UO Re-Kick Start

[Manticore]

Just an idea. If Braodsword start a "re-kick-start" and say give special in-game rares or unique houses, plots, etc... I am game for the top 1-2 tier. Just saying . Not asking much, just want my own island with a pretty castle, front yard, and some woods in the back for hunting. Just saying...

This way, Broadsword can generate an extra mil or so and get more employees for more expansions and game play etc...

 

[Captn Norrington]

I thought that was a good idea at first....but then I started thinking about it....and that would just add to the "pay to win" problem UO has been facing lately. If they were going to do that, they might as well just make the game free to play with an in game store and sell stuff all the time. Offering prizes for real money like a kickstarter might work in the short term, but in the long term it would just scare off more of the few players left because they would see broadsword basically selling gold for real cash.

 

[Flutter]

I thought that was a good idea at first....but then I started thinking about it....and that would just add to the problem of the "pay to win" problem UO has been facing lately. If they were going to do that, they might as well just make the game free to play with an in game store and sell stuff all the time. Offering prizes for real money like a kickstarter might work in the short term, but in the long term it would just scare off more of the few players left because they would see broadsword basically selling gold for real cash.

I dunno if it would be pay to win so much as just pay to deco. For instance TSW has a pay to win type set up where you can buy experience bosts (like blue scrolls) and such, but also (and what gets me) you can buy clothes and pets for your character. I have spent SO MUCH money on clothes and pets (the pets dont fight they are just status symbols)... if UO did something like that I'd be seriously broke. Not that I'm not already.

 

[Deaol]

All this game has become is about "what you own" .. horrible idea to just give players the option to buy more useless crap. If people play UO just to acquire junk and have pretty castles then why not just go play a free shard and get all that without dropping a penny.

They should be focusing on making the game new user friendly. The game has become to to complex and new players try and walk due to the lack of support and proper guides/faqs. Any resources broadsword has should be going towards this, building a new player base and looking to the future of UO. This game was about community, lore and experiences. Not about fancy coloured junk to lock down.

 

[Flutter]

All this game has become is about "what you own" .. horrible idea to just give players the option to buy more useless crap. If people play UO just to acquire junk and have pretty castles then why not just go play a free shard and get all that without dropping a penny.

They should be focusing on making the game new user friendly. The game has become to to complex and new players try and walk due to the lack of support and proper guides/faqs. Any resources broadsword has should be going towards this, building a new player base and looking to the future of UO. This game was about community, lore and experiences. Not about fancy coloured junk to lock down.

#1 Because freeshards are illegal.
#2 Why is another person's playstyle any offense to you? Telling people to "go play a freeshard" is only hurting the game. If you have some abhorrence to people who play just to gather "useless crap" and have pretty castles that is your problem, not anyone elses. They pay to play the way they want to play. What a horrible attitude. If you don't like the shinys you dont have to buy the shinys. I find it funny you say the game is about community in one breath and then tell a whole bunch of people who are part of the community to go play another game.

 

[azmodanb]

manti is attempting to get extra cash into uo development.. would i buy some shiney island ... Nah... some would.. even not an island but some title... UO blah.. would make money and money keeps uo going. great idea.

 

[NuSair]

What kills me it people are paying more to play on a freeshard than what it cost on a production server.

 

[The Craftsman]

Just an idea. If Braodsword start a "re-kick-start" and say give special in-game rares or unique houses, plots, etc... I am game for the top 1-2 tier. Just saying . Not asking much, just want my own island with a pretty castle, front yard, and some woods in the back for hunting. Just saying...

This way, Broadsword can generate an extra mil or so and get more employees for more expansions and game play etc...

EA owns UO not Broadsword.

Any profit EA makes from UO does not go back into UO.

If EA were to make millions from this idea it would not go back into UO

If your idea is to make EA millions more to syphon off to other projects whilst they continue to run UO on a shoestring then its an excellent idea. Just dont think it would benefit the game.

 

[Tanivar]

I like the idea of having a private island to put a house on. Most housing areas are tightly packed subdivisions. I'd pay for it.

 

[DJAd]

If they have a kick starter it should be so they can hire people to help with high res art or better still a kick starter for UO2, not for mantis retirement island.

