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If you won the 900$ million lotto

TimberWolf

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lets see that is about 1.2 million every 2 weeks for the rest of your life and you never touch the principle ...you could probably buy UO after 2 weeks... a month... 6weeks if you are being really generous
 

Cymidei

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Okay gonna go buy a lotto ticket thanks for the inspiration!
If I won, you know what I would add to UO? The ability to TNT people's houses & castles like you can in Minecraft. ALWAYS thought that would add some much needed kabooom to UO :)
 

old gypsy

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No.

I love UO. However, I know nothing about running a game company (or a game, for that matter).
 

GarthGrey

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Okay gonna go buy a lotto ticket thanks for the inspiration!
If I won, you know what I would add to UO? The ability to TNT people's houses & castles like you can in Minecraft. ALWAYS thought that would add some much needed kabooom to UO :)
If a UO post got you inspired to buy a lotto ticket for a drawing thats over 900 million already, congratulations because you're probably going to win, the really obscure ppl always win it.
 

Uvtha

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lets see that is about 1.2 million every 2 weeks for the rest of your life and you never touch the principle ...you could probably buy UO after 2 weeks... a month... 6weeks if you are being really generous
I have a feeling it would cost more than you imagine, because you would have to buy "ultima" as a brand, and I doubt it would go cheap, simply out of principal. I think if it was just a few million, Garriot would have purchased the name back long ago.
 

Gameboy

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I have a feeling it would cost more than you imagine, because you would have to buy "ultima" as a brand, and I doubt it would go cheap, simply out of principal. I think if it was just a few million, Garriot would have purchased the name back long ago.
Does the Ultima name mean anything anymore? I do not see any new Ultima games, the one they had for your cell phone I hear they got rid of. I'm just like, I don't know....
 

Uvtha

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Or you could invest it wisely and generate even more money to give away :)
I honestly don't think I could make myself care in the slightest about turning another dime, for any reason. It would already take me the rest of my life to properly give away that much money in ways that would feel worthwhile to me.

I would kind of like to just start some small restaurants/coffee shops and hire random people to operate them, where they get to make most of the choices and keep all of the profit. I'd just have a private table and free food/drink. :p
 
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Uvtha

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Does the Ultima name mean anything anymore? I do not see any new Ultima games, the one they had for your cell phone I hear they got rid of. I'm just like, I don't know....
They have made like 2 mobile "Ultima" games in the past few years. Regardless, I don't think it would matter much. EA doesn't need the money, and the potential value of a brand, especially one with history, even if its currently comatose is pretty ephemeral, so odds are you would have to make an offer they couldn't refuse.

I honestly think it would be wiser, and would result in a better experience for players if this supposed lottery winner just sunk that money making a cleaned up clone of UO rather than to try and buy the ultima franchise just to run this mess of a game.
 

Theron

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I honestly don't think I could make myself care in the slightest about turning another dime, for any reason. It would already take me the rest of my life to properly give away that much money in ways that would feel worthwhile to me.
 

Uvtha

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Hah, I'm just sayin' I've been (voluntarily) living on such a small amount of money compared to like... everyone else in this country that that kind of sum is like... unreal to me. Like if I was making 100k a year, I would have no clue what to do with it all. 500m would be to me, like having unlimited money. Like to spend even 1% of it I would have to just come up with things I don't even want, or like I said, just give it away, or spend it on the plots and plans of silly dreamers. :p
 

Uvtha

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I win I'm gonna buy UO and take all you stuff :D:p. Couldn't resist
As mean as it would be that DOES sound kinda fun. Just buy the game, and walk around, go into people's houses, take their stuff, walk off. Randomly delete characters.

Troll godmode. :p
 

Victim of Siege

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As mean as it would be that DOES sound kinda fun. Just buy the game, and walk around, go into people's houses, take their stuff, walk off. Randomly delete characters.

Troll godmode. :p
random renames to like Care Bear and Strawberry Shortcake
 

kelmo

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If I won I would hire actors for a live version UO posse to follow me around.
 

MalagAste

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I am with @Uvtha.... I would give most of it away because there is no way I could ever spend that much. And I would invest a bunch of it and help people start businesses and such... using the money from the investments to make more... then I would get my son to carry that on after I'm gone. Which I'm sure he'd do.

But I would go Mobile and not have an "address" so to speak. All I need is good internet and I'd be happy. Travel around in one of those custom coaches and just live somewhere a little while do some random acts of kindness for folk who would normally fall through the cracks and move on... swap out my vehicle if I start to get too much attention.
 

