If you aren't married, consider this my proposal.
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Ok Petra here is MY Question for you.
Why should WE the players spend more time and energy doing the customer service that WE the players pay EA games to do???
Do you have any idea how much time and effort I spend helping others figure out how to navigate things that OUGHT to be self explanatory and simple????? Like how to start an account.... How to download the client (Yes I've actually had folk go to our website to talk to us to have US help them get back into UO because they can't get customer service they are frustrated and can't figure out how to get their account back on... They get mad because they CAN NOT update their credit card information and they are declined over and over..... or when they DO actually get thru to a human at customer service they are given the run around and the issue is NOT resolved until AFTER their house falls.... or goes into decay making them HATE the entire experience..... and quit.
And if I'm being all "negative" about it's because I'm fed up with doing THEIR job and would like to go back to just playing UO.
I'm trying everything I can to promote and assist UO..... but I can't do it if I am constantly having to find ways to get around things I should have to... Half the problem with getting new players and getting them into the game is the crappy management of the accounts and the website... and if I'm being bitter and negative about it's because I'M FED UP with it and I can't seem to get EA to figure out that THEY are the ones HIGHLY responsible for driving away players NOT I.
I ACTUALLY had to CALL EA myself to get THEM to call my friend and help him with his accounts because when he went to the website he couldn't get past the putting in your account information area because it wouldn't accept it.
Why should WE the players spend more time and energy doing the customer service that WE the players pay EA games to do???
Do you have any idea how much time and effort I spend helping others figure out how to navigate things that OUGHT to be self explanatory and simple????? Like how to start an account.... How to download the client (Yes I've actually had folk go to our website to talk to us to have US help them get back into UO because they can't get customer service they are frustrated and can't figure out how to get their account back on... They get mad because they CAN NOT update their credit card information and they are declined over and over..... or when they DO actually get thru to a human at customer service they are given the run around and the issue is NOT resolved until AFTER their house falls.... or goes into decay making them HATE the entire experience..... and quit.
And if I'm being all "negative" about it's because I'm fed up with doing THEIR job and would like to go back to just playing UO.
I'm trying everything I can to promote and assist UO..... but I can't do it if I am constantly having to find ways to get around things I should have to... Half the problem with getting new players and getting them into the game is the crappy management of the accounts and the website... and if I'm being bitter and negative about it's because I'M FED UP with it and I can't seem to get EA to figure out that THEY are the ones HIGHLY responsible for driving away players NOT I.
I ACTUALLY had to CALL EA myself to get THEM to call my friend and help him with his accounts because when he went to the website he couldn't get past the putting in your account information area because it wouldn't accept it.
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Yes, I'm sure the majority here play the game to have fun and enjoy. I can't think of any other reason to play. And I'll add that UO is more than just a game. It's a unique experience on many levels, which is why many intelligent people here bother to have strong opinions about it's development.
The only gift I've ever received from anyone associated with UO is from other paying subscribers. My relationship with EA is strictly a business/customer relationship, and pixel cracks appearing in my virtual backpack around holidays and other occasions does not qualify as a gift.
I'm sure any vile or abusive opinions expressed on Stratics are dealt with appropriately by the moderators.
I for one have a lot of faith that UO's best days are still ahead, or will be replaced by something better. Until then, I'm not going to pretend like the current people in charge have a clue or take UO seriously when it's clear to me that they don't.
Where are their manners? The Producer for example telling Sosaria Reels in his interview earlier this year "This year is a big year for UO. The 15th anniversary is a big time, and there’s definitely going to be a lot of PR messaging throughout this year as we approach September on that."
Well we have a right to be righteous as the paying customers. The customer is always right. And how can there be poisonous words or poisonous sentiments with no victim?
The only effective thing here is the truth as we see it. Putting a positive or negative spin on things is counter-productive if you care about the future of UO.
I do and yes you're right.
UO is more than just a game. It's a unique experience on many levels, which is why many intelligent people here bother to have strong opinions about it's development.
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Regardless of your attempt to once again tear apart another post instead of writing your own, my sentiment remains the same. I don't argue. I say what I have to say and leave it at that.
Respectfully,
AW
Respectfully,
AW
So basically....you're saying Petra she can't spare 5 minutes out of a day or week to update on anything other than an event scroll? I myself am not asking for full disclosure on what's happening behind the scenes just a bit of hope that all I'm not paying for is some wallpaper and bug fixes this year..granted the bug fixes need to happen regardless..hell it should have been done years ago..but honestly this game is on life support it needs..at the least.."communication"!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Awww! You're so sweet! But I am married to a most wonderful man. I got lucky in my old age.
And regardless of your attempt to debase valid opinions about UO's development and then describe an in kind, uncritical response as a "tear apart", my sentiment remains the same.
For those getting defensive, I don't think anybody is criticizing the game itself. It's the things around the game that are an issue. Anybody who doesn't like the game has probably moved on years ago.
I also don't think those of us currently playing should be a concern either because we are already here and we are used to these issues and the way things are. The problem is getting people into the game. People posting on a fansite are not going to determine the fate of UO.
As somebody who admins a fansite and contributed a little to UO Guide as an admin there, I know this all too well. UO Guide, Ultima Codex, UO Stratics, UO Forums, UORPC, and others could all be pushing out a dozen articles or threads that are 100% positive cheerleading every day and it will not determine UO's fate.
If you see a problem, the time to speak about it is right then, not when things are completely critical and the subject is on life support. And for anybody who feels that Stratics is not the place or that this shouldn't be talked about publicly where potential new players might see this, well BioWare Mythic dubbed Stratics the official forums and that's a part of being the official forums. You can't be the official forums for only 100% positive posts.
As somebody intimately involved with UO and Ultima fansites I feel a much different kind of frustration that goes beyond the frustration I feel as a player. The UO community is the best MMO community, bar none. UO would not exist if it weren't for this community, but there is only so much we can do without the support of EA.
I also don't think those of us currently playing should be a concern either because we are already here and we are used to these issues and the way things are. The problem is getting people into the game. People posting on a fansite are not going to determine the fate of UO.
As somebody who admins a fansite and contributed a little to UO Guide as an admin there, I know this all too well. UO Guide, Ultima Codex, UO Stratics, UO Forums, UORPC, and others could all be pushing out a dozen articles or threads that are 100% positive cheerleading every day and it will not determine UO's fate.
If you see a problem, the time to speak about it is right then, not when things are completely critical and the subject is on life support. And for anybody who feels that Stratics is not the place or that this shouldn't be talked about publicly where potential new players might see this, well BioWare Mythic dubbed Stratics the official forums and that's a part of being the official forums. You can't be the official forums for only 100% positive posts.
As somebody intimately involved with UO and Ultima fansites I feel a much different kind of frustration that goes beyond the frustration I feel as a player. The UO community is the best MMO community, bar none. UO would not exist if it weren't for this community, but there is only so much we can do without the support of EA.
I personally do not expect or want anything given to me based upon an anniversary I only know about because of other people being uhhh, kinda grubby & incessantly talking about it.
I have zero respect or tolerance for anyone that cannot simply play the game and enjoy whatever may fall their way. What is with all the whining every season about gifts?
I realize that this is a quite unpopular opinion based upon all the gift whiners I see here daily but I dont care. If you are playing the game with such huge expectations of free crap you are IMO a non-factor.
What is it so hard for some people to understand that their sub fees entitle them to nothing other then the ability to play in this world? Some of the previous vet rewards have been pretty cool & special. Thats not enough or already forgotten? Just plain sad.
I have zero respect or tolerance for anyone that cannot simply play the game and enjoy whatever may fall their way. What is with all the whining every season about gifts?
I realize that this is a quite unpopular opinion based upon all the gift whiners I see here daily but I dont care. If you are playing the game with such huge expectations of free crap you are IMO a non-factor.
