I think his brains are left behind in space. Ah well, I can understand that you get verry philosophic in space. If I was him I would just stop making money and I would buy myself an island ^^. What will happen with TR now? Will NCsoft quit with it? RG will now go back to EA or something, working a bid on UO or thinking about a new mmo?
------------------------------------------------------------------- waiting for ... nothing..
What you need to understand is that RG hasn't actively contributed to a game's development in probably 15+ years. He's just a figurehead that rakes in piles of cash from the awful products and eventual sale of the company.
The game was great in concept but RG failed to deliver and basically cheated NC out of a lot of money for the product delivered. TR isnt such a bad game imo but truly deserved much more.
He is just getting clear of NCsoft so he can return to EA. He will be working with Mythic on the new version of UO. I know this because he was at Mythics offices several times last year. EA is determined to have the number one MMO in the industry, and they belive with enough money the right IP and RG they can beat WoW.
Well if this information is true then i understand the situation this way:
"The rat is leaving a sinking ship!"
What would you do if you had made a contract in the first place with which you aren't satisfied after a short period of time? You try to sabbotage the project in the best possible way and still to be a hero. And to me this is what's happening with TR.
Garriot was not very pleased with the TR project so he changed everything TR should have been so he could leave like this and turn to a project he thinks would be more sucessful.
Someone said that the "Captain is sinking with his ship" but this what Garriot is doing is nothing more then what i said at the beginning of my post. Believe it or not but Garriot never cared to much about this game and this is his final cut to a dying pray.
For those of you who claim RG was only some sort of "figure head" for the last 10 or 15 years...hmmm not so much.
Here is a list of the MMO's he helped create.
Ultima Online 1997 Windows Producer
Ultima Online: The Second Age 1998 Windows Executive Designer
Lineage 1998 Windows & Mac OS X Executive Producer
Ultima IX: Ascension 1999 Windows Director
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle 2003 Windows Executive Producer
City of Heroes 2004 Windows Executive Producer
City of Villains 2005 Windows Executive Management
Tabula Rasa Nov. 2 2007 Windows Executive Producer
Please take note that big Rich helped create the grand daddy of of "Korean grinders" L1 and L2. In fact, when it comes to MMO grind, he pretty much pioneered it. L1 and L2 were emulated by probably hundreds of Asian games.
Next time you are b*tching about "Korean grinders" please keep in mind that it was a westerner that made it all possible.
Hopfully the influence of the "King of Grind" is gone now. Even L2 got rid of it.
I don't think the man ever truly understood MMO players. NCSoft is better off without him.
Actually I suspect someone at NCSoft forced the Tabula Rasa project to change from a swords/magic/elf type game to that of a space alien FPS-style MMO. This was right in the middle of production.
Whoever made that decision was the person to blame for what Tabula Rasa turned into and how it launched. No one is talented enough to make that massive of a revamp in that short of time.
While I doubt Richard Garriot had that much control over the TR project that force that drastic of a change (and essentially dooming the gamge), I suspect it was the choice of some NCSoft executive fearing competition with WoW, it doesn't garuentee that RG would be able to replicate his past successes.
Sure he got to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to space, kudos. Now he has to deal with the image he is left with after dealing with NCSoft.
/QFE
I'm also aware that the original game was not at all like what was actually released. Indeed it was more of an RPG game that reminded me of StarWars Pre-CU. At some point, half way through production--probably past halfway--some corporate big-wig evidently decided that what this world really needs is a fast paced fps, MMO set in a sci-fi world. (Jeez where have I ever heard that before?).
I'm also aware that the original logos concept was watered down, likely by the shift in the game's vision, and that the game was struggling to get collision detection working in open beta (yikes). These are in fact the reasons I chose not to try it out. I also agree with a previous post that NCsoft was likely pimping their game with Garriot's name.
If I was Richard, having this kind of experience in my career, I too would think it might be a good time to fulfill the lifelong dream of going into space. Many times in my career as a Social Worker I thought, "I wish I'd have become an astronaut" lol.
I imagine one can get a new perspective on things up there, literally and figuratively. This move makes a lot of sense to me, I wish Richard great joy and success in his future adventures.
