Classic shard.

[Guido_LS]

I'd rather have DEV feedback now so we know this entire talk/debate is actually worthwhile. Even a simple: yes we might be interested in that what can the community recommend/suggest/ anything.

There will never be a concensus. The majority of ppl want a Second Age server. There is a perfect example of one as a free server with all the data on UO/EA publishes to show what was correct/broken/etc to put together a Second Age server with little to no hassle.

Until a DEV become part of the talks this is all just hot air.

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.

Source

That's as close as you're going to get. 8 pages based on, in the very best light, a maybe.

 

[kennykilleduo]

I would come back to ANYTHING pre AOS....

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

Hmmm...an idea I had last night...


What if EA re-launched the Charter Edition of the game's original box? Included inside is everything you got in the original version...and a Classic Shard code.

You cannot access the Classic Shard without the code on your account.

Priced at $79.99, this would help to absorb some of the costs of development, and cut down on the whining about "wasted resources" from the people that are against a Classic Shard. Plus, for those that were not lucky enough to get the Charter Edition, this would be like a second chance (waits for the handful of people here besides herself that has the CE to complain about it 'devaluing' their rare box rolleyes

Seriously though...I know that I would jump at the chance to buy something like this. If it would make a Classic Shard possible, then I think many more would as well...and you would have people that couldn't give a flip about Classic Shards buying it because its a collectable.

$$ for EA, Classic Shard for us, "rare" item for people that like to collect things that they consider valuable but are only actually valuabe to a very small group of people...everybody wins!

 

[Bc-]

I know for a lot of people Trammel was a life saver. UO would have lost a lot more subscriptions without Tram.. actually I think we have numbers in here somewhere that it actually increased subscriptions. I would make the argument that as the years progressed, especially after 2000, internet use was MUCH MUCH More wide spread so that helped as well... but anyway...

For this server to work we have all agreed there can't be a Tram. It is an economy, community and play style killer. INSTEAD they need to up the penalty for PKing and stealing. Real player killers will hunt no matter what the consequences are, so by upping the consequences you will reduce the number of reds drastically, but still keep a healthy Player Killer population to help keep that element part of the game.

I know for a fact that I supplied a lot of anti PK's with very, very fun nights by terrorizing dungeons and giving them an excuse to come PvP (pre guild wars obviously) for the night.

I would say stat loss on death, not res, is a much more realistic option for PKing. This will really help out in the beginning because nobody will want to put themselves that far back while trying to get established. This will help us from chasing off the solos or newer players right off the bat, those that eventually develop into essential cogs of the community.

 

[Keep Hope Alive]

I know for a lot of people Trammel was a life saver. UO would have lost a lot more subscriptions without Tram.. actually I think we have numbers in here somewhere that it actually increased subscriptions.

In my opinion, there was an increase in subscriptions largely in part because so many new accounts were needed to facilitate placing a new house or multiple houses in this huge new empty world. If I remember correctly, the entire new, empty landmass was quickly consumed with newly placed homes, towers, castles, etc. I remember placing a tower the day that Trammel was born. Everybody was excited to finally be able to place a house because there was no space left in the original landmass that is now known as Felucca.

I think a lot of people liked Trammel because they could finally place a house or a larger house to replace their small house in Felucca. The fact that it was a "Care Bear Land" was just a convenience for many and only a necessity for those who were completely phobic of living in a land of thieves and murderers.

 

[Kaleb]

Hmmm...an idea I had last night...


What if EA re-launched the Charter Edition of the game's original box? Included inside is everything you got in the original version...and a Classic Shard code.

You cannot access the Classic Shard without the code on your account.

Priced at $79.99, this would help to absorb some of the costs of development, and cut down on the whining about "wasted resources" from the people that are against a Classic Shard. Plus, for those that were not lucky enough to get the Charter Edition, this would be like a second chance (waits for the handful of people here besides herself that has the CE to complain about it 'devaluing' their rare box rolleyes

Seriously though...I know that I would jump at the chance to buy something like this. If it would make a Classic Shard possible, then I think many more would as well...and you would have people that couldn't give a flip about Classic Shards buying it because its a collectable.

$$ for EA, Classic Shard for us, "rare" item for people that like to collect things that they consider valuable but are only actually valuabe to a very small group of people...everybody wins!

