Draconi?

[Salivern_Diago]

Draconi's user ID is no longer searchable on the frontpage... and when I found a post by him it no-longer listed any linkage to mythic or EA...

Also heard his FB states he's removed his job as Lead Designer...

Dude, NO! Loosing Chrissay is bad enough... but you too?

This aint happening right? Its some Friday 13th joke... Cos it had better be...

EA... Cal... whomever is the mug calling the shots. STOP destroying UO FFS. You need to save money right? Then SPEND some and get UO advertised, put on the shelves etc. Firing good, respected and well liked members of staff does NOTHING for you and will probably cost you more as people leave.

Sheesh, EA is seriously the most ******** company in existance... Talk about self holeing yourself...

I cant post the words I want to say to the one responsible... Which probably at the moment is Cal as he'll have the call on who goes at Mythic.

Idiot!

 

[Pawain]

I am sure there are more gone. We will not know the extent until a new set of items with names on them come out.

I guess the Holiday cards will have names.

 

[Taylor]

You're right - he didn't just start a new username, his old Draconi_EA name was changed to "draconi": http://vboards.stratics.com/member.php?u=96816

 

[Flutter]

Yep
We lost Draconi and Chrissay for sure. Many others.
EA decided to cut costs by laying off it's most devoted people. Now they can hire low end people who will work for less without benefits and save a ton of money.
You'll have people working on UO, they just wont care as much about it.

 

[jack flash uk]

hi FB profile still states LEAD DESIGNER

so how about you stop scaremongering,and gossiping and WAIT for an offical post

 

[Taylor]

Psst, EA: you get what you pay for.

 

[Taylor]

hi FB profile still states LEAD DESIGNER

so how about you stop scaremongering,and gossiping and WAIT for an offical post

The term "scaremongering" implies an intent to stir up fear. I highly doubt that this is anyone's intent. Rather, it seems that, in lieu of an official post, most folks are simply trying to sort out what is going on. Accordingly, I do not think the buzz word "scaremongering" applies here.

 

[Salivern_Diago]

hi FB profile still states LEAD DESIGNER

so how about you stop scaremongering,and gossiping and WAIT for an offical post

Actually Tim Cottens FB dosnt state that at all.. His EA controlled Draconi one still states it but his personal one DOSNT.

Besides the evidence is there for you to see Jack, its up to you if you dont look yourself, but its there.

 

[Gheed]

If Draconi goes like this, you will never see another dime of my money.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Who else does in-game content, besides Draconi and the Event Moderators?

-Galen's player

 

[Restroom Cowboy]

Who else does in-game content, besides Draconi and the Event Moderators?

-Galen's player

uh...i think you are forgetting about Sakkarah.

 

[MalagAste]

Messana..... I believe is in charge of the EM's..

But Draconi is a legend and we know his heart has been in UO...

I pray they didn't let him go.... would be a major loss to the community...

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

uh...i think you are forgetting about Sakkarah.

Yep.

So is she it now?

And how long will they keep her?

I really hope they keep the EM program.

-Galen's player

 

[Schuyler Bain]

I guess no more banks will be done either... least of the issues by losing Draconi.

I wish them all the best!

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

uh...i think you are forgetting about Sakkarah.

I just did a search of her posts going back to August of this year.

I found no evidence that she handled in-game content in the very particular sense I meant.

Which, I guess, I really should have explained, eh?

What I meant....Is things like scenarios, storylines, events. Almost all of the macro storylines appear to have been handled by Draconi. He was, for example, the first to drop the first hints of New Magincia, back when "Old" Magincia was smashed. (I mention this in particular becasue the rising of New Magincia has already been floated in a Five on Friday as the next scenario, "after the holidays."

He handled the Warriors of Destiny storyline.

Now, granted, I know that certain players, over-represented on these boards, despised in-game content as disguising "real" issues in the game, and as something "nobody" wants.

Participation in those events, which was great enough to cause lag on many shards, reflects that most players clearly like such content.

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Messana..... I believe is in charge of the EM's..

But Draconi is a legend and we know his heart has been in UO...

I pray they didn't let him go.... would be a major loss to the community...

And do we have any evidence that she's still around?

I have often said that the greatest threat to UO is flat-out irrationality on the part of EA. What I meant was basically pulling the plug for the Hell of it, or due to unrealistic expectations being unfulfilled.

But these layoffs are another form of irrationality, one I hadn't considered. I foolishly assumed that when EA's layoffs happen, they would hit games that are not making money, which there's every indication that UO is.

