A parting of the ways

[Mapper]

Absolutely gutted to see you leave Grim, Whatever game you go to is incredibly lucky! You'll be very well remembered through the many stunning creatures you've made us.

 

[THP]

I've gotten quite a few questions about this so I thought I'd just go ahead and let you know that my time as a UO dev is coming to an end. By the middle of this month, I will no longer be art lead for UO, and by Sept 27th, I will no longer be a part of the UO team. Mythic is moving my position to Virginia.

I wanted to let you all know that I feel very honored to have been a member of the UO development team serving, over the years, as an Environment Artist, Character Artist, Character Lead, Associate Art Director, Technical Artist, and finally, Lead CG Supervisor. More than that, I've been very fortunate to have been a part of this community.

I'll never forget the first day I told the team that I was going to start posting to the community. It was right around the time that we had shipped Samurai Empire, and I had been promoted to Character Lead. Literally everyone was telling me that I really needed to be prepared because there was a LOT of hostility towards the artists. I told them that maybe it was because none of the artists talked to them! LOL. Now, not a day goes by that I don't check in to see what's getting posted and to take part in this wonderful community.

I remember the first animated tile I ever made, and a lot of you still have those green soulstones in your houses.

I remember unleashing thunder chickens at Luna Bank on the test shards and laughing along with you guys as the corpses piled higher, and the battle raged for an hour!

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to sit and talk with so many of you at our player meet ups, and I fondly remember sitting at a table with a couple talking about UO - who, until the end of the conversation, didn't know I was a dev.

I remember working with dev legends such as Tact, Oaks, Hans, Karma, Sunsword, Wilki, Binki, and Troublemaker as well as us new bloods, Cathat, Grumpy, and others who never picked up a moniker. I still think of them as some of the finest devs I've ever worked with.

As a game developer, it's a rare opportunity to work on such an iconic project and with such a dedicated player community, and it is an opportunity that I am very grateful for.

I've spent close to a decade working on this game and building friendships, and I hope that those friendships and this wonderful game last for years to come.

Thank you all for years of great memories.

-Grimm

Hell get ingame and paint your masks!!!! b4 u leave....

 

[_zigzag_]

Had to dust off the old forum login for this one....
So much I want to type.... but I'll keep it short and sweet

Your love for this game and players is unparalleled - and it shows. Thank you, Grimm, for it all.

 

[Taylor]

I object.

 

[Shelleybean]

Wow, what devastating news. I'm very sad to see you go. Thanks for sticking it out with us for so long and best wishes. I hope your next project brings you happiness and success.

 

[FrejaSP]

Only think I can say is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not you.
I wish you could stay with us. I also want to thanks for all you did for us and for being on this forum with us and listen to us.
This is very sad news

 

[BeaIank]

It's sad to see you go. You and your art will be throughly missed.
My best wishes for you on your new position and endeavors.

 

[Frarc]

 

[Tjalle]

Well, this sucks.

I´ll say it again. This sucks.

 

[Hildebrand]

Good luck Grimm.
This stinks.
I guess we have just bug squashing to look forward to and no graphical updates and no content. As much as I'd like to see ancient bugs fixed, lack of fresh things is very disheartening. We loose Grimm and all that knowledge.

 

[Lord Raven]

Another dev lost to relocation issues? Someone tell EA about modems and the Internet.
My best wishes on whatever you choose next, I'm sorry to see you go.

Let's get #GrimmOmen trending on Twitter!

Farewell #GrimmOmen best wishes in whatever you choose next! #UO #UltimaOnline

 

[Bryelle Vaughn]

Not only are you inventive Grimm, But you excel at communicating with us. Really the only one who does. And You actually cared. That's such a foreign concept to most of the people involved in the game's development now. You made it so easy to bond with you, even from a distance and this completely and totally sucks eggs.

You will be highly missed and things will not be the same. Wherever you land, take care of yourself. You know you made a huge difference to all of us and we're better for having had contact with you.

 

[Harlequin]

Darn! And I was just showing the missus the awesome pic of Exodus the other day... You tell me how am I going to break the news to her? *taps foot*

Get Jeff to offer you a relocation package to Virginia that you can't refuse. Or telecommute. Or something.

