If only the enhanced client looked like this, we'd be on top of the MMO world.

[HongKongCavalier]

Don't mess with the original game and turn it into something its not. You'll simply alienate people from your product.

You're absolutely right. If nothing else, I hope EA learned this from the KR and EC reception (and I happen to like those clients and will never go back to using the classic client).

Starting over would make new people try it, give the possibility to fix the many flaws of UO, make coherent systems and UI, true 3D and so much more. Without alienating its current playerbase.

Right again. Starting over really is the only way, and if it's done right, everyone who doesn't use the EC because they feel it was done poorly would presumably give a properly done UO2 a chance. And those who truly love the CC can stay with it.

I look at it like this: I hated it when George Lucas "revisited" the original Star Wars movies and made all those "improvements", but it doesn't really affect me because he didn't come into my house and take the original DVD's away from me; I still have the version I like.

Although I despise the classic client at this point, I understand others do like it and I don't think it would be right to try to change it on them (the way KR was changed on me!).

So as Lord Chaos said (more or less) make a proper UO2 already and watch it be a huge success, and let the original UO continue to exist as it does now: an increasingly outdated and antiquated niche game, still beloved by its players, that somehow remains profitable and successful.

 

[Babble]

Runescape looks cool for a java client, but I doubt it is a sandbox game.
Most likely another Themepark else people would flock from UO to it.

And f2p and millions is not really an argument, especially as companies are very inventive with their numbers of accounts.

Ever gave them your email adresss, then you are probably a runescape player

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

Runescape looks cool for a java client, but I doubt it is a sandbox game.
Most likely another Themepark else people would flock from UO to it.

And f2p and millions is not really an argument, especially as companies are very inventive with their numbers of accounts.

Ever gave them your email adresss, then you are probably a runescape player

Why would you say such a thing?

Either your research and marketing skills have informed you ...

or you're stating your opinion as fact ...

freshman point: Guinness is the one awarding them #1(twice)
the SAME Guinness that awarded UO for "oldest"...

Until YOU come-up with "better"
Guinness' standards are golden ...

/Simple

 

[Spiritless]

Same people whining about UO graphics that have been for years.

Fact is, most of the current playerbase like the isometric 2D client; me included. If EA bothered to take note of this, didn't waste development time and money on a 3D/"Enhanced" (term used loosely) client and bolstered the 2D client a little with a few simple tweaks the playerbase would be happier generally. 2D isn't perfect, but it's UO. Anything else is, simply, not UO and will never be embraced in great numbers by those who have played and loved this game for over a decade.

If they had a misguided belief that the "enhanced" client would somehow massively increase the playerbase, this was always going to be fantasy as what they produced can't really hold a candle to even the most primitive MMOs today. Hell, they even did a better job after renovating the graphics in the Java web-based RuneScape.

You're all complete and utter fantasists if you believe UO can ever compete with current MMOs. This isn't even a remote possibility with the code-base they have now. To do so would literally require restructuring and remapping of the entire world, bit by bit. This is why any 3D client they provide for this game is always destined to fail; it'll always look **** in comparison to what's out there and the playerbase don't want it anyway.

A new game needs to be created from the ground up in order to compete, which is exactly what they were doing with UXO and probably made one of their worst ever decisions by scrapping it to focus more development on this game. They missed out big time by doing this, and they missed out on a major opportunity to push the Ultima franchise back to the forefront of the MMO market.

But yeah, wish the people whining for better graphics would just go play WoW or something. No idea why you continue sticking around if you want something better. You're asking for the impossible, until they decide to launch a more serious UXO-esque attempt at a new product to produce what you're asking for. Time to wake up and realise that UO is very much a niche game now and isn't (and can't) go in any other direction anytime soon.

 

[Elric_Soban]

Nobody is asking for a "3D" client.

We just want an isometric client like we're used to.. but maybe one that doesn't look like it was developed by a group of chimpanzees with down syndrome.

Classic client probably looked really good in the 1970's.... but then they invented "computers".. Yeah. 2d client simply is not acceptable any more.

Do you see any games on the shelf at the store that have screenshots on the box that look as hilariously horrible as UO? Of course not! Developers (aside from EA) are not completely ******** and understand that graphics sell.

FACT: Good graphics *******DO NOT******* mean a good game. HOWEVER:
Good graphics HELP SALES.
BAD GRAPHICS = WILL NOT SELL.

CALVIN CROWNER! IM TALKING TO ****YOU**** !!!!

Are there any plans to turn the "Enhanced" client into a competitive client?
Thank you in advance for your response.

1+1 = 2.
Sky = blue.
Good graphics = sells good.
1970's graphics = won't sell.

Video gaming 101. Take note, EA.

 

[Lefty]

Same people whining about UO graphics that have been for years.

Fact is, most of the current playerbase like the isometric 2D client; me included. If EA bothered to take note of this, didn't waste development time and money on a 3D/"Enhanced" (term used loosely) client and bolstered the 2D client a little with a few simple tweaks the playerbase would be happier generally. 2D isn't perfect, but it's UO. Anything else is, simply, not UO and will never be embraced in great numbers by those who have played and loved this game for over a decade.

