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Trial Accounts and You

Petra Fyde

Peerless Chatterbox
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Can you code entrances? Thus keeping trial accounts to specific areas. Can get into Shame, can't go through the gate to level 2? Sort of like house doors. Everyone with a paid account is 'friended' trial accounts are not.
Gates and entrances beyond the first level in dungeons are set at 'friends' access? Same with the facet choices. Can go to Makoto-Jima, but not to the other 2 Tokuno islands for example.

If commodity deeds and houses are unavailable that would seem to stop some of the resource scripting, except that most will also have a paid account and simply friend the trial account to the house. Most ore, as we all know, is dumped in a chest on the front step.
So should we say, trial accounts cannot be friended to houses either? Mine and Terry's characters lived quite happily in the town inns for 6 months, houses were very hard to come by in late 2000 early 2001. I'm sure any new player should be able to do the same for the 15 days a trial account lasts?

A further thought: Heartwood quest take large amounts of resources, stop the resource scripting and I think you'll have stopped the Heartwood scripting too, also the collections scripting.
On bods: How if trial accounts could only collect them on the same kind of timer as the old system, at gm level. ie one bod every 6 hours? No 'hand one in, get one back'? Maybe not 6 hours, but a lengthy timer. A true new player, training a crafter, would be mining the ore to fill the bod, or sheering the sheep.
 

Snakeman

Grand Inquisitor
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Superb, Congrats :bowdown:! That will help immensely to the many problems that plague UO now. it is definitely a step in the right direction. I can't wait to see the rest of them :spider:.
And I bet there will be a lot of P&M'ng & :sad2: by the trial Acct abusers!
 

Snakeman

Grand Inquisitor
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Can you code entrances? Thus keeping trial accounts to specific areas. Can get into Shame, can't go through the gate to level 2? Sort of like house doors. Everyone with a paid account is 'friended' trial accounts are not.
Gates and entrances beyond the first level in dungeons are set at 'friends' access? Same with the facet choices. Can go to Makoto-Jima, but not to the other 2 Tokuno islands for example.

If commodity deeds and houses are unavailable that would seem to stop some of the resource scripting, except that most will also have a paid account and simply friend the trial account to the house. Most ore, as we all know, is dumped in a chest on the front step.
So should we say, trial accounts cannot be friended to houses either? Mine and Terry's characters lived quite happily in the town inns for 6 months, houses were very hard to come by in late 2000 early 2001. I'm sure any new player should be able to do the same for the 15 days a trial account lasts?
Great Idea. Keep them OUT OF SPECIAL EVENT Area's also. That was a big problem in the last 3 Special Events that I saw.
 

Lady Aalia

Atlantic's Finest
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Most ore, as we all know, is dumped in a chest on the front step.
So should we say, trial accounts cannot be friended to houses either? Mine and Terry's characters lived quite happily in the town inns for 6 months, houses were very hard to come by in late 2000 early 2001. I'm sure any new player should be able to do the same for the 15 days a trial account lasts?

A further thought: Heartwood quest take large amounts of resources, stop the resource scripting and I think you'll have stopped the Heartwood scripting too, also the collections scripting.
A true new player, training a crafter, would be mining the ore to fill the bod, or sheering the sheep.
Thats why i thought putting a cap on gathering skills would work well...

Like 60 or maybe to get the first colored wood/Ore for the new players to see what the diffrent ores look like but cap it after that.

Would give the noobs their skill and the scripters would be mining iron and plain wood only


Even thou i am not so sure if most scripters really use the free accounts for gathering?
 

Apetul

Rares Fest Host | LS April 2011
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
  • What current “age related” restrictions you’d like to see removed
Commodity Deed Box!

My two accounts are 7 and 8 months old, and I want to use this box because it's too useful for every player in this game, veteran or not.

Thanks.
 
N

NewThunder

Guest
IMHO:


7. Resource gathering is NOT limited (come on folks, no reason to limit them on this.) If people really are pissy about it, fine, limit the youngs to particular resource gathering areas or to town limits only.
I think the big pitcure issue might be that the trial accounts have been used to script resource gathering because the owner does not care if the account gets banned. So rather then fixing scripting itself, this plan would eliminate one of the tools scripters use.
 
O

Old Man of UO

Guest
Now wait a minute....