-Galen's player

 

[AnneNomilly]

Regarding Sakkarah and live events - From UOHerald, under Community, Live Events - http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=72

and even more recent (this event matter of fact) http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=73

Edited to add, I think from Sakkarah's posts, it pretty obvious her heart is definitely in UO. Not to discount Draconi's contributions. But others care too.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Regarding Sakkarah and live events - From UOHerald, under Community, Live Events - http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=72

and even more recent (this event matter of fact) http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=73

Thank you.

Do we know if she had to do with the storylines, or just wrote the fiction?

Hmm....Let's see something here....

I just searched for her within the domain UOHERALD.com, and found her name only mentioned as far as storylines go in those 2 posts. The other mentions were plants, and Fives on Friday.

She, at least, appears to still be around; in fact the last time I looked at her user name (a few moments ago) she was showing as "reading u-hall."

Layoffs are the most destructive and irrational things companies do. They rarely achieve the results they intend to, and they are the company basically taking out its bad decisions on their workers. They diminish the potential buyer pool of the company's products, they diminish capacity.

Then they wonder why the company isn't doing well post-layoff.

Then, they add insult to injury by turning around and whining when their laid off employees say bad things about them.

*sighs*

Mrs. Draconi was, as I recall, also working on UO....Who was she and is she still there?

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Regarding Sakkarah and live events - From UOHerald, under Community, Live Events - http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=72

and even more recent (this event matter of fact) http://www.uoherald.com/liveevents/event.php?eventid=73

Edited to add, I think from Sakkarah's posts, it pretty obvious her heart is definitely in UO. Not to discount Draconi's contributions. But others care too.

I'm not discounting anyone, just trying to figure out if anyone remains who handles storyline-type, event-type, in-game content.

I worry, you see, about an unpleasant pattern emerging in who was let go.

-Galen's player

 

[Oriana]

http://vboards.stratics.com/search.php?searchid=2951520Click here!

Check there!, You'll see Sakarrah has contibuted a LOT to the story lines including writing a lot of the quests. And no she's not the only one active, just because you don't see the person post doesn't mean they aren't busting their ass on our game. Did you think they pulled 85 names out of their butts to put on pumpkins? No those are people that work long and hard to make people, even the grumpy one happy!!

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Check HERE!

Check there!, You'll see Sakarrah has contibuted a LOT to the story lines including writing a lot of the quests. And no she's not the only one active, just because you don't see the person post doesn't mean they aren't busting their ass on our game. Did you think they pulled 85 names out of their butts to put on pumpkins? No those are people that work long and hard to make people, even the grumpy one happy!!

Your link doesn't work.

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

If it was to Sakkarah's posts, I already as I stated went through them going back to August. I see her contributing to quests, and to content in the sense of stuff we stumble upon in-game. I have since clarified what I meant by "content."

Out of curiosity, many of the replies to me appear to my posts in this thread appear to be interpreting me as devaluing Sakkarah, which is demonstrably not the case. Is there some reason for that, or are people just inclined to take what I say negatively?

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Check HERE!

Check there!, You'll see Sakarrah has contibuted a LOT to the story lines including writing a lot of the quests. And no she's not the only one active, just because you don't see the person post doesn't mean they aren't busting their ass on our game. Did you think they pulled 85 names out of their butts to put on pumpkins? No those are people that work long and hard to make people, even the grumpy one happy!!

Well her title, I now see, is "Live Lead Designer." Since "live" includes events, this would definitely be a good sign someone remains. I also recall her posting about events at UOFORUMS.com, if not as much here.

*sardonic smirk* Well, the reduced team will make it easier for me to keep track of who does what?

*sighs* Mass layoffs....God damn mass layoffs.

-Galen's player

 

[five oclock]

So lets see now..IF and I stress IF Draconi is gone..does that make his pumkins a Big collector thing to get now? sine some day they might be uber rare?

 

[Demonous]

Mesanna is still there too, shes the Boss of all EMs !

 

[Eyes of Origin]

So lets see now..IF and I stress IF Draconi is gone..does that make his pumkins a Big collector thing to get now? sine some day they might be uber rare?

=/ couldnt wait huh?

 

[five oclock]

=/ couldnt wait huh?

No..Just tired of looking at all the threads about the lay offs, and still NO ONE has said anything yet. All been rumors and jumping on the band wagon.

If the dev teams has been let go. Im sorry. I wish there was something heck anything we could do for them. BUT until I hear other wise from them. They are still on the payroll and working on making this game better for us to play.

EA games has ALOT of games out there. ALOT.

 

[Sir Kelek]

No..Just tired of looking at all the threads about the lay offs, and still NO ONE has said anything yet. All been rumors and jumping on the band wagon.