 

[petemage]

People post tons of good ideas to make money all the time. Account age tokens, this uber luck mempo you can only buy from third party sites, Ethy mounts for $1.99 a pop, and so on. Pages over pages of good ideas on stratics.

They just don't want your money

 

[Zeph Wightfyre]

What kills me it people are paying more to play on a freeshard than what it cost on a production server.

Because many freeshards offer their customers a better service. It's funny what a handful of people who are actually passionate about the game can accomplish.

 

[Uvtha]

Just an idea. If Braodsword start a "re-kick-start" and say give special in-game rares or unique houses, plots, etc... I am game for the top 1-2 tier. Just saying . Not asking much, just want my own island with a pretty castle, front yard, and some woods in the back for hunting. Just saying...

This way, Broadsword can generate an extra mil or so and get more employees for more expansions and game play etc...

No. That is not what kickstarter is for.

 

[Queen Arya]

If they have a kick starter it should be so they can hire people to help with high res art or better still a kick starter for UO2, not for mantis retirement island.

A Retirement community!.....Sounds like a great idea for the next up and coming town & Town banner
Wheelchairs, canes and a purple hat ladies community. Bingo night! Early Bird specials!
I like the idea of a kick start, frankly any advertisement of the game would be welcomed

 

[Uriah Heep]

People post tons of good ideas to make money all the time. Account age tokens, this uber luck mempo you can only buy from third party sites, Ethy mounts for $1.99 a pop, and so on. Pages over pages of good ideas on stratics.

They just don't want your money

Yeah. they can put this on the fine Origin store, and we can buy one at a time =) (in the countries where it is listed, of course)

 

[petemage]

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

Because many freeshards offer their customers a better service.

Sure, until the shard management corruption takes over and rumors of players getting special treatment from friends...oh, and then there are the free shards that shut down just as quickly as they started up. Been there done that...no longer interested in freeshards...la
.

 

[Smoot]

What percentage of UO profits are even actually put back into UO currently? this is a good idea, but EA has most likely robbed UO of the majority of profits that could have been invested back and is happy running it on a skeleton crew.

I would be for it if and only if Broadsword bought UO from EA entirely and we knew that the money would actually go back into UO. And if the sub were dropped.

 

[DevilsOwn]

What percentage of UO profits are even actually put back into UO currently? this is a good idea, but EA has most likely robbed UO of the majority of profits that could have been invested back and is happy running it on a skeleton crew.

I would be for it if and only if Broadsword bought UO from EA entirely and we knew that the money would actually go back into UO. And if the sub were dropped.

'cept for the last sentence, yes

 

[Nexus]

No. That is not what kickstarter is for.

I don't even think Kickstarter would allow it.

 

[Ender]

If they have a kick starter it should be so they can hire people to help with high res art or better still a kick starter for UO2, not for mantis retirement island.

I'd much rather have a UO2 kickstarter.

 

[Uvtha]

I don't even think Kickstarter would allow it.

I don't either, nor should it. A 17 year old game owned by EA running a kickstarter is like... the exact opposite of the kind of project that the site was made for.

 

[The Craftsman]

I don't either, nor should it. A 17 year old game owned by EA running a kickstarter is like... the exact opposite of the kind of project that the site was made for.

Exactly. EA owns UO and is a multimillion dollar company. This is not what kickstarter is about.

Besides, any money raised EA would NOT put back into UO. Its a cash cow that they use to fund other things.

Now if someone was to set up a kickstarter to form a company to buy UO from EA I might be inteersted.

 

[Captn Norrington]

Exactly. EA owns UO and is a multimillion dollar company. This is not what kickstarter is about.

Besides, any money raised EA would NOT put back into UO. Its a cash cow that they use to fund other things.

Now if someone was to set up a kickstarter to form a company to buy UO from EA I might be inteersted.

I'm pretty sure EA would want some completely absurd number like 100 million for UO, otherwise I'd think somebody would have bought it from them by now.

 

[Scribbles]

@Captn Norrington im still saving up to buy it from EA... one day it will be mine... and on that day reds will be able to be the governor of bucs den and idocs will be 7 hours like they were for 10 years.

 

[Dot_Warner]

You'd most likely have to buy the entire Ultima IP from EA...so yeah...good luck with that.

