New Players

[Smoot]

All the posts about the video.... Its to be expected that alot will quit UO because the game is moving in a direction they don't want to play.

Classic shard - not even going to mention it.


Alot of players are quiting, or canceling all but one account... so, those accounts have to be replaced, just to break even.

The Team seems to really be trying to bring in new players.
So about new players - this is my main question that i havent been able to figure out.

How the heck do new players even know about, hear about, or become attracted to UO? I can see people getting their kids into the game, but really have No idea how else new players would even know about the game, let alone make the decision to buy it, pay the monthly fee, and then keep playing it.

If anyone can answer this, Please Do!

 

[Derium of ls]

I think they'd have to fix all the major bugs, get the client/s working well and then actually spend money on marketing. Or at least allow Steam to pick up UO and do a $2.99 discount or something to buy the game... but that's just to get people to check it out. Doubt many will stay.

 

[jaashua]

You build a new client with amazing graphics. Then you sit back and start counting your money. Because you'll have all us long time UO players posting proudly about the game across thousands of forums. There will be hundreds of youtube videos dedicated to showing off the engine and gameplay.

On top of that, you're going to have every gaming review site picking up this news eagerly.

Marketing cost is zero.

Call it something profound and pertinent like Renaissance or Kingdom Reborn. Oh.....wait. Okay, since you've already used up the most hyperbolic phrases, let's just call it UO2 even though it's the same game world. You simply explain that the game's new graphics engine is so stunning that it alters the entire feel of every aspect of the game.

What's it going to cost to put a team of 10 of the best artists at Mythic on this for 6 months straight? Just for kicks let's say $500,000. How many new accounts would it require to make that money back, given they play for just one full year. Factoring in the initial cost of the game...it would take about 2,500 new accounts. Now, scale that however you want, the math is the same. Factor in how many accounts are reopened and how many you prevent from quitting.

 

[Derium of ls]

You build a new client with amazing graphics. Then you sit back and start counting your money. Because you'll have all us long time UO players posting proudly about the game across thousands of forums. There will be hundreds of youtube videos dedicated to showing off the engine and gameplay.

On top of that, you're going to have every gaming review site picking up this news eagerly.

Marketing cost is zero.

Call it something profound and pertinent like Renaissance or Kingdom Reborn. Oh.....wait. Okay, since you've already used up the most hyperbolic phrases, let's just call it UO2 even though it's the same game world. You simply explain that the game's new graphics engine is so stunning that it alters the entire feel of every aspect of the game.

What's it going to cost to put a team of 10 of the best artists at Mythic on this for 6 months straight? Just for kicks let's say $500,000. How many new accounts would it require to make that money back, given they play for just one full year. Factoring in the initial cost of the game...it would take about 2,500 new accounts. Now, scale that however you want, the math is the same. Factor in how many accounts are reopened and how many you prevent from quitting.

you're using something called "logic" please refrain from doing that around these parts.

 

[Warpig Inc]

WE the unknowing, led by the unwilling, to do the impossible.

 

[popps]

You build a new client with amazing graphics.

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I mean, sure, "some" good graphics might be nice but I am personally more intrrested in the contents of a game, its flexibility, than its looks.

To me, the good looking graphics after a while gets old, I get used to it and, if the game has not much content I get bored.

So, as far as priorities go, I am way more interested at what is inside the game than how it looks.

 

[Derium of ls]

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I mean, sure, "some" good graphics might be nice but I am personally more intrrested in the contents of a game, its flexibility, than its looks.

To me, the good looking graphics after a while gets old, I get used to it and, if the game has not much content I get bored.

So, as far as priorities go, I am way more interested at what is inside the game than how it looks.

but we have UO, the game with the most depth than any other MMO out there. So we have content on lock, now we need the graphics

 

[Ender]

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I mean, sure, "some" good graphics might be nice but I am personally more intrrested in the contents of a game, its flexibility, than its looks.

To me, the good looking graphics after a while gets old, I get used to it and, if the game has not much content I get bored.

So, as far as priorities go, I am way more interested at what is inside the game than how it looks.

Graphics get people in, content keeps them in. Get both and you have a money-maker.


Unfortunately, UO desperately needs graphics.

 

[MalagAste]

Graphics get people in, content keeps them in. Get both and you have a money-maker.


Unfortunately, UO desperately needs graphics.

This I have to agree with. Everyone I talk to is interested mostly in Graphics. Getting them to look at the game seriously means it has to LOOK good. Having the pixilated look we have now in the EC isn't going to help.

