A Look At Origin In 1991
While doing some of his research, LOAF stumbled across a text file detailing someone's trip to Origin in October 1991 to meet Richard Garriott and Chris Roberts. The file apparently originates from a BBS, which alongside Usenet and magazines were the main methods of distributing information in the pre-Web era. It offers a fascinating insight in to what went on at Origin in the early days.
I mentioned the recent success of WING COMMANDER, and Richard nodded vigorously. "It's a fantastic game, Chris [Roberts, the designer] has done an incredible job. However, I admit to some ambivalent feelings. Till now, the success of Origin depended to a large degree on my work with ULTIMA. Now that isn't true, which of course is an adjustment for my ego." He laughed a bit at this, and seemed obviously pleased with the new situation. He also gave credit to Chris for inspiring some of the new interface ideas used in ULTIMA VI through Chris's game, TIMES OF LORE.We've always known that Origin was a pioneer of new technology, this article also suggests that Wing Commander may have been the first game to break the 640K (conventional memory) barrier. The article also mentions that Secret Missions 1 was originally not going to be available through retail outlets. It's an interesting read for Wing Commander, Ultima and Origin fans alike. We've also mirrored the file here. There are some other interesting mentions within.
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