I am convinced a New Expansion/Booster will be announced around the 15th Anniv

[Promathia]

This whole Global Arc to me is just leading up to a new expansion:

1. Last time we killed a major Villain from Ultima was the Shadowlords which ushered in SA.

2. A lot of the fiction has made reference to how Dupre was off fighting and looking for Minax in "Another realm". If it was a realm we already have, I believe it would have directly referenced it. It seems there has been some emphasis to keep reminding us about Minax.

3. What better/bigger announcement could they make than to announce a new expansion/booster around the 15th anniv?

Anyways, thats my thought

 

[G.v.P]

As long as the next booster/expansion brings back Minax. She's single in UO, right?

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

She's also pushing 400 years old (at least), and according to Mark Steelman, she trowels on the Mary Kay

 

[Felonious Monk]

I thought Malabelle was a Fiery spirit.
I know. She wasn't the boss. She was an ally of Juo'nar.
First time I saw multiple summons in one casting. Ooooh baby!

 

[Specialshoes]

I will make the prediction right now. It will be a faction/pvp based booster/expansion

 

[Lug]

I think they will link the shards somehow. People have been posting about dead shards and merging shards for years. The event hinted at it in "a weathered journal". Why write about it, if only to tease? Anyhow, thats my guess.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

I think they will link the shards somehow. People have been posting about dead shards and merging shards for years. The event hinted at it in "a weathered journal". Why write about it, if only to tease? Anyhow, thats my guess.

I agree this is the most likely "surprise," should there be one. I seem to remember that an original idea for Ilshenar was for it to be shared between shards, probably shards at the same hosting location. Who knows though.

 

[Orgional Farimir]

I will make the prediction right now. It will be a faction/pvp based booster/expansion

I hope so... Maybe it will make me reactivate my account, but sadly I doubt it will have anything to do with faction/pvp.

 

[Woodsman]

3. What better/bigger announcement could they make than to announce a new expansion/booster around the 15th anniv?

Anyways, thats my thought

If we hadn't been getting any publishes for a while, I would agree with this, but we've been getting publishes on a regular schedule since I came back a year and a half ago and they haven't hired anybody outside of some EMs and a designer. When they said they were done with expansions, then done with booster packs, and then done with theme packs, I believe them.

At this point, I just want a fixed up EC with high resolution graphics. A new expansion doesn't do much good if they don't work on things to attract and keep new players. A much less buggy EC with high resolution graphics that can be used to draw new players in is an easier sell to upper management than a new expansion that won't do much outside of making some existing players happy.

I'd much rather have a bunch of new players than a new expansion.

 

[Eärendil]

[/QUOTE]I will make the prediction right now. It will be a faction/pvp based booster/expansion[/QUOTE]

In this case I would say: Nice, but nothing for me. Have fun folks, I stay here right where I am.

I think they will link the shards somehow. People have been posting about dead shards and merging shards for years. The event hinted at it in "a weathered journal". Why write about it, if only to tease? Anyhow, thats my guess.

In this case I would say: Wow! Awesome! Linking is a good idea - MERGING not. Happy with Drachenfels, don´t wanna "move" somewhere ;-)

 

[Promathia]

In this case I would say: Nice, but nothing for me. Have fun folks

Funny, thats the same thing I said about High Seas.

 

[Eärendil]

Funny, thats the same thing I said about High Seas.

I likes High Seas, at least some of its aspects... Corgul is cool, Ossi does not drop enough and takes to much time to kill - but ok, it´s nice too. Fishing is my wife´s hobby (i personally think its BORING)

 

[Petra Fyde]

I think it's unlikely to be honest. Expansions are usually announced a considerable time in advance to allow people to structure their finances to afford it. Especially for something like UO where a considerable number of people would be wanting to buy multiple copies.
I think there's something pretty big on the horizon, but I'm not convinced an expansion is it.

 

[MalagAste]

Totally doubt that they will do any expansions ..... more hoping they do finish work on the graphics updates for the EC. After that and squashing bugs then work on something like an expansion.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

I posit that the likelihood of an expansion being announced within the next 9 months at absolutely zero. The resources (people/time/cash) simply isn't there at present.

 

[Cogniac]

I think it's unlikely to be honest. Expansions are usually announced a considerable time in advance to allow people to structure their finances to afford it. Especially for something like UO where a considerable number of people would be wanting to buy multiple copies.
I think there's something pretty big on the horizon, but I'm not convinced an expansion is it.

I think the idea would be that they would announce an expansion, not immediately release one.

 

[puni666]

I hope so... Maybe it will make me reactivate my account, but sadly I doubt it will have anything to do with faction/pvp.

I doubt they'll focus an expansion on something you can simply ignore in UO. It will always be something that interests the bulk majority of the population. It needs to have something that's not already incorporated that you'll want to buy. Items, new land, new race, etc.. It just sucks that we as a group only test out new things for this game only to figure out what to abuse and not how to balance it before it's put out. Then we're sitting here.. 2 years + later.. saying fix this fix that.. it's frustrating..

