Richard Garriott Interview

Now that his Ultimate RPG project has the funding it needs, Ultima creator and Portalarium co-founder Richard Garriott is starting to offer a few clues as to what we should expect from the “New Britannia” experience. And he begins down that path with an article-style interview that covers quite a few different topics over at MMORPG.com:

When talking about some of the challenges with these types of games Richard wants to make sure that Ultimate RPG has a very deep soul. As an old school developer and someone who gave us Ultima 4 and Ultima 7 to dearly remember, he said it is critical to have depth in the game for players, especially in an RPG. Also, he said that while having a great team of designers is one thing, it is also very important to have that constant conversation with the community. To know that players have a voice and listen to what they say.

So while we did not get into the full scoop of Ultimate RPG (I was hoping too), but what we did learn is Richard’s clear philosophy for the game. He wants to make sure hardcore players know they are not abandoned. It is one of the guiding principles of the design for the game. It is being made with the hardcore players at the very heart and soul of the title. Also, it is very important for the team to meet their goals on the game and create that RPG experience which made Richard’s Ultimas so memorable.

Richard said that you will find your way into the game through a portal, hence Portalarium, similar to the idea in Ultima 4. The game will have personal ethics, social events, and be founded on a very strong story system. You will have plenty of challenges as a player in this game. He really wants to create a new body of fiction. He really wants the great story of the game to transcend the setting. With the story at its core for the RPG it will have a new setting and a new fictional wrapper for players to delve deeply into.

The best part of the interview was that Richard said the game has sandbox interaction at its core. He said it is styled after Ultima Online and Ultima 7 in that regard. That news should really get everyone excited! Even though the game is set for social and mobile networks Richard was very clear that it is not MMO Light. He said that too many of the free to play games right now don’t have the story or substance behind them for the long term investment by players. He does not want a game that forces you to play for hours to earn your rewards.