Richard Garriott running Portalarium with robots

@Lucidus Honestly it's way to go NCsoft for making a horrible business decision. Even if Garriott blew at his role.

@(Unverified) You've posted the same BS line before in the other article. Yet you provide zero proof or evidence for your claims that NCSoft 'ruined' TR and forced Garriott to change his brilliant vision.

Bottom line - Garriott was the lead developer of TR. If NCSoft was forcing the game away from his vision then he should LEFT THE COMPANY (and pocketed the **millions** NCSoft had already paid him BTW) rather than releasing a shoddy game with HIS NAME on it.

Perhaps you just don't remember that earlier in TR's development the Korean developers like Jake Song of Lineage-fame did exactly that when they found the direction of Tabula Rasa was not going in the direction they wanted.

They walked. Garriott stayed so he could keep his stock options and keep cashing NCSoft checks.

And instead of sticking around and fixing his game, Garriott goes off and plays spaceman. Talk about dedication of a developer to his vision

How many months of preparation did that space trip take? How much of Garriott's attention was sidetracked while TR was floundering even if your claims are true of NCSoft taking over the direction?

Since you don't provide any evidence for your claims, I'll provide some proof of mine. NCsoft paid Garriott flipping **$17 million** just to bring him into the company back in 2001.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/biz_view.asp?newsIdx=10753&categoryCode=123

I don't agree with NCSoft's attempt to take back the stock options they were stupid enough to give him but that doesn't change the bottom line that Garriott was still responsible for HIS game. TR might be a lesson to anyone considering giving this hack more millions.

@Vandal

"Since you don't provide any evidence for your claims, I'll provide some proof of mine. NCsoft paid Garriott flipping **$17 million** just to bring him into the company back in 2001.

I don't agree with NCSoft's attempt to take back the stock options they were stupid enough to give him but that doesn't change the bottom line that Garriott was still responsible for HIS game. TR might be a lesson to anyone considering giving this hack more millions. "

I could probably google some proof to counter that, but busy at work atm. I'll just say this : Regardless if you think Garriott was at fault or not, it was NCSoft that was so desperate and willing to SPEND that money (and stock options) to get Garriott in the FIRST place! I remember the stories that they wanted him involved in Lineage 2 and all that and finally they got TR rolling.

Really, if you feel Garriott was worthless, NCSoft STILL bent over backwards to get him. NCSoft MADE a mistake and like all responsible adults, THEY need to face up to it and just pay the man, as per contract, and not use him again if they felt he was bad. This is business and law, not personal-weasling out of a contract.

Whatever you think about Garriott, NCSoft did not live up to its contractual obligations.

@Space Cobra - Please note that I said in my post that I do **NOT** agree with NCSoft's attempt to avoid paying those stock options to Garriott.

I agree completely that NCSoft should PAY dearly for being stupid enough to hire Garriott (and his brother). You are absolutely right, NCSoft actively courted him and they were idiotic enough to give him millions while not having any contractual clauses that based on the performance of 'Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa''.

If NCSoft had possessed the brains to include such clauses they wouldn't have tried to weasel their way out out of their mistake like a little child trying to avoid taking the blame.

I don't want to see NCSoft ruined since I'm looking forward to Guild Wars 2, but the kind of slimey corporate garbage their CEO and his underlings pulled should not be tolerated.

Now the courts will make them suffer the consequences. Maybe they're learn something about giving millions to someone like Garriott and that will be enough of an example that no one else will EVER be stupid enough to give him that kind of investment ever again.

@Anatidae

I imagine it's cheaper than weekly flights back and forth between New York and Austin.

Not to meantion on the amount of travel time it would eliminate.

He'll you could even probably get a tax deduction for greenhouse gas savings.

Sorry if I seem harsh. I guess the idea of all that money going to crazyness like this instead of all the unknown game developers out there with brilliant ideas.

It is like the film industry now where your name - even if you have a bad current history of rotten films - will still get you money before someone talented and unknown.

@Anatidae

Well, the article does say he had *already bought* the robot so his mother could virtually attend his wedding in France, so it was probably just sitting around in his closet not doing much of anything.

Now, it is a gainfully employed robot once again!

@Anatidae That happens in the music industry too *coughbeiberrebbecablackcough*

@Anatidae Unfortunately you are right. Investors are very shy of untried talent. It also helps when they are able to capitalize on the past and make others disregard more current failures.

@Juicer Oh burn!

@Dread No, I'm pretty sure that guy who did it on his wedding in that one movie did it ages before sheldon...

It's probably the only time he's gotten beaten to the punch I'm sure.

*Looks to sheldon and does his lil pat thing* there there sheldon, there there.

*Gets hit in the eyes with poorly aimed sanitizer spray*