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March 15, 2001
Comments from Calandryll, Leilo, and LadyMOI
The following was just posted to Comments from the Team on the UO.com website:Comments from Calandryll
For almost two years, I've spent my time here at OSI listening to player feedback and then going into someone's office (usually a designer) and delivering that feedback to them. I've always enjoyed these conversations, learning the thought processes of the designers and working to find compromises and solutions between the original design and the hundreds of different players' feedback. During that time, I've had more than one person ask me "So when are you going to become a designer?" It's something I have thought about a lot during those meetings.
Starting next week (Monday, March 19) I'll be on the other side of those conversations as I move from Manager of Community Services to a Designer on the Ultima Online Live team. As much as I truly enjoy Community Relations, the opportunity to work with folks like Sage, Runesabre, and of course reuniting with LadyMOI (the person who hired me in the first place) is something I could not pass up. Add to that the chance to work directly on the game I have played for over 3 years with one of the most dedicated teams I have ever had the pleasure of working with and it really was a no-brainer. I am also very pleased that Leilo is taking over as Community Manager as there is no more qualified person in the industry that I can think more worthy.
So how does this affect all of you? Well, for one thing, I won't have time to answer anywhere near as much e-mail or post as much as I used to. That's not something I am particular happy about, but given my new responsibilities, the time to do so simply won't be there. I'll still be reading the boards as much as possible though as I've always felt those posts are an invaluable resource to anyone who works on UO. At the same time, I hope to bring what I have learned as a community representative to my role as a designer.
I do have a long way to go however, before I even approach the level of skill of the current design team. For the next few months, I'll be learning the scripting language, previous designs, and everything else I can before they even let me actually change anything.
So while this is certainly not a farewell, for me, it does sort of feel like one. It's never easy to leave behind something I helped build from the start, but at the same time, I could not be leaving it in better hands. To say I am excited about this new opportunity would be an understatement and I am looking forward to the future of UO, now more than ever.
Calandryll
Comments from Leilo
On Monday morning (March 19th), I'll be stepping into the role of Manager of Community Services here at OSI. In doing so, I'll be following in the footsteps of two pretty amazing and talented people — LadyMOI, who created the Online Community Relations group here and helped lead the group to becoming fully integrated with the game teams, and Calandryll, who has been working with Cynthe and Gbob to expand our community to ORIGIN, while providing Melantus and I with the tools we needed to focus on Ultima Online. Though much of my time has been spent behind-the-scenes in the last year and a half, I've had the fortune to work with many of you in my previous role as UO's Web Content Supervisor - a task that allowed me to work on growing the UO website to support all aspects of the UO community. In my new role, I'll be focused on supporting my team - which includes both community relations teams and the Events team - as they focus on the communities of Ultima Online, ORIGIN, and whatever new and exciting games lie in our future.
As for the immediate future? I'll be reading your comments on our Message Boards, familiarizing myself with ORIGIN, exploring the new land of Third Dawn, working with Melantus to gather your opinions, and wrestling Calandryll's laptop computer away from him by Monday.
I'm very excited to be given this opportunity, and I'm looking forward to helping my team work with all of you to keep the communities of UO and ORIGIN exciting, fun, interesting, and productive. The communities surrounding both games are already fantastic, but things can always be better, and I hope with your feedback and participation, we can bring about a great future.
Leilo
Comments from LadyMOI
I hope that you will all join me in congratulating both Calandryll and Leilo on their promotions to these new positions. This is a particularly sweet moment for me, since I am responsible for hiring both of these talented individuals into Origin.
First Calandryll, who, through his dedication and hard work, helped me to evolve the community relations role into one that is wholly committed to serving the needs of the UO players and the future players of Origin games. Now he will join forces with me again, this time on the dev side of things, where we will continue to listen to what you like and want and need in order to grow and develop UO further and further.
Leilo was my second hire to Origin and within a few months of her arriving began to develop some of the coolest web features we have seen. Her creativity and her tough as nails work ethic are stellar. You will not be disappointed in her efforts in her new position.
I feel very proud of these two individuals and am grateful for my continued opportunity to work with them. The future is very exciting.
LadyMOI
Posted by Keith at March 15, 2001 6:50 PM