Hostile Takeover of UO. New Boss=You.

[love2winalot]

Hail: You just won the lottery. Being the smart guy you are, because you have to be smart to win the lottery, you decide to buy out UO from Mythic. Because this would be another smart move on your part, hehe.

OK. You are now the Boss. The staff is the same, the resources, or lack there of is the same. You call your first meeting, and everyone on the UO team stops working on Warhammer, and come down to the basement where the UO stuff is at, and everyone, "all 5 of them" are now looking up at you awaiting your instructions......

What do you do?

OK, You can not just say, fix the dupes, fix kr, get rid of rot, and so on. It has to be more detailed. Example. We are going to add macro's from UOA into our macro system, and say goodby to that 3rd party program. or, We will let UOA add even more macro's, and put the trial Key on the box of SA to promote UOA. and so on.

So, supporters of the game, and bashers of the game, and those of us who support an bash at the same time, YOUR THE BOSS, What will you do, and how?

Got get'em tiger.:gun:

 

[canary]

Fire the lot save Draconi and start fresh.

 

[Arcus]

Step 1. Stop development on a second client immediately

Step 2. Fix all old , standing bugs and unfinished systems . I mean come on, 11 years and virtues STILL aren't done.

Step 3. Increase content , what they call "Live" , patches but only after step 2 is finished!!!

Step 4. Look into alternate server code alternatives.(RunUO) Make sure alternate sever code will be able to work with 2D client AND a true 3d isometric client as well as first person client just in case.

Step 5. Restart second client development.

Step 6. ????

Step 7. Profit.

 

[Lord Sir Scott]

Turn total control over to the Players that are dedicated to the Idea of UO.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

Get someone to update not only the website, but the client patcher page.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

First move: COMPLETELY revamp the item generation system.

Reduce the sheer number of possibilities of mods down to the 5 level tiered system that UO used to have and rebalance to fit within this system. (Still keep all of the different mods, but limit them to 5 levels of increments).

Make Damage Increase a set + to damage, not a percentage.

Cap total resists from leather armor at the lowest and scale up to Dragon Scale at the highest. Rebalance generated numbers to balance within this system.

Bring back Dex/SS penalties for heavier armors.

Remove the current magic item generation system. Leave in Artifacts, Minor artifacts and sets.

New magic item system: Instead of finished items, mobs would carry "Essences" that hold an intensity of mod based on the level of mob involved. Number of Essenses dropped would also scale based on monster level, but the number would be no more than 5 on any one monster (excepting maybe "boss" monsters such as the gauntlet, Champions at champ spawns, Peerless, and Paragons).

Essenses would then be used via Embue to add on mods onto items.

Success of Embues would require both the Embue skill and quality of the item:

NPC/non-exceptional items would have least success rates,
Exceptional non-GM next level,
GM next level,
Elder next level,
Legendary top level.

You could embue items as many times as you feel comfortable with eahc level of mod and number of mods making each embue more and more difficult so only the most fortunate would be able to build the best of the best weapons and armor.

Artifacts and special items would spawn as normal, but would NOT be embueable in any way.

Powder of Fortification would be limited in the same way that Powder of Transfer "oversaturates" a Bag of Sending, so to would Powder of Fort "oversaturate" an item after a number of uses at which point the item would be unpowderable.

And that's just the start. I sinply don't have enough time or space to go over EVERYTHING I would do if I were in charge.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

OK. You are now the Boss. The staff is the same, the resources, or lack there of is the same. You call your first meeting, and everyone on the UO team stops working on Warhammer, and come down to the basement where the UO stuff is at, and everyone, "all 5 of them" are now looking up at you awaiting your instructions......

What do you do?

why would the staff be the same? I'm sure some of them would stay with EA.

anyway, the first thing i would do is get the customer service staff and the development staff in the same building.

i'd look into lowering the monthly fee for second+ accounts to 6.50 a month

 

[christy1221]

I didn't get past the *you won the lottery* part. Now what was the question?

