Video Update

[Storm]

Now that I know Dev time is actually going into something other than a classic shard I will be opening back up some of my accounts !

 

[Sargon]

Sorry guy.
Wasn't trying to bust your chops, really. There's just been so much todo over this video.
Classic shard, while I would have played it, wasn't a make or break for me nor most of my gang, I don't think.

But, I do have a suggestion, albeit an odd one perhaps. I think if you analyze what people have asked for in a classic shard, one thing you would probably find is that the vast majority were in agreement pre-AoS.
Can we meet halfway? Perhaps, instead of a whole new ruleset, start phasing out some of the numbers? I'm not holding much hope for this, since the BR Golems introduced a few new sets of numbers to track, but perhaps you can give it a thought.
In the old days, you could highlight an item and it said:
A surpassingly accurate silver broadsword of vanquishing.

Now, when you highlight anything, the descriptor box takes up the whole screen! (exaggerated to make a point ) So if we are not going to go back, can we go forward in perhaps a simpler manner?

What you suggest is option #27 or something like that ... if we do this it's gotta be done right or not at all so right now it's not at all.

And no worries man, I'm not bulletproof but you guys have definitely toughened my skin over the last few years.

- C

Why is it all or nothing? Acknowledging that there will never be an officially-sponsored classic shard does not mean the ideas of the classic shard supporters are without merit. At the heart of the debate is, and has always been, item properties. As Uriah suggested, why can't we revisit this increasingly-complex system across the board and get back to the basics that made the game more accessible and less item-based? There must be a compromise somewhere to get away from the endless grind/cycle of an item-based game.

 

[Wojoe]

wow...who cares, remove the cheaters in the game until then you have accomplished NOTHING. It must really suck to get paid to be in denial about the whole cheating thing...and your right I don’t care if uo had 3 people left, its unfair to those that do not cheat. Here's a clue...when ½ the pvp'ers script up the latest overpowered templet in two days, the rest of us that do not cheat become victims of YOUR failure to achieve the most basic thing we ask for.

maybe we should ask for a new producer who understands we the player's want cheating removed, or at the very least a REAL attempt to deal with it...you have your magic/wonder spreadsheet, how about using it to improve the game?

 

[Beastmaster]

Cal,

Thanks for the post.

Do yourselves and us a big favor and make sure before the house of commons that your team is up to date on the topics being discussed here for which they are responsible. In particular, please nudge Mark to read the fishing forum posts here. We still have some issues and we'd appreciate some knowledgeable answers.

I'm sure there will be lots of questions about the classic shard and your decision. My hope is you will put them to rest soundly and not waste a lot of air time on something that isn't going to happen. We get precious little of your time and we need to spend it discussing what will be, not what will not.

There have been a lot of ideas floated here about the rebuilding of Magincia so I hope you guys are still open to hear them and haven't set everything in stone without our input. That would be your next big mistake.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

And no I am not a politician nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but I have spent some time in Tokyo, and the manner in which an answer is given is very important.

The way to say 'no' if by first putting the 'n' before the 'o,' not by putting a safety net of words around it. "Not right now" is not a solid no, its a baby carrot dangled from the end of a very long stick. It literally means "Maybe later."

If you mean no, just say no! The lack of a clear, defined answer was what lead us down this garden path in the first place. Your reasoning for dancing around the word confuses me.

Simply saying: "We will not be persuing the creation a classic shard..." Then going on to list the reasons that you did would be the best way to go.

 

[Storm]

Cal,

Thanks for the post.

Do yourselves and us a big favor and make sure before the house of commons that your team is up to date on the topics being discussed here for which they are responsible. In particular, please nudge Mark to read the fishing forum posts here. We still have some issues and we'd appreciate some knowledgeable answers.

I'm sure there will be lots of questions about the classic shard and your decision. My hope is you will put them to rest soundly and not waste a lot of air time on something that isn't going to happen. We get precious little of your time and we need to spend it discussing what will be, not what will not.

There have been a lot of ideas floated here about the rebuilding of Magincia so I hope you guys are still open to hear them and haven't set everything in stone without our input. That would be your next big mistake.

Very nice post! I would just like to add dont forget the EC ;-)

 

[Tjalle]

Felucca hasn't been shut down, nor has Siege.