I like this idea, but if you put too many restrictions on trial accounts, what's the point in having one anyway? People use these to "test the waters" of UO... too many restrictions and no one will use them at all.

As i said, I think it is a good idea but needs to be implemented in a way that won't discourage new players from trying UO. It may be better just to get rid of Trial accounts altogether.
 
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Lord Kynd

Guest
I'm glad you brought this up!

I don't think restricting trial accounts from Felucca is in line with what UO's all about. PvP is part of UO, and there's a portion of new players who have a strong interest in it.

Instead, we're putting together a tentative fix (not exorcism) for ghost cams at champ spawns for P58. Depending on how solid and how effective it is, it may be delayed, but its at the top of the list.
ok, i can give you that some newbies might be interested in getting ganked right away ? ?? i suppose ...
but how is a newbie suppose to go PvP right from the start ? kinda hard with 0 skill and 0 armor/weapon's ...
anyhow , why should a newbie even if interested in PvP be ableto access the champ spawn area's ? that is a bit more advanced than a new player should ever be.
let them go to fel, but not T2A or fel dungeon's. there really is no need for them to be in these area's and be a new player as well.
ton's of places they can get ganked without ruining the enjoyment of the game for others.
simple.
 
L

lucksi

Guest
I´d like to see the vet rewards age usage removed. If I can buy a vet reward of a vendor, I should be able to use it too.

I have so many vet rewards like dyeing tubs and engravers that I can´t use and it sucks.

Also, now that you got rid off exploiting the new accounts, please, for the love of God, make it that you can actually get a trial account WITHOUT having to either buy a game time card or give all your credit card infos BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN TEST THE GAME.

That scares off a lot of potential customers.
 
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RavenWinterHawk

Guest
Drac,

A couple of things. Great post by the way. Trial accounts have a purpose and that is to introduce players to the game of UO. That should be your mantra and purpose for the trial accounts. They should be geared toward tasting all the candy in the store but not becoming the candy maker.

1. Because it is a trial account the bank boxes should not be able to be abused for holding items such as (dare I say) 124 valorite hammers. A mechanism to wash the bank boxes is needed.

2. Why do you use a trial account? To learn the game. When dead on a trial account the ghost and belongings should be wisked away. See number 3.

3. A trial account needs to be restricted on characture developement. A trial account shouldnt be able to be maxed out in a few days. You can easily get the sense of UO if you like it or not with a basic level of skills.

4. BOD running. Never on a trial account. A great decision.

5. Mining. Never on a trial account beyond a 10 minute period to get the feel. "You have mined ore and are tired. This may become you livelyhood in the future."

6. Can not be friended or use a house in anyway.

7. Can not use containers in anyway except bank box and backpack. This will prevent them from dumping scripted items into containers.

8. Can not use secure trade windows. Remember its a trial account. Let it pop up but say this secure window is not available for trial accounts.

9. Absolutely hue trial account characters yellow. As a vet, I would want to help them out. It would also be easy to see abuses. Think about it.

10. UO is a great game. Restrictions on trial accounts will NOT prevent new players from coming ever.
 

Aurelius

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Sounds good, but I do wonder about one aspect of 'trial' accounts and housing. If the tools available are fairly blunt, and there's only scope for a blanket 'can't place', then that's better than what we have now and should be done - but if there's more sophistication in there, I rather like the idea of letting a trial account place the smallest footprint plot, and nothing more.

One of the things that hooks many in UO is the owning of a house, and let's face it, raising the cash for a basic plot is not exactly a hard task anymore. Letting someone dabble with the tiny plot, and see what house design could mean if they had a real account and a bigger plot, seems a useful extra incentive to keep new folks interested.
 
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RavenWinterHawk

Guest
Sounds good, but I do wonder about one aspect of 'trial' accounts and housing. If the tools available are fairly blunt, and there's only scope for a blanket 'can't place', then that's better than what we have now and should be done - but if there's more sophistication in there, I rather like the idea of letting a trial account place the smallest footprint plot, and nothing more.

One of the things that hooks many in UO is the owning of a house, and let's face it, raising the cash for a basic plot is not exactly a hard task anymore. Letting someone dabble with the tiny plot, and see what house design could mean if they had a real account and a bigger plot, seems a useful extra incentive to keep new folks interested.

That is a good point. I suggest trial accounts can go to the "construction zone" and build. It just wouldnt show up in game. Also they can be directed to go to the test shards. If it werent the fact that meeting players and interacting with them is needed, Id say they (trail accounts) should only be allowed to play the test centers.