 

[christy1221]

why would the staff be the same? I'm sure some of them would stay with EA.

anyway, the first thing i would do is get the customer service staff and the development staff in the same building.

i'd look into lowering the monthly fee for second+ accounts to 6.50 a month

I would love a discount for multiple accounts. I have eight so it would help.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

Powder of Fortification would be limited in the same way that Powder of Transfer "oversaturates" a Bag of Sending, so to would Powder of Fort "oversaturate" an item after a number of uses at which point the item would be unpowderable.

all that would do is punish people for playing a lot. that makes no sense.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

It would bring back a level of item decay people have been griping about.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

...

It would bring back a level of item decay people have been griping about.

i don't think that has a lot of support. most people like insurance and powder of fort.

 

[RD Gumbie]

Guess it matters how much I paid for it and how much I could afford to let it strugle a bit.

If money wasnt an object:

I would personally go to the chinesse script locations, watch how they deal with thier gold (who they dump it off to), get some IPs and any other info and once I had pretty much all of them, they would get a big ban, no questions asked and i'd watch for those ip's and info to show up again and hit them again. Funny how I can do most of this now on my time but UO can't.

I'd figure out a way to track duped items and start nailing people who do it and the accounts that load them up with the items.

Put out a warning that we would be moving to a punk buster type game, but make skill gain a hell of a lot easier as well as doing some of the crap that people use these programs for a bit easier. Then i'd let people start getting used to it and switch there gradually to not lose everyone.

I'd make people with grandfathered accounts or old seerer accounts log in at least once every 90 days and refresh thier homes, every single one of them. And I would find a way to get rid of the bugged houses that actauly have player names on them but havent been active for more than 90 days.

Make champs a bit easier and able to be lured again, 1 or 2 man raids cant be done anymore on bigger champs.

Implement a vendor search function for the whole shard. If someone with a script can do it for all the shards, why can't UO?

I'd fill a useless town up with water and make some use out of boats/Pirates.

Thats some of it.

 

[Mish o sha]

, pass out

 

[Connor_Graham]

OK. You are now the Boss. The staff is the same, the resources, or lack there of is the same. You call your first meeting, and everyone on the UO team stops working on Warhammer, and come down to the basement where the UO stuff is at, and everyone, "all 5 of them" are now looking up at you awaiting your instructions......

What do you do?

I'd hire someone else to run the show and tell them to call me in a few months once construction on the castle on my new private island was done.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Don't forget about your trip to space!

 

[Bomb Bloke]

I'd consider switching all facets to Fel rules, then disable insurance/blessing/pet bonding in the current Felucca. Furthermore, while there, all skills/stats would be capped as though you had no veteran/powerscroll/statscroll bonuses.

Would it **** people off? Sure. But I reckon most people would find they enjoyed things more. Suddenly it'd be worth getting to know your neighbors, looting monsters, and perhaps even selling exceptionally crafted armor.

PvP'ers would also find themselves creating templates that relied more on skill (both their character's and their own) then on the amount of arti's they could buy for their suit. Fel would be one big level playing field.

The one issue might be public houses, but making it impossible to attack people within them unless you had friend access would likely be enough to sort that one out.

I don't like the idea of changing the items themselves too much. Every limit you impose on item X makes item Y that much more overpowered in comparison.

 

[Ender]

Only two things. Tell them to stop the idiotic nerfing of things that create no imbalance for other players (*cough cough* vamp form) and focus on creating new content/expansions.

 

[Sebrina]

*Declare myself Queen of Sosoria!
*Take over Lord British's Castle and be available to hear the Citizens, a different shard each day of the month.
*Roam the lands, especially the player-run cities to hear the people.
*Bring back GMs as active role-players and counsilors, one for every shard to roam and observe and have those needed powers to correct things like bugs...and have them as (active payed employees.)
*Use a system of active NPC's (with real people behind them,) to generate more roleplay.
*Concentrate on fixing bugs, so that we no longer have contraversy about that situation and the bannings for doing things that the "system" allows them to do.

That is just a start!

 

[Connor_Graham]

I'd consider switching all facets to Fel rules, then disable insurance/blessing/pet bonding in the current Felucca. Furthermore, while there, all skills/stats would be capped as though you had no veteran/powerscroll/statscroll bonuses.

They tried that already and it failed.

That's why we have Tram now.

 

[Connor_Graham]

...

