[UO Herald] Test Center Update - Publish 69 Available Today!

[xxmoondancerxx]

Love Love Loveee the Metallic Dye Tub!

 

[canary]

I hope not because I might want one. I think boura are cute and always wished they were mounts. Instead of removing them, maybe the developers could add additional rewards for those that don't like the boura.

True, why not give two other ethy options?

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

To Lynk:

From all the library owners and patrons: BITE US.

Yes, sadly, the boura mounts will be a status symbol. And thats why they will be chosen.

Fortunately, 13 year vets are somewhat rare

I'll have to transfer to GL just to go to Luna w/ one and find you ;PPP

*remembers to stealth while in Luna*

Damn boura-riding stalkers!

Canary you just like to argue with me.

No, I'm just disagreeing with those who think its a sucky mount. I actually like it.

You also have a character for which it makes perfect sense!

It’s still fugly though

 

[WarUltima]

Since the vet gets a new cool ridable boura mount now can we underpowered tamers get some new bones for the holidays?

How about tamable and ridable Bouras call them "Dread Warboura" 4 Slot mountable pet. I identical to the strength of Cu and preserve its stun attack.

or the very unique "Dread War Raptors" which is 3 slot mountable pet that has identical stats as dread mare but it should run faster (they are raptors), casts spells, Raptor Breathe and preserve their stun attack as well. And it will have the same chance to do a death strike (capped at 50 dmg) as a hiryu to preform a dismount attack.

Just a few idea to make UO better and balance tamers a bit.

 

[Coppelia]

THAT is the point. Every year you play you get a choice of rewards, that system is in place and isn't under debate. My argument is, there is CERTAINLY a difference in someone that has stuck with UO for so long versus someone that has only played for a short while.

The veteran reward is under debate because it sucks terribly. Not because you shouldn't have a pat in the back for subscribing for that long, but because currently it's blocked content. And it's blocked over a very arbitrary thing.


And it's particularily crappy because by adding content blocked for more and more time, it may give you the idea to keep reward points for the reward you'll be able to get in 5 years for example. Finally you have no reward this year, and you'll just run after a train already several stations away.
It's cute that players who are there from the beginning cry and all, but each year they have access to all the new content. Others have a frustrating teaser.

Veteran rewards should be something else. A gift, but not exclusive content when everyone could want it. The funnier is that devs use time to create that blocked content. Next time they should add a new dungeon with new mobs at an unreachable place. That's very productive. They could even say "It'll open in 10 years!"


If UO could attract new active players instead of trying to keep old players subscribing for several accounts while inactive, that would be marvellous but eh what am I asking there...

 

[Trebr Drab]

To Lynk:

From all the library owners and patrons: BITE US.

Yer only sayin' that cus his bark is worse than his bite anyways.
<- typo!

 

[Slickjack]

Last I checked, there wasn't a huge anti-veteran reward rally in Luna saying "NO MORE REWARDS, NO MORE REWARDS!!!!!"


That's just silly.


And by the way, they already HAVE put in areas that haven't been reachable! Have you even explored Ter Mur?


But all of this is off point:

I have an account that is that old and I'm simply expressing my displeasure with the choice, singular.

I'm not begrudging your opinion or saying you don't deserve one. So please, don't be a troll.

 

[popps]

Veteran rewards should be something else...

Rewarding consumers' loyalty to a given product or a brand is a common business practise.

There are marketing studies and money spent on studying how to earn and maintain consumers' loyalty to one's own product or brand.

That's one of the tools used by companies to survive business competition.

So, at least as I see it, it is not much of a gift from a Company's perspective but an "investment" to cherish and maintain one's own customer's loyalty so as not to have them migrate to competitors.

Of course, the longer the loyalty time the higher are the consumer's expectations that the Company has to meet.

But, at least to my opinion, loyalty rewarding is no freebie......

As in regards to reward consumer loyalty in an online computer game where most revenues come from "active" subscriptions, well, having appealing rewards that players want is a way to produce "incentives" for players to maintain their account as active.

Sure, it is not always going to be the main reason (though perhaps, sometimes...) why a player might keep an account as active no matter what but this plus that plus that will all work together and perhaps convince a customer to maintain an account as active.

