My wholehearted suggestions for the new UO expansion "Time Of Legends"

[Nails Warstein]

No one knows what this is going to be about. We don't even know what stage in the process the development team is regarding this new expansion.
I just have few choice phrases of advice before they set anything into stone.

Please take your time with it, don't rush it out unfinished incomplete like Vice vs Virtue.

Don't design it like an after thought like these Atlantic Shard bound Pirate Flags.

Give many players an opportunity to share some innovated ideas, and potential story lines.

Recruit some beta testers like you did for Vice vs Virtue for very welcomed feedback.

This new expansion is a BIG BLEEPING DEAL, don't BLANK it up!

 

[Philly]

Good Advice

 

[Dot_Warner]

I'll give a little insight into what little they've said so far, specifically regarding the expansion's name and Eodon.

The Time of Legends is from Ultima II, and is actually a place and time in the deep past. There past of where is unknown, as both Sosaria and Earth are options. Either way, this is where Mondain's castle was, and where Minax's Shadowguard was (possibly the same structure). A time machine was required to access this era.

In UO's somewhat psychotic lore, Minax comes from another facet which she had completely conquered. Perhaps this is that place?

Now, Eodon is from Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire. It is an alien-created valley where primitive humans coexist with prehistoric creatures (dinosaurs!) on Earth. (Think Marvel's Savage Lands...as their backstories are similar) The game this is from had south american-esque savages, giant ant-things (myrmidex), flinklocks and a shotgun(!), robots and a brief appearance by an alien (sort of).

We've seen a few Savage Empire-type things in UO already:
- The 2001 story arc which introduced the savage humans of Ilshenar, the arc was even called 'Savage Empire'
- The solen, which are giant ant-like creatures
- Raptors
- Tar potions

I too would like the devs to take their time on this expansion and to make sure the lore is compatible with UO (and doesn't go retcon happy).

 

[hen]

I like all of Nails' ideas, here are some of mine.

1. Rideable paragon gorillas with craftable banana cannons strapped to their heads.
Now I've read into Savage Empire, it had 12 foot high gorillas so no more excuses devs we want rideable gorillas.

2. Fel champ spawn areas. It worked with Stygian Abyss didn't it? Oh go on.

3. Tyrannosaurus Rex playable race. We could dress them in those pretty new wearables you are giving us.

4. Kill Minax. We've been fighting her for like 15 years or more now. Mondain is dead, Exodus is some sort of clockwork ghost, the Shadowlords are hiding in a boat at the bottom of the sea armed with a huge pile of crappy artifacts, and the Council of Mages have been exiled to an eyesore just off the coast of Moonglow. It's time to die Minax ! Do some event at the introduction of Shadowguard and get rid of her.

5. Bring in another refinements- like system for us crafters.

6. Just kiddin' with that last one hehe.

 

[Dot_Warner]

4. Kill Minax. We've been fighting her for like 15 years or more now. Mondain is dead, Exodus is some sort of clockwork ghost, the Shadowlords are hiding in a boat at the bottom of the sea armed with a huge pile of crappy artifacts, and the Council of Mages have been exiled to an eyesore just off the coast of Moonglow. It's time to die Minax ! Do some event at the introduction of Shadowguard and get rid of her.

Its well past time for Minax to die, she's not even remotely scary. I envision her as an aged, raven-haired (dye job, of course) Tammy Faye Bakker squeezed into one of Elvira's dresses; a haggard cougar in way too much make up (thanks Mark!) pining away for her long-dead, pedophilic husband.

 

[Kirthag]

Its well past time for Minax to die, she's not even remotely scary. I envision her as an aged, raven-haired (dye job, of course) Tammy Faye Bakker squeezed into one of Elvira's dresses; a haggard cougar in way too much make up (thanks Mark!) pining away for her long-dead, pedophilic husband.

I just died laughing!
The only difference in my vision of her is that she's had far too much plastic surgery to be remotely human....

