Ask UO Team Questions Tonight on Massively TV

[Woodsman]

UO Team Featured on Massively TV at 4 PM Central | Ultima Online / Ultima Codex

Would love to watch it, because I think the person hosting this one actually knows how to play UO, unlike the last live stream where too many minutes were wasted prepping the hosts.

Massivelytv

I'm going to echo what Ultima Codex said: glad this was all over the UO Herald since it's only 2 hours from now. Wait, it's not on the Herald.

 

[Woodsman]

If you are confused about timezones, it's about 1 hour, 20 minutes from now, whatever you have your local timezone set on Stratics.

 

[Cear Dallben Dragon]

sweeeeeeeeeeeet

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Wait, it's not on the Herald.

Glad you found this, Woodsman.

Not being on the Herald well in advance makes NO sense.

 

[Lady Silverbrook]

Glad you found this, Woodsman.

Not being on the Herald well in advance makes NO sense.

But it does fit UO's modus operandi very well.

 

[kelmo]

Will this just play automatically? Do I need to sign up?

 

[Queen Mum]

Will this just play automatically? Do I need to sign up?

Wondering that myself ... looks like I was already a member ... but not seeing anything in chat area .... hmmm

 

[DevilsOwn]

logged in, got a screen up, nothing happening.....

 

[vexyvixen]

logged in, got a screen up, nothing happening.....

Same here... clicked on link at top and nothing happening.

 

[NBG]

hmmm wait so did Mesanna get ther other Armstrong the job???

Yeah starting city is.. Minoc for the WIN!!!

 

[vexyvixen]

Same here... clicked on link at top and nothing happening.

It's working! No need to log in or sign up unless you want to use the chat.

 

[NBG]

Ok.... Lets be honest. One of the reason people has an issue with switch to newer client other than graphic issue is that you can cheat and script on Class client. I did not feel like crashing the party but at least you guys can be honest.

Other issue I have is that most of the Devs can not put together a proper sentence or constrictive opions other than people can kill you in fel....... I mean wtf. Other than Jim who actually added good points to what it actually means to be a UO "Player".

 

[NBG]

Sorry for multiple post but I mean one of the greatest feature in UO not really covered.....

HOUSING I mean wtf.

I am mad just because the Devs really suck at selling our games in these interviews.

 

[Vlaude]

Video can be watched here. No need to sign in with an account.

 

[Woodsman]

Video can be watched here. No need to sign in with an account.

Thanks, I can watch it this evening. Still can't believe this wasn't on the Herald.

 

[Alstadt]

Ok.... Lets be honest. One of the reason people has an issue with switch to newer client other than graphic issue is that you can cheat and script on Class client. I did not feel like crashing the party but at least you guys can be honest.

Other issue I have is that most of the Devs can not put together a proper sentence or constrictive opions other than people can kill you in fel....... I mean wtf. Other than Jim who actually added good points to what it actually means to be a UO "Player".

re read your own post and tell us again about sentence construction. wtf . and i had to come back and edit spelling aswell.

 

[Woodsman]

Massively has a write-up about it, and they've got some spoilers from the video I guess.

 

[Kelly O'Brian]

To those with problems running the above link:
Direct link: massivelytv - Massively TV: Beau hangs with the UO Devs!
Adobe flash player is needed.
The author mentioned at the end of the video, he will add it to his youtube channel in the future also: Beau Hindman - YouTube

PS: Housing was mentioned at least two times in this video. But I agree, a new/old-player-bring in/back-UO-show case-video ... is yet to be made...

 

[SinDee]

27:17 I see Queen mum!!!

 

[NBG]

re read your own post and tell us again about sentence construction. wtf . and i had to come back and edit spelling aswell.

I do admit I sometime "rage post" when I am filled with disgust and disappointment with regard to how UO is treated. I wrote that post in about 30 seconds because I was astounded by the general pattern of speech impediment exhibited by the Devs when answering simple questions.

Did they even prepare for the interview? (mock up possible questions to walk through prior to the Interview.. It is 15th Anniversary related Interview!)

You can play the grammar\post\writing police role all you want. I wanted to express my awe at how a simple interview covering simple walk though with Q & A turned into stuttering fest. I do apologize that my emotion got in the way but that interview does nothing in promoting UO in a positive light.