Of course, in order to achieve this goal the Rewards must be appealing and felt as usefull and wanted by customers otherwise, if players seem then as useless and unnecessary they will not feel them as a motivation good enough (together with other motivations), to keep their account as active thus ensuring revenues to support the game.

That's at least how I see it.

 

[G.v.P]

I hate veteran system. When i wanted runebook dyes and would have had fun using it, I wasn't allowed. When I got the permission, I wasn't interrested anymore (a long time passed, my occupations changed). When I wanted to make a house deco with an ankh, I wasn't allowed. When I got the permission, several years later, I didn't care anymore. And so on.

My major gripe will always be the magic hat! Anyone remember that idea? Would have been like a wizard hat that randomly spawned goodies like a reagent or a bunny . I so wanted that. But it was scrapped prior to development.

# Magic Hat (4th Year Vet Rewards – 22th June 01)

* Intended for emergencies, the user can pull out desperately needed supplies, like a recall scroll, a small number of bandages, a few arrows or bolts, an orange, yellow, or black potion, a few magic reagents, an apple, or even a cute fluffy white bunny rabbit. This stylish treasure can be used once per day.

Source: http://www.noctalis.com/dis/uo/eden0106.shtml

 

[Obsidian]

Gargoyle Mace and Shield glasses are fixed in publish 69. As for missing the first throw 99% of the time, this issue was resolved in a previous publish.

See you on TC

Woot! My garg wraith thrower has been looking forward to this since before the townhall. Glad to hear the issue is getting resolved.

-OBSIDIAN-

 

[Basara]

My major gripe will always be the magic hat! Anyone remember that idea? Would have been like a wizard hat that randomly spawned goodies like a reagent or a bunny . I so wanted that. But it was scrapped prior to development.

# Magic Hat (4th Year Vet Rewards – 22th June 01)

* Intended for emergencies, the user can pull out desperately needed supplies, like a recall scroll, a small number of bandages, a few arrows or bolts, an orange, yellow, or black potion, a few magic reagents, an apple, or even a cute fluffy white bunny rabbit. This stylish treasure can be used once per day.

Source: http://www.noctalis.com/dis/uo/eden0106.shtml

They probably got a cease & desist order on that one from Presto, and his lawyers Venger, Shadow D & Tiamat.

 

[Coppelia]

Rewarding consumers' loyalty to a given product or a brand is a common business practise.

There are marketing studies and money spent on studying how to earn and maintain consumers' loyalty to one's own product or brand.

That's one of the tools used by companies to survive business competition.

So, at least as I see it, it is not much of a gift from a Company's perspective but an "investment" to cherish and maintain one's own customer's loyalty so as not to have them migrate to competitors.

Of course, the longer the loyalty time the higher are the consumer's expectations that the Company has to meet.

But, at least to my opinion, loyalty rewarding is no freebie......

As in regards to reward consumer loyalty in an online computer game where most revenues come from "active" subscriptions, well, having appealing rewards that players want is a way to produce "incentives" for players to maintain their account as active.

Sure, it is not always going to be the main reason (though perhaps, sometimes...) why a player might keep an account as active no matter what but this plus that plus that will all work together and perhaps convince a customer to maintain an account as active.

Of course, in order to achieve this goal the Rewards must be appealing and felt as usefull and wanted by customers otherwise, if players seem then as useless and unnecessary they will not feel them as a motivation good enough (together with other motivations), to keep their account as active thus ensuring revenues to support the game.

That's at least how I see it.

That's true, and UO is very good at that : small bank inventory and houses falling if the account isn't active. You combine that with all sorts of "rare" items from tons of events etc. You obtain houses filled with sentimental craps that players won't want to fall. And you have the housing system itself where the difficulty of placing a castle for those who like them make them certainly not want it to collapse by stopping the subscription when going inactive.
All that works on the editor side. However I'm sorry but I'm not on editor side (they have the power of decision, they don't need my support), I'm a player and I'm saying this system is bad for players. There should be a system where both side feel they are winning.

UO may be profitable for EA with 5 players with 10,000 accounts each, but it's terrible for the game. So again, the players who should be rewarded are, in priority, those who bring true new players.