 

[OREOGL]

I like all of Nails' ideas, here are some of mine.

1. Rideable paragon gorillas with craftable banana cannons strapped to their heads.
Now I've read into Savage Empire, it had 12 foot high gorillas so no more excuses devs we want rideable gorillas.

2. Fel champ spawn areas. It worked with Stygian Abyss didn't it? Oh go on.

3. Tyrannosaurus Rex playable race. We could dress them in those pretty new wearables you are giving us.

4. Kill Minax. We've been fighting her for like 15 years or more now. Mondain is dead, Exodus is some sort of clockwork ghost, the Shadowlords are hiding in a boat at the bottom of the sea armed with a huge pile of crappy artifacts, and the Council of Mages have been exiled to an eyesore just off the coast of Moonglow. It's time to die Minax ! Do some event at the introduction of Shadowguard and get rid of her.

5. Bring in another refinements- like system for us crafters.

6. Just kiddin' with that last one hehe.

I honestly thought you were joking with all 5 of these. My bad.

 

[Herman]

They should do a poll when you logg in to get a better idea what the current player base enjoy in uo

 

[Ender]

I'll give a little insight into what little they've said so far, specifically regarding the expansion's name and Eodon.

The Time of Legends is from Ultima II, and is actually a place and time in the deep past. There past of where is unknown, as both Sosaria and Earth are options. Either way, this is where Mondain's castle was, and where Minax's Shadowguard was (possibly the same structure). A time machine was required to access this era.

In UO's somewhat psychotic lore, Minax comes from another facet which she had completely conquered. Perhaps this is that place?

Now, Eodon is from Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire. It is an alien-created valley where primitive humans coexist with prehistoric creatures (dinosaurs!) on Earth. (Think Marvel's Savage Lands...as their backstories are similar) The game this is from had south american-esque savages, giant ant-things (myrmidex), flinklocks and a shotgun(!), robots and a brief appearance by an alien (sort of).

We've seen a few Savage Empire-type things in UO already:
- The 2001 story arc which introduced the savage humans of Ilshenar, the arc was even called 'Savage Empire'
- The solen, which are giant ant-like creatures
- Raptors
- Tar potions

I too would like the devs to take their time on this expansion and to make sure the lore is compatible with UO (and doesn't go retcon happy).

playable aliens with shotguns pls

 

[Smoot]

playable aliens with shotguns pls

Lord British did bring a shotgun from earth, so it would at least fit in with UO lore

 

[Piotr]

3. Tyrannosaurus Rex playable race. We could dress them in those pretty new wearables you are giving us.

Nooooo!

 

[Riyana]

View attachment 30568

Nooooo!

*runs to grab race change tokens while they are on sale in anticipation*

 

[drcossack]

I just died laughing!
The only difference in my vision of her is that she's had far too much plastic surgery to be remotely human....

So she's Joan Rivers? Minus the part where she died.

 

[Nails Warstein]

Lord British did bring a shotgun from earth, so it would at least fit in with UO lore

I guess we do already have cannons, but not sure I want to play in a world where every advantage goes to archers, throwers and now blunderbusses.

 

[Dot_Warner]

I guess we do already have cannons, but not sure I want to play in a world where every advantage goes to archers, throwers and now blunderbusses.

Hey, we can always demand they put in the Kilrathi Bloodfang fighter from Ultima VII so we have air supremacy!

​

Just think how quickly Mesanna would embrace @Kyronix 's desire to add in hot air balloons...

​

 

[Armani Exchange]

This is just my constructive criticism of the game, firstly the game needs a whole new graphics revamp, possibly not too far stretched from what we have now just a bit more modern, secondly, the game needs a whole new new-player experience, for new players this game would just be far too confusing with all these items and mods, I feel that new players would have no idea what stat caps, mod cops and mods use would actually mean, maybe this should be explained within the game and not external websites. The game would also need to improve the gameplay a little bit for old players too though, this is however just my opinion

 

[flappy6]

I thought we killed Minax that's how we got the cape's

 

[drcossack]

I thought we killed Minax that's how we got the cape's

No, that was Melissa or something. Some shards did have an event with Minax years back in Destard (LS was one of them), but I don't recall the specifics of it, nor was I there. I was still learning the game at that point.

