[NEWS] The 121st UO-Stratics HoC Chat Log

[Tazar]

House of Commons​

121st Chat Log​

Zephenia Greetings all! We will be starting very shortly. In the meantime, send your questions to [QT]Tazar and [QT]Kiminality as they are the only ones who can accept your questions.

Zephenia Greetings all and welcome to the Stratics House of Commons chat with the Developers of Ultima Online. The chat will start right after a short set of introductions.

Kestrel <generic all your base joke>

Kestrel Hey guys. I'm Jimmy, QA madman.

Axel_Mythic Hello hello, everyone! I'm Billy Teng, software engineer

James_Mythic Hi all, I'm James Nichols on the Community Team here at Mythic

Uriah You don't know me ... I just show up for the food

Mythic_Phoenix Howdy! I'm Mike, Systems Designer, currently with my head buried in the Factions system.

MythicShade Hi, this is Mark and I'm a designer on UO... those who have my Jack-O-Lanterns know me as Shade

Kestrel Literally. buried.

GrimmOmen Hello, I'm JP, Assoc. CG Supervisor.

Mesanna Good evening everyone! Assoc Producer.

Uriah Yay !

Zephenia Send your questions to [QT]Tazar and [QT]Kiminality as they are the only ones who can accept your questions. And Welcome Everybody!

Kestrel Can lefty re-send his question in in two chunks? It got truncated.

Zephenia <NotASpy> Hey, I noticed a bit back you said you were on the last 5% for stopping the Speed hackers other programs of the sort, how much of that 5% is left now?

Uriah In regard to the last 5%. That was in regard to movement only. I also commented that it would take the longest to get that part done. The first part is to work on the movement and latency, the next part is the 3rd party program detection. On the movement, it's done internally, and Derek posted an update last week to the Stratics forums. When we are ready to put on test center we'll let you know. For right now, we're closer, but not ready for public consumption ...

Kestrel We're still digesting.

Kestrel Tasty, tasty questions.

Zephenia <Percy> Greetings, with many player run towns finally receiving some sort of recognition in the form of banners built by Mesanna, are there plans or discussions to implement a system that would allow more specialization for towns and encourage players to be part of community?

Mesanna Currently we are doing town recognitions thru the EM program, maybe in the future we can look at something more detailed.

Uriah hey guys ... we're wading through all the questions right now ... so please be patient

Zephenia <ghyde> Why does my imbuer keep running into items his item ID skill says should unravel but don't? Most of these are player-crafted or enhanced items from IDOC loot and have either junk or mismatched properties on them.

Kestrel *clicks, whirrs, hums*

Kestrel If that's the case, please email in details ( [email protected]! with screenshots! ) about the items in question to us and we can take a look. I can't really tell without seeing, and knowledge is power.

Zephenia <MalagAste> Next Question.... Now what Sakkarra is gone.... Who's working on the stacking issues??? When will we see some fixes here?

MythicShade All designers have worked on stacking issues, myself included. We are making these changes on a case by case basis because some items being able to stack affect game balance.

Zephenia <Gareth> Any chance we can have more sea creatures to fight? EM Dudley had some great monsters that he colored and renamed such as Diabolical Seaweed, Pirate Captain, Undead Sailor etc. Maybe have them spawn when fishing up SOS?

GrimmOmen Generally speaking, adding creatures is reserved for major publishes and expansions since there is so much overhead in getting new beasties in the game. So most likely not anytime soon, although we like the idea of adding sea creatures. How about something amphibian?

Zephenia <VaenSwiftar> Greetings. My question is simply about those who have yet to receive their town structure. The ones you have done so far Mesanna are awesome, and we really appreciate you taking time out of your day to do these. Is there a way that we can perhaps make this easier on you, by scheduling a day and time to meet so that we aren't meeting by chance/luck? Again, thanks for all you

Mesanna If you would like to be present when the banner is built please state that with your contact info when you present the design to your shard EM's.

Zephenia <JoO> Phoenix mentioned having his head buried in the factions system. Are you all at a point where you feel like you can discuss what direction you want to take factions and what ideas you might have right now?

Mythic_Phoenix We are working to get a lot of good stuff to a public test center. These include a brand new score and ranking system, leaderboards, and three brand new Faction strongholds. For the score system, we want to move in a direction of having scores measure several areas of player combat performance and comparing them to shard-wide averages, to create a system of relative scores that tells you how you stack up against everyone else.

