I think i see the future!!!

[Wojoe]

After the pirate expansion for $14.99, there will be the faction upgrades for $14.99, then the maganica upgrade $14.99, then maybe the anti-cheater expansion $14.99 ect ect...

I was busy today and missed the web cast, did they say anything about these issues?


Thanks

 

[Mapper]

Nothing about cheating, Factions will be done when they are ready (No time frame if I remember correctly) and Magincia before the end of the year.

 

[Lord Chaos]

Yeah, thats the most worrisome thing they said...if they're going to release boosters more often, but require 15 bucks PER account every time ontop of our subscription fee, then that sucks.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

They didn't say "nothing" about cheating, they mentioned the list they had compiled, mentioned something about the names therein, but beyond that made it clear that they were NOT going to say anything.

 

[Babble]

Works for Everquest.
If you want updates with your fee try EVE.

 

[canary]

...

They didn't say "nothing" about cheating, they mentioned the list they had compiled, mentioned something about the names therein, but beyond that made it clear that they were NOT going to say anything.

Which is stuff we already know.

I mean, I'm sure its a pretty list and all, but they need to, you know, DO something with it.

Which, I'll bet three booster packs, they'll never do.

 

[AzSel]

14.99 is pocket change, if it will keep UO going for another 10 years then by all means...

 

[Mapper]

...

They didn't say "nothing" about cheating, they mentioned the list they had compiled, mentioned something about the names therein, but beyond that made it clear that they were NOT going to say anything.

We already know about the list though, I assumed the OP wanted to know new stuff.

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

The thing that I get from their statements is that yes, they have the list, yes, they have plans, but due to the nature of what's being dealt with, they don't want to make those plans public, at least not until they happen.

Much like in a time of war, you tend to try NOT to broacast where and when you're moving troops or what actions you are taking.

Basically "need to know" and all that.

 

[Wojoe]

well, like most people the current game is all I know, it's nice to have something to look forward to, but it's also nice to know they are going to address the current issues...and i dont know how to sugar-coat this, but it seems like there is no money in fixing anything. And it seems like they just throw more on the pile.

 

[canary]

...

The thing that I get from their statements is that yes, they have the list, yes, they have plans, but due to the nature of what's being dealt with, they don't want to make those plans public, at least not until they happen.

Much like in a time of war, you tend to try NOT to broacast where and when you're moving troops or what actions you are taking.

Basically "need to know" and all that.

Yeah, or you could say it's them just pretending to do something about it.




So... what about those changes to speedhacking they were supposed to implement?

 

[Dermott of LS]

...

Depends on your perspective. I try to be fair in my judgements. Yeah I see a lot of problems with the game and how it's handled, but when they do something good, I'll point that out as well. However, I, like all non-dev posters here, have no more information than you do, nor would I attempt to try and guess beyond what was stated in the video.

 

[Jackson]

Works for Everquest.
If you want updates with your fee try EVE.

Thats true, but most players in that game have 1 or 2 accounts.
There are many people here with 3 or more.

 

[Schuyler Bain]

Thats true, but most players in that game have 1 or 2 accounts.
There are many people here with 3 or more.

True, but that is by choice not by force.

 

[Lord Chaos]

True, but that is by choice not by force.

Nothing is by force in the game, so meaningless point.

 

[Taylor]

People who have more real money get more stuff. This isn't a novel concept.

 

[Coldren]

I stated as much in the other thread, but here goes.

My concern is now paid content expansions, which in most cases will be little more than content and system fixes that should have been done long ago, will now get priority over the free, standard patches and bug fixes we're used to.

My concern is the paradigm is shifting from quality, good development that SHOULD have been happening in the first place, to "Let's do what we SHOULD have been doing, but make them pay more for it".

Dermott: How would you feel if instead of fixing the EC artwork as they SHOULD be doing, they made you pay for it to NOT suck? Sure you'd do it, but really, you wouldn't feel a small twinge from that knife in your back?

People may say, "Fine, for this, I'll pay the money for it!", but realize this.. These AREN'T EXPANSION PACKS - They are glorified content updates that are dwarfed by some things we used to get for free. If they are so desperate for money to keep UO going, that they won't even bother with a proper expansion, and now will charge EXTRA to develop and more than likely in future cases COMPLETE content already started... What does this REALLY say about how UO is doing?

I know one thing, it doesn't say, "UO is so good and doing so well, we should be pumping more money into it! It has AMAZING growth potential!".

