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Do You Want A Classic Shard??

Do you want a Classic UO shard?


  • Total voters
    485
T

The Home Guild

Guest
I said no for 2 reasons.
1. I wouldn't be interested in playing on a "Classic" Shard.
2. I don't think there are enough people interested in the same kind of "classic" shard for it to be worth developer time.

If there were enough people that actually wanted the same thing in a "classic" shard, I'd be all for the developers spending time on it in addition to spending time on the ruleset I enjoy.
i think there is many out there that would want it.
We all can't assume that every single uo player uses stratics boards.......

So with that said i would bet it comes live you'd see mass amount playing there.
 

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
If EA ever caves in and creates whatever it is that constitutes a "classic shard," would any of you that wanted it then start to push for a reduced subscription fee?

I'm not sure how that could be done with accounts that would also be able to play on the regular non-classic shards. So perhaps EA would have to create a new account type that can only play on the "classic shard(s)" and would have a reduced subscription fee. Guess you'd all start your characters at day 0....no vet rewards for you until you earned them on the new account type. But maybe that's not an issue. Would vet rewards be appropriate on a "classic shard"?

I guess the alternative is pay full price for a retro game that you claim will never need any maintenance. Not sure how long that would sit well with folks that you're trying to lure away from the free shards....
 
M

Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
If EA ever caves in and creates whatever it is that constitutes a "classic shard," would any of you that wanted it then start to push for a reduced subscription fee?

I would gladly pay an increased subscription fee for a classic shard if EA would:

- Actually service the shard the way they used to with a full compliment of GMs.

- Guarantee that the shard would not be dragged into the item based messed that UO has come...EVER.

- Prevent cheaters and scripters from using this shard.

- Devote a separate set of devs to this shard only...with full consideration for what the players (customers) actually want...instead of throwing crap on to the shard that the devs think is "kewl".

- Guarantee that the shard would be active for at least 10 years.


Give us all of that...and I will gladly pay $29.99 per month. For all 3 accounts.

Who is with me?

EA could call it a Platinum subscription. Don't want classic (Platinum service), don't buy it.
 
M

Malimus

Guest
I vote yes! I would pay more too. Also its not like id abandon the characters on other servers ive worked on over the years either. Id still play Pacific. The shard i have played since UO hit the shelves. But id love to see a classic shard. And yes ive tried SP and the free shards as well. SP is nothing like Classic UO really. And the free shard just arent reliable. Why put time into something some kid could just decide to turn off because he's bored with it without warning or anything.

Ive pumped almost $5000 in monthly payments into UO and for the most part enjoyed all of it. But at the same time had to deal with alot of crap for my money. A simple "Classic shard" would make me happy and keep me paying. You can flame or disagree with this idea all you want. But as long as people still play that played classic it will come up until UO is R.I.P. Oh and you think population is bad now. What if all of us that do want a classic shard did quit....
 
D

Der Rock

Guest
Does the word respect rings any bell to you ?
God ...
respect to whom?

-to the conglomerate of people who say: give us a classic 1million gold cost 10$ shard
-to those 100 people that are liable that thousends of player quit and never looked back
-to those people where the only fun they had was to destroy the fun of others
-to those people that FORCE other player to play how they like to play
and so on



those player dont accept logic and arguments,after so many years they still demand
a "classic-shard",thats also ludicrous like people who still demand the monarchy back

how many post yes here? almost 80, LOL
where is the strong collective that would made it worth for the devs to tinker with the idia
dont u think that the devs also see the so called "huge freeshard community"??
so what? 10 or 50 people online ? LOL


it is NOT that like-minded people would play there together,NO, the lack of innocent
would abandoned such a "classic shard" from the very first.
take siege as an example
(its NOT a classic shard, i know,but it is the closest you have atm.)
siege is so dead, that lonly thiefs can spent their time to post nearly 30 000 posts here
LOL


where are the siege community that made their OWN classic rules?
-2 guilds (1 red 1 blue)
-only gm made armor
-only gm made weapons
-only use classic weapons
-NO use of the new skills
-NO use of Scrolls
-no insurence
-no blessed items

that would be not the "ultima ratio" BUT
damned, u "classi-shard" lover could have a blast of fun, i am sure ;)
 
M

Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
-to those people that FORCE other player to play how they like to play
and so on
Then you say...

after so many years they still demand
a "classic-shard",thats also ludicrous like people who still demand the monarchy back
Who is forcing what on whom?

If, and I mean IF Mythic decided to do a classis shard, no one would force you to play on it!

Got it?

No one here is advocating for the current shards to be made "Classic".

I will say it one more time...NO ONE IS FORCING ANYONE TO PLAY ON A SHARD THEY DON'T WANT TO PLAY ON!!

Or are they?

Those that seek to PREVENT a Classic Shard are the ones that are forcing their style of play on those that want it.

Why?!

If people want classic UO, let them have it!! You can simply ignore it...just like you do any other shard you don't play on. Can anyone here that voted no honestly tell me that you have characters on EVERY SINGLE SHARD??? Even the shards you cannot transfer from and sell your vet rewards???

Please!

If there are people out there that run characters on EVERY shard, then Kudos to you! Here would be another for you you try. But realistically, no...most players do not have characters that they play on each and every shard.

So just follow your current mode folks...don't make one on the the classic shard when it opens.

If you do, Rico will be there to steal from you, or I will be there to PK you...so don't bother.

Got it?
 
L

Lord Patapon

Guest
Wow.

Thanks Morgana, you nail it right on the head.