Mythic_Phoenix The fortress changes create new strongholds that are more balanced and move them all away from town guard zones. Our engineers have also worked up a system to allow us to publish the fortress maps to Test Center without affecting live shards!

Zephenia <Cirno> When does the rebuilding start on Magincia?

Uriah On the rebuilding of Magincia ... we've actually outlined the story arc for the live event through December of this year. Magincia is part of that plan.

Uriah In the short term, we are going to introduce some old and new major villians in the interim. Look forward to the next supplement to the story by the next publish.

Zephenia <Lefty> Publish 46 Intoduced the requirement for Tactics to use special moves. This has dramaticly removed a lot of templates from the game. With the current balances in place would it be considered to be removed?

Zephenia Send your questions to [QT]Tazar and [QT]Kiminality as they are the only ones who can accept your questions.

Logrus_Mythic Question 46: Players have unlimited time to test functionality whereas QA has test deadline goals to meet and a limited pool of perspectives to apply to the task

Logrus_Mythic Question 35: There is no plan to remove tactics from the special moves requirements.

Axel_Mythic *throws a boot at Logrus*

Logrus_Mythic Sometimes I make a stupid

Kestrel *stands back, takes pictures*

Uriah Ignore the dev in the corner .. we don't let him out much

Kestrel They get gamey if you let them run wild.

Zephenia <ghyde> How is it that the bugs with the Gardener's Toolbox went unnoticed until the patch hit live servers? (Question #46)

Zephenia <Anon073> Is there plans for upping the love for fisherman? as in monster loot? better stuff ect?

Mesanna We are looking into updating the MIB's and Treasure Chests in the future. As far as new fish you guys almost got one this upcoming publish but Grimm would not help us =P

GrimmOmen HAhah - <sings> No one knows what it's liiike to be the baaad maaan... to be the sad man.... <\sings>

Axel_Mythic I can make a mean fish... ><))>

GrimmOmen A Herring!!

Kestrel I'm resisting the troutslap, Axel.

Zephenia <Galen> As a follow up for my own Faction question, and the related one by someone else that was just answered as I type this, does '3 new strongholds' mean there will only be 3 Factions now, or will 1 stronghold remain untouched and the 3 remaining ones all changed?

MythicShade There are going to be 3
factions.

Kestrel Dun-dun-DUNNNN!

Zephenia <Anon1108> Any chance there'll be another storage upgrade for either bank or home? I play on multiple shards and sometimes have to live out of my bankbox and it can get hard.

Uriah #48 ... We have chatted about it, but it's not on our radar in the near term right now.

Zephenia <Gareth> Can you make glass staffs useable in crushed glass? Because the success rate is low. 50 swords takes about 2 hours to farm and you dont even get half what ur suppose to.

MythicShade Good suggestion! We will look into it, stay tuned

Zephenia <NotASpy> You stated in march (I realise it is just the start) that there will be Mysticism spell enhancements, is there a closer eta for these changes to be on test center or even hitting shards live?

Logrus_Mythic Key mysticism spells have been re-vamped and are undergoing QA with an ETA of next publish. (and they are quite phatulous)

Kestrel nom nom nom.

Uriah QA with an ETA for some PB&J ASAP

Kestrel ^QFT^

Zephenia <Obsidian> Can black staffs be added as a craftable? If not, can monsters drop exceptional ones? This goes for all of the uncraftable common items (deer masks, pitchforks, wands, etc)

Mesanna Yes we can make black staffs craftable.

Zephenia <Cirno> Why was Mysticism changed from needing Eval AND Imbuing (one of the harder skills to train), to needing Imbuing OR Focus (perhaps the easiest skill to train?

MythicShade We wanted Mysticism to be more accessible and more attractive.

Zephenia <Xaicoro> When do you repair the bug that a target comes off when I use "dart trap box"?

Logrus_Mythic Question #54: Don't use a dart trap while targetting?

Zephenia <Gareth> Will you let us Engrave tombstones so we can build better RP graveyards? Id love to have "Here lies my tongue please don't step on it" - On the serious side it could also help with those who wish to make memorials for lost friends.

Uriah Absolutely. Since joining the team, it's something that we have permanently in our minds. It's not a question of schedule, but coming up with a reverent and

Uriah solid design. We've discussed everything from something like the Veteran's Memorial to something simple like Arlington Cemetary. Unfortunately, we know that there would be

Uriah folks who would disgrace such a thing, so we also need to make sure it's bulletproof. If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions via PM.

Zephenia <CharGar> Any use for blackrock in the future?