 

[[JD]]

Uh for the 13 year vets arguing over Boura vs no Boura (Taste great, less filling, taste great, less filling) maybe if they had added more than one vet reward this debate need not exist.

Making sense... it's my talent.

PS. WarUltima, I prefer the greater DragonChicken to balance tamers.

 

[Aboo]

Could we get a character aging gate already so we can test the holiday gifts? I mean you already told us exactly what we're getting, and the art is all in there. It would be nice to voice any possible complaints during the time where something could actually be changed you know.

For example, your "christmas lights" look interesting in the art files, but look like they'll just end up feeling insanely disconnected unless the light sprites come attached to something else when you place them. Hovering blinking lights with nothing connecting them work well with magic, but not with holiday decorations.

And the "angel" looks nice, but how would it look in use? Not to mention will it even fit properly on top of one of the christmas trees since that's obviously what its intent is. And the angle of the rocking horse, just from the art, doesn't seem quite right.. it would be nice to be able to mess around with it in game so we could be sure if it is or isnt (did a nice job redoing the artwork for it though).

So I am not crazy in not finding anywhere to be able to find/test them???

 

[Lynk]

To Lynk:

From all the library owners and patrons: BITE US.

Hi Martyna,

I'll take you up on your offer. Where can I meet you and the other three library owners/patrons? Sosaria is a big world - a predetermined spot to meet up would be best.

 

[Nyses]

Gargoyle Mace and Shield glasses are fixed in publish 69. As for missing the first throw 99% of the time, this issue was resolved in a previous publish.

See you on TC

Bleak, All I can say about that is, THANK YOU!

I read completely threw the patch notes, and did not see it listed anywhere, so figured it was missed. but, thank you again.

p.s. Happy to see you post on the boards, very happy.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

To Lynk:

From all the library owners and patrons: BITE US.

Hi Martyna,

I'll take you up on your offer. Where can I meet you and the other three library owners/patrons? Sosaria is a big world - a predetermined spot to meet up would be best.

Lynk,

I'd suggest the ruined city in the Abyss, just wander around till you find us.

-MZ

P.S. Don't wear any armor.. We don't want to catch any cooties you might bring in.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Read. It's real handy.

So is internal organization.

No offense, but the addition of a white dye tub (and additional loot) to Merchant Ship Loot isn't exactly what I'd call "a bug fix."

*shrugs*

Can't imagine why I didn't look in bug fixes for feature announcements. Me and my silly logic anyway.

 

[G.v.P]

Stage One of the Abyss Flesh out

* We are starting to fill in the areas in the Abyss that are void of monsters, this is only the start but please check out the Abyss.

Has anyone checked this out, and by Abyss, you guys think it's the overworld, the underworld, or the actual abyss area?

 

[Mapper]

Has anyone checked this out, and by Abyss, you guys think it's the overworld, the underworld, or the actual abyss area?

I thought it was the Stygian Abyss dungeon below the Underworld personally, but these publish notes (Which often seem translated from Japanese!) always seem to get things wrong so who knows.

 

[G.v.P]

I thought it was the Stygian Abyss dungeon below the Underworld personally, but these publish notes (Which often seem translated from Japanese!) always seem to get things wrong so who knows.

I found two things right off the bat in Abyss proper -- gargoyle outcasts and a gargoyle rouser. Theyre mystic garg npcs on left side of abyss (from fire island spiral entrance) and they drop around 1k gold. They can cast full range of mystic spells but don't seem to be able to do anything else. I killed two outcasts, or three, and got two tattered remnants of an ancient scroll ... killed one rouser and got 16 spell mysticism spellbook (plain, but filled). Guess I can stop collecting mysticism scrolls.

Since they can all cast colossus theyre sorta nasty if you do them all in a group lol better to take one out at a time. But theyre not that tough hit maybe 16ish in melee @ 59 phys.

 

[Lynk]

Lynk,

I'd suggest the ruined city in the Abyss, just wander around till you find us.

-MZ

P.S. Don't wear any armor.. We don't want to catch any cooties you might bring in.