Hey Der Rock, you're right on Siege, but ... would the Siege players accept to see their shards transformed ? I don't think so.
Siege is fun, I play it a bit, but for a lot of reasons, It doesn't feel like Classic at all.
And, maybe that'll surprise you, but the majority of people playing on free shards don't bother to come here, if they ever did, because they mostly stopped years ago, either with or soon after AoS, either after UO:R.

Free shards can be found in a lot of different rule sets (some being ... well, really weird, sometimes), but the most populated free shards are either pre uo:r (with the ones I know hitting 500 players easily at any time of the day, and a lot more the evenings) or mostly RP shard pre:AoS; that means something !

It's not because we want something that has passed since long that we're idiots; come on, man, don't you play abandonware games ? or old click and points ?
It's because the genre died and we have nothing today that looks like it.
And it's the same with old UO.
You don't find anything like it anymore, you can take a lot of MMORPGs, but very few of them have anything to do with old UO.
(and yeah, free sharders I know have tried several ones, as I did; except I didn't go on FS because of the friends I have on prod shards)

And Morgana is right; we don't force anyone, but I do take in consideration, anyways, that the Classic shard idea gets more supporters than It did a few years ago (pretty logical, but hey).
 

Tina Small

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I would gladly pay an increased subscription fee for a classic shard if EA would:

- Actually service the shard the way they used to with a full compliment of GMs.

- Guarantee that the shard would not be dragged into the item based messed that UO has come...EVER.

- Prevent cheaters and scripters from using this shard.

- Devote a separate set of devs to this shard only...with full consideration for what the players (customers) actually want...instead of throwing crap on to the shard that the devs think is "kewl".

- Guarantee that the shard would be active for at least 10 years.


Give us all of that...and I will gladly pay $29.99 per month. For all 3 accounts.

Who is with me?

EA could call it a Platinum subscription. Don't want classic (Platinum service), don't buy it.
I'm confused, Morgana. $29.99/month for three accounts is not an increased subscription fee. Under the current fee schedule options for UO, you have the ability to pay $179.97 over six months for three accounts ($59.99 x 3). At the rate you suggest, you would pay $179.94 over six months for three accounts ($29.99 x 6). Or are you actually saying you would pay $89.97 ($29.99 x 3) EVERY MONTH to have three "classic platinum service" accounts?

Also, what sort of work would you envision the developers doing under such a simplified rule set? I thought the idea was that the rules would be static....

What would you consider a full complement of GMs for one shard? Would you expect any changes in policy from what we're accustomed to now, e.g., replacement of lost items due to bugs? What else would you do differently with GM service?

Are you serious in demanding that EA guarantee the shard remains active for at least ten years?
 

Cetric

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
If people want a classic shard they cans tick to freeshards. I miss preaos uo aswell but i can't say that i do not like the new style game. I would be unbelievably bored with uo if it was still the old style. Also, with the problems with shards being under populated, i think the couple people from each shard that would play on this shard would just add to the problem, we nee dless shards, not more.
 

Cetric

Grand Poobah
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
If people want a classic shard they can stick to freeshards. I miss preaos uo aswell but i can't say that i do not like the new style game. I would be unbelievably bored with uo if it was still the old style. Also, with the problems with shards being under populated, i think the couple people from each shard that would play on this shard would just add to the problem, we need less shards, not more.
 

Maplestone

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I'm beginning to wonder if any 2-option poll on stratics will gravitate towards a 50-50 split regardless of the actual question asked.
 
D

Der Rock

Guest
I'm confused, Morgana. $29.99/month for three accounts is not an increased subscription fee. Under the current fee schedule options for UO, you have the ability to pay $179.97 over six months for three accounts ($59.99 x 3). At the rate you suggest, you would pay $179.94 over six months for three accounts ($29.99 x 6). Or are you actually saying you would pay $89.97 ($29.99 x 3) EVERY MONTH to have three "classic platinum service" accounts?

Also, what sort of work would you envision the developers doing under such a simplified rule set? I thought the idea was that the rules would be static....

What would you consider a full complement of GMs for one shard? Would you expect any changes in policy from what we're accustomed to now, e.g., replacement of lost items due to bugs? What else would you do differently with GM service?

Are you serious in demanding that EA guarantee the shard remains active for at least ten years?
her calculating is......................is is CLASSIC :gee:
sry couldn´t resist :party:
 
D

Der Rock

Guest
Wow.

Thanks Morgana, you nail it right on the head.

Hey Der Rock, you're right on Siege, but ... would the Siege players accept to see their shards transformed ? I don't think so.
Siege is fun, I play it a bit, but for a lot of reasons, It doesn't feel like Classic at all.
And, maybe that'll surprise you, but the majority of people playing on free shards don't bother to come here, if they ever did, because they mostly stopped years ago, either with or soon after AoS, either after UO:R.

Free shards can be found in a lot of different rule sets (some being ... well, really weird, sometimes), but the most populated free shards are either pre uo:r (with the ones I know hitting 500 players easily at any time of the day, and a lot more the evenings) or mostly RP shard pre:AoS; that means something !