What is it so hard for some people to understand that their sub fees entitle them to nothing other then the ability to play in this world? Some of the previous vet rewards have been pretty cool & special. Thats not enough or already forgotten? Just plain sad.
Didn't bother to read the thread, did you?
Most people don't care about pixelcrack gifts, they care about the anniversary actually meaning something and the Dev team delivering content/changes/etc that ensure that UO has forward momentum for the future.
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I still have the opinion they do all of this rather frequently and not just when the anniversary rolls around.
Really?
This was a comment from the 2nd reply - "But if I had to guess with little over a month away and no time to test anything super big we will get a new ruler and a few trinkets in our packs"
Another reply - "I am not expecting anything more then whats been leeked and peeked at in the code.... the harpsicord is something nice... but does it equil out to 15 years in a game?
Let's do the math"
Not to mention the fact that 2 other posters (Amber & Frarc) felt the same way as I do and blasted all the negative whiners.
Did you comprehend the thread? Or just read it?
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Woodsman
Guest
Don't let him get under your skin Amber. His constant negative comments prove him to be nothing more then a minor UO cancer. Thank goodness most of the cancer is confined to the minority on these boards.
Can't have fun or be a factor ingame? No problem lol. Just come to these boards daily and bash the game all the while trying to convince other people that you actually love the game. Its very sad
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Woodsman
Guest
The comment below is dead onCan't have fun or be a factor ingame? No problem lol. Just come to these boards daily and bash the game all the while trying to convince other people that you actually love the game. Its very sad
You shouldn't try and twist peoples words and claim they are bashing the game when they are bashing the problems outside of the game. If we hated the game, we would have left already, and those of us who did leave and come back later, would not have come back if we hated the game.
Goldberg-Chessy, if you want to defend EA or Mythic or the devs, that's cool, I respect that completely, I know the devs have a tough time, but don't trash those of us who love the game and who are concerned that EA isn't doing the necessary things for its long-term survival or to bring in new players.
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There was a point in time when I thought UO was about to resurge in the MMOG market and it was very well primed to do so. There was an involved scenario with weekly updates, the forums were active, and there was vision to update the game for current and future technologies. Unfortunately, that time was SIX YEARS AGO, and yes, I understand that a lot has happened since then outside of and surrounding the game, some of which was uncontrollable, some COULD have been prevented with a different and better corporate culture.
I, like (probably) many people here, have been an Ultima fan for decades (yes, plural) and started playing UO because of the world presented in the Ultima series being so amazingly detailed. In terms of pure gameplay and not being pigeonholed into specific classes or builds, UO still wins hands down. Yes, due to technical constraints, some of the immersiveness of the single player games was lost, but made up for in different areas.
The perception I get today with Ultima is NOT one of hope as of this post. That's not because I think "UO sucks" or that I have only negative thoughts about the game, but because the SUPPORT for the game feels like it has been lost.
Mesanna may be "one of the bestest EMs EVAR!", and may be well suited to be a Live Fiction/Events lead, but running the game as a whole takes a LOT more than focusing on one facet of the game. Yes, it might make the players who want to play Death Roulette happy, but people looking for other updates and upgrades are stuck wondering what is going to happen and when.
There seems to be a lot of "we can't speak about anything that may not happen", but that's a HORRIBLE lesson to take away from the previous dev team iterations that DID answer questions with what they were working on either in forum posts or in HoC chats or whatever. Yes, it does suck to hear that something you were wanting isn't going to get in. I would have LOVED to see what the ORIGINAL vision of KR/SA was planned on being (where SA was KR client only, no longer tile based, etc), but it didn't happen. At least we knew there was the vision of a new idea... the possibility to take a chance to bring UO into more modern technology.
The excitement I felt about UO six years ago was only equaled by the excitement that I had when I first got the game. That's gone because the mindset that the team behind UO had six years ago is also gone. Now we have some vague ideas of plans, but nothing concrete. The Anniversary is coming up very quickly. If this were the release of a movie, we'd be seeing previews, promo posters, interviews, and more.
UO the game is still great, UO's future... well, I'm just not seeing the excitement the way I was 6 years ago. I can only hope that The Big Reveal™ is mind-blowingly impressive... right now there's not a lot I can get all that impressed about.
There was a point in time when I thought UO was about to resurge in the MMOG market and it was very well primed to do so. There was an involved scenario with weekly updates, the forums were active, and there was vision to update the game for current and future technologies. Unfortunately, that time was SIX YEARS AGO, and yes, I understand that a lot has happened since then outside of and surrounding the game, some of which was uncontrollable, some COULD have been prevented with a different and better corporate culture.
I, like (probably) many people here, have been an Ultima fan for decades (yes, plural) and started playing UO because of the world presented in the Ultima series being so amazingly detailed. In terms of pure gameplay and not being pigeonholed into specific classes or builds, UO still wins hands down. Yes, due to technical constraints, some of the immersiveness of the single player games was lost, but made up for in different areas.
The perception I get today with Ultima is NOT one of hope as of this post. That's not because I think "UO sucks" or that I have only negative thoughts about the game, but because the SUPPORT for the game feels like it has been lost.
Mesanna may be "one of the bestest EMs EVAR!", and may be well suited to be a Live Fiction/Events lead, but running the game as a whole takes a LOT more than focusing on one facet of the game. Yes, it might make the players who want to play Death Roulette happy, but people looking for other updates and upgrades are stuck wondering what is going to happen and when.
There seems to be a lot of "we can't speak about anything that may not happen", but that's a HORRIBLE lesson to take away from the previous dev team iterations that DID answer questions with what they were working on either in forum posts or in HoC chats or whatever. Yes, it does suck to hear that something you were wanting isn't going to get in. I would have LOVED to see what the ORIGINAL vision of KR/SA was planned on being (where SA was KR client only, no longer tile based, etc), but it didn't happen. At least we knew there was the vision of a new idea... the possibility to take a chance to bring UO into more modern technology.
The excitement I felt about UO six years ago was only equaled by the excitement that I had when I first got the game. That's gone because the mindset that the team behind UO had six years ago is also gone. Now we have some vague ideas of plans, but nothing concrete. The Anniversary is coming up very quickly. If this were the release of a movie, we'd be seeing previews, promo posters, interviews, and more.
UO the game is still great, UO's future... well, I'm just not seeing the excitement the way I was 6 years ago. I can only hope that The Big Reveal™ is mind-blowingly impressive... right now there's not a lot I can get all that impressed about.
Seriously? You honestly beleieve that the people I referred to love the game or have any clue about how to ensure the longterm survival of UO? Or any other MMORPG for that matter.
What kind of fool believes that coming to the main forums of an MMORPG to do nothing other then bash it and its employees is constructive or loving in any way?
"Those of us" ?? Who are you to say who loves the game other then yourself btw lol? You say they love it based upon what? The mountains of negative whining they post here weekly. No offense bud but I think you should look up the meanings of the words 'love' and 'obsession'
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How are people supposed to feel when they watch teams that have done amazing things to help bring the game forward get gutted and replaced by teams that barely communicate at all or *shush* those that try to do so?
How is a segment of the fanbase who are paying attention and materially supporting a given facet of the game supposed to feel when they watch the support for that facet be reduced to effectively NOTHING? Yeah, I can now say that I understand how some PvP, Factions, and Siege players can feel now. I've watched the support for upgrading the UO client into something that works and looks better on modern systems go from weekly major patches to the back-burnering and removal of the last active dev/art team member on that project. I've watched a Modding community begin, grow, create some amazing things, then wither away due to that lack of support. Basically: Why should the modders carry the workload on making the game more playable if the Dev Team doesn't?
I've always held to the premise of my posts that if I had a critique about something, I should have an answer for that critique... to simply go beyond "UO sucks", but to say "This is a problem, this is how I see to fix it", and that's what I see from a lot of the posters now... maybe not "this is how to fix it", but "UO has problems and here's what they are". That isn't simply "being negative about UO", that's being REALISTIC. Simply saying "UO/KR/EC/etc sucks, get rid of it" is being negative. Pointing out that the current dev team doesn't fulfill the standards of the playerbase is simply pointing out reality.
