How to revive the dying shards

[Shady Ghost]

Another thing, if this is for dying shards.. I thought about it a little, but some people have asked for extra housing in the past, I think, maybe for every 6-7 years on your account, you get an extra house spot to put on another shard might be a little kick in the right direction maybe.. Instead of just opening the flood gates for everyone to have houses on every shard all over. That is a high enough bar that it keeps it from being insane housing issues, and low enough bar to keep people from flipping out like shard shields.

 

[Kael]

How expected that I fisk you, and this is all I get. "I've already done the research" does not cut it when claims of subscribers and profits are unverified. You talk about "proof," so where are the verified financial statements? Where is the count of unique IPs? Absolutely I will demand such things, and until then, talk is cheap. How do I know it's not just someone trying to portray his shard as so busy, in order to attract people? And my personal financial records are not in question here since I am not the one making claims. Is that so hard to understand?

"They don't need a monthly subscription because the f2p model works." Notwithstanding they therefore have a lot of free riders, you still ignore the simple point that if it weren't for price, not as many people would play. Why is that so hard for you to understand?

I am not making claims, I am stating that it is busy as hell. I know this because I have played there. The busy shards are all classic shards not modern day UO. There is a niche for a classic shard, it is popular and for the free shards it is lucrative. I obviously can not link the shards as I would be breaking rules...so go look it up yourself. There is no other way. What are EA's subscription numbers? Where is EA's UO verified financial statements ? Why would anyone post their business numbers on the internet?

I would gather most people donate in some manner. Most players have at least one or two ethies which are purchased through donation coins. Some players donate ALOT. Looking at it I have gone months without donating and then loving some changes and content they toss in and donate again. I have no idea how many donate every month or just toss some bucks every three or four months. I'm sure some just buy donation coins off other players. I never saw a poll on how many did but most do claim to support.

I don't see a lot of bugs in the game. They add a ton of content and I still don't see a lot of bugs. They balance pvp with input from the players and I don't see a lot of bugs. One shard made a custom castles called the Fortress. In fact, the owner brought me in and customized it around me asking for input. The added huge basements as gold sinks. I didn't see a lot of bugs. Would it not make sense to put the latest bug free patch in the era you so desire?

 

[Surgeries]

I've already done the research and sampled the product. You on the other hand just babble on and refuse to look at proof. I can't link the site but you should look just to see how popular the classic shards are. You want the shard's owners personal tax returns as proof? Hahaha...post ea's and your own personal one. They don't need a monthly subscription because the f2p model works.

So...just answer me this, then:

How much revenue do Free Shards develop? Do you know? Are they a corporate model, or a "Kid in the Basement" model? By the way...EA DOES post "Audited Financials"...every year. They have to, by the rules governing companies with publicly traded stock. EA doesn't publish a "UO Only" set anymore than Disneyland breaks down their financials (which they do have per SEC rules) by all of the different rides at Disneyland. I spent 5 years as a licensed Securities Broker, and am quite well versed in these matters.

Did you play UO back when there was only Fel? That Classic Game only worked (and just barely at that) with a "Fel Only" ruleset, and ONLY because it was the ONLY game like it, at the time. You can attest the early success to the fact it was a wide open sandbox, but that fact nearly did the game in, based on the actions EA took as soon as EverQuest came out (March of 1999) and ripped the subs apart..since EverQuest didn't have Non-Con PvP. That's when EA introduced "The Choice" that was Trammel, as poorly done as that segment of UO history could possibly be done.

Since you KNOW that the "Classic Shard" feel will work so well...show us! It should be easy with your worldly knowledge of MMOs, development cycles, consumer surveys, and general corporate moxy needed to make a "Fel Only F2P Model" type of game! The kind here you can be killed anywhere anytime! Oh the THRILL!! Yeah...make it so that everyone can be killed anywhere...for free...and then charge the ones that DON'T like THAT type of game play to get into Trammel...

Brilliant!! LOL!

*FacePalm*

 

[Kirthag]

We do not discuss the "Free Shards" on Stratics.

Please keep to the original topic.

 

[THP]

i think we can safely go... 1 house per shard per account ... with no hassles whatsover...and still room!!! best they made it any extras was malas only.... lot a lot a lot green/white/ brown fields in malas on most shards

 

[Shady Ghost]

i think we can safely go... 1 house per shard per account ... with no hassles whatsover...and still room!!! best they made it any extras was malas only.... lot a lot a lot green/white/ brown fields in malas on most shards

Yeah but if you go too much like that, people will start closing accounts en masse I think. If they did 1 extra house per 6-7 years, we may still lose a few accounts, but if they won't consider lowering account cost, at least give us a little more cookies for the asking price.

