[UO Herald] Producer Holiday Update

[UO News]

Before everyone heads off to face Independence Day traffic, I wanted to give you all an update.
Our overall goal this year was to keep a healthy cadence of small to medium publishes, fleshing out our current in-world content, while also offering more exploration. Less fiction more in-game activity. Shorter story arcs, more replay ability … so with that, here is the update:
Currently, some PvP changes we held on to for a few months have made it to Test Center. We have already gotten some initial feedback from North American, European, and Japanese communities, and are adapting the feedback accordingly. There are a few changes, and in this case, we think change is good.
Next week (after we return) we will be posting patch notes and adding High Seas content. We have tested and evaluated a new sea encounter, as well as updated rewards and elements of the fishing quests.
In addition, in the next several weeks, we’ll be adding client crash fixes, publishing the second phase of the current live story Ter Mur, and releasing a healthy dose of gameplay bug fixes.
We decide to split all of our content into two separate publishes. After July expect to see the following:
· Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) – We are currently testing and evaluating about 850 items with turn ins and rewards
· Anniversary item additions
· Art resolution updates to the Enhanced client
· Veteran Rewards
None of this information should be new to those who have been following the boards and patch notes, but for those who are returning … and there has been a sizeable number of you … welcome back, and keep watching for updates.
Thanks to all of you have participated and taken the time to give us feedback on the latest in PvP changes … if you have not take a wander over and let us know what you think.
Finally, thanks to everyone who has participated in the Talents of Sosaria … for those who cannot draw or sculpt … if you have the inclination -- please submit any house decorations for the 4th of July weekend to Mesanna.
Be safe and have a joyous weekend!

P.S. …. We have noted that there is a leadership vacuum in Britannia … Wait until you see how we fill it

More...

 

[Frarc]

Interesting...

 

[puni666]

YES! the pack rats can rejoice!

Make my new spring cleaning items cheaper sheep! Baaaah.

 

[Slayvite]

Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) – We are currently testing and evaluating about 850 items with turn ins and rewards

Oh how i'd love to get my hands on that list early........

 

[ChReuter]

"Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) "

I find this sort of stuff very funny...

Oh, and couldn't a new name have at least been thrown out there? I bet 95% of players today (Maybe even more) have no clue just why Britannia needed cleaning up and what major change it was designed to help bring about. (Btw, please don't feel as though you're obligated to show everyone here that you know the answer.)

 

[Lord Gareth]

"Next week (after we return) we will be posting patch notes and adding High Seas content."

Next week? I cannot wait that long I must have it now...who do I have to PK to get the information? Why must you torture me so? How can the team be so cruel?


"Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) – We are currently testing and evaluating about 850 items with turn ins and rewards"

I...*bang*...just...*bang*...cleaned...*bang*...out...*bang*...some...*bang*...of...*bang*...my...*bang*...houses...*Is no longer conscious*..........

 

[popps]

Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) – We are currently testing and evaluating about 850 items with turn ins and rewards

Oh how i'd love to get my hands on that list early........

I'd love to know also the points that each of those 850 items will be worth so that I can start collecting and saving those items for when the clean up is published....

Anyone has the info ?

PLEASE, make sure that the "rare" books from fish monger quests (currently useless) can be turned in AND, make sure the rarest books will give GOOD points.....

Some books are given instead of fishing powerscrolls and, considering that fishing powerscrolls are worth MILLIONS, seeing the fish monger books be worth little points in the clean up would suck.

 

[Sevin0oo0]

most of the worthless stuff will be included, no doubt. Last time you got about 50pts each for them, stock up!
Not too worried here, most of mine, except for tokens,expensive items, and day2day stuff is already gone

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Weird how they resurrected the old term, "Clean Up Britannia."

Those who want to know what the turnins will be so you can begin hoarding?

I think you're missing the point a bit.

This kind of thing is to turn hoarding into a viable playstyle, thereby celebrating what we always say is UO's chief virtue: The variety/sandbox-ness.

