Endless Journey & Benefits for Paid Accounts

[Lady Storm]

One would hope our population would step up to bring them meaning vets, back up to speed and make the cross over to a paid sub.
As for the new player... helping them learn in not handing them a mill gold and patting their heads.
I believe giving them information on how to learn the game is better... along with that mill gold.
Show them how the game works, ask them if they have gone over the uoguide pages and stratics old play guide.
Reading is the best way to get a good grip of how we run.

 

[Lore]

So... was EJ the big news everyone kept dropping hints on? That's it? All that build up and intrigue about NDAs and I know, but you don't and it's just a trial that doesn't end?

 

[cobb]

Is there any reasonable argument of why they should get more? They will be getting already everything else, what's in the game, the EJ-player can't access...
Or is it just the ordinary "I just want more more more"?

Yes. It is standard practice for subscribers to receive a monthly stipend. At least that is how it was for the F2P games I've played. It is not something I came up with so I can receive more stuff.

 

[skett]

Even 5 sovereigns a month would a huge bonus better yet 10...

 

[Lady Storm]

I'd love to know why you feel you deserve anything because they are opening up the trial accounts to bring more players in?
Let's get real. Your not getting squat. The whole idea is to bring new and returning players back to the game and raise subscriptions.
While I do agree with the sentiment, I think the opportunity to bring more players back to the game filling shards that need the fresh blood is more important.
I'd like to see a one time incentive package to the paid convergence of a EJ persons account a good idea as well.
We all know that the 1,000 gold and little else is not sufficient to start out with..
The idea I had is to make a "greetings, thank you for joining us" package.

100,000 gold (this is a one time gift addition to the account to the first character only)
Spell book with first 4 levels of it filled.
Rune book with 16 charges filed in and 4 runes (Haven, Britain, Luna, Moonglow)
Instruction book on skills selected at start up.

The idea is the 100k will allow the whole account to find its feet and get them off the ground running not tripping over older players for financial help.
Spell book to level 4 spells gives them up to recall. Most young players need the first 4 levels for basic game play.
The rune book is another main thing id add in as some shards it can be difficult to find one right now, and the 4 runes are very usefull.
Haven for the basic reasons, Britain has been our over all starting point for all skills to be found, Luna as its the hub for advanced players, Moonglow because of the access to ways to learn basic fighting and light spawn.. the cotton field to do both get a fair jump on crafting.
A basic Instruction book with a run down of how a skill/trade with combos and basic workings that will gain them further.

Everything else is something they can manage when learning the game.
Armor and cloths while some may say they need a LRC suit or a basic armor set to survive might have merit but its not something they cant get on their own with a bit of work learning the game. They will need goals.

Mind you EJ sounds good, we can hope it gives people the incentive to turn to a paid account once they get the feel of the game.
My hope is this doesn't turn into a fiasco.

 

[Larisa]

EJ won't bring ANYONE if they don't advertise...the 20th party wasn't....only on uo.com....anyone see any commercials? YouTube Video's??

20 years is HUGE! It should have been EVERYWHERE!

How are we supposed to get new players if no one even knows about it?

Did they mention anything about that at the party?

I am glad they are doing it...no us Subbed people don't get anything extra...why would we? We have houses, they won't, we have vet rewards, they won't, we have holiday gifts, they won't.....etc. etc.

As far as the auction system? As stated, and I have asked Ry and Nexus cus they were there...IF you have a subbed account and put stuff in your bank, then leave for 90 days (you CANNOT have a house on an account) then come back....your bank will be untouched but inaccessible (AFAIK about the inaccessible part, maybe we might be able to look into the bank but not take anything out of it) BUT EJ accounts will have vault storage accessible to every character on that shard. If you want the stuff you put in your bank, just re-sub and it will all be there.