Actually Garriot was just a figurehead in "importing" already existing game to the west from Korea, at least where Lineage 1 was concerned. Probably, despite his titles, he was just an Egyptian god doll that priests of NCSoft dragged around to show at important occassions.
Even UO was mostly Koster's child and Garriot was even then just a name to promote the game. Last real time RG was actively involved in planning and development would have been Ultima VI/VII era.
As I already stated, I really think that his departure will have no effect on TR whatsoever. As for the other comments, I agree with many of them. I think that the combat in TR is good, personally, but there is a lot of room for improvement in other areas. They actually have a pretty solid dev team these days. We'll see where it goes in the near future.
Have a winner and don't go on a game over! Does your avatar make you powerful in real life? Check out the Mystical Enders gaming community. www.mysticalenders.com
Garriott was my hero in the 80s, but he's been a mere figurehead in this industry for at least the past decade. UO was primarily designed by Raph Koster.
My take, exactly. NcSoft got a name but they didn't get a game because they didn't know who really made UO what it was. Certainly the Garriotts weren't going to tell, they were too busy going around accepting Hall of Fame awards for Koster's genius.
But it sucks that he took their money because he wanted a ride into space, took seven years of everybody's life, when he knew all they'd get out of the deal was a hyped-up turd.
Wiki will let you down. It's run by fanbois and idiots who think they can control history by censoring other people. Lineage was created by Jake Song. Remember when the Garriotts couldn't get along with Song and he got canned? Song did use Koster's UO as a model for Lineage.
Certainly Richard was happy to take credit for anything he could, and fool anyone he can... he's just classless that way. He's out there claiming to have cured diseases with the "experiment" he took into space. He's a total poser.
What you need to understand is that RG hasn't actively contributed to a game's development in probably 15+ years. He's just a figurehead that rakes in piles of cash from the awful products and eventual sale of the company.
It is just as likely that Richard Garriot had his hands effectively cut off from the creative process in TR, just like Brad McQuaid was in when SOE bought EQ and Raph Koster was in after SOE rushed SWG out the door. I'm sure Richard got screwed over when EA bought Origins, because that is what EA does to companies they buy and it sure looks like NCSoft did something similar here.
Big software companies tend to hire talented people and not support them in a manner that lets them excel and do what they are good at.
He is just getting clear of NCsoft so he can return to EA. He will be working with Mythic on the new version of UO. I know this because he was at Mythics offices several times last year. EA is determined to have the number one MMO in the industry, and they belive with enough money the right IP and RG they can beat WoW.
Thats a dream I can only hope for, heh. ^^
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
For those of you who claim RG was only some sort of "figure head" for the last 10 or 15 years...hmmm not so much.
Here is a list of the MMO's he helped create.
Ultima Online 1997 Windows Producer
Ultima Online: The Second Age 1998 Windows Executive Designer
Lineage 1998 Windows & Mac OS X Executive Producer
Ultima IX: Ascension 1999 Windows Director
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle 2003 Windows Executive Producer
City of Heroes 2004 Windows Executive Producer
City of Villains 2005 Windows Executive Management
Tabula Rasa Nov. 2 2007 Windows Executive Producer
Please take note that big Rich helped create the grand daddy of of "Korean grinders" L1 and L2. In fact, when it comes to MMO grind, he pretty much pioneered it. L1 and L2 were emulated by probably hundreds of Asian games.
Next time you are b*tching about "Korean grinders" please keep in mind that it was a westerner that made it all possible.
Hopfully the influence of the "King of Grind" is gone now. Even L2 got rid of it.
Actually, Lineage: The Blood Pledge had been out for quite some time before NCSoft signed Garriott. I know, because I was playing the game when the announcement came...lol His input into the first Lineage game was actually quite good, as there were some definite improvements to the game after he took over the developement of the American version at NC Austin.
I don't think the man ever truly understood MMO players. NCSoft is better off without him.
You n00b, Richard G. helped DEFINE mmo
Actually I suspect someone at NCSoft forced the Tabula Rasa project to change from a swords/magic/elf type game to that of a space alien FPS-style MMO.
Indeed so, just like OSI / EA ripped him off, NCSoft did the same thing - forced him to change his vision of the Ultimate mmo.
Frankly at this stage of his life i kinda hope he moves beyond the rip-off commercial games industry and produces a series of indie films that explore his original vision expressed in the Avatar series.