It's not because we want something that has passed since long that we're idiots; come on, man, don't you play abandonware games ? or old click and points ?
It's because the genre died and we have nothing today that looks like it.
And it's the same with old UO.
You don't find anything like it anymore, you can take a lot of MMORPGs, but very few of them have anything to do with old UO.
(and yeah, free sharders I know have tried several ones, as I did; except I didn't go on FS because of the friends I have on prod shards)

And Morgana is right; we don't force anyone, but I do take in consideration, anyways, that the Classic shard idea gets more supporters than It did a few years ago (pretty logical, but hey).
patapon, it is not only the question of classic or no classic shard
but i see in the long term what will be then.
at first the shard will start at good ,then all those classics stay hidden at the town entrance
an NO innocent comes out, ouch,the classics get pissed off, they turn back to prodo shards and start to destroy the fun of the player there, promoting the classic shard and call all other player trammi and banksitter (same what siege player did for a while,to try to prevent the death of their homeland)
in the long term, such a shard would hurt ALL other shards
it would hurt uo at all, the same way it did in the past
 
T

Turdnugget

Guest
it would hurt uo at all, the same way it did in the past
I'd say pixel crack and wanting more more more and items is what hurt UO.

UO is one of the most dynamic in depth character customized games i've ever played. I love the fact I can make any template I want and enjoy it. A lot of people would agree that this is why they love UO so much. You have so much freedom to do what you will.

Back in the day it took skill to play this game. It wasn't about who has 100% DI, 45 HCI/DCI 40% LMC, 100% LRC etc etc...who has the bigger gun? It was about who knows their template and what to do with it. That's how you played the game. It wasn't about, I disarm you then wtfpwn you with my nox/fencer and you're screwed. It took tactics to win a battle.

Nowadays it's a lot different. The more items that got implemented into the game, the further out of whack it got. That is what drove off a lot of people from this once great game. It doesn't take nearly as much skill as it once did.

I can dismount + all kill someone faster than I can with most templates. Why do I do it? Because this game has gotten so easy that I don't feel the need to try something more complicated. It's just not fun. I used to love playing a halberd swinging mage, back in the day. Right now, if you play a tank mage you're more than likely gonna get jacked up something fierce in PvP.

The advent of an item based UO made the Easy Button just that much easier to obtain.

an NO innocent comes out, ouch,the classics get pissed off, they turn back to prodo shards and start to destroy the fun of the player there, promoting the classic shard and call all other player trammi and banksitter
I question myself everyday when I see people bank sitting for hours on end... doing nothing... wondering why someone would pay a monthly fee to sit at an online bank doing nothing.

And why do you say all the classics would hide at town entrance? Wtf are you talking about? Were you even there pre-AoS? The game was thriving and you could find people just about anywhere. In current UO you have to go to known hotspots to find anyone... even then it's not guaranteed you'll find someone.

Sure some people might get tired of a classic shard after awhile... but they can always go back to a regular AoS shard, get their kicks, then go back to the classic.

Don't let the poll fool you, i'm sure if all the ex-vets who played pre-AoS saw this poll they'd vote yes.
 
D

Der Rock

Guest
I'd say pixel crack and wanting more more more and items is what hurt UO.
and that for 10 MILLION+ people do one raid after another in WoW??

UO is one of the most dynamic in depth character customized games i've ever played. I love the fact I can make any template I want and enjoy it. A lot of people would agree that this is why they love UO so much. You have so much freedom to do what you will.
i agree 100%

Back in the day it took skill to play this game. It wasn't about who has 100% DI, 45 HCI/DCI 40% LMC, 100% LRC etc etc...who has the bigger gun? It was about who knows their template and what to do with it. That's how you played the game. It wasn't about, I disarm you then wtfpwn you with my nox/fencer and you're screwed. It took tactics to win a battle.
Nowadays it's a lot different. The more items that got implemented into the game, the further out of whack it got. That is what drove off a lot of people from this once great game. It doesn't take nearly as much skill as it once did.
I can dismount + all kill someone faster than I can with most templates. Why do I do it? Because this game has gotten so easy that I don't feel the need to try something more complicated. It's just not fun.
people LOVE items, look about WoW
(let items break in WoW and u will see millions of people quit)

I used to love playing a halberd swinging mage, back in the day. Right now, if you play a tank mage you're more than likely gonna get jacked up something fierce in PvP.
a mage with a halbert how ludicrous,and by the way, mage using a halbert is NOT item based ?????

I question myself everyday when I see people bank sitting for hours on end... doing nothing... wondering why someone would pay a monthly fee to sit at an online bank doing nothing.
appearances are deceiving sometimes
IF(IF) i have more then 1 account open, then sometimes i play on multiple monitors,so sometimes a character is banksitting but i play on other characters, we both agree, that the most of all uo player have multiple accounts.


Don't let the poll fool you, i'm sure if all the ex-vets who played pre-AoS saw this poll they'd vote yes.
don´t let the poll fool you, i am sure if the amount of player that quitt uo because of these classic playstyle would know,you would see 200-300 thousends of NO
 

Lord_Puffy

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Completely wrong. For the 1 millionth time here is why there won't be a pre-anything shard...

1. The devs have said they didn't keep the old source code and so would need to re-engineer a lot to build a pre-anything shard. Plus they would have to reverse engineer loads of bug fixes. Resources for this they simply don't have.

2. The devs have said they don't have the resources to maintain a 3rd code-base. And, no, it couldn't just be dumped out and left.

3. There would only be people enough for one server and so most of the world would have a crap ping. This is a big killer for a shard that would be a lot about PvP.

4. There aren't enough players on the existing shards and opening another would just spread the existing players around even more thinly. Don't forget: there are zero new players coming to UO, in fact the numbers are less every day.

5. Every single time this is asked about at town halls and on the boards the devs have said that this will not happen. They have done several surveys and there just isn't the money in it.

6. There are a relatively few interested in a pre-anything shard. Why should the rest have their subscriptions wasted on it?

7. No two players can agree exactly pre-what a shard should be. So only a percentage of the small number who want a pre-anything shard would be pleased with it anyway.

