[UO Herald] Producer's Update - April 2010

[UO News]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Warning:[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I will not cover every topic that is on your mind. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I will, however, address the next publish, as well as how we are looking forward into the middle of this summer. I will address speedhacking; player memorials; the enhanced client sprint; a brief note on factions and test centers, and some changes we are submitting specifically for our Japanese community.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There will be several other items in this note, however if none of the above appeal to you, please do not read further.[/FONT]



More...

 

[Viquire]

Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your subordinates to do the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.
- Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

"I thought I would stand here like this so you could see if I was really as big a son of a pancake as you think I am." George Patton

Sorry Cal, I couldn't resist after you included the Erwin quote.

Its a good letter and Im glad to see continued testing and feedback on factions, and am happy as heck to hear about upcoming improvements to Thunting in both its forms. Have a great weekend.

 

[Caelas]

Update to treasure chests...cool. Update to SOS / ASOS chests as well?

 

[BeefSupreme]

Very good writeup. Looking forward to seeing what you all have planned. Especially what Mark has been working on. Guy seems to really be on the ball.

 

[Lord Chaos]

Eh, why do boats need to read treasure maps? They can now sail on land?

 

[Demonous]

what does this mean "This will be a non-intrusive update to the client that will interact with scripters using their programs to gain advantage over those players who prefer to play by the rules and inside the guidelines." ?

 

[RedDaTeef]

Eh, why do boats need to read treasure maps? They can now sail on land?

No Dude, he is talking about the new flying boats!!

 

[Lord Chaos]

No Dude, he is talking about the new flying boats!!

Oh right and the new ridable turbo penguin.

 

[Cal_Mythic]

Oh right and the new ridable turbo penguin.

Grrr did you see the publish notes already??!! *nerfs said penguin*

 

[Caelas]

Grrr did you see the publish notes already??!! *nerfs said penguin*

Speaking of watery things...any fishing love coming?

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Cal... two of the EC points are already in...

Double Click to log in was put in last patch and you can use Shift+Up/Down Arrow (at least when NOT in Legact Chat Mode) when you have the chat prompt up to cycle through the last batch of commands entered.


However, THANK YOU for the custom fonts (and I think I speak for EVERYONE at the Exchange and other modders not part of the Exchange).

 

[Der Rock]

what does this mean "This will be a non-intrusive update to the client that will interact with scripters using their programs to gain advantage over those players who prefer to play by the rules and inside the guidelines." ?

why are you so..so impatient.....................

YOU will know it when it is ready


i cant wait to loot ALL the IDOCS soon...

 

[Der Rock]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Warning:[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I will not cover every topic that is on your mind. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I will, however, address the next publish, as well as how we are looking forward into the middle of this summer. I will address speedhacking; player memorials; the enhanced client sprint; a brief note on factions and test centers, and some changes we are submitting specifically for our Japanese community.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]There will be several other items in this note, however if none of the above appeal to you, please do not read further.[/FONT]



More...

please make it NOT public if/when the anti cheat prog goes life....
let US fair players the IDOCS

 

[Jhym]

Well darn, I was hoping for all my topics to be covered in one 300 page note with footnotes. In Haiku. With glowsticks.

"Delicate flowers
Posters lay in rubble path
On to the publish"

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

They're close enough to DC they could always get some of the Congressional staffers to type up a 2500 page version

 

[popps]

Yes, we understand there are 3rd party programs that are a part of the UO experience. We are targeting those programs that negatively impact the play experience for others. This will be a non-intrusive update to the client that will interact with scripters using their programs to gain advantage over those players who prefer to play by the rules and inside the guidelines.

My feeling, is that this means a good thing for those who play without scripting, hacking and all that but I did not quite understand well the long term implications of the above paragraph.

Can anyone please explain to me what should we really expect as in regards to hacking, scripting and such from the above wordings ?

Is there light, finally, at the end of the tunnel and will Ultima Online, after almost 13 years of life finally be able to be a game freed of cheating, hacking and scripting ?

Can I hold my breath this one time ?

