Is UO being Left to die?

[Tox The Murder]

Is UO coming to a end? Ik i'm gonna get bashed and yelled at for saying this but seriously think about it...

Most shards are either dead or dying out...[not all but most]
PvP is mostly gone
Activity is going lower each day and no new players are coming in.


Just think about all the stuff we've been wanted fixed and EA/Devs havn't done it.

P.S. I've Been played this game since the opening day [no joke] and i've watched it die little by little. UO doesn't deserve this at all....

 

[THP]

Sadly the lights will one day get turned off for good.....lets hope its at least a year or two/three more

EA can swing the pendulum the right way if they get the EM Events back on track like they were meant to be....on the player participation/interaction way for all to enjoy !!! and trinkets for all to remember that days ''event quest '' and not just a rares forum for collectors fest! 1 of 5... etc etc

 

[lucitus]

I dont know, iam not gone forever, but the game is at the moment over for me. There is no new content to play with, there are no people to fight with and there is no client to play with.

So maybe i come back, when the client is fixed and looks like a quality product or when more content is ingame, but at the moment i dont want to log in.

 

[smip]

Is UO coming to a end? Ik i'm gonna get bashed and yelled at for saying this but seriously think about it...

Most shards are either dead or dying out...[not all but most]
PvP is mostly gone
Activity is going lower each day and no new players are coming in.


Just think about all the stuff we've been wanted fixed and EA/Devs havn't done it.

P.S. I've Been played this game since the opening day [no joke] and i've watched it die little by little. UO doesn't deserve this at all....

If I had a dime for every time this type of post was posted.. I'd be a rich woman today. While some shards seem like there are less folks on them.. you have to remember that more shards were born because there was too much overcrowding. The last 2 shards that come in mind is Lake Austin and Origin. Can't have it both ways. Overcrowdedness which everyone complained about.. Or not enough folks which some complain about. I think the shards are pretty even now... they all have room for growth. AND they all have enough room for houseing. If you wern't there before, it was absolute HELL trying to place or purchase a house. I was an avid IDOC'er in the day.

 

[Tox The Murder]

I remember the days when u would lag up because the fights where so huge...when it was worth playing....

Someone needs to send EA a msg that they should care about us even if we are not Huge like WoW.

[Most ppl play old school free shards now... Should look into that EA ]

Devs i'm trying to stay in the rules

 

[Kiminality]

I remember the days when u proclaimed that UO was already dead (in upper case at that).
http://vboards.stratics.com/uo-spiels-n-rants/240039-uo-dead.html
Why the backpedal?

 

[Tox The Murder]

That i was on a mad rage from something a player said to me. I've realized my mistake and i should have that thread Deleted. I also just came back from a long break and saw no one on my home shard and thought that the end had come...

My mistake on that thread.

 

[smip]

I remember the days when u proclaimed that UO was already dead (in upper case at that).
http://vboards.stratics.com/uo-spiels-n-rants/240039-uo-dead.html
Why the backpedal?

LOL that post was only made on 4/15/2011 Like I said. If I had a dime for every one. Maybe for each upgrade or expansion that person likes to reap havoic?? Or make like it's doom or gloom for every new thing that comes along...

You know, because of all the new content lately it has accually forced me to use the new client. And I'm an old dog that is hard to teach new tricks to. I'm accually starting to get used to the new client. However, I'm still stuck on the old client. I just wish they can make the mapping system in the old client like they have in the new one.

 

[Tox The Murder]

If EA actually put some time into UO and gave the players what they want UO could be rollin money in non stop...

 

[Sevin0oo0]

UO has yet plenty of life left, and will be here quite a while.


and while you're enjoying, help me sell all my stuff, see sig

 

[Valas]

Spring and Summer months always cause a decline to the playerbase in ALL MMO's. UO is no different.

Not sure how the activity is getting lower each day with patches rolled out recently and two new (albeit controversial) theme packs.

Was only last night I was in fel with about 20 other players having all out faction wars, sure its not the size of the battles you used to have in the early days of the game and around the AoS time but still, it was more than I had seen in a while.