Cleaning up and upping the resolution of the graphics would help tremendously. And while I know this is a HUGE project ..... I feel it's one that MUST be done. Should have been done ages ago.

 

[phantus]

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I mean, sure, "some" good graphics might be nice but I am personally more intrrested in the contents of a game, its flexibility, than its looks.

To me, the good looking graphics after a while gets old, I get used to it and, if the game has not much content I get bored.

So, as far as priorities go, I am way more interested at what is inside the game than how it looks.

but we have UO, the game with the most depth than any other MMO out there. So we have content on lock, now we need the graphics

We have content for new players. The problem I have had with UO over the years is content. As a 12 yr vet is that I have gone through that content. I have gone back through it because there were years without major content additions. Then there was things like Samurai Empire that provide about 6 days worth of new content.

I'm glad graphics are being tweaked but it's not going to be something that I think is going to be fun or exciting. I can honestly say new graphics will not make me want to login more. A rebuild of magincia will admittedly.

I guess my worries are 2 fold. The "direction" being spoken of is geared toward new players. This game does not draw in new players by the word of mouth. In my opinion new players are a waste of time. This is not a popular opinion but if the powers that be are not going to promote the game in the proper ways then I see this as a waste. I think it a ploy to get another year out of the execs to keep the game going in the hopes of new revenue.

My other worry is the actual content. Booster pack. I spit the words when I speak them out loud. I want a damn expansion not something I will be bored with in a week. This may never happen again. Good, Fast, Cheap; pick two. This is the problem with boosters. You don't get to pick three. I think my favorite story arc mini content add was the candle of love quest. It was free. Drew me in. Had a reward(end reward) I was proud of that wasn't anything but decoration. I want a little bit more if we are going to continue on the booster pack route. about %40 more content than the last one provided.

Anyone else really see an influx of new players no matter what the starting area is?

 

[GalenKnighthawke]

Ours days of extensive amounts of new players are over.

Our days of new players in general are not.

2 to 5 new players a month would be worth designing a new player experience that taught you how the game worked and allowed you to work up a viable character.

-Galen's player

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

All the posts about the video.... Its to be expected that alot will quit UO because the game is moving in a direction they don't want to play.

Classic shard - not even going to mention it.


Alot of players are quiting, or canceling all but one account... so, those accounts have to be replaced, just to break even.

The Team seems to really be trying to bring in new players.
So about new players - this is my main question that i havent been able to figure out.

How the heck do new players even know about, hear about, or become attracted to UO? I can see people getting their kids into the game, but really have No idea how else new players would even know about the game, let alone make the decision to buy it, pay the monthly fee, and then keep playing it.

If anyone can answer this, Please Do!

Here is an idea. Go to Haven and ask the new players that arrive. ARGH. Can we lock the gloom and doom.

You know the players that play UO play other games and have friends. We chat, write blogs, recommend.

Now to be fair... maybe more can be done to bring MORE... but don't be so absolute. Go to Haven and find out.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Graphics get people in, content keeps them in. Get both and you have a money-maker.


Unfortunately, UO desperately needs graphics.

I disagree. A good advetisment gets people in. A good game keeps people.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I mean, sure, "some" good graphics might be nice but I am personally more intrrested in the contents of a game, its flexibility, than its looks.

To me, the good looking graphics after a while gets old, I get used to it and, if the game has not much content I get bored.

So, as far as priorities go, I am way more interested at what is inside the game than how it looks.

Well Pops, I agree with you.

 

[RavenWinterHawk]

To get people to stay. Make a great impression.

Make a simple great impression.

New Experience to be....

Fort Britannia the last refuge for a slaughtered colony of UOanerians.

Surrounded by mixes of monsters.
New players show up there.

Levels of monsters around fort... weak to hard.
Push outward to discover what is in the lands.

A central fort. A central place to return if you die. A central place to train and build. A central place to meet stronger players.

The outer most skirts of the new land... dungeon... powerfull creaters... loot and rewards. RANDOM non static adventure.

Allow them to purchase booster potions that give them 1 hour of increased stats for x amount of gold. Think about it. Temporarily let them gain higher abilities and just go out and whack away and explore. YES only for newbies.

 

[Woodsman]

Personally, I never understood all of the hype about graphics.

I think Ender nailed it - we've got the content, we just need a new paint job to attract the new generation.

