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[UO Herald] Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar Announced

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Woodsman

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Yup. And even high level ipad games aint that great.
Depends on what you mean. The iPad is incredibly powerful these days - go look at videos of Infinity Blade. But there are also plenty of more simple games that play quite well. A lot of companies are still figuring out how to make it work better, but it's starting to happen.

A lot of it comes down to game design. A bad game is a bad game, regardless of the platform or interface.
 

Uvtha

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You need to go look at Order and Chaos Online for the ipad. I have the most recent generation ipad and it looks gorgeous and the game world is immense. It is a superb game.
I know of it, but never played it. It just seemed like a simplistic standard free mmo, but snap judgment I admit.
 

Uvtha

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Depends on what you mean. The iPad is incredibly powerful these days - go look at videos of Infinity Blade. But there are also plenty of more simple games that play quite well. A lot of companies are still figuring out how to make it work better, but it's starting to happen.

A lot of it comes down to game design. A bad game is a bad game, regardless of the platform or interface.
I was mainly talking about quality of game. None of the games I've played for my tablet (which is android, but on par with ipad2) were at all impressive. Some look very nice, but just were not fun.
 

G.v.P

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So... Ultima Forever is going to draw people into Ultima Online?
LOL I asked Cal if Lord of Ultima drew in any new players and he responded "no" in such a way as to be like, "we have nothing to do with that team at all." Hopefully Bonnie and them have a closer relationship with the Ultima Forever team.
 

Angel of Sonoma

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If they were wise theyd add some kind of real tie-in with UO. Like some have said, offer some bonus to people who also have an active UO account that play U4E. Maybe a new quest in UO with the Time Lord that rewards you in both games? Of course its still too early to really say what the new game will offer since its only a small website so far.
just speculation on my part, but... suppose Ultima Forever is a free-for-play "lite" version of UO. if marketed right, this could be the draw to Ultima Online. assume Ultima Forever only offers warrior & mages so to obtain other character types and/or housing and/or additional quests, etc there is an upgrade path to UO. this would be a smart strategy in my opinion.
 

CryptisRavenous

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LOL I asked Cal if Lord of Ultima drew in any new players and he responded "no" in such a way as to be like, "we have nothing to do with that team at all." Hopefully Bonnie and them have a closer relationship with the Ultima Forever team.
Well, you know, one can hope, right? lol
 
S

Sevin0oo0

Guest
"we have nothing to do with that team at all."
Hopefully Bonnie and them have a closer relationship with the Ultima Forever team.
Didn't Mesanna say similar about UO and customer service?
Hopefully she's learned that altho they aren't in the same little section, or even in the same state, they're on the same team. IMO, anybody or anything that has impact on the success/failure of UO, IS the face of UO, whether paid employee, reviewer, or player, there's an interaction that exists , producers pretending it doesn't are mis-envisioned. Cumulatively, we're all one group, one team.
 

Ox AO

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It's not a flash based game, it's a downloaded PC game and an iPad game. iPads don't support Flash.
Whatever it doesn't matter if it is flash, PC or Ipod based.
What I meant by interface at the very least calling a file and using the information from that file. This should be easy.
I am not talking about making a new client.
 
W

Woodsman

Guest
just speculation on my part, but... suppose Ultima Forever is a free-for-play "lite" version of UO. if marketed right, this could be the draw to Ultima Online. assume Ultima Forever only offers warrior & mages so to obtain other character types and/or housing and/or additional quests, etc there is an upgrade path to UO. this would be a smart strategy in my opinion.
Not a lite version of UO. Limited to parties of 4 in dungeons.

Ultima Forever Frequently Asked Questions : Ultima Forever @ UltimaCodex.com
 

Ox AO

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LOL I asked Cal if Lord of Ultima drew in any new players and he responded "no" in such a way as to be like, "we have nothing to do with that team at all." Hopefully Bonnie and them have a closer relationship with the Ultima Forever team.
This is all they say about Ultima on line:
ultima online - Lord of Ultima Wiki

It doesn't sound like they want to work together.
 
W

Woodsman

Guest
I looked at the actual official BioWare forums for something related to Dragon Age, and guess what was being advertised at the top.

An actual Ultima game. It was quite shocking to see somebody at BioWare actually advertising an Ultima game.

bioware-social-networks.jpg
 

Zurhet Pebblethief

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It honestly sounds to me like an Ultima version of Dragon Age Legends, or DnD Hero's of Neverwinter, a pay for coins rpg on Facebook, Myspace and Google+
 

Uvtha

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just speculation on my part, but... suppose Ultima Forever is a free-for-play "lite" version of UO. if marketed right, this could be the draw to Ultima Online. assume Ultima Forever only offers warrior & mages so to obtain other character types and/or housing and/or additional quests, etc there is an upgrade path to UO. this would be a smart strategy in my opinion.
If it has anything to do with UO whatsoever, I would be beyond shocked. If anything this is an attempt to replace UO as the online face of "Ultima".

