Tabbitha

source taken from UO.UHall


Often wonder what do they actually think about UO , Do they secretly actually play UO , What are they like in real life.It would be pretty interesting to work with them , I would think.
I could see Binky , Wilki as the calm collected type( often wonder if there not the same person) , Cathat , Grimm , Tact , Serado as the wild bunch , take no prisoners. The rest of the team that has posted are to quiet , Not forgotten tho

and

Grimm is a hippie. I bet my castle he's a hippie.

and

..

I'm impressed with this dev team. They've been willing to listen and comment while at the same time, call people out on any misinformation. Currently, I hold more faith in UO's current Dev Team than I do WoW's team to improve the game. I've watched the WoW Dev Team treat its player base like crap for the past year by outright lying about what they were adding into the game or simply telling people that things are "working as intended".

UO GMs had "I cannot help thee with that" once upon a time.
WoW Devs have "Working as intended, it's fine, learn2play"
Current UO Dev Team has "Yep, we're working on fixing that"

In the past it's been notable members of the team (Firedog, Pandemonium, Leurocian, etc), but now it seems like more and more of the team is willing to step to the plate.

It's a great thing to see.

and

I wonder that myself just like people wonder what it's like to be a rock star or a movie star.

So let's ask them.

What is a day in the life of a UO dev?

Im guessing it starts out with coffee, that's how my day would start. Then maybe they have some sort of plan for the day im not sure. They work on fixing bugs and seeing what they could add when they can. They call up or message some other devs that work on other games or programs to ask them what they think about something or some help fixing something. I hear that most devs call or message each other when they need some helpful hints and they help each other out.

The EQ2 guys have a cat mascott with an EQ2 shirt. I wonder if the UO guys do. Oh ya Grim has a turtle right? Does the turle live at the office? I used to have a turtle myself. He was pretty kool too.

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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist



Lets see i roll outta bed at 6 - commute get my butt into the office by 7:30 - turn on the lights, expresso machine and coffee machine. Yeah i'm an early kinda guy - get a triple mocha going - and while i work on my caffine buzz i flip through emails, bug reports and any late PMs and or stickynotes and smokesignals from the night before.

Its about this time Grimm cranks some UO radio when they play a few requested songs for us - we trade war stories or sorts while we kick out the illogic of one problem or two we're currently facing. Usually cresting in some rant about something exceptionally cool or nasty. Work on our late bugs or new things that are primo projects we dont' wanna put down.

Since we're as about as exciting as research scientists to watch in action - we work on art stuff - test hideous things soon to be super good looking things - arts always ugly right up until its gone - thus that whole 'artist don't wanna show his work till its done syndrome' everyone steroptyes

Then there's some kinda meeting of one sort or another where we pile of to some clasutrophobic meeting room and systematically wear the chairs down as we lean back, get all worked up about what we've gotta do and try not to OD on the white board fumes.

Then back for more 3d/2d applicatison and Game editors, managment software and the like. This is usually followed by lunch, though some kinda sports activity usually rages during lunch - a few of the real gluttons for pain will go for some evil dodgeball - well until someone bans it for the contusions and broken bones it delivers onto the populus here.

Then its back to hitting things hard and doing drive by questions and random 'how the hell is this supposed to work?" drop in on folks. Some flipping through random weird emails sent by other team members.. More 'oh crappp! this broke fix it now' and "dude look at how cool this is" moments.

Usually at this time in the afternoon people I meet are trying to tell if thats a Guiness or a coke in my glass and if its real black velvet i'm wearing. I've usually got the headphones on with an audiobook on - gotta keep up my intake of good books while i work at my tasks.

Bounce around occasionally for a 5 minute break to see what everyone else is up to - strech the legs, crack the back - scowl at the afternoon sun - and then get back to work.. The air is filled with shouts of glee - whining and phrases starting usually with 'dude can you belive this'. Nothing too atypical of a dev environment.

On a rare day a nerf missle will sail over head - though that technology has been suprassed by the invisible 'shockwave' air cannons readily avialible. Things get tacked to walls and off color bits of humor spead throughout the office sometimes. Posters with fake game titles and things appear bout this time occasionally.

I switch to tea for the late afternoon as the acid of stress and coke go together like fire and gasoline - whee - but use the time to talk shop at the kitchen - find out how someones code is progressing or something. Circle glass office meeting rooms to find so and so. Eye the candy machine with interest - check pockets for stray quarters.

Back to building and testing things in game on my desktop - adding notes that little my desk with their haphazzard apprearance. Concept art gets tacked up on the wall or goes onto a dictionary thick stack or previous drawings.

last minute flurry as the evening moves on - getting input and feedback for my final stuff if i can. Pushing things up to servers or whatever with all the approproate notes and history attached.

then its off to the commute again thinking about the job mostly as i drive - get home spend a few hours with the Mrs, the new baby - my cat and dog - cook dinner - spend some more family time -no time for tv during the week, yay tivo - then some online game time for me, a necessity - peer around in my online disguise to see if i spot any of the other DEV folk about - kill me some monsters - explore new places in the world - then hit the Stratics message boards answer emails and PMs - and about mindnight hit the hay - getting ready to start it all over again.

Sorry there's no Helicopters landing in the middle of the quad or cheerleaders, or sumo body suit matches, just went mostly with the USUAL day stuff there. We try to have a decent set of hours and a life - well for a Dev person it is. Have to keep the social and club stuff - tv or whatever confined to the weekends personally. But anywho thats about it in a nut shell. Well, for one artist on our team anyway.