Arroth Thaiel

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How to make a small fortune with UO? Start out with a large fortune.
^This sums it up nicely.

Also, if you win $900 million, you get what, $500 million from the lump sum payment? Then you pay your about 50% taxes and wind up with $250 million.

So really, while $250 million is still, ya know, $250 freak'n million, it's not $900 million.

If you don't take all cash and do payments instead, it's like what $10 million a year for 29 years and then a final payment of $300 million or something. Plus, you still have to pay your about 50% taxes, so really $5 million a year for 29 years and then a final payment of $150 million. Don't get me wrong, pretty sure I could get by on $5 mil a year. :)

And yes, if I won, I might think about investing in EA just to see if I could get enough influence to give UO a boost. Not sure EA would even consider selling the IP outright though. (Although they did for Fallout...wonder how much Bethseda paid...)
 

Amber Witch

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Never. Simply because people are always complaining and unhappy with the game and there would be no satisfaction in giving MORE money than I already have during the past 18 years to EA. I don't think it would benefit anyone.

I would dig wells and water systems for areas of the world where women have to walk miles every day with a jug of water on their heads to get water to their homes. I'd support organizations like Doctors without Borders and Workers without Borders where people actually DO something to help others make their world a safer place.
 

Nexus

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^This sums it up nicely.

Also, if you win $900 million, you get what, $500 million from the lump sum payment? Then you pay your about 50% taxes and wind up with $250 million.

So really, while $250 million is still, ya know, $250 freak'n million, it's not $900 million.

If you don't take all cash and do payments instead, it's like what $10 million a year for 29 years and then a final payment of $300 million or something. Plus, you still have to pay your about 50% taxes, so really $5 million a year for 29 years and then a final payment of $150 million. Don't get me wrong, pretty sure I could get by on $5 mil a year. :)

And yes, if I won, I might think about investing in EA just to see if I could get enough influence to give UO a boost. Not sure EA would even consider selling the IP outright though. (Although they did for Fallout...wonder how much Bethseda paid...)
That's not exactly true. It will depend on the state you live in. The Lump Sum amount is $558,000,000 you'll pay $139,500,000 in Federal taxes on that leaving you with $418,500,000 after that the amount you'll get depends. In NY for example who taxes lottery winnings the most, you'd get to keep about $369,284,400 while in South Dakota you'd get to keep the entire $418,500,000 after taxes.

The Annuity is what I'd chose in this large a jackpot, even in NY where I live, the taxes would leave me with $19,854,000 a year for the next 29 years, and that annuity can be willed to a child. Once again in one of the States that doesn't tax lottery winnings, you'd get $22,500,000 a year.

Now as to what would I do with it? Well I wouldn't even think of trying to buy UO, regardless of if I picked an annuity or lump sum, there are better uses for the money. First off I'd take care of a few folks who've taken care of me when I needed it, after that I would set myself up for a nice long retirement.

EDIT
There's a nice site for checking how a lottery payout is broken down based on your state.


Powerball Jackpot Analysis | USA Mega
 
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Deaol

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If I won all my houses would eventually end up in a state of idoc... as I would have disappeared.. with my millions.
 

Lord Gandalf

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Buy UO, perform tons of bug fixes, link uo to steam with battle eye (ban every user using secondary programs), EC client revamp, and last but not least: take trammel down!!! Ohhh yes!

Love the topic :)
 

Jynxx

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If I won all my houses would eventually end up in a state of idoc... as I would have disappeared.. with my millions.

That's my plan. I'd end up with a nice piece of property on some Micronesian island for the rest of my life. I'd be much too busy relaxing on a beach to bother playing UO anymore.
 

Jirel of Joiry

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Well if I won the lottery, and after I had given money to the local homeless shelter, my favorite animal rescue orginazation, I would then turn my sights on buying enough EA stock to have a controlling interest, then organize stocks holders into doing some house cleaning at EA. EA has quite a library of good games, however they have the WORST customer service. I would give UO some love, but I would also fix EA's Customer NO Support. I would like to see EA have customer Service comparible to UbiSoft. I shouldn't complain though they could have customer service like Microsucks whose support you have to pay for, only for them to tell its not their problem/they don't know. :p
 