This game won't appeal to 99% of new players, your average gamer of today is interested in high quality graphics which take advantage of the latest innovations, it is true also that the UO experience does not exactly make it easy for new players to enter the game, but as far as I know the devs are actively trying to fix that.

You say you have watched it die little by little, but really any game only has a certain product life span, UO has actually been very good at surviving amongst newer games such as World of Warcraft or LotRO, considering it has changed little (in terms of technology) since its 97 release.

Games do grow old, World of Warcraft is starting to face a falling playerbase, it is just the way it is. It's graphics are hardly cutting edge anymore either, they have been updated a little but there are still far better looking games.

So my answer in short is no UO isn't being left to die, but it has been 'dieing' for a while now, but it is dieing of old age rather than anything else!

 

[Tina Small]

Here's a little food for thought:

Every week, the NEW guild on Siege adds at least one if not more players who tell us that they haven't played UO in years. Just guilded someone this morning who told me he hasn't played in over ten years. A friend of his who was recently playing on Pacific but decided to check out Siege talked him into returning.

If you have friends who haven't played the official version of UO in years but have perhaps been playing a free "classic" shard, maybe you could get some of them to come back if YOU bite the bullet and get yourself going with a Siege character or two. Maybe it'll cure some of your current boredom with the game too. Starting afresh and from scratch and with danger lurking around every corner might also remind you of all the things about UO that you still love but have forgotten because you've gotten rich, lazy and comfortable on your current shard! (I'm teasing, ya know.)

Just think of the fun you could all have together starting out from scratch building and equipping new characters (without the daily cap on RoT gains you'll fly through training and crafting and imbuing are alive and thriving on Siege); scrimping and saving for a house to share; watching out for thieves and PKs; actively participating in an economy that's not totally borked; and meeting some new friends (and maybe some new enemies?)....

I say let's start our own grass-roots effort to get some of those old players who defected to the free shards to come back to THIS version of UO. Do it Siege-style, though. I don't think you'll regret it.

 

[Tox The Murder]

I want the ORC to come back to seige. those where beast days! i'll prob create another character on seige sooner or later

 

[Capn Kranky]

In a way, appearances are that UO is dying on the vine. UO Herald website is months out of date and incomplete; ineffective measures to curb exploits; ineffective or nonexistent in-game support.

For that last just look in here at the thread where a poster has been #6 for >2 hours. That sux and I know for a fact DAoC has better than that for in-game. BTW, that's from the same company, newer game less player-base (maybe); certainly less servers.

But to continue ... incomplete and less than stellar client in the form of the EC. It has lots to offer but there are many who find it unusable. The CC is outdated, but the graphics are crisper than the EC, but then it is outdated.

Download of the CC is an early 7.x version requiring new players to patch up for a horrid amount of time before they can play. In-game, there are uncorrected issues with prior releases; publishes/patches for new stuff invariably breaks something that was working just fine - indicating code that needs full revamp.

Customer-base that will not allow the team to revamp the code because they want new stuff ... NOW! EA Management that most likely does not wish to expend that much time on an old nag of a horse that will soon die.

No UO presence in the marketplace ... regardless of the graphics. Just the damned longevity of the game justifies expenditure of SOMETHING to put it out there! But, nope ... word of mouth and horridly long downloads. <sigh>

 

[Gilmour]

you guys are being fairly negative i find..

i never had a problem with ingame support. but yes on primetime the gms can be very busy so response take longer. complain when it can take a week like in wow

on regular online hours always someone on, even on low population shards.

no point making a big deal of exploits, there will always be some that will take the easy/illigal way regardless how much effort the GMs put into tracking them down and banning them.

relax, sit back, and enjoy the ride while it last.

half glass of water: half full or half empty?

Greetings
Gilmour

 

[Tox The Murder]

In a way, appearances are that UO is dying on the vine. UO Herald website is months out of date and incomplete; ineffective measures to curb exploits; ineffective or nonexistent in-game support.

For that last just look in here at the thread where a poster has been #6 for >2 hours. That sux and I know for a fact DAoC has better than that for in-game. BTW, that's from the same company, newer game less player-base (maybe); certainly less servers.

But to continue ... incomplete and less than stellar client in the form of the EC. It has lots to offer but there are many who find it unusable. The CC is outdated, but the graphics are crisper than the EC, but then it is outdated.