But you need the other players to show what UO truely is about.
 

Redxpanda

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
That is huge and it will help alot. As far as the spawn cams go...I don't think it is below these guilds to just pay for 1 account to continue their spawn cams. It's good that they can no longer do it for free but considering what is at stake, i'm sure they will have no problem paying for it.
 
B

blust4

Guest
Hello everyone!

The design team has recently been provided with better tools to identify paying accounts versus free trial accounts once a player has logged in. Up until now content and systems within UO have not been designed in a way that discourages exploitative behavior, treating both types equally.

As you can imagine, this has led some very negative consequences. Resource farming, scripting, house placement exploits – these are all things taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals abusing trial accounts. In turn, we’ve had to put hard caps on usage of various game features; for instance, having to wait an artificial thirty days after making a character before you can do certain things.

We now have the tools in place to accomplish two major things: restrict usage of some features to paying subscribers, and release the “character age” restrictions in others.

Some examples would include:
  • Only letting paying subscribers create/trade houses
  • Make BODs only available to paying subscribers
  • Remove character age requirements for placing houses
Those aren’t the only things we’re looking at, but before we get too ahead of ourselves, I’d like to solicit your feedback.

I strongly believe this new ability will make the game healthier, and reward loyal players while removing the ease with which our systems are exploited. I should reiterate that this is only an effort to fix a gaping hole in the way we design our systems. This isn’t a change to the way UO’s subscription model works in any way.

Our definition of trial accounts does *not* include the free game time associated with buying an actual release of the game. That first month of paid subscription entitles you to *all* the benefits of a regular subscriber. These restrictions will only be applied to the free trial accounts.

We’re currently targeting these changes for Publish 58.

I’m opening this thread to discuss:
  • Discussion on the impact of being able to restrict trial users from some systems
  • What systems you feel are meant for paying subscribers
  • What current “age related” restrictions you’d like to see removed
Thank you,

Tim "Draconi" Cotten
I think BOD restriction for trial accounts is OK but housing placement restriction is not. First, you have to wait for 15 days to place a house right now. It is not like people see a plot then he can immediately create an account to place at that spot. And under current system, he has to pay his subscription in another 15 days to keep the new house. A good new opening spot is a good enticement for veteran players to open one more account under old policy. If you change that, I don't think many old players will keep an account open just in case he may find a new spot.

Secondly, the new change is to have new accounts wait longer like 45 days
to place a house instead of 15 days. It will be a much harder sell for people who want to bring their friends to UO. In this space age, 15 days is already an eternality. New players don't want to be punished because they are new. If you want to keep them suffer longer, they just choose not to come at all.



What device team need to do is to condemn houses immediately once the owner stopped paying subscription or trial period ends without renewal. Then the house will fall in 7 days.
 
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blust4

Guest
The trial accounts are already bind to 1 credit card per account. You cant create more than 1 trial account with the same cc.
This is not true. I recently opened 2 trial accounts with the same CC. And this is really not a good restriction because people have multiple CC these days.
 

TheScoundrelRico

Stratics Legend
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Don't allow new accounts access to Siege. Although a few players starting on Siege could be lost, I'd say keeping the existing players from abusing these accounts for house placement and other things which could harm our economy...I'd say it's worth the risk...la
 

Ylias Tendris

Adventurer
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
It will be a much harder sell for people who want to bring their friends to UO. In this space age, 15 days is already an eternality. New players don't want to be punished because they are new. If you want to keep them suffer longer, they just choose not to come at all.
If they want it that much they can always convert their trial to a paid account. What's the issue? If they not gonna stay after the trial is over (know that they wont continue playing) they wont even bother placing a house.

What device team need to do is to condemn houses immediately once the owner stopped paying subscription or trial period ends without renewal. Then the house will fall in 7 days.
Device team :D
So if someone is on holidays and forgot to renew his subsription his house is gone after he comes back? You cant be serious.
 
B

blust4

Guest
Just wondering, what exactly constitutes a trial account? Is it one created using the free code from the account website or something else?
All unpaid accounts are trial accounts. Most are those created using the new player account registration code come with the box you used to buy in Best Buy or Wal-Mart. (You paid the box but not the subscriptions.) You got 30 or 45 trial period using these registration codes.
 
