My experience - Ultima Online 20th Anniversary Celebration.
I'm sure most of this is less than accurate, lots of typos, poor structure, and rambling ~
Sorry to everyone i forget to mention ~
Flew early Thursday.
Couldn't believe how many people fly locally at 5am.
Guess i look shady, - I got the full monty at the security checkpoint.
Yow!
Upon arrival at IAD, whats that - a Redskins themed bar. Awww Yeah!
I soooooo wanted a "John Riggins 4th and 1 Pilsner".
A little early to start boozin - I chose breakfast instead.
Kal Ort Por ~ Free hotel shuttle from airport.
First people I met, out front of hotel on arrival, Phoenix and Nanoc.
What a treat!!!
Forgot to take a picture. (recurring theme for me all weekend).
Other players were there, but i sadly forget names easily.
Phoenix said something at one point about a Lich.
Lich. huh. that's not how i say it!
a weekend theme, for me, began ~ how do you say (insert uothingy here)???
(i say "leech", btw. d'oh!)
Checked in early so that i didnt have to wait util 3pm normal check-in.
A few well spent extra gold coins.
'free' WiFi 2MB/sec. coulda paid for 6MB, but figured ~ meh.
Left to journey to the local provisioner 'Shoppers' for supplies.
Is that Mesanna (and Misk?) I see in the parking lot.
HI!
WOOT!!! and some tongue tied gibberish from me.
Weird seeing folks in the flesh.
Provisioners was a little over a mile away.
A little warm, sunny, and lengthy of a walk for this avatar.
Glad I signed up for Lyft for future excursions.
Back at the hotel, Introductions to many, many people, as the day progressed.
A whirlwind of memories, shared experience, and a bit of emotion.
wow - input overload.
Couldn't resist and made a visit to the Air and Space museum.
A highlight of my trip, for sure.
Back at the hotel, was at the bar and had an opportunity to buy Mesanna and a few others a beverage.
She invited me to sit and join the group for the drink and chat.
I took a seat on the hotel lobby's Koi pond.
Didn't know it then, but an upcoming themed gift. extra NEAT.
THANK YOU Spellbound for sharing the picture you took!
Asked as many informal questions of the devs as came to mind.
Can't remember much of any of the questions. sorry. doh! HAHAHAHAH.
I did ask how they all pronounced Trammel.
Many more introductions. I was so excited meeting everyone.
Eventually it's late evening and many folks are out in the courtyard.
I think Beldin Brightaxe or Cronenberg said - Hey, that's Starr Long!!
n'ah, cant be, - are you sure? wow!
Lots of photos, questions, and mutual appreciation.
I was a bit shy to ask for a picture too, but was encouraged by another player.
THANK YOU for taking and sending the photo to me!!
I do remember asking Starr two things ~
Are you a Zombie?
(he looked at me puzzled), i said "It's a Siege thing"
and i asked - how do you pronounce Trammel?
Starr answered his pronunciation, but said you'd really have to ask Richard.
I remember Starr mentioning to Spanky "Rocket to the Face".
I shrugged as if I understood what he meant (he explained next day).
What's that - Lord British has arrived. WOW!
I tried to take it all in and not fanboi too much.
Just fantastic they both spent time with everyone as soon as they arrived, and throughout the weekend.
I must have stumbled in speech and Thanked each of them a hundred times during the stay.
They were both so gracious and reciprocated the Thanks.
Listening to so many questions and comments, amazing.
After a few too many Porterhouse Porters on tap (mmmMMmm delicious),
it's last call 2AM. D'oh! Forgot to bring Jaanas Hangover cure.
Friday started just as wonderfully as the day prior.
More intros, "do you remember whens", and the main meeting.
Loved the swag bag, and wished everyone luck on winning a Castle.
Finally got the courage to properly intro myself to the Siege folks,
and asked if i could sit with them for the main proceedings.
i didn't win the Castle, but did win the table lantern. Woot!
Several people throughout audience were observed to record the Welcome and both LBs guest presentation.
Several have shared, and hopefully more will come.
Rocket to the Face.
Lunch and the cake. really cool, and yummy too ~
I enjoyed the Dev team presentation, Whats coming, Q&A, etc.
A few initial personal kneejerk reactions to what was presented:
Global Chat - meh. I can see it'd be good, but I'm not a big fan of chat.
