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Richard Garriott Sits with the Texas Story Project to Talk About His Career in Gaming - Shroud of th

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited March 2018 in News & Features Discussion

imageRichard Garriott Sits with the Texas Story Project to Talk About His Career in Gaming - Shroud of the Avatar News

The Texas Story Project recently completed a short interview with Portalarium's Richard Garriott about his career in gaming. He traces his path through his beginnings in high school and shows off pieces of his collection that are now collectible historical pieces in the timeline of video gaming. It's a fascinating look at one of the pioneers of the video games industry.

Read the full story here



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Comments

  • bobbymcswansonbobbymcswanson Member UncommonPosts: 204
    Great video....sad to see him losing his touch......I played UO when it hit the shelf, and to this date it remains the bar that I judge all other MMOs by....
    hasho83marganculosLackingMMOPugroc
  • SpiiderSpiider Member RarePosts: 1,135
    That dude conned so many out of their money based on his old glory. Shame.
    AlomarAgent_JosephRhygarthLackingMMOinfomatzIce-Queen

    No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.

  • IceAgeIceAge Member EpicPosts: 3,203
    edited March 2018
    Many modern games, in Garriott’s view, use new computing power to sell “bells and whistles,” but, he notes, “while they will sell great, I do not believe they will be remembered, because they are very quickly surpassed by the next generation of bells and whistles.”

    Neither your current game will be remembered.

    By the way , how is blood selling going ? You do good money with that? What about hair sales? Any rise in the price ?
    AlomarLackingMMOIce-Queen

    Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy?
    Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,427
    He will always be remembered for Ultima, but SotA will not live up to that standard. It may be a slow burner, we shall see.
    Ice-Queen
  • LuftwaffenLuftwaffen Member UncommonPosts: 101
    UO was an AMAZING game ! the only MMO that kept me playing for years , its a shame it was ruined after his team left it to OSI Trammel killed it for me ..... but UO must have been a fluke everything he has touched since UO was garbage its a shame he was the mastermind behind the best sandbox MMO and now makes mediocre akward MMO in shroud of the avatar
    Ice-Queen
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    I liked ALL of Ultima games but no way would i use any of them to judge games now because the design was very archaic.
    The ONLY thing i would take away from the Ultima series now would be the ability to pick anything up in the world and use it.However even to this day,there are limitations on how many objects devs can and will put in their scenes so i don't think we will get a AAA great looking game ever do that again.

    I want to see ONE ,just one game NOT copy the EQ2/Wow design which is absolutely god awful and ONE developer show some creativity AND make the world look good,with working doors,animations,npcs that wander instead of standing there etc etc.
    Example you look at their video the SOTA team put out to market the game,it is some dude walking through this large town but NOTHING moves nothing lives,there is nothing there but houses,there is no life.
    RolanStormbobbymcswansonLackingMMO

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    edited March 2018
    I wouldn't say a fluke,i would bet MOST big name producers/developers put a lot of passion into their first AAA effort.Then after making enough money to live comfortably it becomes simple habit and a simple one minded approach to just run the operation as a business and not as a passionate game designer.Besides as mentioned ,i liked all the early Ultima games,what was there,like 7/8 or so?

    Like i absolutely loved UT99 but felt the game got worse after that as so did the rest of the community.I still play it and have seen the legend Destrukt still pop in once awhile as well.

    Quake,again an absolute masterpiece,however john Carmack is a legend in the industry,he continued to do the Quake series proud.However now he is part of Zeni,nobody knows what kind of pressure or orders he is under now and we are not seeing anymore Quake for a long time,11 years since Quake Wars.

    I loved FFXI but as witnessed FXIV was rushed under the assumption that anything FF sells no matter how good it is.

    How many loved Diablo 1-2,D3 was a mess and Blizzard is doing the same thing to ruin Wow,streamlining it and nerfing it's strong points,so they are becoming a MUCH more lazy developer.

    Know what series i still love playing just for FUN and imo still a passionate SMALL team,the Croteam and Serious Sam or not so serious....seriously.