Some people PvP, some people hunt low- to mid-end monsters and get by, some treasure hunt, some kill pirates, some hunt high-end monsters, some craft/Imbue, some do events......You get the idea. (Some do more than one thing.) (RP isn't on the list because I've come to see it less as a playstyle and more as a philosophy/orientation of play.)

And some hoard.

-Galen's player

 

[Miri of Sonoma]

Woot!! New High seas content sounds great!! can't wait! Yay!

As for the clean up, I am sure there will be a whole new crop of pack rats for the next couple of months who will go ...hmmmmmm before they toss ANYTHING! That includes me!


Happy 4TH OF July!

 

[5% Luck]

Am I the only one wondering about this "second phase of the current live story Ter Mur"? Or maybe that book is gona be a turn in? Uber points guys!

 

[MalagAste]

I don't know the last "Spring Cleaning" I didn't really get rid of much per se because the holiday gift items are only worth 10pts.... I figured hauling all of them to turn them in one by one wasn't worth the reward.... I just left them in the box.

The fun challenging event that went with it of killing Melissa and getting the neat cloak with the 25k points was FAR more worthwhile.

Just saying.


As for the PvP changes that will return UO to "Mages Online" I can't say I'm very thrilled to be nerfed once again making archery 100% useless...

I'm excited about updates to the EC and the High Seas though...

 

[jbfortune]

I hope there is some kind of quest so all the non hoarders have a chance of getting the no doubt cool items as well!

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I hope there is some kind of quest so all the non hoarders have a chance of getting the no doubt cool items as well!

I plan to buy stuff from the hoarders should there be something I want.

-Galen's player

 

[Sevin0oo0]

to be nerfed once again

I'm more concerned on how PVP changes will affect PVM, again.
When you're a Dev, complete template changes are just a click away, so any released changes shouldn't be a big deal in the end.

 

[5% Luck]

As for the PvP changes that will return UO to "Mages Online" I can't say I'm very thrilled to be nerfed once again making archery 100% useless...

Did you see the changes to the archery specials? Stacking DCI debuff! Instant unavoidable spell interruption?! Im betting archery got one of the biggest boosts in that slurry of patch notes!

 

[Heimi]

"Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning) "

I find this sort of stuff very funny...

Oh, and couldn't a new name have at least been thrown out there? I bet 95% of players today (Maybe even more) have no clue just why Britannia needed cleaning up and what major change it was designed to help bring about. (Btw, please don't feel as though you're obligated to show everyone here that you know the answer.)

Why would it need a new name just because not everyone was there for the original? Britannia is still being cleaned up, who cares why

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

Did you see the changes to the archery specials? Stacking DCI debuff! Instant unavoidable spell interruption?! Im betting archery got one of the biggest boosts in that slurry of patch notes!

I am more confused where they got nerfed in the patch notes.

And I would be more curious about the story arch but I didn't even finish this part on either shard I play, so kinda bland for me right now.

 

[Saint of Killers]

I am more confused where they got nerfed in the patch notes.

I know right. Maybe he's talking about the 45 second apple time which affects every single template.

Do you think he realizes that a 45 second apple timer makes mortal wound (a big archer special) kind of like umm good?

Also, if he has a 4 second bandage on himself, it'll now do a cure/bleed check at 2 seconds and then 2 seconds later finish him off with a heal. How is that not sweet?

Maybe he's a chiv reliant archer that sees the chiv changes as a nerf to archers because he can't just invest half of a skill on his template, and do everything cool with that skill.

I don't know.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

I bet 95% of players today (Maybe even more) have no clue just why Britannia needed cleaning up and what major change it was designed to help bring about. (Btw, please don't feel as though you're obligated to show everyone here that you know the answer.)

I know the answer, can I say? I remember the ORIGINAL Clean Up Britannia event very well and still have my Singing Crystal Ball from it

 

[Gunga_Din]

P.S. …. We have noted that there is a leadership vacuum in Britannia … Wait until you see how we fill it

Its ok Cal, you can announce that I ... Gunga Din .... Shall now be ruling Britannia. Sorry for the spoiler folks, but its about time I took control.