Download of the CC is an early 7.x version requiring new players to patch up for a horrid amount of time before they can play. In-game, there are uncorrected issues with prior releases; publishes/patches for new stuff invariably breaks something that was working just fine - indicating code that needs full revamp.

Customer-base that will not allow the team to revamp the code because they want new stuff ... NOW! EA Management that most likely does not wish to expend that much time on an old nag of a horse that will soon die.

No UO presence in the marketplace ... regardless of the graphics. Just the damned longevity of the game justifies expenditure of SOMETHING to put it out there! But, nope ... word of mouth and horridly long downloads. <sigh>

EXACTLY! Technology is everything these days! Advertisments for UO needs to be done in order for ppl to actually take intrest in the game.

Make Downloads Shorter. Put some time into the game EA. Make the graphics better and stop all the bugs! Advertise for gods sake... EA if you want another blockbuster you got one sittin right here waiting to be brought up again....



I also support the idea Tina Small gave. Invite ppl back to Seige/UO..Help them out and help make Seige/UO strong again.

 

[AtlanteanAngel]

While it is undeniably true that subscription rates for UO are, compared to its heyday a decade ago, overall on the decline. However, subscription rates are pretty much stabilized now, give or take (ok, take) 10 percent every year.

UO will still remain profitable enough for EA to operate, for a couple more years at least. This has been the Devs' viewpoint for several years now, and they have repeated this stand from time to time.

 

[Jhym]

You can tell that UO is doing great: the number of posts about its demise have been fairly constant for the past 8 years.

If all the posts are about how wonderful UO is, and how the puppies and unicorns just shower everyone with gifts every single day, then I will KNOW it's about to collapse.

 

[Woodsman]

UO's got a lot of problems, the biggest of which are new players and the graphics, and the two go hand in hand.

The devs are working on both of those issues though. That means somebody higher up acknowledges the issues and is interested in seeing UO grow again.

On top of that, EA is interested in the Ultima brand again. I was surprised to see UO featured on the Ultima forever website, and not just as a small link at the top of the page.

I'd still feel a lot better if UO had been able to hire some people like Camelot did.

 

[Demonous]

if UO was being left to die, they wouldn't be paying EMs to run events

 

[Gilmour]

You can tell that UO is doing great: the number of posts about its demise have been fairly constant for the past 8 years.

If all the posts are about how wonderful UO is, and how the puppies and unicorns just shower everyone with gifts every single day, then I will KNOW it's about to collapse.

^^^^ made my LoL, but its true

 

[olduofan]

cant wait for the 15th anniversary gifts..... ha

 

[sablestorm]

Are there any artists or photoshop wizards out there who can make me an image of Harold Camping prophecizing the demise of UO?

 

[Lost-Soul]

i never had a problem with ingame support. but yes on primetime the gms can be very busy so response take longer. complain when it can take a week like in wow

You can't be serious.

 

[Woodsman]

if UO was being left to die, they wouldn't be paying EMs to run events

While I don't think it's being left to die, were it being left to die/run in maintenance mode, you'd see nothing but EM events and new booster packs, because both of those are aimed at existing customers and not new players.

They would not be working on stuff for new players, including new graphics/EC.

While I think EA seriously neglected UO, if they wanted it to die, they would have just pulled the plug without hesitation.

 

[Tox The Murder]

Someone needs to remind EA that UO is still here. If they upped the graphics and gave a reason for new ppl to come we'd be back. Neglegt on EA's part has sent us down..

 

[Gilmour]

You can't be serious.

actually i am serious, trick is to know what the gms will help with and what they wont.

as listed here: Answer

 

[In Flames]

If EA actually put some time into UO and gave the players what they want UO could be rollin money in non stop...

Many players are wishy washy and don't know what they want. It's hard for the devs to separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

[Llewen]

OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING ON MAY 12 AT 6:00PM EST!!! REPENT WHILE THERE STILL IS TIME!!!

Yes, you can give all your lootz to me, it'll earn you brownie points with the great Gods of Ultima.

