The Jubilee, The English influences in UO, and why?

[Ludes]

So a lot of attention is being paid here in the US about the anniversity of the Queen in England.. 60 years is quite an achievement.. I must applaud our British friends here on their setting up a system that leaves a sense of responsibility from generation to generation.

America is lost in greed and instant gratification I fear.. But I hope they will learn...

Now why does UO have such an "English" aspect?
Richard Garriot stated in an early interview that someone in his college dorm just decided one day to call him "British" cause they thought he had a British accent which he swears he doesn't have.

So in the D&D games of that time (without computers) he gamed under the name Lord British.

Now most of the music for the games was written by a team led by Kathleen and David.. (Gwenno and Iolo) But some of the music for LB's castle and such seem pretty close to some English songs I've heard.

If RG would like to respond here.. that would be great.
But I'd like to hear other thoughts as well..

 

[Sauteed Onion]

So a lot of attention is being paid here in the US about the anniversity of the Queen in England.. 60 years is quite an achievement.. I must applaud our British friends here on their setting up a system that leaves a sense of responsibility from generation to generation.

America is lost in greed and instant gratification I fear.. But I hope they will learn...

Now why does UO have such an "English" aspect?
Richard Garriot stated in an early interview that someone in his college dorm just decided one day to call him "British" cause they thought he had a British accent which he swears he doesn't have.

So in the D&D games of that time (without computers) he gamed under the name Lord British.

Now most of the music for the games was written by a team led by Kathleen and David.. (Gwenno and Iolo) But some of the music for LB's castle and such seem pretty close to some English songs I've heard.

If RG would like to respond here.. that would be great.
But I'd like to hear other thoughts as well..

Well, most fantasy stuff to pull from the age of Ultima's concept making both the standard games and later Ultima Online, was typically protrayed in horribad euro trash accented american actors and some actual English people.. set in well England'ish fantasy versions of somebody's imagination. Not saying that's a bad thing.. I grew up watching and 'ing some of the same stuff meow.

 

[Ludes]

But Richard Garriott was not English in any way shape or form..

 

[kelmo]

To hell with Garriot. Elizabeth the 2 and Phillip are pretty cool.

 

[Sauteed Onion]

He was born in england and to this day maintains dual citizenship in the US and England. He was moved from England to the US at a very early age, but his inspirations for Ultima stemmed from fantasy things that were heavily steeped in European'esque lore and fairytales. But I see what you're getting at.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Now why does UO have such an "English" aspect?

Not sure why your thread got moved, but I think it's not a difficult explanation.
Considering they have houses older than our nation, one could say England is very old, there's a lot of history, lore, and urban legend to go with that. Some, Euro based, are still credited to England because of their acceptance in world society. Did I mention charm? Mexico shows more Euro influence than the states, with small villages and cobblestone streets. In the states, surely you've been to 'Faire'? always English based states had cowboys & indians, civil war. Euros had Knights, metal armor, and all the medieval weapons.
An American Ogre story, a Dragon in New York - just not believable
Dungeons & Dragons influence.

 

[Adol]

But Richard Garriott was not English in any way shape or form..

Neither is the impression you're getting of England from the Jubilee. It's all fantasy. The Windsor's real family name is Sax-Coburg-Gotha, but they changed it to Windsor during World War 1 to appear closer to the nation. Our current Monarch, Elizabeth the Second, is only the second for England, as the United Kingdom wasn't until 1707; she's Elizabeth the First of the UK and, if Scotland wins it's coming independence referendum, she'll be Elizabeth the Last of it. Prince Philip is Greek. And the Monarchy is only supported in the sense that people are hoping that the actual Next In Line, Prince Charles, doesn't get it because the British don't really embrace what Monarchy means, and treat it like a reality show.

And Medieval England is actually French Norman, as is most of the original Arthurian legends. Those symbolic castles come from attempts of a Norman aristocratic class to subdue the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic lands they'd just conquered, and then built and rebuilt for hundreds of years of fighting off pretenders and usurpers. The "Glorious Revolution" that ultimately decided the British shape of Constitution comes from William Of Orange, who was Dutch and Protestant; Bonfire Night however is a celebration of burning alive of a Catholic resister who tried to blow up Parliament. And "V For Vendetta" is an updating of Guy Fawkes, which shows how popular the second part, blowing up Parliament, actually is today...

So as I say; pick which ever myths about Britain you want to believe in; we've plenty to go around. Just don't believe you can judge the country based on the fawning media coverage of the Jubilee. Here in Bristol, where our unemployed were forced to work unpaid stewarding the event, and then told to sleep under London Bridge, there's a considerable backlash developing, even amongst those who didn't take a holiday abroad to avoid it, or stayed inside listening to the Sex Pistols all day;

Unemployed bussed in to steward river pageant | UK news | The Guardian

Perhaps if Richard Garriott had actually stayed in the UK, his view would be more nuanced. But we all romanticize something more the further away we get from it.

 

[Magdalene]

Well said.
For "the rest of the world", and especially those over this or other sea it's much less complicated though
Britain in England plus a handful Highlanders and the IRA lurking here and there. (Wales is a town where Prince Charles lives, right?).
Other than that it's the land of Tolkien, elves and dwarves, king Arthur and Camelot (Holy Grail for those really interested in the thing), Diana, Queen Elisabeth (the other one) and that handsome guy from "Tudors", and now for many people it's probably a lot like King's Landing and Winterfell...

 

[Petra Fyde]

Tch, you forgot the area I live in. Sherwood Forest. You can't leave out Robin Hood!

English influences in UO are more attributable to literature than reality. Sir Walter Scott's 'Ivanhoe'. Tennyson's poem 'The Lady of Shallot', even Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court etc.

 

[Magdalene]

I knew I forgot the sheriff and the Lionheart... and that hooded guy too.