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RichDC

Guest
Some examples would include:
  • Only letting paying subscribers create/trade houses
  • Make BODs only available to paying subscribers
  • Remove character age requirements for placing houses


Tim "Draconi" Cotten
All sound good except the highlighted, i know this system has been heavily abused but, if a player has just "stumbled" across uo and want to try it as a crafter they will be missing one of the most (if only) rewarding part of being a crafter.

Also if you were to do this would that also mean that heartwood quests would be unavailabe???

P.S. sorry if someone else brought this up i couldnt be bothered to read all the posts...Lazy brit!!!
 
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RichDC

Guest
Drac,

A couple of things. Great post by the way. Trial accounts have a purpose and that is to introduce players to the game of UO. That should be your mantra and purpose for the trial accounts. They should be geared toward tasting all the candy in the store but not becoming the candy maker.

1. Because it is a trial account the bank boxes should not be able to be abused for holding items such as (dare I say) 124 valorite hammers. A mechanism to wash the bank boxes is needed.

2. Why do you use a trial account? To learn the game. When dead on a trial account the ghost and belongings should be wisked away. See number 3.

3. A trial account needs to be restricted on characture developement. A trial account shouldnt be able to be maxed out in a few days. You can easily get the sense of UO if you like it or not with a basic level of skills.

4. BOD running. Never on a trial account. A great decision.

5. Mining. Never on a trial account beyond a 10 minute period to get the feel. "You have mined ore and are tired. This may become you livelyhood in the future."

6. Can not be friended or use a house in anyway.

7. Can not use containers in anyway except bank box and backpack. This will prevent them from dumping scripted items into containers.

8. Can not use secure trade windows. Remember its a trial account. Let it pop up but say this secure window is not available for trial accounts.

9. Absolutely hue trial account characters yellow. As a vet, I would want to help them out. It would also be easy to see abuses. Think about it.

10. UO is a great game. Restrictions on trial accounts will NOT prevent new players from coming ever.

Like your thinking, but on the bods why not, if they choose to be a crafter, give them young bods(similar to the old style newb t-maps) then they get a taster of that life to.
 
B

blust4

Guest
Device team :D
So if someone is on holidays and forgot to renew his subsription his house is gone after he comes back? You cant be serious.
If your credit card is in good standing, your subscripton will be automatically renewed even you are in holiday or vacation.
 

Draconi

Most explosive UO Legend
VIP
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
All unpaid accounts are trial accounts. Most are those created using the new player account registration code come with the box you used to buy in Best Buy or Wal-Mart. (You paid the box but not the subscriptions.) You got 30 or 45 trial period using these registration codes.
This is not quite correct. For the purposes of these restrictions, we're talking about the free trial accounts.

The first month codes that come with actual purchases are not the source of abuse, and since they purchased the game (and the first month), they will be entitled to all the rights of a regular subscriber.
 
D

DuttyD

Guest
So beautiful! Start burning those houses!!

The beautiful part is there are a lot of upstanding members of the community who CHEAT by paying every cpl months for the account, to hold the house.

I am lol at these "good people". Thanks Draconi for calling them out!
 
M

MoonglowMerchant

Guest
Does limiting trial accounts mean we could get BoS back to working how they did? Maybe not for gold, but for resources?
Yes
You have a fix for scripting then?

Because the only way I can see to prevent massive scripting of gold and resources, the kind we have had for years, is to continue to allow BOS to operate as they are now, or fix scripting.
 
P

peanutbutter

Guest
okay, but some of you sound like new account haters big time. be careful there. saw some person listed a whole tablet of "no's" for non-pay accounts. the assumption that most "young" players are temp accounts set up by vets is correct, but responding to them as if ALL "young" players are vet temp accounts is a bad idea. limiting them to haven or not allowing them to take quests or get scrolls or get bod's of any kind is a broad stroke and a mistake. pixel crack is what people want these days and you have to give them a taste of it early or they won't get addicted. so, just make sure that you leave some of that the for any random REAL new players who happen to wander through the wrong door and end up playing UO.
 
T

TylerDurdenGL

Guest
Amazing step in the right direction. I read this entire thread. Some of you are total haters that is for sure but I am also positive that the dev team will be able to find a happy medium between all the extreme lefts and rights that are in this thread.
 
