[UO Herald] New Fiction - In the Shadow of Virtue: The Dark Throne

[watchertoo]

[size=+1]New Fiction - In the Shadow of Virtue: The Dark Throne[/size]
Mark Steelman
12 Nov 2010 19:34:54 EST

A hooded figure robed in crimson emerged from the darkgate and surveyed the room. There were no sounds in this chamber but the angry roar of the lava sea that roiled outside the red stone windows. Towering demons stood guard in the room and broke the silence briefly to grunt their recognition. The figure nodded.

The figure passed from the room and down a dark hall. There were no windows here, just warm obsidian walls which gave the hall a darkness that even nightsight could not penetrate. The sound of the lava faded and the mysterious figure could hear nothing but the scraping thud of cloven hooves on stone as demons tended to their duties.


More...

 

[Trebr Drab]

I like it. Answers a few questions. I wish we had discovered things in game though. Why play when we can just read about it?

I'm hoping that those who choose to be Bane Chosen are really in it and not just some notation above there heads and a trophy badge. I'm really tired of meaningless +stuff+ for the sake of ooo-ooo-ooo-me-me-me.

 

[MalagAste]

Does anyone at EA/UO know how to proof read?

Seriously, you know word would solve 90% of those typo's and make your stories look FAR more professional.

Tell me that EA doesn't have a word program. And really couldn't anyone come up with a real demonic name for that demon? Virtue Bane... Really? Not to criticize too much but a real name of some sort makes things more appealing.

Outside of that, Hum.... Minax?

 

[sablestorm]

Tell me that EA doesn't have a word program. And really couldn't anyone come up with a real demonic name for that demon? Virtue Bane... Really? Not to criticize too much but a real name of some sort makes things more appealing.

What demon gives out it's true name unless it wants to be summoned and enslaved constantly?

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Virtue Bane... Really?

Unfortunately you'll have to blame Richard Garriot for that one. That's the name of the demon from Ultima IV that was standing at the entrance to Magincia noting that it had fallen to the horde of demons who had destroyed attracted by their pride.

In short, they're doing a wonderful job of including some Ultima Prime lore.

This one... this one you'll have to chuck up to good ol' British himself.

 

[Adol]

I like it. Answers a few questions. I wish we had discovered things in game though. Why play when we can just read about it?

I'm hoping that those who choose to be Bane Chosen are really in it and not just some notation above there heads and a trophy badge. I'm really tired of meaningless +stuff+ for the sake of ooo-ooo-ooo-me-me-me.

Well, I worked out the next stage in game, including that the symbolic placement of an altar meant the Book of Truth was going to be sacrificed there; but didn't get a single comment on my thoughts here at Stratics for some curious reason. I did however get flamed on Europa's general chat by people who wanted the easy rewards and were sick of me saying every time someone asked what the quest was about it that it was likely to be dooming Magincia again...

It wasn't good in game lore (I also complained that the first NPC by Britain gate seemed to indicate the book would be personalised as soon as it arrived) and you had to know a bit about the virtues, and abstract thinking to understand the meaning behind in game imagery... but it was there if looked for it.

I'm also somewhat pleased there's an Ultima Prime meaning behind the "Bane Chosen", but disappointed so far that the Virtuous have nothing to do so far but grind Bane, and can't really do that safely until the ancient hell hounds are turned off, due to hidden people suddenly springing them on you.

 

[MalagAste]

Unfortunately you'll have to blame Richard Garriot for that one. That's the name of the demon from Ultima IV that was standing at the entrance to Magincia noting that it had fallen to the horde of demons who had destroyed attracted by their pride.

In short, they're doing a wonderful job of including some Ultima Prime lore.

This one... this one you'll have to chuck up to good ol' British himself.

Good grief... It's still a pathetic name for a Major Demon. Would have been better if it were "______ the Bane of Virtue"... But maybe that's just me because I enjoy demonology.

