GB Feature: Richard Garriott Interview

We’ve published a two-page interview with Richard “Lord British” Garriott about his many years as a game developer, starting with the pre-Ultima days and working up to his current sci-fi MMORPG, Tabula Rasa. An excerpt:

GB: The fourth Ultima is considered one of the finest in the series because it was the first to feature the now-famous virtue system. Where did this idea originate from and how did it influence the remaining Ultima titles for years to come?

Richard: When I was creating Ultima IV, I was worried that it would be a flop. I labored over the virtues to the degree that I felt no one would understand or appreciate. It grew out of a response to the flak RPG’s get by religious extremists who decry RPGs as (the devils work.) I had noticed that most RPGs have the same boring, morally ambiguous plot: (You are supposed to be the hero. Go kill the bad guy,) but most players pillage and plunder in order to gain the power required to kill the (bad guy) who has done nothing active in the game but wait for you to come kill him. Players are, in fact, usually the (evil) force. So I decided to make a game that tested IF you really were a good or evil character. Most players began playing in their old ways until they realized they were going downhill due to their behavior and quickly responded, happily amazed at the hidden tests that affected their gameplay.