I dont think some of us realize how good we have it

[Promathia]

Today WoW's 8th Anniversary started. What did they get you may ask? Well they get a letter in the mail. That letter is also the same one as last year, even telling us brave adventurers to watch out for the Cataclysm! (The last WoW expansion, not the new one).

Thats it. They don't get a thing, they didn't get anything last year or the year before either. They don't get rewards, rewarding people for being a "Veteran". They are the "King" of MMO's and their customers...are..well numbers.

I think it just helps to show how much our Devs care about this game, and us players.

 

[Njjj]

Agreed.

 

[G.v.P]

I guess. But I'm fairly certain WoW has at least two million more subscribers than UO. Not to mention how UO Veteran Rewards create game imbalance. I know you're trying to look at a positive, but still...EA could have handled Vet Rewards much better.

Meh. I've never played WoW, and I probably won't. I'll stick to League of Legends. It's free and 32 million people play it.

 

[Eärendil]

Agree completely to the OP! I am very very happy with our anniversary and with the Devs! Quantity isn´t quality - and honestly: I don´t want the kinda people playing WoW in UO. No thanks. The playerbase of our game is much more mature - even some may doubt that when reading some of the posts here ;-)...

So, thumbs up for UO and the Devs! 15th anny was awesome, revamps are great... I only disliked "The Cure" - the rest was well done!

 

[Tanivar]

I just wish they would program in a bank storage increase equal to each pile of items they drop on us. Eight or ten items times 14 characters adds up.

 

[Penana Car]

Playerbase more mature, seriously? Quite a bold remark.

How many times has UO been patched in the last year?
How many times has WoW been patched / hot-fixed in the past month?
End of discussion.

 

[Penana Car]

I guess. But I'm fairly certain WoW has at least two million more subscribers than UO.

Because UO has 8 1/2 million subscribers, lol.

 

[startle]

Anybody who's been hanging around this board for anything more than a year or two - and can't appreciate the effort both Stratics and EA have put towards both the growth of UO and communication with the player base this past year, just hasn't been paying enough attention.... Things aren't perfect, they never will be.... But they're sure as hell better than they used to be... And I'm really glad to see it.

 

[temu]

Agree completely to the OP! I am very very happy with our anniversary and with the Devs! Quantity isn´t quality - and honestly: I don´t want the kinda people playing WoW in UO. No thanks. The playerbase of our game is much more mature

I disagree. I have some RL friends playing WoW and they're great players with wonderful attitudes. I definitely want some of the people who play WoW to come back to UO. But they won't, and I think it has to do with the rewards of raiding and the insanely large amount of content blizzard is able to put out.

 

[THP]

I guess. But I'm fairly certain WoW has at least two million more subscribers than UO. Not to mention how UO Veteran Rewards create game imbalance. I know you're trying to look at a positive, but still...EA could have handled Vet Rewards much better.

.

Bang on the button..........UO will never get new players..the imbalance sucks LARGE []

 

[CovenantX]

It's true, I got the letter too =/. I used my 10-day free-trial for the new panda/expansion. the two servers (Archimond (pvp) & Rexxar (pve)) I use to play on are pretty dead compared to how it was two years ago after cataclysm came out.

93 people in my guild I was the only one online yesterday, also not one of the 32 people on my friends list were on either... (except one who wasn't even on WoW, he was on Star Craft 2).

 

[kelmo]

93 people in my guild I was the only one online yesterday, also not one of the 32 people on my friends list were on either... (except one who wasn't even on WoW, he was on Star Craft 2).

Interesting...

 

[Vor]

E

It's true, I got the letter too =/. I used my 10-day free-trial for the new panda/expansion. the two servers (Archimond (pvp) & Rexxar (pve)) I use to play on are pretty dead compared to how it was two years ago after cataclysm came out.

93 people in my guild I was the only one online yesterday, also not one of the 32 people on my friends list were on either... (except one who wasn't even on WoW, he was on Star Craft 2).

Every game has dead servers though.