 

[Adol]

Good grief... It's still a pathetic name for a Major Demon. Would have been better if it were "______ the Bane of Virtue"... But maybe that's just me because I enjoy demonology.

But that wouldn't fit into the character strings and 4Kbs total of Apple II memory available for a product produced back in 1985. And before you say "We're not in 1985 now!", there's no reason why he can't have a fuller name too, later in our expanded fiction; but for now, "Virtue Bane" appearing again is a nice nod to those of us who used to play the original Ultima's on systems that couldn't even hold a single modern .gif in memory then.

 

[Silverbrook]

Interesting. I do hope there is some further in game set up for this.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I like it. Answers a few questions. I wish we had discovered things in game though. Why play when we can just read about it?

I'm hoping that those who choose to be Bane Chosen are really in it and not just some notation above there heads and a trophy badge. I'm really tired of meaningless +stuff+ for the sake of ooo-ooo-ooo-me-me-me.

Well, I worked out the next stage in game, including that the symbolic placement of an altar meant the Book of Truth was going to be sacrificed there; but didn't get a single comment on my thoughts here at Stratics for some curious reason. I did however get flamed on Europa's general chat by people who wanted the easy rewards and were sick of me saying every time someone asked what the quest was about it that it was likely to be dooming Magincia again...

It wasn't good in game lore (I also complained that the first NPC by Britain gate seemed to indicate the book would be personalised as soon as it arrived) and you had to know a bit about the virtues, and abstract thinking to understand the meaning behind in game imagery... but it was there if looked for it.

I'm also somewhat pleased there's an Ultima Prime meaning behind the "Bane Chosen", but disappointed so far that the Virtuous have nothing to do so far but grind Bane, and can't really do that safely until the ancient hell hounds are turned off, due to hidden people suddenly springing them on you.

What I'm getting at is, just as you said, there's nothing for the good guys to do. And it would be far better if we could have discovered some orders on some of the Bane Chosen that led to some other clues to be found, maybe a sacrificial altar guarded by Deamons or something, that leads us to find the name of this Demon.

By the way, I remember that you had figured this out. But at the time I didn't see how you came to that conclusion, and it seemed like just speculation that could as easily be wrong as right. Meaning that, like many of my hopes and speculations, nothing would come of it.

Overall, while I'm happy with the storyline, I'm not happy with the game play. I want to discover answers in game. I want to have fights that we win or lose, and have results based on that like a tide that comes and goes. I want an in game experience that's fun. Hack and Slash gets pretty boring.

 

[Otis Firefly]

its terrible! but i think the days of, finding clues within the game, watching things unfold in the game, finding hidden rooms with keywords to get you more information about the stories, random txts to give you some history or vague hint of whats to come...are gone!, thats the part of UO that i loved..wandering around and finding hidden things that had something to do with events to come!!..running into the time lord...Gthunk sittin in the woods talkin..ect!...they have the EM program as a kind of filler i guess!, but thats not what we are talkin about here..main plot story lines without in game depth...just suck! imo....btw, what ever happend to the time lord?

 

[Adol]

What I'm getting at is, just as you said, there's nothing for the good guys to do. And it would be far better if we could have discovered some orders on some of the Bane Chosen that led to some other clues to be found, maybe a sacrificial altar guarded by Deamons or something, that leads us to find the name of this Demon.

You're right as well that neither Dawn's husband nor Virtue Bane or any of the wider arc is locatable in game. It's been purely fiction driven, which is very poor design because most players won't see it unless they follow up posts from the log in screen. I only know it's there as I've got Ultima Online as a fan page on Facebook so I am notified of an update as soon as it's published; but when I want to play, I'm clicking start to do so as quickly as possible too... Whilst there is an altar on the Maginicia Moongate, that's about it, sadly. You walk there, look at it, and go "Yup, that's an altar all right!". Corrupting the Book of Truth is done there... but you'd never know as the first part of the quest doesn't refer to the Bane in any way. And you can't get to Magincia now without a pre-marked rune (I kept my old bank spots for nostalgia) or sailing too it. And who would bother when again there's no apparently in game reason to do so?