MythicShade There is no plan for it, maybe we'll let you use it to make black staves

Zephenia <Anon642> As one of many who plays on multiple shards, could we please be able to have our characters co-owned to more houses?

Mesanna We are not totally against this but we will have to look into it before we actually make any decisions.

MythicShade Thank ya'll for coming. Here's a little hint about what is coming in the next patch... Gargoyle glasses and sashes... changes to gargoyle racial abilities... more mysticism love... a new contest!

Mesanna Great questions tonight!

Mesanna Guys we have fixed the Gardners Toolbox and you should be seeing it again in the next publish.

Zephenia Thanks for coming folks! The log of this chat will be posted on Stratics a little later in the evening and --ALL-- unanswered questions are given to the Devs for the 'Ask the Dev' section and future HoC's. Thanks again!

Zephenia And /join #ultima-online for further discussions!

Kestrel Buh-bye!

GrimmOmen Bye Everyone!

 

[Storm]

Gargoyle glasses woohoo and Mysticism love another woot

 

[Cirno]

Zephenia <Cirno> Why was Mysticism changed from needing Eval AND Imbuing (one of the harder skills to train), to needing Imbuing OR Focus (perhaps the easiest skill to train?
MythicShade We wanted Mysticism to be more accessible and more attractive.

Told

I sort of meant more that it went from being exceptionally difficult, to being "a couple of hours with a cloak of corruption" easy for the support skills.
I don't mind it, but it seems a bit like going from one extreme to another.

 

[Mapper]

Zephenia <Gareth> Will you let us Engrave tombstones so we can build better RP graveyards? Id love to have "Here lies my tongue please don't step on it" - On the serious side it could also help with those who wish to make memorials for lost friends.

Uriah Absolutely. Since joining the team, it's something that we have permanently in our minds. It's not a question of schedule, but coming up with a reverent and

Uriah solid design. We've discussed everything from something like the Veteran's Memorial to something simple like Arlington Cemetary. Unfortunately, we know that there would be

Uriah folks who would disgrace such a thing, so we also need to make sure it's bulletproof. If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions via PM.

I just wanted to give my opinion on this, I'd rather Devs didn't spend time on this. If a player needs such a memorial, customizable housing, engravable statuettes and books do the job fine. Please spend your time on new content that everyone can use or on bug fixing!

Thanks.

 

[Stupid Miner]

... huh.

*shrugs*

 

[Basara]

Were all the questions from Zeph?

I left a question with Tazar, as I had to leave unexpectedly 5 minutes before the scheduled start, and it didn't come up. One question about special moves came up, but it wasn't mine (asking if they'd consider adding Chivalry to the special move 200/300 point requirement qualifiers, to help un-nerf all us human non-PvP types that were the only real victims of the JoaT nerf, instead of the intended targets).

Oh well, there's always other venues....

 

[Tazar]

Zephenia is one of our Stratics IRC Staff. She is the chat moderator so all of the questions pass through her hands. Right after her name is a <name> which lists who the actual questioner was.

Total, we had over 60 questions asked and not enough time to get to them all. One of the Mythic team did keep a full list of unanswered questions which are being forwarded to the "Ask a Dev" forum for another chance at an answer.

 

[Zooithion]

Thanks for the log Tazar!

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

... huh.

*shrugs*

Was about my reaction....Very odd, I thought.

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Thanks for the log Tazar!

*nods*

 

[AirmidCecht]

Logrus was by far the highlight of the chat for me tonight *smiles*
The new 3 faction system definitely peeked my interest!

 

[MalagAste]

My questions are still hanging.....


When can we have the KR client housing menu back???

That solved all my housing problems..... I could co-own all my characters to all my homes. Sucks not being able to do that.... and I want it fixed. It's like here is a yummy piece of candy! Nope now you can't have it... NOT happy.

Secondly.... please change the default color of the emote! I still after 8 long years of asking can NOT see it in my journal! IN a large meeting it's very hard to catch someone emoting....

And as far as engraving the tombstones goes.... I see no reason why they can't be engraved like any statue.... with so many things being engraveable, weapons, armor, containers,..... there honestly is no reason why we can't engrave a tombstone.... for our own use.... as well as pedestals.... and embroidering clothes... Engraving jewlery..... all these things SHOULD be able to be done..... as the ability to custom things in so many ways is part of what makes UO very unique... and so adaptable to good RP.