While I have a huge problem with the path of UO that CAL took(previous producer), at least his online live videos does not give such a bad impression.

I could careless about Devs' behavior in the office but if they are going to do online video interviews, please be semi professional and not a band of school girls giggling at every question. It is fine to be playful to a certain extent but when it hurts the game you are trying to promote, you are better off not doing the interview at all.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

While I have a huge problem with the path of UO that CAL took(previous producer), at least his online live videos does not give such a bad impression.

Actually, interviews/videos under Cal were far, far worse than what we've seen recently.

Devs drinking beer on camera, Mesanna shushing Cal from telling us things, giggling like 3rd graders, completely not understanding or ducking questions... Then, of course, there was the much-touted, oft-delayed video that "PR" gutted.

 

[Kylie Kinslayer]

Did they even prepare for the interview?

I just keep in mind these folks are Dev's, not skilled spin doctors who spout bs fluently at every turn without having to gather their thoughts, you know the folks like Jay Carney, who does that very thing on most occasions. I think they did a good job at answering some very vague questions at times. Some of the questions asked I found myself thinking.. ummm you just asked that question a few minutes ago only in a different way... how can they answer differently? Don't get me wrong, all those involved seemed to be doing their best, which is all we can ask of anyone. For me if an interview goes flawless and polished it seems to me to be rehearsed crapola, not honest and open communication. I think in that interview we got the latter.

In short.. Good job folks Hopefully the hangover will be minimal


psst.. love the new facepalm

 

[NBG]

I am really sick of the Developer\Software programmer stereotype that people keep using to cut UO devs slacks.

I am a programmer as well, while I joke and bs with co-workers, but when it comes to my job I remind myself that this is a job and at some point there are certain accountability to software that I develop. Being prepared and anticipate all range of potential questions that customer\reviewer might ask is part of the job! Spending the time to go over in your head and able to answers and recall details on a dime are IMPORTANT!

Just because they are game developers does not give them a free pass when it comes to being able to pass that interview as acceptable. The PR argument is not valid since that interviewer asks personal questions as well as game feature questions. If they had each "Prepared", they could have given more constructed details about their own personal experience that would further express their passion a game that they are developing. Instead, potential\returning gamer would get the impression that the game is maintained by bunch of incompetent slackers.

A successful spontaneous interview where a list of questions are not provided will only occur when the people answer the question are prepared both mentally and factually (even if they are personal questions).

The purpose of this interview is to gain positive exposure to people that currently does not play UO or people that have been disappointed in the past to the point of quitting the game. The standard have to be different compared to the other semi casual Q & A about upcoming publish or possible future game features. Have you guys seen how the other more successful gaming companies conduct their interviews? Some of those people are developers too and how are they able to answer unprepared questions with well thought out responses?

I know they have a small staff and some of them are new but that does not prevent them from spending couple hours going over and prepare for the Interview as a group or separately on their own. You can be as passionate about a game as you want as a developer, but when you do not have the professionalism to go alone with that job, I suggest you quit to save the game you are so passionate about.

If existing paying customers keep cutting them slacks on something as simple as doing their job, it will only hurt the game we all love so much. Why have some of us kept supporting UO for the past 15 years? It is because we believe it can be better and we want more people to understand what UO really is! How can the game be better if it gets shut down due to unprofessional conduct on the part of the developers. I welcome someone else to set argument on how that interview is able to establish confidence for possible returning players and potential new players. The interview is good enough for existing players for sure but the question here is that was the intended audience of the interview for existing players or to promote the game to others yet to have the pleasure of experiencing the game?

Stop the stereotype!

 

[Nimuaq]

It takes a very bad attitude to s*** on a game on its 15th birthday.
EA celebrates Ultima Online's 15th Anniversary | Ultima Online News | GameZone

Sadly, Ultima Online in its current state is hardly the same game it once was. Although it still features an in-depth 58 skill system that allows you to customize your character how you see fit, both its graphics and gameplay are outdated when compared to current MMOs. Outdated gameplay combined with a broken economy and poor design decisions make it tough to enjoy Ultima Online, but it's still important to recognize what it stands for: the first MMORPG that has withstood the test of time.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Join me in disagreeing with his assessement?