Having been ignored for so long it sure feels like it...

 

[NorCal]

FWIW, you made the right decision on the classic shard. Just bring back some of the feel of the classic days and you'll satisfy those people.

No, that won't satisfy me at all, but I respect his answer and thank him for not dragging it out any longer. I'm taking this as it will never happen and this subject is now closed, instead of his more political "not right now" answer.

Good luck UO. I wish nothing but the best for it going forward.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Thank you for the post.

A few things, I can only hope this post will get read amidst the flaming. (I haven't read a single other post in this thread, btw. So if my post seems weirdly incomplete, that's why.)

Anyway, here's my few things.

1. I had no idea at first that the "not right now" referred to a custom rules shard. You need to keep in mind that more people than custom shard supporters are going to read these boards and this thread. They monopolize Stratics posters, not its readership, and definitely not the player base itself. I, at first, thought you meant the video itself was what wasn't coming "right now."

2. Your answer is in essence the same that Draconi and previous incarnations of the team had given. The custom shard was a dead issue before you resurrected it by referring to it as a good idea in theory. Anything that happened after that is your own fault.

Now that that's over with, thank you for the post, and we hope to see the rest of the video rather soon. There are more than custom shard supporters who are very curious about it and are eagerly awaiting it. From your post it wasn't clear if it'll be before or after the video HoC. Hopefully before, though, so we can have things to respond to.

I'm going to wrap up the post now; it will likely be unread, but had to be put down in writing anyway.

-Galen's player

 

[Beer_Cayse]

... "Not right now" ...

Fixed to reflect my interpretation. <sigh>

S'okay, I (and my characters) had a good run.

Good luck to y'all ...

 

[retrorider]

Cal!!

How's the hoof?

You healing up?

 

[Mapper]

personally I think we all should drink more beer! But thats just me;-)

I agree . I was shocked people found it disgusting he drank one..

 

[Vlaude]

I hope Mark downs a six pack during the video update.

 

[canary]

I agree . I was shocked people found it disgusting he drank one..

Not sure that 'disgusting' is the right word. More like 'unprofessional'.

 

[Storm]

I am half tempted to send him beer and say good job!! have some on me

 

[HD2300]

from the State of the Game Feb 12 2010 last year

First: factions revamp. We want to make it not only engaging for PvPers, but make it possible for those who craft and heal a contributing part of the system. In addition, we want to make factions a coordinated part of roleplaying. In my mind, if there is a purpose behind the factions beyond hacking for the sake of hacking, that make a much more engaging play experience. Given that … we need to address how factions play into the arc of Ultima and Ultima Online. More to come on this in the next month, to include an update on how Magincia will … or will not play a role.

Next: is there ever going to be a classic shard? I will tell you … it’s a good idea … in theory. In practice it gets a LOT more complicated. We had a Saturday lunch recently (the same method we used when we were developing for Stygian Abyss), and discussed the benefits and costs (resource and impact to community) for developing a Classic shard. First we discussed what does a Classic Shard really mean? We came up with some core ideas and left it at that. There are several other things surrounding the implementation, and we almost have it nailed. Will we do it? I don’t know and cant’ say for certain, but at some point we will put the idea to rest one way or another, and we hope to make that decision this year.

Third: Speedhackers and movement. We have had this on internal testing for a couple of months, and are in the last 5% of a 100% solution. So as anyone who has had any project management experience knows … this is where you sometimes have to consider …”Is this good enough?” I’m sure you’ll let us know. We’re going to implement the system in the next couple of publishes after some time on Test Center. After that we’ll be looking into coming up with a solution for 3rd party program detection.

Final thing: What are we doing about the live story arc (see the reference to Magincia above)? We need to resolve the relationship between Dawn and Zah. How are we going to do that? Well I’m a believer that we seed you with some of the basics and let the community roleplay the outcome and transitions for the story. In short, as in Dungeons and Dragons, we’ll give you the nodes of the story, and allow you to fill in the blanks.

thank you

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I agree . I was shocked people found it disgusting he drank one..

I was not one of the critics, not to my recollection. Not in public anyway; I'll keep my assessment private.