If this game does well, I think we can kiss the idea of any substantial new developments goodbye.
 

Uvtha

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Didn't Mesanna say similar about UO and customer service?
Hopefully she's learned that altho they aren't in the same little section, or even in the same state, they're on the same team. IMO, anybody or anything that has impact on the success/failure of UO, IS the face of UO, whether paid employee, reviewer, or player, there's an interaction that exists , producers pretending it doesn't are mis-envisioned. Cumulatively, we're all one group, one team.
The UO team doesn't decide how EA structures it's operations so I don't think there's a lot she can do about the way things are in terms of how different facets of the company coordinate.
 

Petra Fyde

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This is a totally different type of game. It's not 'massively multiplayer' you play with a small group of friends - that's all. There are only 2 char types and you'll be following the story line just as you did when/if you played the original ultima IV game.
No sandbox, no houses, no decor. In fact none of the things that make up our Ultima Online.
 

Pinco

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This is a totally different type of game. It's not 'massively multiplayer' you play with a small group of friends - that's all. There are only 2 char types and you'll be following the story line just as you did when/if you played the original ultima IV game.
No sandbox, no houses, no decor. In fact none of the things that make up our Ultima Online.
in short is something like diablo, but hey they can always use the new engine for UO and makes a client for us :p
 

Ludes

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Has anyone been able to track down a peek at the gameplay?
Woodsman had found an article that mentioned a trailer but I haven't seen it yet.
 

Lorax_Pacific

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It appears you cannot beta register younger than 13. I wonder what kind of content they intend and what the in-play puzzle difficulty they intend.

Hopefully they add other platforms like the kindle fire since that is what my son has.

-Lorax
 
W

Woodsman

Guest
Has anyone been able to track down a peek at the gameplay?
Woodsman had found an article that mentioned a trailer but I haven't seen it yet.
Ironically it's the press release that mentions it:

BioWare Mythic Announces Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar : Ultima Forever @ UltimaCodex.com

To sign up for a chance to participate in a future closed beta and to see the game’s first gameplay trailer, please visit the official web site at Ultima Forever (UltimaForever) on Twitter or “Like” the game on Facebook at Ultima Forever | Facebook.
 

Uvtha

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This is a totally different type of game. It's not 'massively multiplayer' you play with a small group of friends - that's all. There are only 2 char types and you'll be following the story line just as you did when/if you played the original ultima IV game.
No sandbox, no houses, no decor. In fact none of the things that make up our Ultima Online.
But if its popular they will develop more games in that line, so says the FAQ. That's what concerns me.
 

Ludes

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Why does that concern you? Games like this are not competition for UO.

And maybe I'm being optimistic but if just ONE person plays U4E, likes it.... and decides to try the full blown version. Then we've all won.
 

G.v.P

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Not a lite version of UO. Limited to parties of 4 in dungeons.

Ultima Forever Frequently Asked Questions : Ultima Forever @ UltimaCodex.com
Would you say, then, that this game will be kind of like Drakensang? Except that game is browser based. But they have instanced dungeons and such, hm.

In Drakensang you pretty much play on a server with I don't know, I'd say up to at least 10 people per a sub-server? Not sure. But you can create parties and go to instanced dungeons.

I have no friends who play Drakensang and didn't really get into it that much but it's a 3D ISO sandbox of sorts. Pretty cool, but I'd prefer a stand-alone program outside of the browser.
 

Uvtha

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Why does that concern you? Games like this are not competition for UO.

And maybe I'm being optimistic but if just ONE person plays U4E, likes it.... and decides to try the full blown version. Then we've all won.
But another online Ultima game IS a potential competitor for EA development funds.

The worry I picture is this game does well, they start making a few more, and decided they want something more expansive. Then they may want to try to move all the "Ultima" fans to the new more modern Ultima product.

I don't see Ultima Forever as UO lite. I really doubt it will be that much like UO, and any games that spring from it will not follow the UO mold. They will follow the mold of the more successfu modernl game design archetypes.

I have a feeling that coming to UO from UF will be pretty much like going to UO from that Ultima city sim. Same setting, different game completely.
 

Dermott of LS

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...

U4E won't be another UO. Closer comparisons would be Diablo 3 and Dragon Age (D3 due to the online nature with 4 other people per game instance, DA for Bioware RPG elements). Because of that there will be a few gameplay aspects that U4E will get better than UO and some UO will have better or have that U4E simply will not.

The UOHerald has stated that the team that developed U4E will be ported over to work on UO as well which is a good thing.