8. If you want to play pre-something then go find a free shard.

What happened to the mods deleting posts about pre-anything to stop people wasting their time with this?

Wow you know everything eh? why dont you design a game then ****.
 
T

Turdnugget

Guest
If I was in a game just for pixel crack i'd go play a game with better graphics. I play UO for the dynamic and custimization of characters.

A mage with a halberd is not item based. It's how UO USED to be. Back when it was a lot more fun. GM halberd, vanquish halberd etc... not weapons with 50 Hit spell, Hit mana leech, SSI, DI etc etc...All weapons back then were similar in properties. The only real difference in weapons was speed + random specials.

Back then concussion actually cut down your Int for a number of seconds. Landing a concussion blow was always awesome as it left your opponent in a more defensive stance.

. No two players can agree exactly pre-what a shard should be. So only a percentage of the small number who want a pre-anything shard would be pleased with it anyway.
I bet I could find at least two players who would agree exactly what a classic shard should be.

6. There are a relatively few interested in a pre-anything shard. Why should the rest have their subscriptions wasted on it?
Apparently you haven't looked at the poll numbers. However off they may be... there's still 80+ people voting yes for a classic server.

people LOVE items, look about WoW
People's love for items has made this game like WoW, and EverQuest, but has corrupted it from it's once great state.
 

Demonous

Rares Fest Host | Ches Jul 2010
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
there definitely are enough people interested in a classic shard for them to create one, all the dev team has to do is basically copy one of the many free shards out there, a bunch of friends of mine play on a free shard that is pre-renaissance, aka felucca only, fun stuff i hear, however if EA didn't do it yet it probably won't get done... therefore whoever wants a pre-renaissance server i would suggest trying the new mmorpg Darkfall which is basically felucca only, good graphics, uo type of game play, no level gaining but u gain skills and build any template u want, i plan to play that and UO :) you are as free in darkfall as you are in Uo + you can build boats and ships with cannons and sink other ships and can destroy buildings and houses, also a cool aspect is that it does not say players names over their head as you run past someone so if someone is hiding behind a tree or something, you won't know unless u see them...
 
D

Der Rock

Guest
People's love for items has made this game like WoW, and EverQuest, but has corrupted it from it's once great state.

only the halfway,
the dev´s let so many from the crappy,antisocial,criminal possible behavior in game, that still many player quit because of that.
the dev´s had so many chances in the past to do it right.
-trammel birth was only halfbaked
-AoS was only halfbaked
-KR birth -LOL let us forget this fast

next will be KR/SA
but dev´s are still dangle on a string,
i forecast,if the average(that means 2-3h a day)player lose armor parts and they have to spent their rare playtime to restock armor or weapons,then we will see the next quitter-wave

people LIKE their items, a classic shard will attract not the mainstream thats fact.
 
M

Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Or are you actually saying you would pay $89.97 ($29.99 x 3) EVERY MONTH to have three "classic platinum service" accounts?
Yes. I mean per account.


What would you consider a full complement of GMs for one shard? Would you expect any changes in policy from what we're accustomed to now, e.g., replacement of lost items due to bugs? What else would you do differently with GM service?
In 1998, for example, if you paged a GM, one would actually show up and help you. The reason I have been given for them not doing that anymore is that they do not have enough GMs.

I do not know the ratio that would be needed (players vs. GMs) but I know that what we have now, at least on Atlantic, is too low. I would not expect the GMs to replace items or anything beyond what they have always done.

Are you serious in demanding that EA guarantee the shard remains active for at least ten years?
I would want some kind of guarantee that the shard would be around for a while if I were going to pay extra to play on it. Not sure 10 years is realistic, but I know that I would be pretty unhappy if I paid several months or so, only to have EA cancel or change the shard.

A lot of the No voters have said they do not support the idea because it would take so much of the resources away from supporting "real" UO...so what I am suggesting covers that. It would cost more, therefore allowing EA to assign a different set of resources to it...as in GMs and devs.

But I am sure that someone will find a way to complain about that as well.
 

Demonous

Rares Fest Host | Ches Jul 2010
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
In 1998, for example, if you paged a GM, one would actually show up and help you. The reason I have been given for them not doing that anymore is that they do not have enough GMs.

I do not know the ratio that would be needed (players vs. GMs) but I know that what we have now, at least on Atlantic, is too low. I would not expect the GMs to replace items or anything beyond what they have always done.
even in like 2001 or 2002, if you got scammed and paged a gm they would actually do something about it, a guy i knew pretended to repair someones power long spear one time and ran off with it instead, minutes later a gm too the spear back from him and suspended him... also one time someone used a bug to get a house i was trying to sell and somehow they got it for free so i paged a gm, they suspended the guy and gave me the house back... it really isn't that hard to do and takes less than a minute 90% of the time to help people paging... all they do is send out automated messages and dont even log in... they only do something if someone is being harrassed by another player... they really should not be paid for doing so little
 
M

Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
all the dev team has to do is basically copy one of the many free shards out there
Not exactly.

Most of the shard emulators out there are meant to work on a single server, whereas real UO shards are multi-server. I have not dealt with emulators in a while, so maybe they have upgraded them, but everything I have been able to find on the subject suggests that they are still limited to 1 server.

But I get where you are coming from.

If a couple of kids can do it in their spare time for free, why can't EA do it and get paid for it?
 
