<s>
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
Ages	I-Application
Beyond	I-Application
Myst	I-Application
is	O
an	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Cyan	O
Worlds	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
canon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Departing	O
from	O
previous	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
Uru	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
modern	O
era	O
and	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
customize	O
their	O
onscreen	O
avatars	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
use	O
their	O
avatars	B-Application
to	O
explore	O
the	O
abandoned	O
city	O
of	O
an	O
ancient	O
race	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
D'ni	O
,	O
uncover	O
story	O
clues	O
and	O
solve	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
began	O
developing	O
Uru	B-Application
shortly	O
after	O
completing	O
Riven	B-Application
in	O
1997	O
,	O
leaving	O
future	O
Myst	B-Application
sequels	O
to	O
be	O
produced	O
by	O
third-party	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
required	O
five	O
years	O
and	O
$12	O
million	O
to	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
was	O
initially	O
conceived	O
as	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
game	O
;	O
the	O
single-player	O
portion	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
component	O
,	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
,	O
was	O
delayed	O
and	O
eventually	O
canceled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
online	O
video	O
game	O
service	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
released	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
portion	O
of	O
Uru	B-Application
as	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Uru	I-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
in	O
February	O
2007	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
canceled	O
again	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameTap	B-Operating_System
passed	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
back	O
to	O
Cyan	O
,	O
who	O
re-launched	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
free	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
was	O
not	O
as	O
well	O
received	O
as	O
previous	O
Myst	B-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
sold	O
millions	O
of	O
units	O
,	O
Urus	B-Application
sales	O
were	O
considered	O
disappointing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
Ages	I-Application
Beyond	I-Application
Myst	I-Application
is	O
a	O
puzzle-adventure	O
game	O
that	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
worlds	O
known	O
as	O
Ages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
can	O
be	O
viewed	O
from	O
first	O
-	O
and	O
third-person	O
perspectives	O
,	O
a	O
departure	O
from	O
other	O
Myst	B-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
in	O
Uru	B-Application
can	O
neither	O
pick	O
up	O
objects	O
nor	O
carry	O
an	O
inventory	O
of	O
items	O
;	O
puzzle	O
items	O
must	O
be	O
pushed	O
or	O
kicked	O
into	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
avatars	B-Application
when	O
beginning	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
previous	O
Myst	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
player	O
characters	O
cannot	O
die	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
personal	O
Age	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
hub	O
in	O
Uru	B-Application
,	O
containing	O
a	O
bookshelf	O
with	O
linking	O
books	O
to	O
Ages	O
players	O
have	O
explored	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
avatar	B-Application
customization	O
options	O
and	O
game	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
to	O
ship	O
with	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
component	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
delayed	O
and	O
never	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
retail	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
branded	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
,	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
portion	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
allow	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
players	O
to	O
work	O
together	O
to	O
overcome	O
obstacles	O
or	O
complete	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
many	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Revelation	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Urus	B-Application
story	O
mixes	O
fictional	O
plot	O
elements	O
with	O
real-world	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Urus	B-Application
story	O
,	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
Myst	B-Application
was	O
created	O
when	O
the	O
archeological	O
leaders	O
approached	O
a	O
development	O
studio	O
,	O
Cyan	O
,	O
and	O
asked	O
them	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
to	O
educate	O
the	O
public	O
about	O
the	O
D'ni	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Myst	B-Application
sold	O
millions	O
of	O
copies	O
,	O
and	O
Cyan	O
continued	O
to	O
produce	O
games	O
based	O
on	O
D'ni	O
findings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
begin	O
Urus	B-Application
story	O
in	O
New	O
Mexico	O
near	O
the	O
Cleft	O
,	O
a	O
deep	O
fissure	O
in	O
the	O
ground	O
near	O
the	O
entrance	O
to	O
the	O
D'ni	O
caverns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
stumbles	O
across	O
a	O
hologram	O
of	O
a	O
woman	O
,	O
Yeesha	B-Application
,	O
who	O
tells	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
D'ni	O
and	O
requests	O
help	O
to	O
rebuild	O
the	O
civilization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
Worlds	O
began	O
development	O
on	O
its	O
next	O
project	O
after	O
the	O
company	O
finished	O
1997	O
's	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
bestselling	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
that	O
became	O
Uru	B-Application
would	O
take	O
more	O
than	O
five	O
years	O
and	O
$12	O
million	O
to	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
under	O
development	O
,	O
Uru	B-Application
was	O
codenamed	O
DIRT	O
(	O
"	O
D'ni	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
then	O
MUDPIE	O
(	O
for	O
"	O
Multi-User	O
DIRT	O
,	O
Persistent	O
/	O
Personal	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
/	O
Experience	O
/	O
Exploration	O
/	O
Environment	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