 

[Merlin]

Allow expansion to 8 characters per account - just like the Avatar in Ultima IV had 8 companions.

 

[azmodanb]

Hot air balloons would open up the dark void area for travel in malas.. With floating bad guys like with high seas... Keke

 

[Dot_Warner]

I thought we killed Minax that's how we got the cape's

No, that was Melissa or something. Some shards did have an event with Minax years back in Destard (LS was one of them), but I don't recall the specifics of it, nor was I there. I was still learning the game at that point.

There is a Cloak of Minax event item that is from the first round of EMs a decade ago. I believe it was acquired from killing Minax's Crystal of Duplicity-created duplicate (or so sayeth the retcon)...

The other cloak belonged to Melissa, she was Nosfentor's servant who was briefly an event in the bottom level of the Wisp Dungeon. This is also where the pearl necklaces come from.

 

[SpellBreaker]

Not a fan of guns or machines.

Dwarves sound interesting.

With so many ridable pets it would be nice to see new barding pet armor in a future expansion or patch. Horse, Llama, Hyru, Cu Sidhe, Ostrich, Ridgeback, Nightmare (anti paladin steed?), Fire Steed all could be fixed with pet barding armor like the swamp dragon.

Be blessed,
spellbreaker

 

[Prime.]

Craftable tiaras please, buff unicorns, and more pink.

 

[Lore Denin (GL)]

Please add context to VvV - Allow people to swear allegiance to Minax's Shadowguard Vice, or Lord Dupre's army of Virtue [Virtue] BUT KEEP independent guilds to not pick a side and be their own faction within the VvV war...

Also add some Faction town control aspects into VvV so taking a town has some meaning and impact.

-Lore

 

[Peekay]

I'm still waiting for my spaceship.

 

[DJAd]

I'm still waiting for my spaceship.

Same here! Also my magic carpet and then a hoe of destruction.

 

[BeaIank]

Same here! Also my magic carpet and then a hoe of destruction.

You and me both. And I want Lord British's musket! We could get it at Ultima VII.

Also, bring the bloody Fellowship at once. I've been wanting to put my sabre through Battlin's gut since 1993.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

As much as taking their time would be beneficial I have to point out that, closer to sooner than later, someone would say they were taking too long and complain.

-Galen's player

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

I'd also suggest that there needs to be content while the expansion's being worked on. I have no illusion this is easy, to do smaller-scale content while larger-scale content's being worked on. I fret somewhat that it may well be impossible. (Which is why I'd have been happy if we had basically no large-scale content going forward apart from stuff like "new dungeon!" or "new castle appears!" or, most of all "finally you can kill Minax!!" or the like.)

But we'll see what happens.

-Galen's player

 

[Dot_Warner]

While we're asking for weapons, I'd like a phazor or a blaster please! Leave the Hoes of Destruction to the farmers, I'll want to be shooting at Kilrathi from a distance

 

[Dot_Warner]

most of all "finally you can kill Minax!!" or the like.

Note to @Kyronix : No making Minax a peerless encounter! The death of a big bad needs to be final, not endlessly replayable, as that neuters worthwhile storytelling. (No, a temporal loop of some kind isn't the answer either, we need to decisively kill her off at the end of an epic live arc!)

 

[Ender]

Start beta pretty early on, and allow character copy to it possibly.

 

[MalagAste]

I want new dragons, Green Forest Dragons, Gold and Silver more Oriental style dragons, Ice white dragons, Blue Sea Dragons, Black Dragons... All like greaters... just in new styles and colors... Want to have a place to tame Bane Dragons, Dread Warhorses, and Fairy Dragons.

I want a magic carpet... And it should fly over water and land.