I've been reading threads like this since I first started paying attention to forums, 2000? There's a good chance the world will end some day. There's a good chance UO is going to be shut down some day. But I don't think either are going to happen any time soon, not even on 12/12/2012...

 

[sablestorm]

Mind you there are new people joining all the time. Of the 30 people I guilded last month, half of them are brand new to UO. I've been on quite a stretch of consistent new and returning players popping up in New Haven. You just have to bother to spend some time there and talk to them.

 

[Viper09]

Fixes won't do much for this game. It won't bring everyone back. Pvp can't be balanced because it just won't happen with the way people whine every time something changes. Even if it was balanced people would still whine that it wasn't. What this game needs is good content with good replay for the old players, the ones who have pretty much done it all, and something to attract new players.

 

[unified]

Many players are wishy washy and don't know what they want. It's hard for the devs to separate the wheat from the chaff.

They want things fixed.

 

[unified]

Is UO coming to a end?

All good things come to an end.

But, seriously, I am sure we all feel your pain, although some are in denial. It is frustrating that seemingly simple bugs are not fixed, and the UO world seems like a ghost town.

What other players do usually does not affect me, and that has always been my motto. Now, however, what other players don't do is starting to affect me. The fact that you can now go into most dungeons and be the only one there is frightening, and I can't solo an entire dungeon spawn on my own.

It's been dismal for a very long time. Old players won't come back because things are not fixed, and new players won't come because the graphics looks decades old.

 

[Ludes]

I just came back to the game after several years away and I can really see a
difference in the population level of Catskills. So far I'm seeing that as a good thing, far less camping for instance.

 

[Bobar]

I think that asking the question has justification. The lack of a decent customer support function is a good indicator of a parent companies committment. This is usually because the goose is still laying some golden eggs and they want the harvest without paying for more food for the goose.

I personally dont think its being totally left to die just yet but I have to say I think the first faint writing is on the wall.

But producing Add-on packs for actual cash to boost income rather than resolve some of the long standing issues with the game also is a good indicator of where their interest lie.

Gold is good - Profit is everything - service costs gold therefore service shall be minimal. (for minimal read practically non-existant.)

 

[G.v.P]

Is UO coming to a end? Ik i'm gonna get bashed and yelled at for saying this but seriously think about it...

You haven't seen my sig? jk

 

[claudia-fjp]

Mind you there are new people joining all the time. Of the 30 people I guilded last month, half of them are brand new to UO. I've been on quite a stretch of consistent new and returning players popping up in New Haven. You just have to bother to spend some time there and talk to them.

Yet our server, once a west coast population center, is desolate now compared to even 2 years ago when I left. Let alone compared to around the time of AoS or ML launches. In my 2 year absence the number of castles and keeps increased by 7 or so runebooks full as housing was consolidated. 18 x 18 spots sit empty after they fall instead of being replaced, and there is room to place dozens more open on all facets.

On Napa where once I sold a Large Tower for $300 during UOs golden age there are now open spots for Keeps. Yesterday a guy tried to sell a trammel keep in general chat for 7 mil got laughs, the advise he got was to just drop it and save his time.

Sure people still play I see them in their houses all the time but its a skeleton crew at best. Population is low and still dropping sadly.

 

[Woodsman]

Many players are wishy washy and don't know what they want. It's hard for the devs to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Especially in 2011. There are so many MMOs that cater to so many crowds, it would be hard to figure out what people want who haven't played UO. A good graphics update and major bug fixes will go a long way towards bringing in new players and keeping others around. A better quest system as well, especially one that allows for new quests to be added more frequently. They did say they were trying to move away from the grinding quests.

I've been reading threads like this since I first started paying attention to forums, 2000? There's a good chance the world will end some day. There's a good chance UO is going to be shut down some day. But I don't think either are going to happen any time soon, not even on 12/12/2012...

When people ask me my opinion, I tell them it'll definitely be around through 2012. EA is not going to pass up the free advertising from the first major retail MMO turning 15 years old. The amount of interest generated by the Ultima Forever and GOG Ultima Underworld stuff is an indicator of that. EA does love them some free advertising.

UO is hurting compared to say 2008, but if it was hurting bad enough to be put on a timer, I almost think EA would just cancel. I'm watching to see what happens with Star Wars and Warhammer. I could see Warhammer being canceled within the next year, especially since another company is making a new Warhammer MMO.