The thing that should concern everyone is when more and more "this is a problem" posts are coming from players who have built the community and have done more than simply paid a few bucks per month for 1, 2, or 7657643876 accounts. These are the people who have helped others learn the game, built player run sites and communities, built resources for the game and Ultima in general. These people are The Base™ (to use a political term), and if you're losing The Base™, that's a sign of MAJOR trouble.
How are people supposed to feel when they watch teams that have done amazing things to help bring the game forward get gutted and replaced by teams that barely communicate at all or *shush* those that try to do so?
How is a segment of the fanbase who are paying attention and materially supporting a given facet of the game supposed to feel when they watch the support for that facet be reduced to effectively NOTHING? Yeah, I can now say that I understand how some PvP, Factions, and Siege players can feel now. I've watched the support for upgrading the UO client into something that works and looks better on modern systems go from weekly major patches to the back-burnering and removal of the last active dev/art team member on that project. I've watched a Modding community begin, grow, create some amazing things, then wither away due to that lack of support. Basically: Why should the modders carry the workload on making the game more playable if the Dev Team doesn't?
I've always held to the premise of my posts that if I had a critique about something, I should have an answer for that critique... to simply go beyond "UO sucks", but to say "This is a problem, this is how I see to fix it", and that's what I see from a lot of the posters now... maybe not "this is how to fix it", but "UO has problems and here's what they are". That isn't simply "being negative about UO", that's being REALISTIC. Simply saying "UO/KR/EC/etc sucks, get rid of it" is being negative. Pointing out that the current dev team doesn't fulfill the standards of the playerbase is simply pointing out reality.
The thing that should concern everyone is when more and more "this is a problem" posts are coming from players who have built the community and have done more than simply paid a few bucks per month for 1, 2, or 7657643876 accounts. These are the people who have helped others learn the game, built player run sites and communities, built resources for the game and Ultima in general. These people are The Base™ (to use a political term), and if you're losing The Base™, that's a sign of MAJOR trouble.
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Woodsman
Guest
If somebody wants some irony, here you go. Remember that post I made referencing where Jeff promised weekly Q&A sessions last year?
Producer's Letter - 11/02 | Mythic Entertainment | Ultima Online
Community Q&A: Free-to-Play Edition | Star Wars: The Old Republic
Producer's Letter - 11/02 | Mythic Entertainment | Ultima Online
Guess what happened today in Star Wars?jskalski said:
Community Q&A: Free-to-Play Edition | Star Wars: The Old Republic
Reading comprehension fail. On your part.
In context, Specialshoes' comment isn't whining about getting gifts, s/he seems dismayed that "trinkets" is all the 15th will b, i.e. nothing substantive.
Lady Storm's comment, again, in context, is actually quite similar, but I admit could be considered borderline.
Nobody has screamed for more "free" pixel crack. People want to see the Devs taking advantage of the Anniversary to promote the game and showcase that is has a future instead of continuing on the slow downward spiral. They want Jeff to actually do what he said he would instead of lying to us
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Woodsman
Guest
Regardless of a person's experience with the game industry is, everybody here knows that a lack of communication does not help ensure the long-term survival of UO. Communicating with your players in a timely manner is MMORPG 101. UO pioneered it back in the 1990s. Even during the worst of the pre-Tram days when people were flipping out over being PKed and quitting, Origin stayed in contact with the fans.
There maybe some people bashing the game itself, but if you dig down, they are upset with how the game is being treated. They maybe pissed about Tram or AOS, but if they are still hanging around in 2012, deep down they love the game. I don't know how to explain to you that you can love the game, but hate how it's being handled.
As for being constructive, do we wait until EA cancels UO and then come out with the criticisms we have about their handling? Is that the proper time?
Or is the venue the problem? Stratics is the official forums according to Mesanna, but if this is not the place to criticize the game, should we take it over to MMORPG.com where non-UO players are liable to stumble over it? Oh wait, there are already threads there critcizing EA's handling of UO.
UO is not some casual game like Angry Birds. If people are here in 2012 still playing and posting about UO, they do have an attachment to it.
I used to make some really tasteless jokes about people that were, in my view, addicted to UO, addicted to the items, etc. but having played a lot of other MMORPGs, I've come to realize that it's wrong to assume that they are addicted, because UO offers things that no other MMORPGs do. I'll make jokes about pixel crack, but you know, ultimately UO is just a completely different game.
What may seem like an addiction to you or me could be simply that they have found a unique little world that nothing else touches.
I'm not saying there aren't people addicted to it, I believe there are some who have a level of addiction to it. The first time I left UO, I remember talking to a friend about it, and they got visibly upset just hearing me discuss leaving UO. I'm not going to deny that people don't get addicted to it, I'm pretty sure I saw it in that friend I mentioned, but I think a lot of people aren't necessarily addicted to it like it's a drug, it's more that they have found something really special, and they don't like that it's not being handled well.
For me, if EA announced they were canceling it tomorrow, I'd be pissed that everybody saw the problems and did nothing to correct them, and I'd be disappointed in that I feel UO never got a proper chance after the numbers started dropping, but I've got Guild Wars 2 pre-ordered, and unfortunately most of my October and November are going to be tied up with my WOW guild running around doing Panda crap (and ironically, they started in UO), and I'm sure another guild I was in will drag me back into EVE Online with some of the Dust 514 stuff.
It's the wasted potential that is frustrating for me.
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Woodsman
Guest
What would yo do to ensure the long-term survival of UO? We can start a new thread if you'd like, I'd like to hear some of your ideas. I really mean that, because its' a topic that interests me, having played a lot of MMORPGs.
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UO needs just 2 things to survive:
1) better graphic
2) more random and less grinding
This game is became totally static... everything is just became: kill X take reward, kill Y and hope to drop something, etc... you can walk 1000000000000 times the same place and will happen always the same thing.
Here is an example on how the random could makes the game less predictable:
NOW:
you walk from britain to trinsic and there are always the same monsters, you can make a script to automate it and be sure that it will run 24/7 without problems.
RANDOM:
case 1: an horde of orcs are passing by and you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a HUGE amount of them
case 2: a meteor fall from the sky and hit you in the head
case 3: some bandits attacks a merchant caravan and you can save it
case 4: the ground cracks under your feet and you suddenly find yourself into a secret dungeon
case 5: a messenger contacts you and gave you a letter about a special quest
case 6: your horse lose a horseshoe and you are dismounted
case 7: you find a bank check on the ground
etc...
basically there could be unlimited scenario, and luck could also take part of all this... obviously adding a new mobile and let people grind it unlimited times is easier, besides this is UO what do you expect?
IMHO grinding should be a boring and lame way to stockpile things, not the base of the whole game.
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I'm not going to comment on the SWTOR changes, but you can figure out why they are happening.
As for commitments that Jeff Skalski made to the UO community over 9 months ago, if he hasn't fulfilled them before now, he is not going to 7 weeks before the anniversary. Harping on his Linked In profile mentioning that he's a good speaker or commnuicator or whatever will not help things either. He made the decision not to improve communication and I think that you have to accept it.
I will say this much: If Bonnie, Jeff, Kai, or Rowland decided they wanted to start a dialogue between BioWare and UO fans and really spread the word about the anniversary and things that might excite players, they need only send an email to the fansites. Earlier in the thread somebody alluded to the fact that players shouldn't be doing certain things that are really the responsibilities of Mythic or the team. I disagree, this is a special circumstance. I can't think of any fansites that wouldn't bend over backward to help UO. They are called fansites for a reason. Even though I've slowly been reducing my presence inside and outside of UO in favor of other projects, if I got an email with screenshots, information, etc and asking for my help in spreading the word about UO, I would drop what I was doing and spend an hour or more every night doing what I could to help UO.