My experience is that chat is not terrible on Siege, but on other shards it can be unpleasant at times.
Individual Account CrossCharacter ShardShared 'storage'.
on Siege - mostly useless methinks.
Endless Journey.
Sounds good to me.
Crackdown on multiboxing.
YAY!
Chat community self policing and 'temp bans'.
hmmm. sounds good if it's not overly abused.
Koi ponds - HAH! too cool. Jewelry box. YES!
Again, so much to absorb from what was presented.
I'll be remembering tidbits, and watch/rewatch folks videos for a while,
and some followup from the team will help to get a better idea of things.
Autograph signing. Another amazing moment for me.
I got in line early i guess, and the devs hadn't really all seated themselves yet.
Richard and Starr were at the end of the table.
Busted out a cloth map, fresh from an unopened boxed copy.
After I got Lord British and Starr's signatures, I told LB that i hadnt reported previously,
but would now in person, that I had completed the final quest in Ultima 4.
Lord British presented me (spoken) with the recognition of completion!!!!!
I was overjoyed. another 'this made my trip' moment.
I was wiped out, wish I had asked to join others for dinner, but took some time for myself.
Lyft for Cheesesteak.
I was struck at how everyone i met 'on the street' was very nice, generally polite, and said hello.
I miss that in my neck of the woods.
Back at the hotel -
The Wedding was just spectacular. Thank you Cotton Eye Joe for sharing video.
Sean Silverfoot Winfield - i really liked the poem.
The gift from the Bride and Groom. Wow - so thoughtful.
Continued Congratulations to Phoenix and Nanoc. Thank you for sharing YOUR day.
Costume Contest. So great. I thought for sure Tazar would win.
Particularly loved the PVP mages, and the Siege folks myself.
More cake and a few beverages.
Felt beyond compare to have Lord British come over and sit at the "Siege" Tables.
The music was a bit too loud for me to hear alot of the conversation.
I took a few photos but my phone camera is poor.
I again wanted to hang out with UO folks for the night, but had another online entertainment function to attend,
so I called it a night after having some fun with other friends in an alternate infotainment universe.
The barbecue on Saturday was really nice.
I asked if i could sit with, and chatted up, Spellbound. Thanks for sharing your time with me.
I felt like I won the lottery when Starr and Richard arrived and sat at the table across from Spellbound and I.
O M G. once in a lifetime, i tried to keep my cool, and not ask too much while they ate.
Things i remember asking:
Did they ever consider singular character slots?
no, players had indicated desire for more than one char
How do you pronounce - Trammel, Jhelom, Minoc, Felucca?
(My phonetic representations are poor, heres my memory of answer)
Tra-mul (he also had said it during presentation on Saturday, and Bonnie repeated it, so i knew this one)
Zha Lome
My Knock
Fell Luke A
YES! i was only wrong on Zha Lom!!!!!
Did you ever consider unique names for in game characters?
Starr said not sure, would have to ask Raph.
The next bit was totally overwhelming. I felt like i was Knighted.
I explained to Lord British himself that i had had some trouble in game at times, because of character name choices.
When i first played Ultima, i thought the game as speaking directly to me.
Richard said - he did write it, specifically, for me.
I grinned so hard i thought my face'd break.
I hesitated to relate this experience, partially out of fear of "putting myself out there",
but the story, to me, is so incredibly overwhelming - i can't resist in sharing it.
You see, my real name is Dupre.
Richard Garriott told me whilst at that BBQ picnic table that -
even though the inspiration for the character in original Ultima Lore had this character name,
it was not in fact the persons real name and that I was the first real Dupre he had met.
Being that I was "The Real Dupre", - he "Lord British himself" -
has given me permission to exclaim that I am "the Real Dupre".
I almost fainted to hear this spoken. What an amazing experience.
Again, Thank You Spellbound for allowing me to sit with you, chat you up, share Barbecue,
relate and live that experience (and probably hog the conversation),
and hear you too reference me as "The Real Dupre".
The "Siege Table" called for a group photo -
I explained that i couldn't come sooner - as I was busy with the Kings(s).
Too friggin cool.
Many photos were taken at the BBQ, i hope I have a chance to see more shared.
I stayed the night at the hotel and left Sunday.
On the way out i had one more opportunity to say goodbye to some folks.
Sara Dale and Artful Dodger - Thank You for saying hello in person one last time.