Thanks.

 

[RawHeadRex]

imho this will happen to people caught:
1st offense - 30 day suspension
2nd offense - perma ban

 

[o2bavr6]

will you fix this studder stepping that was introduced. i cant tell you how many times its got me killed in pvp. the moment you hit someone you studder around for the next few steps which is an eternity in pvp.

also what about teleport spell: there was a fix a long time ago that if you cast certain spells like tele or firefield and it didnt target, the cursor would stay up. this has been broken for quite a while again and also gets us killed in pvp.

why is it that sometimes you can cast tele on certain level ground and it cant be seen? like at yew gate between houses. its bad enough its not seen but you have to cast tele all over again is just silly,and again gets us killed for no reason.

please fix thank you very much.

 

[Zosimus]

My feeling, is that this means a good thing for those who play without scripting, hacking and all that but I did not quite understand well the long term implications of the above paragraph.

Can anyone please explain to me what should we really expect as in regards to hacking, scripting and such from the above wordings ?

Is there light, finally, at the end of the tunnel and will Ultima Online, after almost 13 years of life finally be able to be a game freed of cheating, hacking and scripting ?

Can I hold my breath this one time ?

Thanks.

What he is saying that approved 3rd party apps and the bad 3rd party apps. They want to eliminate the bad apps and not hurt the good approved 3rd party app. The only thing we cn expect that it works like they want it to work. They are working on it which is a good sign and anything that ends these hacks is a good thing. It wont be an overnight fix when implimented but hopefully deter alot of the cheaters. You know it will work when you start seeing a rise in idocs after they put it live.

 

[o2bavr6]

What he is saying that approved 3rd party apps and the bad 3rd party apps. They want to eliminate the bad apps and not hurt the good approved 3rd party app. The only thing we cn expect that it works like they want it to work. They are working on it which is a good sign and anything that ends these hacks is a good thing. It wont be an overnight fix when implimented but hopefully deter alot of the cheaters. You know it will work when you start seeing a rise in idocs after they put it live.

I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.

I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.

Im not the only one who can sound like a broken record.

 

[ChReuter]

Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your subordinates to do the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.
- Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

Great, now we have the dev team quoting Nazi's....

 

[jbfortune]

Still think it would be easier to just let everyone script. No moaning then.

 

[AirmidCecht]

Great, now we have the dev team quoting Nazi's....

Who ignored orders to kill his "captives." Understanding that any quote can be misconstrued let's not take this thread on politically charged route. They tend to go nowhere productive

There's a lot of great things coming up, I'm pretty excited

 

[Sturdy]

Great, now we have the dev team quoting Nazi's....

FYI
Rommel is regarded as a chivalrous and humane officer because his Afrikakorps was never accused of any war crimes. Soldiers captured during his Africa campaign were reported to have been treated humanely; furthermore, he ignored orders to kill captured commandos, Jewish soldiers and civilians in all theaters of his command.[2]

Late in the war, Rommel was convicted of joining the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler. Because of his great prestige, Hitler allowed him to commit suicide rather than be tried and executed. He was buried with full military honors; the reason for Rommel's death only emerged at the Nuremberg Trials.[c

 

[Beastmaster]

I like the quests we got with SA, but I'm not too thrilled about quests for bards. When bards came on the radar a few weeks ago I was really hoping for something more substantial. Somehow I feel this is just going to be a series of quests for a few decent items, but no real skill use changes.

 

[Zosimus]

I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.

I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.


I remember long ago when they said they would address cheating in the next publish.

Im not the only one who can sound like a broken record.

Well as time has proven things change. Records have gone to disk and mp3's. You may find some vinly LP's and record players but there are more disk/players and mp3's. So MAYBE this time they are making a change. Time doesn't stand still and technology doesn't either.

 

[Balinor of Pk?]