L

Lord Patapon

Guest
patapon, it is not only the question of classic or no classic shard
but i see in the long term what will be then.
at first the shard will start at good ,then all those classics stay hidden at the town entrance
an NO innocent comes out, ouch,the classics get pissed off, they turn back to prodo shards and start to destroy the fun of the player there, promoting the classic shard and call all other player trammi and banksitter (same what siege player did for a while,to try to prevent the death of their homeland)
in the long term, such a shard would hurt ALL other shards
it would hurt uo at all, the same way it did in the past
Ok.
Then, please explain to me: why have the free shards that are popular have been running for so long ? Those things you describe isn't hapenning on those.

This is catastrophe scenario.

The wound of Fel/Tram players is there since UO:R; it wouldn't hurt the state of the game to open a Classic shard, because it would actually APPEASE old players who want the old UO back, and keep the Trammel lovers (no offense meant, hey, I understand those who like purely consensual pvp, it's just not my style, even if it helps, sometimes :D)
I'd continue to play both shards, prodo and classic, personnaly, but I know a few players that would like to have the choice between old and new UO.

And I don't understand why such an agression on that idea, since DAoC made it too since a long time, and it's just doing the community a favor, instead of having two totally different play styles mixed together without getting a chance to choose.
(I don't know if i'm clear, sentence seems weird...)

Added to that, minus the security patches, we wouldn't need much updates... it's painless !

I understand old OSI didn't want this idea, because it would be like admitting they've made mistakes in the past, changing drastically their game without looking for a balance between the two playstyles, but times have changed.
Mythic isn't responsible for this, and they can handle it.
 

Gildar

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
i think there is many out there that would want it.
We all can't assume that every single uo player uses stratics boards.......

So with that said i would bet it comes live you'd see mass amount playing there.
There definitely are a lot of people that have expressed an interest in a "Classic" shard, but there are almost as many types of "classic" shards as there are people that I've seen express interest in having EA make one.
What time period is "classic"?
Pre-ren? Pre-AoS? Pre-Pub 16? Pre-T2A?
Do you add anything to the game (aside from bug and performance fixes)?
If so, what? Housing? Landmasses? Fiction? Items but without the properties? Monsters? Decorative items? Player Vendors?
Do you do any additional balancing to fix the balance issues in that era?
If so, what needs balancing and how?

Different people answer those questions differently, and thats where one of the biggest problems with making a "classic" UO shard comes in.


As I said though, I don't think there are enough people, but if there were enough people, they should do it.

Perhaps I should change "were" to "are", and expand a little just to be a bit more clear...
If there are enough people that would want the same kind of "classic" shard to financially justify the development, QA, and other costs necessary to support such a shard, I would not have any problem with EA making one.
 
T

Turdnugget

Guest
Obiviously someone is on their man-period.

The devs could give us a list of possible choices for what we'd want to see in a classic shard and go from there.

Or have players send in different ideas of what they liked/disliked and make a final poll to see what should stay/go.

You know, like a community focus group to help develop the shard. I'm sure there's lots of people that are for a classic shard that would be more than willing to do so.
 
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Lord Patapon

Guest
As I said though, I don't think there are enough people, but if there were enough people, they should do it.

Perhaps I should change "were" to "are", and expand a little just to be a bit more clear...
If there are enough people that would want the same kind of "classic" shard to financially justify the development, QA, and other costs necessary to support such a shard, I would not have any problem with EA making one.
And yet, all those who have posted on this thread and the Classic shard idea thread have said it numerous time: pre-UO:R is fine; which means pre Pub-16.

I understand your point, when you express your concern about the number of people.
But really, one felucca facet and T2A isn't much ground to cover, and the shard would be plenty full in no time.
Get a thousand player in there and you've got people at every bank on the facet every night, plus all those PvPing/PvMing.

Oh, yeah, sure, you'd find some to argue about "why isn't there this or that from this pub or that other" but hey ... it's the same everywhere.
 
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Malimus

Guest
Those that want a classic shard.... Start telling people in-game to come here and vote. Only a small portion of the UO community actually checks out stratics, let alone the forums. We need to make them aware! The people must be heard!
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Those that want a classic shard.... Start telling people in-game to come here and vote. Only a small portion of the UO community actually checks out stratics, let alone the forums. We need to make them aware! The people must be heard!
I am considering registering a domain www.uoclassicshard.com and building a website devoted to this idea.

I can start dropping books in game on all shards. Anyone want to help?
 

Kaleb

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
For most who are confused, I believe when someone refers to the term Classic shard (to me anyway) they mean The old item/combat system(pre AOS) 1 ruleset. alot like how siege was during UO:R, then it was a "Classic shard" being that it was the only one that remained total Felucia based. Say you have the old systems with some of the new lands and weaps for example if useing the old item/combat system it would still be considered classic UO. I think most would be happy if they even kept the current content but reverted the systems to pre aos combat/items and not have the 2 rulesets coexist. Thats why there needs to be a Felucia based and a tram based server. Its just my opinion but Todays UO would be 100x better if it were still useing the PreAOS item,combat,skill system at least new players would stick around and not quit due to needing a advanced math degree to figure out suits.

Witch I just wondered just now. Could Elemental Resists/damages be the soul problem with AOS items? If they didnt mess with resisting spells and kept the AR systems the way they were would we be in the muck we are in now? Should elemental resist/damage be a mod like LRC while still useing AR be an option ala WoW?
 
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Bc-

Guest
There are 94 votes for yes.. isn't that greater than the entire Fel population combined, game wide? :p
 

o2bavr6

Slightly Crazed
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Can I suggest adding a couple of options?