$80 is a tad high for a game that is straight out of the late 90's, but I like that Idea. Couple years ago while in Butte Montana I found the charter edition, 2nd age, UO:R all unopened, got them for $5 a piece. Seriously though they can sell as a pre-expansion expansion. maybe $40 a piece if includes disk,clothmap,pin exc.exc.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

Think of it like paying a highway toll. We complain that we want a Classic Shard...so why not ask us to finance it. Also, it would be kind of nice because the people that had access to the shard would be only people that bought the "expansion" or "code" ... and so in-game polls could be taken etc. without having just anybody log into the shard and vote in a destructive manner. (ie, AoS fanboy that hates the Classic Shard finds out there is going to be a vote on something, so he just logs in and creates a character just to skew the vote...wouldnt happen if there was a fee involved most likely).

I just threw a price out before...but what if the cost was $99, but it included a free 6 months of UO?

 

[tenduil]

I know for a lot of people Trammel was a life saver. UO would have lost a lot more subscriptions without Tram.. actually I think we have numbers in here somewhere that it actually increased subscriptions. I would make the argument that as the years progressed, especially after 2000, internet use was MUCH MUCH More wide spread so that helped as well... but anyway...

For this server to work we have all agreed there can't be a Tram. It is an economy, community and play style killer. INSTEAD they need to up the penalty for PKing and stealing. Real player killers will hunt no matter what the consequences are, so by upping the consequences you will reduce the number of reds drastically, but still keep a healthy Player Killer population to help keep that element part of the game.

I know for a fact that I supplied a lot of anti PK's with very, very fun nights by terrorizing dungeons and giving them an excuse to come PvP (pre guild wars obviously) for the night.

I would say stat loss on death, not res, is a much more realistic option for PKing. This will really help out in the beginning because nobody will want to put themselves that far back while trying to get established. This will help us from chasing off the solos or newer players right off the bat, those that eventually develop into essential cogs of the community.

No

Why penalize thievery? Sorry but that idea is not T2A and the point isn't to make it easier and get a bunch of trammies. There are plenty of people who would play a EA Classic Shard (with the poll and general concesus being T2A) just the way it was... not with some altered anti-bad deeds penalties.

 

[popeto]

I registered just to put this in:
I used to play UO around 1997-2004 and just as AoS was being implemented.

Most of the people that are left playing/contributing to the community on pay servers have no merit when it comes to t2a/'classic shard' topics.

Sorry EA, but you guys had your chance to put out a classic shard 4+ YEARS ago when players were asking for one

Now nobody will be on board with your attempt to milk the last few dollars out of the game that you have ruined by patching it to death.

If only you guys listened to "If it aint broke, dont fix it"

 

[Azaroth Dragon]

But it was broke.

They just couldn't please everyone with their fixes.

You never can.

However, there are a certain percentage of the UO fanbase that would willingly submit to the oldschool ruleset and would enjoy a classic server being put up.

 

[Unsatisfied]

I registered just to put this in:
I used to play UO around 1997-2004 and just as AoS was being implemented.

Most of the people that are left playing/contributing to the community on pay servers have no merit when it comes to t2a/'classic shard' topics.

Sorry EA, but you guys had your chance to put out a classic shard 4+ YEARS ago when players were asking for one

Now nobody will be on board with your attempt to milk the last few dollars out of the game that you have ruined by patching it to death.

If only you guys listened to "If it aint broke, dont fix it"

Thankfully thats only your opinion, there are plenty more people on here arguing the opposite.

Its never too late to late and we WILL come back.

 

[jamieirl]

Re: Classic shard: Narrowing the gaps

This is the first time I logged on stratics since 10-03-2005. I'm glad to see talk of a classic (in my case, october 1998) server alive once again. I'd be all over that.

 

[Derium of ls]

Far cry from half a million.

uhh, it's normally 10k people per server. so to follow the "math" of server space needed, you can cram in 20-30k people per server before it has bandwith and que problems (because they of course will not all be logged in at the same time). That's also taking into account what type of game it is and average hours per player spent. but you NEVER want more than 30k people per server, they'd have to open up a second classic server at that point.

long story short, if they can get 10k people (easy, the free server I'm on now has 10% of that on 24 hours a day) then the server would be considered very successful.