 

[Salivern_Diago]

Outdated graphics.. maybe (But thats half its charm) but outdated gameplay? Err... if he means the other more 'modern' MMO's that are designed for idiots and are not MMO's at all but instead "Combat Simulators" which are designed for the lowest common denominator (spilling blood) and dosnt have one cc of RPG in it.

So if being a real MMORPG is outdated then it looks like the days of the MMORPG is coming to a close becuase all the others definately are NOT MMORPG's (WoW, Star Wars etc) they are MMOG or MMOCS (I'll let you work out what they stand for). Other than that Gamezone can kiss my ass for not knowing what the hell they are talking about.

 

[Rupert Avery]

The thing that sets UO above the rest is it is actually a Sandbox game.. all the rest are too scripted!

 

[Goodmann]

Ok.... Lets be honest. One of the reason people has an issue with switch to newer client other than graphic issue is that you can cheat and script on Class client. I did not feel like crashing the party but at least you guys can be honest.

Other issue I have is that most of the Devs can not put together a proper sentence or constrictive opions other than people can kill you in fel....... I mean wtf. Other than Jim who actually added good points to what it actually means to be a UO "Player".

You forgot the EC looks like crap

 

[Woodsman]

The thing that sets UO above the rest is it is actually a Sandbox game.. all the rest are too scripted!

Some of the sand, a lot of the sand, was scooped out with AOS and the move to an item-based game, as well as Tram/Fel, item insurance, and some other things.

I don't bring those things up to say something negative about UO, I bring them up to focus the spotlight on where it truly should be, because while UO has undergone those massive changes I mentioned above, there is one thing that has been persistent and consistent and that has defined UO for many.

What sets UO above the rest is that it has a persistent world shaped by the players, and defined by player housing. I thought it was great that Mesanna was highlighting older homes, and while I disagree with Jeff Skalski on a number of things, I was pleased that he understood the important of player housing, not just when he was gently shooting down the ideas of shard mergers, but in other comments he made.

If you took player housing out of the question, would UO be celebrating its 15th birthday? I don't think so.

Last night I logged in to World of Warcraft (I know, boo, hiss) to meet up with my old guild to get organized, and it struck me once again that wherever I'm standing, a minute after I leave, nobody will ever know I was there. I can't leave a weapon on the ground that I made, that has my name on it, I can't leave a book on the ground asking that whoever finds it, adds me to their ICQ list and talks to me about an idea I had, I can't build a house that will be there for years to come and that has my name on it, and a bulletin board that other people can write on.

I can do that in UO.

 

[Woodsman]

The purpose of this interview is to gain positive exposure to people that currently does not play UO or people that have been disappointed in the past to the point of quitting the game. The standard have to be different compared to the other semi casual Q & A about upcoming publish or possible future game features. ...... The interview is good enough for existing players for sure but the question here is that was the intended audience of the interview for existing players or to promote the game to others yet to have the pleasure of experiencing the game?

I agree with a lot of things you said, and they were the same problems they had back in May with the MMORPG.com livestream.

We are not the target audience, which is probably why the UO team didn't publicize it on the Herald and why they kept the Stratics staff in the dark. I went back and looked at when it was mentioned on Massively and it was like around 9am or so yesterday morning. A couple of posts were made to the Herald after that, so they had time to publicize it if they wanted to.

It's a valid issue. UO is getting publicity, both good and bad this week, and this is a time when it's getting free advertising for people who have never played UO or who played and left.

The problem is, and it's for another thread really, the UO team, and Jeff, have decided that former or returning players are more important. I disagree with that, because those players are former players for a reason, and Mythic can't fix a lot of why they are former players. Some of those reasons have nothing to do with UO and cannot be addressed by Mythic. Other reasons are that UO was the only game in town back in 1997 and for a year or two, and that people were playing it because of that, until they found the games they liked.

There is this pool of millions and millions of people who have never tried UO, maybe even close to 10 million or more. Then there is this other pool of hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million (Cal mentioned a couple of million accounts, but many UO players have anywhere from 2 - 49 accounts) people who have tried UO and then left. I think they need to be working on the larger pool, rather than chasing after an ever-shrinking pool of people who might come back.

With that said, Jeff Skalski did say that the video would be posted to the UO Herald.