With the election of Obama we're at a crossroads culturally in where we go in the 21st century. Garriott has something important to contribute to this .
Richard Garriott aka Lord British is one of my heroes, even though I've never met him in real life I know he's a very cool guy full of inspiration, I've met him online in UO during the beta test 3 times, first was randomly at his castle second the same and the 3rd was when he was killed by Rainz at blackthorn's castle, anyway I've sent him completiton certificates from the Ultima series and he signed them and returned them that's how cool a guy he is, this was in 1999. Anyway I know he's the type of person that spends tons on halloween haunted houses just to make others happy, also I know he's the type of person that can't be tied down to a company he doesn't own and have full control of for too long, he's too talented and creative, and when he says he recieved inspiration in space he's not just using it as an excuse to leave NCsoft, he probably had a major vision of inspiration, hope he doesn't give up making one last great game, but if he does I'll still consider the Ultima series a greater trilogy than any, including books, I have almost every copy of the series, I'm missing Ultima II & III, but I consider the writing and depth in those games so great that they soar above such writings as lord of the rings or any other fantasy I've read, those that only know his Ultima series from UO I feel sad for, because they know virtually nothing of the Ultima lore which was so amazing that I'm inspired by them on a regular basis. I did get a chance to turn to the NASA channel and I missed his interview but I breifly saw him live in space, that was very cool to see.
For those of you who claim RG was only some sort of "figure head" for the last 10 or 15 years...hmmm not so much. Here is a list of the MMO's he helped create. Ultima Online 1997 Windows Producer
Ultima Online: The Second Age 1998 Windows Executive Designer
Lineage 1998 Windows & Mac OS X Executive Producer
Ultima IX: Ascension 1999 Windows Director
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle 2003 Windows Executive Producer
City of Heroes 2004 Windows Executive Producer
City of Villains 2005 Windows Executive Management
Tabula Rasa Nov. 2 2007 Windows Executive Producer
Please take note that big Rich helped create the grand daddy of of "Korean grinders" L1 and L2. In fact, when it comes to MMO grind, he pretty much pioneered it. L1 and L2 were emulated by probably hundreds of Asian games. Next time you are b*tching about "Korean grinders" please keep in mind that it was a westerner that made it all possible. Hopfully the influence of the "King of Grind" is gone now. Even L2 got rid of it.
Garriott was a producer for the western release, he had nothing to do with the development of Lineage in Korea.
Originally posted by Daffid011 Actually I suspect someone at NCSoft forced the Tabula Rasa project to change from a swords/magic/elf type game to that of a space alien FPS-style MMO. This was right in the middle of production.
We might keep in mind that rarely is one person responsible or at fault for a good or bad game. It is a team, and if the team fails its usually due to a multitude of issues. If you take the time to read the link, you can see the incredible difficulties that the TR team faced during all of it's iterations. Nightmare. No wonder the game sits on a precipice.
Also, for those of you speculating on Garriott's design abilities, keep in mind that producer, executive producer and executive manager are very different from design or lead design positions. It is a good idea to understand the various roles of team members before praising/attacking them. As a producer on Lineage Garriott would be involved in overseeing the game being brought to North American audiences, not designing or developing the actual game, but he was an executive producer which means he may have only given some suggestions or consulted. Its all speculation without hard facts.
I for one have the utmost respect for Garriott and I look forward to any game he may attach his name to.
For those of you who claim RG was only some sort of "figure head" for the last 10 or 15 years...hmmm not so much. Here is a list of the MMO's he helped create. Ultima Online 1997 Windows Producer
Ultima Online: The Second Age 1998 Windows Executive Designer
Lineage 1998 Windows & Mac OS X Executive Producer
Ultima IX: Ascension 1999 Windows Director
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle 2003 Windows Executive Producer
City of Heroes 2004 Windows Executive Producer
City of Villains 2005 Windows Executive Management
Tabula Rasa Nov. 2 2007 Windows Executive Producer
Please take note that big Rich helped create the grand daddy of of "Korean grinders" L1 and L2. In fact, when it comes to MMO grind, he pretty much pioneered it. L1 and L2 were emulated by probably hundreds of Asian games. Next time you are b*tching about "Korean grinders" please keep in mind that it was a westerner that made it all possible. Hopfully the influence of the "King of Grind" is gone now. Even L2 got rid of it. Actually, Lineage: The Blood Pledge had been out for quite some time before NCSoft signed Garriott. I know, because I was playing the game when the announcement came...lol His input into the first Lineage game was actually quite good, as there were some definite improvements to the game after he took over the developement of the American version at NC Austin.
