Asherons Call: Ken Troop Leaves AC

There's an anecdote I tell most applicants I interview at Turbine: When I started at Turbine (my first job at a game company), I knew after a week that I only wanted to work at a game company for the rest of my life. And after a month, I knew I only wanted to work at a game company that was working on MMPs. And after three months of designing content on AC Live, I knew I only wanted to work at a game company that was working on Live episodic content for MMPs.

Why? Because doing Live episodic work is one of the most exhilarating and addictive experiences I've ever known. The opportunity to present new stories and gameplay every month and get immediate reaction from your players is a wonderful high. When you do it well, it's sublime. And even when you do it poorly, you immediately hear how poorly you did it, and a thousand reasons why...and you very quickly learn to do it better.

I love my team and I love AC1/AC2...but the Live process we engage in comes with a cost -- many long hours, critical milestones every month in never-ending succession, and there is always more to do...much much more to do. Also, the more I pursued the Producer track, the further away I got from doing the stuff I loved: the design, the writing, thinking up quest mechanics and how best to tell a story -- all the things that made me wake up each morning and feel truly blessed to work at Turbine. After three years on Live, two of those years as a Producer, I wanted to try something new.

When Turbine offered me a different position in the company to help design one of our upcoming projects, I couldn't say no. For me it was the best decision. But it was far easier to make that decision knowing what a fantastic team is working on AC2 Live. Also, having someone of the stature and ability of Jessica Mulligan being able to take over the franchise from Turbine's end meant I could pursue my new path with a clear conscience.

Jessica and the team are going full bore. The renewed level of developer/player interaction on our player sites is a great indication of that energy and commitment. I'm proud of what the Live team has done for AC2 so far...and the best is yet to come.

A few final notes -

First, I want to say thank you to the AC2 Live team I've had the pleasure of working with over these last eight months. All the successes of the AC2 Live Episodes are due to their commitment and passion and talent.

It is for them that I offer this: The developer/player relationship is not typically characterized by mercy. Nor should it be. The relationship is fairly simple -- we put out the monthly content and changes. If you like the monthly content and changes, you reward us with your continued subscription. If you don't like it, then you don't reward us.

It's a simple relationship, and it works...but there is another aspect to it. Everyone who is working on the Live team does so because they love AC2, and because they love the ongoing interaction with the players inherent in the Live team process. They spend 10+ hours a day working on the game, and then they spend time talking about AC2, and then they spend time reading fansites about AC2, and then they spend time playing AC2, and then they sleep, and then they repeat.

While I know it's frustrating when we make a mistake, or when we make a change with which you disagree -- I just ask that you remember that the developers on the other side of the fence love this game like you do and want to see the game be as wonderful as you do. Sometimes we'll disagree about the best course to achieve that vision, but that's the beauty of the increase in recent interaction between players and developers -- that we can communicate about those changes well in advance of making them. Even when we don't make the changes you want to see us make based on those conversations -- the fact that they're happening and that some actions are taken as a result of them is a great step forward.

So keep on making your voice heard, whether you have words of praise or criticism. It's crucial that you do so. And when you do so with words free of unthinking rage or intent to wound or insult, then you help everyone over here know that our time spent communicating with you has been worth it.

Also, I want to say thank you to Ken Karl and Microsoft. I've the spent the last two years working in partnership with Ken Karl on Live production for AC1 and AC2. I could not have had a better partner to worth with at Microsoft. Many times he has intentionally painted himself with a target to draw the ire of players away from Turbine and the Live team. Not only that, but everyone should know that the only reason AC1 and AC2 exist, the reason why Turbine exists, is because of Microsoft's continued support throughout these many years. Thank you.

Finally, I want to say thank you to the most important people in our games: you, the players. You are the people that make it all work. You are the people that have made all the time, and all the pain, and all the frustration, worth it. I've been blessed these last three years in being able to pour all of myself into Asheron's Call 1&2. The only reason why those games were worth such effort is because of how much of yourselves you have poured into the world of Dereth. For that magical time, thank you.