 

[Lord Gareth]

Uriah Absolutely. Since joining the team, it's something that we have permanently in our minds. It's not a question of schedule, but coming up with a reverent and
Uriah solid design. We've discussed everything from something like the Veteran's Memorial to something simple like Arlington Cemetary. Unfortunately, we know that there would be
Uriah folks who would disgrace such a thing, so we also need to make sure it's bulletproof. If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions via PM.

***************************************************

Not sure how to PM them but this was my idea.

Make the tombstones you get from the SA spawn and Grizzle to be like the Holiday V-Tickets. Make the Tombstones spawn with generated sayings like

"Here lies _________ they were a true friend and loved by all"
"In loving memory of _________ "
" _________will not be missed"
" _________ Was lost at sea"
" I told _________ not to flame the Devs"

You get the tombstone then double click it and click the player who has the name you want on the tombstone. That way people have to go through the name filter and cant put....

"Here lies S*** My C**** they were a true friend and loved by all"

People can then use these tombstones in their own homes for memorials or Roleplay graveyards.

 

[Lord Gareth]

I just wanted to give my opinion on this, I'd rather Devs didn't spend time on this. If a player needs such a memorial, customizable housing, engravable statuettes and books do the job fine. Please spend your time on new content that everyone can use or on bug fixing! Thanks.

Aye but in my opinion as another paying customer I would like them to spend time on this.

 

[DevilsOwn]

My questions are still hanging.....
Secondly.... please change the default color of the emote! I still after 8 long years of asking can NOT see it in my journal! IN a large meeting it's very hard to catch someone emoting....

all my characters emote colorfully, it can be changed just as the speech color is changed...... problem is, a lot of people don't bother to change it

 

[DevilsOwn]

You get the tombstone then double click it and click the player who has the name you want on the tombstone.

wouldn't work for those who are truly gone, Gareth, but on the whole, I like the idea

 

[canary]

Logrus was by far the highlight of the chat for me tonight *smiles*
The new 3 faction system definitely peeked my interest!

You mean 'piqued'.

 

[canary]

By the way, I think the only thing I found interesting was the Factions info, though tbh that is not my cup of tea.

Nonetheless, thank you for having this and for posting a transcript.

 

[MalagAste]

My questions are still hanging.....
Secondly.... please change the default color of the emote! I still after 8 long years of asking can NOT see it in my journal! IN a large meeting it's very hard to catch someone emoting....

all my characters emote colorfully, it can be changed just as the speech color is changed...... problem is, a lot of people don't bother to change it

NO the problem is the default color is BAD in the first place... it shouldn't be unreadable in the journal. I would prefer if it were changed to something that would show up in game and in the journal... then I wouldn't have to beg and plead with people to change it. It would then be nice for the lazy folk ...... and nice for people like me who read most things from the journal NOT from the game screen. As I have the screen set to only keep words and things up for a couple seconds.... to keep down the lag.

 

[Lord Gareth]

wouldn't work for those who are truly gone, Gareth, but on the whole, I like the idea

Aye but sometimes you can find people with extra accounts willing to create a character named after the one truly gone. To help engrave the tombstone .

 

[AesSedai]

- thx for a good HoC Stratics and UO

I see lots of good, interesting little gems up in there; and a few big ones too...

Good stuff UO
Thx again

 

[Petra Fyde]

log now added to the link http://uohoc.stratics.com/ found under 'current events' in the left hand menu of http://uo.stratics.com

 

[AirmidCecht]

You mean 'piqued'.

No you mean piqued. I mean peeked
*sighs*
I guess some days it's only funny in my head.
*grins*

 

[Lefty]

Quite frankly I found using IRC a very restrictive way to communicate. I would have gotten a better answer out of an 8 Ball.

I had to butcher and widdle my questions down to a sliver and not being able to go into detail or into an actual conversation to as to why and to the basis of the question was quite depressing.

The fact is that most of these Developers are unaware of imbalances, broken codes, or to why a certain balance or feature was publish do to that they were not around and or not familiar with the game from a players perspective. As an example. Anyone PvPing early AOS would know this

Why was double mana cost added to special moves?

Answer: To address 2 hit kills

Question: Did it work?

Answer: No

Question: What was done next?
Answer: They addressed Mana Leech property to try to curb it down.
Question: Did that work?
Answer: No, They finally added a damage cap

While some changes in the past should still be set in place, there are some changes that are no longer needed since the game mechanics have changed.

My question on the Requirement of Tactics for special moves is a prime example. This had nothing to do with balance, but one persons fogged view of what UO should be, thus making the game more of a class type system.

