Failed Ultima projects: Things we'll never see

[NuSair]

I really would love to see those 3D models.
http://www.quora.com/Ultima-Online/...answer/Thomas-Eidson?ref=bingsocial&bing_lx=0

Thomas Eidson's answer to:​

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Ultima Online: Why were there so many false starts with sequels to Ultima Online?

Ultima Worlds Online, and Ultima X: Odyssey both met their demise, why did Ultima Online survive, but attempts to build upon that fail?​

View All 2 Answers​

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Thomas Eidson, System Designer/Programmer​

Votes by John Clover, Anonymous, Leonid S. Knyshov, Anonymous, and 2 more.​

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I worked on the Ultima Online 2.0 upgrade in 2004. The upgrade was green lit prior to EA closing down the Origin studio. The green light team consisted of me as the designer/server programmer, one graphics programmer, and one artist (with some art outsourced).​

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When the upgrade was cancelled, I personally felt that the budget for the team was not properly justified to management. The game was certainly profitable enough to pay for the upgrade.​

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When Earth and Beyond was cancelled, the UO upgrade team and expansion/live team absorbed the employees from that project (and hired on a few more designers/programmers/artists). Due to staffing up to such a large team, the budget grew to a size that EA did not want to fund. After a year of development, the project was cancelled.​

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Unseen by players were entirely new 3D models of many of the creatures in the game, 3D dungeons, and 3D housing (with day/night cycles; sun rising/setting causing houses to throw shadows across terrain; vastly improved lighting; tons of neat shaders for effects; transparent water showing sand dunes in the ocean). I even had a functional volcano in the original green light demo. ​

 

[Endal]

I really would love to see those 3D models.
http://www.quora.com/Ultima-Online/...answer/Thomas-Eidson?ref=bingsocial&bing_lx=0


Thomas Eidson's answer to:


Ultima Online: Why were there so many false starts with sequels to Ultima Online?

Ultima Worlds Online, and Ultima X: Odyssey both met their demise, why did Ultima Online survive, but attempts to build upon that fail?
View All 2 Answers








7








Thomas Eidson, System Designer/Programmer
Votes by John Clover, Anonymous, Leonid S. Knyshov, Anonymous, and 2 more.

I worked on the Ultima Online 2.0 upgrade in 2004. The upgrade was green lit prior to EA closing down the Origin studio. The green light team consisted of me as the designer/server programmer, one graphics programmer, and one artist (with some art outsourced).

When the upgrade was cancelled, I personally felt that the budget for the team was not properly justified to management. The game was certainly profitable enough to pay for the upgrade.

When Earth and Beyond was cancelled, the UO upgrade team and expansion/live team absorbed the employees from that project (and hired on a few more designers/programmers/artists). Due to staffing up to such a large team, the budget grew to a size that EA did not want to fund. After a year of development, the project was cancelled.

Unseen by players were entirely new 3D models of many of the creatures in the game, 3D dungeons, and 3D housing (with day/night cycles; sun rising/setting causing houses to throw shadows across terrain; vastly improved lighting; tons of neat shaders for effects; transparent water showing sand dunes in the ocean). I even had a functional volcano in the original green light demo.

I got rid of the formatting for you

 

[NuSair]

better?

 

[Winter]

better?

Mostly better... the default background on these forums is black, so that whatever font you copied/pasted came out black on black. Meaning it was almost unreadable.

 

[NuSair]

Ahh, I keep forgetting that... I use the old forum look. Didn't care for the black, I'll keep that in mind.