Interview With Richard Garriott
We talk with Lord British about Dell computers, his work at NCSoft, and more!
Tags: ces 2006 Categories: Features, Game Cube Features, PC Features, PS2 Features, Tech Features, Xbox Features
Posted by Jake McNeill on Jan 14th, 2006
One of the things we don’t get the opportunity to do too often at Consumer Electronics Show is interview a game developer, so when I was given the chance to speak with Richard Garriott at the 2006 CES, a man known by many as “Lord British”, I was quite pleased. Garriott had come to CES to help promote Dell’s computers, highlighting NCSoft’s respect for Dell and taking the opportunity to show off NCSoft’s upcoming MMO, Auto Assault. However, the topics we spoke about ranged from NCSoft and Dell, to Gariott’s opinions about various companies and trends in the industry, to his upcoming title, Tabula Rasa.
In regards to NCSoft’s presence with Dell at CES, Garriott was quick to point out that, prior to E3, NCSoft had no affiliation with Dell whatsoever, and even though he lives so close to Michael Dell’s home that they can see each other’s houses from their respective residences, the two have only just met in the recent months. Yet, despite the fact that the two companies are completely independent of one another, Gariott estimates that NCSoft’s computers are comprised roughly 90% of Dell products, from the computers used to develop and test the games, to the servers used to host them. Garriott attributes this to Dell machines’ power, as well as their reliability, being in the unique position of both being custom-made and factory- and lab-tested.
But… wait a minute, I say, how is it you’re speaking for NCSoft? Aren’t you just one of many developers whose titles NCSoft publishes? In fact, even though Garriott is here today to demo Auto Assault… the title isn’t even really his game. So what gives? Garriott explains that the developers who create titles under NCSoft’s banner are very close, constantly communicating with each other, and even sharing code, both to make development easier for all involved, as well as enticing developers to continue their relationship with NCSoft. So when Garriott finally finishes Tabula Rasa, his next title may very well implement ideas, features and code from Guild Wars, City of Heroes, and even Auto Assault, and in turn developers like ArenaNet (who designed Guild Wars) may choose to use ideas and features Garriott created for Tabula Rasa. It all seems very synergistic, and it seems to have built a very strong relationship between the various developers. Garriott even goes so far as to say that he believes the three principle figures at ArenaNet are the smartest guys in the industry, which is quite a statement coming from a man often credited with creating the MMO genre.
Speaking of Tabula Rasa, Garriott has confirmed that after years and years of development and fine-tuning, the title is within a year of release, and will in fact be the main highlight of NCSoft’s presence at E3 later this year (although I don’t doubt that Auto Assault will turn heads as well). Garriott is naturally quite proud of how the title is coming along, and after looking at games being developed around the world, he’s very confident that there’s absolutely nothing like it anywhere in the world. He believes, in particular, that the interaction with the various aliens in the game is more in-depth than anything else out there (unlike other MMOs, taking down enemies is more than a process of just hitting them until they die, and many will employ varied weapons and tactics to try to defeat you). In addition, Garriott really feels like the story in Tabula Rasa, more than any other MMO on the market, will really give the player a feeling of accomplishment far beyond the standard “okay, I got some more experience and some gold”, instead truly making them feel like a hero rather than just another cog in the system. Finally, Garriott believes that the game’s graphics and overall style will really set the title apart, not only because it’s one of very few sci-fi-themed MMOs on the market, but because, even compared to other titles with a sci-fi theme, Tabula Rasa really has a look and style that’s unique and sets it in a world of its own, and one that looks rather alien compared to what we’re all used to.
Speaking more broadly on other issues, Garriott expressed his belief that the PC market holds far more potential than the console market does, not only because of its capacity to upgrade, but because he believes that the experience is more immersive than what one finds in the living room environment most console gaming places you in. He’s also quick to point out that many of the biggest innovations in videogames, and in fact most of the genres that are industry standards today, like simulation style games, first-person shooters and MMOs, all began their life on PCs.
When asked about the industry’s recent obsession with high-definition displays and high-definition graphics, Garriott agrees that this technology truly is necessary to advance the graphics in games to the next level, but at the same time he’s concerned that the increased graphical fidelity will necessitate higher development costs, and he in turn agrees that the big fear in the industry of these higher development costs cutting the industry down to only the wealthiest publishers is a very real one.
When asked about his relationship with NCSoft compared to… other publishers (think back to the days of Origin), Garriott is extremely diplomatic. He says that he finds every publisher seems to have one thing that it does very well, and while a company may be good at producing yearly upgrades to sports franchises, they may not be quite as good at supporting continuing RPG franchises. On the other hand, NCSoft, he says, is extremely skilled in the one area they choose to focus in: online gaming.
Richard Garriott remains to this day an outspoken personality, and he’s very dedicated to his craft. I have little doubt that come E3 later this year, Tabula Rasa will prove to be every bit as impactful as Garriott and NCSoft hope it will be, and I can’t wait to see how the game is progressing. In the meantime, he had to get going to the keynote with Michael Dell, and I had to get on with coverage of CES, but the meeting was still one of the highlights of the show for me.
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Tags: ces 2006
Posted by Jake McNeill on Jan 14th, 2006 and is filed under Features, Game Cube Features, PC Features, PS2 Features, Tech Features, Xbox Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