Gameboy

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Well if I won the lottery, and after I had given money to the local homeless shelter, my favorite animal rescue orginazation, I would then turn my sights on buying enough EA stock to have a controlling interest, then organize stocks holders into doing some house cleaning at EA. EA has quite a library of good games, however they have the WORST customer service. I would give UO some love, but I would also fix EA's Customer NO Support. I would like to see EA have customer Service comparible to UbiSoft. I shouldn't complain though they could have customer service like Microsucks whose support you have to pay for, only for them to tell its not their problem/they don't know. :p
I guess it can be odd how one's experience can be different from someone else's. I had Windows 7 out of IW and got free support with a service pack. The guy spent about 2 hours with me. As far as Ultima Online goes I had ONE real issue. The GM did try, I mean really try to help me. It had to do with a home and items. He was like digging under the ground to find them. He didn't and I think that's because they decayed by time he got there. I think buying EA stock would be the best way to go though :D
 

Merlin

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I would offer the developers a line of funding to get things done in the game, but I wouldn't offer to buy it out right. It would be too much of a hassle with EA to do that.

Well if I won the lottery, and after I had given money to the local homeless shelter, my favorite animal rescue orginazation, I would then turn my sights on buying enough EA stock to have a controlling interest, then organize stocks holders into doing some house cleaning at EA. EA has quite a library of good games, however they have the WORST customer service. I would give UO some love, but I would also fix EA's Customer NO Support. I would like to see EA have customer Service comparible to UbiSoft. I shouldn't complain though they could have customer service like Microsucks whose support you have to pay for, only for them to tell its not their problem/they don't know. :p
After taxes, your $900 million would MAYBE be half that. Maybe. And even if you got all $900 million in straight cash, you wouldn't even be able to buy enough stock in EA for it to be a footnote in their financial statements, let alone reorganize a company with ~$20 billion in market capitalization.
 

Dixie chessy/legends

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
id buy a holler.....then id probly give my uo junk away in a crazy giant idoc event....heck id buy new stuff to fill it with.......but buy UO, no...if i bought a holler there would be no need for uo lol
 

Dixie chessy/legends

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Forgive me, what is a holler?
im a hillbilly =) a holler here in southern WV is the place where the bottoms of the mountains meet....usually a dirt road running up along a creek that goes up one hillside or another connected to long grown up logging roads....lots and lots and lots of them here......this my friend is a holler ....ill show ya a pic of the holler i want....i spend most of my time there anyway........the road running top to bottom is the main highway.....the road running to the left is an old loggin road......that is a holler =) .u have low lands by the creek, grassy, scrub fields, old growth forest........enchanted place Capture_01092016_223732.jpg Capture_01092016_223732.jpg Capture_01092016_223732.jpg Capture_01092016_223732.jpg
 

Arroth Thaiel

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After taxes, your $900 million would MAYBE be half that. Maybe. And even if you got all $900 million in straight cash, you wouldn't even be able to buy enough stock in EA for it to be a footnote in their financial statements, let alone reorganize a company with ~$20 billion in market capitalization.
Ah but one can dream. Let's imagine what it would take to influence EA.

~300 million public shares (314 or something like that) at, let's call it $60, per stock. That's uh....carry the one......~18 billion dollars. (Easier math then the current 19.whatever market cap and actual share prices!)

Now, with our, let's say $400 million in lotto winnings, we can buy.....6,666,666 shares. The Devil number. See, we just proved EA is evil.

Or, (10% of 300 = 30, 5% = 15, 2.5% = 7.5) a bit shy of 2.5% of the company. Woot!

That would put us 10th on the ownership list! Well behind Vanguard and their 26 million shares.

The other owners might listen if we said, "HEY FIX UO!", but more likely they would just laugh at us and say we are old and in the way.

Ya think 5% would be enough to get the board to pay attention? Activist investors send out letters demanding action when they hit 5% right? Gotta win two lotto's to push EA's buttons!

Edit: I probably have a mistake(s) in the math. But I don't care.
 

Arroth Thaiel

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im a hillbilly =) a holler here in southern WV is the place where the bottoms of the mountains meet....usually a dirt road running up along a creek that goes up one hillside or another connected to long grown up logging roads....lots and lots and lots of them here......this my friend is a holler ....ill show ya a pic of the holler i want....i spend most of my time there anyway........the road running top to bottom is the main highway.....the road running to the left is an old loggin road......that is a holler =) .u have low lands by the creek, grassy, scrub fields, old growth forest........enchanted place
So, a "holla" is just a redneck word for valley? I actually thought it was a more specific term, like meadow or grove.
 
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