But I'm 90% sure the complaints weren't that he was drinking, but that he was drinking at work.

It's quite reasonable to take that as a sign that you don't take your work seriously.

Somehow this all got misinterpreted as hating on Mark for the beer itself.

I'm 90% or more positive that it was the "at work" part. And some might add, "at work, and on camera." If he'd pounded one back before stepping into the frame we'd likely have been none the wiser.

-Galen's player

 

[Hanokh1967]

Yes, it's done. So why isn't it out? The answer to a "Why" question at the Academy is "No Excuse." So let's just go with that.

The intent was to frame several subjects about what we are doing for the remainder of the year in a few short minutes. Between editing and all the things that have happened between January 3rd and now, the answers have not changed, but the method in which we broadcast has many times.

Anyway, you are only waiting for one answer so here I am with flame-retardant mutant suit to field questions and avoid pitchforks.


The answer is: not right now.
In constant review of the threads and other fansites that cater to Ultima Online, we realized that the classic shard comes down to a checklist. It becomes about if you have X rules then this is what a classic shard is. The problem with this is, when working inside this constraint it’s impossible to please everyone.

Also, we DID look into the possibilities of different rulesets and took a look at what had been done in the past, and there was no viable answer that works for everyone.

Finally, it’s about opportunity cost. The more resources and time we spend on developing a classic shard… that is ONE single shard, that means other things get neglected. It would be many months of work at the expense of the wider game.


We are planning a Video House of Commons for next Tuesday, March 1st to field any questions about the coming months, Magincia as a player-driven town, Spring Cleaning, faster/simpler story arcs, arenas, UOgamecode store, shard hardware, and other topics of note.

The reason I did not want to put this in writing is because it doesn't allow you to "see" how we feel about the game, and this answer is only part of what we want to do with Ultima Online.

Well, there you go. Have at it.

Funny. That is the same answer to when I am going to pay for my 4 accounts. Thank you for finally having the guts to come here and say no, even though you really didn't say no. Hopefully after you are fired for not being able to get anything done correctly or on time, someone will take your place with some sense and professionalism. On my way to cancel the accounts, good luck with your item mall.

 

[Cetric]

The way to say 'no' if by first putting the 'n' before the 'o,' not by putting a safety net of words around it. "Not right now" is not a solid no, its a baby carrot dangled from the end of a very long stick. It literally means "Maybe later."

If you mean no, just say no! The lack of a clear, defined answer was what lead us down this garden path in the first place. Your reasoning for dancing around the word confuses me.

Simply saying: "We will not be persuing the creation a classic shard..." Then going on to list the reasons that you did would be the best way to go.

Someone is so upset, they have resorted to being the grammar police!! OH NOES!

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Someone is so upset, they have resorted to being the grammar police!! OH NOES!

Uhm, no, not upset... I just think it’s stupid that he can't give a simple, straightforward answer to something that he has waffled on for over a year.

 

[Woodsman]

Why is it all or nothing? Acknowledging that there will never be an officially-sponsored classic shard does not mean the ideas of the classic shard supporters are without merit. At the heart of the debate is, and has always been, item properties.

And Tram. Don't forget, any kind of classic shard that had Tram in it would get a lot of hate from people who would support a classic shard, including myself.

I know that UO peaked a few years after Tram and so it makes sense that a lot of classic shard supporters probably didn't experience UO without Tram, but I really don't care for a pre-AOS shard if it's still going to have Tram because that is not classic, that is UO:R, and there are plenty of free shards that already emulate that.

At this point, given how limited their resources are that EA has allocated, I know the chances for them doing any specific work on Siege are not that much (greater than a classic shard, but not much more), but at least if they work on improving the game as a whole, including EC work, that could help Siege in the long run.

 

[Hanokh1967]

Someone is so upset, they have resorted to being the grammar police!! OH NOES!

It has nothing to do with grammer. It has to do with Cal not having the balls to come here and say NO, NEVER, THERE IS NEVER GOING TO BE A CLASSIC SERVER WHILE I AM THE PRODUCER. How hard can that be? "Not right now" is not no. I wonder how low the subs have to go before someone at EA either cancels UO or forces a classic shard on the dev team. Classic shards have been successful in many other games. EQ just opened another one last week with nothing added to the original code but the map system, how hard can it be for UO to do the same? There is nothing to argue about there. Start at day 1 of UO and tell the players take it or leave it. I was there day one and it was a far better game than what exists now.

