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Help us de-mystify the ambitious new Cyan adventure.

<span class="bold">Obduction&reg;</span>, the upcoming first-person puzzle/exploration adventure from the makers of the legendary Myst series is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time for a Q&A session with Cyan but we need your help to make it happen! So let's put our collective minds together and come up with some awesome questions about this beautiful, alien world.

In Obduction®, a fateful encounter with an organic artifact that fell from the sky transports us to a distant world that feels both completely alien and strangely familiar. As if a slice of Earth lodged itself inside a surreal landscape full of giant pieces of machinery, unknown technology, and strange creatures. While trying to make sense of this mysterious place and our purpose in it, we'll gradually uncover adjacent worlds, harboring their own mysteries and echoes of previous inhabitants.


As a true spiritual successor to Myst, Obduction® relies on similar storytelling and world-building techniques, so expect FMV actors inside breathtaking environments. Earlier this year, PC Gamer nominated the game for Best of E3 saying that: "Obduction is shaping up to be a great first-person puzzle game."
<span class="bold">In an interview with them</span>, Rand Miller, CEO of Cyan, said that they hope to give players that same sense of bewilderment and wondrous discovery as the original Myst inspired, all these years ago.
<span class="bold">Game Informer also expects</span> that "Die-hard fans of this style of game have a lot to look forward to, as it's the closest to the original title in form and function that I've seen".

Naturally, the game has caught everyone's eye thanks to its stunning, Unreal 4-powered visuals and the game's VR version has also received high praise from various outlets <span class="bold">who got to try it on Oculus Rift</span>.

Want to know more about <span class="bold">Obduction&reg;</span>? Get ready to hit Cyan with your questions for our next week's Q&A session! Since this is an exploration-driven experience, learning about the story this early on would spoil the fun but there's plenty more to talk about, like the creative process, the various inspirations, the tech, or anything else you can think of!

So, GOGers, post your questions here until Friday, August 19, and with them we'll forge a sturdy key that will help us unlock more of the game's intriguing secrets!


https://www.youtube.com/embed/cyrWcAl7Sys
Post edited August 23, 2016 by maladr0Id
Looking at the adventure games genre today I recognize different type of games. Some of them have a focus on storytelling, like interactive fiction, visual novels or point & click adventures. Then we have games with a focus on puzzles, like hidden object games. And then we have of course the action-adventue games. For me Myst and his clones are a mix between story and puzzles, with focus on puzzles.

And now the question: I guess at the beginning there is an idea of a plot. But as there is a bigger focus on puzzles than in other adventure games, are there situations in production when the story needs to be changed to fit better with some puzzles you really wanted to be in the game? If so, how often happened that for Obduction?
Post edited August 17, 2016 by DukeNukemForever
Any chance of a third person perspective as well?
How difficult will the puzzles in Obduction be, compared to Myst and Riven? Will the game feature an in-game hint system?

Also, will Obduction have an intro to rival Riven's awesome one (still gives me chills):
https://youtu.be/Lza_VWaSlg8
When will my boxed copy be shipped?
No further questions.


I lied....... How old is the sun? ;p
1) As I understand it, the game was from day one designed to support both HMDs and monitors. What sacrifices did you make here? I imagine, for instance, that requirering the player to take notes were a no-go.

2) Pure exploration games are called 'walking sims'. I think the process of actually walking through the scenery can do a lot to give you a feel of the place, as oposite to the more abstract node-based movement. Yet, the later has been a tradition all the way back to the earliest adventure games, and is also faster. So, what movement would you recommend?
So far, it sounds like it's going to be a great game!
Without too many spoilers, can you speak to what your inspirations were for this new story, this new path? What kinds of works (games, books, musics, or other; contemporary or old-school) have been influencing and shaping your approach to this latest project? What's been interesting you?
You've filmed Obduction's FMV in Stereoscopy for VR. If the VR player tilts their head from side to side doesn't this cause the perspective to be incorrect? How did you handle this problem?
Does Obduction support 21:9 (3440x1440) resolutions?
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divector8: You've filmed Obduction's FMV in Stereoscopy for VR. If the VR player tilts their head from side to side doesn't this cause the perspective to be incorrect? How did you handle this problem?
They told the user not to tilt their head side to side?
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jamyskis: To my German ears, the name of the game still makes it sound like a horror game.
It's actually secretly a geology game:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/obduction?s=t
Will Obduction have the same eerie and haunted feeling of the Myst games?
One of the ideas behind Obduction was to bring that sensation of wonder and unknowingness of the situation as with Myst back in the day, where you had to figure most things out on your own. Sometimes people got frustrated with it even back in the day (f.e. Pyst - parody game on Myst, can be indicator of that). But the modern world is seeing new games being more "accessible". Constant hand-holding and help throughout gameplay are what present in big number of today's games.

But here's the question: how do you deal with new generations of gamers? Are you suggesting in even trying to somehow win new people over, maybe by even modifying, basically, some of the design philosophies you are being loyal to (and that's what I love about you and other fans do)? And if you made some adjustments in the game (like new movement systems which were introduced in your latest Myst remasters and in this one) to accompany that knowledge, what those are (if it's not a secret)? Or is this only a niche thing and will be at least for some time?

The thing is, these types of experiences, where a lot of time and thought is needed, are keeping fading away in popularity of other more streamlined experiences, and I wish games such as Myst and Riven wouldn't be left out financially because of that.

Thank you.
Earlier this year Jonathon Blow released The Witness to which there's no doubt that it got a lot of inspiration from Myst. My greatest moment from that game was when I discovered the real ending only found by the most avid puzzle aficionados.

Another game I loved was The Curse of Monkey Island where it had a more challenging difficulty mode with far more obscure solutions to the puzzles. I loved that 'New Game+' kind of mode.

Will Obduction reward veteran puzzle players with tougher puzzles or alternate endings?
Will the game contain a hidden schnitzel?

I am a member of the pro schnitzel society and we're trying to promote schnitzels all around the world. It would be nice if there would be a schnitzel between all the rocks where you can click on to obtain it.
I was wondering if
a) there is more than one way to solve a puzzle
b) you have dialogue options in the FMV sequences
c) there are multiple endings based on how well you explored the world (for example a player might miss a clue or object which might lead to a different outcome)?

Thank you for your time.