Even if Kickstarter did allow such a scam project to be run, how many people are masochistic enough to throw yet more money into the abyss of a game that has been mismanaged this tragically?

 

[Zeph Wightfyre]

Sure, until the shard management corruption takes over and rumors of players getting special treatment from friends...oh, and then there are the free shards that shut down just as quickly as they started up. Been there done that...no longer interested in freeshards...la
.

There are quite a few free shards that have been running for several years, and one or two that have been going for ten+. The corruption/favoritism bit is an overblown trope now, there are more than a handful of quite reputable free shard communities. I've played a handful in the past and quite enjoyed my time in most of them. We've had different experiences.

For many players, the UO they want to play can only be found in free shard form. Since EA/Broadsword have made it clear that a classic shard is impossible, fans of pre-AoS or pre-Trammel are left with little option.

To be clear, I don't play free shards anymore and am an active UO subscriber, but also I understand the appeal to those who feel that the subscription cost is not worth the value they get in return. Customer service is jank, most servers are nearly wastelands, economies are shot, the enhanced client looks WORSE than the classic client, and the game's full of bugs. It's no wonder that people can't justify paying for official (hah) UO when they can find free shards that are reasonably populated, frequently patched, and full of fresh gameplay ideas.

So while they may not be for you, Rico, or for me, they certainly are just right for a large number of Ultima Online fans.

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

Well since you've partaken in free shard fun, you should know that they are always in flux. Rule changes based on what some players recall being the "the way it used to be", while other disagree. The devs make minor changes and foul everything up. I've yet to be on free server that provided an experience as a thief similar to the way I recall it being.

There are some that have tried...unfortunately, the developers of those shards grew tired of the player base never being happy and giving up on their projects...la

 

[SugarMMM]

Oh great now I have the idea of my own island and my own castle floating around in my head!
*Dreams*

 

[Deaol]

#1 Because freeshards are illegal.
#2 Why is another person's playstyle any offense to you? Telling people to "go play a freeshard" is only hurting the game. If you have some abhorrence to people who play just to gather "useless crap" and have pretty castles that is your problem, not anyone elses. They pay to play the way they want to play. What a horrible attitude. If you don't like the shinys you dont have to buy the shinys. I find it funny you say the game is about community in one breath and then tell a whole bunch of people who are part of the community to go play another game.

I think the only person offended here is you.

 

[NuSair]

I think the only person offended here is you.

You are incorrect in that statement.

 

[THP]

@Captn Norrington im still saving up to buy it from EA... one day it will be mine... and on that day reds will be able to be the governor of bucs den and idocs will be 7 hours like they were for 10 years.

oh lord plz make is so... idocs back like they were for 10-11 years happy as larry.... 6 hours 55 minute!!!

 

[THP]

I'm pretty sure EA would want some completely absurd number like 100 million for UO, otherwise I'd think somebody would have bought it from them by now.

serouis 100m for a UO rights .... a 18 year old game like 4000/5000 people pay to play... that pay to play because they have played to play that long.....like me... .really i doubt it....???

 

[Zosimus]

serouis 100m for a UO rights .... a 18 year old game like 4000/5000 people pay to play... that pay to play because they have played to play that long.....like me... .really i doubt it....???

You would be paying for the brand per say not the game. UO is the mother that gave birth to all MMO's and the value is in the brand. This is true even with the state of the game is today.

 

[The Craftsman]

You would be paying for the brand per say not the game. UO is the mother that gave birth to all MMO's and the value is in the brand. This is true even with the state of the game is today.

£100m was a figure pulled out of the air. Whilst Ultima is a brand name its not exactly a brand thats setting the gaming world on fire. I'd say its worth a lot less than that.

 

[Zosimus]

£100m was a figure pulled out of the air. Whilst Ultima is a brand name its not exactly a brand thats setting the gaming world on fire. I'd say its worth a lot less than that.

Its definitely worth 50+ mill because your still paying for the brand. Forget the state of the game it is now. Your missing the big picture. Once a person bought the UO brand they could work on a UO2 and still operate with UO and use the money to fund UO2.

 

[Peekay]

just want my own island with a pretty castle, front yard, and some woods in the back for hunting.

