T
Tazar
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I'm a volunteer and I had adblock long before I came to Stratics.
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An Official UO Forum: Would you support it?
- Thread starter Jirel of Joiry
- Start date
- Watchers 2
Lord Gareth
UO Content Editor | UO Chesapeake & Rares News
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
Why would you block your own sites ads if you were for them? And not all of us have the ability to block ads or want to block ads. browse a lot from my work place and they use IE and at home I don't want to block ads in general, only stratics has made me want to get an ad blocker all of a sudden.
If you dont want to block them then...dont? You can always disable the ad blocker and enable it whenever you want. Sometimes I like the Ads for those little browser games I get addicted to for 24hrs. Love them little mini free games hehe.
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Woodsman
Guest
Looking back at this, the UO community would still be spread across 3 message boards, but that's not really a problem, even with how small UO's community is.
There should always be at least one or two forums that are not controlled by BioWare. That applies to any MMO, and all major MMOs have third party forums in addition to their regular forums. Players should always have a place to go that's not controlled by the company that owns the MMO.
Of course, all major MMOs except for UO and Camelot have official forums, and I have my theories on why that is. The theory being that the only excuse for BioWare not to add on a half-dozen forums to their huge forums site for UO and Camelot is that they were told not to by somebody in upper management. Instead, UO and Camelot are given Facebook pages, and poorly managed Facebook pages at that, complete with free shard spam and people trashing UO. Even Warhammer was given official BioWare forums.
Things are changing, so I've been told, and I've now seen an EA executive publicly saying that UO is "widely profitable" so things probably will be different six months from now.
I can't block them in IE and I just said I was against them being official anything as long as they bury users in ads.
How many official forums do you know that "require" ad blockers to use?
Lord Gareth
UO Content Editor | UO Chesapeake & Rares News
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
That would be a good marriage
5
5% Luck
Guest
I am really surprised with all the complaints about the ads here.
Do you all use IE or something?
Jeezze. Get noscripts and set it up to only allow those needed to read/post like me
Do you all use IE or something?
Jeezze. Get noscripts and set it up to only allow those needed to read/post like me
Cool.
Do you have a link, or a more-specific recollection, for that quote?
Only references I can find are a pre-WHO announcement, was said in the context of why WHO didn't need to be a WoW killer to be successful; UO was described as "wildly profitable" at 100k subscribers.
I used to link people to that and, I kid you not, get made fun of. Actual links, quotes, and evidence are too much for people I guess.
But anyway, I last saw that quote some years back but you seem to be thinking of something more recent...Do you have it?
*crosses fingers*
-Galen's player
Yes, that was indeed legendary, but at the very least you would be spared being the closest thing we have to an official forum.
That can't be good for Petra's blood pressure.
While I have been clear in being critical of Stratics I also think I've been clear that I understand that there is a degree to which you literally have an impossible job; my remark about Stratics likely supporting an official forums was meant in that context.
-Galen's player
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Woodsman
Guest
Well this quote was "widely profitable" not "wildly profitable"
and it was from a couple of days ago.Link: Ultima Online is Widely Profitable, According to EA Games Head
They have the quote that was from an interview on a pay website.
I wonder though, because if UO was that profitable, EA sure doesn't act like it. I'll know EA has changed their attitude towards UO when it's acknowledged more prominently, when UO's website gets a makeover, and UO gets official forums instead of a crappy facebook page.
Maybe it's highly profitable because it doesn't take much to keep the game running and they just don't put much into this game. From what I've understood, there isn't very many people who work on UO after cuts were made a couple times to the staff.
Considering that for years, the UO patch screen was routinely loaded with outdated information... I doubt UO could devote the resources to properly maintain a forum. (It is nice that they are finally using the patch screen to provide current info.)
1) If you get in trouble/suspended/banned on the official forum it affects your UO account(s)
I am also strongly against this ^^^. Considering the differences in GM responses to issues, there is no way I'd want my account tied to a forum where someone having a bad day might lock it due to a post of mine they didn't like. A forum ban, fine... account related penalties... NO WAY!
Sadly, looking at how UO customer service is run I can't see how they could run a forum and deal with the issues involved. I don't want to say they don't care... but it sure seems that way.
I also think Stratics has become a crutch for EA/UO Customer Service. As long as Stratics exists, UO has no real reason to provide support for the game themselves. Of course, by now the co-dependent relationship has been solidified past any hope of return.
Actually I've been meaning to do a post in the OT forum about EA/UO customer service so I guess I'll go do that now...
1) If you get in trouble/suspended/banned on the official forum it affects your UO account(s)
I am also strongly against this ^^^. Considering the differences in GM responses to issues, there is no way I'd want my account tied to a forum where someone having a bad day might lock it due to a post of mine they didn't like. A forum ban, fine... account related penalties... NO WAY!
