NEWS Ask & Answer re-work

[Petra Fyde]

While compiling the questions for the Ask & Answer we, the Liaison team, and the Dev team, have come to realise how many are not really questions, but requests for game changes.

While some of these suggestions have merit, the feature was not originally intended as a means of extending the team's 'to do' list into the next millenium. Consequently what we intend to do is select the questions relating to current and planned, in game, design, systems and features. These the team will do their best to answer.

We'd also like to ask you to think carefully about what you post in the Ask the Devs forum. If you're asking for something to be fixed, it probably should go in the bug tracking forum, which the Devs, especially Misk, read regularly.

 

[Tina Small]

So if I try to ask another question about how something works, I can expect a real answer to my question? Not just an answer that sloughs off my question, e.g., something like, "Due to the fact its really easy to adjust the gains and lose of points in UO why would we need to worry about what the decay rate is?"

 

[Gheed]

I see the point of this. Sounds fair enough. I think we(I) were abusing it a bit as a new feature request forum. Are there really a lot of those type of questions? I mean aren't most questions relating to current in game, design, systems and features sort of answered by others here most of the time? As for planned stuff, well I'm guessing that would be new pub releases on TC or maybe "hey you said you were going to do this. When is it going to happen?", type planned stuff?

I remember the old FoF that did a good job of explaining some of the more in depth systems. I would like to have a re-cap detailing the luck roll on dungeon loot. So I guess I'll head over there and ask.

 

[cazador]

So a question like

Do you ever plan to rebuild doom?

Not acceptable!

But

With refinements can I remove a refinement?

Is acceptable?

With that being said isn't that why uoguide.com is there and stratics?

Or maybe I'm just reading the new format wrong which is probably most likely the case

 

[Padre Dante]

I understand the reasoning for this as the A&A's became a wish list (and bug reporting) from players turning into ever-growing to-do lists for the devs. Not a bad thing, per say, but a mis-guided system. However, with the community that UO has, along with supporting websites (Stratics and UOGuide just to name a couple), I'm not sure many people have how-does-a-current-system-work type questions for the dev's outside of "how does the luck system work for [pick a system the luck is supposed to work for]. Sure, plenty of people have questions about current systems, but they are often answered with a web search or posting on various message boards (this site being one). Rarely does it make it to needing dev's attention.

I'm not sure what question I have that doesn't work it's way into a "can this be changed/added/removed". For instance, "Why does Cu Sidhe healing gain so much drastically slower than any other pet skills?" is really just a thinly veiled form of "Can you please fix the Cu Sidhe healing gains to increase like other pet skills?"

I appreciate any of the Dev feedback. Maybe a FoF is needed for a little while?

 

[Tanivar]

How about posting the list of requested changes in a dedicated thread, allowing no replies to be posted, and have people 'Like' each one they would really like to see happen. Perhaps the Devs could then do the current five most liked, or a bunch of the simpler ones, each publish. Getting these things done as a routine thing each publish could make the natives of Sosaria a bit less feisty and restless.

 

[Vexxed]

While compiling the questions for the Ask & Answer we, the Liaison team, and the Dev team, have come to realise how many are not really questions, but requests for game changes.

While some of these suggestions have merit, the feature was not originally intended as a means of extending the team's 'to do' list into the next millenium. Consequently what we intend to do is select the questions relating to current and planned, in game, design, systems and features. These the team will do their best to answer.

We'd also like to ask you to think carefully about what you post in the Ask the Devs forum. If you're asking for something to be fixed, it probably should go in the bug tracking forum, which the Devs, especially Misk, read regularly.

May I also Suggest a different method of determining which questions are forwarded to the Dev Team? If you go back through the "Ask the Devs" and look at the other (Smaller) UO sites that questions are drawn from you begin to see a trend. I do believe there were multiple people with over 5 questions asked / answered by the Dev Team. I find it a bit unfair that some people basically seem to be getting a "Direct line to GOD" for all their UO related questions. Its basically as simple as register at a small UO fansite that's on "THE LIST" and then be one of a handful of people that asks decent questions & BAM your asking the Devs' Q's on a regular basis..... Matter of fact I went through about 10 "Asks & Answers" adding up the numbers for various people, but just didn't get annoyed enough to post it. Yet....