 

[Rancid Wolf]

I don't even remember how many players per server back when I played from Dec 97-2003.

What I do know is I played a server in 2004 that had 1.5-2k players (T2A wasn't open) and the shard seemed PACKED with people. I can only imagine double that amount let alone 10k.

 

[Derium of ls]

I don't even remember how many players per server back when I played from Dec 97-2003.

What I do know is I played a server in 2004 that had 1.5-2k players (T2A wasn't open) and the shard seemed PACKED with people. I can only imagine double that amount let alone 10k.

that's even better point, take away tram, malas ect ect ect. it forces players to share a smaller space, making it seem like the population is much larger.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

that's even better point, take away tram, malas ect ect ect. it forces players to share a smaller space, making it seem like the population is much larger.

Exactly why I have been saying launch era landmass only...add T2A later...and only add subsequent landmasses if the population is over a certain amount...a very high amount.

 

[Rancid Wolf]

Ya that makes a lot of sense. I'd only suggest adding T2A if people really need it or the server is getting too big.

 

[Unsatisfied]

I really hope nothing gets added past t2a land masses... If theres a dire need I'd perfer extra servers rather than land masses tbh.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

I could live with Ilshenar, assuming it was a Fel ruleset...and assuming the population of the shard demanded it...and assuming it came YEARS later. And assuming it contained no moronic Todd McFarlane robot crap.

 

[Derium of ls]

I could live with Ilshenar, assuming it was a Fel ruleset...and assuming the population of the shard demanded it...and assuming it came YEARS later. And assuming it contained no moronic Todd McFarlane robot crap.

hahaha I will you till the day I die for the anti-Todd McFarlane. cause to this day, I still refuse to fight anything made by him.

there are two professions that I LOVED in UO that are both now dead, well one is dead the other is a cluster $%&!. Rares dealer and real estate broker. Housing should be a wanted thing, it should never be like it is now, even on atlantic you can find villa size plots in tram easily, and tower sized in fel.

and never... ever ever EVER make a place like Luna EVER gain, that just fed off our collective laziness a bit too much, and killed my third profession I enjoyed for many years... a vendor shop owner. back then we had to communicate and listen to our customers, in luna you just charge 3x the going rate and ignore everyone, cause it will sell *sigh*.

/rant

 

[Evlar]

that's even better point, take away tram, malas ect ect ect. it forces players to share a smaller space, making it seem like the population is much larger.

Exactly why I have been saying launch era landmass only...add T2A later...and only add subsequent landmasses if the population is over a certain amount...a very high amount.

That works well for me. Only add any of the additional landmasses if the population stays high enough to support them.

 

[Evlar]

Something I don't think we've discussed in any depth in this thread so far... clients.

Now although I yearn for classic era gameplay and community, I have to admit, I've always (with the exception of KR), liked the newer clients. I liked Third Dawn (3d) client, I especially like the UI & menus of the current "enhanced" client.

So, what's everyone's thoughts about being able to use simply the "classic" client only, "enhanced" client only, or retain the current combination and option of both?

If it's feasable, I would retain both.

 

[Guido_LS]

That works well for me. Only add any of the additional landmasses if the population stays high enough to support them.

It's funny - people have gotten to the point of HOWLING about certain additions that have been suggested, as they aren't classic... now you want a classic server with T2A rules, but no T2A lands...

Oh, the irony... and people have wondered for years why whichever Dev team that was in charge wanted nothing to do with this idea...

 

[Evlar]

that's even better point, take away tram, malas ect ect ect. it forces players to share a smaller space, making it seem like the population is much larger.

Exactly why I have been saying launch era landmass only...add T2A later...and only add subsequent landmasses if the population is over a certain amount...a very high amount.

That works well for me. Only add any of the additional landmasses if the population stays high enough to support them.

It's funny - people have gotten to the point of HOWLING about certain additions that have been suggested, as they aren't classic... now you want a classic server with T2A rules, but no T2A lands...

Oh, the irony... and people have wondered for years why whichever Dev team that was in charge wanted nothing to do with this idea...

On the contrary, I think this suggestion makes sense in order to encourage interaction, player encounters and the "feeling" of population.

We've absolutely no way to predict how successful a classic shard will actually be at this stage, in terms of population.