1) Pre AOS (has t2a/tram/ish/swampies)
2) Pre UOR (has t2a only, optional - skill/stats lock, housing security)


To refresh people's memory, the order of the expansions are:

The second Age (added the t2a lands)
Renaissance (added trammel)
3rd Dawn (added ilshenar)
Lord British's Revenge (no new lands, added fugly graphics, but has swampies)
Age of Shadows (added malas)
Samurai Empire (added tokuno)
Mondain's Legacy (added heartwood and elves)

Not that this really matters, but it's actually Lord Blackthorns Revenge.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Good luck with the idea of dropping books with a URL in them. You obviously missed all of last summer's hubbub regarding in-game advertising. http://www.uo.com/fof/fiveonfriday122.html
Well, I am certain that EA's position on this has more to do with websites that are selling UO items for cash, but I would bet that I could count on more than one person seeing the books and paging on me.

So you are probably right, it would likely be a bad idea.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
For most who are confused, I believe when someone refers to the term Classic shard (to me anyway) they mean The old item/combat system(pre AOS) 1 ruleset. alot like how siege was during UO:R, then it was a "Classic shard" being that it was the only one that remained total Felucia based.
Classic shard = pre UO:R

UO has not been the same since they split Fel and Tram, and then pub 16 and AoS just made it into a Diablo 2 clone.

I think the key ideas for a classic shard should be:

- One world, no Fel/Tram, no Tokuno, Malas, Ilsh, etc.

- No AoS properties. A return to Vanq, Power, etc.

- Some mechanism to help prevent the economy of the shard from being ruined with hyper-inflation

- A return to reliance on player crafted items, rather than artifacts and such.

- No insurance. Death should have consequences.

Now, we can all disagree, or agree...or discuss, about what should happen to the shard after it's birth.

- What could be done to curtail rampant PKing?

- Should we have skill/stat locks?

- Customizable housing? Housing security?

- Bonded pets, or no control slots?

And so on and so on.

But you have to start somewhere. And the first huge mistake that OSI made with UO was UO:R. If they could just start the shard right before that, and then take a different evolutionary path, the shard could be better than any of the existing shards. Well, in my opinion, and a lot of others too, it would be better from day 1.
 
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Mattitracks

Guest
1) dilutes player base on other existing shards
2) reduces Developers time available for making game and content improvements on other existing shards
3) increases overall costs to keep the game running

this is all I could think of at the moment
I figured I would add my two cents in on this one.

1) Dilutes the player base eh? So I guess your wants are more important than others? Some people still like [I suppose],and still play this game, but hope for a classic rule set shard at the same time. For you to say that you wouldn't want a "classic" shard because it would lower the population of your shard seems rather selfish to me.

2) I don't see the reduction in time spent dealing with YOUR needs as being very noticeable. While I still played I don't think the fact that siege had to have different work published to it affected the updates to my shard all that much. At least I never noticed! To me your answer here seems like a poorly thought out excuse... It's not like they'll have to make new art-work or lay out new lands right?

3)I'm fairly certain the cost would be offset by players such as myself returning to the game to play. I know for a fact that quite a few of the players I ran with would return. I'm not speaking of people who still play and would transfer to said shard either... I mean players who quit, so that would be new revenue. Good show? I think so.....

-------------------------------------------

Ok onwards! Posters here claim no one will agree on the era that a classic rule set shard should be. I don't think it matters all that much. I think the majority of us for the most part would be content with just pre-aos. I myself would prefer a t2a ruleset, but I would return to the game to play a uo:r rule set. Of course you would get people who would complain, but that's with anything. The fact remains we would gladly play anything other than the AoS rule set.

To those who shoot the idea down. I'd almost go as far as to say some of you come off as full on narcissist. Totally Self absorbed, as if your wants are all that matters. Doesn't shock me, but just so you know the attitude comes across like a spoiled brat screaming in a candy store. I really believe that unless you can come up with a good personal reason for not developing such a shard [and not a developer excuse] than you should fall under "I wouldn't play it". To flat out fight against it with poor excuses is just pitiful. It's not like this playstyle would be forced on you now is it?

Well that's what I gather.

EggRoll [Just one of of the names I used]
Atlantic 97 - 02
Trinsic Borrower
 

Kaleb

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Classic shard = pre UO:R

UO has not been the same since they split Fel and Tram, and then pub 16 and AoS just made it into a Diablo 2 clone.

I think the key ideas for a classic shard should be:

- One world, no Fel/Tram, no Tokuno, Malas, Ilsh, etc.

- No AoS properties. A return to Vanq, Power, etc.

- Some mechanism to help prevent the economy of the shard from being ruined with hyper-inflation

- A return to reliance on player crafted items, rather than artifacts and such.

- No insurance. Death should have consequences.

Now, we can all disagree, or agree...or discuss, about what should happen to the shard after it's birth.

- What could be done to curtail rampant PKing?

- Should we have skill/stat locks?

- Customizable housing? Housing security?

- Bonded pets, or no control slots?

And so on and so on.

But you have to start somewhere. And the first huge mistake that OSI made with UO was UO:R. If they could just start the shard right before that, and then take a different evolutionary path, the shard could be better than any of the existing shards. Well, in my opinion, and a lot of others too, it would be better from day 1.
You didnt read me, For starters I say classic servers must be felucia and tram only servers, they cannot coexist. UO:R was awesome except for tram, not tram itself but the fact that it was put on to existing servers VS just making servers for the playstyle. IF they made a t2a only server not alot will play it, Based off Free servers i never see more then 200-300 people on the exact t2a (2nd age) clone, where the UO:R based felucia only server has over 1k on at almost all times. the aos clone is in the same boat as T2a. These are free servers people have thier choice of flavor so the #'s cant lie on witch would be more viable for EA.
 