I'm really wanting to see some gameplay video to see how the game will look and feel and there's about 500 questions forming in my head on how the game will work.

I think it's better if we want U4E to work out in terms of success because it will keep the Ultima name as one of success to the "suits" at EA, and if the teams work together right, each game can help the other.

Besides, to everyone that reads this... you KNOW you want a cloth map. It's ok, you can admit it to yourself :p
 
W

Woodsman

Guest
But another online Ultima game IS a potential competitor for EA development funds.
If UO doesn't get a fair share of funds, it's not because of another game, it's because EA is being EA. UO is probably very profitable given how small the team is. If EA is squeezing every last drop out of UO's bottom line, it's not going to matter whether there are other games with Ultima in their name or not, it's going to come down to how well the UO producer can sell the need for more funds, and/oor what the head of BioWare Mythic wants to do.

Paul Barnett, if you go back what was leaked a couple of years ago and what he's posted, had to pitch the Ultima Forever game to a lot of people way up the corporate ladder, and he had to continue selling them on it once it was underway. He made a lot of trips to various locations, showed early stages of the game to a lot of people.

UO needs somebody who can do for UO what Barnett did for UF (and keep in mind that Barnett was not even the producer or associate producer). UO needs somebody to get out there and sell the plans that can bring in new players and sell the need for more developers and more improvements, and UO needs somebody who can sell such plans both to current and potential new players, as well as to upper management within BioWare.
The worry I picture is this game does well, they start making a few more, and decided they want something more expansive. Then they may want to try to move all the "Ultima" fans to the new more modern Ultima product.
UO's biggest problem is still the lack of players. UO is most likely making millions in profit (otherwise EA would have shut it down). There comes a point at which UO becomes unprofitable and then EA most certainly will pull the plug, but until then, as long as it's making millions in profit, BioWare will keep it going.

Thanks to Star Wars not doing as well as they wanted it to, UO is probably safe as long as it makes a hefty profit in comparison to its expenses.
 
W

Woodsman

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I think it's better if we want U4E to work out in terms of success because it will keep the Ultima name as one of success to the "suits" at EA, and if the teams work together right, each game can help the other.
I see it like the SimCity games. SimCity on iPad, SimCity Social, etc. are probably helping to generate interest and maybe even hype for the upcoming desktop SimCity revival.

EA likes intellectual property it owns, because unlike its sports or Star Wars games, it gets more of the money and doesn't have to pay licensing.

It's very possible that Ultima Forever will have little to no effect on UO. It might bomb, it might do well enough that Barnett's dream of expanding it to other Ultima games comes true (you know he's aching to "reimagine" Ultima VII).

My fear is that things like the high resolution graphics upgrade have been canceled and that EA and the UO team don't take advantage of things like Ultima Forever and UO's 15th Anniversary. Those are the kinds of things that can cripple, or at least dig a deeper hole for UO. Kai Schober did post that UO and Ultima Forever would have linked websites when UO's website is redone, but I have a feeling that decision was made by the franchise producer or BioWare Mythic.
 

Ludes

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I have to agree with Woodsman on the point he makes about profitability..

UO is still making money... I'm pretty sure EA sees that as the bottom line.

I think I read somewhere that current subs are around 30k
Even if that's a little off, conservatively I'd feel safe guessing around 4 mil a year.
 
J

Joey Porter

Guest
LOL I asked Cal if Lord of Ultima drew in any new players and he responded "no" in such a way as to be like, "we have nothing to do with that team at all." Hopefully Bonnie and them have a closer relationship with the Ultima Forever team.
It may have not brought any new players but it was the catalyst in me coming back after a 10 year hiatus.
 

G.v.P

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I just got an E-Mail stating I'm enrolled in Beta. Will check it out later, I assume if it's past launch there is another thread on the game by now, haha.
 

G.v.P

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It may have not brought any new players but it was the catalyst in me coming back after a 10 year hiatus.
I think it was definitely an interesting game. The idea of a game that exists even if you aren't playing is tough, though.

It would be cool to play an RTS type game in which each faction/guild controlled all of the armies, towns, as a collective--or perhaps a select few. Otherwise, it's tough to play browser games like Lord of Ultima for too long, IMO. Too much of a job.
 
J

Joey Porter

Guest
I think it was definitely an interesting game. The idea of a game that exists even if you aren't playing is tough, though.

It would be cool to play an RTS type game in which each faction/guild controlled all of the armies, towns, as a collective--or perhaps a select few. Otherwise, it's tough to play browser games like Lord of Ultima for too long, IMO. Too much of a job.
I agree 100%, was a full time job because if you did not log in at least once a day you could not keep up. Also ended up costing way more than UO because of the need to buy the jewels to use special items. Once I got my crown I quit playing.

And to stay somewhat on topic i got an email for the beta as well.
 
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