Even now I am working on an article explaining a bit about Lord Blackthorn to post on the Ultima Codex to interest non-UO players
As for commitments that Jeff Skalski made to the UO community over 9 months ago, if he hasn't fulfilled them before now, he is not going to 7 weeks before the anniversary. Harping on his Linked In profile mentioning that he's a good speaker or commnuicator or whatever will not help things either. He made the decision not to improve communication and I think that you have to accept it.
I will say this much: If Bonnie, Jeff, Kai, or Rowland decided they wanted to start a dialogue between BioWare and UO fans and really spread the word about the anniversary and things that might excite players, they need only send an email to the fansites. Earlier in the thread somebody alluded to the fact that players shouldn't be doing certain things that are really the responsibilities of Mythic or the team. I disagree, this is a special circumstance. I can't think of any fansites that wouldn't bend over backward to help UO. They are called fansites for a reason. Even though I've slowly been reducing my presence inside and outside of UO in favor of other projects, if I got an email with screenshots, information, etc and asking for my help in spreading the word about UO, I would drop what I was doing and spend an hour or more every night doing what I could to help UO.
Even now I am working on an article explaining a bit about Lord Blackthorn to post on the Ultima Codex to interest non-UO players
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Woodsman
Guest
Accepting everything without any kind of explanation or discussion is why things are they way they are, it's why UO has had a crappy website for 5 years, it's why UO's communication has dropped. They do this stuff because they know we'll accept it no matter what. Maybe we are to blame because we do accept all of it
:whip:If it's that simple, then why don't they?
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Woodsman
Guest
If you are talking about the people who are critical of how things are, just in this thread, looking just at this page alone, two of the critics have started extensive UO or Ultima fansites (assuming you are counting Deckard) and still maintain them to this day, and two of the critics are a huge part of the reason why people use the EC.
Martyna and Deckard both started UO fansites, Martyna maintains UORPC.net which is the largest RPing-only fansite, and Deckard moved over to become an admin at the largest non-UO Ultima fansite, Pinco...if somebody mentions the Enhanced Client, Pinco's name is usually brought up within a post or two, as in "you need to install Pinco's UI" and Dermott, I don't even know where to start with Dermott and how much he did for the EC and the modding community, but his texture packs being a part of Pinco's UI are a big example.
Goldberg-Chessy, these are not people you can just brush off. These are people who have put more hours into supporting the UO community than you or I can imagine. My reasons for being critical mostly revolve around the state of UO when I took my last break, and the state of UO when I came back, and those reasons pale in comparison to the reasons they have for being critical.
And I know I'm leaving out contributions from people in this thread who are critical of things.
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If I could read minds I'd be in Las Vegas winning millions at poker.
But it can really be that easy. EA builds hype within the fan communities with all of its major games. SWTOR, Mass Effect, Battlefield, Sims games all do this.
Even just a fansite kit and a link on the Herald would be enough, they don't even have to contact the sites individually.
When some people can't win an argument, they resort to personal attacks. It's very sadDon't let him get under your skin Amber. His constant negative comments prove him to be nothing more then a minor UO cancer. Thank goodness most of the cancer is confined to the minority on these boards.
Can't have fun or be a factor ingame? No problem lol. Just come to these boards daily and bash the game all the while trying to convince other people that you actually love the game. Its very sad
Petra, the negative talk to new or returning or even the die hards is very abusive depending on who you get mad.... I have heard in chat so much venom twards players of all ranks that it hurts to read! There are many who still tell others with deep venom spray they dont belong in UO and its best they quit. No matter how I tell them to shut up (I do say it politely but this is the basic meaning of what I am trying to convey) and that we do need every breathing UO player we can get our hands on. The Replys from the one or two players ranting the vile chant slow down but continue but soon are drowned out by the others who share my view of our need for the players.
This is on alot of shards.... not just one. We need all the players and should work to bring in more and keep those we have. Now mind you the RL world needs superseed this.
I pay to play myself and not a little bit of money ether... and over the years I have paid for friends to keep going when finaces got tight for them...
Now on another issue:
When players pancake at the Dev for things they want or dont get or the information they beleave is due them I kind of get a double edged sword of thought on it.
I can understand their wants... but is it too far and much to ask?
I who was once an owner of a company did have some of the same public on a steady basis coming to my store for things needed. None ever said to me "I bought this over the last 2 years I deserve to get a free one or at least a discount and update on any price change " Now they were loyal to shop at my store for so long and I do understand the idea of "gifts" but when is enough enough? Would you still do events if there was no gifts given out? Would you join in story lines if all it was was that story being done and no major dole outs?
Yes I agree they provide us a service and we would love an update on things more then is generaly given. But what if there is nothing to tell you? Or nothing they can tell you due to restrictions the parent company has deemed propriatary? Jeff has said we have been poorly servied with info but gave no idea of any repair of this..... Cal knew how to toss bull pattys around to save his sanity from the questions but how much was real.... who knows. We forget they work the same as the rest of you do at a job. They are not your personel flunkys, and blabbermouths. Let me tell you this much... If I ever caught any of my employees giving out info I had not cleared you would find them out the door in that minute with last paycheck in hand and personal items in box. Period. They have given you alot of info if you think about it. We know there is a celebration for our 15th year. Rewards will be added and old and new bugs fixed galore! Even a sneek peek at a gift..... and yet you want more. I wonder how far you want them to go?? Tell you every detail?? Leave no surprise for the getting? As for other info.... Of course they are looking at and devising fixes for things in game that are not working out like factions... but why do you need to be kept in the loop over how its done?
Woodman and the rest of you best understand what we get is not our due but granted to us via the time we put into the game as a reward for loyalty. We pay for use not service. We get service as a part of their way to keep us playing and paying on thier terms. Dont get any idea your the most important thing to the company... there is millions of people to take your place.... in their other games.
We all have different views of whats right to give a person paying for this game in the way of info and services. This will never change..
I'd love for the game to revert to the old way of housing and shard play ... will it ever happen? Probibly not as EA is not stupid and its accounting personel did a great job of making us pay for what was once our rights. But this is how things are in the real world as well so get use to it and enjoy the game.
Sorry for the hard attitude on this... but I put on my "boss" hat and read you a taste of the riot act. *kisses the boo boo's and hands you a fresh chocolate chip cookie* Mom still loves ya kiddo's..............
This is on alot of shards.... not just one. We need all the players and should work to bring in more and keep those we have. Now mind you the RL world needs superseed this.
I pay to play myself and not a little bit of money ether... and over the years I have paid for friends to keep going when finaces got tight for them...
Now on another issue:
When players pancake at the Dev for things they want or dont get or the information they beleave is due them I kind of get a double edged sword of thought on it.
I can understand their wants... but is it too far and much to ask?
I who was once an owner of a company did have some of the same public on a steady basis coming to my store for things needed. None ever said to me "I bought this over the last 2 years I deserve to get a free one or at least a discount and update on any price change " Now they were loyal to shop at my store for so long and I do understand the idea of "gifts" but when is enough enough? Would you still do events if there was no gifts given out? Would you join in story lines if all it was was that story being done and no major dole outs?
Yes I agree they provide us a service and we would love an update on things more then is generaly given. But what if there is nothing to tell you? Or nothing they can tell you due to restrictions the parent company has deemed propriatary? Jeff has said we have been poorly servied with info but gave no idea of any repair of this..... Cal knew how to toss bull pattys around to save his sanity from the questions but how much was real.... who knows. We forget they work the same as the rest of you do at a job. They are not your personel flunkys, and blabbermouths. Let me tell you this much... If I ever caught any of my employees giving out info I had not cleared you would find them out the door in that minute with last paycheck in hand and personal items in box. Period. They have given you alot of info if you think about it. We know there is a celebration for our 15th year. Rewards will be added and old and new bugs fixed galore! Even a sneek peek at a gift..... and yet you want more. I wonder how far you want them to go?? Tell you every detail?? Leave no surprise for the getting? As for other info.... Of course they are looking at and devising fixes for things in game that are not working out like factions... but why do you need to be kept in the loop over how its done?