Not saying he did not have input, but that list is a load of nonsense if you think he was that big a contributer on most of those beyond UO. I think Ralph Koster would beg to differ with you about how much design he did on UO. Richard has been pretty much a figurehead since the first Ultima's, I don't think any of the following titles benefited from his insight at all. City of Heros/Villains was not even written by NCSoft, he most certainly was strictly a figurehead on those.
Next time understand your topic before throwing out garbage.
Regarding the comment by Daffodi11, "Sure he got to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to space, kudos. Now he has to deal with the image he is left with after dealing with NCSoft."
TheRedPill holds up one hand, palm up, in which lays an imaginary free pass to space.
TheRedPill holds up her other hand, palm up, in which lays the imagined sum of her own reputation.
Gen. British and his squad changed it midstream after a bad review from a focus group The original concept was to conquer both American and Korean markets with a P2P MMO But it proved to be a more daunting task than could be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time I think it's quite great the way it is being all SciFi and such, was actually imho one of the more fun to play SciFi mmos out there.
Somehow I doubt that the a man who has 30 years invested in tolkein fantasy based games was so unerved by feedback from a focus group that he decided to scrap the entire concept and change the games vision to a space shooter. I am willing to bet he has had to do more than his fair share of fun factor redesigns in his previous games after some testing.
This is exactly the type of decision I can see some pencil pushing executive make in reaction to focus group testing.
Well I wish Richard Garriott the best of luck in his future interests.
I just have to say, however, the perhaps if he focused more on developing his games rather than going up into space, TR may have survived longer. Not sure, but it seems to me he didn't give 100% effort to TR which was supposedly his pet project.
Comments
I think his brains are left behind in space. Ah well, I can understand that you get verry philosophic in space. If I was him I would just stop making money and I would buy myself an island ^^. What will happen with TR now? Will NCsoft quit with it? RG will now go back to EA or something, working a bid on UO or thinking about a new mmo?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
waiting for ... nothing..
What you need to understand is that RG hasn't actively contributed to a game's development in probably 15+ years. He's just a figurehead that rakes in piles of cash from the awful products and eventual sale of the company.
The game was great in concept but RG failed to deliver and basically cheated NC out of a lot of money for the product delivered. TR isnt such a bad game imo but truly deserved much more.
Well if this information is true then i understand the situation this way:
"The rat is leaving a sinking ship!"
What would you do if you had made a contract in the first place with which you aren't satisfied after a short period of time? You try to sabbotage the project in the best possible way and still to be a hero. And to me this is what's happening with TR.
Garriot was not very pleased with the TR project so he changed everything TR should have been so he could leave like this and turn to a project he thinks would be more sucessful.
Someone said that the "Captain is sinking with his ship" but this what Garriot is doing is nothing more then what i said at the beginning of my post. Believe it or not but Garriot never cared to much about this game and this is his final cut to a dying pray.
For those of you who claim RG was only some sort of "figure head" for the last 10 or 15 years...hmmm not so much.
Here is a list of the MMO's he helped create.
Ultima Online 1997 Windows Producer
Ultima Online: The Second Age 1998 Windows Executive Designer
Lineage 1998 Windows & Mac OS X Executive Producer
Ultima IX: Ascension 1999 Windows Director
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle 2003 Windows Executive Producer
City of Heroes 2004 Windows Executive Producer
City of Villains 2005 Windows Executive Management
Tabula Rasa Nov. 2 2007 Windows Executive Producer
Please take note that big Rich helped create the grand daddy of of "Korean grinders" L1 and L2. In fact, when it comes to MMO grind, he pretty much pioneered it. L1 and L2 were emulated by probably hundreds of Asian games.
Next time you are b*tching about "Korean grinders" please keep in mind that it was a westerner that made it all possible.
Hopfully the influence of the "King of Grind" is gone now. Even L2 got rid of it.
Actually I suspect someone at NCSoft forced the Tabula Rasa project to change from a swords/magic/elf type game to that of a space alien FPS-style MMO. This was right in the middle of production.