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Mattitracks

Guest
patapon, it is not only the question of classic or no classic shard
but i see in the long term what will be then.
at first the shard will start at good ,then all those classics stay hidden at the town entrance
an NO innocent comes out, ouch,the classics get pissed off, they turn back to prodo shards and start to destroy the fun of the player there, promoting the classic shard and call all other player trammi and banksitter (same what siege player did for a while,to try to prevent the death of their homeland)
in the long term, such a shard would hurt ALL other shards
it would hurt uo at all, the same way it did in the past
Damn man. I have an easier time with Chaucer than I do your replies. To be honest I picked this one because it was short. Sorry and I'm not trying to get on you. Maybe more of something to consider. You know? The whole concept of someone might take my argument seriously if presented in well thought out and easily read form? I won't say anything else on this though and I apologize if you take offense. I would never make fun of someone for how they write as I know I'm not the best either. [Funny thing is I'm a published writer among other things! Thank god for spell and grammar check eh?]

Anyways, to get on track. What? I don't think I understand this all that much. Are you saying that all the PvPers will hang outside Britain or whatnot waiting on the innocent crafter [or whatnot!] to stroll on by so they can pick em off? If that's what you mean than it makes absolutely know sense as there is no historical basis to back this statement up. Yes it has happened, but so has many other odd events. I'm not saying that there isn't a certain player base who doesn't pray on the weaker player, but it doesn't normally happen in this manner. Also if you mean "PK's" and if this shard is anything but Pre-t2a then guess what!?! Stat loss would be implemented. I have never heard one person ask for a "noto era" shard... Lots of fun if you ask me but not easy. I wouldn't want the dev team to even try it as I am shooting for the most realistic shard possible.

So... Pks? hmmm well if the shard is a stat loss shard I can tell you [Being a former "stat pk" with over 900 shorts] a PK with over 5 shorts wouldn't go near [I was going to say "Be caught dead"! Ha! Bad choice of words eh?] a town gate. It's to much work to rebuild a decent pk. Pretty much your prediction here has no solid ground to stand on. Yes people will be killed [Huzzah!] and miners will be the targets of cowards and grief pks, but they won't be waiting in mass right outside of town for each and every blue player to run by.

I'm going to take a guess and say you either didn't play prior to UO:R or just have such a fixation with consensual play styles that you have clouded your memory with a negative type of nostalgia for the days of yore [Omg I used a rp term!!! Damn trammie!!!]

Peace!
EggRoll
Atlantic 97 - 02
Trinsic Borrower

Edit:

Some mechanism to help prevent the economy of the shard from being ruined with hyper-inflation
Ha! I doubt this could ever happen. Lets not get nostalgic now and believe everything was just grand 10 years ago. I remember when gold was like $100 usd on ebay and it dropped. People [I guess sellers] spoke of inflation problems then! I'm not saying it was per-se, but shortly after it certainly became a problem. It might not seem like it today but inflation and it's effects on newer players in regards to the housing market was one of the main reasons Trammel was created [It wasn't just so you would have a safe place to run to folks. I guess most don't remember this though] Granted it was poorly thought out because in the end, Trammel just increased inflation 10fold.

Remember when they jacked the prices of housing deeds? Without the dupes and with a few checks and balances I believe it can be kept in check to a certain extent. By no means though will it be prevented. I know this edit doesn't do much to promote a classic shard but sometimes I have a hard time resisting myself. Sowwie!
 
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Bc-

Guest
Again using DAoC as a reference, I feel it is relevant here especially since we have a big influence of Mythic employees here now, and DAOC was their baby.

When they designed the Classic server they didn't necessarily look at a time line of when the game was happiest, they looked at when the game went south. We are all in agreement that AoS was the straw that broke the camels back (at least those of us that want a Classic server). I think that is the first step for most of us, you remove AOS, then you start looking at other aspects of the game that ruin it. For many in DAoC it was TOA ( which has some similarities to AOS) which was removed, then it was buff bots. The thought of having to have an extra toon logged in just to buff you so you can compete with others in PvP, this was removed next.

And so on.. and so on.. they went down the list removing things that they felt harmed the game for a target playerbase, specifically those who cancelled their subscriptions prior to or shortly after the launch of ToA. The problem with UO is that the game has been around for so long.. there are so many different time periods. Lots of people were probably un happy with the fel/tram split, lots maybe even with rep patch, then the removal of the pre cast pvp system, or the emergence of powerscrolls. A lot of naysayers have decided this is the biggest challenge in creating a new server.. but they are wrong. You use the method that DAOC used, you use the resources they used (player feedback!!!!) and you will have a solid shard that is heavily populated.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
As someone that would frequently kill players like EggRoll, and Scar and Lice, and all the other TB that infested Trinsic, I can say this...

...it was a lot more challenging and fun than killing "mobs" (and when the hell did UOers start using that EQ term anyway?) with badly written AI. It also created an actual community in and around the towns themselves.

There was more to the interaction between players back then beyond gate killing one another just for fun.

Certainly, we killed each other. But it was to gain control, or take control away.

I cannot count how many times Scar or Lice stole something from me, and I had to chase them down and kill them...or died trying :)

For the players out there that never experienced pre - UO:R, it was something truly unique...whereas now, UO is that copy-cat old MMO with the bad graphics that no one plays.

At least that is what your average WoWer thinks.

A classic shard would give us something to make UO unique again...even if only a few people played on it.