Martyna - I don't think this location is optimal for the purpose of our grouping. I'm fairly certain that 'biting us' is considered an aggressive act. We'll need to meet somewhere in Fel.

I'm excited to meet all four of the people that use/contribute to the player run libraries!

Best regards,

Lynk

 

[Skrag]

Every shard's RP community has a library or two. They're typically full of short, badly-written stories about other people's RP from ten years ago, A topic even less interesting than hearing about other people's dreams.

They're usually located in the absolute boondocks of Felucca, amid the remnants of a "player town" that hasn't seen any activity in over a decade. In reality, said "town" is more likely a collection of houses all sitting on accounts belonging to one person who barely plays anymore.

It's quite likely the house has a couple of Seer blessing items inside or out front. Any new inductee to the "RP community" will be paraded through places like this, and will have to act like they give a crap, and like the whole thing doesn't look stupid and crude compared to post-AOS house customization.

Inevitably the new inductee will be "turned loose" on this "treasure trove" of ancient irrelevant RP lore. Said inductee will act like this is a great honor and promise to totally come back and read from it, then wander off to cyber that "girl" roleplaying a bisexual drow and never ever come back.

Sorry Martyna, I love your posts and would gladly have your RP babies that mysteriously grow to adulthood in like two weeks, but I've seen deep into the RP communities on three different shards and they're all the same.

 

[Uvtha]

A negative comment from Skrag?!? I don't believe it!

 

[Restroom Cowboy]

My thoughts on the pub..

LJ damage bump chance needs to be increased. 5% is too low.

Deathstrike. This is interesting, increase the damage by 25% but lower the timer. I used to be able to hit 75 damage death strikes if I double DSd and hit them with an omen before the 5th step. I may just have to rebuild that character. If the timer is down to 3 seconds, they only have to stand around for 2 swings. I think this is a good change.

Spellplague / netherbolt / arrow - thank god. SP will still have the possiblity of huge burst dmg, but not guaranteed. I'm so ****ing sick of sp/netherbolt/arrow.

Holiday items... couldn't care less I never use my tickets and claim anything anyways.

Vet rewards... couldn't care less I always pick soulstones anyways.

Com HQ - cool I guess, but no reason to defend towns so who cares.

Reflect - I really don't like this change, but then again I haven't tested the effectiveness. I only hope that without inscription something like an explode breaks reflect. It should only be effective with scribe (imo).

Cleansing - maybe needed a slight nerf.. the notes makes sense but I haven't tested.

What i am curious of is how long you had been running around with over 200 strength. The reason I am curious of this is because mystic weapon hits took a big hit after people complained of *too much damage*.

 

[Lynk]

What i am curious of is how long you had been running around with over 200 strength. The reason I am curious of this is because mystic weapon hits took a big hit after people complained of *too much damage*.

This amuses me more than you could possibly know.

 

[Restroom Cowboy]

This amuses me more than you could possibly know.

I bet it does. When I saw SS of your character Lunchbox...or W/E the name was, I was loling too...

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Martyna - I don't think this location is optimal for the purpose of our grouping. I'm fairly certain that 'biting us' is considered an aggressive act. We'll need to meet somewhere in Fel.

I'm excited to meet all four of the people that use/contribute to the player run libraries!

Best regards,

Lynk

Then I suggest wherever the next Harrower appears, I've been wanting to get it's autograph anyway.

If you don't see us right away, that’s okay. Just give the Harrower a nice big hug and commiserate with it about how misunderstood and unloved you both are. Perhaps a hearty snack of vermiforms might help!

Sorry Martyna, I love your posts and would gladly have your RP babies that mysteriously grow to adulthood in like two weeks, but I've seen deep into the RP communities on three different shards and they're all the same.

Uhm. Scary?

I don't think GL has any libraries in Felucca, let alone any that aren't custom houses. Also, none have seer blessings (Re: Trammel), though two do have banners.

As for poorly written stories from 10 years ago... *shrugs* It’s called history, not all of it can be Shakespeare or Tolstoy. Much of it has little context anymore, but we make do. Part of why I enjoy it is to see how people's writing ability and RP have changed over the years, continuity can be a good thing.