One of the biggest problems with current servers which are low population, is that you can currently travel, even via moongates, through a number of landmasses, without encountering another player.

 

[Derium of ls]

Something I don't think we've discussed in any depth in this thread so far... clients.

Now although I yearn for classic era gameplay and community, I have to admit, I've always (with the exception of KR), liked the newer clients. I liked Third Dawn (3d) client, I especially like the UI & menus of the current "enhanced" client.

So, what's everyone's thoughts about being able to use simply the "classic" client only, "enhanced" client only, or retain the current combination and option of both?

If it's feasable, I would retain both.

I booted up Third Dawn client once, never went back. I will use the Classic client until they force me not to, at the point I'll quit UO. I know that sounds silly, but it's not. The other clients make the game look stupid IMHO, it's UO! it's about gameplay, sandbox, friends. Not suppose to be about looking good, it was made over 13 years ago

 

[Guido_LS]

On the contrary, I think this suggestion makes sense in order to encourage interaction, player encounters and the "feeling" of population.

We've absolutely no way to predict how successful a classic shard will actually be at this stage, in terms of population.

One of the biggest problems with current servers which are low population, is that you can currently travel, even via moongates, through a number of landmasses, without encountering another player.

I said nothing about the suggestion itself - just the irony of it, in the face of the fact that people got shouted down about things as simple as basic custom housing and tamer control slots, as they weren't *CLASSIC*. By that argument, it can just as well be said that a T2A ruleset is NOT *CLASSIC* when combined with only the original, LAUNCH landmass.

As for the *feeling* of population, I'd bet dollars to donuts that EA couldn't give a rip about *feeling* - for them, it's about raw numbers. And as you've stated so clearly, there's no way to predict who, if any, will actually come back.

 

[Evlar]

2d client graphics I'm totally fine with. It's mainly the UI I like about the most recent clients.

Now, give me the original graphics with the new UI... I'm a happy man

 

[Evlar]

As for the *feeling* of population, I'd bet dollars to donuts that EA couldn't give a rip about *feeling* - for them, it's about raw numbers.

Very true unfortunately.

On a side note, looking at your profile location... on a non-UO related game forum I moderate on, I had to laugh at an American person, clearly not too hot with geography of his own country, who thought the Appalachian mountains were in China!!

 

[Guido_LS]

Very true unfortunately.

On a side note, looking at your profile location... on a non-UO related game forum I moderate on, I had to laugh at an American person, clearly not too hot with geography of his own country, who thought the Appalachian mountains were in China!!

Popps thought I was a Euro playing on an American server... kind of sad - the 'net has opened up a wealth of information to basically the entire world, and yet people are still ignorant on so many topics - even those that are close to home.

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

I said nothing about the suggestion itself - just the irony of it, in the face of the fact that people got shouted down about things as simple as basic custom housing and tamer control slots, as they weren't *CLASSIC*. By that argument, it can just as well be said that a T2A ruleset is NOT *CLASSIC* when combined with only the original, LAUNCH landmass.

I think, at least this is how I see it, that most of the people asking for T2A couldn't really care less about the actual landmass itself...but the ruleset and content.

I have no issue with the T2A landmass...I just personally think that the smaller the shard is at launch, the more chance there will be of a community developing...rather than the empty solo-fest you find on current shards.

I don't actually have any problems with any of the landmasses per se, just the rulesets and items they brought with them.

Also, I think the idea behind picking an era rather than trying to pick and choose every single little detail helps to cut down on disagreements as to what should be included in the shard. Things like custom housing, pet slots, etc. just cause the discussion to become mired down in mundane details.

The focus is going back to Fel only, no AoS, and a smaller world (less landmasses). Pretty much everything else is secondary to me.

 

[tenduil]

I think, at least this is how I see it, that most of the people asking for T2A couldn't really care less about the actual landmass itself...but the ruleset and content.

I have no issue with the T2A landmass...I just personally think that the smaller the shard is at launch, the more chance there will be of a community developing...rather than the empty solo-fest you find on current shards.

I don't actually have any problems with any of the landmasses per se, just the rulesets and items they brought with them.

Also, I think the idea behind picking an era rather than trying to pick and choose every single little detail helps to cut down on disagreements as to what should be included in the shard. Things like custom housing, pet slots, etc. just cause the discussion to become mired down in mundane details.