 

[Woodsman]

I'm sure there will be lots of questions about the classic shard and your decision. My hope is you will put them to rest soundly and not waste a lot of air time on something that isn't going to happen.

I hope there aren't a lot of questions about a classic shard.

As much as I like to live in the past at times, I'd rather hear about the future of UO and bringing in players who have never played UO.

I told myself I wasn't going to get sucked back into UO when I came back, but here I am hoping that they are going to do something that is going to bring in new blood and that is going to really grow UO. That something has to be modernizing UO, and having a product that EA would feel confident enough to push into the actual retail channels rather than the current digital situation.

Now that I know Dev time is actually going into something other than a classic shard I will be opening back up some of my accounts !

This is kind of how I feel - if they have a serious plan that is intent on growing UO for the first time in the last 7 years or so, I'd be more than happy to open up more accounts if I have the time.

 

[Dakkon Blackblade]

And Tram. Don't forget, any kind of classic shard that had Tram in it would get a lot of hate from people who would support a classic shard, including myself.

I agree, it is somewhat amusing how the classic shard idea got hijacked and went from anything pre-tram to pre-aos. I would not consider trammel classic as it marked the games first major departure from it's roots.

Having said that, I actually agree with Cals decision, I can understand that it has to make sense from a money perspective and right now it just doesn't for EA.

 

[Gheed]

Thank you for the update. I'm glad the classic shard isn't going to happen. I'm not sure how I feel about a player run town. I do find it interesting.

I really hope you plan move the EC to the top of the priority list. I know there are a lot of folks on both sides of the fence who can, will and have given lots of input.

Maybe start with a list of what you think are the top five complaints and put a vote once poll up on the log in screen per account. Things like paper dolls UI and the like.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

Anyway, you are only waiting for one answer so here I am with flame-retardant mutant suit to field questions and avoid pitchforks.

I don't think you are going to take too much flaming and forking for the annoncement. Most of us Classic UO fans are a lot more reasonable than some of the anti-Classic posters here make us out to be.

In the end, it is a business decision...period. I don't think too many of us are going to take it personally.

It becomes about if you have X rules then this is what a classic shard is. The problem with this is, when working inside this constraint it’s impossible to please everyone.

Also, we DID look into the possibilities of different rulesets and took a look at what had been done in the past, and there was no viable answer that works for everyone.

I think this is a bit of a dodge on your part Cal. Most of the Classic Shard supporters (at least the ones that posted about it) out there pretty much agreed on a ruleset and it was stickied here for a long time.

You will never please EVERYONE...it is impossible, but this decision isn't about pleasing everyone...

it’s about opportunity cost. The more resources and time we spend on developing a classic shard… that is ONE single shard, that means other things get neglected. It would be many months of work at the expense of the wider game.

THAT is what it is really about.

I, for one, am really glad that you finally put the issue to bed once and for all. For some of us, it is the end of our time in Ultima Online. For others, it is confirmation that the things they enjoy in the game are going to be continued.

It was indeed a business decision, and that decision...quite simply...is that EA/Mythic does not want, nor need, the business of Classic UO fans.

My accounts were already closed, as I anticipated this decision. That money will go to other pursuits.

But in the end, it is really good to know where EA/Mythic stands, and where the remaining Classic UO fans rate on their list of business priorities.

 

[FishinFool]

It was indeed a business decision, and that decision...quite simply...is that EA/Mythic does not want, nor need, the business of Classic UO fans.

My accounts were already closed, as I anticipated this decision. That money will go to other pursuits.

But in the end, it is really good to know where EA/Mythic stands, and where the remaining Classic UO fans rate on their list of business priorities.

Amen.

This game has been dead to me for years. This was the last string that kept me dangling and continuing to pay for my account.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Well some of us were looking forward to an update about the enhanced client. I feel badly for the classic shard crusaders but it doesn't interest me personally.

Is the video still coming?

Yup.

I look forward to this... hopefully there will be some amazing news in this.