This change as well as most of Publish 46 was the concoction of 2 people (Jeremy Dalmer and GuildMule) Policies and changes were made even before the PvP Focus group was formed. All changes were up and running on test center. The first Focus group was canned (except for GuildMule) till they got a yes crowd to sign off on the changes. So there it is in a nutshell.

 

[Harlequin]

No you mean piqued. I mean peeked
*sighs*
I guess some days it's only funny in my head.
*grins*

You sure you didn't mean "peaked"?

Thanks for the logs. Question, so factions gonna be revamped from the 4 existing ones to only 3?

 

[Restroom Cowboy]

You mean 'piqued'.

meant

 

[phantus]

Uriah On the rebuilding of Magincia ... we've actually outlined the story arc for the live event through December of this year. Magincia is part of that plan.

Uriah In the short term, we are going to introduce some old and new major villians in the interim. Look forward to the next supplement to the story by the next publish.

December is a good month for a big publish. With all the EA people going on vacation and not coming back and being visible anywhere for a month. Perfect plan. Sounds like a great month to use for an excuse to push it back until next year which is what will happen but you don't want to say next year on this because people are looking forward to it.

I can't wait for more story Uriah. I pay my monthly fee to read a small piece of story every 3 months.

The things I have gathered from this HoC:
- Factions is the main focus of UO right now. Everything is being thrown in here to make UO pvp more exciting and get more people involved that normally wouldn't be. I don't really mind this. What I do mind is there is no other focus currently.
- There is no longer a live team apparently. If they have nothing coming up then they don't exist or they are working on a secret project. Boy do we love secret projects.
-The old and new villains clearly tells me you plan to activate old content we have already become bored with using a rehued shiney to get people to be interested. Who wants to bet me we see the guys with the dread warhorses in the next 3 months? Takers?

Here's a little hint about what is coming in the next patch... Gargoyle glasses and sashes... changes to gargoyle racial abilities... more mysticism love... a new contest!

Ok. So you are trying to make gargoyles more than just an imbuing character. Fixing things that don't work is good but this need to be done in conjunction with content. I will wait to pass judgement on a new contest.

 

[Stupid Miner]

meant

You mean "Aorist tense form of 'mean,' denoting past tense and a noncontinuous duration of action."


+1 Thread Derailment

 

[Stupid Miner]

Uriah On the rebuilding of Magincia ... we've actually outlined the story arc for the live event through December of this year. Magincia is part of that plan.

Uriah In the short term, we are going to introduce some old and new major villians in the interim. Look forward to the next supplement to the story by the next publish.

December is a good month for a big publish. With all the EA people going on vacation and not coming back and being visible anywhere for a month. Perfect plan. Sounds like a great month to use for an excuse to push it back until next year which is what will happen but you don't want to say next year on this because people are looking forward to it.

You do realize he didn't give the start date, right? Heck, didn't even give the end date, just the... what would typically be interpreted as the close-to-end-date.

Ok. So you are trying to make gargoyles more than just an imbuing character. Fixing things that don't work is good but this need to be done in conjunction with content. I will wait to pass judgement on a new contest.

Doesn't the Factions update count as content? Or were you thinking more plot-line oriented.

 

[Shelleybean]

Thanks Tazar for posting the log. I'm curious to see what kind of changes MIBS and treasure maps will get. I hope it's something really creative. I knew of course that black staves would become craftable when I closed the account that had my macer samurai. I hope that blackrock will not be required to make a black staff though. I think it should be a blacksmith item requiring ingots only. It is my hope that blackrock can be used to make crystalline blackrock.

 

[phantus]

You do realize he didn't give the start date, right? Heck, didn't even give the end date, just the... what would typically be interpreted as the close-to-end-date.

I did consider that. Who gives an end date for upcoming content though? I wrote that without the intent to sound like a typical Uhall asshat but it just didn't work. We heard about the magincia rebuild so long ago that to keep it going only to say it will go through until December is just a carrot on the end of a stick. Seriously though, if you were going to announce an upcoming event wouldn't you state when it was going to start rather than when it's going to end?

Doesn't the Factions update count as content? Or were you thinking more plot-line oriented.

They have the ability to make the factions update a big plotline. This may even be the plan but that past factions things were only so so for me personally. Once the faction fun wore off I only liked the ability to put people in stat in raids. Other than that I wasn't a big factions fan. I wasn't the only one I don't think or we wouldn't be having a big faction overhaul.

