Richard Garriott
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Shroud of the Avatar unleashes its content creation kit
Richard Garriott's Portalarium may have successfully kickstarted its Shroud of the Avatar project back in April, but that doesn't mean the team is done with the rewards. In last night's dev update, Executive Producer Dallas Snell introduced the Dungeon Kit: a Unity-based content creation tool that is now available to all Developer-Level ($400+ pledge tier) backers. This tool not only lets you build assets for SotA, but it also allows you to build assets for any Unity-based game that you may be working on. Snell reports that this may be the first time that something like this has been made available to other game devs or publishers before the game is even released. Be sure to check out the full update for much more on getting started with the kit, getting started with Unity, and some interesting factoids on how surveyed devs will be using the Dungeon Kit.
Make My MMO: Crowdfunding June 30 - July 13, 2013
The last two weeks haven't been quiet on the crowdfunding front. While Star Citizen takes the lead with the most news (from ever-expanding coffers to just "finding ways to make the game more awesome"), other titles had their own snippets to report as well. There's also some upheaval in our ranks: We gained a new MMORTS/MMORPG mix project but lost two others from our list when both Skara: The Blade Remains and Anthym didn't meet their goals. And yet another title makes its final appearance before moving on to Betawatch! That's right, folks; TUG is saying hasta la vista to Make My MMO in favor of alpha land. Curious as to what all else has transpired? Then check out the details after the break.
Garriott and crew show off early Shroud of the Avatar gameplay
Richard Garriott and two of his Shroud of the Avatar lieutenants took the stage at RTX 2013 in Austin, Texas, last weekend to preview Portalarium's upcoming crowdfunded fantasy opus. Joining Garriott were former Ultima Online producer Starr Long and SotA technical director Chris Spears. Garriott's presentation started with a historical look at roleplaying games and the game industry as well as insight into his plans to leverage crowdfunding and community involvement to reinvent the genre. Aside from the early gameplay footage, Garriott also had plenty of interesting anecdotes to share about the gamemaking process, including the differences between traditional development -- where you can "smoke and mirror" the unfinished bits until you're ready to launch -- and crowdfunded work, which is done largely in full view of potential customers. The full presentation video can be found after the break. The gameplay demo starts around the 22-minute mark.
The Game Archaeologist: Wing Commander Online
Like many gamers who grew up playing the popular titles in the 1990s, Massively's Jef is understandably excited that Chris Roberts, creator of Wing Commander, is working on an original space sim MMO called Star Citizen. Jef is so thrilled, in fact, that he started a column anticipating the title. Jef's not alone; it seemed as though half of the internet went bananas when Roberts came out of the woodwork to announce his title and ask for a few coppers for funding. He got more than just a few, as gaming nostalgia is one of the most powerful forces known to mankind. Even if it can't be Wing Commander in name, gamers reasoned as they plunked down their money, it could be the Wing Commander MMO in spirit. Interestingly enough, there was an actual effort made to bring the well-known franchise to the MMO table back in the late '90s. A pair of projects, Wing Commander Online and Privateer Online, promised the thrills of the hit space saga with the expanse of the online gaming world. What happened and why aren't we playing one of these games today? Find out on this exciting episode of The Game Archaeologist!
Shroud of the Avatar team adds Starr Long to the mix
Fans of the Ultima series should be happy to hear that Shroud of the Avatar has added Starr Long to its roster as executive producer. Don't recognize the name? You should; according to Richard Garriott, Starr Long is the reason that Ultima Online existed in the first place. As Garriott puts it, while there had been discussions about doing an online installment of the series, Long was the one who was insistent that Ultima Online needed to happen. He was so much the driving force behind it that Garriott points to him as the push that kept him working on the game. A formal announcement will be made on Saturday at RTX 2013 alongside a special demonstration of Shroud of the Avatar, which will be available via livestream. If you've been hoping to see some of the key players behind UO back together, it looks as if you're in luck. [Source: Portalarium press release]
The Daily Grind: Are petitions to resurrect MMOs a waste of time?
We've received several tips over the last few weeks about a petition players are circulating in the hopes of resurrecting NCsoft's ill-fated MMO shooter Tabula Rasa. Even Richard Garriott himself tweeted about the campaign. But inside the Massively virtual offices, most of us just shrugged sadly. We've seen how these petitions go. Every once in a while, a sunsetted game returns from the dead, but MMO players are awash in petitions for games that never came back. Just ask the 21,845 gamers who signed the Save City of Heroes petition last autumn. So what do you think -- are petitions to resurrect or save MMOs a waste of time? Or do you sign them anyway, just in case there's a tiny chance they might work? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Shroud of the Avatar introduces layaway program for backers
Portalarium's Kickstarter campaign for Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues cruised past its initial funding goal of one million dollars, landing at $1,919,275 by the time the clock ran out. Though the Kickstarter drive has ended, the company is still taking pledges for the project through the official SotA website. In fact, SotA offers a whopping 22 different pledge tiers ranging from $10 to $11,000. If you don't have $11,000 in your pocket but would still like to pledge as much, Portalarium has announced a layaway program that will help backers contribute larger amounts of money by breaking the payments up into smaller chunks. The layaway plan, which should go live this month, establishes monthly payments for big pledges -- and assigns a monthly finance fee. The company is promising another update this month with more details on the plan, which was designed in part due to backer requests. The layaway plan will be available to both new backers and those looking to upgrade their pledge tier. [Thanks to FlyinBuddha for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Which devs would you like to see in the MMO space?