1. Place a castle on a server (easy enough)
2. Collect barrels and fill them with water around your castle.
3. Hunt scripters in fel. (Lumberjackers, miners, vendor farmers, etc)

You can do that on any server, no need for broadsword to waste more time on useless additions to the game vs focusing current issues that require resolution.

Also, you can skip #1 and #2 and just do #3 on any server. The server is your backyard ;D

 

[Uvtha]

You would be paying for the brand per say not the game. UO is the mother that gave birth to all MMO's and the value is in the brand. This is true even with the state of the game is today.

Is the brand really that valuable though? What was the last good Ultima game? 7? 8? That was over 20 years ago. As for UO being the mother of MMO's, a) UO got mostly horrible reviews and b) hardly anyone playing an MMO now a days even knows what UO is because again... it came out 17 years ago.
As a brand Ultima probably mainly appeals to gamers 30 or more years of age, (which is not a key demo) because in terms of development it's been a dead brand for nearly two decades. At this point Richard Garriot is a far more valuable brand than Ultima.

I really don't know what EA would sell the IP for, it could very well be policy to just not sell IP at all, but I really doubt there are many people out there willing to spend millions on a nostalgia brand.

 

[Flagg]

Ultima as franchise has a huge part on some page or another detailing cRPG/Video game history.

It is very questionable if there is any value at all in Ultima as a franchise though. Vast majority of modern day gamers don't really know it. Vast majority among the minority that does considers it a corpse. There hasn't been a major Ultima release since late 90's.

 

[Lady Michelle]

Blah on castle on a island I would rather have a floating castle in the sky hidden in clouds.

 

[Pandora_CoD]

EA owns UO not Broadsword.

Any profit EA makes from UO does not go back into UO.

If EA were to make millions from this idea it would not go back into UO

If your idea is to make EA millions more to syphon off to other projects whilst they continue to run UO on a shoestring then its an excellent idea. Just dont think it would benefit the game.

Honestly, I do not even know WHY EA holds on to UO.... I would LOVE Broadsword to buy them out. Then and only then could they do something like this. Unfortunately.

 

[Zosimus]

Honestly, I do not even know WHY EA holds on to UO.... I would LOVE Broadsword to buy them out. Then and only then could they do something like this. Unfortunately.

I am not sure if the current base is happy with the changes in the game from BS to even want them to buy it. Then again whoever would own UO the current player base would still have the same feelings with them.

The only time I see love for the devs is when holiday pixels are added or new pixels added to the game. That is the pure simple truth.

 

[Sargon]

Besides, any money raised EA would NOT put back into UO. Its a cash cow that they use to fund other things.

If UO is a cash cow, it is the sickly-looking cow that the farmer wakes up to check on each morning to find out whether it survived the night.

 

[azmodanb]

Like three legs and two heads?

 

[Uvtha]

Honestly, I do not even know WHY EA holds on to UO.... I would LOVE Broadsword to buy them out. Then and only then could they do something like this. Unfortunately.

I imagine that's just SOP. Unless someone offers you a stupid amount of money, far more than the thing is worth, a large company like that will just hold on to its copyrights. Just in case?

 

[Uvtha]

I am not sure if the current base is happy with the changes in the game from BS to even want them to buy it. Then again whoever would own UO the current player base would still have the same feelings with them.

The only time I see love for the devs is when holiday pixels are added or new pixels added to the game. That is the pure simple truth.

Well that is kind of the only time we get content additions, so... makes sense.

 

[old gypsy]

Blah on castle on a island I would rather have a floating castle in the sky hidden in clouds.

UO is the wrong game then. But you can do that in another game I checked out years ago (but soon left because it was otherwise not at all like UO).

 

[Assia Penryn]

I don't think it belongs on Kickstarter.

That being said, I'd probably toss some cash in depending on the rewards and if the money went towards a specific "guaranteed" goal with a similar system. I don't want to toss funds at generic operating costs, but if they started with something small ... for example the cost to add in and publish 2 new rideables... the goal was made and the rideables were published with good art and no bugs/glitches that weren't fixed promptly... I might up the amount I contribute next time might go up if I could budget for it. I would want to see "proof" of the quality before we put money in for something large like an expansion, etc.

 

[Aran]

It sounds like what you guys really want is ArcheAge.

 

[Shady Ghost]

I don't think they should consider going to any Crowd Funding place while connected at all to EA.