P

peanutbutter

Guest
1 trial per E-mail, IP, Credit card, Home address
yes, 1 TRIAL...

not just 1 ACCOUNT.

i should be able to have 20 pay accounts on my 1 credit card if want, even if they all came from trial accounts that i set up once every 15 days for 6 or 7 months.

if any new changes mess up being able to pay for multiple accounts with one credit card, there's a problem. - like with plaync (GW, CoH, etc) you can only have, i think, 5 accounts per credit card. well, that's BS.
 

Salivern_Diago

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Its quite simple really, for trial accounts they do-not need to access everywhere! Now Haven is a bit mish mash at times.. HOWEVER I have a suggestion.. Trail accounts CANNOT leave Haven, put small dungeons in there, a small area for housing (max 7x7 size, insta fall when account goes inactive or limted to 15 days only so cant perma place. OH and trail accounts can place there only). A mini champ maybe and some other cut down features of the paid for accounts.

I saw someone say that without Bods, champs, factions etc they would get bored quickly... A new player wouldnt even know what these were so thats kinda irrelevent. The trial is that only, a trial! If they want the full features stump up the cash and do what everyone else does!

Pay for it!

With all of that, they get a taste of what UO is about, get to place houses
 

Gildar

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
No matter what restrictions are placed for Trial Accounts, they should have full access to everything (maybe with some command to toggle between "Trial Account access only" and "Full access" for everybody) on at least one Test Center (if multiple TCs are up at the same time, then one could use normal rules).
A new player should at least have the option to experience everything before taking the plunge.


As for questing and resource gathering restrictions... how about a timer?
"You feel as though your spirit is not yet vested enough in this world, and must take things slower."
One quest every 15 minutes maybe?
 

THP

Always Present
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Awesome news!!!- can only be a great thing for UO!!
 

ColterDC

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Good news.....

New players don't need access to Fel, Bods, Housing or literally about 90% of the game.

Whatever you do, don't back down from bringing down the hammer on the abuse of trial accounts. Reading some of these responses you can really tell which posters are trying to save whatever "exploit" they are currently using trial accounts to accomplish.

Someone truely new to the game of UO will be lucky to have a few 100k and some skills worked up to 70-80 by the time their trial is over.

My opinion is limit them to Haven and do not allow any items to be transfered to or from that char.
 
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lucksi

Guest
My opinion is limit them to Haven and do not allow any items to be transfered to or from that char.
Dropping stuff on the ground and picking it up. Restriction solved.

Seriously, why shouldn´t they be allowed to trade with another player? I see no sense whatsoever in limiting that.
 

lucitus

UOEC Modder
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
All bull**** here, if a scripter sees this, what you think is he doing? Opening a account with a normal code!

So you must make something against scripters and not against the Trial Accounts! The simple answer to the trial accounts is, close the trial program.

An account without features is not usefull, no new player will come with such an account.

Limit it with 1 Char per Account, no other limits are required, because with only one char you can play wonderfull, but you cant really cheat with only one char!
 

kelmo

Old and in the way
Professional
Alumni
Supporter
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Dread Lord
I think we are getting some issues confused here. Just my humble opinion...
 

Warpig Inc

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I sit hear and read and want to respond to given issues but can't. How many times it posted before on the way the game and its systems are abused. Trail account and what a new to the game account from an additional account should be seperate. You start a new account and the window pops asking is this a first time stand alone account or an additional account of an existing player. If new stand alone account you'll be restricted from for 1 month and from for 3 months and 6 months from doing what not and the other.

If this is and addition account, what account is this account to be tied to? The new tied account will not be restricted from theese (__________) new account restrictions. This tied account will become stand alone account after 1 year. This allows an experienced player start a second account or help fast track a friend. Add in some cool account tied statue that changes colors after a tied account goes stand alone showing your promotion of the game. This would also flag a main profiting paying account from having tied to many accounts that never made it a month to aviod stand alone restrictions.

A new stand alone account has enough to learn before tackling any of the bigger projects. Hell it takes a month to learn to run down a street and turn corner at a full run without hitting the corner of a building or stepping through a door without running into the door frame. New account should have no use of a soulstone for at least the first few months let alone 30 days.

Sell me one of those 120 mining PS plz. And stop trying to get rid of a bush PROBLEM by picking the leaves off and just start at the roots.