Anyway.. please take this into consideration.
Thx.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Vexxed - Maybe I erred too far on the side of trying to be fair to the other sites. Not wishing to be accused of 'favoritism' in pushing 'my' site first.

Tanivar That's an interesting idea, and possibly workable from our end. I obviously can't speak for the Dev team, and I've a feeling their time is pretty much planned months in advance so what they are able to do with the ideas may not be what we, or even they, would like.
However a moderated thread where ideas can be posted and then 'liked' by posters may be possible.
Moderated so that new ideas are approved but 'replies' to existing ideas are not - and the thread is not derailed by trolls!

I'll think about it a while and talk it over with my team to iron out any wrinkles. No promises though at this stage!

 

[DJAd]

How about posting the list of requested changes in a dedicated thread, allowing no replies to be posted, and have people 'Like' each one they would really like to see happen. Perhaps the Devs could then do the current five most liked, or a bunch of the simpler ones, each publish. Getting these things done as a routine thing each publish could make the natives of Sosaria a bit less feisty and restless.

+1

 

[Uvtha]

I understand the reasoning for this as the A&A's became a wish list (and bug reporting) from players turning into ever-growing to-do lists for the devs. Not a bad thing, per say, but a mis-guided system. However, with the community that UO has, along with supporting websites (Stratics and UOGuide just to name a couple), I'm not sure many people have how-does-a-current-system-work type questions for the dev's outside of "how does the luck system work for [pick a system the luck is supposed to work for]. Sure, plenty of people have questions about current systems, but they are often answered with a web search or posting on various message boards (this site being one). Rarely does it make it to needing dev's attention.

I'm not sure what question I have that doesn't work it's way into a "can this be changed/added/removed". For instance, "Why does Cu Sidhe healing gain so much drastically slower than any other pet skills?" is really just a thinly veiled form of "Can you please fix the Cu Sidhe healing gains to increase like other pet skills?"

I appreciate any of the Dev feedback. Maybe a FoF is needed for a little while?

Right... What kind of questions are there to ask other than "will do you this thing" or "how does this work?", and how many "how does this work?" questions are really floating around that someone here doesn't have the answer to? I feel like its just going to end up being repeated information.

Should just forget about the whole thing. They can tell us what they want to tell us. They know what we are talking about anyway.

 

[Vexxed]

Right... What kind of questions are there to ask other than "will do you this thing" or "how does this work?", and how many "how does this work?" questions are really floating around that someone here doesn't have the answer to? I feel like its just going to end up being repeated information.

Should just forget about the whole thing. They can tell us what they want to tell us. They know what we are talking about anyway.

"How does This Work??" How about REFORGING ? Such a critically important system in the game & we know next to NOTHING about how it works. Think about imbuing & the various item weights etc. Most people that actively Imbue stuff these days can probably tell you if an item can be Imbued or not in about 1 minute of thought. Ask that same question about Receiving Multiple Mods while using Reforging and people will still be scratching their heads 3 days later..... What we know about Reforging is TRIAL & ERROR / Specific CASES.... We don't know what sort of point pools the various runic levels have nor how many of the "points" a given property takes... This is MIND BLOWING to me that such a system isn't detailed after this time period. I started doing it on Test Center, but unless your given numbers by Dev's it's a statistical pursuit & a GIANT pita......