The Vault that goes to Auction is an EXTRA thing you have to pay for, and as Ry and Nexus and I discussed, I was a bit Leery...why pay for something if, by some chance, your CC doesn't go through, or Acct. management fails to send an e-mail and your account goes inactive, whatever is in that vault goes up for auction. BUT for Shard Transfers, people who want to play other shards and don't have a house...etc. it's an excellent idea, just don't put anything in there you don't want to lose

I know a few people who have wanted to come back over the years but because so much as changed, 14 days is just not enough time to learn it all, and they didn't want to spend the sub fee in case they really didn't want to stay...EJ is going to be a GREAT thing, I have already talked to several former players who are going to return when that is implemented.

 

[Thrakkar]

20 years is HUGE! It should have been EVERYWHERE!

Not yet, as there isn't anything to show.
As far as I understood, all EJ features aren't even 100% fleshed out. They still design phase and haven't started implementing it. People said it is expected 2018 Q1.
Once everything is done and rolled out to live shards, then they have something to announce.

 

[Riyana]

This is my understanding of the vault:

-Both paid and EJ accounts will have bank boxes per character (though EJ will have less).
-Both paid and EJ accounts can pay an extra monthly fee for a bank vault that is accessible and shared by all characters on a given server.
-When the extra monthly fee for the vault lapses, the vault contents will be up for auction.
-Individual bank boxes remain safe; however, accounts that downgrade to EJ will not be able to access ALL of their banked items (the specifics of what determines what will and will not be accessible were not explicitly described that I saw). It is ONLY the extra charge shared vault that will be made auctionable.

So from what I understand, you can carry on with your bankboxes as you do now just fine. An EJ account, since it won't have a house to trade items, can instead pay for a vault (which I presume will be a smaller fee than a full sub?) to safely swap items between characters on a given shard.

 

[Larisa]

Not yet, as there isn't anything to show.
As far as I understood, all EJ features aren't even 100% fleshed out. They still design phase and haven't started implementing it. People said it is expected 2018 Q1.
Once everything is done and rolled out to live shards, then they have something to announce.

Nothing to show?

20 years! That's a LOT to show!

And it isn't just about EJ, it's about 20 FREAKING YEARS! lol it should have been shouted from the mountain tops...that's HUGE...

Also some clarification, the Vault Storage will be available to both Subbed and EJ accounts and EJ accounts WILL have limited access to the bank but it was unclear on HOW limited...I'm sure we'll know more as the time draws closer and they work out all the details...maybe it will change from now to then, I just think it's great news.

 

[Deraj]

For me the paying subscriber, the real benefit of Endless Journey is that there will be more players running around, and it will be easier to get former players to return and try UO again. Keep the stuff; I don't need any extra perks or sovereigns or anything like that, I just want more people in-game. That's what this is all about.

On a bit of a tangent, Endless Journey makes me wonder if the cost of playing UO could be more compartmentalized. As an example, anyone could access the basic UO experience on a F2P basis with a basic account. $5/month for a bank box. $5/month for a vault. $5/month for a house (and an additional $5/month per house for more houses on a single account if you didn't want to open up more accounts). $2/month for X amount of additional storage/bank boxes/whatever. Those are just arbitrary numbers and examples but hopefully they get the point across. Then you can pay based on how you want to play the game.

 

[Merlin]

Late on Friday night, a group of us were sitting with Mesanna and they topic of marketing came up. I specifically asked her if it was possible that some ad banners could be placed on other well-known video game blogs and websites in an effort to "show off" that UO had turned 20. She said some ideas like this were going to be in motion, but also noted that EA has been an obstacle from time to time.

She also noted that due to these new "Endless Journey" accounts being technically and legally a "change in service", as opposed to a pure marketing campaign, they will be able to send an email to nearly every email address that has ever registered for the game. There are a great deal of players who have not been contacted by UO in years due to legal restrictions on marketing and spam, and this will be a way for them to get around it and contact a large swath of former players.

 

[Riyana]

My biggest concerns with Endless Journey are:

-Unless scripting is seriously addressed, Endless Journey may result in an explosion of new scripting accounts on top of the many that already exist. This would ultimately be more a detriment than a boon to the game.