What? We have had the issue with champ cams few months after their luanch. Just when any champ is launched a larger area then the spawn area auto rezs any dead player and reveals any hidden players in a zone larger then the champ zone. Any ghost that refuses or doesn't decide to rez gets shot to brit. Hidden characters revealed in a larger area of spawn start gets hit with leaving muddy footprints for a duration. Advancing the spawn with virtue does the reveal and rez effect again.
 
C

cucujanu

Guest
Please remove the age restrictions for the 720 skill cap.
It sucks to wait 4 years to build a char complete.
Keep the vet rewards for account age .that should be enough.
 

Gildar

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
All bull**** here, if a scripter sees this, what you think is he doing? Opening a account with a normal code!
Which cuts into profits for scripters who open the accounts legitimately, increases the chance that a would-be scripter will use their own credit card, increases the chance that EA will have ways to ban alternative accounts owned by the scripter, draws in more money for EA for the scripters who legitimately pay for the accounts, increases the chance that scripters who won't pay legitimately will get caught for credit-card fraud (and thus no longer be a problem)...

edit::
This is not meaning to say that the level of restrictions some people are asking for don't go way overboard... but there are ways to limit access for a trial customers in a way that makes it much less profitable for scripters without overly limiting the exposure to UO given to legitimate trial customers.
 

It Lives

Slightly Crazed
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
edit::
This is not meaning to say that the level of restrictions some people are asking for don't go way overboard... but there are ways to limit access for a trial customers in a way that makes it much less profitable for scripters without overly limiting the exposure to UO given to legitimate trial customers.
I agree.

I don't think it is " The magic bullet" to wipe all cheating but it will have positive results and needs to be followed through.
 
S

slaveone

Guest
Sounds like a step in the right direction to me. I'm sure there will be some exploiters who will come in here and try to think of some pathetic excuse as to why trial accounts should be able to do this an that. Forget about them the only people really "using" trial accounts these days are people with agendas. Your average joe newbie player isn't going to need to

Place a house, get a BOD, Have a vendor, etc...

Start blocking these chumps ASAP!
 

Prince Erik

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Hello everyone!


I’m opening this thread to discuss:
  • Discussion on the impact of being able to restrict trial users from some systems
  • What systems you feel are meant for paying subscribers
  • What current “age related” restrictions you’d like to see removed
Thank you,

Tim "Draconi" Cotten
Oh my... add me to the Draconi fanbase for this one!!! :) My request.. Please if you're going to let trial accounts in fel, please at least remove the ability to get double resources. I've gained enough counts killing trial account, script mining mace and sheld glasses hogging (insert favorite nasty word here) miners to last me a life time. These are accounts that follow the same recall patterns that change their names every month and run from server up to server down. With that change at least their productivity will be cut in half...

-P.E.
 
C

CatLord

Guest
Off topic:
While you are cleaning uo maybe this will help.

Patch uo every day at server up, changing one or two random bytes.
Only allow folk that have the latest update to run uo.

This will kill ALL scripts... and its origin.
 

WildWobble

Sage
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I think that you have a very good plan in the makeing.

if you are able to distinguish between paying and trial accounts i do not see why you can't put a restriction of say coupple hours a day allowed by timer to do all the features such as lumberjack or miner work to still give the avarage person a chance to have some fun doing said things while working on character. And yet restricting the nasty ppl from major exploits.

Might also want to allow them to get trial bods also say 2 or 3 bods a day with a msg on the reward system saying to unlock unlimited bod turn in please subscribe. When i first started i was set on arts and crafts to get the stuff for my adventurer's and i started with a trial account lots of the time used for a miner warrior and more on a tailor smith tinker ext.. And lets be honest here Bods are important to learn i am not the most bod oriented crafter but many love to fill bods for an hour or so a day to work at getting something cool.

remove young player status all together be a good idea i know its intent is to help a new guy out but, well we have new haven, and an easy travel system of moongates to all the major hot spots. If i am learning how to play the game i want the monsters that are hostile to attack me its what they do!!. A little more information in new haven even just a public msg board letting people know where to go what to do would also be handy. Be nice if was a msg board where we can say come visit luna city of light Good shoping and many people to meet. board right on the bank walls outside or a big post in the ground by the moongates with msg boards be handy.


anyhow i will stop my ramble Have a good day.