The focus is going back to Fel only, no AoS, and a smaller world (less landmasses). Pretty much everything else is secondary to me.

Good summary. I don't think the T2A landmass truly negatively affects things but wouldn't complain if it was felucca only.

 

[Derium of ls]

I think, at least this is how I see it, that most of the people asking for T2A couldn't really care less about the actual landmass itself...but the ruleset and content.

I have no issue with the T2A landmass...I just personally think that the smaller the shard is at launch, the more chance there will be of a community developing...rather than the empty solo-fest you find on current shards.

I don't actually have any problems with any of the landmasses per se, just the rulesets and items they brought with them.

Also, I think the idea behind picking an era rather than trying to pick and choose every single little detail helps to cut down on disagreements as to what should be included in the shard. Things like custom housing, pet slots, etc. just cause the discussion to become mired down in mundane details.

The focus is going back to Fel only, no AoS, and a smaller world (less landmasses). Pretty much everything else is secondary to me.

I think it's time to send you to EA as our Rep haha.

and just to be a smart-ass, we should start a one of those online petitions and get people to sign it, then forward it to EA ha

 

[tenduil]

Until something like that happens or we get a Dev involved this is all still just hot air.

Why don't one of the moderators or admins for stratics chime in?

Again they refused to allow a post on the Dev forum about this...

 

[Bc-]

There was mention about a month ago in the letter from the producer that they are giving it thought and will let us know within the year which way they plan to go with it.

So yes, it is an official topic.

 

[Guido_LS]

Until something like that happens or we get a Dev involved this is all still just hot air.

Why don't one of the moderators or admins for stratics chime in?

Again they refused to allow a post on the Dev forum about this...

There was a direct response to this same question, from you, back at post 749.

 

[tenduil]

There was a direct response to this same question, from you, back at post 749.

And that direct response was not helpful. There will not be a consensus from the community besides what we already have here. Also how does it hurt to get some direct feedback form a dev or admin here? Is that so much to ask?

 

[Guido_LS]

And that direct response was not helpful. There will not be a consensus from the community besides what we already have here. Also how does it hurt to get some direct feedback form a dev or admin here? Is that so much to ask?

The admins here have no say in what happens at EA - this is a fan site, not the official arm of EA/Mythic. All they can and will do is make sure everyone plays nice - or mostly nice. And offer their own opinions.

And if you read exactly what Cal said, you'll understand why there has been no dev involvement. They haven't even decided if they are going to continue discussion on the subject from a Saturday lunch meeting. It's a maybe. That's all it ever was. And he set a time limit for it that, as of now, is 9 more months to give an answer, read: sometime this year.

So while the response may not have been helpful, it was the correct answer. There are several EA/Mythic employees that do post here - hit them up in the user list, and PM them and see if you can do any better.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Whatever gives you the idea that anyone has refused to allow a question on the Dev forum?

The Stratics staff DO NOT decide what does and does not go in the dev forum except in very specific cases.
If the question is basic knowledge that a player can answer without the need for input from the devs the question will be diverted to UO Players Corner and the poster will be notified by PM
The only other type of question that will not be passed through would be a straightforward troll that does not in any way relate to the actual game. Luckily we haven't had any of those. All others are passed on. When answered they are returned to the public board and made visible.
Stratics staff are merely players who volunteer some of their time to maintaining this fansite. We are not employed by EA, we pay the same monthly fee to play the game as the rest of the playerbase.

 

[Evlar]

Aye... don't point fingers at the mods. I volounteer moderate on an "official" game website, completely non-UO related, so I know the score when it comes to posters venting at us, when we're nothing less than players ourselves, who have an interest in the community. Quite often, people mistake us for employees of the game producer, when it's simply not true. Don't shoot the messenger!

I think most moderators try to be as fair as they can, until someone steps over the line. Be thankful that this is a "fan" site, rather than an "official" site (even though Mythic devs post here), where often things are much, much stricter.

Ask The Devs here is much the same as a similar setup we have on the forums I moderate on. Moderators will only remove questions if they're abusive or utterly pointless. It's entirely up to the devs when they feel it's appropriate to answer, or when they have something to say. I've asked questions myself and not always had answers. Clearly they can't comment at the moment. I would rather wait for a well considered and constructive answer, than a generic reply along the lines of "we're looking into it".