 

[Woodsman]

I posit that the likelihood of an expansion being announced within the next 9 months at absolutely zero. The resources (people/time/cash) simply isn't there at present.

I think so as well. They need to finish the graphics/EC before they even think about another expansion. If that stuff doesn't get done now, then I have a feeling it will never get done. But with them wanting to knock out nearly 600 bugs in a publish or two, it sounds like they are working towards that.

 

[Woodsman]

It needs to have something that's not already incorporated that you'll want to buy. Items, new land, new race, etc..

Items do nothing for the long term. New lands would just divide the population up more. New races...why not Juka and Meer?

 

[puni666]

Items are profit for Players and EA/Mythic (w/e they are). It's a "win win".

 

[Uvtha]

This whole Global Arc to me is just leading up to a new expansion:

1. Last time we killed a major Villain from Ultima was the Shadowlords which ushered in SA.

2. A lot of the fiction has made reference to how Dupre was off fighting and looking for Minax in "Another realm". If it was a realm we already have, I believe it would have directly referenced it. It seems there has been some emphasis to keep reminding us about Minax.

3. What better/bigger announcement could they make than to announce a new expansion/booster around the 15th anniv?

Anyways, thats my thought

I think the "booster" idea is dead. Seeing as we were supposed to get 2 per year and since the inception of the idea 2 years ago and we never got any beyond the first. Unless you want to be exceptionally generous and call the new house tiles a "booster".

I also don't really see any more big projects coming down the road for UO honestly. It would be cool if there were, but...

 

[Ludes]

I want a RL t shirt saying something about the longest running and best MMO.
Rather not have EA mentioned on it but don't see that being an option.

 

[Specialshoes]

I have been mulling this thread and my previous statement over today. And I seem to remember Jeff Skalski saying something about challenging the team to get the virtues out. I have also been reading his tweets which make references to working on something virtuous. That of course could be anything as he is the producer over the whole franchise. But I am now leaning towards it being a virtue related booster.

 

[puni666]

I have been mulling this thread and my previous statement over today. And I seem to remember Jeff Skalski saying something about challenging the team to get the virtues out. I have also been reading his tweets which make references to working on something virtuous. That of course could be anything as he is the producer over the whole franchise. But I am now leaning towards it being a virtue related booster.

Now you have the right idea.. Something everyone that has a blue can do. If people will buy pixel decorations.. people will buy virtue related content. (insert milking the cow emoticon here)

 

[Specialshoes]

And it just suddenly hit me. These are scattered thoughts

Blackthorn- Many are saying that the alchemist healer in the robes fits his description.
Dupre - Leading the fight against Exodus. A leader of the people to say?

We are without a king.
Blackthorns castle was rebuilt.

Order/Chaos will make some kind of return

 

[Tina Small]

Based on a small study I've been making of the duplicated NPCs that have been hanging around for a few months now and NPCs that have not been duplicated, I'm gonna make a wild guess that we may see some new training NPCs/areas around New Haven and perhaps elsewhere for certain types of skills; some older quests in the game tied in to virtue or skill gains are going to be eliminated; for some quest chains, we'll see a change of some sort in the first NPC/quest in the chain or the whole quest chain may just disappear; some NPCs who handle turn-ins of various types or just pass out information are going to say goodbye; and certain towns may suffer cataclysmic events that kill off, at least temporarily, most of the NPCs in the area.

 

[Ron Silverbeard]

They will anounce Ultima Online 2 - new 3d engine - new skills
but psssssst...i am not allowed to tell, Mes will slavery me if i tell...

 

[Flutter]

I don't think we've had the staff to put out an expansion in quite some time.

 

[THP]

This whole Global Arc to me is just leading up to a new expansion:

1. Last time we killed a major Villain from Ultima was the Shadowlords which ushered in SA.

2. A lot of the fiction has made reference to how Dupre was off fighting and looking for Minax in "Another realm". If it was a realm we already have, I believe it would have directly referenced it. It seems there has been some emphasis to keep reminding us about Minax.

3. What better/bigger announcement could they make than to announce a new expansion/booster around the 15th anniv?

Anyways, thats my thought

FORGET THAT!!!!! right now...weve seen the last expansion...be greatfull for the time we have left.........

 

[Emma Silvermane]

i was windering if we would get another expansion but no one has even mentioned it or said what it may be like we knew the boats were coming..

 

[Uriah Heep]

3. What better/bigger announcement could they make than to announce a new expansion/booster around the 15th anniv?

Actually, I could see them announcing a major expansion on the 15th anny. But announcing it and delivering it are two different things. If you remember, KR was announced, and then kinda disappeared. And then, a year later!, they had a big TownHall meetup, where they announce KR was being worked on and gonna be released...took two years.
So yeah, I can see it being announced. but I would have to see it released to believe it.