I can't help it that I am a content monger. I want something to do every few months that is new. I've been playing a very long time and while there is a lot to do in UO but, once you have played this long it becomes more difficult to entertain yourself with what you have done a million times already.

 

[Cal_Mythic]

No you mean piqued. I mean peeked
*sighs*
I guess some days it's only funny in my head.
*grins*

I like peaked interests! The more peaking while peeking the better I say!

 

[Cal_Mythic]

Aye but in my opinion as another paying customer I would like them to spend time on this.

Perhaps it's just me too, but I think that this is something worthy of development. As someone who recently lost someone close to me, and the fact that people have lost friends from their everyday lives who ALSO played UO, and given the legacy that this game is ... and how much it's meant to so many not only subscribers ... but to the game industry, I think it's an important feature we should implement.

/end runon sentence

Also, beyond roleplaying reasons, it needs to be done with reverence for the individual and the community. It also gives a sense of closure which is quite important.

Now given this, unfortunately we also know there are some who would find a way to exploit or otherwise "reduce the fun ..." for others. Simply: that stinks.

I've gotten some good inputs on this, so please know it's on our minds and more importantly our hearts, so when we do it, we'll do our best to do it well and with the respect it deserves.

 

[Uriah Heep]

I'm beginning to like this guy!!

 

[Supreem]

Looks like it was a good chat. This is the first time I missed a HoC in over three years that I've been on the team. So you all can't give me crap! Especially you Cal!

 

[Cogniac]

It looks like the devs have been following the same line of thought on Factions as I have. In the giant thread about reds vs. guardzones in Fel, I suggested they just move all of the faction bases out of cities. Turns out the devs were already planning on doing that.

I also have always thought that having four factions muddied up the water and that UO should take a page out of Starcraft's book and lock it down at just three, making things much more fun and easier to balance. Now it looks like either Minax or CoM is getting the boot.

Kudos to the devs if these changes come about.

 

[G.v.P]

Now it looks like either Minax or CoM is getting the boot.

Hopefully CoM, I never liked CoM. Long live Minax! We should start a poll.

I like peaked interests! The more peaking while peeking the better I say!

Does this mean we will finally be able to do NPC Escorts right in the future? ;D

 

[Obsidian]

I knew of course that black staves would become craftable when I closed the account that had my macer samurai. I hope that blackrock will not be required to make a black staff though. I think it should be a blacksmith item requiring ingots only.

I was very pleased to see my black staff question answered. My mace fighters rejoiced... until there was the comment about blackrock. I am sure this was just a light-hearted joke. There is no reason why a rare resource should be required to craft a basic item that should have been available since UO began. Mesanna didn't say if black staffs would be a smithed item or a carpentered item. My smiths hope they can make it, but I wouldn't complain if a carpenter crafted it and it could be enhanced with ash for an extra 10 SSI.

This was the first UOHOC I attended via IRC. I submitted six questions total to Tazar. Five of those went in at the beginning of the chat. None of those were addressed. My final question on the black staffs went in about 45 min into the chat and was answered very quickly thereafter. I was really hoping they would address Navrey and whether there is any movement afoot to adjust the methodology for awarding the new drops (i.e. doom-like system). But alas... nothing in this chat. I'll just hope they tweak the drops in pub 65.

-OBSIDIAN-

 

[Jhym]

And as far as engraving the tombstones goes.... I see no reason why they can't be engraved like any statue.... with so many things being engraveable, weapons, armor, containers,..... there honestly is no reason why we can't engrave a tombstone.... for our own use.... as well as pedestals.... and embroidering clothes... Engraving jewlery..... all these things SHOULD be able to be done..... as the ability to custom things in so many ways is part of what makes UO very unique... and so adaptable to good RP.

The problem Malagaste, is that there are psychotic people who would try to do horrible things just because they thought it was funny. For instance, engraving real life people's names on their tombstones; engraving "Malagaste's Mother" on one. Since tombstones are generally more meaningful to people, I think uncontrolled engraving would be a very horrible mistake by the devs.

However, I wouldn't mind an approval interface, where a GM or EM could approve engravings. Or perhaps make it so that EMs have that ability and allow them to do weekly engraving meetings for folks that need them.

But someone needs to vet this sort of thing or we'll be walking by houses with "Dead Kennedy" or "9-11" or "Ghandi" gravestones all over their rooves.

 

[AirmidCecht]

Not sure how to PM them but this was my idea.