 

[Merus]

"How does This Work??" How about REFORGING ? Such a critically important system in the game & we know next to NOTHING about how it works. Think about imbuing & the various item weights etc. Most people that actively Imbue stuff these days can probably tell you if an item can be Imbued or not in about 1 minute of thought. Ask that same question about Receiving Multiple Mods while using Reforging and people will still be scratching their heads 3 days later..... What we know about Reforging is TRIAL & ERROR / Specific CASES.... We don't know what sort of point pools the various runic levels have nor how many of the "points" a given property takes... This is MIND BLOWING to me that such a system isn't detailed after this time period. I started doing it on Test Center, but unless your given numbers by Dev's it's a statistical pursuit & a GIANT pita......

I can prolly save you a little time on the ask and answer ...

This system is working as intended. Thank you for supporting ultima online.

 

[Tanivar]

I can prolly save you a little time on the ask and answer ...

This system is working as intended. Thank you for supporting ultima online.

I'd like to know how many accounts run out of paid game time over the next six months and don't get any more added.

If it's more than usual, perhaps Refinement is working as intended. since it certainly wasn't intended to keep players playing.

What could have been accomplished towards making UO easier for new players to learn how to play with all that dev time that was wasted on Refinements? Or towards adding fun game features that might help keep old players playing UO? Something useful you know.

 

[Petra Fyde]

oki, your 'tweak requests and suggestions' thread has been made. I had to put it in the Ask the Devs forum because of keeping the posts moderated, it's stickied at the top. http://stratics.com/community/threads/tweak-requests-suggestions.298553/#post-2266737

You know, just because you don't like refinements doesn't mean no one else does. The game caters for many different tastes and playstyles.
Also, there are quite a lot of new and returning players around, if you actually look for them in the right places. I have met quite a lot recently.
People are fond of coming here and complaining that there are no new players, but they haven't actually looked to see if there are.
Just as some people still come on here and complain Stratics is out of date, but they haven't actually looked to see if it has been updated.

 

[cazador]

First off Petra y'all do a good job updating that's obvious. +1 to you guys that work hard trying to keep us grumpy "explicits" happy.

Second yes there are at least 5 or 6 players returning and a few newbies I've came across, most returning vets have already not renewed for a second month and not so sure about newbies

Third yes refinements may cater to a few minorities but in the general spectrum of things it "was" a waste of developer time. Unless they have something bigger in the future to expand on the system, that is is yet to be seen. But for now it's a pretty niche useless system to 80% or more of the population.

..humbly my 2 pitiful cents

 

[Tanivar]

oki, your 'tweak requests and suggestions' thread has been made. I had to put it in the Ask the Devs forum because of keeping the posts moderated, it's stickied at the top. http://stratics.com/community/threads/tweak-requests-suggestions.298553/#post-2266737

Thank you Petra!

You know, just because you don't like refinements doesn't mean no one else does. The game caters for many different tastes and playstyles.

There were a couple positive opinions (needles) in among the negative opinions (haystack).

Also, there are quite a lot of new and returning players around, if you actually look for them in the right places. I have met quite a lot recently.

The problem is they don't stay. I think the learning curve is to steep to have fun climbing it.

I'll help newbies who are interested in playing the game by working their way from Haven on up through the game. I tend to hunt UO:SE on down while foraging so Hunting mid-level mobs isn't a problem for me. Since I usually use jewelry for skill points, adjusting my skills down a bit closer to a newbies skill is as easy as taking off a ring or bracelet and carrying a mage weapon.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

So... I guess I might be a bit confused. I've asked several times about the inclusion of a cloth dye tub with regular dye tub colors, and I'm not entirely sure if asking about that is allowed under the new structure. It's not a bug fix, it is about the current game, the colors were once available in the game due to a minor bug, and there's really no reason they shouldn't be included in game, but the question never gets asked, and I submit it from time to time for the sake of hopefully getting an answer.

So should I abandon the question?

 

[Tanivar]

So... I guess I might be a bit confused. I've asked several times about the inclusion of a cloth dye tub with regular dye tub colors, and I'm not entirely sure if asking about that is allowed under the new structure. It's not a bug fix, it is about the current game, the colors were once available in the game due to a minor bug, and there's really no reason they shouldn't be included in game, but the question never gets asked, and I submit it from time to time for the sake of hopefully getting an answer.