But those that are against the idea, and cite the reason of PKs and thieves as why are correct. Classic UO was full of them. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I dealt with them everyday for almost 5 years until UO:R was released. And at first, I was sort of glad to be done with it. It was great to walk through Covetous without worrying about red names...but you know, that wore off very quickly, and I soon realized that all real risk in the game was 90% eliminated. Then they brought out insurance and got rid of the rest of it!!

UO with risk is more fun than you think, because it was easy to replace your items. We didn't run around with neon colored gloves that cost 35,000,000 and a bright green sword that looks like something out of a cereal box that costs 90,000,000. That is not UO. At least it wasn't.
 
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Mattitracks

Guest
As someone that would frequently kill players like EggRoll, and Scar and Lice, and all the other TB that infested Trinsic, I can say this...

...it was a lot more challenging and fun than killing "mobs" (and when the hell did UOers start using that EQ term anyway?) with badly written AI. It also created an actual community in and around the towns themselves.

There was more to the interaction between players back then beyond gate killing one another just for fun.

Certainly, we killed each other. But it was to gain control, or take control away.

I cannot count how many times Scar or Lice stole something from me, and I had to chase them down and kill them...or died trying :)

For the players out there that never experienced pre - UO:R, it was something truly unique...whereas now, UO is that copy-cat old MMO with the bad graphics that no one plays.

At least that is what your average WoWer thinks.

A classic shard would give us something to make UO unique again...even if only a few people played on it.

But those that are against the idea, and cite the reason of PKs and thieves as why are correct. Classic UO was full of them. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I dealt with them everyday for almost 5 years until UO:R was released. And at first, I was sort of glad to be done with it. It was great to walk through Covetous without worrying about red names...but you know, that wore off very quickly, and I soon realized that all real risk in the game was 90% eliminated. Then they brought out insurance and got rid of the rest of it!!

UO with risk is more fun than you think, because it was easy to replace your items. We didn't run around with neon colored gloves that cost 35,000,000 and a bright green sword that looks like something out of a cereal box that costs 90,000,000. That is not UO. At least it wasn't.
One time for good old times sake. Morgan, we were BORROWERS, NOT THIEVES!

Wow I can't believe I've replied to this thread this many times... I guess that shows there is still a little bit of that passion for UO in me?

I can only speak of Atlantic and Lake Superior, but my favorite times in this game came with the risk involved in being able to lose it all. The items on my body and the stuff jam packed into my homes. It's true that such a shard is not for everyone. You have to learn to deal with a whole new type of player. A type not even really seen much in todays UO I would suppose. I was one of them. We were called exploiters and "Kewl doods", which is a title I claimed with pride [If only for the absurdity of it all]. It's true I would have robbed you blind, killed you, took everything from your house without a second thought but god damn it was fun, even when the tables were turned and it happened to me.

Over the years I have heard people speak of the endless amount of player killers and the sploits they used to gain an advantage. Well yes, there was alot of dreads but the larger problem is conveniently forgotten by you ex great lords. I guess because it was you. Aside from one or two PK guilds most were only interested in fighting, not cheating. I myself can only remember using two bugs in my whole time playing UO [and I'm guessing it's ok to speak of em now as both haven't worked for 10+ years] and those were the old NPC mage resist trick [which seemed to be a huge waste of time as I didn't notice much a difference between 30 and 90 resist] and the other being UO:E. UO:E had some cheats on it yes, but I didn't use em. I used it for the macros and even UO:A was illegal then. Simply put alot of the horror stories told about those days are unfounded and formed by people who enjoy playing without risk or those who never played during that time frame and believe everything told to them.

Why do I say this? Well I feel it's important to get rid of a lot of the preconceived notions of what UO was. Some are true, but most of those truths have even been blown way out of proportion. From what I gather the players of today have seen a rampant cheating on a scale never even imagined back then. Also, if your worried about house security than I think it's safe to assume that any classic server would have secures and lockdowns the same as after the cleanup brit project. [Being who I am though I cannot claim to be happy about that. Nothing would interest me more than "Borrowing" the contents of your home]

=D

Ohh! I do see one thing is the same today as it was back then.. Archery seems to be ripping people to shreds. [Ah, I miss the days of turning OJs into pin cushions]

DISCLAIMER: I'm in no way claiming it's ok to use an exploit once or twice and I'm not claiming I am proud of ever using them. The fact is I wasn't. Hence why after the resist trick I never really used any others. I still don't consider my use of UO:E an exploit. It was exploitable, but it could also be used with the best intentions. Than again, I've never been big on rules being set in stone.
 
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Morgana LeFay (PoV)

Guest
Hence why after the resist trick I never really used any others.
Thing is, that wasn't so much of an "exploit" per se...it was just how the game was coded.

How many of us old timers can honestly say we didn't GM resist by walking in our own para-fields? Or GMed swords by standing in front a polar bear that was trapped behind some crates? Or ... one of my favorite old time methods ... attacking a blocked Troll with a bow, then taking the arrows out of your pack to GM Archery AND Tactics!! :hahaha:

It wasn't as big of a deal back then. Frequently you would find someone sitting in their house, just hiding away. It was an easy way to gain dex and int on a new character.

Those kinds of "exploits" only became "exploits" after they were deemed so later on.

Now the 3rd party programs, and duping, those were true "Sploitz"!
 
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Mattitracks

Guest
LOL, it was an exploit. It required like 30 blocked npcs out of town and you in... [Remember back then magic didnt damage you inside town limits]

I won't say anything else on the matter though... As I don't wanna get bitched at! I'm the sensitive type and might break down in tears if given a stern "talking too".

Edit: About the returning! You're such a liar!!!! I returned items to plenty of people..... after taking a few corp pors of course, but nonetheless they were returned!!!
 
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