I also know that not every shard is the same, RP-wise. GL is very different from LS, highly different from Atlantic, and monumentally different from Europa. *shrugs again* RP kids, not that there have been any that I remember in the last 5 years, tend to grow up over about two real life years or so. (We use 1 month = 1 year to follow UO’s built-in 12:1 time compression) Fortunately, I have neither the time nor the inclination to have any RP rugrats, sorry.

 

[Skrag]

If your frame of reference is five years, you never did RP on GL while it was any good. Great Lakes RP went to hell after Highland Guard broke up. When Society of Shadows went full ****** like a year later, there wasn't even anyone for YM to gank.

You're right though, I was generalizing. The ugly abandoned Seer-blessed Felucca building I'm most familiar with on GL wasn't a library, it was that stupid Temple of Mondain keep with the cemetery outside. I forget which ToM chucklehead was flying the flag at the time, there were always one or two of them bouncing around telling everyone how important their guild was back in the Stone Age when it had people in it.

They still doing those "high council" meetings with 10 out of 12 (or whatever) seats empty?

Yeah I'm just some random guy who doesn't know a thing.

 

[Halister Marner]

Martyna - I don't think this location is optimal for the purpose of our grouping. I'm fairly certain that 'biting us' is considered an aggressive act. We'll need to meet somewhere in Fel.

I'm excited to meet all four of the people that use/contribute to the player run libraries!

Best regards,

Lynk

You sound very enthusiastic!

We could certainly meet in Felucca somewhere. It could be an interesting outing. Though I get an odd feeling that roleplayers who run libraries would be ill equipped to handle any trouble should it occur.

But I do trust that with you there, we will be fine!

I also have an excellent itinerary for after the meeting, that after reading your posts, I feel you would enjoy. We can head over to the Britain retirement home and punch the elderly, and if we finish early, we could even get some young players from Haven, have them renounce their status, and kill them in Felucca over and over!

It will be a fun event all around.

We should probably plan it on the 26th however, since we may catch a child who got UO for Christmas, and is just starting up, those are the best ones to drobe.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

*mumbles*

Why a child ?!

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

If your frame of reference is five years, you never did RP on GL while it was any good. Great Lakes RP went to hell after Highland Guard broke up. When Society of Shadows went full ****** like a year later, there wasn't even anyone for YM to gank.

Oh, I go back waaaaay father then 5 years.. But really, anything farther back and most people's eyes glaze over with the hazy mists of nostalgia and history gets retconned.

*coughs*

You're right though, I was generalizing. The ugly abandoned Seer-blessed Felucca building I'm most familiar with on GL wasn't a library, it was that stupid Temple of Mondain keep with the cemetery outside. I forget which ToM chucklehead was flying the flag at the time, there were always one or two of them bouncing around telling everyone how important their guild was back in the Stone Age when it had people in it.

The ToM keep is still there and the guild is under new management. Still worshiping the musty old corpse too.

They still doing those "high council" meetings with 10 out of 12 (or whatever) seats empty?

Yeah I'm just some random guy who doesn't know a thing.

The HC is still around and always needs new people.

Never said you didn't know anything, just that history is just that - history. Things change, people change. Never know, you might find you enjoy it these days.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

Why do you feel the need to defend yourself ?

It dosen't make sense... you get so deep and find truth in other discussions, why answer, to this ?

Why ?

 

[Lynk]

I bet it does. When I saw SS of your character Lunchbox...or W/E the name was, I was loling too...

Did you know gullible is not in the dictionary?

 

[TheGrimmOmen]

they Mentioned the Sea horses when they had the live Town Hall in August I attended.
They WANTED to have them in High Seas, but the Z-Axis issues just couldn't be solved, even now.

Yea, the subject of rideable seahorses has come up on a couple of occasions. There are some rather significant technical hurdles to making that a reality. Same thing goes for anything that might have flapping wings - and especially anything that would fly with someone riding it.

-Grimm

 

[Cailleach]

Yea, the subject of rideable seahorses has come up on a couple of occasions. There are some rather significant technical hurdles to making that a reality. Same thing goes for anything that might have flapping wings - and especially anything that would fly with someone riding it.