If none of that works out, just wanted to say it's going be hard losing you, but even looking at only a small portion your work, I'm confident that you'd be a huge asset in any companies you'll be working for.

Best of luck in your new endeavors!

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Literally everyone was telling me that I really needed to be prepared because there was a LOT of hostility towards the artists. I told them that maybe it was because none of the artists talked to them!

You talk TO us, not AT us, and you don't feed us BS, which doesn't gain you anything but respect - well deserved.
others said it. Sad Day.
>>"it's a rare opportunity to work ... with such a dedicated player community, ... an opportunity that I am very grateful for."
YOU were a rare opportunity for us, a shinning star example. You didn't mention leaving Stratics, but I know as you start down a new path, free time often becomes redirected to new challenges. This is without mentioning existing obligations unrelated to EA, I can understand, and only hope they didn't just "spring" this on you at the last minute. Stratics will never force you to decide, or relocate. Makes me feel sad like when one of the kids grows up and leaves home - but it's still your home, and I hope you know that.
You are, always have, and always will be, our friend. ~Cheers

 

[Mirt]

Grimm. I have always talked about how great your art is. How much it added to the game. I am stunned and very concerned at this point as to what is going on. There is no way that you can be replaced. You should be remember for how much actual art you added into our world. Not graphics but actual art. Your animations are easily some of my favorite in the game. From the soul stones to the killer demon pumpkins to amazing new moongate. Right now I am trying my hardest to not just explode like I want to but this is a terrible decision. Jeff I normally am a pretty supportive guy but at this point I think you should reconsider. I understand the desire to bring the whole team together in one place but Grimm. I mean really Grimm. Thats a terrible idea right there. Just terrible.

 

[Lady Bleez]

This is a sad day.

Grimm, you truly are one of the great ones and you will be missed more then words can express.

 

[DevilsOwn]

safe journeys to you, Grimm



*frightened for our future*

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

Well this is indeed horrible. Grim talked to me and my friends for ages it felt like at the last Town Hall. I even play BF3 with the guy (START PLAYING HARDCORE SERVERS GRIM!)
Wonderful gentlemen. You will be missed. One thing confuses me. Virginia? Mythic is already in Virginia... Am I missing something or is it to early.

 

[cazador]

Good idea...!! Get rid of a dev whose been part of the game for so long..who knows maybe EA is cutting back and will start asking the community for art :/ lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[old gypsy]

Nooooooes!

Icky Rotblossom of Pitmuck

 

[Petra Fyde]

. One thing confuses me. Virginia? Mythic is already in Virginia... Am I missing something or is it to early.

Mythic is, Grimm isn't.

It might help a little to know who will replace him and maybe name, or show, an example of their work in game. If that's possible, that is.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Good luck Grimm!!! I'm sure he will land on his feet wherever he chooses, maybe even with a company that appreciates him.

Another stroke of genious by EA...think of all they have given up by doing this kind of ********. Moved em from Austin to Redwood Shores, lost most of the devs, and reportedly caused the loss of UX:O even tho it was set to launch. They lost some more when they had them move to Va. The list of good ones we've lost due to living concerns is long and distinguished, IMO.

It does leave me wondering about our future. I know it wasn't his job,, and he was doing it out of love, but really, we just lost our only community laision. =(

 

[DevilsOwn]

might help, Petra... might backfire.. lots of upset people today and introducing the new guy? dunno

 

[Emma Silvermane]

Im sooo sorry to hear your going Grimm The Game Wont be the same with out you .. i love alot of the work youve done no one will be able to match that

 

[Assia Penryn]

I'm floored that EA would move the position. Apparently they've never heard the phrase "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." I feel like EA just kicked our game in the balls by this move.

Thank you Grimm for everything you've done for the game. I have truly loved your artistic creations that have added a sensory depth to our world.

 

[Petra Fyde]

ah no, I wouldn't go as far as introducing, just a 's/he drew this'. Talking to us was not part of Grimm's job, it was something he chose to do. His replacement may not make the same choice, but I think it would help just a little to see something of what he, or she, has created for us already in game.

 

[Ryna]

Yeah, I wouldn't willingly go to Fairfax either, that place is terrible.


Best of luck on future endeavors!

 

[Fogsbane]

Somehow with this news it seems fitting to have just had Exodus make an appearance in the UO timeline of history and lore.