You watch. Won't be long till some EA exec has the brilliant idea that you can't even PATCH your CLIENT to PLAY unless you pay a small, nominal fee that's "pocket change". Per account, of course.

Pay-Per-Version.

 

[Schuyler Bain]

Nothing is by force in the game, so meaningless point.

When having 3 or more accounts is used to defend a position it is not a meaningless point.

I seem to have put your nickers in a twist tonight!

 

[Tanivar]

Any details the Dev's announce ahead about how they will deal with cheating will just give the cheaters advance warning and a chance to get a head start on getting around the anti-cheating steps EA takes.

The anti-cheating battle is an arms-race. Each will find a way to block the others efforts and will get thier own blocked in turn.

At least they said they are thinking of a vendor search addition to the game. That will end thecheat of using that unmentionable site to avoid spending all your playtime wandering vendor to vendor through Luna and all the realms beyond, to find something.

A definite move that will make the game more fun than tedious.

 

[Lord Chaos]

When having 3 or more accounts is used to defend a position it is not a meaningless point.

It is simply a point that you have to pay more, even though you can't actually enjoy it on the level as simply 1 account.

(unless you cheat...which is really not what I believe they intended)

Honestly its simply a poor design decision. It was with SA as well. As there are no discounts to having many accounts, we didn't upgrade anything but the bare essentials. Had there been a discount, we would have upgraded all. So in the end they actually made less money.

Not good longterm thinking.

 

[Lord Chaos]

Any details the Dev's announce ahead about how they will deal with cheating will just give the cheaters advance warning and a chance to get a head start on getting around the anti-cheating steps EA takes.

How would telling them what they're going to do against them somehow "warn them"? They have some sort of magic power they can get off the "list" somehow?

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Yeah, thats the most worrisome thing they said...if they're going to release boosters more often, but require 15 bucks PER account every time ontop of our subscription fee, then that sucks.

I don't see this as worrisome at all.

The ideal timeframe for an MMO is one expansion per year.

So if we get two boosters at half-price each, aren't we really spending the same thing.

The question, really, comes down to the quality of the booster packs. I'll admit, I'm about midline on this one. I'm excited about the prospect of fighting out at sea, like the colored-multis for ships, and while I'm no cook, appreciate the bone being thrown in that direction.

My concern, really, isn't so much with the quality of the booster as much as it is the quality of regular content and patch updates. Only time will tell if they can handle both effectively.

 

[Lord Chaos]

Seems more like a money grab.

Now I am not counting closely, but as far as I recall, there hasn't been an expansion every year and they didn't cost 30 dollars.

 

[Fink]

I would pay $15 for one of those ships alone so I consider it good value. In terms of my interests, they are much better than any of the RMX items EA are currently selling.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Seems more like a money grab.

Now I am not counting closely, but as far as I recall, there hasn't been an expansion every year and they didn't cost 30 dollars.

Le sigh. If I were a billionaire, I'd start paying people to just, you know, read.

I didn't say that there has been an expansion every year, I said:

The ideal timeframe for an MMO is one expansion per year.

What I mean by this is if you have one expansion per year, you keep a steady flow of stuff coming into your game to keep people interested in it.

Renaissance: 2000 (not technically an expansion, but shelf presence nonetheless)
Third Dawn: 2001
Lord Blackthorn's Revenge: 2002
Age of Shadows: 2003
Samurai Empire: 2004
Mondain's Legacy: 2005
Stygian Abyss: 2009

I strongly suspect there's a correlation between a dip in subscribers and the length of time between expansions, don't you? Now, yes, AoS and SE were separated by more like 18 months, but it still was annual expansions. And yeah, I think the length of time between AoS and SE hurt UO quite a bit at a sensitive time in its production.

And, yeah... every last one of those expansions was $29.99, save Renaissance, which I think was $19.99, but I could be wrong about that one.

Anyway, point still remaining, annual expansions or twice-annual boosters at half the cost are not, at their base, a bad production model. Quality of expansion/booster and quality of the intervening updates and patches are more important.

 

[G.v.P]

...

They didn't say "nothing" about cheating, they mentioned the list they had compiled, mentioned something about the names therein, but beyond that made it clear that they were NOT going to say anything.

I trust in Cal to get the job done.

 

[Wojoe]

Opp's I almost forgot one....The classic client expansion...$14.99

 

[Yalp]

If people have been identified.. not just an individual toon but the entire account id, then there's no reason not to fast track the punishment. If it's been verified as iron clad as Cal said.. I'd much rather see that before the Booster comes out.