Woodman and the rest of you best understand what we get is not our due but granted to us via the time we put into the game as a reward for loyalty. We pay for use not service. We get service as a part of their way to keep us playing and paying on thier terms. Dont get any idea your the most important thing to the company... there is millions of people to take your place.... in their other games.
We all have different views of whats right to give a person paying for this game in the way of info and services. This will never change..
I'd love for the game to revert to the old way of housing and shard play ... will it ever happen? Probibly not as EA is not stupid and its accounting personel did a great job of making us pay for what was once our rights. But this is how things are in the real world as well so get use to it and enjoy the game.
Sorry for the hard attitude on this... but I put on my "boss" hat and read you a taste of the riot act. *kisses the boo boo's and hands you a fresh chocolate chip cookie* Mom still loves ya kiddo's..............
Top notch contribution there fella. An here I thought you were just another troll with no original thoughts of his own.When some people can't win an argument, they resort to personal attacks. It's very sad
As a former small business owner I can guarantee anyone with half a brain in any of the above scenarios is thinking "I hope the customer has an all around positive experience and comes back again."
I'm certainly not pleased with the current state of UO and the lack of improvement in virtually all aspects of the game.
If I was happy with UO maybe I'd still have all 4 accounts active but being that I'm not I'm down to my last account.
What is it were paying for these days anyhow?
Where is the service?
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Woodsman
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If the head honcho, in this case Jeff Skalski, says that improving communication is one of the three big things he wants to accomplish (the other two being revamping content and fixing bugs), and then pretends like he never said it...then yeah, it's fair to ask. Especially since he mentioned it several times and especially since he told all of us that there was going to be a lot of PR for UO this year as we go into UO's anniversary.
Now one could make a joke that he confused Ultima Online with Ultima Forever, which did get an amazing amount of PR, but it wouldn't be a very funny joke. The press fell all over themselves talking about Ultima Forever, showing that people still care about Ultima.
Lady Storm, you're a businesswoman, a very accomplished one based on what you've said. I would assume at some point in your business endeavors, you have to communicate information to your existing customers and potential customers. I don't think you would tell your customers that you're going to improve the communication, and then tell them that again, and even throw in that you're going to get PR for your business, and then just pretend like you never said it and make the communication situation even worse.
EA spent $100 million last year just to advertise one game. TV ads, interaction with fansites, etc. EA is spending probably over $100,000 on wining and dining the media in Germany next week to get them to write about their games, including games that won't be out until next year.
We're 6 weeks away from the biggest anniversary an MMORPG has ever had, and our producers don't even talk to us about it. Jeff gets more excited talking about Playstation games made by companies other than EA than he does about the products he manages.
You're a businesswoman, Lady Storm. Would you go out there and tell everybody how great the competitor's products were and that people should try them out, while remaining silent on your own products? That's what Jeff is doing while Mesanna is staying silent.
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Woodman I do understand your perplexing delema of this. Jeff did say alot about this communication bit with the players and staff. But then again I did say EA might not want nor condone some aspects of what they would like told. Remember the board and leads over at EA are not hands on our game and do hold to strict lines of what is and isnt allowed and have over the years taken quick steps to eliminate those who step over their invisable lines in the sand.
Jeff might be working out the details of how far and who should be doing this chatting up of the player base. Without knowing the true nature of what EA feels about the limits this is hard to judge. As a businesswoman I do understand the workings of other companys and beleave it or not yes sometimes you do promote anothers works if it leads back to yours... But to chat about what your playing not related to UO is a bit odd.
I didnt like the fact GrimOmen was in polite terms sacked with time to clean up...
I cant pretend to know the workings inside UO/Mythic and how far afield they can go in telling us whats cooking. Jeff just might have stepped out too far and had his leash yanked. I told you that COO on the stock market interview didnt look to me as a very nice fellow if you crossed over to his bad side.
We need the ad time to get us noticed again. Nastalgia can and does bring back players to the game.
I dont know why but I feel EA's fingers in this mess.......... call it a bad vibe.
As for Mesanna being silent.... She might have put her foot into more then she barganed for when they handed her the reigns of UO.
EA has always bitten the hands that feed it.
Jeff might be working out the details of how far and who should be doing this chatting up of the player base. Without knowing the true nature of what EA feels about the limits this is hard to judge. As a businesswoman I do understand the workings of other companys and beleave it or not yes sometimes you do promote anothers works if it leads back to yours... But to chat about what your playing not related to UO is a bit odd.
I didnt like the fact GrimOmen was in polite terms sacked with time to clean up...
I cant pretend to know the workings inside UO/Mythic and how far afield they can go in telling us whats cooking. Jeff just might have stepped out too far and had his leash yanked. I told you that COO on the stock market interview didnt look to me as a very nice fellow if you crossed over to his bad side.
We need the ad time to get us noticed again. Nastalgia can and does bring back players to the game.
I dont know why but I feel EA's fingers in this mess.......... call it a bad vibe.
As for Mesanna being silent.... She might have put her foot into more then she barganed for when they handed her the reigns of UO.
EA has always bitten the hands that feed it.
Where meees Hippo??
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There are no restrictions on dev communications from any "higher-ups" or "suits" or whatever headmaster figure you seem to think exists. It is and always has been a dev choice to communicate with us. Anyone who tells you differently is outright lying to you. I know this for a fact. You, too can know this type of information if you dedicate enough time and research. Those of us who have done the legwork to find out the situation are trying to explain this to you as best we can.
Look I do know they can talk to us but do I want ot know every detail of whats cooking ..............
We tend to kick the messanger if its not what we want to hear. So many dont want to talk to us. Those who do, want to keep to a handfull of subjects and leave the deeper subjects to the "boss"
I have noticed of late UOMythic has been a bit quiet. This makes people nervous, and more demanding of attention due to the feeling of waiting for a shoe to drop.
The question is even if they told you whats up would you let it go at that? even if there is nothing more to tell? Many try to read into things stuff that is not there.
Reminds me of when I told my son "maybe" .... to him this was a YES. I didnt say YES, i said maybe, that can be no but in his wants and needs in his mind I said YES. Cause he wanted to hear it that way. Made for alot of disapointments on his side when what he wantesd didnt happen.
They have said they are planning for UO to go on for years to come.... Many are shutting down accounts and questioning if they want to continue if they dont get the info they want to hear. Blackmail is whats being done. I wont play and pay if you dont tell me what I want to hear. Like Petra and a lot of others I pay and play cause I like UO. I would like to know whats up but I wont sit here and demand it, acting like a petulant child holding back till I get it. I have watched people quit the game for alot of stupid reasons, "the dev isnt listening to me", "they dont care about what I want", "I deserve to be catered to" One GM of a guild I still am the only one left on daily was a big player and kept our guild going even in the thinning times but she too got to a point that when the Dev didnt do what she wanted with concern of crafting..... she quit taking a 100 plus players with her. Oh yes she did..... they stayed in game for a few but when our guild activitys slowed down the guild slowly died. They left the game too.
When did you become part owner of UO? Do you really beleave you are due this much information of whats planned?
I know many of the people on this board will say YES Yes they owe me this much.
If your $12.99 a month is that powerfull then what about my bill of $610.53* a month? DO I deserve more info then you? I pay a hell of alot more then your measlie 13 bucks...
What your owed is the time you want ot play and get on the game... your account to be secure, and the basic service of an online game. Any more then that its upto the descression of the games Master.
This is not just UO but any other company be it online games, or other kinds of online services.
BTW in UO there is no difference between your payment and mine when it comes to services and information. I dont expect more. Nor should you.