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Tabbitha

Wilki UO Community Coordinator

Busy :-)

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Tabbitha

At least you guys know where to go for your music and your UO related content on air! We almost have 24/7 coverage in terms of DJ coverage which is a long ways for us to have come since we started this over 10 - 11 months ago

Be sure to drop by our IRC chat sometime!

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TheGrimmOmen UO Lead Artist


*spits coffee*

Wha? ;-)

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Tabbitha

CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist


Grimm looks more like should be charging across a green field with a Claymore sword and blue bodypaint - lopping off fleeing Brithish footman's heads.

I've seen him do that at meetings - its quite disturbing..

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Whats Binky and Wilky like , they seem like 2 cudlly bears , and keep to them selves ( or I could be wrong , they could be evil or both the same person , muhahaha).

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Binky_EA Ultima Online Legend


We are defiantly not the same person. I am very…um…passionate about things and get very excited about things very easily, especially when it comes to things that are going to affect the community. I have been known to have to take a time out in the corner for getting riled up. I am also loud and boisterous and always rocking the tunes (punk, metal, Lionel Ritchie)…I get yelled at for that too.

Wilki is very mellow and as laidback as you can get. He is always hammering away or researching game data and keeps his headphones on (probably to block out my noise). He is good people.

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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist


punk, metal & Lionel Ritchie = Eh Binky

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Yea - gotta have the pounding tunes to keep going - though, i like to occasionally combine my poisions - got Jhonny Cash covering Nine Inch Nail tunes - and William S. Burroughs (author of the Naked Lunch) Singing REM tunes. Oh and the SanFrancisco Symphony doing Metallica - go "no leaf clover"!

Anybody know where a body can get Barbera Striesand covering Ozzy Ozzborne's hits...... *Shudders* - eew nevermind.. too unthinkable. Like seeing Darth Vader in a pink leotard and tu tu... Claws at eyes.





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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist


I think CatHat is hilarious and wildly entertaining! I think he would be a blast to be around! Although, I get this mental image of him when he's drawing new art, with a tongue sticking out between his teeth, and he's intense on what he's doing and doesn't want to be bothered until he's finished. I like that image. I wonder if there's a red and white striped tophat sitting on his desk? Then he feeds his drawing into UO and *plink! it fuzzles! *imagines hearing a lot of cussing*


Hmm - its a crushed black velvet top hat actually

But the rest is pretty acurate - just throw in a pirate skull with a red scarf, a Skeksis on my desk. an elven bone helm production model - and a 3 ft by 3 ft pirate ship surrounded by stacks of books and papers - and you've pretty much painted the right picture there.



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DiP

Nice to get a peak in on what goes down at the Dev's Castle.

For some reason, I can actually picture Wilki or CatHat pointing to the corner with Binky lowering his head in shame.

Santi

I actually have never wondered what it would be like to be on the Dev team. I have wondered what it would be like to have a playable Mongbat character with a purple tie on.

Tabbitha

CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist


It's surprising to hear you are a pirate lover


Well - not so really if you knew some of my background. One of my earlier Game gigs in 2000, was working on a (sadly cancelled Pre-Movie) Pirates of the Carribbian game - Modeling this fully interactive 3d Black Pearl Ghost Ship and designing all the other ships in the game. Sloops, Galleons, Man-o-War type ships.

Amazing how that stuff gets under your skin after you work on it for a year or more day and night.

That and I really dig long, dark Frock coats.

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Feline people? Oooh! Does that mean we are getting the Meer race in UO:KR? I know you can't answer that question, so I'll just wish CatHat gets his way, soonish.

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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist


Hmmm.. *Looks at the under used seas all around UO.* I wonder if this could mean something for UOs future if CatHat has his way?


Well if a day ever did come where you see pirate galleons crewed by suspiciously vampiric looking, crazed Feline people dressed in long dark frock coats sailing straight twards you...

Well you'll know I've had my way then. lol JK.

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Feline people? Oooh! Does that mean we are getting the Meer race in UO:KR? I know you can't answer that question, so I'll just wish CatHat gets his way, soonish.

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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist

Feline people?

More of a reflection of my own self and my love for things Pirate. Yar!





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Hey CatHat, how long do you think UO will be "under your skin"? If something is to happen that the UO project is no longer active, would you miss it and continue to do habits you've made while working on UO? Sorry, I just HAD to ask We all hope the UO project is active for many many years ahead of us though!

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CatHat UO Character/Environments Artist

Like most Dev's I'm here for the passion of the labor itself. I signed up for this duty on UO - and enjoy it, and the various team members who i've worked together with on and off since around 2000.

For me - UO was "We're getting the band back together Man! Are you in?" Familiar faces - people I trust - Folks who make each other laugh. Each day is exceedingly tasking work - but very satisfying.

I've been on enough ups and downs aa a Dev and, well. Nothing anyones done so far has ever changed my obsessions, passion, and my commitment to duty. Not to mention UO is basically the same kind of art work i've done all my life since i was perhaps four years old. Wish i still had some of those Frazetta copies i'd done in crayon as a tyke.

The 10th year of UO will mark my own 10th year going Game Dev work. Its going to be quite a nice way to send it off with the new UO Client.


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So er, its probably somewhere, but how long have you played and subsequently worked on UO for?

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I've been coming to EA for two years now (time flies by)- guess i'll be working on my third with KR.




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CatHat

Laughs at the above pic -

Sorry - its just too appropriate

Just wearing a matching punk/emo white tattered busness shirt much like that right now.

:grin: :grin: :grin:


CatHat

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