 

[CovenantX]

E

Every game has dead servers though.

True, it could have just been an "Off" day. But I'm thinking Panda's did more harm than good. Only time will tell.

 

[Warpig Inc]

The only balance in the game deals with PVE and PVP. Someone with a 5 year account belly aching about not getting a shed. Try hanging around another 10 years and see how many more items you value. 2 125 count containers barely covers the holiday/event items (1ea) that one account will receive. Name one item in the reward list that allows you to kill another player easier or a boss faster. The fact that someone else can hang pretties on their wall and another player cannot is not imbalance. Some of the vet rewards take age to pick and not age to use.

Newer players want what anyplayer can have? OK. New rules so newer players can walk in a vets shoes. Account must be lets say 1 or 2 years old before can place/own a house. That house may not be greater then a 10x10. After 5 year age account can own a house up to 18x18. After 8 years accounts can own a keep or castle if someone died and left you one. If the player base never dropped or trammel II never spawned that is what your storage compacity would of looked like. A proper reward operation for the shed.

Any age to use the shed.
Veteran age account to pick the reward remains.
" BaZingA " Shed has free storage container for every 2 years of age of the account owning the house it is placed in. One shed per house.

New players influx is based on there is no adverts. Takes 15 minutes just to find a path to UO at the EA site. And most veteran "word of mouth recruiting" is based of ones experience. I put UO on the shelf next to smoking and heavy drinking. Though great fun users may feel regrets down the road.

 

[Zosimus]

All games work differently. We just got new content in GW2 and it's a little over 2 months old.

Plus less that a month into the game NCsoft said GW2 had sold over 2 million units. So that may hurt WoW like a kid pinching your arm if it was numb.

Over all content means more to me than a gift. Yes a gift is nice and all but truly content means more to me personally.

 

[Tanivar]

Just as long as the 'more content' isn't more grind. Don't know how many more grinds I can take. Boredom has set in so badly it's nearly fossilized. Six months back from a six month break and I'm ready for another.

 

[Lord Frodo]

Meh. I've never played WoW, and I probably won't. I'll stick to League of Legends. It's free and 32 million people play it.

As of November 2011, League of Legends had over 32 million registrations and averages millions of players per day, with the number of concurrent users online at any given time peaking over half a million, doubling its player base in 4 months.

And here is the real reason why they have so many accounts.

The success of League of Legends since Season 1 has led Riot to announce a total of $5,000,000 USD to be paid out over Season 2. Of this 5 million, 2 million will go to Riot's partners including the IPL and other major eSports associations. Another 2 million goes to Riot's Season 2 qualifiers and championship. The final one million goes to small organizers who apply to Riot to host League of Legends tournaments.

It is because they pay people.

All it is is a shooter game not a living breathing MMO.

 

[Uvtha]

Today WoW's 8th Anniversary started. What did they get you may ask? Well they get a letter in the mail. That letter is also the same one as last year, even telling us brave adventurers to watch out for the Cataclysm! (The last WoW expansion, not the new one).

Thats it. They don't get a thing, they didn't get anything last year or the year before either. They don't get rewards, rewarding people for being a "Veteran". They are the "King" of MMO's and their customers...are..well numbers.

I think it just helps to show how much our Devs care about this game, and us players.

They get expansions. So... it evens out.

 

[Jade of Sonoma]

- - - Someone with a 5 year account belly aching about not getting a shed. Try hanging around another 10 years and see how many more items you value. - - Newer players want what any player can have? OK.- --New rules so newer players can walk in a vets shoes - - Some of the vet rewards take age to pick and not age to use - -
etc

I pulled that part out of your post's context to make my point Warpig Inc.

Since I try not to make negative posts, I have refrained from commenting on the new Publish and changes to Vet Rewards untill now.

RE: Vet Reward listed for 2012 ...and regarding Warpig Inc.'s comment " Some of the vet rewards take age to pick and not age to use" -- This is the case with the Etheral Horse:

Anyone, new player included, could buy and ride etheral horses, but the Veterans of this game, had to wait three years to own an etheral horse. Now Mythic has givien the eitheral horse to first year players as a reward plus more?

