Holy crap, is this what KR is all about?

[Trebr Drab]

From the blog of an ex UO programmer, The Jashua Tree.

The UO2.3 started at Origin and was originally using a custom engine, then we evaluated several different EA engines and eventually went with the Sims 2 Engine (which is actually Maxis' engine, called the Gonzo-Rizzo Framework [yeah, no idea]). It was big and bloated and I hated working on it.

We were toying around with being able to play several of your characters at the same time (on one account) and actually had a concept video made up for it. In the end we were going to call it "Kingdoms" (probably the 'Kingdom' in the Kingdom Reborn name) and it was going to have an RTS element where your house was actually a much larger estate and you had workers, fighters, etc.

Personally, I'd love this "estate" with hirelings idea. However, I'm holding my hopes down because as we all know, EA has a way of letting their corporate structure get in the way of good ideas.

There's more of interest in this blog post, if you care to read it.

http://kriegshauser.blogspot.com/2007/11/decade-of-ultima-online-part-2.html

 

[kennykilleduo]

Ahh Mr Speedman another great one that got away...

 

[Trebr Drab]

Ahh Mr Speedman another great one that got away...

This guy is Speedman? I didn't know, and I agree they should not have let him get away. Too much corporate nonsense stuff again.

Otherwise, I'm surprised that there's not been more comments here. If they do this, and do it right, it would be extremely exciting. At least to me. Are there no other UO players who find this an exciting idea?

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

OMG!!! UO Sims? ROFL...la

 

[Trebr Drab]

OMG!!! UO Sims? ROFL...la

No. With this idea, you'd not only be able to play your own character, but also your hirelings. Guards, tradesmen, whatever. It'd be like adding a little bit of Civilization or Ages Of Empires to an MMORPG, but maintaining your primary character(s) too.

Hopefully also some estate construction ideas, perhaps also similar to those games. Sort of like building a complex/estate.

I know it's very unlikely that an idea like this actually makes it, but the lack of any enthusiasm at all here tells a tale of it's own, I suppose.

 

[warddw]

I LOVE the idea of being able to run some sort of farming estate...wish they had gone forward with that...as much fun as the fighting is I remember the fun had when the plants first came out wondering what each generation would bring...please reconsider doing this!

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

No. With this idea, you'd not only be able to play your own character, but also your hirelings. Guards, tradesmen, whatever. It'd be like adding a little bit of Civilization or Ages Of Empires to an MMORPG, but maintaining your primary character(s) too.

Oh, kinda like a single player game? Doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of a MMORPG?...la

 

[Trebr Drab]

Oh, kinda like a single player game? Doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of a MMORPG?...la

Rico, place those elements in an MMO. As I said. You're being obstinate, like any good thief, eh?

 

[TheScoundrelRico]

It just seem to really take away from any hint of community this game still has...like I said, you might as well play a single player console game if that's what you want in a game...la

 

[Nosuperiors_Damnfewequals]

Boy, did KR ever take a left turn somewhere!
sheeesh

 

[Trebr Drab]

It just seem to really take away from any hint of community this game still has...like I said, you might as well play a single player console game if that's what you want in a game...la

No, it's the next step towards player built towns. I mean really built entirely, with roads, temples, defensive walls, etc. (Like in games like Civilization, only with massive numbers of players cooperating together in a larger scale version of Estate building.)

Common people, open your eyes to the possibilities here.

Also, until games can have NPCs that act like guards, so that players can defend their stuffs while not online (and this includes AI for these NPCs), we can't have crimes that allow players like thieves to function. We can't have any justice system without player controlled guards as the first line of defense.

But as an alternative, we can always ask these game companies to continue the current course. Then we can all cry how boring and unchallenging it is together as we continue to accumulate shinyshiny beyond our capacity to store it all.

I know, maybe we can ask for shiny trash piles behind our houses, to show off what we've deemed too lowly for our status.

 

[dielock]

Wow!! Interesting insight. Now I understand a bit more.

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

I know, maybe we can ask for shiny trash piles behind our houses, to show off what we've deemed too lowly for our status.