-New and returning players face a staggering learning and economic curve that the game really doesn't help with and that twenty years of various approaches actually makes worse. There needs to be a robust new player experience implemented. Additionally, I think that a lot of items should be re-thought as for where they fit in vet rewards versus store items versus one-off gifts versus normal gameplay--new and returning players find themselves dependent on old vets for needed and/or highly advantageous gameplay items. While encouraging interaction is good, forcing dependency is not. This is not entirely the fault of the current team, but it is something that I think should be addressed and made more standard going forth, especially with as massive a shift as EJ represents.

 

[Drelkag]

The limits on a free account already make subscribing and supporting the game worthwhile.

She also noted that due to these new "Endless Journey" accounts being technically and legally a "change in service", as opposed to a pure marketing campaign, they will be able to send an email to nearly every email address that has ever registered for the game. There are a great deal of players who have not been contacted by UO in years due to legal restrictions on marketing and spam, and this will be a way for them to get around it and contact a large swath of former players.

The free system has been getting the game some coverage. I saw an article on Massively that brought me and a friend back just yesterday.

 

[MoxZinnia]

-Both paid and EJ accounts can pay an extra monthly fee for a bank vault that is accessible and shared by all characters on a given server.
-When the extra monthly fee for the vault lapses, the vault contents will be up for auction.

Oh ho, so extra storage! Hope it is worth the price. The housing extra storage increases are extra disappointing if you don't have a castle, since it is a percent of what you already have: Have a ton of storage? Have a ton more! Have a teeny bit of storage? Have a piddling amount more for the same price! If this is a flat amount that everyone pays the same for, it is already an improvement.

My one concern for it would be how quickly would the contents be lost to auction? I am forever forgetting my account until I try to log in and find my time is up. I finally just bought a six month card last time so I don't have to bother with it til winter. But it seems like it would be even easier to forget storage vault payments, and while not being able to log on is a great reminder that I need to reup my account, I am not sure what would remind me about the vault. Will it be a viable option for forgetful people?

 

[skett]

I think she said something about being able to buy up account age so people can get the vet rewards not sure how this would work

Also making it possible to purchase vet rewards in the store that your account can already claim.

 

[Lore]

I just wish I could see this communicated somewhere in a form that is complete, easy to read, and without speculation. The vault sounds amazing and like storage wars and I could see it being used for the complaint of scripters at IDOCs where everything in a house goes in a vault and is then auctioned.

 

[The Craftsman]

UO already has so many features of a F2P microtransaction game. Extra character slots, Name change tokens, shard transfer tokens, extra storage, sovereigns, advanced character tokens, stable slots and a whole host of others, plus more being introduced at every opportunity. Its absolutely shocking that they still have the chutzpah to charge a subscription for the game.

 

[ShriNayne]

Well people have been paying it for 20 years, they are onto a good thing!

 

[MalagAste]

IMO all this is speculation at best... until EJ is actually a thing we honestly shouldn't get our undies in a wad.

Take a moment... Take a Breath... and just chillax until they make some FORMAL announcement as to what is going to be involved. Remember none of this is in game yet... nothing is done... and as Mesanna likes to mention... It's easy to give stuff... but hard to take it away. I'm sure she has many things in mind and all but until it's closer to launch... speculating and getting all upset about it when it may or may not ever happen or might be out of reach of what can be done... is silly.

 

[Thrakkar]

IMO all this is speculation at best

Their preliminary FAQ is online:
Endless Journey – Ultima Online

 

[MalagAste]

Their preliminary FAQ is online:
Endless Journey – Ultima Online

Until it's go for launch... not putting any money on any of that.

 

[Lady Storm]

Finally someone else who has heard it from the boss's mouth!!!
Thank you Merlin!
EA has put its foot down on ton of things she and the dev have wanted to benefit the game and players.
Steam is case in point. EA said never. Its a dead horse.
UO might be under Broadsword control but it still belongs to EA.
So remember that the next time Mesanna says something and it don't happen..
EA can and will nix at whim and there is nothing she or the others can do.

 

[Picus of Napa]

EJ should be fel based only. 120 skill cap, 720 point and up to date with expansions. 125 item bank with a 5000 stone limit. Wanna tram it up, you pay up but otherwise you can play in fel. Would not be the worst idea.