 

[Ludes]

Forgive me, I was away when all the Clean up Brit stuff was implemented.. Could someone explain it to me or provide a link I could go read?

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

There have so far been two "Clean Up Britannia" events in UO...

The first one was Clean Up Britannia (the original) which was done before Trammel even existed. The housing system was being changed at the time. Prior to then, you could have as much stuff as you wanted in a house. NOTHING decayed inside of a house. When they added in house ownership, they then added in locking down and securing items. Then a bit later on, in order to prevent "black holes", areas where so much stuff had been accumulated that it caused people's characters to be unable to connect due to the sheer amount of data being transferred, they limited the amount of stuff a house could hold by house size to the lockdown and secure limits we know today. In order to promote people to throwing away as much accumulated stuff as possible, they released CUB as an event. It involved dropping the various items (basically anything nonstackable) into your home garbage barrel for a scaled number of points. Those points could then be redeemed for rewards (monster statues, Phoenix armor, Singing Crystal Ball, and an Item Bless deed... might be a few others I'm missing).

The second version was called "Spring Cleaning" and was mainly due to the number of storyline events that had been held over the past few years (starting with the Ophidian Invasion and going forward) that had various dropped items that were supposedly going to have a use later on and never really got one. The turnins were at various NPCs throughout Britain which would net tickets for the number of points based on the items. The tickets were then redeemed at locations in Castle British for the rewards. It was extended and expanded to include also uncommon and rare drops from PvM as well as artifacts (Doom, cursed Doom, and stealables). The rewards included 3 armor sets (Knight's, Ranger's, and Mage's), the "Bleue" jewelry set, Snake Skin Boots and other items.

The third version is the one mentioned that is upcoming.

 

[canary]

So basically this letter states that they are still not finished with the stuff they were apparently tackling at the beginning of the year.

Gotcha.

 

[Woodsman]

I really really really really want to see the graphics update.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

AGreed Woodsman, that's the one I'm waiting on as well.

 

[Painted Elves]

I FORGOT! I forgot about this and cleaned out my house and liquidated a bunch of stuff!
*lays on the floor in the middle of my 18x18*

WWWHHHYYYYY!
On Another note...I'm excited to see what new things I can collect! and wondering if I shouldn't give the EC client another chance... hmmm....

yay for more pixel crack!

 

[Slayvite]

I just pray that small Blackrock is on the list. I really don't think having just over 3000 pieces in one house is such a good thing.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

So basically this letter states that they are still not finished with the stuff they were apparently tackling at the beginning of the year.

Gotcha.

 

[MalagAste]

I'm hoping that they included an update to the number of co-owners a house can have.... being limited to only 10 is NOT cool..... I want at least 70 or so...... and that would be right if you think about it.... you can be co-owned to up to 10 homes... so each home should be able to co-own 10 accounts worth of people.... that's 70 names.

See no problem with that... anyway that's my hope... and I'm still waiting on the new changes to the EC graphics.

I also hope they are fixing the whole problem with not being able to deco in the EC ... I'm tired of having to do that in the CC...

 

[canary]

They pretty much have me convinced that art updates are 2011's version of Classic Shard.

I also find it telling that 7 months in and we still are waiting for that EC polish and removal of beta tag they were going on and on about.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

They pretty much have me convinced that art updates are 2011's version of Classic Shard.

I also find it telling that 7 months in and we still are waiting for that EC polish and removal of beta tag they were going on and on about.

Perhaps the carrot should look more like this?

 

[HongKongCavalier]

Have they posted any preview pictures of the art update? If not, how 'bout it Cal?

 

[yars]

i thnk they will make ricardo the king, or sherry the mouse( great now we'll be like all those workers and disney, slaving for a rodent)

 

[Madrid]

Have they posted any preview pictures of the art update? If not, how 'bout it Cal?

Absolutely throw us a teaser. There is nothing I'm looking forward to more than the art updates.

I'm crossing my fingers and toes for some good stuff.