We've seen a number of big-name game gurus make headlines in recent months with various MMOish development projects. Whether we're talking Chris Roberts, Mark Jacobs, or Richard Garriott, there's plenty of star power on display in both the MMO and crowdfunding arenas these days. Are there any other well-known devs you'd like see turning (or returning) to the MMO ranks? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Some Assembly Required: Your guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond
Welcome to Massively's guide to MMO sandboxes in 2013 and beyond. I've collected the essential details on all the major sandbox titles releasing this year and in the near future in one easy-to-reference article. If you're wondering whether ArcheAge forces you to PvP, or if you can't tell The Repopulation from Origins of Malu, this is your post. I'll be updating it as game features are added, removed, or revealed, so be sure to use the comments to let me know if I've overlooked a particularly noteworthy item. Finally, I want to point out that this isn't an exhaustive list because of the sheer number of sandbox projects ongoing. For now, I'm choosing to focus on the ones that will be playable in 2013/2014 as well as the projects that have a big-name developer attached.
Shroud of the Avatar reels in over $1.9 million on Kickstarter
Richard Garriott's fantasy RPG project Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues saw its Kickstarter campaign end this morning after having received $1,919,275 in funding support. The Ultima-like game reached a number of stretch goals after its initial $1 million goal was realized, granting the final product a pet system and additional Lost Vale and Mysterious Island content.Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues is expected to launch for Windows, Mac and Linux in October 2014, and is the first in a five-game series, with each subsequent episode expected to release annually.
Shroud of the Avatar is well and truly Kickstarted
Time has run out for the Kickstarter campaign for Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar. The closing tally for the campaign was $1,919,275, raised over a humble $1,000,000 goal. When you throw in the donations made through the game's site rather than Kickstarter, the whole effort raked in just over two million dollars. Given that the game hit its funding goal back on March 19th, we realize the success of the campaign was never really in question. The project has enough funding to have unlocked nine or ten stretch goals, including a Tracy Hickman novel and a host of systems and content goodies.
Raph Koster is open to making another 'worldy MMO'
On his personal blog, Raph Koster announced that he has left Disney to become an unemployed game developer. The big question is, of course, what's next for the driving force behind Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies. The answer is... he doesn't know. However, Koster does indicate that he is open to working on another traditional MMO, but not one born of Kickstarter. "I suspect that those of you who want this all want me to make a worldy MMO," he writes. "I may yet make one of those in the future, but I don't think that you can raise enough money on Kickstarter to do it justice." Koster says that he might be doing some consulting, writing, and speaking, but what he wants to do most is to "simply start making games." He claims that GDC inspired him to get back into the game-making business, big-time. He also says contrary to some rumors, he is not working with Richard Garriott on Shroud of the Avatar.
Rewards expand for backers of Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar
If you've been meaning to throw money at Richard Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter campaign but haven't yet, the good news is that there are now more rewards for people who pledge support to the game. The $50 reward tier now includes a special Immortality Fruit, a special title, and early access to your surname. At $60, you also get a special tunic, weapon, and pet. The new $80 tier adds in future access to episodes 2 & 3 of the game, an indestructible starter tool, and the ability to tame an elusive monster out in the wild (assuming the game reaches its stretch goal for the taming system). Those who have already donated will receive the rewards as well, but there are several more expanded tiers that might convince fans to bump in a few more dollars.
Garriott talks Shroud of the Avatar story, questing, and mechanics
Richard Garriott recently dropped in on Matt Chat to talk up Shroud of the Avatar with host Matt Barton. Lord British has a lot to say over the course of the hour-long show, including some elaboration on Shroud's curious is-it-or-isn't-it-an-MMO design structure. "While most people will probably play in what I call the default setting of the open world, you can also turn it down to the other levels of comfort or safety that might prefer," he says. There's plenty more where that came from, including bits about the story, Tracy Hickman's involvement, and the game's approach to traditional RPG questing. Click past the cut for the full interview. [Thanks Avaloner81]
Shroud of the Avatar gets serious about housing
The Portalarium team has heard the many, many questions that potential players and Kickstarter backers have about Shroud of the Avatar's player housing system, and so they have released a video to help clear up several of the details. Houses in Shroud of the Avatar are purchased with in-game currency, exist in a shared space, and can be traded between players. Unlike early-era Ultima Online, Shroud won't render you vulnerable to burglars and thieves; house items will remain safe, although sometimes the house itself will be taken out of commission during a siege. There are several different types of player houses, from city houses to village cottages, that can be decorated on both the inside and the outside. The team decided to go with a deed system that will allow players to buy, sell, and trade the land on which houses are built. If a deed is acquired through the Kickstarter campaign, the house will be maintenance-free for life. You can watch the devs discuss the housing system after the jump.
