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Awesome interview with Lord British...

In Flames

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There is also a new interview with him in EMG (that would be the online portion, not the actual magazine). Granted I think it makes him sound a bit pompous and out of touch. But still, it's there.
 

Storm

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great interview like how he says UO still has to this day a significant part of the market,
which means they are still making$$
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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He is wrong about one thing in the interview...not all of us that were there when he was PKed were killed by the spawn and GMs.

I know for a fact that at least 3 of us ran as soon as the spawns started. We got out of Britain before the server went down and did not die.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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The "protest" was EXACTLY as he described. The only problem was that the lag was so bad you couldn't move on Atlantic.
 

Storm

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thats cool morgana I was at my friends house (in rl) who had gotten in the beta and was there!
 

Storm

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I also like the story how the change in pvp came into effect from the guy stealing from the lady...
 
B

BeefSupreme

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does he give his timetable for buying back the ultima property? :lick:
 
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eekamouse

Guest
does he give his timetable for buying back the ultima property? :lick:
He mentions that he is working on a new game that is an MMO that will be more like UO and less like EQ/WoW. He also wants it to be a "Lord British" game.

Take of that, what you will.
 

Storm

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does he give his timetable for buying back the ultima property? :lick:
I dont think he would and i dont think they would sell unless it was for a large amount..
I seem to remember him talking about it in another interview..
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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thats cool morgana I was at my friends house (in rl) who had gotten in the beta and was there!
I was just to the left on the outside of the gate with 2 other people that got there late. I don't remember their names. Back then, push through was in place, so getting into the crowd was impossible if you weren't there to begin with. I didn't even really realize what had gone on when LB was killed. I could see the top of his head, but honestly, I didn't realize it was him. Then I saw demons on the other side of the wall, and one spawned right in front of where we standing. I didn't wait around to figure out what was going on, I just ran...and so did the other two! :lol:

I think I got about to the bridge between Trinsic and Brit, not quite, when the Connection Lost message came up. That was the end of the beta.
 

kelmo

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*laughs* Push through... I still walk around people when I visit another shard. Just habit, I suppose.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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:)Now that is one thing I DON'T miss about Classic UO!! :)

Getting into Ocollo mage shop at reg spawn time was the WORST when we had push through.
 

kelmo

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Refresh pots are your friend. We have folks making a living selling those things.
 
R

Ransom_of_BiC

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The protest to the end of 'counselors' on chessy was huge. The server crashed over and over, and it was just the biggest eyesore you've ever seen.
 
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Ransom_of_BiC

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I met Lord British here in Austin at the launch of Tabula Rasa. I made him sign our UO T-Shirts instead. He laughed. He often sounds like an arrogant ass in interviews, but he's fairly gracious and really chill in person.
 

kelmo

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I met Richard a few years ago in Austin at a UO meet up. He was very gracious and spent a half hour with my Mother discussing the old days of UO.
 

Storm

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your mom played uo ... thats cool stuff
 

hen

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*laughs* Push through... I still walk around people when I visit another shard. Just habit, I suppose.

I still get offended when people run through me at a non-push through rules bank.
 
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Ransom_of_BiC

Guest
I met Richard a few years ago in Austin at a UO meet up. He was very gracious and spent a half hour with my Mother discussing the old days of UO.
I attended several of those when Origins was running things here in Austin. One of the devs at the time, "Speedman" is still a friend of mine, though he's now working in Cali on another MMO.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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I met him in 1998. He signed my UO Prima Strat Guide! :)

He was very charming...and very friendly.
 
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Ransom_of_BiC

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I met him in 1998. He signed my UO Prima Strat Guide! :)

He was very charming...and very friendly.
I got invited to the Origins going away party at his castle years ago by one of the Devs I was friends with at the time. It landed on our first year wedding anniversary, and we decided not to go. As we were having coffee the next morning we were kicking ourselves in the teeth for not going. We both loved gaming and UO, and it would have been a fitting celebration to have gone to the party, and something we never would have forgotten.