Whoever made that decision was the person to blame for what Tabula Rasa turned into and how it launched. No one is talented enough to make that massive of a revamp in that short of time.
While I doubt Richard Garriot had that much control over the TR project that force that drastic of a change (and essentially dooming the gamge), I suspect it was the choice of some NCSoft executive fearing competition with WoW, it doesn't garuentee that RG would be able to replicate his past successes.
Sure he got to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to space, kudos. Now he has to deal with the image he is left with after dealing with NCSoft.
/QFE
I'm also aware that the original game was not at all like what was actually released. Indeed it was more of an RPG game that reminded me of StarWars Pre-CU. At some point, half way through production--probably past halfway--some corporate big-wig evidently decided that what this world really needs is a fast paced fps, MMO set in a sci-fi world. (Jeez where have I ever heard that before?).
I'm also aware that the original logos concept was watered down, likely by the shift in the game's vision, and that the game was struggling to get collision detection working in open beta (yikes). These are in fact the reasons I chose not to try it out. I also agree with a previous post that NCsoft was likely pimping their game with Garriot's name.
If I was Richard, having this kind of experience in my career, I too would think it might be a good time to fulfill the lifelong dream of going into space. Many times in my career as a Social Worker I thought, "I wish I'd have become an astronaut" lol.
I imagine one can get a new perspective on things up there, literally and figuratively. This move makes a lot of sense to me, I wish Richard great joy and success in his future adventures.
Actually Garriot was just a figurehead in "importing" already existing game to the west from Korea, at least where Lineage 1 was concerned. Probably, despite his titles, he was just an Egyptian god doll that priests of NCSoft dragged around to show at important occassions.
Even UO was mostly Koster's child and Garriot was even then just a name to promote the game. Last real time RG was actively involved in planning and development would have been Ultima VI/VII era.
Playing: AC2
Played: UO, DaoC, Horizons, Ryzom, WAR, LotRO, Eve, VG...
As I already stated, I really think that his departure will have no effect on TR whatsoever. As for the other comments, I agree with many of them. I think that the combat in TR is good, personally, but there is a lot of room for improvement in other areas. They actually have a pretty solid dev team these days. We'll see where it goes in the near future.
Have a winner and don't go on a game over! Does your avatar make you powerful in real life? Check out the Mystical Enders gaming community. www.mysticalenders.com
Garriott was my hero in the 80s, but he's been a mere figurehead in this industry for at least the past decade. UO was primarily designed by Raph Koster.
My take, exactly. NcSoft got a name but they didn't get a game because they didn't know who really made UO what it was. Certainly the Garriotts weren't going to tell, they were too busy going around accepting Hall of Fame awards for Koster's genius.
But it sucks that he took their money because he wanted a ride into space, took seven years of everybody's life, when he knew all they'd get out of the deal was a hyped-up turd.
Wiki will let you down. It's run by fanbois and idiots who think they can control history by censoring other people. Lineage was created by Jake Song. Remember when the Garriotts couldn't get along with Song and he got canned? Song did use Koster's UO as a model for Lineage.
Certainly Richard was happy to take credit for anything he could, and fool anyone he can... he's just classless that way. He's out there claiming to have cured diseases with the "experiment" he took into space. He's a total poser.
It is just as likely that Richard Garriot had his hands effectively cut off from the creative process in TR, just like Brad McQuaid was in when SOE bought EQ and Raph Koster was in after SOE rushed SWG out the door. I'm sure Richard got screwed over when EA bought Origins, because that is what EA does to companies they buy and it sure looks like NCSoft did something similar here.
Big software companies tend to hire talented people and not support them in a manner that lets them excel and do what they are good at.
Thats a dream I can only hope for, heh. ^^
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Tabula Rasa removed the serious grind
Actually I suspect someone at NCSoft forced the Tabula Rasa project to change from a swords/magic/elf type game to that of a space alien FPS-style MMO.
Indeed so, just like OSI / EA ripped him off, NCSoft did the same thing - forced him to change his vision of the Ultimate mmo.
Frankly at this stage of his life i kinda hope he moves beyond the rip-off commercial games industry and produces a series of indie films that explore his original vision expressed in the Avatar series.