" Moved ethereal horses to one year, all existing horses will also be one year to ride".

" and ALL existing horses will also be one year to ride"???
I take that to mean: " All etherals can be used by new players ".

Why bother with yearly vet rewards? Why not hand everything to new players as soon as they start the game, to satisfy appetites for "walking in vet shoes", as Warpig Inc. so aptly puts it?

To make money from the game sell everything in the UO STORE. Let Players BUY amazingly strong, fast, intelligent, fully developed skilled advanced characters, wardrobes, mounts, equipment, resources and everything they need that meets all expectations! Then everyone can can have equal fun.

UO game has always been a great game for learning and achieving, giving the players a feeling of having accomplished something through sheer work and perseverance, even though it be a small bit of understanding about another person, group, country, or solving a small part of a puzzle within UO programs. Thus, waiting for Rewards is only a small but very good integral part of the bigger picture and should be continued as a valued component of this game.

 

[G.v.P]

All it is is a shooter game not a living breathing MMO.

It's not a shooter, nor is it an MMO. It's a MOBA. The PvP is great, and that's why so many people play. That's why they have tournaments, and sponsors. Other games, such as Wrath of Heroes, fall way short. LOL is just a fun game. Also, high ELO rank accounts for <1% of the playerbase. The vast majority of the playerbase isn't working towards a tournament.

I can solo or duo anything I want in UO, so I don't really mind UO's lack of population for PvE. But if I want to PvP, a game like LOL is much better than UO. You get to fight whenever you want because literally millions of people are playing concurrently. You pick the game up, put it down, and you carry on. MMO PvP is so tedious since there are no real end goals. In UO you have harrowers and base defense, which, at its prime or best, lasts indefinitely into the night. The alternative is Yew Gate. Meh. The end goal in a MMO is gearing up, grinding for loot. You don't have that in LOL, or MOBAs. Skill matters and you aren't tied down.

 

[G.v.P]

Because UO has 8 1/2 million subscribers, lol.

I underestimated because I'm not really sure how many subscribers WoW has at this point ;P. I figure UO has a couple hundred thousand at best.

 

[Viper09]

Since I try not to make negative posts, I have refrained from commenting on the new Publish and changes to Vet Rewards. I am pulling that part out of your post's context to make my point Warpig Inc.

RE: Vet Reward listed for 2012 ...and regarding Warpig Inc.'s comment " Some of the vet rewards take age to pick and not age to use" which is the case with the Etheral Horse:

Anyone, new player included, has always been able to ride etheral horses, while Veterans of this game, had to wait three years for etheral horse vet rewards. Mythic has givien the eitheral horse to first year players as a reward plus:

" Moved ethereal horses to one year, all existing horses will also be one year to ride".

" and ALL existing horses will also be one year to ride"???
I take that to mean: " All etherals can be used by new players "

Why bother with yearly rewards, or for that matter, hand everything to new players as soon as they start the game, to satisfy their appetite for "walking in vet shoes", as Warpig Inc. so aptly puts it, Let everyone buy amazingly strong characters with fully developed skills, equipped with wardrobes that meet all expectations. Then everyone can have equal fun.

UO game has always been a great game for learning and achieving, giving the players a feeling of having accomplished something through sheer work and perseverance, even though it be a small bit of understanding about another person, group, country, or solving a small part of a puzzle within UO programs. Thus, waiting for Rewards, IMO, is only a small but bery good part of the bigger picture and should be a continued, valued component of this game.

There are more to vet rewards now days than ethereal mounts. Just because it was the best reward back when the system was first introduced doesn't mean it is now. There is still a ton of other items to be selected each year with the least still growing. Then comparing it to buying strong fully developed characters with wardrobes is a horribly gross and unrelated exaggeration. Nothing is being handed to anyone.