I couldn't even tell you what restaurant we attended instead. :)
 
R

Renyard Foxenwyle

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Thanks for posting the link. Very informative even though he needs to find a new term instead of "pooh poohed". Can't wait to see what RG has up his sleeve for a new Lord British game.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

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I got invited to the Origins going away party at his castle years ago by one of the Devs I was friends with at the time. It landed on our first year wedding anniversary, and we decided not to go. As we were having coffee the next morning we were kicking ourselves in the teeth for not going. We both loved gaming and UO, and it would have been a fitting celebration to have gone to the party, and something we never would have forgotten.

I couldn't even tell you what restaurant we attended instead. :)
You don't pass up a chance like that! I know I wouldn't have!
 
C

Chalce

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Garriott's living in the past. He hasn't kept up with changes to gaming. He will never make another good game.
 

Coldren

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Do any of the interviewers ever do any research or listen to his other interviews to avoid asking the exact same questions about UO's past every time?

The story about the thief, getting PK'ed... I've heard them repeatedly.

Regardless of that little nit-pick. Good interview :)
 
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eekamouse

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I met him in 1998. He signed my UO Prima Strat Guide! :)

He was very charming...and very friendly.
Wow... I wish I still had mine. I actually received UO for Christmas the year it came out, and went and bought the guide. I had read about the game for a few months, and saw my friend playing the beta. I was always a huge Ultima fan in general, but I was freaking mesmerized. We lol'd so much as he got pk'd on the road from X-roards to Trinsic. Was funny back then, I would get pk'd and not even really care. I cared more about chatting with the red that pk'd me.

Anywayz...

I was visiting my family in Florida that Christmas, so I read the guide cover to cover about 100 times, and basically barreled through the house to my computer when I got back home.
 
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Renyard Foxenwyle

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Garriott's living in the past. He hasn't kept up with changes to gaming. He will never make another good game.
What if those "changes" have been for the worst? Very few games are well made anymore. I'll give Bethesda and Obsidian props for making good RPG's but they are in no way comparable to the games we had in the late 90's early 2000's. The industry has given in to the instant gratification gimme gimmes.

Find a modern game that can compare to Planescape: Torment or Baldur's Gate II. Great writing and Story trumps bleeding edge graphics any day, but all a majority of the gamers want today is eye candy and get into the action fast game play, sacrificing storyline and challenge.

Personally, I consider myself a hard-core gamer, and am currently playing several good games made in the mdoern style, yet I think Garriot is right on his perceptions, even if he is only making social face book games at the moment.
 
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Evlar

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What if those "changes" have been for the worst? Very few games are well made anymore. I'll give Bethesda and Obsidian props for making good RPG's but they are in no way comparable to the games we had in the late 90's early 2000's. The industry has given in to the instant gratification gimme gimmes.

Find a modern game that can compare to Planescape: Torment or Baldur's Gate II. Great writing and Story trumps bleeding edge graphics any day, but all a majority of the gamers want today is eye candy and get into the action fast game play, sacrificing storyline and challenge.

Personally, I consider myself a hard-core gamer, and am currently playing several good games made in the mdoern style, yet I think Garriot is right on his perceptions, even if he is only making social face book games at the moment.
I grew up with games that had crap graphics. My first games were played on an Atari 2600 console. My first "personal computer" was a Sinclair Spectrum 48k. From there, I progressed onwards to an Amstrad CPC464, Commodore 64, then an Amiga, then finally, a PC.

There's far too many games than I could list, which although lacking in graphical content, excelled in depth, challenge, addiction, humour, story/plot, detail, imagination... lot's of things that only a few games to me, seem to include.

Yes, I'm as wowed by anyone when I see fantastically detailed graphics of today... I've seen the improvements over the years to appreciate the difference. However fantastic some of the graphical detail might be however, why is it more often than not, that I'm left feeling disappointed, short-changed, unchallenged?

When I used to hear old people utter those immortal words "kids today...", like many at the time, my response would be "Yeah right... what do you know...". Makes me feel old when I find myself thinking "kids today..." :lol:

The one saving grace I suppose though, is that there's one or two games that combine the wow-effect graphics, with great gameplay. It's little surprise when they sell exceptionally well and little surprise when you also read on their forums, the "kids" complaining that they're too hard, or asking for cheats to break the game. :(

I moderate on a forum for a games series that's actually been going since the early 90's. I also beta test. Bucking the trend of similar genre games, it's actually evolved into something with increasing detail every release and more depth than any of its predecessors or rivals. Every release, it tops the games charts in the UK and stays there for many many months.