With the election of Obama we're at a crossroads culturally in where we go in the 21st century. Garriott has something important to contribute to this .
Mr. Garriott, can I have your stuff? Just askin.. =P
Richard Garriott aka Lord British is one of my heroes, even though I've never met him in real life I know he's a very cool guy full of inspiration, I've met him online in UO during the beta test 3 times, first was randomly at his castle second the same and the 3rd was when he was killed by Rainz at blackthorn's castle, anyway I've sent him completiton certificates from the Ultima series and he signed them and returned them that's how cool a guy he is, this was in 1999. Anyway I know he's the type of person that spends tons on halloween haunted houses just to make others happy, also I know he's the type of person that can't be tied down to a company he doesn't own and have full control of for too long, he's too talented and creative, and when he says he recieved inspiration in space he's not just using it as an excuse to leave NCsoft, he probably had a major vision of inspiration, hope he doesn't give up making one last great game, but if he does I'll still consider the Ultima series a greater trilogy than any, including books, I have almost every copy of the series, I'm missing Ultima II & III, but I consider the writing and depth in those games so great that they soar above such writings as lord of the rings or any other fantasy I've read, those that only know his Ultima series from UO I feel sad for, because they know virtually nothing of the Ultima lore which was so amazing that I'm inspired by them on a regular basis. I did get a chance to turn to the NASA channel and I missed his interview but I breifly saw him live in space, that was very cool to see.
--- Razimus
Garriott was a producer for the western release, he had nothing to do with the development of Lineage in Korea.
Link please.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On the matter of TR game direction and studio issues, the link that explains it all is
right here
We might keep in mind that rarely is one person responsible or at fault for a good or bad game. It is a team, and if the team fails its usually due to a multitude of issues. If you take the time to read the link, you can see the incredible difficulties that the TR team faced during all of it's iterations. Nightmare. No wonder the game sits on a precipice.
Also, for those of you speculating on Garriott's design abilities, keep in mind that producer, executive producer and executive manager are very different from design or lead design positions. It is a good idea to understand the various roles of team members before praising/attacking them. As a producer on Lineage Garriott would be involved in overseeing the game being brought to North American audiences, not designing or developing the actual game, but he was an executive producer which means he may have only given some suggestions or consulted. Its all speculation without hard facts.
I for one have the utmost respect for Garriott and I look forward to any game he may attach his name to.
Dev
www.TXcomics.com "Your daily webcomics broadcast"
Not saying he did not have input, but that list is a load of nonsense if you think he was that big a contributer on most of those beyond UO. I think Ralph Koster would beg to differ with you about how much design he did on UO. Richard has been pretty much a figurehead since the first Ultima's, I don't think any of the following titles benefited from his insight at all. City of Heros/Villains was not even written by NCSoft, he most certainly was strictly a figurehead on those.
Next time understand your topic before throwing out garbage.
Gen. British and his squad changed it midstream after a bad review from a focus group
The original concept was to conquer both American and Korean markets with a P2P MMO
But it proved to be a more daunting task than could be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time
I think it's quite great the way it is being all SciFi and such, was actually imho one of the more fun to play SciFi mmos out there.
I really enjoyed this game. To bad it had to go south like it did. So much potential! I left with the rest of clan defiance on peg.
Ohwell it was fun while it lasted.
Regarding the comment by Daffodi11, "Sure he got to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to space, kudos. Now he has to deal with the image he is left with after dealing with NCSoft."
TheRedPill holds up one hand, palm up, in which lays an imaginary free pass to space.
TheRedPill holds up her other hand, palm up, in which lays the imagined sum of her own reputation.
TheRedPill laughs. "Is this a trick question?"
Somehow I doubt that the a man who has 30 years invested in tolkein fantasy based games was so unerved by feedback from a focus group that he decided to scrap the entire concept and change the games vision to a space shooter. I am willing to bet he has had to do more than his fair share of fun factor redesigns in his previous games after some testing.
This is exactly the type of decision I can see some pencil pushing executive make in reaction to focus group testing.
Well I wish Richard Garriott the best of luck in his future interests.
I just have to say, however, the perhaps if he focused more on developing his games rather than going up into space, TR may have survived longer. Not sure, but it seems to me he didn't give 100% effort to TR which was supposedly his pet project.