 

[THP]

tokens for extra housing would be the way.... 5-10$ per extra real shard... add on to ya acount... pretty sure...wouls work...but not ya main account ant is would be limited to say villa/log cabin size house...ie mediumn 2/3 story

 

[THP]

ie... if your account as house on pacs say and siege as well.. whatever....not that that matters.. u can only pay extra 5-10$ per exrtra house on any other shard [one per shard] but these only logcabin/villa size house

 

[Shady Ghost]

Who knows, it seems like the focus is not on reviving dead shards anyhow. but maybe they'll surprise us something will give way to a massive advertising campaign and it takes off again for another 15-20 years. We can hope.

 

[The Zog historian]

So...just answer me this, then:

How much revenue do Free Shards develop? Do you know? Are they a corporate model, or a "Kid in the Basement" model? By the way...EA DOES post "Audited Financials"...every year. They have to, by the rules governing companies with publicly traded stock. EA doesn't publish a "UO Only" set anymore than Disneyland breaks down their financials (which they do have per SEC rules) by all of the different rides at Disneyland. I spent 5 years as a licensed Securities Broker, and am quite well versed in these matters.

Ah, I didn't see your post until I had made my reply. You'd better be careful before someone accuses you of being my sock puppet! We both know the industry well, but it's hardly uncommon knowledge anyway. And even a private company, if it wants to gain any trust from invited private investors, will reveal verifiable financial statements similar to a 10K.

Did you play UO back when there was only Fel? That Classic Game only worked (and just barely at that) with a "Fel Only" ruleset, and ONLY because it was the ONLY game like it, at the time. You can attest the early success to the fact it was a wide open sandbox, but that fact nearly did the game in, based on the actions EA took as soon as EverQuest came out (March of 1999) and ripped the subs apart..since EverQuest didn't have Non-Con PvP. That's when EA introduced "The Choice" that was Trammel, as poorly done as that segment of UO history could possibly be done.

Since you KNOW that the "Classic Shard" feel will work so well...show us! It should be easy with your worldly knowledge of MMOs, development cycles, consumer surveys, and general corporate moxy needed to make a "Fel Only F2P Model" type of game! The kind here you can be killed anywhere anytime! Oh the THRILL!! Yeah...make it so that everyone can be killed anywhere...for free...and then charge the ones that DON'T like THAT type of game play to get into Trammel...

Brilliant!! LOL!

*FacePalm*

I and a few others keep pointing out that UO's peak was two years after Trammel, long enough that player lag time can be discounted as a factor, and the "growth" during Fel-only days was because so many were trying the game but not staying long. There were enough new suckers, believing the box's representation of monsters and defending cities, more than those who quit in frustration.

 

[The Craftsman]

We do not discuss the "Free Shards" on Stratics.

Please keep to the original topic.

Come on Kirthag. Thats inflexible moderation strictly by the rulebook.

Free shards arent being discussed by name nor is the discussion about freeshards per se as you well know. The discussion has come about in comparing the official ruleset with other rulesets, the popularity of those rulesets, and whether its financially viable to operate them. This is all in context with the thread and an interesting and pertinent discussion based on the title of the thread. But you already know that. I hope.

 

[Kirthag]

Come on Kirthag. Thats inflexible moderation strictly by the rulebook.

Free shards arent being discussed by name nor is the discussion about freeshards per se as you well know. The discussion has come about in comparing the official ruleset with other rulesets, the popularity of those rulesets, and whether its financially viable to operate them. This is all in context with the thread and an interesting and pertinent discussion based on the title of the thread. But you already know that. I hope.

The questions about what goes on with a "Free Shard", ie. revenue, business practices and such, is what shall not be discussed on Stratics.
Talking about the possibilities of different rule sets, features, player involvement and such so as to encourage Shard growth of the official shards hosted by Broadsword is by all means encouraged.

If discussion slants again toward the specifics of "Free Shards", this thread will be locked.

 

[The Craftsman]

The questions about what goes on with a "Free Shard", ie. revenue, business practices and such, is what shall not be discussed on Stratics.

The stratics lips move but the voice is EA's

 

[The Craftsman]

The questions about what goes on with a "Free Shard", ie. revenue, business practices and such, is what shall not be discussed on Stratics.

The stratics lips move but the voice is EA's

 

[MalagAste]

Look does any of this really matter?