We tend to kick the messanger if its not what we want to hear. So many dont want to talk to us. Those who do, want to keep to a handfull of subjects and leave the deeper subjects to the "boss"
I have noticed of late UOMythic has been a bit quiet. This makes people nervous, and more demanding of attention due to the feeling of waiting for a shoe to drop.
The question is even if they told you whats up would you let it go at that? even if there is nothing more to tell? Many try to read into things stuff that is not there.
Reminds me of when I told my son "maybe" .... to him this was a YES. I didnt say YES, i said maybe, that can be no but in his wants and needs in his mind I said YES. Cause he wanted to hear it that way. Made for alot of disapointments on his side when what he wantesd didnt happen.
They have said they are planning for UO to go on for years to come.... Many are shutting down accounts and questioning if they want to continue if they dont get the info they want to hear. Blackmail is whats being done. I wont play and pay if you dont tell me what I want to hear. Like Petra and a lot of others I pay and play cause I like UO. I would like to know whats up but I wont sit here and demand it, acting like a petulant child holding back till I get it. I have watched people quit the game for alot of stupid reasons, "the dev isnt listening to me", "they dont care about what I want", "I deserve to be catered to" One GM of a guild I still am the only one left on daily was a big player and kept our guild going even in the thinning times but she too got to a point that when the Dev didnt do what she wanted with concern of crafting..... she quit taking a 100 plus players with her. Oh yes she did..... they stayed in game for a few but when our guild activitys slowed down the guild slowly died. They left the game too.
When did you become part owner of UO? Do you really beleave you are due this much information of whats planned?
I know many of the people on this board will say YES Yes they owe me this much.
If your $12.99 a month is that powerfull then what about my bill of $610.53* a month? DO I deserve more info then you? I pay a hell of alot more then your measlie 13 bucks...
What your owed is the time you want ot play and get on the game... your account to be secure, and the basic service of an online game. Any more then that its upto the descression of the games Master.
This is not just UO but any other company be it online games, or other kinds of online services.
BTW in UO there is no difference between your payment and mine when it comes to services and information. I dont expect more. Nor should you.
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Woodsman
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Nobody is asking for every detail, we don't want to have the live arc content spoiled. We are simply asking for the kind of information that Jeff Skalski believes we should have, the kind of information that is released by EA for every game outside of Mythic, and the kind of information that is released by all other videogame companies.
If you don't listen to us, listen to Jeff Skalski, I'm sure you could agree that he is an expert on what he's talking about when he says communication is bad and needs to be improved.
I could point you to so many games where the developer claimed that they were planning on things for years to come, only to see that change for one reason or another. They made those statements before, during, and after we learned of key layoffs on the team, so the environment has changed and cast things into doubt.
By tossing around terms like that, you are trying to destroy any viewpoints that don't agree with yours, and that's just wrong.
Jeff Skalski believes we are due this kind of information. He said that in September of 2011, November of 2011, and January of 2012, and he said it yesterday Twitter / Jeff_Skalski : @longtimeUOfan Just wrote a ...
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Question is can he give it and not risk his job??
Woodman if it was so easy for him to say we need to know then why not just open up his mouth on Stratics and say whats on your and everyones minds ?
He may think we are due it but is EA ?
If HE thinks we are due this then tell him open his mouth.... I dare him to do so. I pay tons to this game so let me put it this way.... Jeff give them the info they want.. I dare you to do it. I want to see how far you get.......
As for my comment of blackmail is spot on... Many here have cut down accounts for the very reason I pointed out. I love playing uo, I have faught to keep it going and kept down talking the ney sayers for over 14 years.
I see many on this boards telling others how bad it is and how boring. Boring is a state of mind, its lack of vision and the mental energyu to get off their duff and find something to do that is fun. The whole bloody idea od UO is FUN. You make it happen. Dear one please understand I dont want to argue this out but I know what i have read and seen in and out of game.
Players complain they are bored... of what? This is not pvp central, others get tired of the fighting and want to do other things. My favorite thing is decoing, or poping chests and doing t maps, fishing now there is some fun and good gold maker, and not to mention it gives my imbuer some nice new junk to unravel. I can redo a plot to a new design at my whim... there is gardening and hunting so much to do.... mining is not half bad when you add inthe new places to go try...
It worries me that all this negitive talk and down right anger at things you cant get is pushing off new and returning players... I was on Oceania last night and at 5 am my time it was 10 pm and I got to talkto alot of returning aussies to the game! was sooo happy players were coming home to uo....
Woodman if it was so easy for him to say we need to know then why not just open up his mouth on Stratics and say whats on your and everyones minds ?
He may think we are due it but is EA ?
If HE thinks we are due this then tell him open his mouth.... I dare him to do so. I pay tons to this game so let me put it this way.... Jeff give them the info they want.. I dare you to do it. I want to see how far you get.......
As for my comment of blackmail is spot on... Many here have cut down accounts for the very reason I pointed out. I love playing uo, I have faught to keep it going and kept down talking the ney sayers for over 14 years.
I see many on this boards telling others how bad it is and how boring. Boring is a state of mind, its lack of vision and the mental energyu to get off their duff and find something to do that is fun. The whole bloody idea od UO is FUN. You make it happen. Dear one please understand I dont want to argue this out but I know what i have read and seen in and out of game.
Players complain they are bored... of what? This is not pvp central, others get tired of the fighting and want to do other things. My favorite thing is decoing, or poping chests and doing t maps, fishing now there is some fun and good gold maker, and not to mention it gives my imbuer some nice new junk to unravel. I can redo a plot to a new design at my whim... there is gardening and hunting so much to do.... mining is not half bad when you add inthe new places to go try...
It worries me that all this negitive talk and down right anger at things you cant get is pushing off new and returning players... I was on Oceania last night and at 5 am my time it was 10 pm and I got to talkto alot of returning aussies to the game! was sooo happy players were coming home to uo....
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Woodsman
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Lady Storm, if Jeff says there is a problem multiple times over multiple months and he wants to correct it, then I believe there is a problem. No offence, but while I know you are an experienced player, Jeff is the boss over Mesanna who is over UO, and if he says there is a problem I believe him. If he says it multiple times over multiple months, then obviously his bosses don't have a problem with what he is saying as well.
Your notions that EA is preventing he and others from talking is shot down by how much has been said about UO by he and others as evidenced by the UO Dev Tracker.
As or complaining about negative posts on official forums, if negative posts could harm a game, then Warhammer would have been shut down a year go, Star Wars the Old Republic would be below 200,000 players, World of Warcraft would be below 5 million payers, and EVE Online would have endeD 5 years ago.
Oh, and UO would have shut down well before Trammel.
What really harms a game are things like crappy account management, crappy official websites, crappy community management and crappy player relations, companies or groups which have a bad image, and a crappy new player experience, all of which UO has. Those are all things that potential players will experience long before they ever get to Stratics.
Your notions that EA is preventing he and others from talking is shot down by how much has been said about UO by he and others as evidenced by the UO Dev Tracker.
As or complaining about negative posts on official forums, if negative posts could harm a game, then Warhammer would have been shut down a year go, Star Wars the Old Republic would be below 200,000 players, World of Warcraft would be below 5 million payers, and EVE Online would have endeD 5 years ago.
Oh, and UO would have shut down well before Trammel.
What really harms a game are things like crappy account management, crappy official websites, crappy community management and crappy player relations, companies or groups which have a bad image, and a crappy new player experience, all of which UO has. Those are all things that potential players will experience long before they ever get to Stratics.
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Woodsman
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Just so I'm clear Lady Storm, I'm not trying to imply that you believ Jeff (or Mesanna by proxy)is lying or being deceitfull or anything of that nature. I cleaned up my wording to make that clear.
So that I'm clear on where I stand, I would agree with you that EA is tying his hands if he only spoke about the issue once. He spoke multiple times about it and said he wanted to fix it, therefore I believe him. It's reinforced by him announcing this weekend that he was working on a new producer's letter. That's not the sign of somebody being silenced by EA.