    [Deleted User]

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • TofkeTofke Member UncommonPosts: 342
    Maybe time to move on from him until he does something worth noting. Been a while after all.
    Ice-Queen
  • TalonsinTalonsin Member EpicPosts: 3,619
    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.
    IceAgeCelciusEponyxDamorDakeru
    "Sean (Murray) saying MP will be in the game is not remotely close to evidence that at the point of purchase people thought there was MP in the game."  - SEANMCAD

  • CelciusCelcius Member RarePosts: 1,878
    edited March 2018

    IceAge said:

    Many modern games, in Garriott’s view, use new computing power to sell “bells and whistles,” but, he notes, “while they will sell great, I do not believe they will be remembered, because they are very quickly surpassed by the next generation of bells and whistles.”



    Neither your current game will be remembered.



    By the way , how is blood selling going ? You do good money with that? What about hair sales? Any rise in the price ?



    Blood selling? Hair selling? What are you even talking about? Are you talking about the crazy space antics of him bringing gamer DNA to space? Pretty sure this guy doesn't need to worry about selling any of that stuff as he is set for life.
  • Riot55Riot55 Member UncommonPosts: 49

    Celcius said:



    IceAge said:


    Many modern games, in Garriott’s view, use new computing power to sell “bells and whistles,” but, he notes, “while they will sell great, I do not believe they will be remembered, because they are very quickly surpassed by the next generation of bells and whistles.”





    Neither your current game will be remembered.





    By the way , how is blood selling going ? You do good money with that? What about hair sales? Any rise in the price ?






    Blood selling? Hair selling? What are you even talking about? Are you talking about the crazy space antics of him bringing gamer DNA to space? Pretty sure this guy doesn't need to worry about selling any of that stuff as he is set for life.



    https://www.google.com/amp/s/kotaku.com/richard-garriotts-blood-pulled-from-ebay-probably-beca-1783400017/amp
  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    Talonsin said:
    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.
       I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         

    EponyxDamorretiredmjbgzgamerWraithone[Deleted User]
  • retiredmjretiredmj Member UncommonPosts: 160

    Scorchien said:


    Talonsin said:

    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.

      
    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         




    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.
    KyleranIce-Queen
  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    edited March 2018
    retiredmj said:

    Scorchien said:


    Talonsin said:

    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.

      
    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         




    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.
    lol , no they didnt , they didnt fire him because of that at all they terminated his contract illegally , because he was about to meet a time requiremnt where he would be able to cash in on 28 mill in stocks ....

      They illegally termianated his contract after they had given him permission to take his space walk and terminated while he was away and unable to stop the procedure..,, it was a very calculated backhanded move on NCs part ..

     He then sued them in federal court for they lost 28 mill and won easily ...

      so ....................just stop

    ..............  try to learn just  a little but before you regurgitate the shit you digest on the interent'
    bgzgamerWraithone[Deleted User]
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 44,057
    Scorchien said:
    retiredmj said:

    Scorchien said:


    Talonsin said:

    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.

      
    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         




    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.
    lol , no they didnt , they didnt fire him because of that at all they terminated his contract illegally , because he was about to meet a time requiremnt where he would be able to cash in on 28 mill in stocks ....

      They illegally termianated his contract after they had given him permission to take his space walk and terminated while he was away and unable to stop the procedure..

     He then sued them in federal court for they lost 28 mill and won easily ...

      so ....................just stop

    ..............  try to learn just  a little but before you regurgitate the shit you digest on the interent'
    Doesn't change the fact he had very little to do with the delivery of the games you listed.
    Ice-Queen

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    edited March 2018
    Kyleran said:
    Scorchien said:
    retiredmj said:

    Scorchien said:


    Talonsin said:

    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.

      
    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         




    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.
    lol , no they didnt , they didnt fire him because of that at all they terminated his contract illegally , because he was about to meet a time requiremnt where he would be able to cash in on 28 mill in stocks ....

      They illegally termianated his contract after they had given him permission to take his space walk and terminated while he was away and unable to stop the procedure..