Thank You for allowing me to experience some of your vision.

When things change, as they inevitably will in the future, perhaps an opportunity will once again present itself to allow your professional path to cross with Ultima.

Best wishes to you TheGrimmOmen.

 

[Andrasta]

Grimm,

I hope you find a great new position with a company that actually appreciates you.
Look at this as a positive thing and go with confidence to whatever new challenges await you.

Thank you for your years of dedication & hardwork. You have made invaluable contributions to our game and the community.
We appreciate more than can be expressed your interaction with us as it made us feel included.

This is very bad news indeed and not a good signal to be sending out months before the 15th Anniversary.
It is very hard to see another Dev who really cared about this community leaving. Not Good.

Best of Luck to you Grimm Omen. We will miss you.

Best Regards,
Andrasta

 

[Alstadt]

 

[Sevin0oo0]

might help, Petra... might backfire.. lots of upset people today and introducing the new guy?

While No-one can ever replace Grimm, it all depends on the new person coming into the position that will determine how that goes. "personality" is not a required job function so hopefully the new person will be offered a chance to screw up a few times before they come into their own. While curious to hear what happens next, I'm certainly not in a hurry to read that next chapter.

 

[Viquire]

Without taking away from the genuine sadness we all feel at Grimm's leaving, I do have to point out two rays of sunshine.

One, Grimm's clearly implying he's being replaced. That appears to mean the game's not losing yet another slot.

Two, I took Grimm's statement to mean that he tele-commuted, and that EA wanted his position at the Mythic base in Virginia, and he wasn't willing to move. EA is an old-school company. For them, to consolidate the positions into a single geographic location strike me as a sign that they are taking the project (by "the project" I here mean UO) seriously. While it's pointless in today's modern age of E-Mail and tele-conferencing, to EA it's a potentially significant thing.


-Galen's player

Its a creativity vs control issue.

Like you I celebrate the fact that it would appear the work to be performed with regards to art in our future has taken on an added dimension of import. However, the fact that the need to have access to the mind and hands creating those assets outweighs the quality of the finished products is, well, troubling is putting as positive a spin on my assessment as I am able.

I can prophesy that the new hire of a budding talent will bring us a creative individual with enormous talent, not yet refined. And that talent will want to make its mark on the world, our world. Maybe, just maybe, they will have a holistic vision that completely jibes with that of the vast majority of the playerbase, and we will all rejoice wildly. Or maybe the team we have will have enough of that vision to guide those hands while they make their first attempts, and nothing introduced will offend egregiously enough for the multitudes on these boards to rise up with torches screaming, "What the heck is this?" Or maybe it will be the recreation of factions, or the introduction of assets a la McFarlane all over again.

Our loss of Grim is a two fold loss. It took a little while to take his artistry and meld it into the world. Draconi said it very well in an interview around five years ago, when he said (and Grimm had been with us for six years) "He's really getting good at it." And secondly, the more Grimm understood that his art and the world needed to be on the same page, and that the players were in fact the world, the more interest he took in developing a relationship with us to insure, not that we accepted his art, but that his art was created in a form we and our world would accept. That we would, in fact, find reason to be fascinated by it, because it fit so well, and was of such high quality, that it tied us more closely to the environment in which we play. Very few have been able to inuit our intertwined relationships to that degree. And by the time they do, it is usually found expedient to move them on along. I look forward immensely to see what Grimm's final bows to this audience look like.

Our loss is Grimm's gain, and I do wish him very well. The prospect of "new" is greatly liberating and life giving. His ability to be mostly autonomous in the gaming industry is very rare indeed, even with all our technological advancement of the past decade. I hope he finds the ability to retain that kind of freedom in his future endeavors. He obviously has the discipline to take full advantage of the artistic license that agency affords.

BTW, any of those rotating animations on his environment art page would make hugely cool screen savers. I can't have a Crimmy head stuffed and mounted on my castle wall, but I would be happy to have the full rendition dance on my monitor.

My best wishes to Grimm in finding a project big enough to challenge and be rewarding, and to our team as they embark on this new chapter of struggling with opportunity.