Richard Garriott clarifies his 'most game designers really just suck' statements
Richard Garriott made some serious waves yesterday with some fairly inflammatory statements in an interview with PC Gamer. Citing a few exceptions like Chris Roberts, Garriott said, "I've met virtually no one in our industry who I think is close to as good a game designer as I am. I'm not saying that because I think I'm so brilliant. What I'm saying is, I think most game designers really just suck, and I think there's a reason why." This statement, and others like it that were delivered in the interview, caused no small amount of backlash. Today, Garriott posted a response (titled Words taken out of context) in an attempt to "clarify" his words. He cites a lack of context and "broader real time discussion" for the simplification and inaccurate representations of his statements. "By no means," he says, "did I intend to disparage others who have led the many great games of each era in gaming history." He then went on to re-tread some of his ideas about the difficulty about being a designer versus being an artist or programmer. "Sadly," he concludes, "I really do think that most people who get into design roles on a team have no more skills at design than the programmers and artists." Lest we do him the disservice of taking his words out of context, you can read his full rebuttal at the Portalarium website.
Garriott: 'I think most game designers really just suck'
Richard Garriott has some harsh words and a bit of tough love for game design professionals in a new interview at PC Gamer. Lord British, more visible in the press these days as a result of his successful Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter project, sat down with the mag to talk at length about what ails gaming and who he thinks is capable of doing something about it. "I think there's really very few great game designers," Garriott says. "I think Chris Roberts is one of them, Will Wright's another, Peter Molyneux is another. They clearly exist, but on the whole, I think that the design talent in our industry is dramatically lower than we need, as an industry. It's a very hard skill to learn." Garriott cites a lack of education and a lack of extra-design skills as problems plaguing many designers and the industry at large. If you're not a good artist and not a good programmer, but you still like games, you become a designer, if you follow me. You get into Q&A and often design. And the most valuable part of creating a game is the design, which the programmers are technically executing. And they'd be happy to just execute some of them. But in my mind, most artists and programmers are just as much of gamers as the designers, and I usually find in my history that the artists and programmers are, in fact, as good of designers as the designers. They're often better, because they understand the technology or the art. So we're leaning on a lot of designers who get that job because they're not qualified for the other jobs, rather than that they are really strongly qualified as a designer. It's really hard to go to school to be a good designer."
Shroud of the Avatar tops $1 million in funding, adds stretch goals
Lord British's Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter project has officially surpassed its $1 million funding goal with 19 days to go. That means stretch goals and bonus rewards, and the project website has been updated with a listing that includes a pet system (both social- and combat-focused) and seasonal weather functionality. Bonus rewards have also been added to all of the backer tiers beginning at the $60 founder level. New goodies include various avatar titles, in-game house decor, physical collector's items, and more. [Thanks Don!]
Shroud of the Avatar taps Dragonlance author as lead story designer
Fantasy author Tracy Hickman will be the lead story designer on Richard Garriott's latest venture, Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. Hickman is a New York Times best-selling author, perhaps best known for his Dragonlance and Death Gate series of novels.In the above video, Hickman argues that the graphics, sound and physics engines of computer games have "made quantum leaps forward," it's the gameplay that's lacking any real progression. "In fact, gameplay hasn't changed that much for 30 years," Hickman added. Shroud of the Avatar is currently sitting in the low $900,000 area. With over three weeks left to go before the Kickstarter campaign comes to a close, the goal of $1 million seems well within reach.
Tracy Hickman tapped for writing duties on Shroud of the Avatar
If you were a fan of fantasy games in the 1980s, you know Richard Garriott from the Ultima series. (Our younger readers are more familiar with him as someone who went to space.) Odds are good that you were also familiar with Tracy Hickman, co-author of the popular Dragonlance novels during the '80s. And if that sounds like two great tastes that taste great together, you'll be happy to know that Tracy Hickman has been announced as the lead story designer for Garriott's upcoming Shroud of the Avatar. Hickman's writing credits aside from the Dragonlance series include the Death Gate Cycle, the ongoing Dragonships series, and the online serial novel Dragon's Bard. There's no word on whether his frequent co-authors will be joining in on the writing duties as well, but even Hickman alone should make some old-school fantasy fans very happy about the direction of the upcoming game.