I heard an analogy a while ago that was VERY fitting with the cheating thing. You have one or two or 5 or 10 big apples in the UO "cheating" world at the moment. Easily contained, and probly would be more productive to work WITH those few to curb the damage created by their "cheating". If you upset the balance of the apple barrel, you're going to be picking up a LOT of apples. Just sayin. The people doing the complaining aren't thinking about how it works. Could you imagine if the source was released to a lot of these so called cheat programs? Now instead of having ONE cheat program being written for a lot of people by one person, you have 200 people writing different cheat programs for a lot of people. You should really think before you complain. Personally I hope some sort of patch is released. I'm interested to see the damage it does. Maybe the first MMO will be the first to die from mass exodus. Sounds like we'll see.

 

[Gem]

Speaking of watery things...any fishing love coming?

Fishing Love! We need more fishing love!

 

[Basara]

Cal, do you guys archive company e-mails? If you do, can you pull the list of the 150 or so old "dsfasfa" promotional houses from E. Jeremy Dahlberg's old email account, and do something about getting rid of them on Lake Austin.

We've only compiled a list of them at least twice over the last 7 years, and I can't get anyone to go out YET AGAIN to record them all.

OR, if you can't, perhaps you could examine the row of them by Trammel Vesper south bridge, and figure out some identifier that would allow you to track them down and delete all at once, or at least one at a time...

 

[Tina Small]

I like the quests we got with SA, but I'm not too thrilled about quests for bards. When bards came on the radar a few weeks ago I was really hoping for something more substantial. Somehow I feel this is just going to be a series of quests for a few decent items, but no real skill use changes.

And my impression from Cal's hints is that these might be quests in New Haven for low-level bards and would provide "useful" items for such characters, e.g., maybe a songbook or something. In other words, I really am not expecting much for existing bard characters.

 

[Vercingitorix]

(oh and I might as well tell you now we are targeting a major update to treasure maps for the middle of this Summer)

WOOHOO!

*dances a jig*

I'm sooooooo looking forward to seeing what changes are in store.

 

[Viquire]

Great, now we have the dev team quoting Nazi's....

Just for the record, Erwin Rommel was a brilliant tactician and decorated officer of the Wehrmacht long before he was forced to become a Nazi to keep doing what he was good at for the country he loved.

I quoted Patton simply because his leadership style was so different, even though when considering military leaders of that era Rommel and Patton are almost inexorably linked through their use of the tank.

 

[Evlar]

Typical eh!!

You all forget Monty, who's basis was that every part of the chain of command, from private to general, understood exactly what was required of them, that each were just as important as the other.

 

[o2bavr6]

Well as time has proven things change. Records have gone to disk and mp3's. You may find some vinly LP's and record players but there are more disk/players and mp3's. So MAYBE this time they are making a change. Time doesn't stand still and technology doesn't either.

Great analogy... I hope you are correct

 

[Violence]

All this sounds really promising! Can't wait.

 

[Surgeries]

...

They're close enough to DC they could always get some of the Congressional staffers to type up a 2500 page version

That would not be nearly enough pages, if they want to employ the paper conservation act.

I say 4000 pages...

Too funny, Dermott...

 

[Llewen]

what does this mean "This will be a non-intrusive update to the client that will interact with scripters using their programs to gain advantage over those players who prefer to play by the rules and inside the guidelines." ?

why are you so..so impatient.....................

Because we've been waiting for thirteen years for this? That might have something to do with the impatience.

My feeling, is that this means a good thing for those who play without scripting, hacking and all that but I did not quite understand well the long term implications of the above paragraph.

What he is saying that approved 3rd party apps and the bad 3rd party apps. They want to eliminate the bad apps and not hurt the good approved 3rd party app.

I hope you are right, but that quote worried me. I don't know how well I will handle the disappointment if after all this talk I find the scripters alive and well on my shard by the time 2011 rolls around. "The-program-which-shall-not-be-named" has to go. It really has to be completely disabled...