as	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
before	O
being	O
renamed	O
Uru	B-Application
in	O
early	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Myst	B-Application
co-creator	O
Rand	O
Miller	O
released	O
a	O
statement	O
along	O
with	O
an	O
outline	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
is	O
a	O
revolutionary	O
adventure	O
game	O
that	O
takes	O
the	O
best	O
qualities	O
of	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
franchise	I-Application
and	O
makes	O
them	O
even	O
better	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
considered	O
Uru	B-Application
a	O
major	O
departure	O
from	O
Myst	B-Application
and	O
Riven	B-Application
in	O
that	O
Cyan	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
persistent	O
world	O
,	O
where	O
actions	O
occurred	O
while	O
the	O
player	O
was	O
not	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
did	O
not	O
consider	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
true	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
"	O
there	O
is	O
not	O
leveling	O
and	O
skills	O
and	O
monsters	O
and	O
experience	O
in	O
any	O
artificial	O
sense	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
designed	O
as	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
spin-off	O
than	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
previous	O
Myst	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
merging	O
of	O
items	O
from	O
the	O
contemporary	O
(	O
traffic	O
cones	O
and	O
T-shirts	O
)	O
to	O
the	O
fantastic	O
(	O
books	O
that	O
transport	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
new	O
worlds	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2003	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
portion	O
was	O
delayed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Small	O
groups	O
of	O
players	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
come	O
online	O
to	O
test	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
journalists	O
were	O
told	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
invited	O
to	O
play	O
soon	O
after	O
,	O
but	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
was	O
canceled	O
before	O
being	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Urus	B-Application
release	O
and	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Lives	I-Protocol
demise	O
,	O
Cyan	O
announced	O
that	O
new	O
content	O
would	O
be	O
added	O
via	O
expansion	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
,	O
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
To	I-Application
D'ni	I-Application
,	O
added	O
the	O
never-released	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
online	O
content	O
,	O
thus	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	O
past	O
of	O
the	O
D'ni	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Path	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Shell	I-Application
,	O
extended	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Uru	B-Application
in	O
the	O
present	O
and	O
added	O
multiple	O
never-before-seen	O
Ages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
first	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Path	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Shell	I-Application
was	O
not	O
free	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
boxed	O
and	O
sold	O
in	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
,	O
To	O
Dni	O
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Path	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Shell	I-Application
were	O
also	O
packaged	O
together	O
and	O
sold	O
as	O
Uru	B-Application
:	O
Complete	O
Chronicles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Urus	B-Application
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Tim	O
Larkin	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
started	O
his	O
career	O
at	O
game	O
publisher	O
Brøderbund	O
,	O
and	O
lobbied	O
hard	O
to	O
be	O
included	O
on	O
Rivens	B-Application
development	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Larkin	O
worked	O
on	O
creating	O
different	O
sound	O
effects	O
for	O
Riven	B-Application
and	O
was	O
chosen	O
to	O
score	O
Uru	B-Application
after	O
composer	O
and	O
Myst	B-Application
co-creator	O
Robyn	O
Miller	O
left	O
Cyan	O
in	O
early	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
collected	O
as	O
a	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
Uru	B-Application
Music	O
,	O
that	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sometimes	O
Larkin	O
replaced	O
synthesized	O
performances	O
with	O
those	O
of	O
real	O
musicians	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
track	O
"	O
Gallery	O
Theme	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
synthesized	O
vocal	O
part	O
was	O
eventually	O
discarded	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
soprano	B-Application
Tasha	O
Koontz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Uru	B-Application
soundtrack	O
received	O
two	O
Game	O
Audio	O
Network	O
Guild	O
(	O
G.A.N.G.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Beyond	O
its	O
use	O
in	O
Uru	B-Application
,	O
"	O
Gallery	O
Theme	O
"	O
was	O
later	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
theatrical	O
trailer	O
for	O
Steven	O
Spielberg	O
's	O
film	O
,	O
Munich	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Uru	B-Application
soundtrack	O
comes	O
on	O
an	O
enhanced	O
CD	O
,	O
containing	O
a	O
(	O
nearly	O
)	O
four-minute	O
music	O
video	O
called	O
"	O
Uru	B-Application
:	O
The	O
Makers	O
"	O
and	O
an	O
audio-only	O
interview	O
with	O
Rand	O
Miller	O
and	O
Tim	O
Larkin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
compensate	O
for	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
,	O
Cyan	O
published	O
all	O
the	O
developed	O
online	O
content	O
as	O
single-player	O
expansion	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
a	O
small	O
group	O
of	O
dedicated	O
fans	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
them	O
the	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
beta	O
testers	O
,	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
maintain	O
their	O
unofficial	O
servers	O
,	O
called	O
"	O
shards	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
released	O
binaries	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
servers	O
under	O
the	O
banner	O
Until	B-Protocol
Uru	I-Protocol
and	O
coordinated	O
with	O
the	O
fan	O
shards	O