 

[phantus]

None of this information should be new to those who have been following the boards and patch notes

Content or GTFO

 

[Woodsman]

They pretty much have me convinced that art updates are 2011's version of Classic Shard.

I was gone for part of that time, but they actually said they were going to have a Classic Shard month after month for several months and then said they weren't?

I always thought the Classic Shard stuff was up in the air or just being considered.

 

[EvilPixieWorks]

So lets see… Hmmmm…

Clear avoidance into “SPRING CLEANING 201?”!!!

If the staff is paying any attention, what so ever, they can't avoid taking notice that we are actually UPSET about their avoiding this topic time and time again. They should have never leaked out the idea that there was going to be a Spring Cleaning if they couldn’t get it done on time. Getting anything done on time is fun enough and goodness knows the more work the better. But then to say Spring Cleaning will come out for the Summer of 2011. Ok, fine… whatever. Now this little note they posted on uo.com now sounds like this will be FALL of 2011. Story adventures… set only the super-powerful and groups can take place, ignoring the rest of us. Whatever. Now it's that stupid High Seas they want to add to?!!! I mean… COME ON! End of July… could that be August or September? Or what?

Spring Cleaning, the first 2nd one, that wasn’t too many years ago… was so super fun and gave us so much cool stuff… I can't wait for it to start. Come on staffers! Lets go.

 

[MalagAste]

So lets see… Hmmmm…

Clear avoidance into “SPRING CLEANING 201?”!!!

If the staff is paying any attention, what so ever, they can't avoid taking notice that we are actually UPSET about their avoiding this topic time and time again. They should have never leaked out the idea that there was going to be a Spring Cleaning if they couldn’t get it done on time. Getting anything done on time is fun enough and goodness knows the more work the better. But then to say Spring Cleaning will come out for the Summer of 2011. Ok, fine… whatever. Now this little note they posted on uo.com now sounds like this will be FALL of 2011. Story adventures… set only the super-powerful and groups can take place, ignoring the rest of us. Whatever. Now it's that stupid High Seas they want to add to?!!! I mean… COME ON! End of July… could that be August or September? Or what?

Spring Cleaning, the first 2nd one, that wasn’t too many years ago… was so super fun and gave us so much cool stuff… I can't wait for it to start. Come on staffers! Lets go.

Um...... I suggest you RE Read that.... especially this part:

" After July expect to see the following:
· Clean up Britannia (the update formerly known as Spring Cleaning)"


I bolded the part you should pay particular attention to......

 

[Tina Small]

P.S. We have noted that there is a leadership vacuum in Britannia; Wait until you see how we fill it

Maybe the gargoyles will convince the Britannians to use their method for finding a new king. Each shard will have its own player-king, determined in tourneys held in the arenas.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Maybe the gargoyles will convince the Britannians to use their method for finding a new king. Each shard will have its own player-king, determined in tourneys held in the arenas.

The ruler of the realm has too much meta-fiction significance to have a shard-specific result.

Further....If we believe only half of what PvPers say on message boards and in global chat, and if we believe it only half the time, then cheating is absolutely rampant in this game. Enough so that, in effect, something of massive meta-fiction significance will be determined by cheating.

Not saying anything about my own views of cheating in PvP mind you, merely pointing out the logical consequence of half the time believing half of what the PvPers say about it.

Not to mention that by every indication Britannian society has passed far beyond rulership by the greatest warrior.

And not to mention that by their own admission hard-core PvPers tend to have little interest in the fiction; some even come onto these boards and ridicule the game for having fiction at all. In fact I remember at least one who used the presence of fiction as a pretext for leaving the game; the fact that fiction was posted meant that the team didn't care about PvP, you see.

If this is what the team is planning, it would be a bad idea.

Fortunately I do not think it is.

Having said that I can't guess exactly what they are planning. And I don't like that they can't guess.

-Galen's player

 

[MalagAste]

Maybe the gargoyles will convince the Britannians to use their method for finding a new king. Each shard will have its own player-king, determined in tourneys held in the arenas.

Yes just what I'd always wanted to be ruled by a smack talking punk...... Oh joy......