 

[Woodsman]

I think that asking the question has justification. The lack of a decent customer support function is a good indicator of a parent companies committment. This is usually because the goose is still laying some golden eggs and they want the harvest without paying for more food for the goose.

EA is building a BioWare Customer Service center in Ireland and they are hiring and we'll probably get some of that with UO since UO shares GMs with the other MMOs.

I wish UO would get some new hires like Camelot did.

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

How many times do I have to keep saying this.

UO is already dead. Has been for awhile now. EA has stopped paying for the servers. Sooner or later the vendors will realize their servers aren't being paid for, and the shards will shut down one by one. The next time you have lag or a problem with the login server, that is an early warning sign. It means the end is coming. Soon.

It says all this on my website.

-Galen's player

 

[Tox The Murder]

How many times do I have to keep saying this.

UO is already dead. Has been for awhile now. EA has stopped paying for the servers. Sooner or later the vendors will realize their servers aren't being paid for, and the shards will shut down one by one. The next time you have lag or a problem with the login server, that is an early warning sign. It means the end is coming. Soon.

It says all this on my website.

-Galen's player

UO is still thriving imao... EA just needs to put a little time into it. And what website?

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

EA is building a BioWare Customer Service center in Ireland and they are hiring and we'll probably get some of that with UO since UO shares GMs with the other MMOs.

I wish UO would get some new hires like Camelot did.

mmmmm

click thru your links again ...
just saying ... the "facility" is dated as: May 26, 2010
and the hiring, for fairfax?

gotta love the EA ...

 

[Woodsman]

mmmmm

click thru your links again ...
just saying ... the "facility" is dated as: May 26, 2010
and the hiring, for fairfax?

The facility was announced last year, it's supposed to be online sometime this year in time for Star Wars.

Maybe you should actually read the job links, or it could be your location is changing the job postings to Virginia.

When I click on those links, I see job listings for Ireland:

Location: BioWare Ireland
Description: BioWare is looking for a talented Data Centre Technician to be based at our City West, Dublin Data Centre facility. This position is for an experienced candidate who will work within the Site Services team and have hands on responsibility for ensuring our production data centre environment in Dublin is operating efficiently. The Data Centre Technician will work closely with the System Administration and Network Operations teams and provide hands on support for them. The primary responsibility of this job role is to rack and cable new hardware, upgrade servers and network equipment and keep accurate inventory information for all systems. The Data Centre Technician will also be responsible for assisting in the development of processes and procedures related hardware deployment, upgrades and break/fix issues.

Location: BioWare Ireland
Description: The In Game Support Manager provides the strategic support and leadership to our BioWare customer support team through the process of directly managing a group of Team Leaders and indirect management of a large team of multi lingual, multidisciplinary BioWare customer service agents in a 24/7 environment. The In Game Support Manager reports directly to the Customer Service Site Operations Manager.

The In Game Support Manager is responsible for a highly trained multidiscipline team that will be providing customer service within our new up-and-coming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. The In Game Support Manager will lead and motivate their team. They will interact with their staff in addition to other key groups within the company. The In Game Support Manager will provide regular and vital communication to the In Game customer service staff.

The In Game Support Manager is responsible for working closely with other Internal Support teams and Outsourced Customer Service teams to ensure that information communication is effective and we are providing consistent ‘Best in Class’ support throughout the organization. The In Game Support Manager must have a detailed understanding of the Customer Support and Call Center industry with specific knowledge of online games an advantage.

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

The facility was announced last year, it's supposed to be online sometime this year in time for Star Wars.

Maybe you should actually read the job links, or it could be your location is changing the job postings to Virginia.

When I click on those links, I see job listings for Ireland:

I'm sorry ... but no, I >intentionally< selected Fairfax(it is an option)

Self centered little Fayled ... I was interested in AMERICAN jobs and employment and facilities ...

NOT in further shared scraps from "other mmo's" located in other countries ...
yeah I READ the entire listing of job linkage ...