 

[Lady Tia]

I am half tempted to send him beer and say good job!! have some on me

MOre than half tempted to send Mesanna a nice bottle of wine to drink during the video chat

 

[Zosimus]

Thank you Cal for the update. Thats what some of us wanted. I understand your decision and its done.

Hopefully you will majorly improve on your lack of communication. In this thread you have done an excellent job with communication I will give you that. Just listen to the community and try to respond a bit better is what alot of us has been asking for. Smoke and mirrors and dancing around with vague answers only enrages the mobs with pitchforks asking for blood.

Thank again for the answer on classic.

 

[copycon]

Thanks.

 

[chanshaw]

Instead of a classic shard, how about you fix Siege.

First off let me say I apprecieate all the work you guys do. I was excited at first by the possibility of a classic shard, but I wasn't sad to hear you say it's not happening. But how about a re-vamp of Siege so people that do play their can enjoy a larger player base, here are some suggestions.

1) Allow players to own a house on Siege even if they have a house on another shard.
2) Allow character transfers.
3) Do something about stealth, make higher requirements or what not, really only high level thieves and ninjas should have it.
4) The vendors on Siege should be re-vamped.
5) Maybe think about allowing more than one character, maybe an additional one.

I hope you bring up Siege in this meeting because I feel like it has been ignored for a very very long time.

 

[Woodsman]

I agree, it is somewhat amusing how the classic shard idea got hijacked and went from anything pre-tram to pre-aos. I would not consider trammel classic as it marked the games first major departure from it's roots.

I don't know when the "Tram is okay but AOS isn't" crowd hijacked the debate and claimed it settled, but it sounds like EA realized that the debate was not settled and that for a lot of us, classic is pre-Tram or not at all.

Maybe in 5 years, a classic shard will be considered pre-Samurai or pre-Mondain's Legacy.

 

[AesSedai]

- 'Sucks that EA-PR, and we the fanbase, eventually forced your hand to go 'old school' with a written response here. Thank you for going 'old school' and responding.
Looking forward to the video; looking forward to hearing the hopes for developments this year; hoping for significant focus on further EC development.



Maybe the delivery of updates would be more streamlined, more timely and more cost effective if we just kept it 'old school' most of the time and typed stuff for PR to preview. Yet I suppose it may be more cost effective to produce a video than it would be to keep it 'old school' by having some sort of extravagent RL event in-which devs and fans get to interact in person.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

That's been the whole point, it's NEVER been a settled argument as different people have different levels of acceptability. Different people have different ideas of what constitutes "classic" or what timeframe was their favorite, or simply want what is in effect a custom shard that never technically existed (i.e. T2A but with... {insert post Renn advances here}).

And seriously, considering the situation the dev team is in right now (I think we all know that it is much smaller than in times past and buried in God only knows how many things that are only partially complete), does anyone REALLY think they could be fair to a Classic Shard? (Granted, I'm playing it nice here, I've stated the same on occasion in much less friendly terms)

 

[Tina Small]

We are planning a Video House of Commons for next Tuesday, March 1st to field any questions about the coming months, Magincia as a player-driven town, Spring Cleaning, faster/simpler story arcs, arenas, UOgamecode store, shard hardware, and other topics of note.

Do you have the House of Commons time pinned down yet and can you give us any details on how to submit questions and join that conversation? Also, aside from next week's House of Commons, do you and Rowland have any plans for us to hear more regularly from James Nichols and from Kai Schober, the new European Community Manager?

 

[Ezekiel Zane]

personally I think we all should drink more beer! But thats just me;-)

As a member of KGB, the Knights of Glory and Beer, Cheers.

Drink more beer.

 

[Woodsman]

I think this is a bit of a dodge on your part Cal. Most of the Classic Shard supporters (at least the ones that posted about it) out there pretty much agreed on a ruleset and it was stickied here for a long time.

I think you're like me and saw a classic shard as being pre-Tram, because I think I remember you being around during those days (I had another handle here and elsewhere at the time), but I've seen plenty of people here who think pre-AOS = classic so while you and me and others may see a classic shard as pre-Trammel, there are still plenty of people who came to UO after Trammel opened up, and to them, Trammel = classic. There is nothing wrong with those people though, the influx of non-PVPers has kept UO alive for over a decade and it's hard to complain about that. There is something wrong in them assuming that everybody is okay with a "classic" shard being pre-AOS rather than pre-Tram, but that's for another thread.