For what it's worth, I fully don't expect anyone from EA/Mythic to comment further at this moment in time regarding a classic shard. It's up to us to convince them there's sufficient demand for a classic shard, whilst also being more unified regarding what we would expect of it. I'm sure at this moment in time, if such a thing is seriously under consideration, that they will be reading threads like this with some interest, in order to gauge opinion.

Any bickering and pancakes doesn't help anyone's cause. If we're mainly the "mature" veteran players we claim to be, having played the game for so many years, then we need to act as such whilst we present our case.

For what it's worth, I've been looking at a couple of the classic orientated "free" servers over the last week or so. None are totally accurate to the era that we here tend to be most agreed on, though any "additions" they have implemented, seem to suit the overall gameplay well.

Interestingly, as a "newbie" on these servers, deliberately heading my fledgeling character off to known PvP locations, I've yet to encounter any trouble, even though I've renounced my new status. Seems most of the players are aware I'm "new", thus want to encourage me to improve my skills and stick around. I've not encountered a single situation of griefing, smack talk or pointless player-killing. I've even come across many reds whilst out mining, who've come to say hello, but otherwise left me alone.

It's been a great experience for me so far, revisiting old times. So let's hope that the suggestion of "official" classic shards, actually comes to fruition.

 

[popeto]

Thankfully thats only your opinion, there are plenty more people on here arguing the opposite.

Its never too late to late and we WILL come back.

The only people left posting on stratics still play the game for what it is, they are not on free servers. Its safe to assume that 80% of those people left playing did not play during the classic area (1998). If the Development team at EA listens solely to those posting in the stratics thread the shard will be so modified that it wont even be worth playing.

Theres already one guy crying about griefing and 'thieves looting houses' and the shard isin't even up yet... Using game mechanics to grief and PKing should be a part of the game and this is coming from someone who has never griefed and does not PK anymore.

so EA has talked about a classic shard before when the population was BEGGING and PLEADING for it, they easily could have made THOUSANDS of players come back... and they lead us on and stiffed us.

I don't expect them to do anything now, and if it is done, it wont be something that will satisfy anyone enough to bring them back for more than a few months of testing and deciding 'its not for me' because everyone wants this or that or the other thing added from other eras instead of just staying true to 1998...

Make a classic shard exactly like IPY WAS and then we're talking, other than that and 90% of the classic shard population won't care enough to give up the 3-5 years of hardwork on a FREE server to go back to EA that has stiffed them time and time again.

 

[tenduil]

Quite simply I posted a respectful question concerning a classic shard on the dev thread forum, which must pass through admins first, and it wasn't posted...

Again, I fail to see why getting a dev involved in the talk is a bad idea? So it was a passing comment and they may release info within the next year...
Why not just get in the conversation now and say yes, no, maybe, lets talk!

Evlar you had a good post and thank you. I disagree in that it's all up to us to convince them. What would be needed then? What is the minimum/optimum level of support we could generate for dev's to take a more serious interest?
This could be answered by simple feedback from a dev...

I'm not trying to be a pain but rather show that us all talking in circles will go nowhere without either direction or feedback from the people that run the shards.

If a group of customers walked up to my store and said we want you to carry retro pepsi cans would I? Probably not but I would talk to them and figure out how much they would buy over how long of a period. This would tell me my profit vs loss for ordering something I no longer carry anymore.
I wouldn't stand inside and whisper out the window once that we 'may do it in a year' and that's it.



As far as a classic free shard: The one I play on is as close as you can get to T2A and prides itself on being as era accurate as possible so perhaps you just haven't found it yet?

 

[Evlar]

I have found the one you mentioned tenduil, I saw the "name" before you edited the post a few days ago.

The shard itself is very accurate indeed to the era, although I did notice whilst playing around with the character creation screen, that a "ninja" was a template available. Ok, the skills (they were all era specific that could be selected) weren't present to select, maybe they reverse engineered from Samurai Empire code and that's an unfortunate side effect that's cosmetic more than anything.

I do understand where you're coming from with your posts too. It is frustrating to have a carrot dangled before our eyes, with very little information to go on, other than what we discuss in threads like this, which is little else than "ideas" from players.