 

[old gypsy]

EJ should be fel based only...

I expect a larger number might return if they had the option to choose either Tram or Fel... but could switch at will later only if they subscribed.

 

[Lore]

Fel only actually sounds like a legit request. would bring something back for paid accounts too. Fresh Meat.

 

[CovenantX]

Haha, Flood Fel with newbies that don't know the game yet, let alone know anything about pvp.... Yea, that won't work.

 

[Lore]

Haha, Flood Fel with newbies that don't know the game yet, let alone know anything about pvp.... Yea, that won't work.

Why not? It's how a lot of people started. The vets will have one up for being a vet naturally and there may potentially be plenty of players to provide fun with each other. Just imagine the fun of looting a corpse in Moonglow cematary again that wasn't yours and turning grey only to be killed.

 

[Picus of Napa]

Haha, Flood Fel with newbies that don't know the game yet, let alone know anything about pvp.... Yea, that won't work.

While you will the odd fresh fish with this type of net I think this will appeal to the former player willing to give it a go again. I would be willing to bet that a sizable number of people would be willing to buy gold from an authorized service to fund a fel based game. Let it be free and wild but for those who wish to own a house/access and play in relative safety vs the big bad fel....

Who knows but I can see the upside of this.

 

[Lady Storm]

Newbies in fel is like ringing the dinner bell at an all you can eat buffet for a pack of hungry wolfs...
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND???????????
We want more players not a death pile at the log in point!
Look I live in fel on most shards..
I happen to like it... but putting it full of newbies or even worse old players... are you out of your freeking gourd?

 

[CovenantX]

Why not? It's how a lot of people started.

#1) Except back then everyone was new.

#2) Most of the people that are willing & do help new/returning players are typically not found in Fel.

Who knows but I can see the upside of this.

Sure, I'm not saying there aren't any upsides, I'm just saying I doubt it would be anywhere near as successful at attracting and keeping players for the long-term.

The biggest thing UO needs is more "visible" players to make the game look and feel more lively, but honestly, even if Trammel takes the majority (and it will) there will be some people that become interested in pvp.

I just don't think it's fair to put in people that'd have no idea how the game works with a bunch of veterans in pvp where half of the vet-pvpers wouldn't do much in terms of keeping the new players interested.

Basically, Existing players will (IMO) prevent many people from sticking around, if it were restricted to Fel-only.

 

[Finley Grant]

the biggest issues in my opinion are:

1. acc management
2. new player experience
3. no proper advertisement
4. stuff a new character gets.
5. better intregration of the ingame shop

towards point 4 i would like to see them making a compromise to not frustrate the person in 1h. i know we all started with nothing but this is i think not up to date anymore. i would not do more gold as this can be exploited but i would do something like the following:

Mages: get a 60 each resist suit with 75 LRC and 20 lmc plus 2/4 casting, a spellbook filled to the 4th circle, with that you can at least do something
Warriors: 60 each resist suit with 25 lmc 5 stamina per piece 3 mana per piece, a weapon depending on the skill with medium DI HML HLL HSL

ALL should get a runebook with 20 recall charges and the major places like brit luna haven etc.

with that and some book nicely written by experienced players (fitting the skills) a new player should be able to get a 1000 time better start then current and maybe not quit withing one evening


towards 5.
with that i mean that for example the new player automatically gets a popup advertising for example advanced / myth token if he she dont want to train skills

or when your are crafting you get a note that there is that tool to enhance with 100% success

basically something like, if you do this -> note: did you know that xyz is avail in shop to help. OFC with the option in options to stop that

 

[ShriNayne]

I agree with Finley, new players should get a basic starter pack of some kind. A book and a candle are not of much use in the world! It's really hard for new players now with the population being so top-heavy of people that have played a long time and have huge resources. On Europa we do try to help new and returning players with equipment, we have a place for them to meet veterans and get help, but not all shards do that.

 

[Lore]

If you give players gear better than what you get off zombies and skeletons why would a new player fight zombies and skeletons? It sounds great on paper, but eventually it means another rework of where new players start and what they are training against.