Don't forget about your trip to space!

I'd tie that in with the 15 yr anniversary. Turn it into a huge marketing campaign by painting the UO logo on the side of the spaceship.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

I'd consider switching all facets to Fel rules, then disable insurance/blessing/pet bonding in the current Felucca.

Game killer. Sorry, but it's true. It's been tried and it has by and large failed as a policy when applied to games that are not focused entirely on PvP.

 

[Beefybone]

Okay, I'm a crazy rich SOB who just bought himself an eleven year old MMO for some bizzare reason. Here's what I'd do:

1) Total shard wipe. Characters, houses, gold, all of it.

2) Revert to Publish 16.

3) Integrate limited AOS features such as necromancy, chivalry, custom housing, Doom.

4) Integrate limited properties into Pub 16-era magic item system. Instead of an "Axe of Power" you might get an "Axe of Blood Drinking" that leeches life. Or a "Warhammer of Thunder" that has hit lightning. Normal magic weapons would never have more than one "special" property and artifacts would never have more than two.

5) Felucca deleted, replaced with dedicated PVP shards.

6) Anyone who doesn't like it is invited to quit. I'm a rich kook and don't care if the moldy old MMO I bought as a kook project makes money or not.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

Only two things. Tell them to stop the idiotic nerfing of things that create no imbalance for other players.

i don't think calling them idiots will go over well.

 

[Connor_Graham]

Only two things. Tell them to stop the idiotic nerfing of things that create no imbalance for other players.

i don't think calling them idiots will go over well.

But it's ok when you do it?

 

[Krystal]

delete everything from the day be4 trammel was created. delete trammel, delete AOS all of it!

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

*Tallies another vote for "kill the game"*

 

[Sebrina]

delete everything from the day be4 trammel was created. delete trammel, delete AOS all of it!

*shakes head* RIGHT! - delete most of your player base - no options! Well, you are rich, what do you care about the rest of the community?

 

[Richtor Darkbane]

First I would focus on customer support from the ground up, retrain all employees that interact in any way with customers to do so in a professional and friendly way.

Bring back fansites.

Then I would focus the team on fixing all current bugs in the game, including exploits.

After that I would focus on fixing the economy properly.

The I would take all suggestions from players for gameplay changes and live events, I would then put each proposed gameplay change/addition as an in game poll, one vote per account, results would appear on the main UO webpage and any gameplay changes would have to be by majority rule.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Stratics
UO Forums
UO Guide
The Lost Lands
Tower of Roses
Whispering Rose Radio
UOSkins
KR Modder's Exchange
and God only knows how many guild sites.

I didn't know fansites went anywhere.

Fansites... you're soaking in it.

 

[drinkbeerallday]

But it's ok when you do it?

more lies as usual out of the attack squad.

i've never called a developer an idiot.

and even if i had i am not their boss. i don't think an employee would put up with that kind of an abuse from a boss.

 

[Richtor Darkbane]

...

Stratics
UO Forums
UO Guide
The Lost Lands
Tower of Roses
Whispering Rose Radio
UOSkins
KR Modder's Exchange
and God only knows how many guild sites.

I didn't know fansites went anywhere.

Fansites... you're soaking in it.

I meant the official fansite program on the UO site...

 

[Ender]

more lies as usual out of the attack squad.

i've never called a developer an idiot.

and even if i had i am not their boss. i don't think an employee would put up with that kind of an abuse from a boss.

lol and I never did either. I said what they were doing was idiotic.

 

[Connor_Graham]

more lies as usual out of the attack squad.

i've never called a developer an idiot.

Are you kidding? Got any more of whatever it is you're smoking?

You've done nothing but badmouth UO and the Devs since you started posting in the new forums. I've seen denial before but WOW. You take first place with this one.

 

[Sunrise]

delete all shards.. aye.. Remember now folks IM super rich and Dreaming!!!!

Make a shard JUST for trammies...

Make a shard JUST for pvpers..

Both of these shards would be current to what UO is.



Now the hard part...make the players able to transfer between shards..for a limited time of course. For example once a month or something you are able to jump from one pvm shard to a pvp shard for free and vis versus.


Maybe just maybe make pre pub 16 shards and pre aos shards. These would be set you are there for life shards.