I don't know what your experience is prior to UO with Ultima/Origin, but once upon a time, Origin and Ultima represented pushing boundaries with storytelling ("content") and with technology. They used the technology to push the limits and allow them to add details to the world of Ultima that other franchises simply weren't doing or even attempting. The joke was that you were eager for the next Ultima game, but afraid you'd have to upgrade your computer. They used all of that processing power to bring the world alive and make everything interactive, give virtual lives to the NPCs, etc. Origin even came up with their own memory management to allow them to really push the hardware with Ultima VII.

That's what is so ironic to so many of us - once upon a time Origin was known for pushing the boundaries of storytelling, virtual worlds, and computer hardware, and now we're playing a game that looks like it does. We may still have content, but most of us are no longer running 800x600 or 1024x768 CRTs, and we have a generation of gamers that scoff at the graphics.

 

[Woodsman]

In my opinion new players are a waste of time. This is not a popular opinion but if the powers that be are not going to promote the game in the proper ways then I see this as a waste. I think it a ploy to get another year out of the execs to keep the game going in the hopes of new revenue.

UO does not generate the kind of revenue that fits into EA's plans - EA told investors they are going to push fewer titles that are bigger and bigger and generate more profit. For UO, profit is not enough anymore.

If new players aren't brought in, the game will die - EA will have no qualms killing it off - they almost did while Mark Jacobs was running EA Mythic, and it was profitable then.

This isn't 2003 where we can afford to lose 150,000 subscriptions. I don't know that UO could even afford to lose 10,000 or 20,000 subscriptions at this point.

My other worry is the actual content. Booster pack. I spit the words when I speak them out loud. I want a damn expansion not something I will be bored with in a week. This may never happen again. Good, Fast, Cheap; pick two. This is the problem with boosters. You don't get to pick three.

I agree and disagree with you - I think you summed it up very well. Booster packs to me were maintenance - it was to keep current players around for a little longer before the doors close.

I like the idea of the booster pack we've seen, in that it utilizes under-utilized areas. There are other things I don't like about it, but I like the idea of using existing areas that are currently empty.

My problem with expansions this point is that they will just spread players out even more. Unless you are doing something to bring in new players, expansions are simply going to spread us out even more than we already are.

From that aspect, I like the booster idea, but I completely understand your view of it and agree with aspects of it. To me, the boosters should be in addition to expansions - there should an effort to bring life back to certain areas of Britannia. The worst thing in the world is to bring new players into the game, and have them find large areas of the world that are useless/dead. Anybody who has done the WOW grind has come across those types of areas.

 

[[JD]]

Graphics get people in, content keeps them in. Get both and you have a money-maker..

^Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The eye candy pulls them in, they stay for the superior gameplay.

As of right now UO is like the ugly girl in the bar. Until 2am she isn't getting a date.

 

[phantus]

Graphics get people in, content keeps them in. Get both and you have a money-maker..

^Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The eye candy pulls them in, they stay for the superior gameplay.

As of right now UO is like the ugly girl in the bar. Until 2am she isn't getting a date.

How ugly we talking? 4 beer ugly or 12 beer and 4 shot ugly?

 

[BeefSupreme]

It will need a whole new engine to acomplish getting a significant number of new players, there is no way around it. I'm fine with the 2D client, but I'm an old school gamer and am in the minority of gamers. I guess it's possible to rebuild the EC, throw away all the artwork and start over from scratch, but I don't see that happening.

 

[Smoot]

It will need a whole new engine to acomplish getting a significant number of new players, there is no way around it. I'm fine with the 2D client, but I'm an old school gamer and am in the minority of gamers. I guess it's possible to rebuild the EC, throw away all the artwork and start over from scratch, but I don't see that happening.

I have to agree with Beef, personally i like the 2d, but would LOVE a totally new client / game. At this point tho merging the two i think is just impossible.

Back to my original question. Alot of you spoke of the graphics, but im just talking about whats we have / will have in the near future. In the video the devs spoke of things to bring in new players, which many others posted was the reason they are leaving.

Im just wondering how Mythic is going to Get those new players that the devs are making adjustments to our current clients for.

Only thing i can think of is advertise on facebook or something, which is lame, but cheap. I dont see UO being advertised on television, or even written about in magazines.

 

[Woodsman]

Im just wondering how Mythic is going to Get those new players that the devs are making adjustments to our current clients for.

Only thing i can think of is advertise on facebook or something, which is lame, but cheap. I dont see UO being advertised on television, or even written about in magazines.

If they upgrade the artwork, the client, and the new player experience, well plenty of people are BioWare fans or plan to buy BioWare titles, so there could be some serious exposure there (at least as much as Star Wars will not shove everything off of their main page).

If you look at BioWare's current lineup at the top of their main page, UO could easily replace Warhammer or the Mass Effect 2 blurb (since 3 is coming out and already has a slot).