So that I'm clear on where I stand, I would agree with you that EA is tying his hands if he only spoke about the issue once. He spoke multiple times about it and said he wanted to fix it, therefore I believe him. It's reinforced by him announcing this weekend that he was working on a new producer's letter. That's not the sign of somebody being silenced by EA.
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Lady Storm, in one post you're saying "I do know they can talk to us" and in the next you imply talking to us would "risk his job".
Can you please get at least that much straight before you try to argue a point?
I'd like to know why you're arguing so hard against the kind of communication described in my post above (#91). (Please don't say that it's against EA policy)
What have you "read and seen in and out of game"? Please enlighten us. We have tried to share our knowledge of all communications with you, dare you do the same? Or are you just implying that you have information that you don't really have?
Don't pretend it's all about the "new and returning" players either. No matter what you say about a game on any forum or blog, people make their own decisions after experiencing it for themselves. No one is going to take my or your word for it either way. I can say it's awesome or it's terrible. There are going to be people who agree with both. Besides the fact that no one here dislikes the game. Every single person you are arguing with has enough passion and love for the game to care enough to make this important to them. If anything, someone looking for a game would come along and say to themselves "Damn this game must be something for these people to care so much. Otherwise they would have just quit and moved on by now." I am so very sick of the diatribes of holier-than-thou types that claim passionate posting about a game is "running off potential players".
Can you please get at least that much straight before you try to argue a point?
I'd like to know why you're arguing so hard against the kind of communication described in my post above (#91). (Please don't say that it's against EA policy)
What have you "read and seen in and out of game"? Please enlighten us. We have tried to share our knowledge of all communications with you, dare you do the same? Or are you just implying that you have information that you don't really have?
Don't pretend it's all about the "new and returning" players either. No matter what you say about a game on any forum or blog, people make their own decisions after experiencing it for themselves. No one is going to take my or your word for it either way. I can say it's awesome or it's terrible. There are going to be people who agree with both. Besides the fact that no one here dislikes the game. Every single person you are arguing with has enough passion and love for the game to care enough to make this important to them. If anything, someone looking for a game would come along and say to themselves "Damn this game must be something for these people to care so much. Otherwise they would have just quit and moved on by now." I am so very sick of the diatribes of holier-than-thou types that claim passionate posting about a game is "running off potential players".
Flutter by saying I know they can talk to us... is in a general term as in hello this is what we are doing ....
When I stated EA can and does edit what can be said is the other.
Thank you Woodman for being so clear. I do apreciate that. Flutter I am not down talking about uo or any other game or its workings... on the contrary. If Jeff is going to fix the communications we have with the Dev and staff of UO in fairfax that is wonderfull. Dont get me wrong, I still dont think you will get all your looking for in that communication.
Jeff needs to talk to the staff and Dev about this issue he feels is not covered to his liking. Perhaps some are very shy and dont know how to broach things to us... or some have too much on their mind and forget they should jabber our ears off about their latest triumps and well done works... I would hate to have one not care about talking to us but there just might be some in that croud... I wont rule it out but hope that its not the case.
I have worked in my tenure in the work force for many major firms that are world wide and have seen exactly what I see here going on and know what is said publicly is not always what is done inside the corprate board room. And vice versa. Woodman I do agree with your wants, Flutter far be it from me to hurt your feelings in this. I just do not expect so much from the "bosses" In my time I have been told by the ones in power to lie to the public or do somethings they have told the media we never do.... all in the name of being one of the team. Your right though no one will beleave you or I no matter what is said or known for truth.
Look
I would love for transparency in every thing with UO, (wish you could do it to politics as well but boy is that a major pipe dream , or at lease put things in plain english not legaleese!)
Will I hold my breath for it? no
Do I deserve it ? IDK thats up to interperatation of who you ask.
I'd love to know some facts we been guessing at for ages.... will I ever get it? hehe when pigs fly and the moon turns to cheese. now that you can take to the bank all the rest is fairydust.
When I stated EA can and does edit what can be said is the other.
Thank you Woodman for being so clear. I do apreciate that. Flutter I am not down talking about uo or any other game or its workings... on the contrary. If Jeff is going to fix the communications we have with the Dev and staff of UO in fairfax that is wonderfull. Dont get me wrong, I still dont think you will get all your looking for in that communication.
Jeff needs to talk to the staff and Dev about this issue he feels is not covered to his liking. Perhaps some are very shy and dont know how to broach things to us... or some have too much on their mind and forget they should jabber our ears off about their latest triumps and well done works... I would hate to have one not care about talking to us but there just might be some in that croud... I wont rule it out but hope that its not the case.
I have worked in my tenure in the work force for many major firms that are world wide and have seen exactly what I see here going on and know what is said publicly is not always what is done inside the corprate board room. And vice versa. Woodman I do agree with your wants, Flutter far be it from me to hurt your feelings in this. I just do not expect so much from the "bosses" In my time I have been told by the ones in power to lie to the public or do somethings they have told the media we never do.... all in the name of being one of the team. Your right though no one will beleave you or I no matter what is said or known for truth.
Look
I would love for transparency in every thing with UO, (wish you could do it to politics as well but boy is that a major pipe dream , or at lease put things in plain english not legaleese!)
Will I hold my breath for it? no
Do I deserve it ? IDK thats up to interperatation of who you ask.
I'd love to know some facts we been guessing at for ages.... will I ever get it? hehe when pigs fly and the moon turns to cheese. now that you can take to the bank all the rest is fairydust.
Since this has been moved to SnR I do have some questions. I have seen this said in many other threads before but the same argument always comes up. Where are these new players I hear so much about or returning players? Is there an accurate count?
If the answers are true and postive proof then the game wouldn't have a low population .The shard mergers topics and the game is dead topics would never come up. There would be no posts about players leaving in droves and how many freinds have quit the game if so many more was coming in. I am one of those who would want physical proof of such claims that so many people are coming back into UO. The reason why then I could just close topics myself on arguments and complaints about low population. As I said I have viewed this in many threads before not just this one and by different posters.
I do agree paying customers have a right to hear about their product they are paying for. If any company was secrative or not giving information out on a regular basis( noticed how I said regular not daily) then I wouldn't be paying for that product period. This implies to any company not just EA. If you dont have a good PR person you are pretty well shooting your own foot off.
Now in one defence of Mesanna she did say they were focusing on getting a large number of bugs taken care of. Now that is not an excuse but she may be busy most times. Remember the 15th anni is coming up. Now some dev should at least to drop in and say something of substance to reassure the community from time to time. Even " hey we are listening but we are working on game issues but we haven't forgotten you. The reaction usually in UO is when they do drop in and say hi and tell details of publishes the rioters do lay down their torches. This reminds me of the dungeon revamps and the complaints on the forums BUT when they did begin to speak after the publish was released boy everybody was happy for a short while.
Jeff floats both ways. He does talk about other games and all but looks like he is focusing more on Ultima Forever.
So really who should be discussing UO. My opinion would lean more to Mesanna since she is more hands on than Jeff is.
Pixles. Ah the oldest argument all the time. Pixels are only good if they are not over powering or unbalance a game. Basically it should be more aesthetics than game changing. How many useless arties still float in UO but never used. If the developers removed them players would have an up roar. If the developers keep them in players argue why not change them to be more useful. Its never a win win situation. If they give more pixels and everybody was happy that they were then they complain that this item has no uses to them and why would you add that. lol See what I mean?
I have my views which may agree with some of the arguments. In the end though most of the arguments are really more directed to EA. The issue is EA does not read the boards. The UO dev team isn't a message gathering service to send them complaints. The issues that most argue about when it comes to certain parts of UO should be just emailed to EA. Maybe EA would listen if they got 10k emails about the same argument. The dev team can only do so much. Things they can't do or make certain decision would be more EA related.