A gypsy wagon or crafting tent.... something that is non-permanent like a boat... would have to be refreshed but could be placed in new area's near towns and such so you can work from them they would have a forge and anvil or a loom and spinning wheel... and like boats you can only have one out...

Still want a saw table that will cut logs placed in it.

Want to add a stone slab to the crafting menu that acts like a goza but looks like the center section of a table...

Want new doors, Floor styles and Roof tiles to go with the Rustic and Gothic sets as well as sand tiles added to the housing menu. Want most the tile sets in the housing menu's finished.

Want a pass done on the placement of items done... so chests, boxes, tables and such sit properly on the tiles. Want the Couches, chair and such to have all 4 facings! Crack the whip on @Onifrk and get whoever to fix the problem with so many items not properly placing in the tile.

 

[Dot_Warner]

I want switches in the clients to use at events:

1) To turn all pet dragons into skree
2) To clip the wings of all gargoyles (just make them look like they're walking)
3) To hide the summons of other players in Trammel ruleset facets (EVs, RCs, etc)

 

[Keith of Sonoma]

Perhaps the new expansion will be set in an "East Indian" culture, with new spells, tameables, clothing, housing styles, with djinn's and such as summons. And yes, FLYING CARPETS!!!! It makes sense to me.

 

[MalagAste]

Ooo Camels!

 

[Spock's Beard]

They're going to come up with a bunch of misbegotten crap that makes the game worse, be told so overwhelmingly in simple language on the forums, ignore all feedback, shove it down our throat anyway, and harm the game. You know it's true, we've all seen it happen.

 

[Ender]

They're going to come up with a bunch of misbegotten crap that makes the game worse, be told so overwhelmingly in simple language on the forums, ignore all feedback, shove it down our throat anyway, and harm the game. You know it's true, we've all seen it happen.

Eh, they have a pretty good track record of expansions post-AoS. I can see people not liking AoS for all the item properties, but I really don't think any expansions since have worsened the game.

 

[PlayerSkillFTW]

No, that was Melissa or something. Some shards did have an event with Minax years back in Destard (LS was one of them), but I don't recall the specifics of it, nor was I there. I was still learning the game at that point.

There was another event where a simulacrum of Minax attacked Umbra, and was defeated. That's where the Cloak of Shadows (Ethereal looking Cloak) came from, which of course, got the **** duped out of it.

 

[MalagAste]

I actually "have" a cloak of Minax. Was given to me by the one to took it off her cold dead corpse.

 

[Mithryl Elves]

I think it's already too late. Im leaving again. I came back with a bunch of friends for VVV and cannot believe how much of an epic fail that was. The video I saw where Mesanna spoke about the "Account Issues" is just unreal to me. It's 2015 and for years now we have all witnessed friends try to come back and not be able to retrieve their accounts. Its a huge clusterBLEEP. I mean a company like EA can do all of the other things that they do but for 10+ years now they haven't found a simple, easier way to handle account management? It is completely unacceptable. I wont be here for when they screw up the new gold being shardbound system that their talking about...

 

[Tina Small]

I just hope the expansion is worth what we will have to pay for it when it's ready, both in terms of actual money spent on expansion codes to update several accounts and on the money we have spent in the meantime to keep accounts open and the dollars flowing into EA and Broadsword while no real new content was being added because the dev team was busy preparing the expansion package. I hope loyalty during this long "dry spell" between expansions and during which there has been very little new and interesting content will count for something in the long run.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Okay, I've hunted thru pages on here, where is the announcement made about the expansion?

 

[MalagAste]

Okay, I've hunted thru pages on here, where is the announcement made about the expansion?

Was in the video Dev Diary thing awhile back.

 

[Spock's Beard]

Eh, they have a pretty good track record of expansions post-AoS. I can see people not liking AoS for all the item properties, but I really don't think any expansions since have worsened the game.

