Q: When in the Myst storyline does Aveara take place?

A: This is the first Myst title that takes place from the chronological standpoint of Uru, as the main group of characters are from the DRC (D'ni Restoration Guild). So that's an interesting new perspective on Myst storytelling that will, I hope, neatly tie the series of games and books with the upcoming Uru game that takes place in our present time.

Q: Will you be casting actors for your characters, if so, who?

I have already begun casting principle characters, and they will all be unknowns. I want new talent so that we do not associate the characters of Aveara with anyone else. We are also building our wardrobe in 3D, which were making much progress with through test renders. We are currently using cloth simulation plug-ins in 3DS Max, the software used to create Exile. It allows us to save money, redirecting that saved money on other expenses in producing this project.

Q: Can we expect the same photo realistic quality as we have in the Myst Trilogy?

A: We are striving for photo-realism. We have some pretty talented team members that are extremely capable of doing photo-real modeling, texturing, and rendering. The nice benefit in this project is that were not making a game, where we have to render multiple shots every few paces. Instead, we are producing specific shots to illustrate the text. Thus, we can add more detail to each image in Photoshop that wouldve taken us months to create had we done it entirely in 3D.

Q: How far is your project away from being done?

A: We had set a target date for release on August 1st, 2003, in time for Mysterium 2003 and before Urus release. But that was a tentative target date made at the very beginning of this project, and as we are getting more involved each day, I believe a more accurate target date would be generally in Fall 2003. I still plan on attending Mysterium, giving a presentation and releasing major information, images, and even trailers constructed in Flash. I contacted the Mysterium committee, but have not yet received a response.

Q: What is your job as the Director of Aveara?

A: Well, as the Writer, Director, and Producer of Aveara, I have my hands extremely full (while also running atlasimage.com, my web-design agency). The writing portion is vital, and I take great care in ensuring the quality of the writing and the story development. The job duties of being the director are equally important, but more immediate, as I must keep the team focused on a unified vision. Being the director means youre the final authority on everything, and you must keep coherence in the project. Every director must have a vision. There must be a direction that the project is moving to, and it is the job of the director to keep the project moving and moving correctly. This role will get even more interesting and challenging when we begin principle digital photography of the cast.

As far as being a producer, that means Aveara is my life for a dominating percentage of every day until the project is done. I am responsible for recruiting the right people for the right jobs, and keeping the team motivated to excel. It also means that I front all of the money for this project, and schedule real-world events like that casts digital photo-shoots at our photography studio, doing public-relations efforts like this interview, and flying to Spokane for Mysterium to do promotional presentations. I live in Ohio, so thatll be a great trip! These three jobs demand a lot from me, but the flipside is how extremely rewarding it is and how rewarding it will be upon release. Within the first few days that Aveara was announced to the public, fans have sent us numerous e-mails of encouraging support, signed up for our newsletter, and shown much excitement on Myst fan-forums. And they keep coming! It not only thrills me, but my entire team. They very much appreciate that.

Were about to unlock a new feature on the Aveara website (www.aveara.com), where if you sign up (or already have signed up) for the free Aveara newsletter, you will be granted secret access into images-in-progress. This, a new desktop, and a news and team update will be coming very soon! Hopefully that will keep fans excited while we work to develop Aveara into one amazing experience.