WE as players can't do much of anything in regards to player base EXCEPT..... Help and encourage new and returning players as much as we can.

Make things happen on our shards. IE .... Do hunts and call out in Gen Chat that your doing something and welcome others to join you. Don't play solo... Include your fellow shard members.

Answer questions in Gen Chat to the best of your ability...

Don't con your fellow players... The more we break down our fellow players the more likely they are to quit.
On the same lines if you find someone being scammed in Gen Chat TELL THEM SO. Don't just keep your mouth shut and do nothing. Say NO. Let the person know about known scammers on your shard. Perhaps they don't know that XYZ is a scam artist but YOU do. You know if we stop letting them get away with scamming other players by keeping everyone well informed we'd be more likely to KEEP the decent players and less likely to encourage and keep the scammers and cheats.

Talk to your old guildmates and friends you have contact with still... let them know you still play... talk to them about changes... the proposed new expansion.... encourage them to return and give UO another try.

Get involved... don't just wait around for someone ELSE to always do something. If you are bored go gather keys to some peerless .... I'm sure you could find some folk to join you before the keys run out.

And finally to all those sitting on fat billions of gold... maybe it's time you got involved in something other than hording gold.... what good does it do if there is no one left to play with? Maybe get with folk who do organize events on your shard and donate prizes... If folk had more to spend they might be more inclined to buy.... or less inclined to leave... if they are having fun.

There are many things we can do as players... to make other players feel more welcome and more inclined to stay in UO.



I know the game needs a lot of work... there are tons of bugs to fix... there are many things that could use updating... Perhaps if we give the DEV's some encouragement and idea's... rather than constant criticism they might be more inclined to do more.

There are 100's of wonderful idea's that could seriously improve things. Perhaps if each of us thought about our "favorite" aspects of the game.... and considered how those things could be improved without completely revamping the game... it might help.

We know they can't bring back the old days. Ok. We need to stop thinking along those lines. But consider more what small things might be added to boost the game. Like the Huntsmans quests which are fun.... but maybe for "other" things.

Perhaps there are things that might be added that wouldn't take a lot of coding and new art. Simple things that could improve the game but not unbalance things. Remember we need to keep balance in the game. What might be awesome for PvM might not be good for PvP or vise versa. The trade quests are loads of fun and encourage town support... while giving a nice non-unbalancing reward.

Anyway there are many things we as players can do to encourage others to keep playing.

 

[Uriah Heep]

We need Fayled to come back, he could straighten all this out!

 

[Kael]

So...just answer me this, then:

How much revenue do Free Shards develop? Do you know? Are they a corporate model, or a "Kid in the Basement" model? By the way...EA DOES post "Audited Financials"...every year. They have to, by the rules governing companies with publicly traded stock. EA doesn't publish a "UO Only" set anymore than Disneyland breaks down their financials (which they do have per SEC rules) by all of the different rides at Disneyland. I spent 5 years as a licensed Securities Broker, and am quite well versed in these matters.

Did you play UO back when there was only Fel? That Classic Game only worked (and just barely at that) with a "Fel Only" ruleset, and ONLY because it was the ONLY game like it, at the time. You can attest the early success to the fact it was a wide open sandbox, but that fact nearly did the game in, based on the actions EA took as soon as EverQuest came out (March of 1999) and ripped the subs apart..since EverQuest didn't have Non-Con PvP. That's when EA introduced "The Choice" that was Trammel, as poorly done as that segment of UO history could possibly be done.

Since you KNOW that the "Classic Shard" feel will work so well...show us! It should be easy with your worldly knowledge of MMOs, development cycles, consumer surveys, and general corporate moxy needed to make a "Fel Only F2P Model" type of game! The kind here you can be killed anywhere anytime! Oh the THRILL!! Yeah...make it so that everyone can be killed anywhere...for free...and then charge the ones that DON'T like THAT type of game play to get into Trammel...

Brilliant!! LOL!

*FacePalm*

You must be Zog's twin... or wife !! LOL

Nooooooooooooooooo Fel is scaarrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy!!!!!

 

[Zosimus]

Instead of going back to the old old old and older days it be much better if they would just simplify the game.

I mean how many times a classic shard can be brought up and the majority here on Stratics ( Not the majority that plays the game because forum posters are the minority) shoots it down every time.

UO needs to go back to its roots. AoS was the result to try to compete with EQ and its been a mess since. The devs back then forgot what UO was and tried to make a game to compete with EQ.

1) UO needs to be UO.

2) UO needs to be simple.

3) UO was about simple armor and weps.