 

[Arcus]

Best of luck to you Grimm. I wouldn't move from California to Virginia either

 

[Lorax_Pacific]

Sorry to hear you're going, but one thing I have experienced in my career over the years is that I grow and improve at every employment change then by some luck I get a better position that branches out my experiences. Always increase your target pay after each job change by like 10k and even during down times your career won't stagnate. One book that has helped me is "Who Moved My Cheese", which you can read in a couple hours. Keep every conversation in your next search highly positive and be positive on every opportunity and you will have a new opportunity in a month.

I wish you well. Stay in touch.

-Lorax

 

[Saphireena]

Wow, I'm in shock and very sad to hear this. I was there when you bravely came forth during that time that the community started to rage about art stuff. And I was one of the worst of the moaners. I don't think our disgruntlement was ever directed towards the artists of the UO team, more towards the eye sore inconsistencies that were popping up into the game as completely new assets were outsourced by people who didn't "get" the style of UO. It was you who bravely stepped into a rioting crowd and actually talked to us, listened to us and initiated the fixing of so many of those issues we were complaining about. You became our hero during the Pixel Graphics Challenge. For instance I remember you bringing back our beloved 2D Daemon after the gorgeous old school version had been replaced with a hideous render from one of the newer 3d clients. I remember how people celebrated and cheered when it was returned. It was comforting and inspiring to know that there was someone such as yourself in the team, defending the importance of keeping the quality of the artwork. Thank you for listening to us, caring and taking action. Thank you also for all the hard work you've put into UO over so many years. I know you've worked very very hard. Good luck with your next challenges whatever they may be. And although I already posted this as a little present in your last birthday thread, I'll post it again, Grimm as a UO character:

 

[Woodsman]

One, Grimm's clearly implying he's being replaced. That appears to mean the game's not losing yet another slot.

They can replace him with somebody else, but they really won't be replacing him, because they can't replace his knowledge and the work that he's put into the tools needed to move UO forward. He did a lot of this work off the clock. Which leaves me greatly in doubt for UO's future.

They also now leave the UO community without a member of the UO team who communicates with us on a consistent basis. Sometimes people pop in and answer a question or problem here and there, but otherwise Grimm was the only one to consistently communicate with us.

Two, I took Grimm's statement to mean that he tele-commuted, and that EA wanted his position at the Mythic base in Virginia, and he wasn't willing to move. EA is an old-school company.

I know people who telecommute within EA/BioWare. If it wasn't a problem for however many years he's been telecommuting then this is something they could have worked out if they wanted to.

Go look at Jeff Skalski's Linked In profile:

I have managed small and large groups in the United States and China.
Specialties

- Managing and building AAA teams in both inshore and offshore facilities.
- Communicating a clear vision and keeping the team involved with the process to build ownership while maintaining solid results.
- Exceptional people leader – I believe in transparency, open communication and leading with integrity.
- Champions/advocates for my teams and products.

Jeff Skalski has managed teams in China. I have a very hard time believing that he could not manage somebody who was living in another state. Especially since Jeff is constantly traveling between Virginia and California and elsewhere.

Look at many of the Mythic management profiles in Linked In, most of them are all quite proud of having worked with outsourced teams in China and other countries. If they can manage teams in China that speak a different language, they could have worked something out with Grimm.

For them, to consolidate the positions into a single geographic location strike me as a sign that they are taking the project (by "the project" I here mean UO) seriously.

Taking the project "seriously" doesn't include gutting the community or canning the guy who busted his ass on the tools for the high resolution graphics update.

Taking the project seriously means laying out a vision for UO's future, listening to the community, and not casting a dark shadow over an anniversary we should be happy about. We have had too many producer's letters that really say nothing about UO's future, and we now have them removing the one member of the UO team that didn't feel faceless or nameless, and that felt like he understood us.

 

[Basara]

Further thoughts on Galen's reply:

Remember that art probably is the hardest part of a game to telecommute. If you are designing a specific item for a programmer, it's REALLY hard for that programmer "look over the artist's shoulder and say 'that element needs a tweak'" in a timely manner. You can use programs that allow you to share desktops, etc. over the net, but that brings security issues (not to mention memory issues - graphics programs are memory hogs). IF programmer A and artist B are in the same room, you might get dozens of incremental changes in an hour done with the two working side by side - and instant reversion if the idea didn't work. If A&B are having to send the art back and forth, minutes are lost with each transition and markup of desired changes, and with no guarantee that the changes will be correct. If you are an artist supervising other artists, the time lags get exponential with each artist being worked with.