I truly understand people frustrations and arguments. I try to put all sides in perspective. It's ok to disagree with others. Thats what makes us human but we also must have healthy discussions. The only thing in the end that matters is you only. If you are not happy irl say a job. You go find a job you may like. Maybe you dont like how your room is arranged and you change it to a better way you do like. Same goes for gaming. If you are not happy with the game you are playing their are many choices to choose from. The old argument always is "well this game I love so much but no other game out there gives me what this game does." You only have limted options. Play the game and just put up with the best you can or play and complain about it. Is that really healthy if a game that is suppose to give you enjoyment make you stressed? The worst choice for any gaming community is when players quit and go to another game. So what do you do if your not happy but don't want to leave your game? Tough call.
This applies to any game out there. You have haters and fanbois. It's impossible to make everybody happy.
If the answers are true and postive proof then the game wouldn't have a low population .The shard mergers topics and the game is dead topics would never come up. There would be no posts about players leaving in droves and how many freinds have quit the game if so many more was coming in. I am one of those who would want physical proof of such claims that so many people are coming back into UO. The reason why then I could just close topics myself on arguments and complaints about low population. As I said I have viewed this in many threads before not just this one and by different posters.
I do agree paying customers have a right to hear about their product they are paying for. If any company was secrative or not giving information out on a regular basis( noticed how I said regular not daily) then I wouldn't be paying for that product period. This implies to any company not just EA. If you dont have a good PR person you are pretty well shooting your own foot off.
Now in one defence of Mesanna she did say they were focusing on getting a large number of bugs taken care of. Now that is not an excuse but she may be busy most times. Remember the 15th anni is coming up. Now some dev should at least to drop in and say something of substance to reassure the community from time to time. Even " hey we are listening but we are working on game issues but we haven't forgotten you. The reaction usually in UO is when they do drop in and say hi and tell details of publishes the rioters do lay down their torches. This reminds me of the dungeon revamps and the complaints on the forums BUT when they did begin to speak after the publish was released boy everybody was happy for a short while.
Jeff floats both ways. He does talk about other games and all but looks like he is focusing more on Ultima Forever.
So really who should be discussing UO. My opinion would lean more to Mesanna since she is more hands on than Jeff is.
Pixles. Ah the oldest argument all the time. Pixels are only good if they are not over powering or unbalance a game. Basically it should be more aesthetics than game changing. How many useless arties still float in UO but never used. If the developers removed them players would have an up roar. If the developers keep them in players argue why not change them to be more useful. Its never a win win situation. If they give more pixels and everybody was happy that they were then they complain that this item has no uses to them and why would you add that. lol See what I mean?
I have my views which may agree with some of the arguments. In the end though most of the arguments are really more directed to EA. The issue is EA does not read the boards. The UO dev team isn't a message gathering service to send them complaints. The issues that most argue about when it comes to certain parts of UO should be just emailed to EA. Maybe EA would listen if they got 10k emails about the same argument. The dev team can only do so much. Things they can't do or make certain decision would be more EA related.
I truly understand people frustrations and arguments. I try to put all sides in perspective. It's ok to disagree with others. Thats what makes us human but we also must have healthy discussions. The only thing in the end that matters is you only. If you are not happy irl say a job. You go find a job you may like. Maybe you dont like how your room is arranged and you change it to a better way you do like. Same goes for gaming. If you are not happy with the game you are playing their are many choices to choose from. The old argument always is "well this game I love so much but no other game out there gives me what this game does." You only have limted options. Play the game and just put up with the best you can or play and complain about it. Is that really healthy if a game that is suppose to give you enjoyment make you stressed? The worst choice for any gaming community is when players quit and go to another game. So what do you do if your not happy but don't want to leave your game? Tough call.
This applies to any game out there. You have haters and fanbois. It's impossible to make everybody happy.
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.I do not believe Mesanna is so busy she cannot comment/communicate here on the forums. (I and many others would like this more than we'd like void colored pumpkins) She's got time to fill peoples heads with ideas of multiple housing on Siege or PvP enhancements on Catskills, but when a thread is started on the forums there's no comment. Not even a "Hey guys I was getting feedback on the idea".
So certain small groups of people here and there get these illusions of "communication" but there's still been no long term goals.
Sometimes we get promises of "announcements" or such that will be released "in a few weeks". Really? How do you plan on maintaining a successful business when you tell your customers you will give them feedback "in a few weeks".
We are paying the same amount now as we did before the silence, but now we are getting less. A LOT less. I don't see how anyone who has played this game as long as I have can fail to see that.
So certain small groups of people here and there get these illusions of "communication" but there's still been no long term goals.
Sometimes we get promises of "announcements" or such that will be released "in a few weeks". Really? How do you plan on maintaining a successful business when you tell your customers you will give them feedback "in a few weeks".
We are paying the same amount now as we did before the silence, but now we are getting less. A LOT less. I don't see how anyone who has played this game as long as I have can fail to see that.
My only defence was the bugs comment. In the rest I used words like MAY and "Now that is not an excuse." I dont walk in Mesanna's shoes so I dont know what her day is like
Plus I am not defending the silence. I had already stated so I already see it.
Plus I am not defending the silence. I had already stated so I already see it.
At the risk of getting flamed again.
Yes Cal posted more often - and got slammed from pillar to post everytime he did.
At that time Mesanna was doing what Mesanna does. Now she's doing that plus whatever Cal did
Remember the half hour video they made? That got chopped to ribbons by the various departments they had to go to? We got about 5 minutes of it. They took the time to make the longer version, we just never got to see it.
The telling part of Jeff's tweet
Posting to say 'we're fixing a problem' is a quick, easily done and straightforward message. Posting future plans isn't.
We've seen that we have coming up: Holidays while they go through the bug list, followed by a publish to fix them, followed by more updates of old dungeons, mobs etc.
Yes Cal posted more often - and got slammed from pillar to post everytime he did.
At that time Mesanna was doing what Mesanna does. Now she's doing that plus whatever Cal did
Remember the half hour video they made? That got chopped to ribbons by the various departments they had to go to? We got about 5 minutes of it. They took the time to make the longer version, we just never got to see it.
The telling part of Jeff's tweet
Why 'in the coming weeks'? Why not today or tomorrow if he's already written it? How many revisions will he have to do before we see what's left?
Posting to say 'we're fixing a problem' is a quick, easily done and straightforward message. Posting future plans isn't.
We've seen that we have coming up: Holidays while they go through the bug list, followed by a publish to fix them, followed by more updates of old dungeons, mobs etc.
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Woodsman
Guest
Without going into details, I think that the UO team was pulled in to work on other projects and it really screwed with their plans. It's only recently that people got the full picture of just what happened with SWTOR, but if BioWare pulled in people from Warhammer, Mass Effect 3, and Dragon Age 3 (DA3's production was even delayed by SWTOR by like a year), then a low-priority project like UO was bound to have to contribute as well. We will never know the whole picture since everybody was under strict orders not to talk about it and most abided by those rules until recently, but ME3's rushed development in regards to the ending etc. and DA3's delayed start says volumes about how BioWare viewed SWTOR.
He and Mythic are busy with Ultima Forever. They have given out well over a dozen interviews, many on video, and nobody from EA was babysitting them. They have even laid out plans for the future of Ultima Forever. Now they are making some huge push to get the Ultima Forever beta going.
Remember, the same community and PR people that would deal with anything UO-related are right now working on Ultima Forever. UF takes precedence, which is unfortunate, but not surprising.
There is another factor, and this is just as likely with UO. In a thread on the official BioWare.com Warhammer forums, people were complaining about the lack of communication between Warhammer players and Mythic. Kai Schober, who is also our community management guy, said this:
It could very well be that nothing is going on with UO, we just haven't had Kai come in and say that.
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Woodsman
Guest
Thank you for your comments. When the people who are in charge of UO say there is a problem and they aren't doing a good job of communicating with players, then we have to accept that what they are saying is true, since they are in a position to know better than any of us.