K. Since IM super rich now. Make stuff in the pvm world JUST for the pvm world. Ditto with the pvp world. This is NON Transfered! period Hey Im rich and dreaming let me dream

Bring back GM and Events. One event AT LEAST per month. More if possible BUT at least ONE event per month. On Both shards and NO it wont go by UO history. Since This is MY game now this would be MY events that happen. First off Luna is nuked. By black rock

Make monsters that take at least a day to kill. If you have no idea what IM talking about PM me and I will show you thy arictile of the monster that takes a day to kill LoL

Hrm..More to come. This is all I can think of now.

OO yeah. Work Big time on cheats and hacks.

 

[Salty Pete]

First step:

I would open up four classic UO shards. These would be based on the T2A code. Bug fixes would be done but not content additions. These shards would also have eight full time EMs who would work with the populations on these shards to create dynamic content.

Second step:

All production shards would get nothing but bug fixes to eliminate the out standing bug list. No new content would be added until such time as the bug list was completely taken care of from top to bottom. In addition the bug list would be made public so that progress could be tracked by the paying customers. Bugs which compromised the game economy would keep the game offline until repaired (dupes, god mode, etc.)

Third step:

After the game was bug free I would move the game back towards what it used to be at a slow but methodical pace. No longer an item based game and without super characters.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

There is no such thing like a bug free game.

 

[Azureal]

Woah. Both this thread and the one about what a new UO client could/should/will never look like are pure...something something.

Hey Mods, can we get a UO Daydreaming forum made please?

 

[Redxpanda]

I can't believe all these delete trammel posts. You would just kill the game ya know. You will lose subscriptions and 75% of your player base in less than 30 days.

 

[Azureal]

I can't believe all these delete trammel posts. You would just kill the game ya know. You will lose subscriptions and 75% of your player base in less than 30 days.

State it all you like. Die hard Fel players wont hear/read it. They dont care. If it isnt their way, its no way.

Blah blah blah.

 

[MalagAste]

First off...... anyone who suggests moving to all Fel rulesets... I know I'd immediately close all 8 of my accounts that would be the LAST day I spent in UO. That's not to say I don't ever go to Fel .... but I'll be darned if I'm forced to actually LIVE there...

Secondly as for what I would do if I owned UO. First I would get some REAL customer support in. Then I would set up new ways of logging in and a whole new billing system that is FAR more secure.... That would be TOP priority.

Then I would set about finding new councilors/seers to add to the game. I'd add in a few new shards that are more designed for things like PvP, RP and things like that... Classic shards that are Pre-T2A.... Pre-AoS and then allow everyone the opportunity to transfer for free. Transfers would be done with a "move house" option that allows the entire house to be moved. Players who are in current player run cities that would like to "move" the whole city will file a plea for certain areas. Best of the pleas sent gets the city of choice. There would be VERY few to no NPC's on RP shards.... and no pre-structured towns..... Seer's/EM's would help communities gather things to "build" a town..... evil or good..... Towns would be allowed to be built anywhere on the map including inside dungeons like Wind..... allowing for better RP of orc, Dwarven (Yes dwarves) and Drow communities..... as well on an RP shard folk could choose to play Meer, Jukka and any other race like Gargoyle... so long as it was "humanoid"... which would include vampire, werewolf, and other Undead... There would be limited insurance and blessed items... PvP would be both with war/faction sort and by duel....

PvP shards would allow for better "faction" style play with GM's keeping watch so anyone caught trying to use a script would be perma banned. These shards would be balanced as best as possible there would also be NON faction based PvP shards... somewhat like the current Siege/Mugen as well as the pre-Trammel style shards... Free for all types.... though a waiver must be signed before going there and you MUST be over 18 to play there. There would be NO guards no Guardzones..... only players and NPC's theives are fine no insurance....

PvM shards would be much as they are now only less buggy.....

I'd set the team to wipe KR and make a new 2d style client... If possible I'd get a better 3d client going but It would have to stay true to UO....

I'd also hire a new graphics team and allow players to design and create new graphics for the game... as well as promote once again a UORO program... and anyone reporting bugs and or exploits cheats will be rewarded... Folks would be allowed to have up to 3 homes or the equal space of 36x36... but no more than 3 homes...