so	O
that	O
players	O
could	O
verify	O
their	O
authentication	O
keys	O
,	O
necessary	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2006	O
,	O
Cyan	O
opened	O
their	O
own	O
official	O
shard	O
,	O
called	O
D'mala	O
,	O
open	O
at	O
no	O
charge	O
to	O
Uru	B-Application
owners	O
,	O
though	O
an	O
invitation	O
from	O
the	O
community	O
was	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
revealed	O
in	O
a	O
letter	O
to	O
fans	O
that	O
Cyan	O
had	O
received	O
"	O
limited	O
funding	O
from	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
that	O
allows	O
us	O
to	O
breathe	O
some	O
refreshing	O
new	O
life	O
and	O
optimism	O
into	O
all	O
things	O
Uru.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2006	O
,	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
announced	O
it	O
was	O
relaunching	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
as	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Uru	I-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
's	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
content	O
Ricardo	O
Sanchez	O
,	O
"	O
One	O
of	O
the	O
reasons	O
[	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
was ]	O
so	O
attracted	O
to	O
Uru	B-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
is	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
this	O
persistent	O
group	O
that	O
kept	O
it	O
alive	O
during	O
the	O
dark	O
days	O
of	O
its	O
absence.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Cyan	O
devoted	O
its	O
time	O
to	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
it	O
promised	O
not	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
Until	B-Protocol
Uru	I-Protocol
in	O
the	O
meantime	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
would	O
offer	O
no	O
new	O
authentication	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameTap	B-Operating_System
released	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
in	O
February	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
was	O
the	O
only	O
Mac-compatible	O
game	O
on	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
business	O
reasons	O
GameTap	B-Operating_System
announced	O
in	O
February	O
2008	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
go	O
offline	O
in	O
April	O
;	O
Cyan	O
reacquired	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
give	O
the	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
source	O
code	O
and	O
tools	O
to	O
the	O
fans	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
open-source	B-Application
project	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Cyan	O
Worlds	O
released	O
the	O
game	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Uru	I-Protocol
Live	I-Protocol
again	O
(	O
MO:ULagain	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Cyan	O
Worlds	O
and	O
OpenUru.org	O
announced	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Myst	B-Protocol
Onlines	I-Protocol
client	O
and	O
3ds	O
Max	O
plugin	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	O
GPL	O
v3	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initial	O
reception	O
to	O
Uru	B-Application
was	O
generally	O
positive	O
,	O
but	O
less	O
so	O
than	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Uru	B-Application
was	O
a	O
departure	O
from	O
previous	O
Myst	B-Application
titles	O
,	O
the	O
differences	O
were	O
usually	O
praised	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informers	O
Lisa	O
Mason	O
said	O
Uru	B-Application
"	O
successfully	O
updated	O
"	O
the	O
adventure	O
game	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newspapers	O
appreciated	O
the	O
contrast	O
Uru	B-Application
offered	O
from	O
violence-filled	O
contemporary	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Cook	O
appreciated	O
the	O
added	O
depth	O
and	O
immersion	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
rendering	I-General_Concept
,	O
she	O
found	O
incidents	O
such	O
as	O
slipping	O
off	O
rocks	O
,	O
falling	O
into	O
lava	O
,	O
and	O
plummeting	O
into	O
canyons	O
irksome	O
additions	O
to	O
the	O
previously	O
stress-free	O
Myst	B-Application
formula	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
critic	O
complaint	O
about	O
Uru	B-Application
was	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
ship	O
with	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Urus	B-Application
sales	O
were	O
considered	O
disappointing	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
first	O
three	O
Myst	B-Application
games	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
12	O
million	O
units	O
collectively	O
before	O
Urus	B-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
computer	O
games	O
,	O
The	O
NPD	O
Group	O
ranked	O
Uru	B-Application
ninth	O
for	O
the	O
weeks	O
ending	O
November	O
22	O
and	O
December	O
6	O
,	O
and	O
13th	O
for	O
the	O
month	O
of	O
December	O
2003	O
overall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
sold	O
between	O
100,000	O
and	O
400,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
August	O
2006	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
beaten	O
by	O
Myst	B-Application
III	O
:	O
Exiles	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
magazine	O
pointed	O
to	O
Urus	B-Application
relative	O
failure	O
as	O
evidence	O
the	O
franchise	O
had	O
lost	O
its	O
touch	O
,	O
a	O
notion	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Revelation	I-Application
sought	O
to	O
dispel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Urus	B-Application
poor	O
sales	O
were	O
also	O
considered	O
a	O
factor	O
in	O
financially	O
burdening	O
Cyan	O
,	O
contributing	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
near-closure	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
Ages	I-Application
Beyond	I-Application
Myst	I-Application
won	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
USs	O
2003	O
"	O
Best	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Best	O
Sound	O
"	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
presented	O
Uru	B-Application
with	O
its	O
"	O
Best	O
Art	O
Direction	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
for	O
which	O
it	O
tied	O
with	O
Tron	O
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
nominated	O
in	O
The	O
Electric	O
Playgrounds	O
"	O
Best	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
for	O
PC	O
"	O
category	O
,	O
but	O
lost	O
this	O
prize	O
to	O
Beyond	B-Application
Good	I-Application
&	I-Application
Evil	I-Application
.	O
</s>
