Will it be today?

[Sargon]

Or maybe I'm just more familiar with the influence of 'Murphy'.

Missed deadlines happen, but the complete lack of communication has nothing to with "Murphy". The best way to handle a missed deadline is to get out in front of it and explain the situation to the customer. Instead this team consistently chooses to let the date pass without a word. Instead of just having customers angry at a missed deadline, they are compounding the problem with poor communication.

 

[Nimuaq]

We're all currently waiting for the release of Publish 70 with great enthusiasm and the video is just a classier form of providing information about the latest developments. They're obviously working on both the publish and the video at the moment and I can wait until they feel confident to release them.

 

[Orgional Farimir]

You can read it that way if you wish.

Or maybe I'm just more familiar with the influence of 'Murphy'. I truly believe you are all doing Cal a diservice, but we'll never really know.

I would like to mention, just in passing, that I do this 'job' for love of the game and because I'm by nature a 'sharer'. Sharing the knowledge I have, and gathering more, through the boards and the site, which I've spent some considerable effort in updating. It is not a paid position.

How many times can someone use Murphy's law as an excuse? It might not be all Cal's fault, infact I am willing to bet it isn't. If EA is like every other large company (including the bank I work for) they hire one person with them expecting that person to do the job of 2-2.5 people. But I guess EA is different for other large companies where it doesn't matter if you hit deadlines or not. When I was closing the bank branch with just me and 1 other person, when normally it was a 5 person branch. If I missed the branch closure deadline, well it wouldn't of happened because it wasn't an option.

And Petra I don't think anyone is personally attacking you, and I hope you don't take it that way. Personally I appriciate ALL the work you do. Not just helping out with the stratic's message boards, but the countless hours of your time you donate to help make this game fun for all.

 

[Evlar]

Re: State of the Game video/answer to classic shard.

And as far as the delay in the video or any kind of producer's update goes, I suspect that Cal and Mesanna and perhaps some of the developers and designers may be busy working with NetDragon Websoft on the Chinese version of UO.

To some extent, it was actually mentioned in the initial press releases, from both EA Games and NetDragon, that persons from Mythic would be involved in the project, that characters, locations, lore, etc... from UO, would be used in the production of this new game.

To what extent the involvement from Mythic was/is, we'll perhaps never know, but that's how it was announced.

Purely conjecture, but as EA Games retains the rights to Ultima Online, but have sold production rights to NetDragon, along with I suspect, some form of royalties arrangement, then it could be the case that the NetDragon produced game eventually replaces the current UO.

Although what NetDragon are producing is initially pencilled to launch only in the Chinese, Indian and immediately surrounding geographical area, it's likely only a matter of time and success, before it would be available elsewhere.

One only needs to look at other Asian produced MMO's, that have found their initial success in the Asian market, before heading "west".

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

Re: State of the Game video/answer to classic shard.

*smiles* Were those accounts not already lost?

Classic needs to be a new game. just saying.

No...it may come as a surprise to some, but there are still players that are paying for accounts, not really playing them, and just waiting around to see if the classic shard is going to happen or not. When the announcement comes, some people are going to close current accounts. No, I do not have exact numbers...and neither does anyone else...so no need to get into some ridiculous back and forth about how much of an impact it is going to have. Suffice it to say that UO is not really in a position that it can afford to just lose subscribers...any subscribers. Hopefully for the sake of those that are anti-classic shard and happy with the current game something new will be introduced that will bring back enough players to offset the people that will leave.

I am just saying that if I were in Cal's position, unless I had good news for classic shard supporters, I would not be looking forward to making the announcement. The UO community, as a whole, is generally fussy and easy to offend, much akin to a great big 18 month old with diaper rash to begin with...things like this just make it worse.

 

[Demonous]

who told you lumber jacking is getting good again ?

im very happy with it, does pretty good damage, went back to it for the first time in 8 or 9 years...

i will say this though, playing my thief pre aos was some of the most fun moments i've had in uo, hell even after aos i would stealth into champ spawns/harrowers and steal power and stat scrolls, i loved having to count out 12 tiles of stealth then having to hit the macro to restealth again, always had to be careful not to step too far ! it was horrible when they made it so that if u stealth past someone, you almost always get revealed... but before insurance i would steal so many things

id be so excited if in the video in big bold letters it said, INSURANCE IS GOING BYE BYE ON ALL SHARDS !

 

[Evlar]

Re: State of the Game video/answer to classic shard.

No...it may come as a surprise to some, but there are still players that are paying for accounts, not really playing them...

 

[canary]

Missed deadlines happen, but the complete lack of communication has nothing to with "Murphy". The best way to handle a missed deadline is to get out in front of it and explain the situation to the customer. Instead this team consistently chooses to let the date pass without a word. Instead of just having customers angry at a missed deadline, they are compounding the problem with poor communication.

Just to refresh everyone's memory, the last time Cal wantonly forgot something it was the 13th anniversary of UO. You know, the game he is producer of. And was incessantly reminded of in the weeks leading up to it by people on stratics. And went somewhere to receive an award for its longevity.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Since it won't be today, because it's Saturday, and it won't be tomorrow cos it's Sunday, let's defer this flame fest and lynch party till Monday.