 

[Violence]

"Because we've been waiting for thirteen years for this? That might have something to do with the impatience." x100.. And throw in some empty promises, sprinkle it with giving in to cheaters crying out loud and place a nice cherry-flavoured F4iL-B0mB to address speed-hacking in the past. Sorry but I've got to be THAT harsh, I've been paying for so long I could've built my own UO if I co-operated with every single other player that feels the same way about cheating. No offense EA/M, especially after Cal's "speech" at the end of this new Prod. Letter I didn't want to comment on this so negatively but, well.. Felt I had to.

"I did not quite understand well the long term implications of the above paragraph."

Enhanced Client receiving upgrades constantly to make up for the need to use any other programs along with Ultima Online will ultimately mean there will be no more excuses to use such programs.
Also they will not be targetting programs that make your Ultima Online experience smoother if you still choose to use them.
Lastly the long term implication as you put it, they're are aiming it I would assume, would be simply no more cheating. There is really not much to missinterpret here, the question is how much is there to believe or to hope for- See above. rolleyes: *Crosses fingers*

Llewen I'm afraid that at this point, especially with one Prod. Letter already more than touching on the subject along with its follow-up being on the same lines(and I assume the next one will add to those), EA/M will have to do much better than being able to provide a cheat-free(even if not COMPLETELY free anyway) Ultima Online by 2011. How bad will Ultima Online look if Factions get re-done and people return to check them out only to see same ol', same ol'...?

Right now in the event of failing to meet any expectations coming Summer's End they're probably risking losing quite a few good, paying customers. And their friends, as Cal puts it. I'm anxious to see what will actually happen by 2011.. ;P

 

[Logrus]

And my impression from Cal's hints is that these might be quests in New Haven for low-level bards and would provide "useful" items for such characters, e.g., maybe a songbook or something. In other words, I really am not expecting much for existing bard characters.

I don't think I put any quests in Haven.

But if I did do a quest, it would have something to do with goats.

 

[Llewen]

I don't think I put any quests in Haven.

But if I did do a quest, it would have something to do with goats.

Peggle?

 

[Evlar]

I don't think I put any quests in Haven.

But if I did do a quest, it would have something to do with goats.

 

[Mapper]

Looking forward to resizable containers in EC! I've started growing plants on my character in grid view, Would love to see them all at once. *grins*

 

[Tina Small]

And my impression from Cal's hints is that these might be quests in New Haven for low-level bards and would provide "useful" items for such characters, e.g., maybe a songbook or something. In other words, I really am not expecting much for existing bard characters.

I don't think I put any quests in Haven.

But if I did do a quest, it would have something to do with goats.

Okay now I'm ready to join the group of people worried about these new bard quests. Do you have any hints to reassure us you're not actually planning to hit bards with a great big nerf?



Edited to add: Goats...satyrs...pan pipes....? It's way too late at night to be trying to figure this out. Must think more about this clue later today.

 

[Lefty]

Eh, why do boats need to read treasure maps? They can now sail on land?

Jack Sparrow did it!

 

[Old Man of UO]

I don't think I put any quests in Haven.

But if I did do a quest, it would have something to do with goats.

*Thinks* Men Who Stare At Goats

 

[Logrus]

Another piece of the bard puzzle.

If you like your bard exactly how they are, then after the bard "updates", if choose to, you can play your bard exactly the same way, and not notice any difference. Possibly, maybe.


There so needs to be an evil maniac laugh.

 

[Beastmaster]

Another piece of the bard puzzle.

If you like your bard exactly how they are, then after the bard "updates", if choose to, you can play your bard exactly the same way, and not notice any difference. Possibly, maybe.


There so needs to be an evil maniac laugh.

I would like my bard to have more than 3 abilities without investing 480 skill points. Got anything for me?

 

[Hildebrand]

Can we get another hint for bards?
Being that a FULL bard requires 480 skills, are they getting a speed up on the skill checks? Some buff? Or... *big sigh* the easy good'ole "items" based stuff again.

 

[jbfortune]

My guess

Some kind of different songs which do different things. For example, direct damage or allow us to temp control things more so than you can with provoke.

Or they'll just give us a Fey slayer and we'll be good to go :\

 

[lucitus]

Is there an ETA when the whopper is comming for the EC?