Archive for May, 2008
Tuesday; it’s the new Monday
Posted by Rockjaw in Day Today, MMO-related on May 27th, 2008
Haven’t done one of these for a while, and I’ve got 20 minutes, so let’s see if it’ll fit in that time:
Start the day trying to clear out the Inbox. I generally do my very best to keep my email as light as possible, but it’s stacked up a bit by my standards… 50+ in the Inbox. To most people that really is nothing – most people have hundreds, if not thousands.
In the process, fire off a few emails to people trying to confirm and cajole. Trade emails back and forth with Andrew Wildman about the upcoming UK Games Expo, and also about a Secret Prize Project he’s helping us with, which should be revealed fairly shortly.
With the Bank Holiday yesterday, all of the usual Monday meetings are bumped forward by a day, so we do our weekly ‘Management Operations’ meeting at 11:15am. It’s pretty much business as usual; all of the company managers in a room going through what’s going on right now. I talk mostly about UKGE, the trip to Staffordshire University next week, and casting. Read the rest of this entry »
Consider yourself… linked
Posted by Rockjaw in Links of Others on May 25th, 2008
For some reason I have random lyrics and snippets from Oliver! in my head. Why.
Anyway, set up a new blogroll linking category to cover off a few of you called Playas, ‘cos y’all are. Which led me to checking a few places which leads me to pimpin’ ya out with linkage and quotage. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello to Massively, and hello to Scott Jennings
Posted by Rockjaw in Links of Others, Press on May 24th, 2008
“I don’t know how, but they found me.”
Who’d you think? Massively, who linked to me today* – I guess it was only a matter of time. Adrian Bott, the writer who put up the piece, was at the MiniCon and is apparently tracking me on Stalkbook too, as that’s the image he chose to use on the piece.
I seriously need to get my ‘official’ NCsoft picture** done.
Anyway, hi Adrian! And anyone else who’s randomly arrived here. Leave a comment, don’t be a stranger. Oh and by the way Adrian, why not subscribe to the podcast’s RSS feed so you get the story up when the thing releases. Not three days later. It’s the Internet people! Seconds matter! (Although yes, I do realise you may have done just that – and are at the mercy of editors.)
Also – via Massively – just read this interesting interview at TenTonHammer with Scott Jennings, AKA ‘Lum the Mad’ (whose blog you should read). Scott’s working on a Top Secret Game Project inside NCsoft in Austin right now, and has been since some time in 2006. In fact, that was when I was last over there (believe it or not) and I did have the chance to sit down and get his pitch on the game. At the time it was looking pretty damn cool in design form. Of course I can’t talk about it any more than Scott can, but suffice to say I think Scott’s a damn smart guy and I hope his game turns out as good as he hopes.
As well as being a smart designer Scott’s also a great industry pundit, so when asked, as he is in the interview, about the future of the industry he’s got loads of good stuff to say. I particularly liked his final answer though, which is practically a call to arms for gamers everywhere:
Be more demanding. Don’t accept mediocrity. Don’t accept games that try to deliver less polish. WoW has set the standards that we have to meet, and if games don’t meet it they will fail and deserve to fail. That standard has now been set and we have to meet it.
Amen, brother!
* Well kind of. It’s the usual Massively thing, one link amongst a billion others, some of which may lead to interesting places and many of which just lead back to Massively. It kind of drives me nuts.
** Which, I hereby promise, will look as close as possible like that existing picture. Except better quality.
You said what?