So far, in the couple of servers I've looked at, everyone seems friendly enough and I've not seen any grief yet. I get the impression they're all there for the same reason. They can't play the game era they love on an "official" server, so they play it on a "free" server, whilst also policing it more themselves, with the full support of those running the servers.

If the "classic" shard is something seriously under consideration by EA/Mythic, they could do worse than do a little discreet "espionage" by taking a look at the examples the free shards offer. Purely as a point of interest, I wonder if there's any members of the dev team, who either worked on, or played UO during the timescale we crave a return to? Also, I'm sure they could also check accounts of players who played pre-2000 and gauge their opinions, get their input.

 

[tenduil]

If the "classic" shard is something seriously under consideration by EA/Mythic, they could do worse than do a little discreet "espionage" by taking a look at the examples the free shards offer. Purely as a point of interest, I wonder if there's any members of the dev team, who either worked on, or played UO during the timescale we crave a return to? Also, I'm sure they could also check accounts of players who played pre-2000 and gauge their opinions, get their input.

Bam.

 

[Guido_LS]

The only people left posting on stratics still play the game for what it is, they are not on free servers.

If not for the people still playing, there would be NO UO... so that comment makes no sense... although, in reading what basically amounts to your rant, that would be just fine and dandy, in your opinion.

Its safe to assume that 80% of those people left playing did not play during the classic area (1998).

Bad assumption, based on the posting habits here - far too many 10/11/12/almost 13 year vets for that comment to be close to conclusive... and that doesn't include those of us that played, left, and have come back to the game again. The *older* of my 2 accounts shows 97 months... but that isn't even close to continuous.

The rest of your drivel

If EA *screwed you over* so badly, why do you even care? You aren't the type that's likely to come back, even if they gave you a free year's worth of sub time. This thread isn't about how you got sand in your skivvie's 12 years ago, and you want to boo hoo about it from afar... this is about how to get EA/Mythic to put up a pre-AoS server, with a decent rule set that the vast majority can agree on. If there are some minor modifications, it's because that's what people want.

And considering that at least 1/2 the people posting in this thread don't play UO on an EA server, you are just seriously talking out of your backside.

 

[Evlar]

And considering that at least 1/2 the people posting in this thread don't play UO on an EA server...

Some should be considered valuable contributions to the discussion, whilst granted, others should are the reading equivalent of...

That said though, I'm also an "on and off" player. I've had my "official" UO account open since early 1999, quit for a while after 2003, returned 2005 to 2006, quit again, then returned 2009 until present day. All with the same original account and my two original characters, a fighter and a crafter. The others I actually created since my most recent return.

Throughout those times, I've also played on some of the "free" servers over the years too. One of those, was actually started by an old friend who played Great Lakes pre-2000 with me, consisted of about only twenty or so players, who all knew each other. It lasted a few years, but unfortunately died off due to real life commitments.

I do think it's important for people who don't play the game any more, especially those who left because of AOS, to contribute constructively. Especially so, if they're serious about returning. Hopefully, it wouldn't just be current veteran subscribers who would play an "official" classic shard, but returning veterans too.

 

[Unsatisfied]

Thankfully thats only your opinion, there are plenty more people on here arguing the opposite.

Its never too late to late and we WILL come back.

The only people left posting on stratics still play the game for what it is, they are not on free servers. Its safe to assume that 80% of those people left playing did not play during the classic area (1998). If the Development team at EA listens solely to those posting in the stratics thread the shard will be so modified that it wont even be worth playing.

Theres already one guy crying about griefing and 'thieves looting houses' and the shard isin't even up yet... Using game mechanics to grief and PKing should be a part of the game and this is coming from someone who has never griefed and does not PK anymore.

so EA has talked about a classic shard before when the population was BEGGING and PLEADING for it, they easily could have made THOUSANDS of players come back... and they lead us on and stiffed us.

I don't expect them to do anything now, and if it is done, it wont be something that will satisfy anyone enough to bring them back for more than a few months of testing and deciding 'its not for me' because everyone wants this or that or the other thing added from other eras instead of just staying true to 1998...

Make a classic shard exactly like IPY WAS and then we're talking, other than that and 90% of the classic shard population won't care enough to give up the 3-5 years of hardwork on a FREE server to go back to EA that has stiffed them time and time again.

