I personally know, and have heard of many, non-gamers who have played Myst. I would say Robyn and Rand were successful in their aim.