One last thing i know the vets want to keep exclusivity to rewards but lets face it most are pleaseing to new players and if i am able to aquire the deed to say an ankh i think i should be able to use said deed since it is an item that exists someone claimed the reward then sold it or let it fall to ground when they left the game and was claimed i think that it was claimed justify's its existance in the world and should not be restricted to account age its foolishness haveing the age restrictions on items makes alot of us who do not know go buy a cannon only to learn how much it will **** us off trying to place it! But for sure dye tubs need to be free to use at any age that age restriction is just dumb. And yes my account is not that old only had 1st year rewards am looking forward to year 2 ones and plan to see 3 4 5 eventually.. mabe... well i don't know but i would sure like to use some of them but that wont keep me in UO, events and community will the neet new monsters the cool rewards (which could use some more thought i still wish the magic box did something cool like give us a way to magic upgrade potions each day or somthing),
 
D

DHMagicMan_1

Guest
Oh my... add me to the Draconi fanbase for this one!!! :) My request.. Please if you're going to let trial accounts in fel, please at least remove the ability to get double resources. I've gained enough counts killing trial account, script mining mace and sheld glasses hogging (insert favorite nasty word here) miners to last me a life time. These are accounts that follow the same recall patterns that change their names every month and run from server up to server down. With that change at least their productivity will be cut in half...

-P.E.
If they stat and skill cap at 80 or 85... I don't care if they get double resources... then the real fels can just get more ore when the "freebies" are killed. They'll still be MUCH less productive limited by carrying capacity and not getting the higher end ores and woods.
 
M

MorganaLeFey

Guest
*disagrees*
Although it is an inconvenience at times switching out vet characters to place, I feel it is something only vets old enough should be able to do.
*Agrees* Removing age restriction would render the vet system moot in my humble opinion. I'd rather have to deal with a minor inconvenience than lose it.

Besides, I view the vet system as a reward for each year of loyalty to UO, what better way to be recognized?

Anyway, just my two-cents.
 

Viquire

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
No Transcendence Scrolls
No PowerScrolls
No Quests beyond Haven
No Housing
No Vendors
BOD limitations, similar to what Kellgory expressed
No Commodity Deed Creation
No Holiday Rewards
No Factions
No Guilds
No Shard Transfers
No access to most recent publish 'desirable' (Replica Drops currently, as example)
Auto Exorcism back to Haven upon Death, ghosts cannot roam beyond Haven
Virtue Level gain cap at first tier
Keep 'em coming :)

Questing is also under serious discussion, at least limiting the massive abuse of Heartwood.

the "skeleton crew" should not waste to much time with coding thousends of lines,
keep it as simple as possible,
Trial acc. should not be able to leave new haven.
problems solved
Well, I'm not sure that's the best solution although it is definitely the simplest.

Personally I think no housing might be a bit overboard I would however limit housing to classic 7x7 styles though, and if that kind of coding is too complex then I would rather see none at all than rampant abuses.

Then there is this from gheed:
2. Mining and Lumberjacking - limit gathering these resources to plain wood and iron ore. Allow for gems to be found only replace rare gems with common gems. Prohibit use of prospecting tools and limit gargoyle axes to spawning earth elementals.
If we do this could we please pretty please see more of a return of non randomized resource gathering for paying accts? Just think about it please. Its never been my favorite activity, but right now I just can't see the value in spending my time that way.

Along the same train of thought, if we are going to limit gold farming could we take a look at a balance pass for the exhorbident cost of bags of sending. I'm sure they were a bit too easy to use before because no one ever complained, again if we take the bite out of the dog that has gone bad, maybe just a look see to determine whether it is a worthwhile tool for regular paying customers.

Thanks

RoxX on team UO!
 

Maplestone

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The more I think about this, the more I worry about overcomplicating the limitations ... it's going to be very hard for someone helping a player on a trial account to remember all the things that can or can't be done.

- a skill cap (eg: cap skills at 80)
- a movement restriction (no recall/player-created gates/sacred journey)
- no GM support? (not sure if this has ever been a problem)
- no checks/commodity deeds (restricts flow of gold and resources)
- no houses

I'd like a way for trial accounts to be able to do BODs and heartwood quests as these are nice systems to stumble upon for a new player (although admittedly the heartwood ones are difficult to stumble upon). If you didn't have easy transportation, this would mean a paid account would almost certainly have to provide the raw materials and be the point that could be targetted.

edit: oops, it's already been thought of
 
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