I got in the shuttle, but they were changing drivers. Five more minutes.
I bounded off the shuttle and lo and behold - I was able to say goodbye to one more UO friend.
It just happened to be the first person i met on arrival - Phoenix.
even more ramblings:
I wish video had been taken of every moment the whole weekend.
So many insights, answers, opinion, and humor.
I thought about recording many things, but had decided before I even went
that I wanted mostly to be in the moment, so to speak, and not fuss with tech.
My only regret is not having a better camera and taking more selfishies.
As many times as possible, i tried to sit with folks I didn't know.
Wish i had two more days - so many people i still didn't get to talk to.
Kinda wanted to bring a decent machine to play UO during points of the stay.
in the end, glad i didn't - ran out of time for most of everything anyways.
I did miss that no one mentioned a Balloon or Magic Carpet.
I was too shy to face Mesannas 'wrath' to call it out in the group meeting.
Probably best it did not get said, or she'd follow thru on threat of turning me into a carpet in game.
heh.
I Had a chance at Bennus last envelope gift, which included Balloon plans from what i understand.
Dang. Missed that opportunity. You're a good man Bennu.
Thank You for your kind words about your experience on Siege.
Saw many different UO shirts being worn. way cool.
Brought three different ones myself.
More additions to my 'wish list' of everything UO.
Miss Globe was happening simultaneously in the hotel during parts of the weekend.
Read mention here of the Miss Globe attendees being 'easy on the eyes'.
You could mostly tell those that were at the hotel for UO.
However - damn if us UO'ers are not an attractive bunch.
I saw beauty everywhere.
To the guys from Atlantic that remembered a friend of mine and former player that has since passed.
Thank you for the kind words and memories. I'm sorry i don't recall your name here on Stratics.
I met so many people my head was spinning, and i forgot names almost immediately.
Thank You all so much - you make my gaming experience in Ultima Online so enjoyable.
Meeting so many of you was beyond expression in words.
Seemingly - every time i have an UO expectation, i get an unexpected surprise.
The emotion, adrenaline, excitement and wonder continues to amaze me.
I'm still over the moon.
Farewell fellow travelers, until we meet again ~
Vas Rel Por
oh, and How do YOU say Trammel?
I'm sure most of this is less than accurate, lots of typos, poor structure, and rambling ~
Sorry to everyone i forget to mention ~
Flew early Thursday.
Couldn't believe how many people fly locally at 5am.
Guess i look shady, - I got the full monty at the security checkpoint.
Yow!
Upon arrival at IAD, whats that - a Redskins themed bar. Awww Yeah!
I soooooo wanted a "John Riggins 4th and 1 Pilsner".
A little early to start boozin - I chose breakfast instead.
Kal Ort Por ~ Free hotel shuttle from airport.
First people I met, out front of hotel on arrival, Phoenix and Nanoc.
What a treat!!!
Forgot to take a picture. (recurring theme for me all weekend).
Other players were there, but i sadly forget names easily.
Phoenix said something at one point about a Lich.
Lich. huh. that's not how i say it!
a weekend theme, for me, began ~ how do you say (insert uothingy here)???
(i say "leech", btw. d'oh!)
Checked in early so that i didnt have to wait util 3pm normal check-in.
A few well spent extra gold coins.
'free' WiFi 2MB/sec. coulda paid for 6MB, but figured ~ meh.
Left to journey to the local provisioner 'Shoppers' for supplies.
Is that Mesanna (and Misk?) I see in the parking lot.
HI!
WOOT!!! and some tongue tied gibberish from me.
Weird seeing folks in the flesh.
Provisioners was a little over a mile away.
A little warm, sunny, and lengthy of a walk for this avatar.
Glad I signed up for Lyft for future excursions.
Back at the hotel, Introductions to many, many people, as the day progressed.
A whirlwind of memories, shared experience, and a bit of emotion.
wow - input overload.
Couldn't resist and made a visit to the Air and Space museum.
A highlight of my trip, for sure.
Back at the hotel, was at the bar and had an opportunity to buy Mesanna and a few others a beverage.
She invited me to sit and join the group for the drink and chat.
I took a seat on the hotel lobby's Koi pond.
Didn't know it then, but an upcoming themed gift. extra NEAT.
THANK YOU Spellbound for sharing the picture you took!