 

[MalagAste]

UO is still unique in class..... it is over and above what you can do in many ways... You can't grab a dozen friends and make your own town like you can in UO... In other games you are part of a system.. you follow a path set out for you that leads you on an adventure of their design.... In UO you are dropped in a world that while it has some structure you can effect some things on your own... you can build and design things that other players can use and build on.... Take auction houses for instance... Or Taverns.... that are player run... You just do not see this in other games. I remember years ago a town on GL's in UO named Nightwood.... they built a "Pet Rez" station...... they manned it whenever they could had a com-crystal system set up so if you went there you could give them a shout to come Rez your pet. This is players working together to provide services for others and such in ways that no other game can even compare.

To me UO is the "Field of Dreams" of Gaming... and no other game out there can even come close to providing the canvas that UO does.... It's not about Graphics... it's not about quests and paths and such... it's about dreams and feeling a part of the game. I think if we can build on that... and if the DEV's keep that in mind when adding things to UO we will still be the best RPG ever. Anyone can build and MMO.... it's the people that make the MMO a RPG..... and it's the imagination they bring and tools that the game developers provide that makes it so great.

 

[Adol]

Just a quick post; but in one way the Anniversary has had a piece of extremely fortuitous luck... not for we the players, but City Of Heroes was coincidentally announced to be closing at the same time. The first of the second generation MMOs to fold, I'm doing my best to keep players spirits up there, as well as tempt some over to UO. I've maybe got 2 people interested, but a serious media blitz for our world here would have bought over many, many more. And it's just not been considered. Instead, they've gone to the newest shiny, Guild Wars 2 (despite most cursing NCSoft for the despicable way they treated City...) instead.

 

[cazador]

I have an a few old accounts that are deactivated that I brought back to life during the RTB but my issue was this..I get emails all the time from other games..come rejoin (insert game) and enjoy our new content blah blah..but i can honestly say I have never got an email from EA asking me to come back...I think therein lies the issue..quick factoid..people who have quit UO 80% don't check the herald or stratics..and another key fact emails are free!

 

[Woodsman]

I have an a few old accounts that are deactivated that I brought back to life during the RTB but my issue was this..I get emails all the time from other games..come rejoin (insert game) and enjoy our new content blah blah..but i can honestly say I have never got an email from EA asking me to come back...I think therein lies the issue..quick factoid..people who have quit UO 80% don't check the herald or stratics..and another key fact emails are free!

When they sent out the RTB emails, I really wonder why they didn't including Mesanna's producer's letter - that would have really gotten a lot of peoples attention.

 

[Picus at the office]

Did they send out a RtB email? Was it to closed account emails only or was it to everyone? I never recieved a email on any of the handles I use(d).

 

[cazador]

I never received an email either..for any of the accounts maybe its because I already activated..no use in wasting e-paper

 

[Lord X]

Did they send out a RtB email? Was it to closed account emails only or was it to everyone? I never recieved a email on any of the handles I use(d).

I got one. I cant say if it was too an account that was or was not currently activated though, as I have both and the emails are round about the same.

 

[Lady Silverbrook]

Join me in disagreeing with his assessement?

Actually, and honestly, its a pretty spot on assessment of where UO is now. Birthday or not, its the truth.

 

[Flagg]

It really pains me how little promotion UO is getting. EA is completely ignoring it's existance while merrily pouring 200 mil budgets to something like TOR. Ain't right. UO is so ancient, so unique and so peculiar it'd be very easy to advertise it in very interesting fashion. I'm not hoping for or expecting some 2 page ads in next 6 months of PC gamers or TV spot in Super Bowl half time or anything.. but it'd be nice and comforting FOR ONCE to see an UO ad banner somewhere. FOR ONCE. Somebody simply talking about the game (series of essays?) in sites MMO gamers frequent could do wonders as well. Specially if paired with said ad banners.

Stuff available via Massively certainly looks like a step to right direction though. You'd do well to underline just howq unique UO's itemization is. House customization. Everything that comes along with it. Peculiar itemization. Museums, rare traders, rare collectors....all this co-existing with savage PvP/PvE stuff. It is aspects like these that can bring new people in. Nobody who lacks history with UO will one day wake up and ponder " Hmm, i wonder what it is like to hit mobs or other players with a sword in Ultima Online! Tis time to find out!