*Footnote: already done (bank floor the other) ... just need circle of transparency on to see them, before they decay. /footnote

Whoa! take a breath ... actually, take a break ... calm down and take a walk outside ...
meditate for a day or two after ... THEN give this one-liner a try:
"Common people, open your eyes to the possibilities here. "

I'm all for thinking outta the box, and dreaming of possibilities ... but that doesn't WORK unless ... you can see some negitive outcomes ...
and thats where I'll have to back Rico as being right ...

Throwing more programmable bots into the game ... IS more towards "single player" type games ...
Earlier when you said that "you'd not only be able to play your own character, but also your hirelings. Guards, tradesmen, whatever." ...
FIRST thought I had was "wonder how many players would "disappear" ... not quit/cancel/logout ...but be lost in a oneself argument" ...
never mind a multi account player on multi mains ... Picture this: TWO Fayleds ...at the same time ...doing anything "ingame" ...
"Common people, open your eyes to the possibilities here. " *sounds of distant screams and wailing*

And, for another aspect (after the cleansing breath, first line)
"We can't have any justice system without player controlled guards as the first line of defense."

Now its time for You to "Common"(comeon, come-on) FIRST thing "needed" is an educated and wary "Population" ... supported by "common practice/rules" and enforced by both software mechanics AND (final resort) an unbiased, knowlegeable GM staff (to act as FINAL judge, jury and executioneer) ... with NO appeals following on (dead men don't cry ...) ingame, on forums, email ... True "player justice" is a chimera ...for real players ... bots are NOT our saviors ... if so ...well, "mankind" has already "failed".

Being "open minded" is one thing ...having your brains Fall out is another ...

Burma Shave

 

[Nestorius]

I'm glad UO 2.3 never came out. The hireling estate idea is great, but an obvious fleeing from the detail work on the existing game. I wouldn't want to see a team try it until they could develop a UO 3d client superior to the existing 2d and an NPC AI that speaks, like in 1990's before Hanse implimented his localization updates.

 

[Revenant2]

I LOVE the idea of being able to run some sort of farming estate...wish they had gone forward with that...as much fun as the fighting is I remember the fun had when the plants first came out wondering what each generation would bring...please reconsider doing this!

That would be neat.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I'm glad UO 2.3 never came out. The hireling estate idea is great, but an obvious fleeing from the detail work on the existing game. I wouldn't want to see a team try it until they could develop a UO 3d client superior to the existing 2d and an NPC AI that speaks, like in 1990's before Hanse implimented his localization updates.

Yeah, I would definitely agree with NPCs speaking like before the localization stuff. I also wouldn't want to lose many aspects of the existing game, but there are plenty of other things I'd sure like to lose (AoS items comes immediately to mind as an example, but I doubt that'll ever happen).

The thing is, they already have these things, so dropping anything is a choice, not an automatic result.

They need a new 3D that is superior to the existing 3D. The tall avatars look like they don't come from this world. While the architecture art is great, and the spell effects are too, the avatar art leaves allot to be desired.

 

[Strawberry]

If they use the Sims 2 engine, why does Sims 2 look great and KR look like piles of dog doo?

As for the running an estate with hirelings etc., I'd buy that as a separate stand-alone game. It sounds like a dramatically updated SimFarm. I wish they'd make it.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I'm really hesitant to call this "Sim" anything. They only used the engine for what they were doing. The rest of it was quite different than "Sims". And I think the current KR engine might be different to quite a degree to include what all is in UO.

 

[Doomsday Dragon]

Had UO gone in that direction I would have packed up and left in an instant.

What I would love to see is a new UO like they were planning with UO2 only done with a modern engine possibly a new one but with the same smooth control that UO currently has. I think controls something like U9 would work if they were ironed out a little further.

I would also say that we should be able to port our UO characters in without losing them on the current servers.

And if it included the above with a sweet housing system and more customization of things I may play it. MAY play it but I still think in the end it would flop.

UO2D is time tested and proven and if it was just worked on with as much effort that has gone into trying to make a new UO it might actually be a good game once again.