     He then sued them in federal court for they lost 28 mill and won easily ...

      so ....................just stop

    ..............  try to learn just  a little but before you regurgitate the shit you digest on the interent'
    Doesn't change the fact he had very little to do with the delivery of the games you listed.
    he was the executive producer on most of them and credited with there devlopment


     and listen its an asinine statement on its own to say they fired becase of work on lineage ... lineage 2 ..etc .. some of that work was 15 years before the time of the contract temination .. You mean to tell me you think that NC soft kept a guy around in the Executive Producer postion all those years beacause they wanted to wait till TR to terminate his contract ..   Stupid thought at best ...

             And if you dig and learn you will find that the reason that RG took a break at the end of TR development cycye is that NC was pushing ideas that he didnt want in game and pushing hard .. the orgianl clips and ideas of TR can still be found today .. NC forced a wide arc of the orginal concepts and he he was fed up
    KyleranEponyxDamorbgzgamerWraithone
  • retiredmjretiredmj Member UncommonPosts: 160

    Scorchien said:


    retiredmj said:



    Scorchien said:




    Talonsin said:


    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.


      

    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         







    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.


    lol , no they didnt , they didnt fire him because of that at all they terminated his contract illegally , because he was about to meet a time requiremnt where he would be able to cash in on 28 mill in stocks ....

      They illegally termianated his contract after they had given him permission to take his space walk and terminated while he was away and unable to stop the procedure..,, it was a very calculated backhanded move on NCs part ..

     He then sued them in federal court for they lost 28 mill and won easily ...

      so ....................just stop

    ..............  try to learn just  a little but before you regurgitate the shit you digest on the interent'




    This is getting off the beaten path, but the lawsuit had to do with him selling his stocks, it had nothing to do with "illegal termination"...it had to do with how they handled his stock options calling his leave "voluntary".

    Also by your reasoning, you know who else was "partially responsible" for those games? The intern getting everyone coffee
    Kyleran
  • ShaighShaigh Member EpicPosts: 2,150
    RG's game development career was great during his first 20 years and been crap the last 20 years. People blame EA for Ultima IX, ncsoft's for Tabula Rasa but given the way Shroud of the Avatar is turning out I find that a lot of the blame should fall on RG's lap as well.

    His part on other ncsoft games was that his company was supporting the western versions of ncsoft games. 

    Ice-Queen
    Iselin: And the next person who says "but it's a business, they need to make money" can just go fuck yourself.
  • DEXA88DEXA88 Member UncommonPosts: 175
    Everything this guy gets his hands on turns into dust all his projects fail !
    Ice-Queen
  • MrMelGibsonMrMelGibson Member EpicPosts: 3,039
    I don't understand the pedestal people put this guy on.  He hasn't been relevant for a very long time.  He made a good game or two decades ago.  *Golf Clap*
    EponyxDamorLackingMMOKyleraninfomatzIce-QueenAegiris
  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    I'm apparently in the minority. Looking forward to trying SotA. If it isn't any good, I'll move on and if it is... woot!!! Just like any other game. The focus seems to be on the pluses and minuses of Garriott and not the game itself.

    I prefer to look at the game itself and not the personalities behind them. Like most, this game has some things that I like and some things that I don't. Until I give it a looksee, I won't know where the scales balance.
    Borluc

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • couponforkcouponfork Member UncommonPosts: 114
    Anyone actually looking for Ultima 2.0 should check out Outlands or even Legends of Ultima. I've played Ultima since 97, Shroud is pile of garbage and RG should be ashamed honestly.
    MrMelGibsonIce-Queen
  • LackingMMOLackingMMO Member RarePosts: 664
    Isnt this the same guy that tried to make money off his own mothers death? Yeah such a great guy. His game was awesome 20 years ago.
    Ice-Queen
  • ArglebargleArglebargle Member EpicPosts: 3,481
    edited March 2018
    Scorchien said:
    Kyleran said:
    Scorchien said:
    retiredmj said:

    Scorchien said:


    Talonsin said:

    He got a lot of credit for the Ultima Series that was undeserved, he was not the only person on those projects but had no problem taking all the credit. Anyone remember him giving credit to any of his team members back in the 90's? I dont. Since then he has done nothing of consequence and SotA wont be either.

