AC News: Expansion pack pushed back, Mulligan leaving Turbine.

[Bunk]

Someone posted this last night on the other site, but I thought I'd bring it here for those that don't cross over. Plus, we seem to get more chatter here lately.

http://ac.turbine.com/index.php?page_id=367

I'm a litttle annoyed that I have to wait another month before deciding on trying the expansion or not, but if the testers they ran through really shit on it that hard - well, it's nice to see a company listen to its testers for once.

[schild]

You aren't going to get much chatter on weekends. But I guess that's the case everywhere.

I'm just sort of wondering where Jessica is going to. I'm sure we'll find out Monday though.

[Signe]

I don't think it's surprising that Jessica is leaving, although I find the timing a b it strange.  I'm sure she can use the fresh air and I have a feeling that many of those still playing might see this as AC's fresh start.  Personally, I think they should name the new expansion "Fade to Black...."

[Mesozoic]

How do you fuck up "higher rez graphics and another human race"?

[Bunk]

I haven't followed it that closely, but I know they are adding a few new dynamics. Increased max level, some sort of special new character abilities, a new landmass, etc.

[Strazos]

I wish I had been able to play the first-gen games around launch.

I was only able to start into MMO's with EQ, between Velious and Luclan...so it went to shite a bit after I joined.

[Avatard]

They wanted less adam's apple.

[HaemishM]

How do you fuck up "higher rez graphics and another human race"?

If anyone can do it, it's an MMOG dev team.

[Bunk]

Credit to Ookane from that other board:

Since it's not public knowledge - She is moving to France for Saga of Ryzom

April 27, 2005 : Nevrax Announces the Addition of Industry Veteran to Production Team

PARIS, FRANCE - April 27, 2005 - Nevrax, the premiere developer of the ground breaking massively multiplayer online role-playing game The Saga of Ryzom, announced the addition of Jessica Mulligan as Executive Producer of The Saga of Ryzom.

Um, ok, I guess if you really want to move to France...

[Avatard]

Credit to Ookane from that other board:

Since it's not public knowledge - She is moving to France for Saga of Ryzom

April 27, 2005 : Nevrax Announces the Addition of Industry Veteran to Production Team

PARIS, FRANCE - April 27, 2005 - Nevrax, the premiere developer of the ground breaking massively multiplayer online role-playing game The Saga of Ryzom, announced the addition of Jessica Mulligan as Executive Producer of The Saga of Ryzom.

Um, ok, I guess if you really want to move to France...

It's a whole country of people that don't know she's a man.

[schild]

That's like jumping on the Titanic after it's hit the iceberg.

[El Gallo]

AC2, Ryzom.  I'd like to see her get a shot to work on an actual game, as I have always enjoyed her writing on the subject.  Just give me a fun game was profound at the time, which is a testament to how self-absorbed the industry was back then.

[AlteredOne]

Wow, joining Ryzom now is truly a leap of faith.  I guess she's what you call one of them "idealists" or something.  Or she just wants to have "excecutive producer" on her resume.

[schild]

Or she just wants to have "excecutive producer" on her resume.

Bingo.

[Nija]

Has Themis or Mr. Mulligan ever been involved with a successful project? AO, AC2, Wish, other games nobody has heard of... and now Ryzom, which recently set the record time for release to server consolidation.

I, personally, cannot WAIT to see this grand turnaround Ryzom is about to experience!

[Bunk]

I dunno, I think I'd say that the mere fact that AC1 is still alive and kicking is a success. Not that I would neccessarily attribute that to Ms. Mulligan, but she did oversee a time when Turbine pulled itself out of MS's ass. I think if they have any success with the expansions, then we should give her some credit.

[HaemishM]

AO is a success. You can't call it a failure when it's still running after such an absolutely horrendous release, the fact that they are giving the base game away for free and the company making it is creating Age of Conan. So Themis did at least oversee one successful turnaround.

[Nija]

Weren't they flying Themis at the launch of AO, and got rid of them then turned around? Maybe I have that backward.

I didn't know they did any kind of work on AC1, I just remember how awful they steered the AC2 battleship. Only reason AC1 is around is because the people playing it are insane.

[Hoax]

Why are they insane?  Isn't it the only good pvp MMOG still running from the good ole days before EQ clones ruled the earth?

I never played because I heard macro/cheating was rampent and the item/buff system confused the shit out of me.

[HaemishM]

AO was Themis's first public client, and Themis turned them around with good CS practices and boobie-laden ad banners designed by Savant. They never worked on AC1 to my knowledge, nor AC2. Mulligan became community rep on AC2 fresh from leaving Themis.