The Escapist - Richard Garriott Interview

Dhruin

SasqWatch
Joined
August 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
The Escapist has an interview with Richard Garriott on his vision and "why he thinks most games just aren't good enough". As you'd expect, MMORPGs and Tabula Rasa take up a chunk of the text but the comments on Ultima IV and "The Hero's Journey" make it worth the read:
But then there's the second aspect of what makes a virtual reality interesting or relevant, which is "Why am I there, why do I want to be there, why do I care to be there and why is it important to be there?" And so I tried to attack that problem, especially starting with Ultima IV, where I came to the realization or decision that a major problem I saw in most gaming - especially most fantasy roleplaying gaming - is that they all still, to this day, have the same general plot. Which is, you're the hero and you know that because you're told so in the introduction. Your job is to kill the bad guy, and you know that because you're told so in the introduction.
In general, having played those games, the bad guy doesn't do anything particularly bad other than he just waits for you in the final level for you to come and fight him and kill him. And in fact, what you as the player do is you pillage, plunder, maim and steal and do whatever it is you can to do to become as powerful as you need to be to come and knock off the supposed bad guy.
More information.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
enjoyable interview. although playing mmorpgs is sacreligous to my gaming beliefs i will most undoubtibly be trying this game out. i did after all waste 3 months of my life with world of warcraft. i'm really curious to see if he can accomplish the feat of adding a substantial story element to an online multiplayer game.
 
Joined
May 26, 2007
Messages
812
Location
standing under everyone
Yeah, a decent interview. Thanks to Lucky Day who sent this in but I didn't see the message until I'd already posted it.

Some very good points but I get jaded with Garriott, because I don't think he'll ever come back to SP RPGs.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
I've heard much of it before in other interviews!!
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
12,806
Location
Australia
Like any other respectable gamer in his late 30s, I too grew up on Garriott.

"What have you done for me lately" Richard?
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Messages
339
At least Richard has yet to disappoint his fans.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
3,086
Location
Sigil
The quotation is imho perfect ! That boils it down to the very point of all role playing games !
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,908
Location
Old Europe
At least Richard has yet to disappoint his fans.

Well, since Ultima IX anyway. ;) I would have loved the isometric 3-D version or the Bob White scripted version, but not the mess that was released. We could mostly blame EA for that!

Let's see if he can make his fans forget the past.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
46
Location
NorthEast USA
I didn't like U8 much either!!
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
12,806
Location
Australia
I know I may get crusified but I didn't care for ultima 7 and 7 1/2. I couldn't get past the RT combat. My poor Avatar was dying left and right because I couldn't click on his stupid spellbook fast enough or got sick and tired of having to flip through the book to find the spell I wanted to cast.

I have never bought a MMO but after the interview I'm curious to see if he can actually do what he says he can.
 
Joined
Feb 3, 2007
Messages
5,347
Location
Taiwan
they all...have the same general plot. Which is, you're the hero and you know that because you're told so in the introduction. Your job is to kill the bad guy, and you know that because you're told so in the introduction.
In general, having played those games, the bad guy doesn't do anything particularly bad other than he just waits for you in the final level for you to come and fight him and kill him

what a line! (thinks about framing that)

--

Now to digress...

My problem with U7 was that I couldn't afford a PC that could play it. When I finally could it was too out of date to keep my interest. Same goes with U6 and the UU's unfortunately.

Had they not got sidetracked with all the Wing Commanders IMO the company would have put a lot more games I enjoyed.

If you noticed the general pattern with the Ultimas they were constantly trying to outdo the last one. U6's and its offshoots and U7 switched to overhead views, followed by U8's, UU's failed where Wolfenstein and running and jumping and of course UO. U9 if you notice has smooth vertical transitions.

These things are Garriots fault IMO. Had he not kept trying to push the envelope then maybe it would have in the box. (heh)

For example he decided he hated the "blow up" model that he practically invented and wanted smooth transitions with no physical appearance changes. Obviously, the technology wasn't ready for that kind of game. With the "blow up" system it compensated for the limits of the time. It was practical and it worked.

Seeing these interviews I just keep seeing repeat these same kind of mistakes with the wrong philosophy.

[/rant]
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
5,212
Location
The Uncanny Valley
You mean selling out to EA and Ultima IX were no disappointments then? :S

I suspect you do not know the full story as it was either sell to EA or go bankrupt. Something about their games taking too many floppy disks to be profitable if I recall correctly.

Ultima 9 was crap because of a huge number of factors and not all of them were Richards fault, much like with Ultima 8.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
3,086
Location
Sigil
No argument there, but I think RG has never taken enough responsibility for these failures. A number of Ultima fans believe that UO was a failure too, not just because of the horrendous problems of the logistics but because it ripped out much of the core features of the series including the virtues.

I don't see a change in his "visionary ideology" to expect much from Tabula Rasa as I didn't expect the Lineages to do very well here.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
5,212
Location
The Uncanny Valley
And in fact, what you as the player do is you pillage, plunder, maim and steal and do whatever it is you can to do to become as powerful as you need to be to come and knock off the supposed bad guy.

I've just been reading an German-language article which partly explains how this "principle" can turn someone into an amok killer : The killer of Tessin.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,908
Location
Old Europe
Back
Top Bottom