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What does one do after inventing one of the first virtual worlds ever to exist online? If you're Richard Garriott, you try to leave Earth behind altogether, for a little while anyway. Lots of gamers know about Garriott's quest to escape the bounds of Earth's gravity via private space travel. What some may not know is the reason the man known as Lord British wants to do it so badly. Turns out his dad was an astronaut and the younger Garriott sees following in his dad's footsteps—and becoming the first second-generation astronaut—as his destiny. You'll get to see exactly how he accomplishes that when Man on a Mission, a documentary that chronicles the training and eventual journey that takes Garriott beyond the stratosphere. The film comes out in theaters and on on-demand services on January 13th of next year. Among others things, audiences will get to see the inside of the International Space Station and watch Garriott's dramatic re-entry back to our fair planet's atmosphere. More »
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I was only young when I played Ultima VII but I had already ventured to the depths of dungeons that dripped with dread, partaken in interstellar war and defended my home planet from invaders. Like Roy Batty and all people who grew up with games, I had seen and done so much. Between adventures in space, I'd rezone my commercial districts or build a new bus route, leaving room in the schedules for occasional postal service functions. Yes, I had lived a full life already, but I had never watched a man clad in the finest clothes in Britain eat an egg and then belch in the face of a barmaid, so who can say I had experienced anything worthwhile at all? More »
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Ask that question 100 times and you'll get 100 different answers. Lucasarts. Sierra. Bethesda. Valve. Westwood. Ask me 100 times, though, and I'll give you the same answer 100 times running: Origin. More »
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Richard Garriott, space tourist, rat tail enthusiast, and creator of Ultima and Tabula Rasa (RIP), may also be the first private citizen to have a legitimate claim to ownership of a good portion of the moon. More »
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The killer whale that apparently killed a trainer today in front of a horrified SeaWorld audience was also connected to the death in 1999 of a drifter so obsessed with Ultima Online that he once wandered into Richard Garriott's home. More »
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Not content with kicking sand in the face of Wing Commander fans with the dreadful Wing Commander Arena, EA is now turning its attention towards bringing us a new game based on the Ultima franchise. More »
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Origin's classic Ultima series was many things, but sexy, it was not. It was anti-sexy. Which is what makes this sexy "Ladies of Ultima" calendar all the surprising. And...sexy. More »
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For the handful of you who may have missed the late October episode of The Martha Stewart Show with Richard "Lord British" Garriott, that show has finally been uploaded for all to enjoy. More »
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Earlier this month, we heard that Richard Garriot — son of an astronaut and granddaddy of science fiction/fantasy games like the Ultima series — would officiate a wedding in zero gravity. More »
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Sure his head is up in the clouds at the moment, but Ultima creator Richard Garriott hasn't forgotten where he's from. In an interview with GameDaily, Garriott discusses an eventual return to gaming. More »
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!'ve said it before (although possibly not in public) and I'll say it again - turn-based games are a natural fit for mobile gaming. Any gaming device that you have to slip quickly in your pocket in case you get mugged demands a stable of games that you can take at whatever pace you like. More »
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Wired has a nice feature up on Ultima Richard Garriott and his cosmonaut training in Russia's Star City. Written by Masters of Doom author David Krushner, here's a sample: More »
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The issue of created languages is hardy new (cf Esperanto), but I've not seen a lengthy discussion of created languages in games — the challenges and pitfalls of designing a working, intuitive, and integrated linguistic system that's really a part of a game is an interesting issue. James Portnow spoke with Richard Garriott, lead designer of Ultima, about the keys to creating an intuitive in-game language that isn't too intrusive. Portnow further muses on the 'language' of games, and how created languages can inform our design of other aspects of the user interface: More »
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Ultima and Tabula Rasa creator Richard Garriott loves two things: Space and rattails. Man not only has his own sputnik, but his own rattails. This October, Garriott and his flowing locks will be blasting off to the International Space Station. He plans on making a spacewalk, which would make him the first civilian with rattails to do so. Historic! To commemorate the event, Seiko is creating a titanium spring-powered "Spring Drive Spacewalk" watch, which will be limited to 99 pieces only — at a price! But really, can you put a price tag on a Richard Garriott watch? Yes, yes you can. More »
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In the fall of 1972, Dave Arneson gathered a group of friends around a table in Gary Gygax's Lake Geneva Wisconsin home and changed the gaming world forever. After that fateful weekend gaming session, Gygax took Arneson's notes, and using rules form his own fantasy miniatures game Chainmail, created the game that would go on to sell millions of copies around the world - Dungeons & Dragons. A huge accomplishment for a couple of gaming geeks, but it was only the beginning. Dungeons & Dragons spread beyond the tabletop into the hearts and minds of some of the earliest pioneers of gaming. Now one of the fathers of role-playing has passed on, but Gary Gygax's legacy lives on in the video games we play. In honor of this great man, let's take a look at the influence his work has had on our favorite pastime. More »
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Gamasutra has a long (long) interview up with Raph Koster (lead designer of Ultima Online and founder of Areae). It's long. But Koster touches on a ton of stuff - the shift in game design, the ultra-casual market like Habbo Hotel vs. WoW, this idea of 'game grammar', why patents are a necessary evil, and is 'single-player gaming dead'? - and it's an interesting read. Even some interesting ideas on the us vs. them mentality present in the industry (or is it?): More »
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By N. Evan Van Zelfden More »
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It seems that one of the MMO's that popularized the genre will continue to receive some life support, this time in the form of a totally new client. Yep, massively multiplayer online role playing game Ultima Online will see a considerable graphics overhaul and a reworked UI. More »
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