4) UO had a crafting community which had reasons to craft for the community based on demand.

5) UO was about supply and demand. Things broke and had to be fixed or made. Vendors used to be full of potions, armor, weps, and supplies.

6) Resist actually worked as intended.

7) Poison katanas and silver weps ( my fav weps back in the day when I was a kid)

8) Fix PvP and quit using luring tactics.

9) Demand UO to be OK with having new features as modern games ( gen chat and vendor search as examples) but cater to MMO players who want simplicity not complexity.

1o) Devs need to talk to the player base in game and forums and ask what they would want as a UO.

11) Be UO and quit trying to be a competitive cheaply version of WoW.

12) Be the sandbox!



People will rage quit with changes good or bad. No matter what the devs do. Some will leave some, some former players may come back. To get new players they wont last long when they find out you need to have a game degree and college degree with math as their major, to just kill a mongbat with the right stuff.

I really enjoy reading the remarks from some posters when somebody openly posts their goodbyes "see you back in a few months when you cant find another game" which may be true to a point if they are looking for a UO. These same comments are not true to a point when a player finds another game they enjoy and do not come back. Not everybody leaves looking for a better UO but may leave for changes in the game life, larger game community, or just tired of the same confused mess what used to be UO.

 

[The Zog historian]

I am not making claims, I am stating that it is busy as hell. I know this because I have played there. The busy shards are all classic shards not modern day UO. There is a niche for a classic shard, it is popular and for the free shards it is lucrative. I obviously can not link the shards as I would be breaking rules...so go look it up yourself. There is no other way. What are EA's subscription numbers? Where is EA's UO verified financial statements ? Why would anyone post their business numbers on the internet?

Since my reply was deleted, I will repost. Since you are clearly "unfamiliar" with how publicly traded companies operate, and as Surgeries posted, EA is subject to SEC rules that require periodic filings of financial records like 10Ks — including online, for the entire world to see. These rules do not require details about UO's numbers, but EA is not judged on those numbers anyway.

Once again, I am not making claims about my own finances, so there's nothing incumbent on me. A person or people in charge of this "free" shard, however, seems/seem to be making claims, and as such let's see the proof. Talk is cheap online, so where are verifiable statements from the CPA? Is there so much as an IRS filing? You say you played there. Did you count every last person? One hundred, two hundred people at WBB like the old days?

You want others to do the research for you, when, why, you're affiliated with the shard and want to drum up business by steering curious people to it?

I would gather most people donate in some manner.

In other words, you're guessing.

Most players have at least one or two ethies which are purchased through donation coins. Some players donate ALOT. Looking at it I have gone months without donating and then loving some changes and content they toss in and donate again. I have no idea how many donate every month or just toss some bucks every three or four months. I'm sure some just buy donation coins off other players. I never saw a poll on how many did but most do claim to support.

And what do "most" and "some" mean? No CFO in the real world would get away with such claims, even one for a private company that wants to give, you know, verifiable records to a potential investor.

I don't see a lot of bugs in the game.

So you're admitting they do have bugs. What are not fixed?

They add a ton of content and I still don't see a lot of bugs. They balance pvp with input from the players and I don't see a lot of bugs. One shard made a custom castles called the Fortress. In fact, the owner brought me in and customized it around me asking for input. The added huge basements as gold sinks. I didn't see a lot of bugs.

And you admit again there are still some bugs. Quantity does not mean quantity, however. A single bug can be game-breaking.

Would it not make sense to put the latest bug free patch in the era you so desire?

Because so many bugs weren't fixed until much later. Draw the line at Publish 15 and there are still

 

[Kirthag]

The questions about what goes on with a "Free Shard", ie. revenue, business practices and such, is what shall not be discussed on Stratics.
Talking about the possibilities of different rule sets, features, player involvement and such so as to encourage Shard growth of the official shards hosted by Broadsword is by all means encouraged.

If discussion slants again toward the specifics of "Free Shards", this thread will be locked.

I love the passion so many people have expressed in this thread, but we do not discuss "Free Shard" practices.

From the ROC (emphasized for clarification):

G. Advertising of player-run shards is prohibited.
Additionally our forums are not designed to provide technical support for shard emulators and as such all discussions related to the building, maintaining, production and upkeep of them are prohibited.​

Parts of the ROC have been updated in the past few days, as have the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. I encourage everyone to please read them.

I am closing this thread. If the OP and others wish to reopen a new one and the community will keep it on topic without the "Free Shard" debate, it will be left alone.

Thank you.