But still, the most hits on the forum for this game, are for cheats or ways to break the game and "win" with little to no effort. Interestingly, the same people are usually the first to claim the game is poor, too easy, they're bored, or claim they're wonderful at the game because they've now "won" everything.

Personally, I say long live any developers, who are prepared to stand up and be counted. To stick to their principals. To create fully engaging worlds and environments.

Great gameplay is the cake, a good user interface is the icing, whilst the graphics are the cherry on the top. ;)
 

RawHeadRex

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You realize you are posting on an ULTIMA ONLINE (released 1997) forum...right? rolleyes:
exactly ... it's not easy reinventing the wheel twice.
remember, he (RG) said they were 'surprised' at the social reaction(naked barfing etc) from the GM's killing off the beta testers. imho much of what makes uo work, is exactly that... a 'surprise' that was not fully intended nor foreseen.
 
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Evlar

Guest
imho much of what makes uo work, is exactly that... a 'surprise' that was not fully intended nor foreseen.
Try telling that to those who received a "surprise" in Fel the other day, whilst looking for a quest book, then filled the forums with floods of tears and anguish. :lol:

They don't like surprises, that's plain to see. Hence why UO has hopped off it's own path and onto the same railroad track as most of the other MMO's.

I laugh hardest when I see some of those self-same "surprised" people, who are so in love with what UO has become, yet claim not to like the "other" MMO's that UO has chosen to emulate.
 
C

Chalce

Guest
Garriott's living in the past. He hasn't kept up with changes to gaming.
You realize you are posting on an ULTIMA ONLINE (released 1997) forum...right? rolleyes:
UO has changed to keep up with the times.
Good games need grind. If not level grind, then item grind like UO has today.
If you don't have that, all you have left is either a PvP game (works about as good as a FPSer and certainly doesn't need MMO style persistence, in fact they don't coexist well ala Darkfall and even Felluca), or a crappy PvE game with nothing to do.
 

Dakkon Blackblade

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The only game that has held my interest for the past few years has been mount and blade, specifically with the sword of damocles mod. Small independent development team solid game and recently they released the war band expansion.
 
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Evlar

Guest
The only game that has held my interest for the past few years has been mount and blade, specifically with the sword of damocles mod. Small independent development team solid game and recently they released the war band expansion.
I've not tried the mods yet, but I loved the sandbox feel of Mount & Blade.

I read some reviewers complaining that there wasn't a plot or storyline, that quests felt "random". When I actually tried the game, it soon became clear, that the player creates the plot and story entirely. That's a true rarity in modern games. One of my favourite games of recent times, without a shadow of a doubt. :thumbup1:
 
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BeefSupreme

Guest
I grew up with games that had crap graphics. My first games were played on an Atari 2600 console. My first "personal computer" was a Sinclair Spectrum 48k. From there, I progressed onwards to an Amstrad CPC464, Commodore 64, then an Amiga, then finally, a PC.

There's far too many games than I could list, which although lacking in graphical content, excelled in depth, challenge, addiction, humour, story/plot, detail, imagination... lot's of things that only a few games to me, seem to include.

Yes, I'm as wowed by anyone when I see fantastically detailed graphics of today... I've seen the improvements over the years to appreciate the difference. However fantastic some of the graphical detail might be however, why is it more often than not, that I'm left feeling disappointed, short-changed, unchallenged?
Wow that's like my life story too.

Gimme Baldur's Gate, Champions of Krynn, Pool of Radiance anyday.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Good games need grind. If not level grind, then item grind like UO has today.
If you don't have that, all you have left is either a PvP game (works about as good as a FPSer and certainly doesn't need MMO style persistence, in fact they don't coexist well ala Darkfall and even Felluca), or a crappy PvE game with nothing to do.
I couldn't possible disagree more.
 
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Evlar

Guest
UO has changed to keep up with the times.
Good games need grind. If not level grind, then item grind like UO has today.
Then if that's the case, that's what you want and the developers have listened to over the years...