If the dev teams has been let go. Im sorry. I wish there was something heck anything we could do for them. BUT until I hear other wise from them. They are still on the payroll and working on making this game better for us to play.

EA games has ALOT of games out there. ALOT.

True, we need to wait and see I suppose. If they got laid off before the holidays I feel for them. Had it happen to myself before as well. Until we hear from them, when They are ready I guess we will not know for sure who got laid off. Until then, I wish them all the best.

 

[AnneNomilly]

Out of curiosity, many of the replies to me appear to my posts in this thread appear to be interpreting me as devaluing Sakkarah, which is demonstrably not the case. Is there some reason for that, or are people just inclined to take what I say negatively?

-Galen's player

It's not directed at you. At least not from my end. Having been through a series of layoffs at my company, I feel for anyone enduring them from either end of the stick. The ones laid off or the ones still left. Sometimes, it seems the ones laid off got the better bargain as those of us left have to pick up the pieces and do more with less. Can it be done? Yes, my group is living proof. Because of the work ethic we all have and the care we have for our customers. I'm in Customer Support by the way. We've now been through three rounds of layoffs. And it's hard, very hard. But we do what needs to be done.

I just think, from reading many of these posts, that people think Draconi was the only one who cared about UO. I'm not knocking Draconi. He was the face of UO on the boards for many of us and he did an awful lot for this game. But, speaking from my own personal experience, I'm sure there are many others left who care just as passionately about this game.

Truth be told, in today's economy, there's really nothing we can do if EA did decide to close the doors. All we can do is enjoy the game we have while we have it. SA brought back more fun to the game for me than anything in a long time. The events and artwork here lately have been excellent and breathed new life into the game for many. Yes, Draconi was a large part. But he wasn't the only part. He wasn't the only developer working on SA or any other part of the game. Yes, he'll be missed, like the others who have gone before.

My heart goes out to everyone who got laid off and to everyone left to pull the pieces together. Those left have my support until they show me some excellent reason not to support them. Those laid off have my deepest sympathies and my most heartfelt best wishes.

For those of us playing the game in the world we love, it's time to support them while they transition and then see what the world looks like.

Just my two cents.

 

[northwoodschopper]

so draconi never did get around to setting luna on fire...

 

[Harb]

Like most, I really wish Draconi were still on board, and sincerely appreciate all he did for our game. It very much seems he has departed. The specifics are not known. He will be OK, his accomplishments will pad a resume to the point that his career will progress without UO. Our team still has great folks on board, and UO will also move forward under capable and adept leadership. Tim is not the first, or the last to leave us. Let's just all relay our thanks and wish him only the best. Tough shoes to fill!

 

[TramMoonWalker]

I really hope Draconi is just kidding us that he got killed by giant turkey, like he did in ophidian invasion a few years ago.

 

[Taylor]

So lets see now..IF and I stress IF Draconi is gone..does that make his pumkins a Big collector thing to get now? sine some day they might be uber rare?

Ouch. Too soon.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

No..Just tired of looking at all the threads about the lay offs, and still NO ONE has said anything yet. All been rumors and jumping on the band wagon.

If the dev teams has been let go. Im sorry. I wish there was something heck anything we could do for them. BUT until I hear other wise from them. They are still on the payroll and working on making this game better for us to play.

EA games has ALOT of games out there. ALOT.

As far as I can tell, it's not in dispute that some people have been laid off.

The only thing in dispute is who.

And honestly there's been absolutely no encouraging signs about Draconi; we have to face that he's gone.

I can just about 100% guarantee that if this were all somehow wrong, he'd have said something by now.

-Galen's player

 

[Petra Fyde]

Can we please put all the speculation on hold until stuff like employment laws etc allow them to speak?

 

[Winker]

Their silence speaks volumes!

 

[Petra Fyde]

employment law? Please, please consider that they are not, at this time, allowed to speak.

 

[Splup]

"Thanks for the best expansion in a long time. There's no need for you anymore, pack your ****"

 

[Viquire]

employment law? Please, please consider that they are not, at this time, allowed to speak.

*winks* I got it, and my coffee machine hasn't spit anything drinkable out yet this mornin. 2:30 huh? what a weekend

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

employment law? Please, please consider that they are not, at this time, allowed to speak.

It doubt it's any kind of law.

It may, however, be a non-disclosure agreement they signed.

I have noticed over the years how few former employees that have worked on the game that we've heard from. It's transparent that there's some kind of rather solid non-disclosure agreement.

We'll never get a good glimpse of what goes on behind-the-scenes. Quite a shame, really.