Asked as many informal questions of the devs as came to mind.
Can't remember much of any of the questions. sorry. doh! HAHAHAHAH.
I did ask how they all pronounced Trammel.
Many more introductions. I was so excited meeting everyone.
Eventually it's late evening and many folks are out in the courtyard.
I think Beldin Brightaxe or Cronenberg said - Hey, that's Starr Long!!
n'ah, cant be, - are you sure? wow!
Lots of photos, questions, and mutual appreciation.
I was a bit shy to ask for a picture too, but was encouraged by another player.
THANK YOU for taking and sending the photo to me!!
I do remember asking Starr two things ~
Are you a Zombie?
(he looked at me puzzled), i said "It's a Siege thing"
and i asked - how do you pronounce Trammel?
Starr answered his pronunciation, but said you'd really have to ask Richard.
I remember Starr mentioning to Spanky "Rocket to the Face".
I shrugged as if I understood what he meant (he explained next day).
What's that - Lord British has arrived. WOW!
I tried to take it all in and not fanboi too much.
Just fantastic they both spent time with everyone as soon as they arrived, and throughout the weekend.
I must have stumbled in speech and Thanked each of them a hundred times during the stay.
They were both so gracious and reciprocated the Thanks.
Listening to so many questions and comments, amazing.
After a few too many Porterhouse Porters on tap (mmmMMmm delicious),
it's last call 2AM. D'oh! Forgot to bring Jaanas Hangover cure.
Friday started just as wonderfully as the day prior.
More intros, "do you remember whens", and the main meeting.
Loved the swag bag, and wished everyone luck on winning a Castle.
Finally got the courage to properly intro myself to the Siege folks,
and asked if i could sit with them for the main proceedings.
i didn't win the Castle, but did win the table lantern. Woot!
Several people throughout audience were observed to record the Welcome and both LBs guest presentation.
Several have shared, and hopefully more will come.
Rocket to the Face.
Lunch and the cake. really cool, and yummy too ~
I enjoyed the Dev team presentation, Whats coming, Q&A, etc.
A few initial personal kneejerk reactions to what was presented:
Global Chat - meh. I can see it'd be good, but I'm not a big fan of chat.
My experience is that chat is not terrible on Siege, but on other shards it can be unpleasant at times.
Individual Account CrossCharacter ShardShared 'storage'.
on Siege - mostly useless methinks.
Endless Journey.
Sounds good to me.
Crackdown on multiboxing.
YAY!
Chat community self policing and 'temp bans'.
hmmm. sounds good if it's not overly abused.
Koi ponds - HAH! too cool. Jewelry box. YES!
Again, so much to absorb from what was presented.
I'll be remembering tidbits, and watch/rewatch folks videos for a while,
and some followup from the team will help to get a better idea of things.
Autograph signing. Another amazing moment for me.
I got in line early i guess, and the devs hadn't really all seated themselves yet.
Richard and Starr were at the end of the table.
Busted out a cloth map, fresh from an unopened boxed copy.
After I got Lord British and Starr's signatures, I told LB that i hadnt reported previously,
but would now in person, that I had completed the final quest in Ultima 4.
Lord British presented me (spoken) with the recognition of completion!!!!!
I was overjoyed. another 'this made my trip' moment.
I was wiped out, wish I had asked to join others for dinner, but took some time for myself.
Lyft for Cheesesteak.
I was struck at how everyone i met 'on the street' was very nice, generally polite, and said hello.
I miss that in my neck of the woods.
Back at the hotel -
The Wedding was just spectacular. Thank you Cotton Eye Joe for sharing video.
The gift from the Bride and Groom. Wow - so thoughtful.
Continued Congratulations to Phoenix and Nanoc. Thank you for sharing YOUR day.
Costume Contest. So great. I thought for sure Tazar would win.
Particularly loved the PVP mages, and the Siege folks myself.
More cake and a few beverages.
Felt beyond compare to have Lord British come over and sit at the "Siege" Tables.
The music was a bit too loud for me to hear alot of the conversation.
I took a few photos but my phone camera is poor.
I again wanted to hang out with UO folks for the night, but had another online entertainment function to attend,
so I called it a night after having some fun with other friends in an alternate infotainment universe.
The barbecue on Saturday was really nice.
I asked if i could sit with, and chatted up, Spellbound. Thanks for sharing your time with me.