      
    I have been a fan of RG work since i orderded Alakbeth in 1980 , and you are really selling this guy short ..

         His work has given millions of people millions of hours on enetertainment , and RG has always shared the light and credit ..Even now go watch SoTA vids he is constantly praising his team and many have been with him for many years ...

      Not to mention all the his(and his teams) work unlocked countless avenues in gaming that others followed and were inspired by in those early gaming years ...
        
     I will add i have tried SOTA twice since  its development and will try again shortly , but have been somewhat dissapointed , altho there are some nice ideas there , it always felt it needed to come together to feel cohesive world like UO ..

         I will add among RG work aside from the fantastic Ultima series that many of us grew up  loving ..and opened our imginantions to gaming worlds ..
     
       RG was also directly in part responsible for

      Bioforge
      Lineage
      Lineage2
     City of Heores
      City of Villians
      Tabula Rasa
      Auto Duel

       Among others ...

         




    You realize NC Soft actually fired him him because of his "work" on lineage, lineage 2, CoH, CoV......he was not "partly responsible" for these games, just stop.
    lol , no they didnt , they didnt fire him because of that at all they terminated his contract illegally , because he was about to meet a time requiremnt where he would be able to cash in on 28 mill in stocks ....

      They illegally termianated his contract after they had given him permission to take his space walk and terminated while he was away and unable to stop the procedure..

     He then sued them in federal court for they lost 28 mill and won easily ...

      so ....................just stop

    ..............  try to learn just  a little but before you regurgitate the shit you digest on the interent'
    Doesn't change the fact he had very little to do with the delivery of the games you listed.
    he was the executive producer on most of them and credited with there devlopment


     and listen its an asinine statement on its own to say they fired becase of work on lineage ... lineage 2 ..etc .. some of that work was 15 years before the time of the contract temination .. You mean to tell me you think that NC soft kept a guy around in the Executive Producer postion all those years beacause they wanted to wait till TR to terminate his contract ..   Stupid thought at best ...

             And if you dig and learn you will find that the reason that RG took a break at the end of TR development cycye is that NC was pushing ideas that he didnt want in game and pushing hard .. the orgianl clips and ideas of TR can still be found today .. NC forced a wide arc of the orginal concepts and he he was fed up
    The 'Executive Producer' title doesn't really mean much.  Stan Lee is an executive producer on almost all the Marvel movies.  Think he does much work on them?  Most of that 'partly responsible' list is just industry puffery.  

    That said, NCSoft did try to screw him over big time.  Still, that was more because he'd spent many years doing and redoing Tabula Rasa, to no good effect.  And great expense.  Though talking to a TR team member, he blamed Star Long for not keeping Garriott on track.   At the end of production RG had been relieved of duty and was pretty much just a public cheerleader for the project.  NCSoft did put too many other managers on the project who pulled it in too many different directions.  But it wasn't like Garriott had kept it focused either.  

    RG was always a bad project manager:   Year long crunch on the Ultima titles were not unusual.  Still, unlike some other Origin producers (CR), Richard was not disliked by all his workers.  The managerial shortcomings of RG is why Star Long is always a part of his crew.  Which speaks of a certain self awareness, at least.

    As far as SotA goes, I may give it a try at some point.  But my expectations are not tied to any of the previous games.  Have always thought that some folks are cranky about this because it doesn't replicate their teenage gaming glory.  But then, very little will.


    Kyleran

    If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.

  • LuposDavalteLuposDavalte Member UncommonPosts: 91
    I know I'm not the first two bellow from the rooftops that Garriot needs to stop polishing the memories of his glory days as a way to invite support to SotA.

    The irony is he's spent the last decade trying to capitalise on the nostalgia for an IP that he sold off so he could build his real-life madman's castle. It's so obvious he regrets selling Ultima, but creatively he has been at a dead-end since Ultima peaked.

    Ultima 7 and Ultima Online are probably still my favourite games of all-time, but at the moment he's a jaded industry veteran that went insane on in-game real estate pricing.
    Ice-QueenPugroc
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