As awesome an artist as Grimm is, long-term telecommunicating on something the scale of an MMO was never going to allow for full efficiency of speed. That had to be a factor in the issue.

JP, thanks for the great art and great posts here.

 

[whiterabbit]

meees noos beees happy bout dis !!!!! *hands ice creams cone*
dat makes yoos feel betters meees hopes. pitmuckians gunna misses yoos lots.
Ozog
*pees on dem peoples who beees doing dis*

 

[Ludes]

This makes me very sad.
Good Luck to ya Grimm..

 

[Surgeries]

Although I know that every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit...this one will probably take me about a month to find that benefit.

You were awesome as a representative of EA, Grimm, and I will certainly always remember you and your work fondly. You brought a lot to the game, and more importantly, to the community.

As long as you get to train your replacement, and you can Vulcan Mind Meld your amazing attitude and sense of purpose, I am certain we will be fine.

Failing that...dunno...this could be a rough one indeed.

You will be sorely missed, Grimm. Safe travels, and may the road always rise to meet you.

 

[Lady_Rachel]

Man this.....yeah


Grimm I am sorry to see you leave the team. I feel as if we have lost a member of our family.
You will be missed so much!

Thank you for all your love of Sosaria, and the community that resides here.
Please don't be a stranger. Pop in and let us know where you are, and what you are doing ok?
*hordes Grimm Omen chests*

 

[Flutter]

I find it highly suspicious that "Mythic" suddenly decided to move Grimm's job to Virginia so shortly after a management shake up, especially since he'd managed to do just fine where he's lived for so long. Highly. Suspicious.

Hmm... What changed recently?
Hmmm... Let's think on that.

 

[G.v.P]

I see your artwork for the first time at JPHARROD.COM and think there might be some hope for this game then 8 hours later I read this post.

Thanks for re-posting that link, nice to see the boura model Grimm talked about.

 

[Viquire]

Hmm... What changed recently?
Hmmm... Let's think on that.

Did they finally put thongs on our Avatars? Seriously, I don't think this line of discussion is going to take us anywhere we want to go.

As usual, we adapt, or we don't.

 

[AirmidCecht]

This is pretty cool and exactly what UO players are known for.
I explained how it happened and what you can do here:

Post your letter of recommendation for JP GrimmOmen Harrod

 

[Sevin0oo0]

You can use programs that allow you to share desktops, etc. over the net, but that brings security issues (not to mention memory issues - graphics programs are memory hogs).

Placed in a Citrix environment, many mobile and cloud related issues such as those are resolved. A new fiscal year likely follows his change, and this may be an organizational housekeeping issue, which the uppity mucks control. And he didn't say he was leaving EA, just the UO team?

 

[Felonious Monk]

This really makes me wonder what is going on with UO. Really makes me angry. You were the one person who communicated constantly with the players when nobody else would, and you were driving the artwork upgrade.

Moving your position to Virginia after all this time.....this is ridiculous.

It's a corporate machine doing what it does best. We gained a Dark Lady and will be separated from the talents of Grimm Omen.
I wish you well sir. I have faith the new workmates will know what it's like to experience first hand Exodus.
Exodus on a red carpet.

 

[Flutter]

Placed in a Citrix environment, many mobile and cloud related issues such as those are resolved. A new fiscal year likely follows his change, and this may be an organizational housekeeping issue, which the uppity mucks control. And he didn't say he was leaving EA, just the UO team?

No. He will no longer be with EA

 

[Magdalene]

This sucks, Grimm...
The best part is to know that you enjoyed what you did in and for UO.
I think you're the last one of the old breed of UO devs (like the ones you mentioned)... Somehow I have the idea that not picking a "gaming" names and personas was the beginning of the end there (and that would be around the time when Origin/Austin connection was being severed, correct me if I'm wrong).
Anyway, it's been a pleasure, kind Sir... don't be a stranger, you ARE part of this community and you will always be.

 

[MedeaDF]

Wow!

What a huge loss for our UO Community and what shame you'll leave...

None the less, take care wherever you go and I wish you all the best for your future!