Make the tombstones you get from the SA spawn and Grizzle to be like the Holiday V-Tickets. Make the Tombstones spawn with generated sayings like

"Here lies _________ they were a true friend and loved by all"
"In loving memory of _________ "
" _________will not be missed"
" _________ Was lost at sea"
" I told _________ not to flame the Devs"

You get the tombstone then double click it and click the player who has the name you want on the tombstone. That way people have to go through the name filter and cant put....

"Here lies S*** My C**** they were a true friend and loved by all"

People can then use these tombstones in their own homes for memorials or Roleplay graveyards.

Pre-set saying like the Holiday tickets sounds like a winner to me. Heck you can even expand it to stone crafters with an engraving tool and have only certain sayings in the tool menu and a language filter.

With player statues there is already the ability to create memorials to an extent. I think the other part of the issue is an alternate place for them besides player homes. A more permanent place where there is no risk of losing those memorials if the hosting account goes inactive for whatever reason. In that sense then yes the greater risk is having an area defaced or memorials set up that are either inaccurate or disrespectful of other players.

I wondered if a donation system set up like the Moonglow Zoo in a garden or park like setting might work. No other reward other than opening up a spot to place in the area, in the same manner creatures "spawn" in the zoo. Perhaps it could also require more than one "donator" in the selection menu so it could not be scripted by a single player, rather the community would need to be involved with donating benches and flowers ect, to open up a spot for that person. Once a spot opens up another menu much like setting up employee contracts could open up to select monument style and text.

Dunno, just the way my mind works on things when Cal mentioned Veteran's Memorial and Arlington Cemetary. I hope something works out.

 

[Lord Gareth]

I am actually kinda ticked off at myself because I forgot the one question I promised to ask. That was to be able to craft house signs and engrave them. So we can all stop using those stupid books for display signs.

 

[Jhym]

I think most folks wouldn't mind an approval mechanism for these types of engravings, as long as it was timely and we knew where it was in the scheme of things.

On the other hand, I can see the point of having a set of engravings without the name that can be added (while Gareth's suggestion of using the statue method seems sound at first blush, it means you can't do memorials for those who aren't around anymore or aren't in game. Kinda the whole purpose, if you ask me.)

Perhaps some of the team should check out the various memorials that have already been done on the shards (there are a few on chessie, for example) and see what they think for ideas.

 

[Ancient Sosarian]

This Response erases much of my "carebear" displeasure. I appreciate and wholeheartedly agree with this response!!!

So many who have meant so much to others have passed, and one day will, and in-game respectful memorials are both great remembrances and great closure/grief managers.

An SoS

Aye but in my opinion as another paying customer I would like them to spend time on this.

Perhaps it's just me too, but I think that this is something worthy of development. As someone who recently lost someone close to me, and the fact that people have lost friends from their everyday lives who ALSO played UO, and given the legacy that this game is ... and how much it's meant to so many not only subscribers ... but to the game industry, I think it's an important feature we should implement.

/end runon sentence

Also, beyond roleplaying reasons, it needs to be done with reverence for the individual and the community. It also gives a sense of closure which is quite important.

Now given this, unfortunately we also know there are some who would find a way to exploit or otherwise "reduce the fun ..." for others. Simply: that stinks.

I've gotten some good inputs on this, so please know it's on our minds and more importantly our hearts, so when we do it, we'll do our best to do it well and with the respect it deserves.

 

[Ancient Sosarian]

Hail Sosarians,

I would be Honored and willing to create a short-term character per directions of loved ones for the sole purpose of having a character statue made to be used to memorialize a departed character or player.

PM me, and I would happily do this for any serious person.

An SoS

Aye but sometimes you can find people with extra accounts willing to create a character named after the one truly gone. To help engrave the tombstone .

 

[Viquire]

I would rather not go to a three faction system.

In the depths of my mind lurks the knowledge that one of the faction bases has no integrity problems, there was a housing zone issue which was fixed previously.

I hope this means that those bases built in areas of the original map with only minor modifications will be getting new homes and all Sosarians will now have access to the throne room of our true Liege Lord on all facets.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Zephenia <Gareth> Will you let us Engrave tombstones so we can build better RP graveyards? Id love to have "Here lies my tongue please don't step on it" - On the serious side it could also help with those who wish to make memorials for lost friends.

Uriah Absolutely. Since joining the team, it's something that we have permanently in our minds. It's not a question of schedule, but coming up with a reverent and

Uriah solid design. We've discussed everything from something like the Veteran's Memorial to something simple like Arlington Cemetary. Unfortunately, we know that there would be

Uriah folks who would disgrace such a thing, so we also need to make sure it's bulletproof. If anyone has any ideas I am open to suggestions via PM.