...thanks!

Between you, you've managed to break possibly one of the best sandbox games there is... erm... was.

:stretcher:
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
I am glad to hear that Garriott has something in the works...and that he can clearly see what many of us Classic UO fans have been saying...that a sandbox game can not only exist, but can compete with level-based/item-based grind games.

He also said that he wanted to do a "Lord British" game. I wonder what that means?

Personally, I would jump ship and leave UO if Garriott beats Mythic to the punch with something closer to what UO was. I hate to do it, but if they aren't going to provide what I want, and someone else will...well, let's just say that EA has shown me no loyalty in the past...so I don't feel compelled to do so for EA.
 
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eekamouse

Guest
I am glad to hear that Garriott has something in the works...and that he can clearly see what many of us Classic UO fans have been saying...that a sandbox game can not only exist, but can compete with level-based/item-based grind games.

He also said that he wanted to do a "Lord British" game. I wonder what that means?

Personally, I would jump ship and leave UO if Garriott beats Mythic to the punch with something closer to what UO was. I hate to do it, but if they aren't going to provide what I want, and someone else will...well, let's just say that EA has shown me no loyalty in the past...so I don't feel compelled to do so for EA.
This.
 

T-Hunt

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Anything from him should be filed under G for garbage...

He left UO long ago and its sad he did, but now most games he tryes become failures...

He should have stuck it out with what he started...but i guess someone payed him alot of cash..

Shows you were loyalty is....
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Have you ever changed jobs T-Hunt?

Garriott had good reasons for parting ways with EA...and unfortunately, he had to leave his greatest gaming creation behind...Ultima. Not just UO, but the entire series.

A lot of people don't realize how hard it is to work for years to create something, only to have it taken over by someone that doesn't understand your vision, and only seeks to make a buck.

I don't know what you do for a living, but people that create things don't aways have a choice in what happens to those creations in the long run.

If you want to point fingers, point them at EA...not Garriott.
 
A

AesSedai

Guest
Have you ever changed jobs T-Hunt?

Garriott had good reasons for parting ways with EA...and unfortunately, he had to leave his greatest gaming creation behind...Ultima. Not just UO, but the entire series.

A lot of people don't realize how hard it is to work for years to create something, only to have it taken over by someone that doesn't understand your vision, and only seeks to make a buck.

I don't know what you do for a living, but people that create things don't aways have a choice in what happens to those creations in the long run.

If you want to point fingers, point them at EA...not Garriott.
- I agree, for the most part..

But why dwell on what eventually destroyed Origin? Why not embrace the future creativity.

(Have not seen the interview yet, but thanks in advance OP - I think I'll hit Portalarium first and catch up on everything I've missed since my last visit)
 

Derium of ls

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Anything from him should be filed under G for garbage...

He left UO long ago and its sad he did, but now most games he tryes become failures...

He should have stuck it out with what he started...but i guess someone payed him alot of cash..

Shows you were loyalty is....

I tried to stay out of this thread *sigh*

he was pushed out of UO, and he has been the Executive Producer for most of the games he's done lately. While he had a role in the game, they were NOT his brain childs so to speak.

He invented MMOs, and private space flight to name two. Doing either of those in your life would be HUGE, but he did BOTH!

Anywho, back on point. I loved Rasa as did many people. The rumors about Rasa I believe are true and thats why it failed.

Akalabeth - success
all 19 or so Ultimas - success
city of heros - success
city of villians, not as much... but still
lineage - success
lineage II - success
UO - success

that's not even close to a complete list of what he has done either.

I still believe UO, UO2, privateer, and even harry potter would have taken off had EA allowed him.

but yeah, I myself believe he knows what he's doing. Also keep in mind us sandbox players are a "small" group compared to all these new gamers out there. So of course the numbers he pulls will be smaller, but it's hard to measure that out.

I'm going to ramble more soon, so I'll stop. Yes I'm a "fanboi" of him, yes I hate 'grind' games that requires an I.Q. of 3 to play, so yes... yes I'm bias. But still, he's far from a failure. Other than Chilton (who single handely killed UO) who else has worked that much on huge games?
 
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