Remember when everyone got fired and they hired new people? The only things this post-Draconi team has done are finish off the mostly-complete Stygian Abyss expansion and the High Seas booster, and I've heard rumors in the past that a lot of the heavy lifting on High Seas had already been done for them as well.

Speaking of which, remember everyone screaming at them from beta onward that the High Seas ship combat was way too clicky/crafty and not rewarding? That never got fixed, and now who the hell really goes pirate hunting hoping to get a fabulous 10k gold or whatever?

Remember when they decided they were going to "fix" factions, and everyone told them their changes were terrible and would kill the system? They pushed on through and sure enough factions died a miserable death.

Remember when they foisted that armor refinement crap on us, and everyone drowned them out with reasons that it was a bad idea? They slogged through to the finish line anyway and now it's a completely dead system, a total waste of dev resources.

How about all the dungeon minigames nobody cares about, the flop of VvV, etcetera, etcetera?

The current developers do not understand the game at all and are of questionable competence in general.

 

[Uriah Heep]

Remember when everyone got fired and they hired new people? The only things this post-Draconi team has done are finish off the mostly-complete Stygian Abyss expansion and the High Seas booster, and I've heard rumors in the past that a lot of the heavy lifting on High Seas had already been done for them as well.

Speaking of which, remember everyone screaming at them from beta onward that the High Seas ship combat was way too clicky/crafty and not rewarding? That never got fixed, and now who the hell really goes pirate hunting hoping to get a fabulous 10k gold or whatever?

Remember when they decided they were going to "fix" factions, and everyone told them their changes were terrible and would kill the system? They pushed on through and sure enough factions died a miserable death.

Remember when they foisted that armor refinement crap on us, and everyone drowned them out with reasons that it was a bad idea? They slogged through to the finish line anyway and now it's a completely dead system, a total waste of dev resources.

How about all the dungeon minigames nobody cares about, the flop of VvV, etcetera, etcetera?

The current developers do not understand the game at all and are of questionable competence in general.

Perhaps a bit harshly said, but mostly true =)

I just hope we get something interesting, something fun, and not just another bunch of 10 million HP mobs that insta kill ya. We already have those, and they are lonely...

 

[Uriah Heep]

I just hope the expansion is worth what we will have to pay for it when it's ready, both in terms of actual money spent on expansion codes to update several accounts and on the money we have spent in the meantime to keep accounts open and the dollars flowing into EA and Broadsword while no real new content was being added because the dev team was busy preparing the expansion package. I hope loyalty during this long "dry spell" between expansions and during which there has been very little new and interesting content will count for something in the long run.

And not another AoS...the worst thing to happen to UO . Well, that, and Draconi leaving

 

[MalagAste]

I do miss Draconi... the man had flair...

I liked only ONE major thing about AoS..... housing changes. The rest of it could go the way of the dodo for all I care.

But the EM events while a nice distraction they are only if you are lucky 1 or 2 nights a week..... without some global stuff going on from time to time like ToT and the invasions and such well .... life in UO gets overly dull.

 

[Dot_Warner]

Okay, I've hunted thru pages on here, where is the announcement made about the expansion?

Was in the video Dev Diary thing awhile back.

While the video itself was fine, it was pretty much the worst announcement for an expansion yet. The fact that uo.com says absolutely nothing about there even being an upcoming expansion pretty much neuters any and all potential excitement that could be being generated. This is ball droppage on an epically sad scale, but pretty par for the course in regards to UO. Someone needs to take a Marketing 101 class.

Wasn't there supposed to be a new website unveiled last month? And a new account management system?

 

[Uriah Heep]

While the video itself was fine, it was pretty much the worst announcement for an expansion yet. The fact that uo.com says absolutely nothing about there even being an upcoming expansion pretty much neuters any and all potential excitement that could be being generated. This is ball droppage on an epically sad scale, but pretty par for the course in regards to UO. Someone needs to take a Marketing 101 class.

Wasn't there supposed to be a new website unveiled last month? And a new account management system?

Soon