In 1993, Brøderbund Software changed the way people played computer games with the release Myst, a fascinating world of mystery hatched from the minds of brothers Rand and Robyn Miller and their then-small (four employees) development company, Cyan.

With sales of over 3 million copies,

 Myst has become the best-selling computer game of all time. According to PC Data, it has held its own in the top-10 list for title sales since its release. In fact, Myst holds the record for highest single-month sales in December 1996 with 320,000 units in that month alone-three years after its initial release. And, in another unprecedented situation, Myst has garnered the Millers a fair amount of celebrity status; the two have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Primetime Live on ABC, and even in advertisements for the Gap.

This summer, the Miller brothers are about to do it all over again with the long-anticipated

Riven: The Sequel to Myst, which, put together by the now-25 member team of Cyan, promises to be more even fantastic and overwhelming than the original.

In addition to breaking new ground in the arena of CD ROM games, the two brothers have set their sights on a new world to explore, the realm of comic books. This August Dark Horse Comics is releasing the first four-issue miniseries set in the Millers' fantastic world,

Myst: The Book of the Black Ships. Tom Fassbender exchanged e-mail memos with Rand Miller about Myst's popularity, the imminent release of Riven, the role of the comic series, and how it all fits together.

Tom Fassbender: What is the genesis of Myst? How did the two of you come up with the idea for the game?

Rand Miller: We had been working on children's projects for a long time and decided it was time to do something for adults... something we would enjoy playing. Myst was the natural evolution from those earlier children's projects, which were also "point-and-click" explorations through fantastic worlds. The difference with Myst was that we created much more of a story and gave it a goal.

Fassbender: How did you go about creating the story of Myst? I assume a lot of planning went into it.

Miller: Of course. We had to plan the entire thing out before we started in on the production. Mostly we created maps; we felt that if we were creating a real environment-instead of a virtual one-that we'd do it using maps and sketches. In a nonlinear environment, we find that storyboards are fairly useless.

Fassbender: Myst, with sales in excess of 3 million copies, is the best-selling computer game of all time. I'm sure you knew you had a great game, but did you think it would be as popular as it turned out to be?

Miller: We had no idea-you have to remember we did the game without any surveys or demographic studies. We made Myst to be what we wanted to play-a place where we wanted to explore.

Fassbender: What were your goals with Myst?

Miller: Our goals were to create an alternative world that felt as if you were there. A place with plenty of detail and story that was immersive.

Fassbender: Well you certainly accomplished that...

Miller: Yes, but only to a certain extent. We still consider Myst to be a small step along the development of interactive worlds. We're still learning as we go.

Fassbender: The two of you have achieved a certain level of celebrity status because of Myst-much more so than any other game designers. Was this a surprise?

Miller: It's still a shock to even hear that stated. We don't consider ourselves celebrities at all. We don't act like celebrities. It actually seems as if it's not really us when we see pictures in magazines or read articles. We really live pretty normal lives.

Fassbender: The marketplace has changed substantially since Myst's release in 1993. Are you anticipating a similar level of popularity for Riven: The Sequel to Myst?

Miller: To say that we are would be extremely presumptuous. We have approached Riven the same way we approached Myst-give our best shot at building an entire world that we would like to get lost in. We've got more resources at our disposal with Riven. A lot of talented people, tons of state-of-the-art equipment. But there's no such thing as a sure thing.

Fassbender: How will Riven be different than Myst, both in story and technology?

Miller: Riven has so much more detail than Myst, at every level. From the tiniest texture detail in screws and rocks, to the depth of the story that is woven throughout the world. The technology has allowed us to create that detail. We've built CG models that dwarf anything we did in Myst.

Fassbender: You mentioned earlier that you're learning as you go. Do you have plans to develop more games of this genre, expanding on what you've already done?

Miller: I think we'll definitely take what we've learned so far to the next level-defining what that level is, is not something we even want to think about until we have a chance to rest up a bit from Riven. We do feel as if the entire medium is in its infancy.

Fassbender: The Dark Horse comic series, Myst: The Book of the Black Ships, follows the story of Atrus, the creator of Myst Island and his two sons, Sirrus and Achenar. Because of this, will any heretofore unknown secrets of Myst be revealed?

Miller: Myst and Riven take place in the context of the larger D'ni universe. In some sense Myst is almost a small side bar of the entire D'ni history. There are so many more sidebars stories that can be told. Even as we answer questions-other bits and pieces of the D'ni history are revealed.

Fassbender: Will the series help the players of Riven solve any puzzles?

Miller: Only in the sense of having a greater general knowledge and understanding of the surrounding story.

Fassbender: Why a comic series?

Miller: The world of Myst and D'ni are so large-there are so many possibilities-that small side stories exist around every corner. Comic books seem like a natural extension to tell many of the related stories.

Fassbender: Care to give us a hint behind the meaning of The Book of the Black Ships?

Miller: Players of Myst will recognize the reference to the Black Ships from Atrus' Mechanical Age journal. It's was a little side story that was mentioned briefly in the journal that lends itself well to some further exposition.

Fassbender: How much say do the two of you have in the direction and story of the comic book series?

Miller: We obviously can't do everything-but we can approve and examine different elements that have anything to do with Myst, Riven, and D'ni. We're actually the keepers of the D'ni lore. But to some extent the worlds around D'ni exist and grow on their own-creatively filling in the blanks, just like the Maker fills inbetween the lines of the books that are written to link to new ages.

Fassbender: Any plans to do additional comic series?

Miller: The only plans we have right now are to get Riven completed and go on vacation! :)

Fassbender: What about other projects, like an animated series? Any chance of a Myst cartoon appearing sometime in the near future?

Miller: We haven't closed the door on anything-we're enjoying watching the universe of Myst expand, and as long as it's done well, that universe can be a big place.