I would have them design 2 "dungeon/basement" levels for everyone that are 36x36 per each home.... These would be on separate "servers" so they would not create lag in the game.... They would be accessed by either special teleporters, stairs, runic symbols with passwords, or by double clicking a trap door on the floor which can be set to the same security levels as other things in the house's.

I'd add more stable slots so that ever character can have 5 slots and give tamers and extra 5 slots. I would still keep the control slots at 5. On many shards I'd add a special NPC Vet who can rez pets.

I'd give more new tiles to the house custom tool like the tiles in Umbra, I'd add many things to the crafting menu's like benches, marble, stone and wooden, like the ones in many shops.....

Gads I could go on and on and on....... but I think you get the idea.

 

[NuSair]

1. Hire more programmers.
2. Set a group to look at and offer options at reprogramming UO from the server level up.
3. Sit down with the team 'leads' (if they didn't exist before, I'd make them) and ask them what do they need to do their jobs.
4. Empower them to do their jobs.
5. Create a player relations group with 4-6 members from the UO community as voted on by the community to serve as direct feedback.
6. Start a marketing compaign.

As the Wii has proven, you don't need top end graphics to be successful. Quality game play will get the people. That's what UO need to focus on.

 

[Nexus]

Hail: You just won the lottery. Being the smart guy you are, because you have to be smart to win the lottery, you decide to buy out UO from Mythic. Because this would be another smart move on your part, hehe.

OK. You are now the Boss. The staff is the same, the resources, or lack there of is the same. You call your first meeting, and everyone on the UO team stops working on Warhammer, and come down to the basement where the UO stuff is at, and everyone, "all 5 of them" are now looking up at you awaiting your instructions......

What do you do?

OK, You can not just say, fix the dupes, fix kr, get rid of rot, and so on. It has to be more detailed. Example. We are going to add macro's from UOA into our macro system, and say goodby to that 3rd party program. or, We will let UOA add even more macro's, and put the trial Key on the box of SA to promote UOA. and so on.

So, supporters of the game, and bashers of the game, and those of us who support an bash at the same time, YOUR THE BOSS, What will you do, and how?

Got get'em tiger.:gun:

1. Priority has to be a 50/50 split between content to keep people happy and fixing Bugs, Dupes ect. for the first 3-6 months To do this I'd hire enough people to spend one day a week on each shard (by rotating them out) to act as the old EM's did while a portion of the developers put in more massive arching content. Regular Publishes for Bug Fixes and someone or a group of someones hired for the single purpose of tracking down Dupes in the system, and finding ways to locate and prevent scripting.
   
2. Have a System Developed where Players get to chose the fate of the game. A Massive event that can result in a loss of item based play that AoS brought...If the players fail AoS properties go *Poof* if they succeed then they get to keep them. The reason for this? Because the outcome could become different for each and every shard! This give variety to the players and lets them chose the fate of the shard they play on. This would not not be permanent...it could be done as a Giant Caned Evil type thing where it would keep players constantly involved if the Shard succeeds when evil calls they keep their AoS properties. If the shard keeps up the good fight AoS properties stay...and there would be ways for Every player to contribute...Crafters can donate Armor and weapons at Castle British, Offensive classes can contribute by fighting in the various dungeons, and other special areas (Fel would count as 2x as effective) Players could also donate Gold to the effort for "Supplies" Think of it as Magincia on Crack....with global effects.
   
3. Develop alternative Balancing systems to keep PvP balances from effecting PvM, and develop means for Skill sets like Thieves, Item ID, Forensic and Taste ID to have a positive use. Thieves could be allowed in Trammel Rule Facets....they can't attack anyone but if they flag grey they are attackable and can defend. With Insurance it makes no difference because it would be your own fault if your robbed. Item ID, new items could be developed that have to be IDed before they are usable, maybe for the new SA Expansions before an Embuer can break down an item it has to have Item ID used on it to define it's properties to a finer level. Taste ID? Allows new combinations of ingredients to create magical foods. Forensic Eval....Boosts the Tracking ability...(yes people still do use tracking) to allow them to track a player from a greater distance as they are focused on a single individual.