Sadly, looking at how UO customer service is run I can't see how they could run a forum and deal with the issues involved. I don't want to say they don't care... but it sure seems that way.
I also think Stratics has become a crutch for EA/UO Customer Service. As long as Stratics exists, UO has no real reason to provide support for the game themselves. Of course, by now the co-dependent relationship has been solidified past any hope of return.
Actually I've been meaning to do a post in the OT forum about EA/UO customer service so I guess I'll go do that now...
Thank you.Well this quote was "widely profitable" not "wildly profitable"
Link: Ultima Online is Widely Profitable, According to EA Games Head
They have the quote that was from an interview on a pay website.
I wonder though, because if UO was that profitable, EA sure doesn't act like it. I'll know EA has changed their attitude towards UO when it's acknowledged more prominently, when UO's website gets a makeover, and UO gets official forums instead of a crappy facebook page.
"Widely profitable" is weird. I wonder if he meant to say "wildly," emulating the earlier quote.
-Galen's player
Yes it is.
They don't get enough credit for this. Which is to say they deserve some, and are getting hardly any at all, or none.
-Galen's player
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Fayled Dhreams
Guest
Well this quote was "widely profitable" not "wildly profitable"
Link: Ultima Online is Widely Profitable, According to EA Games Head
They have the quote that was from an interview on a pay website.
I wonder though, because if UO was that profitable, EA sure doesn't act like it. I'll know EA has changed their attitude towards UO when it's acknowledged more prominently, when UO's website gets a makeover, and UO gets official forums instead of a crappy facebook page.
Likely a typo ...
ALL of the adjectives are basically "equivalent"
Widely, Wildly, Extremely, Marginally
Without numbers ... EAs position is easily seen( EA sure doesn't act like it).
"... a crappy facebook page"
Facebook access is essentially "free to use" ... yes?
while we're at it ... twitter too?
Those are "somewhat" the cutting edge of "social networks" ... yes?
IF I were to (typically) over estimate EAs marketing arm ...
And they were to have a plan, to "test the waters" re UOs ever enduring draw/popularity ...
well ... If YOU were the competent marketer that implemented the plan ...
From the facebook and twit #s ...
what would YOUR current conclusions be ...
It is true there is a lot of negativity floating around, I always try and give UO credit when they do something good. However, keeping that patch screen current is something they should have been doing as a matter of routine... so it's a bit odd to give them an "attaboy" when they finally fix it.
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Woodsman
Guest
Still, the head of EA Games acknowledging UO and saying it was still profitable counts for something. It may not seem like a big deal, but when was the last time an EA exec went on the record as saying that.
I don't think so.
I think it makes a lot of sense to react positively to positive things.
-Galen's player
I think it's a big deal to be sure.
Where I have doubts, however, is in that it will lead them to do anything positive for us.
-Galen's player
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Woodsman
Guest
If the graphics update is done properly, it'll go a long way towards changing a lot of attitudes towards EA.
They still need to act like they own UO.
They still need to act like they own UO.
I used to be a mod at the old UO.com forums, aka Whisper. To tell you the truth it was a non stop hassle regulating posts and users. Stratics has been doing a fine job before the old UO.com forums as well as after. There is no need to replicate anything that stratics already has covered.Okay I'm trying to collect data to see how much of the UO population would in fact support a Official UO forum. That is a forum accessed from the UO Herald page and tied in with your UO account(s).
The Pros:
1) Only active, paying UO players could access it. Basically if you quit and terminate your account you cannot access the official forum.
2) More contact with the Development team since it is UO's forum and not a
3rd party site.
3) No freaking Ads!!! (Sorry Stratics
4) The UO Community would not be spread across 3 message boards
The Cons:
1) If you get in trouble/suspended/banned on the official forum it affects your UO account(s)
2) If you get in trouble/suspended/banned in UO you could not access the offical forum.
3) It would in all likelyhood take resources away from UO.
Funny that right after we comment on UO's progress in keeping the patch screen updated... the UO Herald patch notes now link to Stratics and are not displayed on UHerald.
I think we just took a big step backwards.
(I think that answers the question about an official UO supported forum.)
5
5% Luck
Guest
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Fayled Dhreams
Guest
already covered in (for EABiowareMythic UO) blazing fast and accurate manner ...
which *looks at charts* would be an amazing step *gasp* forward ...
not back to ... chrisay Commrep standards .... but she had some enormous skills shoes to fill ... left behind by Wilki (what ever happened to him? inquiring minds etc. ... )
Seems no on the first; by definition no on the second, I suppose.
While I doubt we'll ever get an official forum again, the non-posting of the notes on the Herald does not appear to be a sign of such.
Or of anything.
-Galen's player