NO...... Or shall I say only if those tourneys also involved knowledge of Virtue.... and some way of insuring this person had Honor.

 

[Tina Small]

And not to mention that by their own admission hard-core PvPers tend to have little interest in the fiction; some even come onto these boards and ridicule the game for having fiction at all. In fact I remember at least one who used the presence of fiction as a pretext for leaving the game; the fact that fiction was posted meant that the team didn't care about PvP, you see.

I can think of some PKers on Siege who are quite knowledgeable about Ultima lore, having played the early games and UO since its first years. Several of them are involved in role playing on a daily basis (piracy seems to be a common theme lately) and even have their houses set to public and built around role playing themes. Of course, they aren't the only people on Siege who role play and are knowledgeable about Ultima lore, but as "hard-core PvPers," these guys definitely do seem to care about game fiction.

 

[Tina Small]

Yes just what I'd always wanted to be ruled by a smack talking punk...... Oh joy......

NO...... Or shall I say only if those tourneys also involved knowledge of Virtue.... and some way of insuring this person had Honor.

I was really just being about half-sarcastic. But imagine what the results might be if something like this actually took place, even if only for a week or a month? The title could only be an honorary one, but do you think more people would get involved in PvP if they had a shot at something like this?

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

The ruler of the realm has too much meta-fiction significance to have a shard-specific result.

-Galen's player

I do not fully agree with you on this one point Galen, the rest of your post I agree with, but just because it has meta-fiction significance does not mean the outcomes can not be shard-specific. I realize the Developers do not have a current means to perform this....lets say, well enough, to actually make it work, but I do think if they did allow a little more significance to the outcomes of things then the story arcs might actually prove interesting or....eventful? Not sure what word or words I am looking for here, just saying mixing things up a bit is not always bad.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I can think of some PKers on Siege who are quite knowledgeable about Ultima lore, having played the early games and UO since its first years. Several of them are involved in role playing on a daily basis (piracy seems to be a common theme lately) and even have their houses set to public and built around role playing themes. Of course, they aren't the only people on Siege who role play and are knowledgeable about Ultima lore, but as "hard-core PvPers," these guys definitely do seem to care about game fiction.

And I could come up, quite easily, with anecdotes of hard-core PvPers who mock the idea of fiction.

My personal favorite was actually in-game on LS, when someone said to me at an EM event "stop RPing moron."

Or, again, on this board someone who at least by his admission was a hard-core Pvper used the presence of fiction as a pretext to announce he was leaving the game, because they were writing fiction instead of focusing on PvP. They are incompatible, it would appear.

Or when several hard-core PvPers on LS got dressed in dull copper plate and went to the Yew Moongate and ran around speaking in mock-RP speak.

*shrugs*

Nothing in my post could reasonably be read as saying "this is what all PvPers are all like all of the time."

It could reasonably be read, however, and was intended as, "there is a broad pattern of interest which is, by definition, incompatible with having the playstyle be the road to the throne of Britannia."

*shrugs*

-Galen's player

 

[AesSedai]

Art resolution updates to the Enhanced client...

- Looking forward to this evolution.

In addition, in the next several weeks, we’ll be adding client crash fixes, publishing the second phase of the current live story Ter Mur, and releasing a healthy dose of gameplay bug fixes...

- And, eventually looking forward to this.

(with more weight on the second; but appreciative that the former may hold some promise. FIX, YES PLS)

 

[Frarc]

The new leader of Sosaria going to be one of the peopel who completed the quest for the Gargoyle queen!

 

[unified]

I'm hoping that they included an update to the number of co-owners a house can have...

I hope so, too. I also wish they'd one day include an option of friending ALL characters on a player's account to a house at one time. Loggin in each character one at a time is getting old.

 

[THP]

DONT KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE AS POSTED IT

BUT HERE WAS 2008 SPRING CLEAN TURN IN LIST!!!
Spring Cleaning 2008 - UOGuide, the Ultima Online encyclopedia


GET HOARDING!!!!!!!