Thanks for the links! I watched the first two on the original Myst and that was quite interesting. It's amazing what they accomplished with the tools of the time.
I was also quite surprised that from GDC talk, it appears they were actually quite ignorant of the state of the art in adventure games at the time and driven purely by their own personal vision. I think that might have contributed to give Myst its own unique character.
Very interesting videos Sophie. It will help us during the Jam!
If you're courageous enough to read tons of text, please feel free to read the Making of Catyph, an indie sci-fi Myst-like that our collective is supporting. You can also read the post-mortem of ASA: A Space Adventure.
We hope to finish our small game project in time for the 18th.