-Grimm

But flying gargoyles, flying polymorph daemons and the flying shadow wyrm halloween costume were ok?

 

[TheGrimmOmen]

But flying gargoyles, flying polymorph daemons and the flying shadow wyrm halloween costume were ok?

My guess is that you weren't riding them. Therin lies the trouble.


-Grimm

 

[Cailleach]

My guess is that you weren't riding them. Therin lies the trouble.


-Grimm

Ah, ok. I'll take your word for that.

*is a technoweiner*

 

[lucitus]

Yea, the subject of rideable seahorses has come up on a couple of occasions. There are some rather significant technical hurdles to making that a reality. Same thing goes for anything that might have flapping wings - and especially anything that would fly with someone riding it.

-Grimm

Hmm is it not the same as a boat with another model, we can actually also "ride" a boat, if you now take this boat and transform it into a seahorse it should be possible or?

 

[TheGrimmOmen]

Hmm is it not the same as a boat with another model, we can actually also "ride" a boat, if you now take this boat and transform it into a seahorse it should be possible or?

Well, I mis-spoke - TECHNICALLY, we can let you ride practically anything (please keep jokes to PG rating.) The technical hurdles lie in making it look like you would expect it to. The Seahorse would have to be effectively laying almost face-down in the ocean - that takes a lot of the cool out of it right there. But lets say that we were able make the horse upright, and make some kind of saddle that the player looks completely natural mounted on a seahorse. The next thing would get it to look like it's partially submerged in water. You see, if you know how the terrain and the animations work, at this point you'd be going "OOOoohhhh, I see". You see, our terrain doesn't clip in a way that makes things look like they're "in" water. We get around that by post-processing animations.

-Grimm

 

[Petra Fyde]

Idle curiosity - is riding a dolphin possible?

 

[TheGrimmOmen]

Idle curiosity - is riding a dolphin possible?

Well, we'd basically run into the same problems as we would with the seahorse.

-Grimm

 

[Shamus Turlough]

Well, I mis-spoke - TECHNICALLY, we can let you ride practically anything (please keep jokes to PG rating.) ....
-Grimm

I take it then, having a 14th anny vet reward "Ethy Bar Wench" is right outta the question?

 

[Viper09]

Well, I mis-spoke - TECHNICALLY, we can let you ride practically anything (please keep jokes to PG rating.) ....
-Grimm

I take it then, having a 14th anny vet reward "Ethy Bar Wench" is right outta the question?

lol!

 

[G.v.P]

I take it then, having a 14th anny vet reward "Ethy Bar Wench" is right outta the question?

THE FOLLOWING POST IS RATED PG-13.

"Ethereal," eh? Seems like that would be ... cough ... unfulfilling ;P

 

[Petra Fyde]

Just wondered, since a seahorse is vertical and a dolphin is horizontal, as a land mount would be.

 

[Ahuaeyjnkxs]

But since it ... oscillates you'll have to make yourself look as if you go in and out of water...

I...

eh....

truely didn't mean to... make humor.

I'm a nerd...

 

[Cailleach]

I take it then, having a 14th anny vet reward "Ethy Bar Wench" is right outta the question?

You're a bad man, Shamus, and I'm tellin your Mrs on ya!

 

[Coppelia]

Well, I mis-spoke - TECHNICALLY, we can let you ride practically anything (please keep jokes to PG rating.) The technical hurdles lie in making it look like you would expect it to. The Seahorse would have to be effectively laying almost face-down in the ocean - that takes a lot of the cool out of it right there. But lets say that we were able make the horse upright, and make some kind of saddle that the player looks completely natural mounted on a seahorse. The next thing would get it to look like it's partially submerged in water. You see, if you know how the terrain and the animations work, at this point you'd be going "OOOoohhhh, I see". You see, our terrain doesn't clip in a way that makes things look like they're "in" water. We get around that by post-processing animations.

-Grimm

Let's use a Lapras!

Everybody knows Lapras can learn Surf!

 

[AirmidCecht]

Let's use a Lapras!

Everybody knows Lapras can learn Surf!

I vote this!

The bar wench is surely meant for the 15th anniversary Shamus *winks*