By the way, I remember that you had figured this out. But at the time I didn't see how you came to that conclusion, and it seemed like just speculation that could as easily be wrong as right. Meaning that, like many of my hopes and speculations, nothing would come of it.

Don't get me wrong, part of the reason I was trying to defend my understanding so hard is because as above, there's no way to work it out otherwise, and already people are falling way behind in points required to take part because it's not very clear unless you're utterly immersed in Ultima lore like me. I'm just trying to ensure no one misses out on the content. But...

Overall, while I'm happy with the storyline, I'm not happy with the game play. I want to discover answers in game. I want to have fights that we win or lose, and have results based on that like a tide that comes and goes. I want an in game experience that's fun. Hack and Slash gets pretty boring.

... yes, there still doesn't seem to be much for anyone to do to be pro-Virtue. I'm absolutely praying that it's not just a "Dawn decides she wants her husband back, let's follow her and tidy up Magincia at the same time" big final event. Even if plotted well (and you may recall my suggestions as to how I think they will end it), I want to see the something communal long before that. Magincia falls historically because all it's people become Proud. So I want to see Prideful stomp around the islands for a while; with hoards of Bane npcs following them chanting how great they are, say. There should be Town Criers, holding the corrupted Books of Truth with people's names on, shouting "Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Lord Wotsit has declared the superiority of the Bane way", whilst the Virtuous try and silence them or burn the newspapers placed in the realms libraries proclaiming their spiffingness...

As it is, hacking and slashing more Bane is it. Again, it's certainly humbling... but it's not exactly clear it's helping...

 

[Claire Repair]

...same here.
I was also hoping to find some ingame hints on Ricardo or Dawn´s husband. Have nothing found so far - and i doubt there is any. There used to be NPC you could talk to by keywords - would have made sense with the Yew jailors or Brit castle guards - but nothin.

*a bit disappointed*

/Claire

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

I have to concur with Malag about the typos ruining any possibility of this story being considered 'good.' Please, Cal, get a proofreader. The fact that this came out two weeks after the event it’s talking about started also hurts it.

The choice of big bad is interesting, since the demon from Ultima IV wasn’t considered as such. The Bane Chosen are still a rather bizarre enemy with seemingly haphazard motives. Why attack the Ophidians and the Meer if they were really out to harm Britannia and take over the world?

Something is still missing.

Re: Hints ingame -

Yes, please! The ingame static events are the perfect opportunity for this. So far, they have been grossly inadequate and seemingly not connected well. Posted stories are good, but give us information to DISCOVER within the game world too.

 

[Skrag]

This doesn't matter to me since I'm not going to slowly grind out two-thousand and five hundred meer kills.

 

[Skrag]

Also, I would just as soon they didn't add things to "discover". That wrecked wagon halfway between Brit and Trinsic is still there years later, along with the note about the 'artificed scion' in Skara Brae. A month after discovery it's just anachronous litter.

 

[Otis Firefly]

Also, I would just as soon they didn't add things to "discover". That wrecked wagon halfway between Brit and Trinsic is still there years later, along with the note about the 'artificed scion' in Skara Brae. A month after discovery it's just anachronous litter.

the wagon issue is just bad cleanup and is not the case on all shards!, napa's was gone the next day!, but is it really harming your game play?
the game started with adventure and discovery! thats how Richard Garriot visioned it...thats pretty much gone!!..only thing left is..read the herald!..know the exact times and locations and keywords before you even log in for any event!...follow the list and get the shiney twinkly!..log out!

 

[Babble]

So we have a big impatient demon that waits until the devs continue the story.


Poor demon .. Ed Gruberman is right .. patience ? How long will that take?