So should I abandon the question?

Petra liked a suggestion I made and set up a thread at:

http://stratics.com/community/threads/tweak-requests-suggestions.298553/

We can make suggestions there that cannot be replied to but can be 'Liked' by people to indicate they like the idea, which hopefully the Devs will read and consider doing if an idea receives a lot of likes. It will be a troll-free thread with a simple list of ideas and an easy to see number of likes. Add your idea and see how it goes.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Petra liked a suggestion I made and set up a thread at:

http://stratics.com/community/threads/tweak-requests-suggestions.298553/

We can make suggestions there that cannot be replied to but can be 'Liked' by people to indicate they like the idea, which hopefully the Devs will read and consider doing if an idea receives a lot of likes. It will be a troll-free thread with a simple list of ideas and an easy to see number of likes. Add your idea and see how it goes.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Petra Fyde]

First off Petra y'all do a good job updating that's obvious. +1 to you guys that work hard trying to keep us grumpy "explicits" happy.

Second yes there are at least 5 or 6 players returning and a few newbies I've came across, most returning vets have already not renewed for a second month and not so sure about newbies

Third yes refinements may cater to a few minorities but in the general spectrum of things it "was" a waste of developer time. Unless they have something bigger in the future to expand on the system, that is is yet to be seen. But for now it's a pretty niche useless system to 80% or more of the population.

..humbly my 2 pitiful cents

I admit that when looking at refinements I thought 'Yes, nice for those who tweak their suits to the ultimate, but not for me'. Then the publish went live. I made a new suit for my warrior using valorite and agapite chain, ring and platemail. Totally by accident I ended up with an over run at the crafting stage on both physical and fire resist. My suit has a maximum of 35% dci - so I have not reached the cap on that mod.
Consequently I thought 'why not refine the suit to be able to use the overrun?' I applied a scour of hardening to the platemail gorget and a scour of defense to the ringmail arms, giving me (when I'd imbued the rest of the suit) 71/72/70/70/70. I have a dci cap, which I can't reach anyway, of 42.
I did not buy the refinements, I got them myself, with very little difficulty.

So, sometimes the way game changes affect your game play don't always work out the way you think they're going to.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Bumping this because we are still getting questions that are actually requests for game changes.
Please do not post these in the ask the devs main section but in the sticky 'Tweak suggestions and requests' thread at the top of that board.

Thank you.

 

[Frarc]

Mesanna already replied to the thread, so its been watched. So if you have some realy good suggestions don't be shy to post them.

Or press like on the ideas you like from others.

http://stratics.com/community/threads/tweak-requests-suggestions.298553/

 

[popps]

Mesanna already replied to the thread, so its been watched. So if you have some realy good suggestions don't be shy to post them.

Or press like on the ideas you like from others.

Well, a suggestion which I can think of which IMHO could be helpfull for the better being of the game, is perhaps a revamp, with the help of experienced and knowledged players, of available essays that might have gotten outdated, which guide through how the game mechanics work with imbuing, reforging, refinements etc., updating them with all of the new latest addistions and changes to crafting.

Especially to new and returning players, the crafting system might look rather complex and with a steep learning curve. Especially, if the information contained in existing essays might have gotten outdated by recent changes and/or new additions to the game.

Sure, there is the professions forums on Stratics to ask for help but sometimes an answer might take a good time to show up in a thread so, having at least updated essays and guides to rely on at least to get started, could be of a good help to players who know little about the current mechanics of the game.

Also, I often read that players more knowledged and experienced on crafting use spreadsheets to help them through suits' building to decide what to imbue, reforge and refine on each piece, on weapons, shields and so forth.

Well, if spreadsheets can be of significative help to an experienced UO crafter, perhaps they could be even a bigger aid to new or returning players who might know little about how this particular game mechanics work nowadays.