Thats complete bs tho man, I havnt played osi uo... er EA... uo whatever the hell it is for about 6 years. My account is still open (stupidly) just to keep my fel bmg house from falling cos I cant let go of a game ive played for 13 years. I've played free shards for the best part of 6 years. IPY till death... and now other free shards I cant name because naming them isnt allowed on here (I'm assuming I can name IPY cos it doesnt exist anymore)

Point is I play free shards and I'd be on this classic shard and quitting my years of work I've put into free shards in a heartbeat, I speak to countless people on there sure some say they wouldnt leave but the majority I've spoken to say that if EA did it right they would come back instantly. On top of that theres loads of people who have come on this post and typed out 1 or 2 messages saying I just heard about this and registered to show my support... They obviously dont still play EA uo... But they wanna come back...


For every one person thats pancakes about griefers and pks and wanting to put bad restraints on them, theres 4 or 5 people in this thread arguing that stat loss is the restraints and nothing needs to put in further than that, so whats your problem with stat loss? Thats the way things were anyway.

Anyway... Done.

 

[Longest Journey]

Thats complete bs tho man, I havnt played osi uo... er EA... uo whatever the hell it is for about 6 years. My account is still open (stupidly) just to keep my fel bmg house from falling cos I cant let go of a game ive played for 13 years. I've played free shards for the best part of 6 years. IPY till death... and now other free shards I cant name because naming them isnt allowed on here (I'm assuming I can name IPY cos it doesnt exist anymore)

Point is I play free shards and I'd be on this classic shard and quitting my years of work I've put into free shards in a heartbeat, I speak to countless people on there sure some say they wouldnt leave but the majority I've spoken to say that if EA did it right they would come back instantly. On top of that theres loads of people who have come on this post and typed out 1 or 2 messages saying I just heard about this and registered to show my support... They obviously dont still play EA uo... But they wanna come back...


For every one person thats pancakes about griefers and pks and wanting to put bad restraints on them, theres 4 or 5 people in this thread arguing that stat loss is the restraints and nothing needs to put in further than that, so whats your problem with stat loss? Thats the way things were anyway.

Anyway... Done.

Quoted for complete truth.

You hit the nail on the head on a lot of issues.

 

[Longest Journey]

Exactly why I have been saying launch era landmass only...add T2A later...and only add subsequent landmasses if the population is over a certain amount...a very high amount.

If youre going to have a classic server set in the Second Age, then the Lost Lands are a must because they were one of the main features of the Second Age.

Also, the Lost Lands didnt "divide the community", like trammel or any of the other landmasses did. The Lost Lands were more like a big dungeon for players to explore. But the main bulk of the population remained in Britannia. Thats were all the trade was, thats where the guilds were, thats were most of the adventure was.

A lot of people enjoyed the Lost Lands back in The Second Age. They were fun and didnt add any massively game changing elements. It game players more to enjoy, without ruining anything about the game.

 

[Longest Journey]

It's funny - people have gotten to the point of HOWLING about certain additions that have been suggested, as they aren't classic... now you want a classic server with T2A rules, but no T2A lands...

Oh, the irony... and people have wondered for years why whichever Dev team that was in charge wanted nothing to do with this idea...

The Devs havent bothered with a classic server idea because they were hell bent on trying to copy WoW to try and cash in on the fad. Whether you or anyone else wants to admit it, the truth is, EA/Mythic wants to be Blizzard and get their several billion a year from one game and skate on easy street.

Now that hopefully the illusions of WoWism have worn off and this development team sees whats wrong and will finally realize what the players have been asking for over the years.

The people who wont want the lost lands with a second age classic server have no idea what they are talking about. Its at that point, with requests like that, that players step off of the path for a classic server, and start calling for a CUSTOM server.

 

[dum3886]

Despite all this talk about a classic shard.... im just wondering what r the chances it is gonna be made.

How did this topic even come up after so many yrs of ppl bugging for a shard... and no dev has commented on this either... it is just a dream.. or is this actually possible.

I'll start my account again as soon as i know a classic shard opens... but after wat 800 posts... no post from a dev... what is actually going on?

I came upon this after seeing it on MMORPG.com.. or sumthing forgot... but yeah just would like to know a bit more background info on how this came to be lol