ADDED:
couldn't resist, sorry
tooooooo many years in HR ... I know >exactly< what is actually involved in the jobs that you quoted ... read them with a critical eye ... you might too.
G'day, G'luck, G'night
I didn't realize from your location:texas listing that you were such a fan of ireland ...

Not like Austin texas >could< compete with ireland ... at all ...
*ahem hurumph*

*grins*

yeah ... we can HOPE a bit of UO might improve, once they get the facility up ...

any updates on how that is going?

 

[Woodsman]

I didn't realize from your location:texas listing that you were such a fan of ireland ...

Not like Austin texas >could< compete with ireland ... at all ...
*ahem hurumph*

I know of several UO players in Austin/Dallas/Houston that I've met at the renaissance festivals and player luncheons that were held back when UO was based in Austin, including some active players. If they opened up a support center there, I bet more a few might be interested, but it would depend upon pay. Ireland probably made them an incredibly good offer though.

Right now, unfortunately Star Wars is based out of Austin and so all of BioWare Austin's job listings are focused on it. I do keep an eye on it and have been tempted to apply for a few jobs, but working for EA would scare the crap out of me since we are starting a family soon and I don't want to have to worry about being laid off.

any updates on how that is going?

The last mention I heard was I think in the financial report somebody posted a few months ago either here or on Gamasutra or Massively that just stated it was being worked on and would be live before Star Wars went live. The fact that they are hiring either means they are close to having it completed (maybe have employees in temp facilities) or it's completed and they are ramping up.

From what I've heard, it is supposed to handle all of BioWare's MMOs, but I see stuff that sounds like it's only Star Wars, which is odd. That's a lot of money to invest in a data center/customer support center for a single game that doesn't have "Warcraft" in the title. Maybe they are mentioning "Star Wars" in the job postings to make it sound sexier than it is

I hope that all of the customer service stuff ends up under BioWare's control. It was rather disheartening to hear the devs say the GM training is out of their control.

 

[Fayled Dhreams]

I hope that all of the customer service stuff ends up under BioWare's control. It was rather disheartening to hear the devs say the GM training is out of their control.

Nice talking atcha Woodsman ... but no ... not much chance of the irish being much aid to UO
that is my primary concern here ...

and with NO mention OF UO in your austin listing(coulda missed it! please to point out)
or in the "area of focus" here:
BioWare Ireland Ltd, A Divison of EA Jobs - Jobs in Ireland - irishjobs.ie

oh wait!
THERE IS a mention of UO at your link !!

reading test for you:
where is it? (UO)

*jeopardy music*

 

[Striga]

Only spill money into EA bank. There is not real future development plan in this actual UO; i hope in a f2p or in a shard gate that connetc two shards (like Eu and Df) or in a true new UO and maybe one bonus for veterans players.
Uo is slowly dying and some players helped to arrive in this situation.....
("strong community" it's a joke).....

 

[wrekognize]

\bhj

if UO was being left to die, they wouldn't be paying EMs to run events

They used to pay developers to run events. EMs make me not want to play. There are far too many EM created items that are not fairly distributed. Not to mention that their events are not even enjoyable. The last good event we had was Halloween 09. Then all the developers were fired. It is much less expensive to pay EMs who run crappy "events", than to have developers create code for them.

..

 

[Ludes]

Personally I don't think Ultima will ever die.. It might change along the years but it's always done that. My kids are avid players and I'm sure I'm not the only one that turned their kids on to the game. As long as there are people that want something, and will pay money for it... Someone will sell it to them.

 

[Lady Storm]

I'm with Tina...
WE do have returning vets and players from years ago and I have seen a few (young) players on different shards and you can tell they are new to the game.....

But and this is a rub... i have over the years heard of the "free" shards and was invited to many... I refused to go play them based on the fact its stealing.... Yes its stealing.

Free shards hold i'd say 50% of the old UO player base. Not to mention the rest of the players on there who have never played UO excet on those shards.

We need those # back in the real game. For those of you who know the players on them get them to return to the Real UO. Even a small # would boost the shards.

Siege is the place id send any who want the old way uo was. Its not your average shard the thrill is there, every turn..... reds pks, pvp, its there.

How do i know? Lady Alanis the Exchange {X} guild leader Siege P thats me... and oh 40 something of my alts that run around siege.