In the end, it is a business decision...period. I don't think too many of us are going to take it personally.

It was indeed a business decision, and that decision...quite simply...is that EA/Mythic does not want, nor need, the business of Classic UO fans.

My accounts were already closed, as I anticipated this decision. That money will go to other pursuits.

But in the end, it is really good to know where EA/Mythic stands, and where the remaining Classic UO fans rate on their list of business priorities.

What happened to not taking it personal?

Look, EA cares a lot more about potential Star Wars fans than any UO fans, regardless of whether you support a classic shard or not. There are over 300 million reasons that prove this, and each one of them has a "$" in front of it. EA isn't even willing to dump $30 million into UO. We had Mark Jacobs going to bat for us at one point to keep UO alive (and he was forced out, and that does hurt us even just a few years later). That's how close it was.

Even though UO makes a profit, it still lost devs when there have been major layoffs company-wide. If that doesn't make the case for EA's priorities over the past several years, I don't know what does, so I'm not sure why anything is a revelation to you at this point.

I'm going to reserve my "I'm closing my accounts again and not opening them up, period" anger for what is said next week and more importantly, what happens with the Star Wars MMORPG. Star Wars has more of an impact on the future of UO than anything Cal and the devs can say next week. Even if they threw all of their resources into updating the client and graphics and a classic shard, all it takes is Star Wars to turn into Warhammer II, and EA will gut BioWare and ditch the MMORPGs and will focus solely on sports and the occasional shoot-em-up. Oh and Dragon Age sequels.

The only thing that can disappoint me from might be said by the devs next week is if they don't fully commit to the EC and fully commit to other things to modernize UO and make it attractive to young people who only think of it as "that MMO that old people play or that has the 1990s graphics that was started by that guy who went into space and who calls himself Lord England."

Well that and turning Magincia into Luna II. "Player-driven town" sounds a lot to me like Luna and Luna by itself sums up everything that went wrong with UO starting with Tram and ending with AOS, with stops at Pub 16 along the way.

 

[spade gt]

The answer is: not right now.

I'm glad to finally have an answer though it wasn't the answer I was hoping for. I didn't expect for the Classic shard to actually get the green light but I certainly have been wishing that it would, and had my account money ready to back up my gratitude.

But man, please don't insult us with vague, misleading answers like that. We may be hopefuls, we may be nostalgics, but we're not fools. We waited a full year for this answer from you and you gave us politician speak.

 

[Tinsil]

I'm glad they put the classic shard idea to rest. For those of you who are deadset on that particular ruleset, there appear to be other means for you to play the game you wish.. and for those of us who still are fairly happy with the game, it is an assurance that resources will not be further thrown away.

Now, we know DAOC and Warhammer suck, can you guys please use their resources more on UO.. since UO actually makes a PROFIT?

 

[Flutter]

Now, we know DAOC and Warhammer suck, can you guys please use their resources more on UO.. since UO actually makes a PROFIT?

/sign

 

[Woodsman]

Re: Instead of a classic shard, how about you fix Siege.

1) Allow players to own a house on Siege even if they have a house on another shard.

I used to be opposed to this, since I paid for extra accounts for years just to keep a house on Siege and on LS, but not so much anymore.

2) Allow character transfers.

No. If you support character transfers to Siege, then you don't "get" Siege and I don't know how else to explain it to you.

5) Maybe think about allowing more than one character, maybe an additional one.

I'm kind of torn about this. I'm not going to claim it's good or bad either way - it was annoying having to have multiple accounts to have more than one char, I will admit. All it did was make a lot of us have multiple accounts.

I hope you bring up Siege in this meeting because I feel like it has been ignored for a very very long time.

I've kind of felt that Siege/Mugen should be looked at before a classic shard, because I think a lot of the things that people wanted about a classic shard could have been implemented into Siege, and I noticed that a lot of people who wanted a classic shard avoided Siege or talk of it for some reason. I'd much rather EA look at boosting populations on existing shards before adding more shards.