Also with 70 phys resist everything but the Ogre Lords will be trivial on New Haven island. That's not fun either.

And to the Fel point, when's the last time you guys actually ran through Fel? I go to Fel rarely, but the few times I do I never see other players at prime time on Atlanta. And no one is saying they can't go to Ilsh or other lands. Just not Trammel.

 

[Capt. Lucky]

I have 3 or 4 dead accounts from way back. I wonder if they have any stuff on them...

 

[BeaIank]

They will indeed have to offer a better equipment package to new players.
I would go as far as giving them a spellbook with up to 6th circle filled so they can keep gaining magery past 60 till they actually get the hang of the game. And give a suit with decent resists, decent LRC and LMC, some MI/MR so they get familiarized with those mods for mages and SI/MI for warriors suits.

And also, GET A BLOODY NEWBIE DUNGEON like old despise at Haven mine so they have a place where they can fight stuff that is adequately challenging to their skill levels and player skills. Even put a mini boss at the deep end of the dungeon that drops some okay stuff so they can upgrade their equipment slightly to prepare them to face the rest of the game.
There isn't a dungeon where they can learn how to fight monsters and get some decent gold while doing it right now after Despise was killed to add that mini game.

 

[Tina Small]

I agree with Finley, new players should get a basic starter pack of some kind. A book and a candle are not of much use in the world! It's really hard for new players now with the population being so top-heavy of people that have played a long time and have huge resources. On Europa we do try to help new and returning players with equipment, we have a place for them to meet veterans and get help, but not all shards do that.

New accounts do get something, although it seems to be a bit lacking in useful stuff: New Player Starter Kit Token - UOGuide, the Ultima Online Encyclopedia .

 

[BeaIank]

New accounts do get something, although it seems to be a bit lacking in useful stuff: New Player Starter Kit Token - UOGuide, the Ultima Online Encyclopedia .

I never got that thing when creating my accounts, and I always created them using the Stygian Abyss + 30 days code.

 

[ShriNayne]

@Tina Small Hmmm okay, at least that is a start! But that token is listed as being included with the purchase of Stygian Abyss, once everyone has Stygian Abyss upgrade on their account will they still be giving it? Or do they have something a bit more useful in mind, 20k gold is a bit stingy!
Also there seem to be a few provisos with the use of that item *sigh*

 

[ShriNayne]

They will indeed have to offer a better equipment package to new players.
I would go as far as giving them a spellbook with up to 6th circle filled so they can keep gaining magery past 60 till they actually get the hang of the game. And give a suit with decent resists, decent LRC and LMC, some MI/MR so they get familiarized with those mods for mages and SI/MI for warriors suits.

And also, GET A BLOODY NEWBIE DUNGEON like old despise at Haven mine so they have a place where they can fight stuff that is adequately challenging to their skill levels and player skills. Even put a mini boss at the deep end of the dungeon that drops some okay stuff so they can upgrade their equipment slightly to prepare them to face the rest of the game.
There isn't a dungeon where they can learn how to fight monsters and get some decent gold while doing it right now after Despise was killed to add that mini game.

Yes! 1000% yes! They truly have no idea what a great loss Despise was, so many returning players have been greatly saddened at the demise of Despise....including me!

 

[Tina Small]

I never got that thing when creating my accounts, and I always created them using the Stygian Abyss + 30 days code.

I don't think the kit was ever well- advertised. Best as I can tell, it was added around August 2010. I've never actually seen the kit myself, just read about it. All of my accounts were started before then.

A Call to Arms - Ultima Online - MMORPG.com

 

[BeaIank]

I don't think the kit was ever well- advertised. Best as I can tell, it was added around August 2010. I've never actually seen the kit myself, just read about it. All of my accounts were started before then.

A Call to Arms - Ultima Online - MMORPG.com

All mine were created after that and I never got this thing.
Alas, the armour given with it and the 20K don't get you far anyway.
It needs to be much better than that for the players that will join us when EJ starts.

 

[Lore]

Could be because all accounts are automatically set at 3 mo?