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

"Thanks for the best expansion in a long time. There's no need for you anymore, pack your ****"

Yep.

Happens all the time, in all kinds of industries.

Doesn't it make any less hurtful or stupid, but it's sure common.

-Galen's player

 

[Kaleb]

employment law? Please, please consider that they are not, at this time, allowed to speak.

There are no laws stating that a person can confirm or deny being laid off or Fired in the US, for it would go against our first amendment of the US constitution, at most they signed a NDA to protect systems they were currently working on. Im sure once they if laid off get over the shock factor of being laid off after such a successful expansion they will say their goodbyes.

 

[GarthGrey]

Can we please put all the speculation on hold until stuff like employment laws etc allow them to speak?

I don't think many "employment laws" are in effect once a company lays you off/fires you. I suppose they can withhold your last check, or threaten not to rehire you unless you sign an NDA...

 

[Arcus]

Can we please put all the speculation on hold until stuff like employment laws etc allow them to speak?

I don't think many "employment laws" are in effect once a company lays you off/fires you. I suppose they can withhold your last check, or threaten not to rehire you unless you sign an NDA...

Employment laws dont but breaking a contract will get you sued. Im sure EA has a pack of vultures on retainer.

 

[phantus]

Can we please put all the speculation on hold until stuff like employment laws etc allow them to speak?

I don't think many "employment laws" are in effect once a company lays you off/fires you. I suppose they can withhold your last check, or threaten not to rehire you unless you sign an NDA...

Employment laws dont but breaking a contract will get you sued. Im sure EA has a pack of vultures on retainer.

This you can be sure of. I work for a company that requires the same type of contract. Non compete. There are conditions even after fired/quit/laid off that you can be sued for. Whether it's enforceable is up to the individual state you live in. It's also a matter of whether the judge in the case believes you have done the company harm by your actions. They could probably say goodbye if they wanted but they would have to deal with BS if they did. They will come soon enough.

 

[Salivern_Diago]

Well I dont know if it's any help.. but Chrissay and Draconi I hope feels some comfort in that they are wanted, needed and will be missed by the UO community at large.

 

[Otis Firefly]

im not sure if Draconi has been laid off or if he has just changed positions within EA....for those who dont use facebook!! here are the last things from his facebook posts..

Tim removed his job as Lead Designer at Electronic Arts

latest headline is- Tim Cotten
Been an absolutely lucky Friday the 13th for me - cheers! To rewriting reality

that is from his facebook account

 

[Surgeries]

I don't think many "employment laws" are in effect once a company lays you off/fires you. I suppose they can withhold your last check, or threaten not to rehire you unless you sign an NDA...

In most states, if not all...not something that would be considered "Law Abiding" unless he signed a specific contract that states holding final pay is agreed, and even then, no contract can knowingly break state law, to benefit a company, and not an employee, in like, 99.999999% of ANY case like this. And so...likely a debunked myth there...

However NDAs are usually signed at the time of employment, but none that I have seen have stated anything to do with holding final pay in lieu of signing, or disclosing info after employment is terminated.

It would really bum me out if Draconi is no longer Draconi_EA.

I hope it is myth...

 

[jack flash uk]

im not sure if Draconi has been laid off or if he has just changed positions within EA....for those who dont use facebook!! here are the last things from his facebook posts..

Tim removed his job as Lead Designer at Electronic Arts

latest headline is- Tim Cotten
Been an absolutely lucky Friday the 13th for me - cheers! To rewriting reality

that is from his facebook account

still shows he is lead designer on facebook

although with all this talking i am wondering IF he was/is still there, surely he would say something?

 

[Shelleybean]

im not sure if Draconi has been laid off or if he has just changed positions within EA....for those who dont use facebook!! here are the last things from his facebook posts..

Tim removed his job as Lead Designer at Electronic Arts

latest headline is- Tim Cotten
Been an absolutely lucky Friday the 13th for me - cheers! To rewriting reality

that is from his facebook account

Based on this, I hope something really great happened for him.

 

[Mairut]

Hmm... I'm not going to speculate about his personal life, however much it has to do with the topic. It seems rude to me... then again I'm southern and we find that most things are. Sometimes I wish these yankees up here would take a clue now and again...like when I'm in a theater and they won't shuddup. Still, there's not really an excuse for rude behavior.
I digress...


Draconi's profile on here says that his last activity was at 4:48pm yesterday. Unless that was his username being changed, then he's still around.

I don't know why his user name has the EA title taken off it, but Chrissay's doesn't. It's odd, but perhaps only a mistake.

Damn...I'm going to miss these people