If they had a misguided belief that the "enhanced" client would somehow massively increase the playerbase, this was always going to be fantasy as what they produced can't really hold a candle to even the most primitive MMOs today. Hell, they even did a better job after renovating the graphics in the Java web-based RuneScape.

You're all complete and utter fantasists if you believe UO can ever compete with current MMOs. This isn't even a remote possibility with the code-base they have now. To do so would literally require restructuring and remapping of the entire world, bit by bit. This is why any 3D client they provide for this game is always destined to fail; it'll always look **** in comparison to what's out there and the playerbase don't want it anyway.

A new game needs to be created from the ground up in order to compete, which is exactly what they were doing with UXO and probably made one of their worst ever decisions by scrapping it to focus more development on this game. They missed out big time by doing this, and they missed out on a major opportunity to push the Ultima franchise back to the forefront of the MMO market.

But yeah, wish the people whining for better graphics would just go play WoW or something. No idea why you continue sticking around if you want something better. You're asking for the impossible, until they decide to launch a more serious UXO-esque attempt at a new product to produce what you're asking for. Time to wake up and realise that UO is very much a niche game now and isn't (and can't) go in any other direction anytime soon.

You are not going to pull any new players on the classic. The classic client will not change. It has turned into nostalgia. However the EC is now a part of UO and isn't going anywhere soon. This gives us something to work with to bring in new players and give them a great experience.

Eye candy is a very good motivator. It makes games fun and with the unique UO experience it makes it better.

So even though I enjoy the classic (since 99) I would much like the graphics and game play improved on the EC side. UO has a lot of room for players if you haven't noticed.

When I started. Every town had a huge population. You had to push your way through people to just get to the bank and finding a simple 10 x 10 spot for a house was impossible.

So do you want a dead game or one full of people?

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

The problem with KR and the EC is that they made the character models look 'wrong'. If you look at the original Mario games, he looks like Mario...not Tron, not like a donkey, or an alien. Newer Mario games have come and gone, but in every single one...he looks like Mario. The little mushroom guys look like the little mushroom guys. Sure, they look better now, higher rez, in 3D, but they don't look like a completely different concept. If UO had launched with the art from Kingdom Reborn, but at a lower rez, then perhaps people would have been quicker or more willing to adopt the newer clients. It's not the fact that they are new, or flashy, or whether they are 3D or not, it's the fact that they do not look like the same character models that UO launched with.

 

[Spiritless]

However the EC is now a part of UO and isn't going anywhere soon. This gives us something to work with to bring in new players and give them a great experience.

Eye candy is a very good motivator. It makes games fun and with the unique UO experience it makes it better.

It's statements like these which I use to justify my branding of you all as fantasists.

The "enhanced" client looks worse than some browser-based games. Show any "modern" MMO player screenshots of it and they'll laugh. Heck, people even say WoW has bad graphics... imagine what they think of either of UO's clients. For this reason, it will never draw a significant number of new players. You've even admitted as much yourself:

UO has a lot of room for players if you haven't noticed.

Yep, plenty of room. And the EC has been out for how long now?

UO is certainly not only empty due to graphics/usability issues either, but I won't side-track this topic by raising them.

I'll reiterate my overarching point that I made in my previous post: UO will never be graphically competitive without a total re-write and, when you get to that point, it's more sensible to make an entire new game. UXO met the criteria of what people are basically asking for and they foolishly scrapped it.

 

[jtw1984]

Seriously? You were blown away by those graphics? Have you been living under a rock for the past decade, or do you still play Atari?

"Hey guys! I just saw this game called Zelda64. It's on the new Nintendo 64. The graphics blew my mind into a thousand pieces d00d!"

Now, lets go back to continuous useless arguing about why we play 2d or EC.

 

[Babble]

Why would you say such a thing?

Either your research and marketing skills have informed you ...

or you're stating your opinion as fact ...

freshman point: Guinness is the one awarding them #1(twice)
the SAME Guinness that awarded UO for "oldest"...

Until YOU come-up with "better"
Guinness' standards are golden ...

/Simple

Definitely more people would play UO if they had a Java client.
Even more if they make it f2p.

Would it look better ... nah
Would current players be happy? ... doubt it
Does runescape graphics look better than uo ... hmmm ...most would say no, but then maybe it is

Guiness book hmmm.. better looking client ... no.. why...because they talk about different things.. can you please elaborate what graphical update runescape did and from what graphics to what graphics?

 

[Elric_Soban]

I'll reiterate my overarching point that I made in my previous post: UO will never be graphically competitive without a total re-write and, when you get to that point, it's more sensible to make an entire new game. UXO met the criteria of what people are basically asking for and they foolishly scrapped it.

..and before that, they scrapped UO2... which looked pretty epic at the time. Not only that, but it was scrapped at the last *minute*. It sounded like it wasn't very far from release.

