Summary: <h4>What better way to mark the 20th anniversary of Ultima Online than by hearing stories from the original designer thereof?</h4> <br> <p><a id="more-7743789"></a><br> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id978223252">Subscribe on iTunes</a> | <a href="https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Itjcimdmayfwry5u3sq6cw3ro3u?t%3DSpam_Spam_Spam_Humbug">Subscribe on Google Play</a> | <a href="http://tunein.com/radio/Spam-Spam-Spam-Humbug-p838387/">Subscribe on TuneIn</a> | <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/spam-spam-spam-humbug">Subscribe on Stitcher</a> | <a href="http://spamspamspamhumbug.podbean.com/">Subscribe on Podbean</a> | <a href="http://subscribeonandroid.com/podcast.ultimacodex.com/feed/">Subscribe on Android</a></p> <br> <h4>Co-Producers</h4> <br> <p>This episode of <em>Spam Spam Spam Humbug</em> is brought to you by our <strong>Patreon </strong>backers; thank you to everyone who supports <em>Spam Spam Spam Humbug</em> and the <strong>Ultima Codex</strong> by that means. And, as always, a hearty thank you to our <strong>Patreon co-producers:</strong> Seth, Dominik, Chris, Violation, Adam, Erik, Thorwan, Pascal, Helgraf, Aaron, the Hearth of Britannia, Edward, Stirring Dragon, and Cranberry.</p> <br> <h4>Podcast Topic(s)</h4> <br> <p>So it has been far, far too long since we last held a recording session, but what a way to return to form this episode was! We set out to discuss <em>Ultima Online's</em> 20th anniversary, and on a whim I sent a last-minute invite to <strong>Raph Koster</strong> (<strong>Designer Dragon</strong>, the original systems designer for UO) to join us on <strong>Discord </strong>for the discussion. And happily, he accepted the invitation and turned up for what turned into a <em>three hour discussion</em> about the early history of the game.<br> <br> Some of what is discussed has been discussed before, in other places and sometimes by other people. However, <strong>Koster</strong> peppers the discussion with more than a few never-before-told stories from the development of the game. Multiple references are also made to <a href="https://www.raphkoster.com/2017/09/28/ultima-onlines-influence/">this article at <strong>Koster's </strong>blog</a>.<br> <br> Now, three hours is a lot of audio, so this episode includes roughly the first half of the discussion. Topics covered include the <em>Ultima Online</em> alpha test, art development, the dangerous offices that the <em>Ultima Online</em> team were situated in, the development and continued use of eScript, the beta version of the game and the pressure from Electronic Arts to finally ship the game, and a curious (and long-running) prank being played out between <strong>Richard Garriott</strong> and his then-girlefriend, which culminated in a full-page ad in the <strong>Austin Chronicle</strong>.<br> <br> <strong>Also:</strong> <a href="http://www.mine-control.com/zack/uoecon/uoecon.html">Here's a link</a> to the <strong>Zack Booth Simpson</strong> talk that <strong>Koster </strong>mentions partway through this part of the discussion.</p> <br> <h4>Support Spam Spam Spam Humbug</h4> <br> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ultimacodex">Patreon </a>| <a href="http://www.gog.com/games?pp=e1a864f0b77f6c89794827a9035355dc8d052622">Buy Games at GOG</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheUltimaSeries">Like Ultima on Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ultimacodex">Follow the Ultima Codex on Twitter</a></p> <br> <h4>Join the Ultima Community</h4> <br> <p><a href="http://UDIC.org">UDIC.org</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/UltimaDragons/">Ultima Dragons on Facebook</a> | <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/103002993467616562766">Ultima Dragons on Google+</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ultimadragons">Follow the Ultima Dragons on Twitter</a></p>