What I am trying to say, is that in my personal view, given the current complexity of the crafting system in UO, perhaps more detailed and comprehensive informations and walkthroughs could help those players interested in returning to the game or to start playing it for the first time, and so help the game as a whole.

 

[Lady Storm]

In recent days I have met a few returning Vets who I have sent to Stratics to read up on changes and to catch up to the flow of the game of today...
Many in game were very helpful in getting the help these people required to settle back in the UO life.
If you find a New or Returning player help them out even if its only a kind word or direction of how to do something... it helps us in the long run.
Kindness goes a super long way....

 

[Petra Fyde]

Well, a suggestion which I can think of which IMHO could be helpfull for the better being of the game, is perhaps a revamp, with the help of experienced and knowledged players, of available essays that might have gotten outdated, which guide through how the game mechanics work with imbuing, reforging, refinements etc., updating them with all of the new latest addistions and changes to crafting.

Especially to new and returning players, the crafting system might look rather complex and with a steep learning curve. Especially, if the information contained in existing essays might have gotten outdated by recent changes and/or new additions to the game.

Sure, there is the professions forums on Stratics to ask for help but sometimes an answer might take a good time to show up in a thread so, having at least updated essays and guides to rely on at least to get started, could be of a good help to players who know little about the current mechanics of the game.

Also, I often read that players more knowledged and experienced on crafting use spreadsheets to help them through suits' building to decide what to imbue, reforge and refine on each piece, on weapons, shields and so forth.

Well, if spreadsheets can be of significative help to an experienced UO crafter, perhaps they could be even a bigger aid to new or returning players who might know little about how this particular game mechanics work nowadays.

What I am trying to say, is that in my personal view, given the current complexity of the crafting system in UO, perhaps more detailed and comprehensive informations and walkthroughs could help those players interested in returning to the game or to start playing it for the first time, and so help the game as a whole.

We have upto date essays and guides, a whole darn website of them at http://uo2.stratics.com. There are links to it throughout the forums
In this page the link is in the banner http://stratics.com/community/categories/uo-stratics-forums.3/
in this page there is a standard link http://stratics.com/community/categories/uo-general-forums.34/
There's another on this page http://stratics.com/community/categories/professions-forums.414/
and on this page http://stratics.com/community/categories/shard-forums.45/

If you follow those links you'll find playguide page links listed all down the left hand side and at the top of the right hand side is a custom google search box which is the best we can possibly make it. If the item you are looking for has more than one word in its name, use inverted commas, for example "material bonuses"

 

[popps]

We have upto date essays and guides, a whole darn website of them at http://uo2.stratics.com. There are links to it throughout the forums
In this page the link is in the banner http://stratics.com/community/categories/uo-stratics-forums.3/
in this page there is a standard link http://stratics.com/community/categories/uo-general-forums.34/
There's another on this page http://stratics.com/community/categories/professions-forums.414/
and on this page http://stratics.com/community/categories/shard-forums.45/

If you follow those links you'll find playguide page links listed all down the left hand side and at the top of the right hand side is a custom google search box which is the best we can possibly make it. If the item you are looking for has more than one word in its name, use inverted commas, for example "material bonuses"

Thanks Petra for the links but what about the usefull Spreadsheets that often knowledged crafters make good use of when planning their crafting of gear and weapons ?
Beyond the guides and essays often some tools can also help players go through the design of the suit they really need or want to make, according to what their end goal might be for modifiers, considering the game's CAPs. And some spreadsheets offer good help with that but many returning or new players do not know about them....

 

[G.v.P]

While some of these suggestions have merit, the feature was not originally intended as a means of extending the team's 'to do' list into the next millenium.

So does that mean we will never get the option to have split loot while in Party? ;P lol

(When you're in a party you don't get equal loot distribution yet while out of party you don't get the benefit of bard songs or mystic heals, and it would be nice to have the option to split loot while in party to encourage further reasons to use the party system).