I have recurring series of dreams which're episodic in nature. I know this one where there's a doctor in a dark room who interviews me about what I've seen, what I've done… turns out (as was eventually revealed) he's an older version of a parallel Torley Sr.. He shows me snapshots—quickly—and asks me to describe what I remember, the memories triggered from each one. In a way, I view him as a father figure, but he's also menacing because he's cold, clinical, distant.

I visited Telador Isle (for the first time in a long time) recently. Such an exquisite place, really. Drawing its inspiration from Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, I was surprised to learn the main build was constructed in late' 04 and hasn't changed much since then. It certainly sets a high-quality standard and has aged well.

The stepping stones in the water have this remarkably seamlessly-repeating texture with a glossy, oystery quality. There are hanging lanterns which remind me of Chinese festivals of light I attended as a child, and the pathways have an organic but eminently livable feel. Much as I felt when playing the first Myst (the only one I've been through besides demos of Uru and Myst V), I wonder what it must've been like to live here.

Given my current form—which I'll explain more about in good time—I've been seeking locations with what I dub a SierraLucas factor, which is a catchall for "great adventure". You could take a picture at an oblique angle and render it as a still shot, whilst pixellated 2D characters USE chalice ON stream and GIVE mixed potion TO knight. (That might be a fun, if time-consuming project: make a classic adventure game with the SCUMM engine, with graphics extrapolated from Second Life. Not entirely different from how Myst did it.)

You can tell a lot about someone by their work-in-progress. Another thing that harkens dear to me are the orange-and-white cones and barricades that I've seen on various builds-on-the-go, including Linden ones. I can't help but be reminded of the mid-90s, seeing all those under construction graphics.

My mind's been going through a weird shift in the last few days…

When I log in, I often get gifts like these, and they are the dearest things! I can't wait to have our new "inbox" aka Recent Items tab so I can organize myself even better to enjoy them.

The hoverbike on the far right's a prototype by Firefox Bancroft. For a moment there, I felt like I'd sprung right out of a widescreen anime presentation.

That's all in the past now. And I don't mean that in a bad way either…

but things change.