I felt like I won the lottery when Starr and Richard arrived and sat at the table across from Spellbound and I.
O M G. once in a lifetime, i tried to keep my cool, and not ask too much while they ate.
Things i remember asking:
Did they ever consider singular character slots?
no, players had indicated desire for more than one char
How do you pronounce - Trammel, Jhelom, Minoc, Felucca?
(My phonetic representations are poor, heres my memory of answer)
Tra-mul (he also had said it during presentation on Saturday, and Bonnie repeated it, so i knew this one)
Zha Lome
My Knock
Fell Luke A
YES! i was only wrong on Zha Lom!!!!!
Did you ever consider unique names for in game characters?
Starr said not sure, would have to ask Raph.
The next bit was totally overwhelming. I felt like i was Knighted.
I explained to Lord British himself that i had had some trouble in game at times, because of character name choices.
When i first played Ultima, i thought the game as speaking directly to me.
Richard said - he did write it, specifically, for me.
I grinned so hard i thought my face'd break.
I hesitated to relate this experience, partially out of fear of "putting myself out there",
but the story, to me, is so incredibly overwhelming - i can't resist in sharing it.
You see, my real name is Dupre.
Richard Garriott told me whilst at that BBQ picnic table that -
even though the inspiration for the character in original Ultima Lore had this character name,
it was not in fact the persons real name and that I was the first real Dupre he had met.
Being that I was "The Real Dupre", - he "Lord British himself" -
has given me permission to exclaim that I am "the Real Dupre".
I almost fainted to hear this spoken. What an amazing experience.
Again, Thank You Spellbound for allowing me to sit with you, chat you up, share Barbecue,
relate and live that experience (and probably hog the conversation),
and hear you too reference me as "The Real Dupre".
The "Siege Table" called for a group photo -
I explained that i couldn't come sooner - as I was busy with the Kings(s).
Too friggin cool.
Many photos were taken at the BBQ, i hope I have a chance to see more shared.
I stayed the night at the hotel and left Sunday.
On the way out i had one more opportunity to say goodbye to some folks.
Sara Dale and Artful Dodger - Thank You for saying hello in person one last time.
I got in the shuttle, but they were changing drivers. Five more minutes.
I bounded off the shuttle and lo and behold - I was able to say goodbye to one more UO friend.
It just happened to be the first person i met on arrival - Phoenix.
even more ramblings:
I wish video had been taken of every moment the whole weekend.
So many insights, answers, opinion, and humor.
I thought about recording many things, but had decided before I even went
that I wanted mostly to be in the moment, so to speak, and not fuss with tech.
My only regret is not having a better camera and taking more selfishies.
As many times as possible, i tried to sit with folks I didn't know.
Wish i had two more days - so many people i still didn't get to talk to.
Kinda wanted to bring a decent machine to play UO during points of the stay.
in the end, glad i didn't - ran out of time for most of everything anyways.
I did miss that no one mentioned a Balloon or Magic Carpet.
I was too shy to face Mesannas 'wrath' to call it out in the group meeting.
Probably best it did not get said, or she'd follow thru on threat of turning me into a carpet in game.
heh.
I Had a chance at Bennus last envelope gift, which included Balloon plans from what i understand.
Dang. Missed that opportunity. You're a good man Bennu.
Thank You for your kind words about your experience on Siege.
Saw many different UO shirts being worn. way cool.
Brought three different ones myself.
More additions to my 'wish list' of everything UO.
Miss Globe was happening simultaneously in the hotel during parts of the weekend.
Read mention here of the Miss Globe attendees being 'easy on the eyes'.
You could mostly tell those that were at the hotel for UO.
However - damn if us UO'ers are not an attractive bunch.
I saw beauty everywhere.
To the guys from Atlantic that remembered a friend of mine and former player that has since passed.
Thank you for the kind words and memories. I'm sorry i don't recall your name here on Stratics.
I met so many people my head was spinning, and i forgot names almost immediately.
Thank You all so much - you make my gaming experience in Ultima Online so enjoyable.
Meeting so many of you was beyond expression in words.
Seemingly - every time i have an UO expectation, i get an unexpected surprise.
The emotion, adrenaline, excitement and wonder continues to amaze me.
I'm still over the moon.
Farewell fellow travelers, until we meet again ~
Vas Rel Por
oh, and How do YOU say Trammel?
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