 

[Woodsman]

.. but it'd be nice and comforting FOR ONCE to see an UO ad banner somewhere. FOR ONCE.

BioWare.com, wait for the banners to rotate through, you'll see a big-ass UO ad banner.

Somebody simply talking about the game (series of essays?) in sites MMO gamers frequent could do wonders as well. Specially if paired with said ad banners.

Given how much things have improved recently, I think you're asking for a lot ;-)

I do wish that the people who got Ultima Forever going and were pushing it to BioWare the entire time and getting it funded and all that, had put that much effort into getting money and resources for UO. I can't believe the iPad Ultima game is going to be in a resolution several times higher than UO's.

One thing that confuses the hell out of me is why did the devs keep Stratics in the dark about this? You would think they would have posted it yesterday morning on the Herald and here when it was announced on Massively, so that we could pass the links on to friends who might be interested.

 

[kelmo]

My guess, Woodsman, is that Stratics users and current players were not the target audience.

 

[Woodsman]

My guess, Woodsman, is that Stratics users and current players were not the target audience.

I've said that from nearly the beginning, we are not the target for these things, but if they don't bother publicizing them, there is no audience.

I only found out about this because another fansite posted it, and from what they told me in an email, they only found out because the person hosting it mentioned it on Twitter.

If UO fansites aren't hearing about this until a few hours before it starts, then people who don't even play UO definitely aren't hearing about this unless they stumble across it by accident.

Just bizarre.

 

[Spiritless]

Join me in disagreeing with his assessement?

Sorry, but even the most die-hard fan must concede UO is outdated graphics and gameplay-wise. That's just a statement of fact. You may not like it, but that's reality. Gaming has moved on quite considerably from 15 years ago...

 

[Petra Fyde]

That makes it tough to enjoy playing? Not for me it doesn't.

 

[Spiritless]

That makes it tough to enjoy playing? Not for me it doesn't.

Meanwhile, for the majority of today's gamers, it does.

 

[Viper09]

Meanwhile, for the majority of today's gamers, it does.

Good riddance to those players who judge a game by graphics alone then. Likely those are the ones who like to spend their time spewing negativity all the time, we have enough of those here as it is.

 

[Salivern_Diago]

Graphics aside... how is the gameplay dated??

I'm sorry is the majority of gamers can only manage to click monsters to kill and dont have to think about their character...

But hey.. lets play a modern game.. I'll choose a class.. Now I just fight to level up.. maybe collect some armour from mobs on the way... ohh look I'm level 80! Wow I feel so special.

Yeah as I said before.. gameplay for the simpleminded. Personally I prefer a game that entertains and occupies my mind rather than just sit goggle eyed at the screen clicking a mob to kill it...

 

[Nimuaq]

The fact that the dungeons are being revamped and there is a new loot generation system in place show that certain areas and certain systems are outdated. This is not only my own opinion, this is also what Mesanna stated before: "The team is looking to updating a lot of the out of date things...such as the dungeons". That review could have been seen as far as an outsider's assessment, but certainly not on the game's 15th birthday. Following that attitude, I can't wait to post this on gamezone's birthday:

Sadly, gamezone in its current state is hardly the same website it once was. Although it still features in-house staff reviews, both its design and software are outdated when compared to current gaming websites. Outdated design combined with a broken website and poor software decisions make it tough to enjoy gamezone, but it's still important to recognize what it stands for: s***ing on video games on their birthdays.

 

[Salivern_Diago]

Well just shows how bloody useless gamezone is really, the review obviously didnt bother to play the game and hasnt got much of a clue about it. Mayhaps we should just let him play with his transformer toys and play the great combat simular WoW with his Pandas.

 

[Lady Silverbrook]

That makes it tough to enjoy playing? Not for me it doesn't.

Tell that to one of these so called 'new' players that UO is supposedly trying to reach out to. UO lacks a decent tutorial and NPE that was by their own statements supposed to be released this past year and never was.

Can you imagine how much better advertising this game would have been if they honestly focused on the new hi res graphics (that have been 'cooking' forever and we STILL have not seen any proof of beyond a few wall tiles AGES ago) and a decent tutorial? But of course, if there is one thing UO is good at, it sadly is incompetence. Which honestly is a shame and only allows the game and its current player base a lack of of new experiences and injection of new players it so very much needs.