 

[Merlin]

They will indeed have to offer a better equipment package to new players.
I would go as far as giving them a spellbook with up to 6th circle filled so they can keep gaining magery past 60 till they actually get the hang of the game. And give a suit with decent resists, decent LRC and LMC, some MI/MR so they get familiarized with those mods for mages and SI/MI for warriors suits.

And also, GET A BLOODY NEWBIE DUNGEON like old despise at Haven mine so they have a place where they can fight stuff that is adequately challenging to their skill levels and player skills. Even put a mini boss at the deep end of the dungeon that drops some okay stuff so they can upgrade their equipment slightly to prepare them to face the rest of the game.
There isn't a dungeon where they can learn how to fight monsters and get some decent gold while doing it right now after Despise was killed to add that mini game.

This ^^^^.

If one of the focuses of the EJ account launch will be to improve on the new player experience, there needs to be a more comprehensive new player fighting and training area. While UO typically has never been a game to "hold hands" and relied on other participation from other players to guide new players along... I think a push in the direction suggested by @Bealank is a good path to move in.

New players should also start with a little more than the 500 (or 1000?) gold which they currently begin with. That's a kick in the crapper considering current inflation. I'm not saying give them millions or anything... but I don't think starting with 100K would be game breaking.

 

[It Lives]

I remember starting Uo for the first time started with very little and had even less by the end of the first day. It was not until I put some effort into learning the game that I started making any gains. There is a lot to learn and even now I can not say I know it all. I ran around dead for a day or two exploring areas I normally could not(I hate orc mages)... point is I am rather glad I had nothing to start with it makes all the experiences worth more.

Starting with little forces interaction at some level and helps new players get into a mmo mind set, not some single player save or delete game. We all have had to rely on other people at some point in the game. Returning Veterans have many ways to get back into the game rather quickly these days so no real effort needs to be applied there.

also I believe New Players should start in a more populated city(lol) not in some dingy corner very few visit.

 

[Lore]

Instead of bringing new players up they need to bring vets down. Gold needs a huge number crunch.

 

[Tyrath]

I think she said something about being able to buy up account age so people can get the vet rewards not sure how this would work

Also making it possible to purchase vet rewards in the store that your account can already claim.

I like the idea of just being able to buy the rewards that your account is old enough to claim. There is still the mechanism in game to obtain those items for free, so a method for those with the means to buy more could do so. Younger accounts ............. I don't know maybe cap them at buying up to 10 years.

 

[Tyrath]

Instead of bringing new players up they need to bring vets down. Gold needs a huge number crunch.

Bigger problem is the endless plats of scripted gold and cheap gold at that. Need something just hit the RMT site and buy as much gold as you want or need for cheap. So a new player comes in and sees buy this cool thing for 500,000,000 when they have been farming ettins for a month and don't even have 500k they are either going to become part of the problem or say screw it and move on.

 

[Tina Small]

All mine were created after that and I never got this thing.
Alas, the armour given with it and the 20K don't get you far anyway.
It needs to be much better than that for the players that will join us when EJ starts.

Were your accounts ever "trial" accounts? Everything I'm reading about the new player kit says you don't get it when you upgrade a trial account.

I think the whole new player experience needs a drastic revamp. It would be nice to know if the dev team is working on this and if they are getting any player input on it. I suppose if the secret focus group is involved, none of the rest of us will ever know.

 

[Tyrath]

Yes! 1000% yes! They truly have no idea what a great loss Despise was, so many returning players have been greatly saddened at the demise of Despise....including me!

Heck even many vet players spent a lot of time in despise at the OLs, Cyclops and Titans. Despise was hands down the most used and popular dungeon for everyone from new folks fighting lizard men and farming spined leather to old farts training pets or combat skills to 120s in the depths. To remove that........... Yeah I can only speculate they were off their meds that day.

 

[ShriNayne]

@Tyrath I can't even talk about Despise or New Haven, it makes me so damn angry every time I think on it!

So who actually got one of these new player kits? I confess I had never seen or heard of it before. But as always with UO the criteria for getting one is a bit vague and it was not so well thought out...it could have actually been helpful *sigh*