But the worst part of all... after scrapping a project that a team had put who knows how much of their time/hearts/souls into at the last *second*, then laying off said team, they had the audacity to take a bunch of the art developed by that team that was intended for UO2... and throw it into an expansion for UO. (for the unaware, the entire "Lord Blackthorn's Revenge" expansion (ilsh.. meer/juka/betrayers/golems/ridgebacks, etc etc) was all UO2 art).

But guess what? That's EA.

 

[hawkeye_pike]

FACT: Good graphics *******DO NOT******* mean a good game. HOWEVER:
Good graphics HELP SALES.
BAD GRAPHICS = WILL NOT SELL.

This!

 

[hawkeye_pike]

UO will never be graphically competitive without a total re-write and, when you get to that point, it's more sensible to make an entire new game.

I am sure this statement is not correct. The graphics of the game client do not depend on the server script code. The client just interprets the data it gets from the server (e.g. position of objects etc.) and displays it. No need to rewrite the whole game just to be able to make a better client. The condition, of course, is that the game client remains isometric. If you'd want to create a 1st person client I guess you'd really have to rewrite the game, mostly because game mechanics would be completely different.

I'm convinced if EA would spend the required money, they could supply a game client for UO that looks like Titan Quest or Diablo III. However, the problem may be that EA is not willing to make such an investment. If they had a business case that would prove them a significant increase of player subscriptions after such an investment, they'd probably do it.

 

[Willard]

Has anyone even tried to get in on the Linkrealms BETA? It may look pretty, but how does it actually play! I will try the Beta and see how it is, but probably can't say much till the Beta is finished.

"Originally Posted by Elric_Soban
FACT: Good graphics *******DO NOT******* mean a good game. HOWEVER:
Good graphics HELP SALES.
BAD GRAPHICS = WILL NOT SELL."
True!

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

I am sure this statement is not correct. The graphics of the game client do not depend on the server script code. The client just interprets the data it gets from the server (e.g. position of objects etc.) and displays it. No need to rewrite the whole game just to be able to make a better client. The condition, of course, is that the game client remains isometric. If you'd want to create a 1st person client I guess you'd really have to rewrite the game, mostly because game mechanics would be completely different.

It gets a little complicated by the fact that UO doesn't *really* have a z axis. A truly 3d game, be it 1st person or 3rd person iso would rely on server data that reports true x,y, and z positions for everything in the game...not to mention that 3d renders are subject to physics rather than just sprite collisions, etc.

For UO to actually be re-written to support true 3D models, not just sprites made from 3D renders, some very significant server changes would also need to occur. Odds are very high that in order to accomplish this, the original 2D, or Classic, client would no longer be compatible...thus essentially forcing everyone onto a new client. The risk there is an immediate exodus of over half the game's already small subscriber base.

But it is all actually a moot point. There is no way that EA is going to green light yet another client for a 13 year old game with a dwindling population...unless of course something major happens, like Garriott buys the Ultima franchise back and influxes money into UO.

 

[Petra Fyde]

I'm sorry, I would not play this, for the same reason I don't play EC.

I can play in EC for a maximum of half an hour before the headache from squinting to try to see what's going on around me defeats me.

I have said right from the start of KR that for me, both these clients, and this example of another game, lack clarity. They're fine to watch as a demo, but to actually play and see what is happening is just not possible for me.

Also I agree with Morgana, Mario has been going for years, but the character's look remains constant. My characters in UO have not.

Some excessively antagonistic posts were removed from this thread.

 

[Zosimus]

There is always hope when you think MMO's will always follow the same path then one decides to change it all and gives you a little faith. We had a discussion about realism once before here on stratics about UO. How things should affect each other.


[youtube]35BPhT-KI1E[/youtube]

What interested me was these when I was reading up on it. Anybody that has played Bioware Mythic's DaoC can agree underwater battles was fun.

Underwater exploration

In late 2009, it was officially announced that it will be possible to explore, fight, and breathe underwater in Tyria. Developers say that creating the underwater "continents" is one of the things that is delaying the game. The teaser trailer shows footage of an underwater area and creatures swimming in the waters. Developers have stated that the ability to breathe underwater will be granted via the use of an easily obtainable consumable item.

I really like this concept that gives people choices if they want to PvP.


There will be two types of PvP available in Guild Wars 2; World PvP and Structured PvP.
World PvP

World PvP will allow you to play characters of any level, using the skills that you have in your possession at that particular time. This level discrepancy will be relaxed by a side-kicking system intended to provide a bridging point between PvE and structured PvP. It will be on a larger scale than the original Guild Wars PvP with large battles which take place over a long period with people coming and going.
The battle has been likened to an RTS and will have a number of different objectives which can be met such as taking guard towers or defending choke points or joining a larger battle to take a castle. Battles will take place in the Mists.
Victory in World PvP will confer benefits to your world. This may include improved drop rates, better energy regeneration or other bonuses.
Structured PvP

Structured PvP is similar to today's GvG. It will allow you to enter the game at maximum level with all skills, races, items and classes automatically unlocked.

 

[G.v.P]

damn that looks pretty tight too ... lol sigh I hope UO will get Dragon Aged one day