Like I mentioned in another thread, places like Curse.com will discuss it as well, either because they have to as part of a deal to get exclusives for other titles with EA, or just because it's UO and a revamp of the client/graphics would be interesting (especially with the 15th anniversary next year).

I'm saying there will be some natural high-profile exposure that doesn't require any expenditure on EA's part.

BioWare has a lot of leverage - if they do something, people are going to talk about it. BioWare doesn't really have a lot of active games - Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, Star Wars, DAOC, and UO, with some older versions of ME/DA.

I agree though that more needs to be done. Online advertising can be cheap if done properly, but to reach a lot of eyes, you'd need to spend a bit. I personally think a retail presence is still necessary in this day and age, if only for the psychological aspects. I know digital downloads are the wave of the future, but EA didn't jump on that bandwagon with Mondain's Legacy simply because it was the future, they did it because they felt that would get them the most money and they weren't sure about retail sales of ML.

Ideally you've have UO DVDs included in things like the Sims Medieval, but I have a feeling that the turf wars in EA are still ongoing and I don't think there is any way in hell the Sims' management would allow any mention of UO in their packaging, let alone a DVD or download information. They are pretty protective of their franchise. I'd be surprised if they allowed even mention of the Star Wars MMORPG, but EA is betting a lot on that one, so it could happen - the last EA title I bought had flyers for other EA games.

Being under BioWare runs the risk of being in trouble if Star Wars fails, but it also means being under BioWare, and BioWare gets plenty of attention when it wants it. UO is in a better position under BioWare versus when it was just UO and DAOC under Mythic.

 

[Deaol]

EA/Mythic does not need to build a new client. The main target they have are not the 10-18yr old market... that market has way to much competition and UO could never compete with it. So I think having UO as an option on steam would be a utter failure.

Improve and fix the clients we have now and keep the player base they currently have. That should be the priority. Any new subscriptions would just be a bonus at this point it UOs life span.

 

[Derium of ls]

EA/Mythic does not need to build a new client. The main target they have are not the 10-18yr old market... that market has way to much competition and UO could never compete with it. So I think having UO as an option on steam would be a utter failure.

Improve and fix the clients we have now and keep the player base they currently have. That should be the priority. Any new subscriptions would just be a bonus at this point it UOs life span.

most the people I know who use steam are 20's to 40's. Reason being is classic CS, I think that's why most of the world knows about steam haha.

 

[Deaol]

most the people I know who use steam are 20's to 40's. Reason being is classic CS, I think that's why most of the world knows about steam haha.

well yeah.. but most people that use to play cs 1.6 / css don't anymore.. its the new generations keeping it going.. I havent logged onto my steam account in years.

But I guess in the scheme of things, what the hell.. put UO up on steam with a link to the new slim download client and see what happens... can't hurt I guess.

 

[Santa Claus]

All the posts about the video.... Its to be expected that alot will quit UO because the game is moving in a direction they don't want to play.

Classic shard - not even going to mention it.


Alot of players are quiting, or canceling all but one account... so, those accounts have to be replaced, just to break even.

The Team seems to really be trying to bring in new players.
So about new players - this is my main question that i havent been able to figure out.

How the heck do new players even know about, hear about, or become attracted to UO? I can see people getting their kids into the game, but really have No idea how else new players would even know about the game, let alone make the decision to buy it, pay the monthly fee, and then keep playing it.

If anyone can answer this, Please Do!

I wonder that too.
And why the hell does UO need a streaming client? I mean it is nice... but is that really that important? Is that the resons UO is not flooded by Newbies because the download is too big?

Oh and btw the download of Linkrealms which looks sort of like a decent EC is 150 MB ....

 

[Ender]

I disagree. A good advetisment gets people in. A good game keeps people.

You do realize that, even if UO is advertised, almost nobody that sees said advertisements will want to play it?

I'm not saying it's right, that's just how it is.

 

[BlissMarie]

What about cheating? I've read numerous times that people quit UO because of all of the cheating that goes on, not the graphics.

If UO had new graphics, new players and old cheating problems, where would that leave us? Would we lose the majority of new players due to the cheating?

I see nothing wrong with FaceBook ads and banner ads. To my way of thinking, any exposure is better than no exposure.

BlissMarie

 

[Woodsman]

What about cheating? I've read numerous times that people quit UO because of all of the cheating that goes on, not the graphics.

Without the graphics, a lot of people who have never played it won't bother trying it, and that is a big problem.

As for the cheating, start with ditching the CC and focusing on the EC...