 

[NuSair]

I wanted to add a couple of more things:

-Talk to the story developers of Legend of the five rings and maybe hire some of the older ones and see about having a dynamic story line for each shard

-Hire enough GM's to handle the number of request

-Take blizzards way of doing things and not releasing something until it's actually done.

 

[love2winalot]

1. I would mass e mail everyone who ever played the game. Tell them of the major changes to the game, and to come back now, to be in it when the changes start.

2. This would cost us a few customers, but help the game. Everyone would have to register again, updated tos, and your ip address recorded. It you get banned, ALL accounts linked to that ip also get banned.

3. If Punkbuster can not be implimented, then something like it will be.

4. SA box is going in the store, no matter what. It will be the sink or swim mentality.

5. The retribution shard will go down, and it will become a semi permanent Beta Tester shard for SA. There would be rewards for finding bugs, ect.

6. Every gamer magazine in the whole damn world will know that SA is coming, and they will all get stuff sent to them for preview when ready.

7. The box will have stuff/maps/rewards ect in it to target current players to upgrade, and to attract new players into the game.

8. New housing will be added, by EA. This means these new houses can be sold, but not go idoc, it is owned, or for sale. House placement tool will not work in these area's. Gypsy Wagons, and the like will be added. This means some, "Limited" houses will be for sale in areas where no housing exist now. Parts of Malas, T2a lands, and Ilish. They would be located in area that would not interfear with normal game play in the areas.

9. Prima would already be started on the SA guid book. Input from players would be rewarded.

10. The SA/KR client would incorporate the best parts of a better client, and the user familar features of 2d. We would do what ever it takes to make it better, and accepted by the 2d players. Then the game will be 1 client only.

11. In game budget cuts. If it is useless spawn, we will get rid of it. If a creature spawns 100 useless items, and 2 usefull ones, we will get rid of most of the useless items.

12. Risk vs Reward. ROT on siege is byby. Power hour will be brought back. A few, 2-3, area's will be high risk/high reward for skill gains, something like the black rock area's. There would be a time limit as to how long a charater could stay there.

13. Static Spawn would now become more random spawn.

14. Game goes back to being rated, "M".

15. A new type of bounty system will go back into the game. We would take input on the rewards, and how to stop players from killing them self, or their friend killing then to get the reward.

16. Reds would have access to all of UO. Tram ruleset would be slightly modified to allow blues to attack a Red anyplace, "few exceptions", but the Red would be able to defend themself. ie. in Tram they can not attack you first

17. Dupes/Scripts. ?? Hmmmmm. If it is not possible to stop this, and punkbuster2 or what not is rejected by the player base, then we have to change the way the game is played. If some guy is sitting there with $100 to spend on in game items/gold, how do you stop him from doing so? Right now the only way i know of is to sell the same items/gold on the UO website for less than the scripter sites sell it for.

18. Along those same lines, Stealing would be allowed in all area's outside of guard zones. Using stealing skill causes all your items to become un insured.

19. I don't care where, but someplace, no matter what you type in under, "search" you will get information that is accurate and up to date, and not, Search-greater dragon=sorry no results found.

20 A lot of things can be done for free. Players love to help out, and are experts in different area's of the game. If they help the game, then the game should help them. = rewards.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[GoodGuy]

I would create a system of allowing players to CREATE THEIR OWN SHARDS, entire maps, rules, animations, everything. Then allow them to rent server space and based on the number of players on their server they recieve $$. Let the players build their own worlds and the players themselves will decide which ones are WORTH playing on. In the end everybody profits.

 

[OxAO]

work with those that make the script programs rather then fighting them.

do away with Kingdom reborn and stop building 3d clients. If inclinded build a whole new game if they want a 3D client.


I don't play PvP because there is no good reason to other then killing each other. I would give it a better reason to play other then just stat and skill scrolls.
things like real controls over the area such as spawns and taxes for buying. (such as the cost to run all player run vendors can be devided up by and given to all those that are in control of all the towns in factions using player guilds rather then factions.)

 

[Fizbann]

i would hire enough IT support people that the login servers would never be unavailable for 2.5 hours