I am inviting everyone who dreams of creating an URU age a chance to reveal that age at La Casa -- even if all they have are a few images. We can do this in two ways, a vision dream or a "descriptive book" from La Casa's private library. Both are animated .gif files and should include the most evocative complete images possible. These can be artistic renderings such as those we find as download-able wallpaper on the MOUL site, as photographs of natural or structural scenes that will be later rendered into an age, or as original graphics intended to be rendered into 3D. Each image must be at least 800 x 600 pixels (I will reduce to the size needed for the format chosen) and in 16 million (24 bit) color, unless some there is some specific reason for the images to be in a particular color scheme -- such as the world is red everywhere because it is made of lava or very grayed out because it rains all the time.

Vision dreams
We have introduced the concept of vision dreams induced by drinking tea, burning incense or a traditional tribal smudge stick. Later we will have pills and a spray with dream properties. These dream inducers are made of herbal preparations from plants taken in the D'ni ages (see the D'ni Herbology book in La Casa's main library) to learn more about our use of D'ni botanicals.

Each dream is formed from 5 original images which are distorted to produce a dreamlike quality, with special effects and transitions. Gentle music plays in the background as the vision loops. Most dreams run to about 125 frames when complete. To end the dream, the visitor clicks the "wake up" link under the image and in most cases awakens in the same bedroom in which they went to sleep.

Sleep-linking
In one case the dreamer "wakes up" in a different room from the one originally entered. This is one of the locked bedrooms occupied by a member of La Casa's staff. Since the staff have access to the private library, there can be a hidden "descriptive book" in a staffer's room. Naturally, the vision dream should show aspects of the descriptive book and that descriptive book will be the one hidden in the staffer's room.

Instanced Rooms
We have also introduced the concept of instanced rooms so that no dreamer need fear waking up in the bedroom of a very startled staffer stepping out of the shower and pulling on her undies. The locked bedrooms will always be devoid of occupants and may have any number of goodies, both obvious and hidden.

Easter Eggs
We are working on creating art objects that a visitor can find and keep by right-clicking on the image. Could be a nice piece of desktop wallpaper, a book not available anywhere else, or a clue to some later puzzle. Although we are limited by the solo static format we have a lot of inspiration from our beloved URU and are doing our technical best to give you things to find and information to learn.

If you are working on an age and have some images ready to share, we are happy to work with you. Send me a PM or an email with your ideas.