Richard Garriott interview about UO design

[railshot]

Pretty interesting interview.

 

[MalagAste]

That's too funny... love to see that he has the mousepad that was given away at the 20th Anniversary party in use. That makes me smile.

Anyway it was such a wonderful thing to meet him and talk to him and I knew that ecology story before... and he's right... humans... so sad. You can see this every time you attend an EM Event... you will always find those dudes who kill every rabbit, cat, dog, deer whatever all along the way. If it moves it will die unless it's yellow and you can't kill it.

 

[Lug]

Bet his virtual ecology would work now if slipped quietly back into the game.

 

[Gidge]

Great war story!

 

[Poo]

"......and they massacred everything!"

that made me laugh!

 

[Parnoc]

Makes ya wonder what UO would be like now if he would have kept it.

 

[omukai]

Makes ya wonder what UO would be like now if he would have kept it.

A cash shop with half-assed "game" attached, like SOTA.

 

[Capt. Lucky]

Makes ya wonder what UO would be like now if he would have kept it.

Probably would have been ok as long as someone had final authority over him. Not all his ideas were great but mostly he was a bit of a genius. Things like perma death aren't real popular.

 

[Laura_Gold]

Re the ecology. The forests had pretty much emptied out in 1999. Runesabre said, "Two thirds of the animals are in the stables!"

 

[Spiritless]

A cash shop with half-assed "game" attached, like SOTA.

So, pretty much exactly how it turned out under EA?

 

[Stubentiger]

I think it could work but would need safeguards and shake ups. Too many pets in the stable ... stable burns down?
In the end I think they were over ambitious. Most gamers don't need a working ecology system. A sort of working economy is enough...
We will see such games again ... just needs time

 

[Lore]

Yea, I doubt it'd work. They have trouble with economies, let along ecologies. We aren't worthy.

 

[Slayvite]

Has he bought the rights to use the name Lord British back from EA ??
His new cash grab....i mean game, is now putting up posters on social media calling it Lord British's SotA.

I thought he sold the rights to that mane and property to EA years ago?

 

[Slayvite]

So, pretty much exactly how it turned out under EA?

Nope, we only have a half-assed game with a half-assed cashshop.

 

[Capt. Lucky]

Has he bought the rights to use the name Lord British back from EA ??
His new cash grab....i mean game, is now putting up posters on social media calling it Lord British's SotA.

I thought he sold the rights to that mane and property to EA years ago?

He sold everything except for the name Lord British. He kept that.

 

[MalagAste]

He sold everything except for the name Lord British. He kept that.

Yep he is Lord British... He kept the rights to that which is why we saw him leave in game... And no one was allowed to just use his character. And my guess is that Star Long had the same deal hence no one using his likeness either until he came back for the 15th anniversary .... at that point he must have signed some deal to allow Blackthorn to be used again.

 

[old gypsy]

I really wish his original concept had been workable. If it was, and could be successfully introduced, I'd be so tempted to come back.

 

[Stubentiger]

I think the original concept does not work without additions.
I am still surprised EA never worked on making UO more a living world.
Yes scripting events is work, but other games managed it for years (Asherons Call).
Computer AI for gaming is still at the beginning, same with world building for mmos.

 

[Max Blackoak]

actually a mini version of this system IS in the game now. go to covetous lvl 1 and check out the vampire mongbats. they will go north to where the headless miners are and collect the gems they mine up on the ground. then they take those south to where the dazzled harpies are and lay them on the ground to attract the harpies while the mongbats hide. when a harpy comes close they jump the harpy (not killing it but reducing it's hitpoints).


This is on Siege Perilous.
Not sure if regular shards have it in Trammel or Felucca...

 

[RockoNV]

He hides his disdain well. However it is consistent with the "blame the players for the failure in game design" philosophy so pervasive in MMO's.