 

[Jade of Sonoma]

There are more to vet rewards now days than ethereal mounts. Just because it was the best reward back when the system was first introduced doesn't mean it is now. There is still a ton of other items to be selected each year with the least still growing. Then comparing it to buying strong fully developed characters with wardrobes is a horribly gross and unrelated exaggeration. Nothing is being handed to anyone.

Thanks Viper for that informnation. I didn't understand or know about all that, so didn't take any of it nto consideration when I made my post.

 

[Viper09]

I didn't know that so didn't take any of it into consideration when I made my post.

You made my day!!

I live to teach. Glad I could be of assistance.

 

[Jade of Sonoma]

I live to teach. Glad I could be of assistance.

Help - anyone?

 

[Viper09]

Help - anyone?

I have discarded my sanity long ago. None can help me. However if help comes in the form of a tasty cake I shall entertain it.

 

[popps]

Today WoW's 8th Anniversary started. What did they get you may ask? Well they get a letter in the mail. That letter is also the same one as last year, even telling us brave adventurers to watch out for the Cataclysm! (The last WoW expansion, not the new one).

Thats it. They don't get a thing, they didn't get anything last year or the year before either. They don't get rewards, rewarding people for being a "Veteran". They are the "King" of MMO's and their customers...are..well numbers.

I think it just helps to show how much our Devs care about this game, and us players.

That's one of the reasons why I prefer to play Ultima Onlina and not WoW ......

 

[Gorbs]

This is really a reach. I wouldn't try to compare anniversary gifts in a game to the UO vet rewards that are based on account age. Holiday gifts / events are a bit more fleshed out in WoW if you really want to get to comparing.

I shouldn't come to their defense though as I'm not a paying customer for any of their games. What I do find interesting from your post is the letter that had stale information. It kind of reminds me of receiving support letters that say thanks for playing Dark Age of Camelot.

 

[KLOMP]

I was still playing WoW when the 2010 Brewfest came along and we all got "Brewfest 2009" mugs. That was pretty funny.

 

[MalagAste]

Help - anyone?

FYI That would be the Three Year Etherial HORSE..... NOT to include the polar Bear, the swamp dragon, the boara... etc... etc... etc...

Just the Horse. Which in my opinion is LONG overdue that players at 1 year get to ride a pocket pony.

And I'm a VET who had to wait those VERY long 3 years to ride. But you know what. There are VERY few "new" players under a year now. Infact I'm willing to bet that 95% of all accounts under 1 year are owned by VET's. Many of those vets don't want to have to wait 3 years for their new account to "catch-up" to what their old accounts have. Think about that. I seriously doubt that there are that many "new" people to the game. And also please consider that those who are new and starting are all ALONE most the people they play with are VET's who already have a pocket pony and have been able to use one... Back when I waited out my long 3 years 100's of other folk were waiting along with me. And consider this too... When some got to 3 years old... The Pocket Pony was a new thing. And back then when your horse died it was dead... you had to go get a new one. And a great many people actually rode horses because there weren't any Etherials. Just saying.

Not that I would know about that since most all my accounts are now at least 6 or 7 years old maybe more.

 

[Jade of Sonoma]

FYI That would be the Three Year Etherial HORSE..... NOT to include the polar Bear, the swamp dragon, the boara... etc... etc... etc... Just the Horse. Which in my opinion is LONG overdue that players at 1 year get to ride a pocket pony. etc.

I expect my resentment at handing everyone the etheral horse after a one year wait, stems from knowing it has the one advantage which is: If you drop loot on the horse anywhere, (the horse's nose, the tail will do too), the loot goes into your character's bag even if you can't see your character. This is a very handy feature in many cases when you have swarms of creatures around you hiding your character and many items left on corpses on the ground that you are trying to loot.

As for letting one year players have a vet reward etheral .. it is as you say. Let them have it. I disagree. That is all. My accounts are mostly three years old to 15+ years old now and I have supported the game since day one. I give my Etheral horses away to new players often and too soon I see those new players actually are vets decked out in fabulous suits and equipped with weapons and magic items.

I suggest the introduction of more puzzles to solve.