Letter from the Game Director – Passing on the torch

[Phargus]

Grats on landing the big chair Sil As sad as I am to see you go AoC probably needs you more than we do...

P.S Keep an eye on Means will you. That guy is trouble

[egadsrk2]

****. :/

[zothzor]

I rarely post on the forums but I this is one of the few times I will

First of all gratz to your new Position.

On one hand I'm very sad to see you go Sil. You did a great a job during the time you were game director.

But I also see that everyone needs something new to kill... errr a new challenge from time to time and AoC really seems to be such a challenge.

I wish you the best in your new position and don't forget about the leets.

best regards

[Phargus]

Oh and btw, now that AoC gets you can we have Jayde back?

[Marlark]

Ahh bugger... hehe Gz Sil and Means on your new jobs.

Means you have big shoes to fill here. But i know you will do great. Welcome to the stearing wheel of AO.

If you **** up we wont be nice but you already know this.

[shadowgod]

i guess this means (no.. that wasnt intended) we're going to see....

http://auno.org/ao/db.php?id=275254

this actually implimented, eh?

indeed it is sad to see Sil go to the dark side. hes been the best thing for AO since i started playing!

but with the constant complaints many of my friends have about aoc, i'm sure sil will beable to fix em all in a day, and still have time to lay some smackdown on the forums there.

[Ganiscol]

Originally Posted by Phargus Grats on landing the big chair Sil

It might be an ejection seat - I dont think Gaute left all by himself (not implying he was fired, but there is more between getting fired and quitting on your own terms).

Good luck Sil, you'll need it! Will sort of miss your slippery-evasive yet sometimes awful generic answers on certain topics.

[Stillian]

This is a very sad day indeed for us. Your leadership has seen probably the greatest improvement in Anarchy Online and that's a great achievement.

I wish you all the best, and many congratulations to Means.

[Troxxor]

Originally Posted by Stillian This is a very sad day indeed for us. Your leadership has seen probably the greatest improvement in Anarchy Online and that's a great achievement. I wish you all the best, and many congratulations to Means.

Couldn't have said it better myself

Congratulations & the very best of luck to you both

Oh & Means, if you're ever in any doubt about a decision, just think "What would Silirrion do?"

[IHaveHugeNick]

Good luck on your adventures in land of naked barbarians, Silirion.

It was good to have you aboard. Or rather to be on the ship with you aboard, . Or umm...well you get the idea

[Means]

It is difficult to find words to express how I feel at the moment. The overwhelming support and drive provided by Sil over the last few years has been an incredible experience. It has been amazing what we have been able to accomplish together...and I can't say I am not going to miss working with my friend every day on a project we both love. Lucky for all of us Sil is only a few floors away and I take comfort in knowing that should I ever wonder "What would Sil say?" all it takes is an elevator ride to find out. Sil will continue to be there for us when we need him...and I look forward to many unhealthy lunches together in the near future.

Every new Game Director brings their own flavour to AO...my first implemented design here on AO was the BioDome encounters...many many years ago. I have been completely involved in every single one since. I look forward to helping make more. While some things will change with the departure of Silirrion...some things will not.

Not Changing:

1. An ongoing strong partnership with our community in identifying and implementing improvements. It has been amazing what we can accomplish with clear communication and trust. Thank you to all of you who have taken time out to explain your ideas to me. Your feedback has often made crucial difference in what we produce to the benefit of all.

2. Continued stubborn refusal to accept "old" issues. Just because an issue has been present since launch doesn't mean it is "right" or will be left alone. We have taken great risks in tackling these problems under Sil's leadership and I have no intention of stopping or even slowing down now.

3. The new graphics engine initiative. I am looking forward to this upgrade more than anyone else. This is going to get done if it kills me or preferably someone else.

4. Pushing new boundaries. Just because it doesn't exist in AO right now does not mean it will not be coming soon. The highly anticipated raid interface should be live September 22nd. I look forward to introducing player based fear and knockback in the near future.

5. Sense of humour. AO has a special charm that I don't believe exists anywhere else. The story, the NPCs, and the items all have a love and care put into them that made me fall in love with the game. As icky as it is, Thong-wearing troxes will always be a part of this game and a point of AO pride.

In this spirit:

Originally Posted by Zeephonz Can I have your stuff?

The now "signed" broken PSP from Sil's old desk is being shipped to your home address as soon as I can confirm your address and get it to a post office.

I look forward to the new challenges this position brings, and I know I have the right dedicated people around me to make great things happen.

PS. Macrosun demands more drama.

[shadowgod]

Originally Posted by Means PS. Macrosun demands more drama.

he makes enough drama as is tho...

[Lupusceleri]

Well Sil, it's been a rough ride..

Was good to have you as a Game Director! I guess you'll try to make AoC a bit better now, but please, don't steal any friends of mine away...!

Originally Posted by Means The now "signed" broken PSP from Sil's old desk is being shipped to your home address as soon as I can confirm your address and get it to a post office.

Hahaha, I'm sure Zeephonz' girlfriend Bââââhbara will simply LOVE it!

Originally Posted by Means PS. Macrosun demands more drama.

You guys hired Palaisback and renamed him to Macrosun? :O

THAT EXPLAINS HIS VANISHING! GIVE. BACK. NOW!

[Mitamina]

Bye Sil , welcome Means Seems we have some greate happenings too look forward too ... Wish you bouth good luck.

[Hacre]

Well talk about mixed emotions. A sad and happy day for all I feel.

Thank you for the time and improvements you brought to AO Sil. I however cannot think of anyone better to fill your shoes in the shape of Means.

Welcome Means

[tazalanche]

I'm sorry to see Sil leave AO, but happy to know that someone the community has some respect for will be filling his shoes.

Welcome to your new position Means! Let's hope it is a comfortable one!

As one of your first "easy" PR steps towards showing the game is still being maintained, could you "toss us a bone" on the front page of the main site with something less than 2 months old? Even a "everything is looking good on 17.10 updates & the new engine is... proceeding as intended" would be nice.

If you could get someone to update the game client's customer service messages to show a more recent date for the servers being up, that would be cool too. Having the "Servers are up!" showing a date of 2008-06-30 14:08:03 UTC doesn't give the best impression to a new player & causes everyone to overlook the information below it for something happening soon, "Pirate Night".

I mention these items because my wife & I have personally brought a few new people into the game recently & the things I just mentioned were brought to our attention by them. The new people were concerned with the idea of spending money on a game that "looks" like it has not had anything happen to it in months.

Thank you.

[Chrys]

Originally Posted by Means Thong-wearing troxes will always be a part of this game and a point of AO pride.

WTH.

The sky is falling! The end is nigh!! WOE WOE I tellz u!!

Edit: On a serious note, I look forward to many more posts like that, something that really bumped up AO in my estimation - Tabula Rasa has a "Feedback Friday" where once a week the developers tell the players what they are doing, and it's really something I looked forward to when I was playing it.

[IHaveHugeNick]

Means first step as a Game Director should be unlocking the Notum Miner proffesion! Or i'm so going to /rage quit, honest to god.

[Ganiscol]

Originally Posted by Means Not Changing:

I hope one thing will change though, as our new master you need to be more visible on the forum! At least as much as Sil was during his best times...

[Sniperxrk2]

Grats on your well deserved ding Means!

Originally Posted by Silirrion Without you, our community, Rubi-Ka wouldn’t exist or continue to thrive as it does.

QFT – All the hard work behind the scenes is greatly appreciated, but it’s the unique community that’s kept me here.

Silirrion, may you have the same success you brought to AO in AoC.