I just wanted to give my opinion on this, I'd rather Devs didn't spend time on this. If a player needs such a memorial, customizable housing, engravable statuettes and books do the job fine. Please spend your time on new content that everyone can use or on bug fixing!

Thanks.

Personally, I don't think they read the question right... It appears to me that the Gareth was asking for the tombstones we get as loot to actually be engravable using a statue engraving tool.

This not only makes sense, but would give the tombstones a use beyond deco.

They need to make the pedestals from the puzzle box engraveable too...

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Personally, I don't think they read the question right... It appears to me that the Gareth was asking for the tombstones we get as loot to actually be engravable using a statue engraving tool.

This not only makes sense, but would give the tombstones a use beyond deco.

They need to make the pedestals from the puzzle box engraveable too...

*nods*

I believe you are correct on your proscriptions (am I using that word right?) and on your interpretation of the question that was asked.

-Galen's player

 

[MalagAste]

And as far as engraving the tombstones goes.... I see no reason why they can't be engraved like any statue.... with so many things being engraveable, weapons, armor, containers,..... there honestly is no reason why we can't engrave a tombstone.... for our own use.... as well as pedestals.... and embroidering clothes... Engraving jewlery..... all these things SHOULD be able to be done..... as the ability to custom things in so many ways is part of what makes UO very unique... and so adaptable to good RP.

The problem Malagaste, is that there are psychotic people who would try to do horrible things just because they thought it was funny. For instance, engraving real life people's names on their tombstones; engraving "Malagaste's Mother" on one. Since tombstones are generally more meaningful to people, I think uncontrolled engraving would be a very horrible mistake by the devs.

However, I wouldn't mind an approval interface, where a GM or EM could approve engravings. Or perhaps make it so that EMs have that ability and allow them to do weekly engraving meetings for folks that need them.

But someone needs to vet this sort of thing or we'll be walking by houses with "Dead Kennedy" or "9-11" or "Ghandi" gravestones all over their rooves.

Quite honestly if someone has a tombstone in there house with "Malag-aste's Mother" on it that's not going to bother me...

Would you be similarly bothered if someone engraved their bow "Jhym Slayer"???

Basically the same principal...

I would be bothered if I saw someone using my RL name in-game. This should be a bannable offense... Just like using any other slanderous language...

However... Using my Characters name on a Gravestone.... isn't going to make me give a hoot.... it's no different than the 10,000 weapons engraved with "So-and-so Slayer"...

I see no difference at all here. I realize tombstones carry quite a "stigma" for people..... but honestly it's only a game.... and my characters are pixels.... they have a life I give them.... an no my character isn't going to freak out seeing his name on a tombstone at someones house.

I really don't think we should EVER have memorials at Cemeteries in-game. Nothing "Public".... like that... as THIS could be abused in SO many ways.... but as for people wanting to engrave a tombstone for their own use in their own home... I see NOTHING wrong with it.

Honestly with all the other engravable items in-game what really is the big deal???

Much like engraving the Pedestal... This item should be engravable...

RP wise Engraving tombstones would be very good for those wanting to make an in-game memorial to a character that was "killed" or died... (ie deleted after being "killed" or whatever for a fictional story)...

But getting all offended and in an uproar over the engraving of a tombstone that wouldn't be in public unless you went to someones house and "looked" at it.... is rather silly.... don't you think???

 

[canary]

The problem Malagaste, is that there are psychotic people who would try to do horrible things just because they thought it was funny. For instance, engraving real life people's names on their tombstones; engraving "Malagaste's Mother" on one. Since tombstones are generally more meaningful to people, I think uncontrolled engraving would be a very horrible mistake by the devs.

However, I wouldn't mind an approval interface, where a GM or EM could approve engravings. Or perhaps make it so that EMs have that ability and allow them to do weekly engraving meetings for folks that need them.

But someone needs to vet this sort of thing or we'll be walking by houses with "Dead Kennedy" or "9-11" or "Ghandi" gravestones all over their rooves.

Uhhm, you could just as well title your sword 'Killer Of Ugly Canary' or something. Armor could be titled 'Fat Chick Repellant'... the ways to bother people are already in game.

 

[Lord Gareth]

Uhhm, you could just as well title your sword 'Killer Of Ugly Canary' or something. Armor could be titled 'Fat Chick Repellant'... the ways to bother people are already in game.

*Grabs his weapon engraver* snap: *Smiles*