On the other hand, plenty of people on Siege might not want those people invading their shard and trying to make it their own.

 

[kelmo]

Re: Instead of a classic shard, how about you fix Siege.

On the other hand, plenty of people on Siege might not want those people invading their shard and trying to make it their own.

Invade away!

P.S. Ask Bio/ Mythic to turn advanced character tokens back on. They worked for about a week on Siege...

Now back to our regularly scheduled thread... You folks want to talk Siege? I am all for it. Start a new thread.

 

[Woodsman]

Now, we know DAOC and Warhammer suck, can you guys please use their resources more on UO.. since UO actually makes a PROFIT?

I'm pretty sure that DOAC and Warhammer are running on incredibly small dev teams along with UO. Mythic was pretty gutted in 2009 and probably hasn't fared much better since - most of the money and resources flowing into the MMORPG group is going straight into Star Wars.

Committing more resources to UO would mean eating into that profit as well.

When EA has so much riding on Star Wars, they aren't going to listen to anybody who says "throw a little money to UO, you might be surprised what can happen" because there are probably quite a few executives whose careers are riding on Star Wars.

 

[Woodsman]

Re: Instead of a classic shard, how about you fix Siege.

Invade away!

P.S. Ask Bio/ Mythic to turn advanced character tokens back on. They worked for about a week on Siege...

Now back to our regularly scheduled thread... You folks want to talk Siege? I am all for it. Start a new thread.

We should, I'd be interested, I think Siege should be brought up next week.

Then again, maybe Siege should be addressed on its own/outside of next week. It certainly deserves to be addressed. Most of the questions and players and devs next week are going to be focused on EC, classic shard, etc., so I don't know if I'd want to hear much about Siege if it's just going to be a footnote.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

DAoC is mainly showing age and lack of attention, Warhammer I had always expected would crash pretty hard if it even made it out of the gate which it did because it would be seen as "yet another WoW clone" (which the irony of that is insane in itself).

UO stays alive because it's different enough to do so and because, well, for all of our bellyaching, whining, pancakes, moaning, and ripping each other and the devs to shreds, we're just too damn stubborn to really let go...

...and it seems to be bigger than just UO. Just a few days ago I put DOSBox and Ultima 6 on my netbook just to have to play on the airplane when I fly out on business trips this year. There's something about Britannia...

 

[Zosimus]

Now, we know DAOC and Warhammer suck, can you guys please use their resources more on UO.. since UO actually makes a PROFIT?

Are you delusional? How do you know they are not making a profit? Got a reliable source that is giving you inside information? Hell EA doesn't release UO profit let alone any other game the have. Stars Wars is getting the funding first before any other game. Those other games that you are saying they suck are still running btw and plently of their players say UO suck. Maybe they should take UO resources?

 

[Woodsman]

...and it seems to be bigger than just UO. Just a few days ago I put DOSBox and Ultima 6 on my netbook just to have to play on the airplane when I fly out on business trips this year. There's something about Britannia...

I don't know how possible it would be, but I've always wondered about them trying to implement all of the Ultima games into UO. Maybe not VIII and IX, but with the others, I always thought it would be cool to turn them into full-blown quests of some sorts. Obviously some characters are dead from those games, either having been killed in subsequent Ultima games or even within UO, but if we can ignore the fact that we are killing the same things over and over, I think we could handle it.

I actually toyed with getting Ultima IX up and running, and had a heckuva time getting it running. I realized that I never finished it, which was really weird, but with the fan patches, it's pretty cool.

 

[NuSair]

Cal,

It's nice that you finally posted something. I am still seriously disappointed, but I want to give you some leeway because of my own experience in the gaming industry (I used to work for Wizards of the Coast as a regional rep).

I am really looking forward to the video, and have to tell you that since the mention of a spring cleaning, people have been buying up everything on Atlantic. SupSoc was even buying up all the Kelp Leggings today.....

Anyway, I still feel that what has gone on in reguards to this video is appalling, but it's nice to FINALLY hear something.

 

[Aragon100]

No classic shard means that i will have to continue playing the freeshard. Not that i care that much anymore since i saw this coming.

But it is sad, feels like a old friend passed away.